Épisode L'océan de la vie S05E18 - Bones Saison 5

THE PREDATOR IN THE POOL

 

(Open: Medico Legal Lab. Two Jeffersonian workers are wheeling in a body, followed by Booth, Brennan, Andrew Hacker and Catherine Bryar, a marine biologist)

DR. CATHERINE BRYAR: On Tuesday morning, a dead Tiger Shark washed up on Rehoboth Beach. Its stomach contained the undigested remains of a human leg.

BOOTH: Ouch!

BRENNAN: Wha-what's wrong?

BOOTH: It's gotta hurt.

CATHERINE: A seasoned law enforcement agent who still has empathy for a victim. I'm glad to know you're out there.

BOOTH: At your service.

HACKER: Dr. Bryar, who is from the National Atmos-Ocean Admiral Association, called us this morning.

CATHERINE: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

BRENNAN: Andrew was joking; he likes to put people at ease. It's a nice quality.

(Andrew and Brennan share a smile)

BOOTH: Well, everybody likes to laugh. (off the leg) Except that guy.

CATHERINE: Well, the weird thing is - nobody reported a shark attack anywhere along the eastern seaboard.

HACKER: (to Brennan) Do you think you can make an identification from the leg? (to Bryar) I've seen Temperance ID a victim from a single finger nail clipping.

BRENNAN: What? I've never done that.

BOOTH: Well, maybe not that, but ya know, things like that. (to Catherine) She's my partner. I'm sure we could help you out.

CATHERINE: I'd be greatful.

BOOTH: Yeah. Sweet.

(Booth and Catherine have a moment as Hacker and Brennan look on.)

BOOTH: Yeah, I should go and clear out and I'll let you do your thing.

(He nearly trips over a table on his way off the platform as he leaves. He looks

back, once more, at Cathrine before he heads out the door.)

HACKER: Well, that was a speedy exit. (to Brennan and Bryar) Shall we?

(Short time lapse)

BRENNAN: The victim is likely male. These shallow cuts and deep gouges, in conjunction with location of recovery, are likely indications of C.O.D. We need to count osteons to determine age, but the length of the tibia indicates a height of between 5' and 5'6"

HACKER: A short guy got bit by a shark.

(Catherine nods at Andrew, in agreement, while Brennan continues on.)

BRENNAN: Now, these look like a six ridge dermal denticles

CATHERINE: That can't be. A tiger shark doesn't have dermal denticles.

BRENNAN: Then the victim encountered multiple predators at the same time.

CATHERINE: That is highly unlikely.

BRENNAN: (pointing to the bone) Well, this simple, symmetrical break-

CATHERINE: That's a tiger shark.

BRENNAN: (pointing to a different cut) This is different. Some kind of small, conical canine-

CATHERINE: That's red snapper.

BRENNAN: Then, this serrated bite-

CATHERINE: Oh, my god. A hammerhead.

HACKER: What? This sounds good.

CATHERINE: Hammerheads are tropical. It's unlikely you'd find one this far north.

BRENNAN: Where is the nearest place a tiger shark, a hammerhead and a red snapper could co-exist.

HACKER: How about the aquarium? Hey, you don't get to be Deputy Director of the FBI by just dressing well and kissing ass. Okay, yeah. That's most of it, but I'm probably right about the aquarium.

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic. Booth and Brennan are meeting with Marilyn Stoddard)

BRENNAN: According to NOAA, this facility focuses on marine rescue and preservation. A rehabilitated tiger shark was permanently released into the ocean this Saturday.

BOOTH: Jaws grabbed a quick snack before heading back out into the wild? Shark attacks are very rare. I mean, look. Sharks - they don't even like to eat people.

BRENNAN: (surprised) That's true. How do you know that?

BOOTH: Shark Week. You know, where they do nothing but make you afraid of sharks.

BRENNAN: Wait. They have a week set aside just for sharks?

BOOTH: Yeah. It's a TV thing.

(A big shark swims by, in the tank)

MARILYN STODDARD: Agent Booth?

BOOTH: Yes. Uh, Dr. Stoddard.

MARILYN: Marilyn. I work in the Animal Husbandry Department.

BRENNAN: I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian. Was someone eaten here this weekend?

MARILYN: No.

BOOTH: The tiger shark that you released this past Saturday, can you show us where you kept him?

MARILYN: Yeah. Come-come right this way

(She turns to lead them through the crowd of visitors in the lobby; she heads for the tank that's in front of them.)

BOOTH: (to Brennan) Since when do fish have husbands?

BRENNAN: Animal husbandry is the science of breeding livestock.

BOOTH: Since when are fish livestock?

BRENNAN: Well, the term can be applied loosely.

MARILYN: This is the Tropical Reef Tank, where the tiger shark was kept prior to release. Originally, he required isolation but once he recovered, we placed him in here to see how he would interact with the others.

BRENNAN: Recovered from what?

MARILYN: His fin was very nearly severed, probably from a drag net.

BOOTH: How did he get on with the other fish?

MARILYN: Just fine, as far as I can tell.

BRENNAN: You also have a hammerhead?

MARILYN: Ah, yes. Hiding somewhere. Uh, The tank is over six-hundred thousand gallons. You can only see a portion from this side.

BOOTH: It's like an ocean itself.

MARILYN: It is, um, but I'm pretty sure we would see evidence if a human being had been eaten in there.

BOOTH: Anyone missing?

MARILYN: Employees, you mean? Or guests? No.

BRENNAN: How about missing a leg?

MARILYN: No. I think we would notice something like that.

BOOTH: Anything unusual?

MARILYN: The facilities department lost an expensive filter, there was a slight spike in the ammonia level but nothing out of the ordinary here, certinly nothing close to a fatal accident.

