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See, this
this can't be the place.
Why would they leave a clue
for a treasure hunt here?
Denise hired a professional
to plan the game.
They know what
they're doing.
Why couldn't
Denise and Joel
just have
a dinner party?
Watch out for that step.
It's See?
Told you.
Hey.
Help me get some light
down here.
Okay,
nothing down there.
Let's go.
Seriously?
This is awesome.
Get a picture.
Smells gross.
Man up!
Do you want
Ryan and Kristy to win?
Dig.
Wait. I I think
I found something.
Feels like
a bottle.
It'll have
the next clue inside.
Got to admit,
winning would be nice.
I hate Ryan
and Kristy!
Hey, Bones. She's sleeping.
Shh. Look at this, huh?
We have an artist.
This is beautiful.
Yeah.
It's truly exceptional.
There are flashes of
Abstract Expressionism in this.
Huh?
Abstract
Expressionism.
You know, like Wassily Kandinsky
or Friedel Dzubas.
There's a real sweep
to these strokes.
Right, right.
Okay, well, the school
director, she wants to, uh,
bring us in
and talk to us.
So she recognizes
Christine's talent, too?
Uh, no, Christine, she, uh
she bit a kid.
What?!
No, th-that's impossible.
It's no big deal. I mean, kids bite.
No. Not Christine.
She's not just any kid--
she's my daughter,
and they made a mistake.
Bones, just relax.
I mean, the school
director, she felt bad.
She was apologizing
for bringing it up.
Well, then why did she?
Well, because,
you know, a kid got
bit, that's why.
Which kid?
Thank God.
Brennan.
Booth.
Where is it?
Text me the address.
Okay,
we'll be right there.
We got a body.
I know. I'll call Max
to watch her.
Which kid?
Emma. One of the Emmas.
Emma R. or Emma C.?
Emma C.
Figures. She cries when
they sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider."
Wow!
Look at those 'shrooms!
Yeah. Spectacular, right?
Ganoderma, enokitake,
some beautiful
bunapi-shimeji,
and just about the cutest
little hypholoma I've ever seen.
- Okay, that's great. Let's move it along.
- The frontal eminence
and the orbital margins
indicate the victim was female.
Caucasian.
Cranial suturing suggests
she was in her mid-20s.
All right,
- any evidence of *** assault?
- Not that I can see.
Her pants are still on.
I didn't think mushrooms
grew on bodies.
Yeah, they don't.
They are growing
through it and around it.
Spores must have been
laying dormant underground.
Fluid from the victim
could have seeped out
and reactivated them.
What proof do they have?
Huh?
Hard proof.
Hard proof?
I I don't know.
The teacher heard a scream,
she turned around
and she saw
Christine standing
next to C
and she had a bite mark on her.
Not about the case,
I'm guessing?
It could have been
another child who ran away.
Let's talk about this later.
Has Michael Vincent
- ever bit anyone?
- Yeah, sure.
I mean, th-there's
nothing weird about that.
- It's average behavior.
- Average.
Exactly.
Christine didn't do this.
The teacher was mistaken.
There was
no reports of a kidnapping
or an abduction
in the area,
so how long has
Mushroom Woman
been down here, do you think?
Well, based on
the size of the stems,
I'd say somewhere
between 20 and 30 days.
Hey, she could be homeless.
Her teeth
are pristine-- she doesn't
have a single filling.
Look
at her fingernails.
Wow, that's a manicure.
It's a very good
manicure.
She took very good
care of herself.
Can I
see that?
Yeah.
These shoes
are from Ava Lang.
Beautiful.
Incredible leather.
Sounds very expensive.
So, why did a woman
who could afford shoes
like this end up
in one of the worst
neighborhoods in D.C.
with mushrooms
growing out of her?
Original Air Date on April 1, 2013
♪
These bunapi-shimejis
are full of antioxidants.
The mushrooms?
Yeah.
There could be
a market for these.
Yeah,
mushrooms grown locally
on corpses.
Are you two looking for some
kind of side business?
Oh, no.
Hey, I accept
not being rich-rich,
but I wouldn't mind
being a little richer
than we are right now.
We're living off our salaries;
it's what people do.
Well, happiness isn't tied
to how much money you make.
Thank you, Opie-- but I'd
rather not have Michael Vincent
eating squirrel gizzards
and hillbilly broth.
We had to mortgage
the house to pay off
a few final debts
after the collapse
of the Cantilever Group.
No, he's freaking out.
Yep.
