Bones Episode 1.15 Two Bodies in the Lab

Brennan converses with an anonymous man from an internet dating web site. They exchange cute quips about each other's physical appearances before setting a date to meet at a local restaurant. Goodman interrupts her virtual romance to inform her of a top priority "delivery."

On the forensic platform, Zack takes Brennan on a tour of some remains that washed ashore on Chesapeake Bay. He surmises the body has been at sea for a considerable period, due to a strong buildup of algae. Bullet holes in the sternum, skull, and arm, along with a pair of cement shoes make for a gruesome story: This victim was murdered, possibly with a "0.32, maybe a 0.38," Zack points out. Goodman enlightens the team. The FBI thinks the bones belong to JAMES CUGINI, a mob boss who "disappeared six years ago after his daughter's dance recital." Brennan orders Zack to "clean him up" and "X-ray the bones for bullet fragments." She wants to recover the markings made by the bullets when they "passed through the bone." When Zack presses for a deadline on cleaning the body, Brennan's coy tone tips Angela to her evening date. Booth arrives with a visitor and ribs .Brennan about her online dating. Brennan defends her actions as Booth's guest, SPECIAL AGENT JAMIE KENTON, introduces himself to the group. He was one of tBrennan converses with an anonymous man from an internet dating web site. They exchange cute quips about each other's physical appearances before setting a date to meet at a local restaurant. Goodman interrupts her virtual romance to inform her of a top priority "delivery."

On the forensic platform, Zack takes Brennan on a tour of some remains that washed ashore on Chesapeake Bay. He surmises the body has been at sea for a considerable period, due to a strong buildup of algae. Bullet holes in the sternum, skull, and arm, along with a pair of cement shoes make for a gruesome story: This victim was murdered, possibly with a "0.32, maybe a 0.38," Zack points out. Goodman enlightens the team. The FBI thinks the bones belong to JAMES CUGINI, a mob boss who "disappeared six years ago after his daughter's dance recital." Brennan orders Zack to "clean him up" and "X-ray the bones for bullet fragments." She wants to recover the markings made by the bullets when they "passed through the bone." When Zack presses for a deadline on cleaning the body, Brennan's coy tone tips Angela to her evening date. Booth arrives with a visitor and ribs Brennan about her online dating. Brennan defends her actions as Booth's guest, SPECIAL AGENT JAMIE KENTON, introduces himself to the group. He was one of the original investigators on the Cugini case. Booth continues teasing Brennan about her logical method of dating and then lets the team know a second body was located.

Brennan and Zack examine a skeleton tied to a bed in an abandoned warehouse. Brennan determines "ninety percent of the flesh" is "missing because of mutilation," as well as "post mortem anthropology caused by canine scavenging." She requests to have the dog's excrement saved for Hodgins. Markings on the orbital cavities of the skull suggest the eyes were gouged out by a crude weapon. This information unsettles Booth because the technique matches a previously unsolved murder involving a seventeen-year-old girl. The prime suspect, KEVIN HOLLINGS, was never prosecuted, even though everything pointed to him. Brennan senses the old wound this case has opened for Booth. Brennan's date then calls to push the reservation. This triggers Booth to question her sensibilities. After all, Brennan has never met her would-be suitor. Her position is resolute, "I've trekked through Tibet avoiding the Chinese Army, I think I can deal with meeting someone for dinner." She continues to examine the body more thoroughly, "Ligamentous tearing along the spine from the wrists and ankles being tied. Knife marks on the bones, evidence of deep cuts..."

Walking to the restaurant to meet her online date, a series of gunshots ring out, blasting the glass window. Shards rain down on Brennan. Trapped and scared, she narrowly escapes death.