(Behind her, we see a giant grouper opens its mouth and part of a human skull falls out. It sinks to the ground.)

BOOTH: Okay, now who's gonna go in there to get that?

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic. Upstairs area above the tank. Brennan and Hodgins are suited up in scuba gear.)

BOOTH: Okay, you know what? You don't have to go in, Bones.

BRENNAN: Yes, I do. We need to recover what's left of the victim to have any hope of identification.

BOOTH: Time out, okay. Have Hodgins do it.

HODGINS: I look like Richard Dreyfus, don't I? "We're gonna need a bigger boat!"

BRENNAN: No - we don't need a boat. Wh-why are you wearing that hat?

BOOTH: Keep his brain warm, okay. Make Hodgins go in there and do it.

BRENNAN: There is nothing to be afraid of, Booth.

HODGINS: Yeah, you know, sharks - they don't eat people.

BOOTH: Really? Tell that to the guy who got, ya know, coughed up by a grouper, okay.

(Ben Marcus approaches them)

BEN MARCUS: okay, who's going in? (Hodgins, then Brennan raise their hands) You guys know what you're doing, right? It isn't a swim in a fish tank.

BRENNAN: Isn't that exactly what it is?

HODGINS: Yeah, a really big, cool one.

BOOTH: No, no. It's the recovery of a body in an investigation of a potential homicide. Alright? Any questions, you ask me. Understand? Keep your eyes on me.

BEN: Gotcha.

(Marilyn comes over with a walkie talkie for Booth.)

MARILYN: Ready?

BRENNAN: Yes, I am.

MARILYN: Okay, Ben here will escort you to the tank. Agent Booth, follow me. You'll be able to communicate with Dr. Brennan on our intercom system.

BOOTH: I thank you.

MARILYN: (to Brennan) And good luck to you.

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic. Booth is outside the tank, watching as Hodgins and Brennan are in scuba gear, search the Tropical Reef Tank for additional remains. )

BOOTH: (into walky talkie) Bones. Bones, you there?

BRENNAN: We're right here, Booth. This is beautiful. Hodgins, I'll get the skull. You see if there's any other bone particulates.

(There are sharks and other sea creatures swimming all around them. Brennan reaches for the top part of the skull)

BRENNAN: I have the anterior aspect of the skull.

HODGINS: You'd call it a face, Booth.

BOOTH: Pipe down there, pal.

(Brennan bags the skull and Hodgins is sifting through the sand on the bottom of the tank. She spots something.)

BRENNAN: Hodgins. Over here.

(Booth moves closer to the tank to see what they've found)

BRENNAN: Look.

(Behind a rock lies the rest of the skeleton.)

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters. Booth is about to enter his office when he notices Catherine walking towards him)

BOOTH: Hi.

CATHERINE: Hi! I thought I would stop by and see if you've made any progress today.

BOOTH: Oh, well, yeah. Dr. Brennan, she's still working on the identification.

CATHERINE: Wow.

BOOTH: It's what we do.

CATHERINE: Do you mind if I ask you a question?

BOOTH: Sure. Come on in. (They walk into his office) It's my office.

CATHERINE: It's very nice.

BOOTH: Yeah, huh.

CATHERINE: Yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime? Maybe this weekend? Unless, of course, I'm a suspect because I know you can't date me if I'm a suspect, right?

BOOTH: I - I can't date anyone who's a suspect.

CATHERINE: I understand.

BOOTH: Yeah. Right? It's FBI, rules and regulations.

CATHERINE: Yeah.

BOOTH: But, um, you know, when we're done with you, um, you know, I can give you call. And uh, you can go out with me or I can go out with you.

CATHERINE: How 'bout both!

BOOTH: Hey, hook at that.

(They both laugh and smile at each other)

CATHERINE: Well, I'm looking forward to not being a suspect.

BOOTH: I am, too.

CATHERINE: Let me know if hear anything more about the identification.

BOOTH: Yeah, yeah. I will.

CATHERINE: Alright.

BOOTH: Bye.

CATHERINE: Bye.

(She leaves and he watches her go - tripping over his desk.)

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Autopsy Room. Clark is showing his findings to Cam.)

CLARK: The pelvis verifies the osteon count. He was between the ages of 30 and 34. The fusion of the vertebrae could indicate an injury to the spinal cord.

CAM: Huh. Anything off the spectroscope?

CLARK: Yes. The distal tibia from the leg we found originally. It confirms the presence of perimortem bruising.

CAM: When the shark attacked the victim, he was still alive?

CLARK: Yes. Take a look right here. I found a cleft fracture of the styloid process.

CAM: Probably blunt-force to the throat.

CLARK: And here, several multidirectional grooves along the glabella and the supraorbital ridge.

CAM: The victim was stabbed in the eye?

CLARK: Varying degrees of force may suggest that someone tried to stab the victim in the face with a narrow, sharp object.

CAM: Okay. Well, That makes this an official homicide. The victim was assaulted and then dumped into the tank alive as a means of disposal.

(Hodgins enters)

HODGINS: I think I know when it happened.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Ookey Room. There is coral sitting in a fish tank on a table.)

HODGINS: Meet deploria labyrinthiformis. Better known as the groovy grooved brain coral native to the Caribbean, Bermuda and Bahamas.

CAM: Why is it here?

HODGINS: Coral skeletons accrete tiny crystals of calcium carbonate at night. So for us, this provides a timeline similar to tree rings. Coral can tell us what was in the water and when it got there.

CAM: If you have a year to wait.

HODGINS: No. That is the beauty. Because of the rapid nature of the growth, the timeline is condensed.

