Bones (2005–2017): Season 12, Episode 4 - The Price for the Past - full transcript

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

Come on, Mom, faster.

Party's not gonna
set up by itself.

That's the thing, Declan.

If you would help... Mom!

(EXHALES DEEPLY) I'm sorry.

Crap, there's another party.

Not for long. I
reserved this space.

And if they think that
they're gonna stay here,

I'm gonna give
them a piece of...

(SCREAMS)



Jeez, Mom. That's how
you tell someone that?

(SCREAMING)

(BOTH CONTINUE SCREAMING)

I told Christine that we're
checking out a new library.

I hope she's not too
disappointed when

we take her to the
water park instead.

Are you kidding me?
Ninety-seven slides, four waterfalls,

and the biggest
dunkanator in the state.

(LAUGHS) I'm very
much looking forward to it.

I tell you, I was kinda
surprised about that.

So, we'll hit up
Go Kart World next.

No, go-cart tracks are not known

for their high concentration
of fecal matter.

There's fecal matter
in water parks?



They're known for it.

And studies show that early
exposure to E. coli bacteria

is beneficial to the development
of children's immune systems.

Fecal matter,
(STUTTERS) like poop?

The longer we stay,
the more there will be.

You know what? I'll tell
you what. I think it's, uh...

I think we should
head to the library.

Looks like the
weather's gonna change.

(PHONES RINGING) Oh.

Oh, this is yours, this is mine.

Oh, look at that. Body was
found at Rock Creek Park.

We should get there ASAP.

Well, I'm sure Aubrey
can cover for you.

No, not this time. Why?

Why? 'Cause it's very important.

My text says nothing about that.

That's because
it's very important.

We'll get your dad to
take the kids to the library

and go read a book.
Books are good for the soul.

Livor mortis on
the remaining tissue

indicates the victim's
been dead 10 to 12 hours.

Why the balloons?

BOOTH: Well, 101, Aubrey.

To make sure the body's
found sooner versus later.

Yeah. Got no ID on the
corpse. Also it's fresh.

Checked the missing persons, no
one reported in the last 12 hours.

There's no evidence of any blood

in the vicinity of the remains.

And not in the corpse either.
It's largely exsanguinated.

BOOTH: Oh, the victim was killed
somewhere else and taken here.

Look at the drag marks. They
lead right out to the parking lot.

Well, I got a schematic
from the ranger.

Turns out that's the one lot
in the park with no cameras.

Well, either the killer got
lucky or he planned ahead.

My informed guess
is that it's the latter.

Size of the mandibular rami
indicates the victim is male.

Yeah, and the gums
are in bad shape.

Inner proximal attachment
loss is typical of a guy in his 60s.

The diminished tooth sockets
are typical of an elderly man,

but the wear on the
molars and the incisors

indicates he was in his 40s.

It looks like he had
very poor dental care.

There are holes on
what's left of the shoes.

It seems like this guy's
fallen through the cracks.

Why did the killer choose him?

Why draw all this
attention to someone

who's completely
down on their luck?

That is not relevant unless
it helps us solve the case.

Let's get these remains
back to the Jeffersonian.

Zygomatic arches indicate
the victim was Caucasoid

while the length of
the femur suggests

he was approximately
five feet, 10 inches tall.

Whew. And rats did this to him?

There's no predation
from any other animals.

I've reviewed the X-rays.

There are fragmentation wounds
on the left clavicle, scapula and femur.

I've seen fracturing
like this before.

There appears to
be shrapnel residue.

IED?

HODGINS: It could be.

Which means this guy
might be former military.

There are multiple signs
of trauma to the body.

All are consistent with battle.

This is unusual.

Both prepatellar
bursae are swollen.

Doesn't both mean
it's housemaid's knee?

I don't think this guy
was a housemaid.

The condition arises
from extensive kneeling.

It is most common
in manual laborers.

Well, I've also heard of it
in the devoutly religious.

Nuns, monks, priests.

Not many priests
have seen combat.

What's wrong?

I need to see the
ossicles of the inner ear.