Totally. Okay,
finished with the photos?
Right.
Let's rattle them bones.
Well, the victim's
clothing suggests
she had expensive tastes.
Come on, I need a
psychologist for that?
The wear on her shoes
indicates they didn't fit well.
Her clothes were altered at home.
You know what?
You're watching
way too much Project Runway.
It was important
for her to look good.
She was living
beyond her means.
Maybe a social climber?
How's that gonna help me
catch her murderer?
She showed a false front
to the world-- it was a lie,
if you will.
Enough with the clothes,
all right?
Okay.
Do you have anything else?
Um, yeah.
The victim being buried
facedown-- that's significant.
How so?
When the victim's turned away,
the killer avoids a personal
connection, which means
the killer probably
knew the victim.
That's good.
You know what?
I can work with that.
Thank you.
Hey, Sweets, uh,
biting is normal, right?
Lab didn't mention
anything about biting.
Did
did you bite someone?
No. Christine bit someone.
Oh.
Oh, yeah. Her age--
totally normal.
I mean, the average child
Don't say "average."
Bones hears you
say "average," it's bad.
Just don't say
"average," okay?
Okay.
Don't.
I found hairline fractures
on the occipital.
Did the victim die
from a blow to the head?
No. The injury
was enough
to disorient
the victim,
maybe even lose consciousness,
but wouldn't be cause of death.
I've got epithelial cells
from under her fingernails.
I'll run the DNA.
If we're lucky,
she fought with her killer.
Oh, well,
multiple fractures
on the distal
and medial phalanges
as well as the metatarsals
could be indicative
of a fight, yes.
Some of this
is not skin.
What is it?
Not sure.
It's fibrous.
I'll get Hodgins to identify it.
Hey. I ran
a facial reconstruction
through Missing Persons,
and I found a possible match.
Rebecca Pearce, 25 years old,
reported missing
by Trudy Morris.
Judge Trudy?
I'm not familiar
with Judge Trudy.
What circuit is she on?
Citizen's Court.
Does that have something to do
with the French Revolution?
No. Judge Trudy
has a TV show where
she judges "small claims" cases.
Why?
Because it's great drama.
People just fight
over the silliest little things.
You should see the way that they
yell and scream at each other.
Total guilty pleasure.
Like watching a train wreck.
Train wrecks
are not pleasurable.
No wonder
you feel guilty.
I have a huge bone
to pick with you.
Check out this
Synthesiomyia nudiseta.
I'm serious. I'm steaming.
By the size
of the larva,
I can narrow time of death
to somewhere
between 20 and 23 days.
Thurston, please
stop ignoring me.
Did you finish this?
There's still a bit left.
Yes. It was delicious.
This was my last bottle
of hot sauce!
I didn't know it was yours.
Well, if you wanted me
to believe you,
you should have removed
the Post-it note.
Okay, all right,
in my defense,
it's a communal fridge.
I'll buy you a new one.
No, no, you
don't understand.
This was my granny's last bottle
of special sauce.
Well, call her up
and tell her to, you know
I can't, because she's dead!
♪
What have you
learned about Emma?
Does she have a history
of false reporting?
Oh, yeah.
Numerous occasions,
police responded
to reports of a
monster under the bed,
but no monster
was ever found.
I know that that's amusing,
but I don't feel like laughing.
Bones, come on,
kids bite,
and they grow out of it.
Really, just let it go.
I would love to let it go.
Good. Let it go.
Which is why I intend
to challenge the spurious
circumstantial evidence
with empirical data.
You're kidding.
Not kidding.
Not kidding.
Okay, th-the teacher
turned around
and saw Christine
standing next to Emma.
Hearsay,
circumstantial,
and a possibly biased witness.
Look, I'm just saying,
if Christine did it,
I'm sure she won't
do it again.
If she did it
the first time.
Which, probably,
you know, she didn't.
Right.
Your Honor,
if you'll just
let me finish
Let you fin?
I don't let you finish!
You let me finish!
Nowhere on this lease
does it say
your tenant cannot have
a pet goldfish!
Well, that is just
one woman's opinion.
That is not
"one woman's opinion."
That is my ruling.
And let's get
something straight, pal--
no one comes into my courtroom
and tells me how
to interpret the law.
People love this freak show.
No. On the contrary.
You know, it's about
the stern but effective
administration
of justice.
There has been a long
tradition of trial watching.
Salem Witch Trials,
the Nuremberg Trials.
This show's just
a logical progression.
Logical? Are you watching
the same trial I'm watching?