CAM: How specific is it?

HODGINS: Within hours. Now, a spike in ammonia and nitrate levels found within the coral skeleton tells us that something died in that tank on Friday night between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Something big. Like human being big.

(Cut to: Royal Diner - Day. Booth and Brennan are eating lunch)

BOOTH: This here are the 28 people we know were at the aquarium, Saturday morning, between the hours of midnight and 6am. Most of them are, uh, employees and security guards.

BRENNAN: Are all of them still alive?

(Booth's phone rings)

BOOTH: I'm - I'm working on that right now. (picking up the phone) Booth.

HACKER: This NOAA thing is turning into a full fledged investigation.

(Andrew is walking down a street while talking to Booth)

BRENNAN: Who is it?

BOOTH: (mouths) Hacker.

BRENNAN: Tell Andrew I said Hi.

BOOTH: (hesistates, then into phone.) Bones says Hello.

HACKER: Hello. Tell her I'm really looking forward to our date.

BOOTH: (into phone) Did you two want to speak to each other or is there something that you wanted to tell me, sir?

HACKER: I called because I got a heads up on your missing person.

BOOTH: (into phone) Yeah. Okay, wow. Gotcha.

(He flips the phone closed)

BRENNAN: What did he say?

BOOTH: Oh, he's looking forward to our date (after realizing his freudian slip) - your date.

BRENNAN: So am I. He emailed me and said he had tickets to a play.

BOOTH: He emailed you? For a play?

BRENNAN: I believe that 'a play' is Andrew's code for sex. (Booth looks a bit uncomfortable) Is it okay for us to talk like this?

BOOTH: Yeah.

BRENNAN: Well, when he invited me to the play I thought it was code for sex so I said no.

BOOTH: Oh.

BRENNAN: But I said yes to coffee.

BOOTH: Maybe that's a code.

BRENNAN: uh, uh. Angela said that coffee isn't a code for anything.

BOOTH: Well, I have a date too.

BRENNAN: Good.

BOOTH: Catherine Bryar.

BRENNAN: Everyone at the aquarium is a suspect.

BOOTH: And once she's eliminated as a person of interest...

BRENNAN: (changing the subject) Why did Andrew call?

BOOTH: Oh, um. Number 19 on the list, isn't accounted for.

(Booth hands her the paper and she looks at the list)

BRENNAN: Jazz Gun?

BOOTH: Yeah.

BRENNAN: What a ludicris name.

BOOTH: You don't know who that is?

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Sweets Office. Booth, Brennan and Sweets are watching a video.)

JAZZ GUNN: (on video) My name is Jazz Gunn and I have a secret to tell you. In the simplest terms, the terrestrial world we live in mirrors the underwater world you see right here. The same rules that govern the sea also govern the sea of life.

SWEETS: Jazz Gunn is your average and I do mean, "average," self-help guru. His half-baked theory is based on nothing more than the concept of natural selection, but his Sea of Life seminars are packed.

BRENNAN: The shape of his skull is consistent with that of the victim. I have never heard of him.

BOOTH: I've heard of him. He spent Friday night getting ready to prepare for this big speech that he was supposed to give this morning at the aquarium, and he never showed up.

SWEETS: He said that he had a car accident in '93 that left him unable to walk, but after he swam in the sea off the coast of Brazil, he was cured.

BOOTH: What, like a miracle? Like this power of positive thinking?

BRENNAN: It's preposterous.

SWEETS: He swam with sharks. He said that by forcing himself to face his atavistic fears, he gained the strength to fight back. That's the whole theory behind the Sea of Life.

BOOTH: What - so now this guy - What? He gets paid a hundred bucks a pop to talk about that in front of fish tanks?

JAZZ GUNN: (on video) Let's begin with life lesson #1: Eat or be eaten. What if your friends and neighbors tried to eat you?

(Sweets pauses the video)

SWEETS: Look at this guy. His name is Tad Benedict. Benedict used to be Jazz's assistant, but, uh, now Jazz does it solo. They had a widely publicized falling out.

BRENNAN: What does he have in his hand?

SWEETS: Uh, that's a pen.

BRENNAN: It looks like a metal stylus. The victim was stabbed with a small, sharp object.

BOOTH: Theodore Benedict. He's on our list of people that were there at the aquarium Friday night.

SWEETS: Maybe Jazz hired him back.

BOOTH: Or maybe he just showed up on his own with a chip on his shoulder.

BRENNAN: And a pointy pointer in his hand.

BOOTH: Or, like life lesson #1: Eat or be eaten.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth is interrogating Tad Benedict.)

BOOTH: Tad, is it?

TAD BENEDICT: Yeah. No. I can't believe this happened. Who would want to kill Jazz? People love him.

BOOTH: Well, the easy answer is "you." You worked for him three years ago?

TAD: Off and on, starting three years ago, yeah.

BOOTH: Well, let's forget about the on, all right? Let's just focus on the off. It says you were dismissed after an argument over compensation?

TAD: I wanted a share of the profits. I felt like I did a lot of work and he made all the money.

BOOTH: I couldn't think of a clearer motive. You?

TAD: Come on. Do I look like I could do that?

BOOTH: No. But, uh, you know, I've seen the video. Jazz is about, what? Five four? And you? The way you were wielding that little crazy pen around of yours that you had, is pretty fierce.

TAD: You do know that that fight was all over, right? He called me a couple months ago when he oversold a seminar in Santa Fe. He needed help and apologized. I needed the job, so I went back to work.

BOOTH: Does he pay you?

TAD: I get a percentage after each seminar, just like I asked. And he took me and my wife to Aspen for Chrtmas. I more than forgave him. You want to know what I think, Agent Booth?