An agitated Brennan works feverishly on Cubin's bones. She barks orders to Hodgins while criticizing Zack's work on cleaning the bullet wounds. Brennan's team worries for her life. Zack even exaggerates a scenario where the security at The Jeffersonian is easily breached for a sneak attack. Booth questions Brennan working the case while someone has a hit out on her. Brennan explains that her safety is best served if she finds the killer, seeing how her shooter is most likely tied to one of the bodies. The team learns Hollings has not been picked up yet because of insufficient evidence. The Romano Family is then discussed as a possible connection. They feuded with Cugini in the past. Lastly, Brennan's date is reluctantly thrown into the suspect mix. Booth vows to keep Brennan under close surveillance until her failed assassin is apprehended.

DAVID SIMMONS, Brennan's "date," accepts a badgering round of interrogation from Booth. Brennan and Simmons have instant chemistry, flirting with one another as the questions fly around the room. Relentless, Booth prods Simmons for his alibi. The subtext is apparent. Booth is jealous. Brennan throws some gas on the fire by accepting another date with Simmons to make up for their disastrous first encounter.

Back at Brennan's office, Angela identifies the victim from the warehouse as PENNY HAMILTON, a student at American University. Both Brennan and Angela are concerned Booth will take the case personally. He was unable to collect enough evidence the first time around to convict the killer. Booth enters with new information about the Romanos family. The family is upset the Cugini investigation has been reopened and "...when they get pissed, they shoot."

Brennan analyzes the freshly cleaned bullet wounds on Cugini. She spots some markings left on the bone where the bullet passed. Her theory: If she can recover the bullet pattern left on the bones, then she might be able to "reverse-engineer the bullet." Zack discovered knife marks made by a "non serrated blade consistent with a pocketknife." He also found additional marks on her vertebrae, indicating that the throat was slashed. The team is on a roll until they hit the eye sockets. "The grooving in the eye sockets doesn't match anything on the knife," Zack says defeated. Booth interrupts, reaffirming his commitment to guard Brennan.

In Booth's office, Kenton reviews his undercover work on the Romanos Family. From what he knows, the Romanos don't want the Cugini case re-opened. He suspects FRANK LOMBARDI as Brennan's trigger man. Lombardi is suspected of killing over twenty-five people for the Romanos clan. The weapon involved was a military issue "Colt AR15." Kenton recommends Brennan to "walk away" from the case. She refuses.

Hodgins calls Brennan with an update on the dog excrement. Fasciola hepatica, a parasite found in beef liver, could be the smoking gun tied to Hollings. Because no liver scraps were found at the scene of the crime, if any traces are found at his apartment. Then a connection can be made. Zack adds that the cut marks on the bone had a nick in the blade.

e original investigators on the Cugini case. Booth continues teasing Brennan about her logical method of dating and then lets the team know a second body was located.

Brennan and Zack examine a skeleton tied to a bed in an abandoned warehouse. Brennan determines "ninety percent of the flesh" is "missing because of mutilation," as well as "post mortem anthropology caused by canine scavenging." She requests to have the dog's excrement saved for Hodgins. Markings on the orbital cavities of the skull suggest the eyes were gouged out by a crude weapon. This information unsettles Booth because the technique matches a previously unsolved murder involving a seventeen-year-old girl. The prime suspect, KEVIN HOLLINGS, was never prosecuted, even though everything pointed to him. Brennan senses the old wound this case has opened for Booth. Brennan's date then calls to push the reservation. This triggers Booth to question her sensibilities. After all, Brennan has never met her would-be suitor. Her position is resolute, "I've trekked through Tibet avoiding the Chinese Army, I think I can deal with meeting someone for dinner." She continues to examine the body more thoroughly, "Ligamentous tearing along the spine from the wrists and ankles being tied. Knife marks on the bones, evidence of deep cuts..."

Walking to the restaurant to meet her online date, a series of gunshots ring out, blasting the glass window. Shards rain down on Brennan. Trapped and scared, she narrowly escapes death.