They're talking about goldfish.
Who is talking when I'm talking?
I, uh I'm sorry,
Your Honor.
No, I was just
explaining to my partner
that while these proceedings
may be unconventional, they are
by no means a "freak show."
Who is this woman,
and why is she
interrupting my courtroom?
I-I have no idea,
Your Honor.
I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan
Bailiff Griff,
- eject her now.
- Uh, you can't do that.
No, this isn't even
a real courtroom.
There's no ceiling.
Don't even try it, pal.
Hey, look,
we can either
do this easy
or we can do it hard.
You're not gonna
do it at all.
Okay? FBI.
Special Agent Booth.
This here is my partner.
Dr. Temperance Brennan.
We already heard that, Bones.
And we're here
to ask you a few questions
about a ***.
Rebecca was murdered?
Why? By whom?
That's what we're here
to find out.
You reported her missing.
I-I was worried;
she didn't show up
for work, she didn't call.
Rebecca never missed a day.
When was the last time
you saw her?
Is this gonna take much longer?
The judge needs to be in makeup.
Rebecca
was murdered.
Oh.
Uh
oh, my God.
Yeah, so you
better tell makeup
it's gonna take a while.
Well, what happened?
They don't know.
When did I last see Rebecca?
Um
looks like the post-show
debrief on the 17th.
The meeting went until 7:00.
I'm sorry.
Are you her assistant?
No. Jill's our intern producer
since Rebecca disappeared.
So you replaced
Rebecca?
No one could
really replace Rebecca.
Her body was found
in an abandoned building
on L Street.
Do you know what
she was doing there?
Probably recruiting litigants
for the show.
Becca would go anywhere
to get people
on the show--
police stations, the DMV.
She'd even camp out
in parking lots
waiting for fender benders
to happen.
She was committed.
The night she went missing,
where were you?
Home.
Alone. Just
being truthful.
I was here-- I had 20 hours
of video to get through.
Alone, I assume?
I liked Rebecca.
In case both of
you are innocent,
was Rebecca seeing anyone
romantically?
- Not since Griff.
- The bailiff?
Griff the bailiff
and your producer
were having a relationship?
They broke up
last year.
But they got along fine.
They're both
professionals.
One more
question.
If someone was accused
of biting,
wouldn't you demand solid proof
for a conviction?
Really?
I would like her answer.
Hey! I have got
the results!
The fiber from
the victim's fingernail?
What? No. No, no, I'm
still working on that. No.
I have a molecular breakdown
of your grandma's secret sauce.
Oh, forget it; I've moved on.
No, you haven't.
You're still pissed,
and I don't blame you.
All right? That stuff is awesome.
Yeah.
My grandmother used
to put it on my catfish.
Oh, you're killing me here.
I'm not gonna let
that hot sauce die.
Now, look at this.
I-I took a swab
of the bottle and I ran it
through the Mass Spec, right?
Now, I almost got
everything, okay?
We've got red and yellow
peppers, okay,
cayenne, tomatoes, of course,
garlic, onions, cumin, salt,
Hodgins.
brown sugar, vinegar-- it's
just, there's this one compound
I cannot identify, and I was
hoping you'd know what it was.
Yeah, sure.
It's the one thing
you'll never find.
Okay, but I've already got
a portion of the
molecular chain
Love.
It's love, Hodgins.
That's not gonna show up
on your Mass Spec.
Come on, let it go.
No. Fi
come on, hey
I-I'm one
compound away!
I-I'm gonna burn
the crap out of your mouth,
and you are gonna love it!
Huh?
What's that about?
We met when the show started.
Trudy didn't want us
to date each other,
but I guess Rebecca
and I were so in love
that she didn't want
to be the Grinch.
How long were you together?
Four years.
Lived together for the last two.
With Iris.
Iris.
That's interesting.
Not really, Booth.
For hundreds of years,
having multiple partners
was quite acceptable.
Oh, no, no, no.
Iris is a dog.
Uh, she's a leopard hound
that we rescued.
Never mind.
So, what happened?
Uh, not much.
I mean, we saw Iris in a shelter
and both of us thought
she was really
No, no, not
not with the dog, Iris;
with you and Rebecca.
Why'd you guys split?
Oh, well, her job.
I remember asking her
if it was worth it.
I mean, she was always
dealing with lunatics.
I told her,
one of them could snap.
Did anyone ever
threaten her?
Oh, yeah,
every day.
Half the people who
lost blamed her,
because she got them all
fired up before they went on.