BOOTH: Sure.

TAD: Jazz loved the sea. He wanted to swim in that big tank at the aquarium. He told me.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. On the screen, there's a feed from the tropical reef tank at the aquarium.)

BRENNAN: Is this a live feed of the tropical reef tank at the aquarium?

ANGELA: Yep. With an interactive interface I implemented myself. Check this out. Click on this guy. The program has an index that catalogs anything organic.

BRENNAN: This is incredible, Angela. May I try?

(Hodgins enters)

HODGINS: Look what I found in the filter from the aquarium. It's a five-inch piece of tanned putrescible animal raw hide.

BRENNAN: From a fish?

HODGINS: From a wallet.

ANGELA: Well, if you go into a fish tank willingly, you remove your wallet, right?

HODGINS: Yeah. (noticing the screen) Oh, wow. Oh, you should leave this up. It's beautiful. Peaceful. Pure.

ANGELA: It's kind of scary, though, right?

HODGINS: I like scary.

ANGELA: Yeah, so do I.

(After a few moments, Brennan looks over towards Angela and Hodgins and notices they're having 'a moment')

BRENNAN: Clark is trying to determine what sort of weapon the killer may have used when stabbing at the victim's face. Hodgins, please keep me posted about what you find in the filter.

HODGINS: Uh-huh.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - . Clark is examing remains when Brennan enters the platform.)

BRENNAN: Did you have time to examine the grooves?

CLARK: I did.

BRENNAN: Syringe.

CLARK: Taking a closer look, I could see some of the deeper grooves had a faint semi-circular ridge near the point of contact. I thought it would be consistent with the hub of a hypodermic needle. In terms of diameter, 14-gauge would be about right.

BRENNAN: But there are no matching grooves on the styloid process.

CLARK: No. That injury is simple blunt-force.

BRENNAN: If the victim was stabbed with a hypodermic needle, something may have been injected.

CLARK: It's hard to tell with the body being submerged and I can't find the perfect needle to match either.

BRENNAN: Maybe I can.

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic - Back Room. Marilyn Stoddard is working, Booth and Brennan enter.)

BRENNAN: Excuse me. We're back.

MARILYN: I see that. Can I help you with something?

(Booth laughs)

BRENNAN: Why is she taking that tone?

BOOTH: Oh, she just doesn't like being pinned as a murder suspect.

MARILYN: No. I can deal with that. What I don't like is having every piece of information I give you double-checked. What can I do for you?

BOOTH: We want to take a look at your hypodermic needles.

MARILYN: All right. What sort of needles?

BOOTH: Bones?

BRENNAN: The 14-gauge with a round hub and a blunted tip.

BOOTH: Exactly.

MARILYN: Uh, we don't carry anything like that.

BOOTH: Okay. Anything similar?

MARILYN: I realize you need to double-check, so please - go right ahead.

BOOTH: Also need to know who had access to it on the night the victim died.

MARILYN: I wasn't back here that night.

BRENNAN: What's wrong with these angelfish?

MARILYN: They've been listless the past few days, most likely due to something they ingested.

BOOTH: Or someone.

BRENNAN: We should take these fish back to the lab.

MARILYN: No, you can't. These are a gift from Morocco.

BRENNAN: They need to be tested for trace evidence in a murder investigation.

BOOTH: We'll get them back to you. No worry.

BRENNAN: I may or may not get them back to you.

(Booth starts to use a net to get the fish out of the tank when..)

BOOTH: Hey, wait. You just said that you weren't here that night. You already said that you were.

MARILYN: No. Not in this area. I mean, no one was back here after midnight. I was out in the lobby, helping with the kids.

BOOTH: Kids? What kids?

MARILYN: Our education department hosts field trips for local elementary students. I was helping the teacher.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Conference Room. Booth is talking to Grace Redmon.)

GRACE REDMON: I teach fourth grade. My students are mostly 9 and 10 year olds. We usually do the Natural

History Museum and I thought we'd try something new. So we tried the aquarium.

BOOTH: Wow. 36 kids overnight. That's - that's very brave of you.

GRACE: Well, kids that age, when they fall asleep, they're like little corpses.

BOOTH: Did you have any help?

GRACE: Yes. Four mothers and they're the same four mothers who do everything. I can give you their names.

BOOTH: That'd be great. Thanks. Where did you sleep?

GRACE: In sleeping bags on the floor in the lobby. The aquarium people left the lights on in the big tank until midnight; It was beautiful.

BOOTH: I'm just wondering; How is it that so many people can spend the night in front of a tank and not see a man being eaten by sharks?

GRACE: When they turned the lights off, it was dark. Agent Booth, believe me, if one of those kids had seen anything, they would all know about it by now.

BOOTH: Why?

GRACE: First of all, they're blabbermouths. And second, they were all issued these disposable cameras. And they take pictures of everything.

BOOTH: Everything?

GRACE: Everything.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters. The hallway is filled with kids and Booth & Sweets are sitting behind a table in the Conference Room. They're taking the cameras from the students, in hopes that one of them caught something on film.)

BOOTH: Just tell me if any of these kids is a killer.

SWEETS: Well, no, it's pretty tough to tell your average 9 year old from your average psychopath.

BOOTH: Don't say that, all right? I have a kid nearly that age.

SWEETS: Children are still forming their sense of ethics at this age. Like I said, they're basically sociopaths. It's true.

TEACHER: (O.S.) Kids, kids, don't touch the TV. Get back in line.

SWEETS: Hey. (she hands him her camera) Ah, thanks, Lucy. Your photos will be returned after they're developed and perused for the investigation.