(COMPUTER BEEPING)

Magnify them.

There are fractures
on the stapes.

They've remodeled some time ago.

Fourteen years.

How can you be so precise?

(EXHALES) Because
Booth has similar fractures.

I need to see your
reconstruction.

Um, I'm nowhere near done.

Please.

Okay.

Can you fill in the hair?
(EXHALES DEEPLY)

Yeah. What color?

Black. It will be black.

(KEYBOARD CLACKING)

Longer.

The eyes are blue.

The nose, can you
broaden the alar sidewalls?

Wait, isn't that...

That's Aldo Clemens.

Who's Aldo Clemens?

ANGELA: He married
Booth and Brennan.

He was also the chaplain
of Booth's army unit.

Booth said that when he
was in trouble, Aldo saved him.

He owed Aldo his life.

(OPENING THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

Aldo was a good man, Seeley.
You have my sympathies.

Thanks.

You're right. Sympathy
sucks. What do we know?

We've nothing to tie it
to anyone at the scene.

Aubrey's digging for
witnesses, parking tickets.

You think anything's gonna
come up? I don't know.

I hear Aldo was in rough shape.

What was going on with him?

I don't know, Caroline.

I hadn't spoken to
him for over a year.

If I know you, you tried.

You know what? I'm
not gonna let myself

off the hook on
this one, all right?

Anytime I needed anything,

anything, Aldo was
always there for me.

I'm sure that goes for the
other men in your unit, too.

What does that mean?

He took on all their troubles.

It could be he didn't want
you getting pulled in, too.

Yeah, well, it's too late. 'Cause I'm
gonna find out who did this to him.

Of course you are.

This is a Lepisma
saccharina, a.k.a. silverfish.

So, their diet consists of
cellulose and polysaccharides,

basically anything
you find in a house.

So, dinner is carpet
and dessert is curtains.

So, our guy is
not from the park.

No, my guess is
that he hitched a ride

from wherever the
victim was killed.

I'll go have a
little chat with him,

see if he can't help us
find our way back there.

There are antemortem contusions

on the right and
left metacarpals.

Suggesting Aldo Clemens
was getting into a lot of fights.

I don't get it. He was a priest.

CAM: Well, he left the
priesthood after he came back.

Do you know why?

Booth once told me that Aldo
never stopped believing in God,

but that his belief no longer
comforted him, not after what he'd seen.

So, how could he
make it his life's work?

Ugh...

Aubrey is worried about
what this will do to Booth.

Yeah, the past is a rabbit hole.

I'm worried about him, too.

Aldo's spiral is unfortunately
not an aberration.

Studies show that erratic,
self-destructive behavior

is a common
post-concussive syndrome

that can manifest years
after the initial trauma.

I got concussed, too, Bones.

And I was in the same
explosion as Aldo.

I am aware of that
because of your brain tumor.

I am also quite familiar
with MRIs of your cerebellum.

I'm not concerned
for your mental health.

I could have gotten him help.

Perhaps.

But that's in the past.

Moving forward, there's only
one thing you can do for Aldo.

Look, if you're gonna tell me
to forgive myself, please don't.

Forgiveness
would be ineffective.

Okay, then what? I
mean, what works?

Revenge. That's not me.

I mean, there are rules.

You will follow those rules.

The act of bringing
a murderer to justice

is, anthropologically
speaking, a form of revenge.

You have suffered a loss.

Making the killer suffer
for that loss will help.

Yeah, well, I hope so, Bones.

Because right now I
couldn't feel much worse.

Hey. You got something
that could help with the case?

'Cause we can use it.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

This is not about the case.

Where is this from?

Miami International Airport.

He used the name of a Dutch
national who's long since dead,

so it took two weeks to

work its way through our
fugitive facial recognition system.

He must have made
some changes to his face,

but if you're asking for an
ID, that's him. That's my dad.

Treasury's been tracking
and closing his accounts.

They've squeezed
him to the point

where he may be back to dig up
whatever remaining assets he has left.

He's running a hell of a risk.

Well, if it's about
money, he'll risk it.