But she wasn't bothered?
Oh, she loved it.
Then after Trudy promoted
her to be producer,
nothing else mattered.
The only time I
had a conversation
with her was on set.
She stopped seeing
friends and family.
Was that
why you sued her for palimony?
Hey, I supported Rebecca
when she was
carrying coffee.
By the time we split,
her salary was triple mine.
You sound bitter.
As long as I got my check
every month, I was happy.
Problem is, now she's gone,
they're gonna stop.
So from where I stand
Rebecca wasn't the
only victim here.
I'm mad! I had every right
to burn his car!
It seems like it to me.
I would've liked to have
burned it with him in it!
That's it! That is the anger
that I want to see in there!
You're not gonna win
if you don't get mad.
How long have you
been watching this?
Three hours.
Three hours
of raw footage of people
screaming at each other.
The bailiff even told Booth
that these contestants
could be pretty nuts.
I can see that.
One guy
went ballistic on his friend
for not returning a magazine.
And then he threatened to kill him.
Well, that's good.
Um, not for the friend,
but for our case.
He has an alibi.
Rebecca was the one
who was really pushing it.
She went out of her way to
push buttons on these crazies.
Maybe that was part
of her job,
to make the show
more interesting.
Eh. The word I was going
for was "pathetic."
The only one so far without
an alibi is this one.
He said he was using the money
for an engagement ring!
So he lied!
Now, you go in there,
and you fight
for what you know is right,
and you'll win.
You think so?
Hell, yeah!
Are you a doormat,
or are you a fighter?
A fighter!
Now, you go in there
and you get some justice.
Wow.
Yeah.
Then she lost the case
and had to be removed
from the studio by security.
She blamed Rebecca
for losing the case.
You set me up!
You're a dead perra!
Now, this was
the day before
Rebecca disappeared,
and this woman
lives two blocks
from where Rebecca's
body was found.
Okay.
Sure, I got mad--
she said I would win.
Look, the show
paid you more
for appearing than it would've
if you won the case.
It was the principle
of the thing!
Ain't you got no morals?
Hey, you were betrayed
by your fiancé.
Money couldn't heal that.
You wanted revenge.
Yeah.
He gets it.
Revenge--
that makes things right.
Seems like you got a lot
of revenge in the past.
Huh? Let's take a look, huh?
Assault, breaking and entering.
Oh, another assault.
Look at this one--
my favorite--
first degree ***.
That was dismissed!
You seem to feel
that anger's a good solution
to your problems-- which
I totally understand.
Yeah?
Yeah. Sure.
The release of adrenaline and
noradrenalin in your system
causes you to feel
optimistic
that your impulses are
causing you to make,
uh, reasonable
risk assessments.
It's a common
correspondence bias.
Are you screwing with me?
No, I'm simply pointing out
that your lack
of self-control can
cause you to make
extremely poor decisions.
You said you were on my side!
No, he said he understood
why you go psycho.
Okay, I wouldn't use that word.
I know.
That's why I'm here.
Okay, look,
I caused a scene;
they threw me out.
Why they got
to bring it up again now?
Rebecca Pearce was found
murdered two blocks
from your home.
She was killed
right after you appeared on her show.
You just hauled me
in here 'cause I live in
a crap neighborhood, and maybe
ain't that smart,
but I got brains.
I ain't gonna make this easy.
I got nothing more to say.
See how calm I could be?
Fractures to the metatarsals
and phalanges.
Which suggests that the victim
was defending herself.
Fracturing
to the occipital.
Right. Blunt-force trauma,
but wasn't enough to kill.
But would certainly
be enough to daze the victim
so the assailant
could gain control over her.
And we also know
that the underside
of her fingernails
contained her own skin cells,
which would indicate
that she was bound
and that she tried
to claw at her restraints.
None of which
gives us cause of death.
Ma'am, if I could speak?
You are.
Of course.
Uh, I heard about
your little girl,
and I just wanted
to say that
there's nothing special
about biting.
I mean, my mama said
I used to chew on folks
like a cannibal
at Thanksgiving dinner.
And I turned out okay.
You served time in
a juvenile correction facility
for stabbing your stepfather.
But I stabbed him
in self-defense.
I I went to juvie for theft
and malicious mischief.
Yeah, that doesn't sound good.
All I'm saying
is that biting is,
you know, pretty average behavior.
And since my daughter
is not average, I'll prove that
she's being unfairly maligned.
Did you see this, Mr. Abernathy?
Uh yes.