LUCY: What about the contest?

BOOTH: We told the kids it was a photo contest.

SWEETS: Oh, that's good. To spare them the trauma of the murder. Good idea.

LUCY: Murder?

SWEETS: No, no. No, no, no, no.

BOOTH: No, no, photo contest. First prize: amusement park.

SWEETS: No one said "murder."

BOOTH: First place goes to an amusement park. (motioning for Lucy to go) Go ahead.

BOOTH: Oh, I saved you.

SWEETS: I know.

BOOTH: You'll thank me for saving you later. (motioning for the next kid) Next.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. Brennan and Angela are looking through the pictures.)

ANGELA: So I'm looking for evidencene of shark attack and murder while simultaneously judging a photo contest.

BRENNAN: You possess the necessary overlapping skills.

ANGELA: Well, between 36 disposables and 10 cell phone cameras, we've got quite a selection here. (she stops on a picture of a little boy with food hanging out of his mouth) Ew.

BRENNAN: So, you said that "coffee" isn't code for anything, right?

ANGELA: Sweetie, I think you need to stop worrying about sex codes. Hacker is a very up-front guy, who is also extremely politically savvy. Talk about strange overlapping skills, huh?

BRENNAN: I don't know what that means.

ANGELA: Hacker is very sophisticated in his job, but he's much more transparent in his personal life. Does that sound like anybody you know?

BRENNAN: Me? So you mean we're compatible?

ANGELA: Well, you know who I think you belong with.

BRENNAN: I don't belong with anyone, Angela. Do you?

ANGELA: Well, I'm grappling with those same issues. So, yes, go have coffee with Hacker. And if it goes well, then maybe you guys can graduate to lunch.

BRENNAN: Wh-What should I wear?

ANGELA: Clothing.

BRENNAN: (pointing to a picture) Look at this.

ANGELA: Let me see that one. Let me see if I can, uh, scan this. (she scans the picture and it shows up on the big screen) Well, it's definitely a person.

BRENNAN: That's not our victim. The proportions are wrong. But no one was supposed to be back there.

ANGELA: At 2:38 a.m.

BRENNAN: Hodgins said that the victim died in the tank between midnight and 6:00 a.m.

ANGELA: So this could definitely be our killer.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Ookey Room. Clark enters while Hodgins is blending something in a blender)

CLARK: Oh. That is the most unpleasant smell.

HODGINS: Angelfish smoothie?

CLARK: Man, you killed the Moroccan angelfish?

HODGINS: No. No, I did not. They died on their own. Only afterwards did I puree them.

ClARK: Oh, I really hope you can prove that. Those aquarium people love their fish.

HODGINS: Don't worry. The angelfish died from a generic organic protein-based neurotoxin that's found in lots of different yummy places - like the flagellum of bacteria.

CLARK: What, did they absorb it through their gills?

HODGINS: I think they ingested it.

CLARK: By snacking on our victim?

HODGINS: No. This neurotoxin's not strong enough to kill a fully grown human male.

CLARK: Wait a minute. What if it was injected through his eye? You know, more than once.

HODGINS: Well, it'd be disorienting - as would any injection into the eye.

CLARK: Perhaps Dr. Saroyan can find traces in what's left of the body. Thank you.

(He starts to head out)

HODGINS: Oh, hey, Clark.

CLARK: Yeah.

HODGINS: Feel I should warn you. Angela and Wendell; they broke up.

CLARK: Uh, I'm sorry. What's that got to do with me?

HODGINS: She may be on the market for a new intern.

CLARK: Okay, okay, okay. Listen. I'm gonna - I'm gonna break my cardinal rule for you and offer some good advice. Don't do that.

HODGINS: Do what?

CLARK: Channel your own frustrations into snide allusions.

HODGINS: Oh. Snide is a strong word. Um... I, uh, I found this for you. It was in the vacuum.

CLARK: Looks like an enterolith. In cats, you would call it a hairball. Though, in this, I see some bone fragments within its composition.

HODGINS: Well, take it. It's all yours.

CLARK: Thanks.

HODGINS: Clark.

CLARK: What is it now, Dr. Hodgins?

HODGINS: Thank you for breaking your cardinal rule. I'll, uh, I'll take what you said under advisement.

CLARK: Good. Just know that I really don't need to know the outcome.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. Brennan, Angela and Cam are looking at the large screen.)

CAM: Why can't you just lighten up the guy's face and, you know, zoom in?

ANGELA: Because it was a cell phone camera that was aimed by a child.

BRENNAN: The Plexiglas at this point is a foot thick.

ANGELA: And 30 feet of water.

BRENNAN: At night.

CAM: I was just asking.

ANGELA: Okay, so I used some warping software to reverse the direction of the distortion that was caused by the waves on the surface of the water. Then I lit it up. But this is the best that I can do.

CAM: Okay. Well, we'll print that up and get it to Booth.

BRENNAN: I know this man.

ANGELA: You do?

BRENNAN: Yes, his name is Ben. I saw him working at the aquarium.

CAM: Are you sure?

BRENNAN: Absolutely.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth is interrogating Ben Marcus.)

BOOTH: So why didn't you clock in, Ben?

BEN: Probably 'cause I wasn't working.

BOOTH: Really? Okay. There you go. You see? And on top of it, we have photographic evidence that shows that you were.

BEN: Oh. Right. That night.

BOOTH: Right, that night. Just a routine night at the aquarium. Man gets murdered and then he gets fed to the sharks.

BEN: I wasn't supposed to work that night but I switched shifts. I didn't clock in using my own card. That happens.

BOOTH: Doesn't matter. Fact is, you were there. So let's start this all over again, shall we, okay? There's a check made out to you. Ben Marcus - that's you, right? - for $10,000, deposited the day after the murder.