He may reach
out to you for help.

(SCOFFS) That
would be a mistake.

You sound pretty
confident about that.

That man's your father.

And I already
turned him in once.

So, it'll be even
easier the second time.

You know how Dr. B
says that the bones

don't just reveal
the victim's death?

They also reveal
the victim's life.

Unfortunately, the only
thing this body is revealing

is sadness, pain and decline.

Oh, fractures from fights,
density loss from poor nutrition,

drunken falls.

And this liver tells
a story on its own.

Vesicular degeneration
makes it pretty clear

he became a heavy drug user.

Well, he had all his
teeth, so it wasn't meth.

Well, heroin's the
most likely candidate.

It has too short a half-life
to show up on a tox screen.

But if we could find his
dealer, that might be helpful.

Hold it. I've got an idea.

I thought these scratches
on the proximal phalanges

were caused by rat predation.

I never asked why eat the toes

when there's so much
good stuff left on the body.

Well, I might not have
asked that one either.

Wait, are these
scratches needle marks?

They are the right depth
and appropriate length.

I'm hoping there's trace
amounts of heroin on the bones.

Well, if so, it
wouldn't metabolize

the way it does in
the blood stream.

Ask Hodgins to
swab for particulates.

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

Tom Ellis?

Police?

FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth.

And I'm his partner,
Dr. Temperance Brennan.

We're here to ask you
questions about Aldo Clemens.

What'd Aldo do?

He died last night.

Well, if you guys are here,
I assume it was murder.

You don't seem
too upset about it.

I liked Aldo.

Hated having to fire him, but
that's the way it goes, right?

Why'd you fire him?

He was stealing
from the tip jar.

You fought with him. His
facial bones are broken,

there's extensive
fracturing to the ribs.

You hit him so hard,
your hand was broken.

Who told you about that?

It's poorly set,
which I can see.

I also checked
your hospital records

because I do thorough research.

She's good.

It was self-defense.
He came at me.

Now, where were you yesterday?

I was working here at the bar.

I close up at 5:00 a.m.

You can check it out
with any of my regulars.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Can you think of anyone who
may have wanted to hurt Aldo?

He was spinning out of control.

He would have done
anything for his next fix.

Who was his dealer?

No idea. Never saw
him, didn't want to.

But I heard Aldo call him, begging
him, promising him anything.

He just didn't have the money.

If Aldo tried anything with him,

he might not have gone
easy on him like I did.

There are fractures
on the left fifth

and sixth ribs, the nasal bones

and the zygomatic
process of the left maxilla.

BRENNAN: They're
impact fractures

most likely caused
by Aldo's fight

with Tom Ellis, which
was a month ago.

There are additional
fractures on the ribs

which appear to be more recent.

Take a look, Miss Warren.

Could those have been
caused by the same assailant?

The amount of
remodeling indicates

the damage is no more
than two weeks old.

That is not consistent with
what Tom Ellis told Booth and me.

But the directionality
of the wounds

indicates a
left-handed assailant.

Isn't Tom Ellis right-handed?

He is.

Someone else is
responsible for these wounds.

If you're noticing
a zip in my roll,

it's because I'm officially
extremely excited.

I swabbed the needle marks
on the proximal phalanges.

I came up with
heroin particulates.

WARREN: Did you
find enough particulates

to run a chromatographic
impurity profile analysis?

Yeah, nine whole micrograms.

Angela's running a
signature profile now.

So, Aldo was shooting a cocktail

of codeine, Phenobarbital,
ascorbic acid, finely ground glass...

Glass? How does that happen?

It's actually a fairly
common adulterant.

What's interesting is the high
proportion of diamorphine hydrochloride.

That's the actual heroin.

It suggests Aldo's drugs
came from a high-end dealer.

Oh, then we should
be able to identify him.

The DEA maintains
this database of

known and suspected
dealers in the area.

If we can just enter the
proportion that Hodgins gave us,

we should be able
to narrow this down.

All right, well that's a lot
better than where we started.

We can narrow that further.
How many are left-handed?

Uh... I don't think that's
included on the rap sheets.