That's an antemortem injury
to the right zygomatic.
Blunt-force consistent
with a violent blow.
Degree of remodeling
indicates
that the injuries
occurred approximately
three months ago.
Whoever murdered Rebecca Pearce
might have just been finishing
what they started
three months ago.
So, Pabla Sepúlveda's whole
family is saying that she was
with them the night of the ***.
And you believe them?
I believe it was enough
for her lawyer to
get her released.
Right, but the techs
are still seeing
if there's anything
at the crime scene
that ties her to the ***?
Yeah.
But until then, I got another
loon for you to look at.
Gordie Rand.
Rebecca and he met
through an online
dating service.
He looks 12.
Yeah, he's 22.
Lied on his profile
and put up a fake picture.
But they only met once
for coffee.
But, look, seems Gordie
didn't understand the word "no."
Oh, she filed
a restraining order against him.
Right, look at the date
of the restraining order--
it was three months ago.
That's around the time
Dr. Brennan said Rebecca
was hit in the face.
Right. Now,
look at the admitting
doctor's note for cause
of injury.
"Accidental fall in home."
So here's where Mr. Shrinky
comes into play.
If Gordie Rand attacked her,
why didn't Rebecca report him?
Uh, fear?
She probably thought
that by reporting him,
she would incite him
and make matters worse.
She had a restraining order--
one call, and the cops
would have picked him up.
Yeah, but she knew
the justice system-- she knew
that it didn't always work,
so her survival skills
kicked in.
Was there any additional contact
after this, uh, incident?
Yeah. He sent
her these
a week before she disappeared.
That's
creepy.
So, what can you tell me
about Rebecca Pearce?
Uh, nothing to tell.
Things got complicated,
so I broke it off.
Did they get complicated
around the time
that you started making
naked videos of her?
She was totally into it, man.
She was playing to the camera.
You're delusional.
You know what?
You are a stalker.
You delude yourself
into thinking that there's
a real relationship
No.
and then it finally sinks in
after hundreds of phone
calls and letters
Romance is a dance--
you move forward,
they move back, and-and vice versa.
A dance? Really?
Okay, give me
one example
when she moved forward
to you, just once.
It's a it's
a subtle thing, man.
What are these,
love tokens?
Yeah.
She liked the Halloween movies.
It was on her profile.
All right, so if you guys
were so right for each
other, why'd she take out
a restraining order
against you?
Well, all respect
to Rebecca,
that's when she
took it too far.
And then you
smacked her in the face.
I would never do that;
I loved her.
And I followed
every rule of that order.
Where were you on the 17th?
I was at-at home, I think.
You think? Do you have someone
who can back up your story?
My mom.
Your mom?
You live with your mom?
I bet Rebecca found that hot.
I need your help
with something,
but it must remain between us.
Yeah.
For you, anything.
Christine has been accused
of something based on the word
of a two-year-old
whose neural connections
haven't fully formed yet.
I heard.
She bit a kid.
No. Allegedly.
A child was bitten,
but there's no
definitive evidence
that it was Christine.
You don't accuse
anyone, even a child,
without proof--
photographs
or measurement of the
alleged bite mark.
What do you need?
I need you
to access some records
from Christine's daycare.
You want me
to hack their server?
I need you to pull
Emma Carter's records
and see if there's any visual
evidence of the alleged bite.
You know this is
pretty extreme, right?
Motherhood makes demands
that you can't ignore.
Did you identify
the fiber particulate
I found under the victim's nail?
Copolymer
of a six C diamine
and a 12 C diacid.
Copolymer?
It's a synthetic fabric?
Nylon-based velvet
treated with purple dye.
I've e-mailed you
the results.
Did you find something?
When I was examining the feet,
I noticed, uh, perimortem
hairline fractures
to the talus,
calcaneus and
distal fibula.
Could that result
from the victim
kicking her assailant?
Well, that's more consistent
with damage by a jump
down onto a hard surface.
But in that case,
we would expect to see
the tibias and fibulas
pierce directly
through the inferior
portion of the feet.
And there are
no compression fractures
to the lumbar vertebrae.
So a jump, but not
from a great height.
Well, maybe she was dropped
from the top of the stairs
to the cellar floor.
Now, that's a distance
of approximately
ten feet, or just over three meters.
So
not high enough to kill her,
but it sure would've
slowed her down.
Yeah.
I find for the plaintiff
in the full amount of $243.
You said I'd win, ***!
Why didn't you
arrest this man?