BEN: I can explain that.

BOOTH: Signed by one Dimitri Vladov.

BEN: Oh, man. Okay. This looks bad 'cause he's a big Russian mobster type.

BOOTH: Hello! Of course it looks bad. It's made out to you for $10,000. For what?

BEN: It's not what you think, but if I tell you - Vladov will kill me. Okay, I want a lawyer. I'm not saying anything else.

BOOTH: I'll just go ask Vlad.

BEN: Do you think you could leave my name out of it? No?

BOOTH: No.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters. Hacker and Booth are walking down the hall.)

HACKER: Dimitri Vladov?

BOOTH: Yeah.

HACKER: Vladov the Impaler paid for a hit with a check?

BOOTH: Yeah, well, I mean, why would Vladov hire an amateur?

HACKER: And pay by check? That's not a good sign for law enforcement. That's not a good sign for culture as a whole. You know what we ought to do? Pool our money together, buy a buffalo ranch in Alberta.

BOOTH: Wha-wh - sir, sir, why do I feel like you're stalling so I don't talk to this guy?

HACKER: I am stalling, yes.

BOOTH: Why?

HACKER: Why go out on a limb when you know it's gonna break? Vladov's under surveillance by about five federal agencies and nothing ever happens.

BOOTH: How's he get away with it?

HACKER: What's the Russian word for "Teflon"?

BOOTH: I don't know, Teflofistan?

HACKER: Vladov has been brought up on 50 charges - everything from homicide, RICO, prostitution - they've been smuggling counterfeit vodka for years. He has a brilliant trick to keep himself out of prison.

BOOTH: What's that?

HACKER: He denies doing it. It's gotten to the point, when he denies something, it's his way of saying yes.

BOOTH: Yeah, well, I'm not afraid to bring this guy in.

HACKER: You should be. You value your pension, you should be.

BOOTH: Okay, well, I'm not, even when you sound like Yoda.

HACKER: You want me with you when you talk to him?

BOOTH: Why?

HACKER: Vladov the Impaler; the nickname is self-explanatory.

BOOTH: Nah, I can handle it.

HACKER: Good. But I truly hope that you don't end up getting eaten by sharks because your successes have done wonders for my career.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Ookey Room. Hodgins is examining the filter from the aquarium)

HODGINS: This looks like your friendly neighborhood gill raker.

BRENNAN: What's that?

HODGINS: That? That would be your friendly neighborhood gum wrapper.

(Brennan's phone rings)

BRENNAN: It's Booth. (she puts the phone on speaker) Hello, Booth.

(Booth is in the car, driving.)

BOOTH: (on phone) Yeah, Bones, listen, you got to help me. I got a hot lead and a funny feeling.

BRENNAN: I-I don't understand the juxtaposition.

BOOTH: All right, listen, I just need a really strong, really compelling piece of evidence.

BRENNAN: Usually, all you say you need is your gun and your wits.

BOOTH: Well, you know, I've come to depend on your wits, too.

BRENNAN: What kind of proof do you need?

BOOTH: Look, I need something that links a Russian mobster to a self-improvement guru who gives speeches in front of fish tanks.

BRENNAN: I'm currently witless.

HODGINS: This is the Russian mobster who smuggles booze?

BOOTH: Yeah, well, that's the nicest thing he does.

(Hodgins pours some water in a beaker)

BOOTH: (on phone) Hello? Is somebody doing something there?

BRENNAN: Hodgins is doing a demonstration in his beaker.

HODGINS: It's a fact that Russian "businessmen" add blue dye (he adds blue dye to the water) to tankers of clear alcohol and import it as glass cleaner, thus avoiding the high tariff on booze. Now, once it gets to the States, they need to remove the dye so that they can bottle the booze as vodka. Only way to do that (he pours the blue liquid onto the filter) is from a reverse osmosis filter.

BOOTH: Okay, know what? I got "filter" out of that.

(The liquid comes out of the bottom of the filter, clear.)

BRENNAN: Marilyn at the aquarium told us that they're missing a filter.

BOOTH: (on phone) The mob can't go buy a filter?

HODGINS: No, this one is special. It's really huge and extra good. See?

BOOTH: (on phone) No, I don't see. I'm in another place. I'm driving a car.

BRENNAN: Well, if you were here, you'd be very impressed.

BOOTH: (on phone) I get it: our victim witnesses a filter theft and gets killed for it.

HODGINS: Hit him with the filter, Booth. That's your connection.

BRENNAN: Hodgins means metaphorically, Booth. If you hit a Russian mobster with an actual filter, he'd probably just impale you.

BOOTH: All right, well, that's great. Thanks for the tip.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Booth's Office. Booth is talking with Dimitri Vladov.)

BOOTH: Mr. Vladov, could you, uh, please describe your line of work?

DIMITRI VLADOV: For the purposes of this conversation, importing and exporting. Mostly glass cleaner.

BOOTH: Is that 80 proof?

VLADOV: Agent Booth, you know what you know, fine, but what we are talking about here is different. How about you tell me what it is you think I did. Then I tell you I did not do this thing. Then we part ways amicably.

BOOTH: You know a motivational speaker by the name of Jazz Gunn?

VLADOV: No. That's a silly name.

BOOTH: How about Ben Marcus? Works at the Aquarium of the Atlantic.

VLADOV: I even more vehemently deny knowing this person.

BOOTH: Did you hire Ben Marcus to steal a filter from the giant tank?

VLADOV: I deny this categorically.