Hmm.

Bring up their photos.

(BEEPING)

The left clavicle on this
one is higher than the right.

That's an indication
of handedness.

Well, also his left deltoid
is slightly more developed.

And he parts his hair to the
right. I mean, most lefties do that.

ANGELA: Jake Tompkins.

I'll call Booth
and let him know.

(CAR DOOR CLOSES)

AUBREY: So, this hood isn't
exactly screaming drug dealer.

Are you sure we
got the right address?

Well, Tompkins is not your,
you know, usual drug dealer.

He runs a very
efficient business.

Well, I mean, he has to
have slipped up somewhere,

otherwise he wouldn't
be in the database.

He was charged, but he was
never convicted, you know.

Like you said,
he's very careful.

(DOORBELL RINGING)

Yo.

(DOORBELL CONTINUES RINGING)

(BOOTH WHISTLES)

Jake Tompkins?

FBI. Special Agent Seeley Booth.

Special Agent James Aubrey.

How can I help you?
Ask you a few questions.

When was the last time
you saw Aldo Clemens?

Sorry, I don't know him.

Look at the photo, Jake. Okay?

Clemens was found
dead this morning.

We know that you
were his dealer.

Okay, I think we're done here. I
don't know anything about drugs.

And just so we're super clear on
that, I'm gonna go call my lawyer.

Okay, you do that. Call your
lawyer, he'll get you out in no time.

But that's when I get started.

What is that supposed to mean?

I'll be all over you.
Whatever you do,

buy, sell, I'll be watching you.

That's actually
called harassment.

It is. It's called harassment.

Do you really want to do
that to your business, Jake?

Look, we're just after whoever
actually killed Aldo Clemens.

My hunch is killing
isn't exactly your thing.

Answer some questions
and I'll be out of your life.

I might have known this guy.

If I did,

I would have dropped
him as a client months ago.

He run out of money? No.

They always find the money.
Aldo had become a risk.

Some guy was following
him. So, I cut him off.

Who was following
Aldo? You got a name?

I can't even tell you
what he looked like.

It was some guy in a crappy
car. I thought he was a cop.

He drove by a few times.
He never got out of the car.

Sorry, I wish I
could be more help.

Yeah, well, actually,
you know what?

What are you doing?

It's one of those video
doorbells that record you, right?

Yes, it is. Do you know
how much that thing cost me?

A lot. They're very expensive.

But it's good for you, because
then it'll confirm your story.

Thank you very much for this.

Hey. Honey, let's
go home. It's late.

Mmm-hmm.

Almost finished. I'm
gonna be done in a second.

Oh, no, you won't.

Do not tell me that you
are operating on a silverfish.

Well, it's more like a scenic
journey through its digestive tract.

Okay. I'll be in my office.

Hold on, Angie.
Look what I found.

(BEEPS)

Oh, wow. That's
actually kind of beautiful.

Right?

So, this is just the
sort of saccharide

most silverfish
love to munch on.

In this case, it's a highly
magnified particulate

of professional
grade acoustic foam.

So, if that bug hitched
a ride on Aldo's body...

We need to call Booth.

Oh, Brennan said Booth's busy.

What, too busy
to hear about this?

Trust me, it's important.

Sergeant. It's been a while.

Yeah, too long.

Wish this were a
different occasion.

Yeah. Me, too.

Who killed him, Seeley?

I don't know, Dave,
but I'm gonna find out.

Need my help? No, I'm good.

But either of you two ever hear

from Aldo before
he went missing?

Not me.

No, he wasn't easy to find.

Well, if you hear
anything just let me know.

It's my job now to take
care of things. Okay?

Sure, Booth. We'll sit
and wait for that to happen.

You know what, Ted, I'm not here

to get into this
with you right now.

It's about Aldo. Guess
that's what it takes.

One of us dying before
he comes around here.

Oh, come on, Ted,
you know he had nothing

to do with Father
Clemens' murder.

What did Booth do
to help him stay alive?

Not enough.

We all could've been
more in touch with him.