Well, because he was in county
on a solicitation charge
the night of the ***.
All rise.
Oh, wow.
Weebles,
wobbles and
Ow!
Wow. Okay, so what
do you think, Bones?
The judge
might suffer
from a neuromuscular
disorder.
She's sloshed!
Drunk.
Oh that.
talking in my courtroom?
Yes.
Oh! From
the looks of it,
she is a mean drunk.
Who's talking in my courtroom?
Yeah, that definitely looks
like felony assault to me.
You don't
have a good grasp
of the law, do you,
Agent Booth?
Since no charges
were filed, legally,
that looks like nothing at all.
Ah, pretty cold.
Yeah, I get that way when
I'm falsely accused of assault.
Rebecca knew it was an accident
and signed documents
to confirm that.
The way you stumbled
and missed the steps
You had been drinking there,
hadn't you?
I had come back
from a business lunch,
probably had some wine.
This line of questioning
is absurd.
Move on with it.
This is not
your fake courtroom, Trudy.
I call the shots here.
You're more than
a social drinker, aren't you?
I can tell by the way
your hand is shaking.
I have an occasional drink.
Occasional.
Right.
Like you had the
occasional DUI.
For me, it was gambling;
for my father, it was drinking.
I know a problem when I see one.
The Trudy you see on TV
that's a performance.
Some days I need help
getting there.
Okay.
So it must have
been difficult, then,
when Rebecca banned alcohol
from the set.
Nothing was banned from the set.
According to this production
letter, you would've
lost insurance on your show
if you didn't stop drinking.
But you're
still drinking.
You know,
addiction is tough,
even when your career
is at stake.
Your judgment's
impaired, you make
impulsive and rash decisions.
Like getting rid
of the people
standing between you
and that drink that you need.
I didn't kill Rebecca.
But you did find
someone to bring
your *** to the set, right?
Maybe someone to get
on your good side,
edge out Rebecca.
I'm not answering
any more questions.
And that's your right.
But can you see
the headlines now?
"TV's Judge Trudy
obstructs ***
investigation." Now,
that is bad publicity.
So, these are from
the little girl's file.
You can see the bite marks.
Excellent. Now we can discount
the validity of
their allegations,
and I will be able
to submit evidence
to Christine's
daycare director.
Here.
What is this?
We'll need
to compare the injuries
with Christine.
You actually took an impression
of Christine's teeth?
Yes. I-I had her
bite into an apple,
and then I
constructed the model.
It was actually
quite simple.
And she loves apples.
Okay.
Oh. Aha! There is
a laceration here,
in the area where
Christine's tooth
hasn't yet fully erupted.
Do you concur?
Uh, well, since
the flesh is malleable,
the computer can't confirm
or deny if Christine did this.
Well, that is absurd.
We can re-create
entire crime scenes,
complete assault scenarios
Sorry, sweetie.
The best that I can do
is give you odds.
Okay.
And you're not
gonna like them.
Why? What do you mean?
Odds are
that Christine bit the kid.
knowledge of her.
I am satisfied that
Christine is innocent.
Really?
Of course. Thank you.
Oh, are we still on
for Christine and
Michael Vincent's
playdate on Saturday?
Uh
sure, yeah.
Great.
I hope this is important.
I'm trying to find
cause of death.
What's that smell?
It is catfish, Opie.
Oh.
That wasn't necessary, Thurston.
But it was.
Come here, sit down.
And this
this is the hot sauce.
Taste it.
You are gonna love it.
Uh, this is
Oh, my God.
How did you do that?
Aframomum melegueta.
It's more commonly known
as Guinea grain--
it's native to swampy habitats
along the West African
coast. I have no idea
how your granny
got a hold of it, but
She used to trade
with an herbalist in the woods.
Damn, if you haven't brought
my granny back from the dead!
Hey, I told you
I'd find it, right?
And you were right--
the secret ingredient was love.
That's the only
explanation
for Hodgins spending
so much time and
and effort to do this.
Eat. Go. Eat.
Eat.
Hey, we shouldn't keep
this stuff a secret.
I mean, the world
would love this.
Oh, very true, very true.
You should slow down
a little bit, Finn--
you don't want
to get a bone stuck
in your throat.
Not from a baby catfish.
That's it.
What?
Cause of death.
Thank-thank you.
You see these
micro-fractures
on the transverse processes
of the C-four and -five?
Yes.
Well, they appear to be
consistent with strangulation.
Which is unlikely
since the hyoid bone
remains intact.