BOOTH: (he holds up a check in an evidence bag) That your check? That's your name. Right there - Dimitri Vladov. And that's your signature right there. Check was written out to a man who was photographed at the scene of a murder. He cashed it the next day.

VLADOV: No, that is not my check.

BOOTH: Yes, it is. It's your check.

VLADOV: No, it is not.

BOOTH: You know, it's illegal to provide false information that may impede a federal investigation.

VLADOV: I'm not aware of this, no.

BOOTH: Well, you're aware of it now 'cause I'm telling you.

VLADOV: Am I under arrest?

BOOTH: I don't know. Are you?

VLADOV: I like you, Agent Booth. And I've told you everything I know on this issue. You now owe me a favor.

BOOTH: I owe you a favor? (he starts to laugh) I don't owe you anything.

VLADOV: Yes, you do.

(Vladov starts to laugh as well.)

BOOTH: (stops laughing) No, I don't.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Brennan is walking down the hall when Hodgins intercepts her, carrying a tray.)

HODGINS: May I interest you in our final selections from the filter? Dorsal fin from a foxface rabbitfish. I believe this is some sort of sea turtle feces, a rusty paper clip and the broken spine of a lionfish. And that's all she wrote.

(Clark joins them)

CLARK: Throw in the embryonic cells of a blue shark and the remains of a human vertebra.

BRENNAN: Embryonic cells.

(Brennan grabs Clarks tray and rushes off. After a beat, Hodgins and Clark follow after her.)

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. Brennan rushes in with the tray.)

BRENNAN: I need to see your virtual aquarium.

ANGELA: Yeah. Sure.

(She turns on the aquarium)

BRENNAN: Is there a blue shark in this tank?

ANGELA: I don't think so. (she scans the tank) No. No blue shark.

HODGINS: Well, that's not possible. How would those embryonic cells get into the tank? I mean, it's a closed system.

BRENNAN: They weren't in the tank. They were in the victim. The embryonic cells of a blue shark can be injected between the vertebrae to form an infrastructure matrix that facilitates neural transmission. It restores the spinal cord. It was progressive surgery that restored Jazz Gunn's ability to walk. It had nothing to do with his ridiculous theory.

ANGELA: What a little liar.

BRENNAN: Well, I have to tell Booth there's a scientific explanation for this.

HODGINS: Dr. Brennan. You know what else is missing from this tank? Lionfish.

CLARK: Looks like a 14-gauge.

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic. Booth and Brennan are with Marily, upstairs near the entrance of the tank)

BRENNAN: Jazz Gunn was a liar. He wasn't cured by swimming in Brazil. He underwent experimental surgery.

BOOTH: Yeah, well, think of all the people he misled. That's motive for murder right there.

MARILYN: Is this what you're looking for?

(The arrive at the tank with the Lion fish in it)

BRENNAN: The edge of this tank is damaged.

MARILYN: It still holds water. We're on a tight budget around here.

BRENNAN: This explains the cleft fracture on the victim's styloid process.

BOOTH: Wh- you lost me, Bones.

BRENNAN: The lionfish protects itself with venomous spines containing the same neurotoxin that stunned our victim prior to his death.

BOOTH: So no hypodermic needle?

BRENNAN: No. There were several spines from one venomous fish all coming into contact with the victim's face at the same time.

BOOTH: So this fish stabbed him in the eye?

BRENNAN: That is consistent with the wounds, yes.

BOOTH: This the only lionfish you have here?

MARILYN: That's it. Pterois antennata. I call him Bob.

BOOTH: Bob.

(Booth laughs at that.)

BRENNAN: Bob is our murder weapon.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab. Cam, Angela, Brennan and Clark are in one of the halls, standing around a fish tank.)

BRENNAN: The victim and the killer gained access to the back area of the aquarium before the door was locked. Jazz saw the lionfish in quarantine. (tapping the fish tank) This represents the quarantine tank. Clark. (Clark goes next to Brennan) Jazz was all about facing his fears. He saw one of the world's most venomous fish and was taking a look at it from above the surface of the water, when someone forcibly pushed (she pushes Clarks head into the tank) his head down into the tank, causing a cleft fracture of the styloid process. (she lets him up)

CLARK: We used to do that in junior high, but we used a toilet.

ANGELA: This man died of a lionfish swirly?

CLARK: Yeah. Now several of the venomous spines penetrated the eye area. A few broke and remained embedded. Now with the victim disoriented and possibly unconscious, it was very easy to drag him off to the big tank nearby.

CAM: Unconscious underwater, he was dead with his first breath. And those fish tore him apart. That's where this poor nut case's theory actually holds true: eat or be eaten.

(Cut to: Booth's Car - Day. Booth and Brennan are driving.)

BOOTH: Jazz Gunn flew to Brazil every six months. He had his surgery at a special clinic in a small town called Itamarca.

BRENNAN: That would be consistent with the maintenance injections required semiannually. Although Itamarca, Brazil is a long way to go to get them.

BOOTH: Well, you know, he's got to keep up the front. Tell everyone he's going for another swim in the sea, right? But guess who else paid a visit to Itamarca this year?

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth and Brennan are interrogating Grace Redmon)

BOOTH: So Brazil's a pretty expensive vacation for a schoolteacher.

GRACE: I love to travel.

BOOTH: To the very same beach where Jazz Gunn claimed to have been healed by the sea?

BRENNAN: How many of his seminars did you attend? (Grace says nothing.) The FBI will find out.

BOOTH: You said you didn't know who Jazz Gunn was.

GRACE: I went to nine of his seminars. I have fibromyalgia and that bastard convinced me that if I just faced my fears, that magically all of this pain would just disappear. He lied.

BOOTH: So you brought a group of fourth graders along as an alibi for murder?

