Scene 1: The Woman in the Sarcophagus

[paladinsuitsyou]

“And you’ve no idea what it was doing there?” Booth asks the foreman of the clean-up crew as Bones sifts through the wreckage of the one-time Percival J. Tanner Federal Building.

The foreman shrugs. “None. I mean, it’s not every day you find body parts in a federal building, right?”

“No,” Booth says, frowning. “No, it’s really not.”

With a sigh, he asks, “You said this building was blown up as part of a scene in a movie?”

“Imploded,” the foreman corrects. “But yeah, they were filming some mummy movie here or something – archaeologists possessed by the spirits or whatever. Sounds pretty stupid, but it made my job easier. Their people rigged the explosives. All I got was the cleanup, which isn’t bad.”

He glances mournfully at Brennan. “Not usually, anyway.”

“So you think the movie people put the body there?”

“Probably. I mean, it’s either that or some U.S. attorney did somebody years ago. This building hasn’t been used for anything for the better part of a decade.”

“Thanks. You’ll call if you think of anything else?”

The foreman nods. “And you’ll call with more questions.”

Booth agrees, then goes off to see what Brennan’s found.

Comments

[dr_temperance]

These days, Brennan doesn't even have to look over her shoulder to know that it's Booth who is walking up behind her. Wearing Jeffersonian issue coveralls, she's squating in the wreakage of the building, examining the scattered remains of a human being.

"Victim is female," she says without looking up. "The pelvis was largely undamaged, as was the skull. Early to mid-forties. Definitely not killed in the explosion. Just from a cursory exam, I'd say that the remains are about a year old."

Brennan rocks back on her heels, looking up at Booth. "What were they doing here again?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Filming a movie. Bride of the Mummy or something like that. Direct-to-DVD crap, I'd bet."

Booth peers down at the remains. "Nobody seems to know how she got in the building, though."

[dr_temperance]

"The federal government allows that sort of thing?"

Not that it really matters. The question is largely rhetorical.

Brennan rests her forearms across her knees.

"As for how she got in the building, I'd say not under her own steam. Don't movie sets have some sort of security in place?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Only when they're destroying a building anyway. Saves money, since the movie people do all exploding."

Booth says it absently, as it doesn't really matter. He's more interested in watching Bones do her thing, so he can get into catching the bad guys.

"Usually some kind, yeah. Maybe not especially good security, though. I'll look into it."

[dr_temperance]

Brennan stands up and surveys the scene. The movie people had done their job well, at least as far as exploding things went.

"We're going to need to assemble all the pieces and reassemble the skeleton before we can determine cause and manner of death."

She regards the rubble with an unhappy frown. Particulates are going to be a nightmare.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"OK," Booth says. "So, uh, where do we start on that? You got people?"

He's hoping the response isn't "Yes - you," though he figures that's not very likely.

[dr_temperance]

Fortunately for Booth, these remains are going to require a bit more finesse.

She gives her partner a mildly amused look.

"I'll make a call. There's an excellent anthropology museum in San Diego. I know the director. I'm sure we can get some help."

She could handle it on her own, but that would take more time. And what's left of the building does not look exactly stable.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Awesome," Booth says, visibly relieved. "I'll let you get on with that. I've gotta call the movie people and see what the hell those bones were doing on their set."

[dr_temperance]

"And you think they're going to know?"

After all, they're....movie people.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"No, but at least I can get a cast list, production roster, whatever. And find out what kind of security they had. Start filling in some of the blanks."

It's not much, but until they know who the bones belong to, there's not much else they can do.