Unlikely, yes,
but not impossible.
The victim was
in her mid-20s, yes?
At that age,
the hyoid bone
is still very flexible.
And if the conditions
were right,
she could've been strangled
without breaking her hyoid.
The flexibility
of the young,
semicartilaginous hyoid,
combined with
a wide ligature,
could very well have caused
these micro-fractures.
Well done, Mr. Abernathy.
Well, you should be thanking
my granny.
Rebecca made it clear,
if there was any ***
on set, I'd be fired,
and then Trudy said,
if I didn't figure out
a way to get her
some ***,
she'd fire me, too.
So you picked the judge.
It was just a matter of time
before Trudy fired Rebecca.
This job meant a lot to me.
I'd say it worked out
pretty well for you.
Your show is still going on,
you got Rebecca's job--
sounds like
a motive to me.
Rebecca was my mentor.
Oh, right, yeah.
She treated you like crap,
you got paid next to nothing,
and she took
all the credit.
That's how everyone starts out.
Trudy said
that you and Rebecca
used to fight all the time
because she wouldn't
give you a promotion.
Sometimes I have a temper.
I can get impatient,
that's all.
I think you ran out
of patience-- I think
you told her to go
to this abandoned building
to interview
this fake guest, and
you strangled her with this.
Where where did you get this?
Got a search warrant
for your apartment.
You see, the team
at the Jeffersonian
said that Rebecca
was strangled.
We found a fiber
underneath her fingernail.
No. No, you've
got this all wrong.
Rebecca lent me this scarf
Oh.
That's Rebecca's scarf.
Oh, I didn't know that;
thanks for that.
Wow, this is looking
worse and worse for you,
isn't it, Jill?
Look, Jill Roberts has
motive and opportunity.
Hell, she even got her promotion
courtesy of Rebecca's death.
I believe our
killer acted
on impulse and obsession.
Jill Roberts is
methodical and calculating.
Okay, you're saying
that she's innocent
because her desk is neat?
No, I'm saying that Jill is
only aggressive professionally.
She didn't try to
hide her feelings.
She seemed genuinely upset
about Rebecca's death.
Hodgins identified
the fiber that was
under the victim's fingernails.
Some kind of a nylon, okay?
This scarf
probably matches it.
No, see, this is wool.
This is
South American
vicuña-- it's very expensive.
What?
It's not a crime
to appreciate nice things.
Okay. Doesn't mean that
she's not the murderer, okay?
Just means that
she didn't use this.
I think you're reaching, Booth.
Our assumption was that
the victim was strangled
at the top of the stairs
and then tossed
over the railing.
But Finn and I
tried that
every possible way.
The yellow fractures
show the injuries
from the simulated falls
and the red show the actual
fractures to your victim.
Yeah, we couldn't match the same
fracture pattern that we found.
What if the body dropped
at a 90-degree angle?
Well, how could that be possible
if she was thrown over the side?
It wouldn't.
The calcaneal fractures indicate
that her feet
hit the ground first
and absorbed
most of the impact.
So if I adjust the direction
of her body
and adjust
for the dead weight
Add a ligature around her neck.
Well, I'll be damned.
She was hanged over that rail.
And then cut down
after she died.
Hairline fracturing matches.
But the victim's neck
wasn't broken.
Wouldn't your neck break
if you were hanged?
It depends
on the length of the ligature,
and if the noose
was wide enough,
like so, it wouldn't
break Rebecca's neck.
But it would cause
tremendous impact
to the jawline.
Look.
What are those?
Three small nicks
on the anteroinferior aspect
of the mandible.
Uniform and equidistant.
Small spikes.
This could tell us
how she was strangled.
And by what.
I'll have Dr. Hodgins swab.
They do seem to be spikes.
Like maybe from
a bracelet.
Like a punk would wear.
Exactly.
So you think the victim
was struck in the throat
by someone wearing a bracelet?
Impossible.
There would be scraping,
as well as the indentations.
These marks were made by
applying consistent pressure.
Got it!
So, I swabbed
Rebecca's mandible;
I found dander.
Dander,
like from a dog?
Yeah, exactly.
- It's a dog collar.
Mm-hmm.
Angie, can you call up
the file that I sent?
So, I even found the breed.
It was a leopard hound.
Yeah. It's a Catahoula
leopard hound,
to be exact.
How did you
That look familiar?
What are you doing
with Iris's collar?
We got a search warrant
for your home.
Telling you, you've got
quite a shrine for your dog.