An agitated Brennan works feverishly on Cubin's bones. She barks orders to Hodgins while criticizing Zack's work on cleaning the bullet wounds. Brennan's team worries for her life. Zack even exaggerates a scenario where the security at The Jeffersonian is easily breached for a sneak attack. Booth questions Brennan working the case while someone has a hit out on her. Brennan explains that her safety is best served if she finds the killer, seeing how her shooter is most likely tied to one of the bodies. The team learns Hollings has not been picked up yet because of insufficient evidence. The Romano Family is then discussed as a possible connection. They feuded with Cugini in the past. Lastly, Brennan's date is reluctantly thrown into the suspect mix. Booth vows to keep Brennan under close surveillance until her failed assassin is apprehended.

DAVID SIMMONS, Brennan's "date," accepts a badgering round of interrogation from Booth. Brennan and Simmons have instant chemistry, flirting with one another as the questions fly around the room. Relentless, Booth prods Simmons for his alibi. The subtext is apparent. Booth is jealous. Brennan throws some gas on the fire by accepting another date with Simmons to make up for their disastrous first encounter.

Back at Brennan's office, Angela identifies the victim from the warehouse as PENNY HAMILTON, a student at American University. Both Brennan and Angela are concerned Booth will take the case personally. He was unable to collect enough evidence the first time around to convict the killer. Booth enters with new information about the Romanos family. The family is upset the Cugini investigation has been reopened and "...when they get pissed, they shoot."

Brennan analyzes the freshly cleaned bullet wounds on Cugini. She spots some markings left on the bone where the bullet passed. Her theory: If she can recover the bullet pattern left on the bones, then she might be able to "reverse-engineer the bullet." Zack discovered knife marks made by a "non serrated blade consistent with a pocketknife." He also found additional marks on her vertebrae, indicating that the throat was slashed. The team is on a roll until they hit the eye sockets. "The grooving in the eye sockets doesn't match anything on the knife," Zack says defeated. Booth interrupts, reaffirming his commitment to guard Brennan.

In Booth's office, Kenton reviews his undercover work on the Romanos Family. From what he knows, the Romanos don't want the Cugini case re-opened. He suspects FRANK LOMBARDI as Brennan's trigger man. Lombardi is suspected of killing over twenty-five people for the Romanos clan. The weapon involved was a military issue "Colt AR15." Kenton recommends Brennan to "walk away" from the case. She refuses.

Hodgins calls Brennan with an update on the dog excrement. Fasciola hepatica, a parasite found in beef liver, could be the smoking gun tied to Hollings. Because no liver scraps were found at the scene of the crime, if any traces are found at his apartment. Then a connection can be made. Zack adds that the cut marks on the bone had a nick in the blade.Brennan and Booth interview Hollings in his apartment. Brennan spots a pocketknife on the table. The blades are "clean." Along his wall, thousands of antique keys collected in jars. Booth confiscates the keys while Brennan advises to have the room photographed.

Hollings' attorney, LEWIS SLATER, defends his client from Booth's accusations. Slater contends that his client can't be tied to the girl's remains. "He is a respected researcher with Whitley Chemical." Booth sends a message; however, he doesn't have enough evidence to charge him.

Kenton and Brennan observe Hollings from the other side of the mirror. Kenton hands over his files on the Romanos which contain "...physical descriptions, blood types..." Brennan enlightens Kenton on her bullet reconstruction theory. Not only does she think she can recreate the bullet pattern, but the "angle of entry based on height." This impresses Kenton.

vBooth recruits Goodman's archeology skills to investigate the photographs of Hollings' apartment. From the placement of the keys, Goodman feels the collection is anything but innocent. If it were innocent, Hollings would be facing it. In the current configuration, the keys are on display, like trophies. Goodman sites "Mayan rulers," who "kept souvenirs" of their kills to show "strength and power." He further assists by instructing Booth to have the keys in the container to the right of Hollings' chair examined. "The ones of greatest value to him would be within reach."