GRACE: No, it was a coincidence. He took me back to see this poisonous fish. "Come face your fears," he said. Last thing he should have said to me right then. I'll tell you what, though. He might have been on to something, that bastard. Because ever since I shoved his lying face into that poisonous fish, I haven't felt any pain.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters. Booth and Brennan are walking toward the elevator)

BRENNAN: I'm going to have coffee with Andrew.

BOOTH: Alright. Have a good time.

BRENNAN: Thank you.

BOOTH: I'm going to see someone too.

BRENNAN: Dr. Catherine Bryar.

BOOTH: The case is closed.

BRENNAN: She's very nice. The two of you seem compatible.

BOOTH: Maybe, we'll see.

BRENNAN: She's easily as pretty as I am. I mean, using me as a standard.

BOOTH: Bones, you are the standard.

BRENNAN: Andrew is not as handsome as you - using you as a standard. He is, however, taller. Catherine isn't as smart as I am.

BOOTH: I'm not as smart as Hacker.

BRENNAN: But you once said he was a doofus.

BOOTH: He is a doofus; a smart doofus.

BRENNAN: (heading into the elevator) Well, I hope you have a good time together.

BOOTH: Yeah, you too.

BRENNAN: Thanks.

(They smile at each other and the door closes. Booth heads back toward the office.)

(Cut to: Street - Day. Brennan is crossing the street to meet Andrew at the Royal Diner. Andrew is seated, inside, waiting for her.)

BRENNAN: I'm not late, am I?

HACKER: Nope.

BRENNAN: We were catching a murderer.

HACKER: I heard. Catching a murderer is the best excuse for being late I've ever heard.

BRENNAN: You - you said I wasn't late.

HACKER: I was putting you at ease. It's one of my strengths. That and I can write long hand, perfectly, in the dark.

(Brennan laughs. He leans across the table and kisses her on the cheek. They both sit.)

HACKER: Congratulations on solving the murder.

BRENNAN: Yes. Now Booth can have sex with Dr. Bryar. Because she was involved with the investigation and the FBI does not allow socialization with suspects or consultants and for a while, she was both. (having a realization) Oh, my god. Andrew, are you allowed to see me socially?

HACKER: Absolutely. I got clearance.

BRENNAN: From whom?

HACKER: From myself. (Brennan laughs) In fact, I not only granted permission, I insisted that I see you socially.

BRENNAN: That's funny because you're satirizing bureaucratic rules by adhering to the letter of the regulations instead of the spirit of it.

(They both laugh)

HACKER: You've got a great laugh. You do. It's a Rat Pack laugh.

BRENNAN: I- I don't know what that means.

HACKER: You don't know about the Rat Pack? (she shakes her head, no) That's awesome.

BRENNAN: I - I - why? The Rat Pack does not sound like a good thing.

HACKER: Because you will not be able to resist the man who showed you that the Rat Pack is a good thing.

BRENNAN: (beaming) Okay.

(Cut to: Aquarium of the Atlantic. Booth is standing in front of a large tank with Catherine.)

CATHERINE: Tell me the truth. Did you think, even for a second, that I might be the murderer.

BOOTH: No. I may not know who did commit the murder, but I definitely know who didn't. Yeah, yeah. I know. You're a scientist, so that whole intuition thing is just a load of crap, right?

CATHERINE: I have an intuition about you.

BOOTH: (smiling) Really.

CATHERINE: Mhm. (he laughs) It tells me that you could use some company.

BOOTH: Oh. I could use some company. Really?

CATHERINE: I make you laugh. You make me laugh.

BOOTH: You're gonna make me laugh.

CATHERINE: Do you think these diamond earrings are real?

BOOTH: I don't know.

CATHERINE: I could tell that they were real the minute my ex gave them to me.

BOOTH: How so?

CATHERINE: Because no one would buy fake diamonds this small. (Booth laughs.) So, give me a call if you want to have dinner sometime.

(Catherine starts to walk away)

BOOTH: Hey, Catherine. (she stops and turns toward him) Wanna have dinner sometime?

CATHERINE: Sure.

(She leaves and Booth smiles)

(Cut to: Founding Fathers - Night. Booth and Brennan are having drinks.)

BRENNAN: Angela and Hodgins find the fish tank to be very romantic.

BOOTH: Mystery of the deep. The great unknown.

BRENNAN: It's a body of enclosed water filled with aquatic, ectothermic vertebrates. Not unknown at all but pretty. Maybe that's what they like.

BOOTH: Yeah. That's probably what it is. I bet that's what it is. So, your date. Um, how was that?

BRENNAN: Oh, quite enjoyable. Andrew is charming and very funny.

BOOTH: I can see; you're still smiling.

BRENNAN: What about you and Catherine? Did you have a good time?

BOOTH: Yeah. Yeah. We laughed. A lot. It felt good. I'm gonna see her again.

BRENNAN: Excellent. You deserve a good woman, Booth.

BOOTH: So do you, Bones. I mean, not a women but you know what I meant.

BRENNAN: I know. So, um, what did you laugh about?

BOOTH: Just...something about her earrings.

BRENNAN: She wore amusing earrings.

BOOTH: No. She said that they were a gift and she knew they were real because no one would buy fake diamonds that small.

BRENNAN: They might - if they were on a tight budget.

BOOTH: Oh, no, no. It's um - it doesn't matter. You had to be there.

BRENNAN: Andrew is going to introduce me to a rat pack. He was very excited about it. They must be extraordinary rodents.

BOOTH: Yeah. Talented too.

BRENNAN: Do you know them?

BOOTH: mmhm.

(They continue to talk and drink their beers as the scene fades to black)

END.