The purple velvet
matches perfectly
with the fibers
we found under
Rebecca's fingernails.
- Well, so? She was her dog, too.
- That's true.
So, where's Iris?
She died.
Before Rebecca was killed?
Look, we know you had
a palimony agreement
which gave you joint
custody of the dog.
How did the dog die?
Rebecca was
always working,
so the dog
that you loved so much
probably died of neglect,
am I right?
There's a tribe
in Southern India
that felt that a man's animal
was a part of him.
Like his arm
or his heart.
If another man
killed his animal,
he was put to death in
the same manner as that animal.
Our FBI shrink
agrees-- Iris was hanged,
wasn't she?
That's why you hanged Rebecca.
We found the grave
in your backyard.
We can dig up the dog,
and it'll be easy
to determine cause of death.
I'll do that.
Don't.
Don't what?
Don't dig up Iris.
Please.
I went to pick her up
on Saturday, and
nobody answered the door,
so I went around back.
Rebecca
was working,
like usual?
She left Iris chained
to the porch.
Who would leave a dog
tied up like that?
I told her that
I would take her.
But she said the
custody agreement was a
legal contract,
that the law was the law.
Everything always
went back to that
stupid show.
Iris was
she was more than an agreement.
She was all I had left.
And there she was
hanging off the
patio railing
dangling by her collar.
Probably went
after a squirrel
or something.
I couldn't
let Rebecca get away with that.
That's what the law
is all about, right?
♪
In the hearts of men
In the arms of mothers
In the parts we play
To convince others
We know what we're doing
We're doing it right
They've written books
on the subject ♪
But then you may still
be surprised ♪
Listen, you guys, I thought
you were here to do an article.
You know, my assistant
never would have set up
this meeting for a tasting
if my team hadn't
tasted it first.
Especially if you want me
involved in the marketing.
Come on, you guys, let's
go, get that food up.
You're right, ma'am.
Please accept our apologies
Okay, uh, but they do
not have your palate,
and we could not let you miss
an opportunity like this.
That's sweet, but you
need to talk to my staff.
Come on, let's go, let's go.
You're right, ma'am.
Okay? We're sorry
Okay, what you can't see
is that he is actually the best
of what this country
has to offer.
Did he kill bin Laden?
Wow, you are a tough sell.
Taste it.
Relax, it's just a hot sauce
we're talking about.
No, it's not just a hot sauce.
My granny made this sauce,
and she took the recipe with her
to her grave.
Look me in the eye, kid.
Look me in the eye
and tell me
that you think this is the
most amazing hot sauce
I'll ever taste and I
should make an exception.
Ma'am, I promise you
to my everlasting surprise
that this sauce tastes
every bit as good
as when my grandmother
made it for me.
Now, men fought
for this sauce.
And I-I ain't proud
to say it,
but my cousin lost his hand
because of it.
All right, give me a taste.
Not bad.
All right,
and we'll market
it with my name,
my logo, maybe we'll make
- a little bit of money.
- Please,
we're gonna be rich--
our favor, and
it's called
"Opie and Thurston's Hot Sauce."
Okay.
Now, I got to hand
it to you, Bones,
you always find a
way to amaze me.
I'm proud of you.
Solving this case
was a group effort.
But I am the most valuable,
so thank you.
No, I meant I'm proud
of you for not losing
your cool with the preschool
director, and Emma's mom.
Well, when it comes
to settling conflicts, it's
always better to be rational.
And the abundance
of forensic evidence
against Christine
was clearly tainted
by multiple sources.
Yeah, but the
part where
it became the O.J.
trial was a bit much.
But it worked.
Yeah. You know, Christine,
she's gonna misbehave again.
She's gonna break curfew, she's
gonna have a cigarette or two,
she's probably
gonna skip school.
I know.
It's a natural part
of maturing.
Natural?
Yes.
Really?
Yes. Acceptable behavior
can only be learned
through the experience
of unacceptable behavior.
Why the big change of heart?
I haven't changed.
What's that?
What?
On your neck. Is that a bite mark?
Nothing.
Christine bit you.
No oh
Christine got excited.
It doesn't mean
that she bit Emma.
Better not take her
to daycare for a while.
I'll just tell them that you did it
while we were making love.
No, you won't.
Well, it's a believable
explanation, Booth.
What? What, that I
gave you a hickey?
No, I'm not in
eighth grade.
Ooh.
Seriously?
You got to slow down.
Boy, she really did
lay into you there, huh?
It is a bit sore.
Yeah.
What's that mean?