In the lab, Zack and Brennan focus on the damage around the orbital cavities in the girl's skull. Zack thought the damage could've come from a "saw blade," but the "crenellations form a regular pattern". Also, "Lack of hemorrhage in the surrounding eye tissue suggests she was already dead before the eyes were removed." Hodgins updates them on the Cugini case. The cement on his feet consisted of "fly ash" instead of "Portland cement," a more expensive material. Tapford Construction, a company owned by Carlo Romano six years ago, used "fly ash."

Romano is wrangled for questioning. Kenton says they're pulling invoices and running names on everyone who worked at his construction company in the last six years. Brennan lets them know Hodgins will search for any skin or fingernails in the concrete to pull DNA from. Booth gets a phone call telling him the judge has ordered the release of Hollings' keys before they have examined all of them. Brennan is struck by the word "crenellations." She guesses the grooves, or crenellations, around the eye sockets were created by one of the keys. They have half an hour to find a key to match the grooves.

Booth puts Brennan under lockdown at her apartment. He offers to stay the night. They make the best of an awkward situation by lip-syncing to Foreigner. Booth heads to the fridge to get a drink. It explodes, sending him across the room.

Brennan sits by Booth's side at the hospital. She reviews his x-rays and finds "a history of multiple fractures on (his) feet consistent with beating. It's a common method of torture in the Middle East, beating the soles of the feet with pipes or hoses." She also finds indications of "injuries. Her guilt further deepens as she observes his suffering.

At the lab, Kenton grills Angela over her digital enhancement program for reconstructing the bullet's markings. He learns she can match a digital replica with "any recovered bullets the FBI has..." Hodgins reports the explosives are "a perfect match to the sulphur manufactured by the chemical company Hollings works for."

Kenton, backed by a squadron of FBI agents, storms Hollings' apartment. It is empty. They find a map folded to the same part of town as the previous victim. Zack calls Brennan to tell her one of the keys lines up with the grooves in the eye-sockets. It was also "dipped in some kind of chemical bath to remove anything organic."

Hodgins visits Booth at the hospital. He puts Booth on the same page, letting him know they found a map of the neighborhood. Booth starts to question the coincidence of the case. It's too convenient. The previous pattern for Hollings never involved explosives. Hodgins' wild conspiracy theories spark Booth's imagination. He realizes Kenton could be the hit man.

Driving in an undercover FBI car, Kenton and Brennan discuss the case. Kenton heads to an abandoned building where a witness spotted a man entering with a woman. Brennan offers to assist, but needs to call Zack. She thinks she knows how to complete the bullet imagery. Her call is interrupted by Kenton's gun pointed directly in her face.

Booth rides crammed in Hodgins' Mini-cooper. He breaks down the case as he sees it; "Kenton was working organized crime at the same time Cugini was killed. And he was the only one who knew the details of both investigations. So he takes what he knows about Hollings, uses it to throw suspicion off himself." Booth feels responsible. They aim for the abandon buildings found on Hollings' map.

Kenton confesses to Brennan. He was on-the-take with the Romanos family. He let the Cugini death slide. He needs to finish off Brennan to prevent her from matching the gun slug to his weapon. Brennan decides she's not going down without a fight. They go mano-y-mano for a few rounds before Brennan is rendered unconscious from the butt of Kenton's revolver.

Booth gets intel from the FBI directing him to a specific building on the map. He and Hodgins also deduce that Hollings is already dead, a part of Kenton's cover-up. They join the FBI team at the building and coordinate a plan of attack.

Kenton hog-ties Brennan and opens a knife, then chips a portion of the blade to mirror the wounds from the other victims. He hopes to pin Brennan's murder, along with the others, on Hollings. Before he can perform his mutilation, Booth and the others smash through the door. Kenton falls to the floor after taking a bullet from Booth's Glock.

Back at the hospital, Brennan comforts Booth before leaving on her rescheduled date. She leaves, but then returns, choosing to skip her date. She sits with Booth, the two watch TV in silence.