He's the reason that we're all
home. At least for me, I'm grateful.

McKINNEY: For what?

He moved on, started a family.

It wasn't that easy
for the rest of us.

Look, Ted, I can't make up for
not being around, but I'm here now.

It's too late for that.

I'm done with you like you
were done with all of us.

It's very late.

I didn't hear you come in.

Well, I wanted to let you sleep.

Didn't go well with the men?

(EXHALES)

These guys saw hell.

And most of them are
still paying the price.

You feel the effects
of war, too, Booth.

Yeah. Yeah, but I got lucky.

I had a great
family, a great life.

Got all this.

You were an
addict, just like Aldo.

Yeah.

Unlike him, you got help.

Yeah, but you're in my
corner. That's the difference.

Aldo had no one.

(BEEPS)

Hey. I just dropped off Jessica.

And let me guess, you
thought you might check in

to see what I'm getting from
Tompkins' video doorbell.

Looks like it's rough going.

I thought those
things actually worked.

They do. They record
everyone that comes to the door,

but it's got such
a small hard drive,

so once it's full, it
just records over itself.

So, it's useless.

Well, no, not exactly.

Stuff doesn't actually
disappear, it just gets jumbled.

I was able to plug in this
facial recognition software

to isolate the times that
Aldo came to the house.

Is that him? I can't see it.

Oh, that's because
you're not looking at Aldo,

you're looking at
what's behind him.

I'm trying to isolate the
car that was following him.

Well, that's a few too many
times to be a coincidence.

Yeah, agreed.

Now we just have to
figure out who's driving it.

Miss Warren, you
wanted to see me?

I was re-examining
the spinal column

and I found these
fractures on the C1 and C2.

They suggest that the vertebrae
were severely displaced.

Which indicates a
hyperflexion fracture.

The neck was snapped
at the C2 vertebra.

That would cause
complete paralysis

of all muscles
below the brainstem.

Yes. The lungs
cease functioning,

resulting in a complete
loss of oxygen to the brain.

Cause of death wasn't
exsanguination, it was this fracture.

Uh, Dr. Brennan...

Yes?

Didn't your father
come back into your life

after spending
years as a fugitive?

You're concerned
about what Aubrey will do

if he finally comes face
to face with his dad?

How can he live with himself
if he turns in his own father?

My father had abandoned
me and my brother,

he was a fugitive from justice.

(EXHALES) I certainly
never anticipated

that we would manage to
have a positive relationship.

How did you make that happen?

By opening myself
to the fact that

his actions, while partially his
fault, were necessitated by events.

He's a much better man than
the one I had built him up to be.

So, there's a chance that
can happen for Aubrey?

Statistically, there's always
a chance, Miss Warren.

There's been another sighting.

Where?

It's a financial record.

Tell me, is there any difference

between a latte and
a latte macchiato?

Wait. I don't understand how
a financial record is a sighting.

We'll get to that.

With the latte you add your
espresso shot to the steamed milk

and with the macchiato
it's the reverse.

And you taste the difference?

Absolutely.

I don't buy it.

So, where was he seen?

Well, we have good
evidence, but not eyewitnesses,

from a wire office in Atlanta.

There was a transfer for
$9,000 from an overseas account

that's tied to an alias
previously used by Philip Aubrey.

All right. Small
office, high volume.

Clientele is primarily
alien laborers.

And the amount transferred
is just a hair under

the FDIC notification threshold.

That's definitely him.

Now he's got cash,
he may go under.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

He's here for a reason.

He's making his way
north, he'll surface.

Aubrey.

Hey, so, I was able to filter
out most of the visual noise

from the doorbell video.

Did you find the vehicle
that was following Aldo?

Yeah. I'll send you a link.

It's a '97 Intrepid.

Did you get a plate number?

I couldn't from this angle,

so I went through all the
traffic cams in the area.

The car belongs to Ted McKinney.

He's former military. He
actually served in Booth's unit.

Booth's not gonna like this.

Me either, sir. That is not
something I wanted to see.

You think I killed
Aldo, you're nuts.

I don't know what to think.

Why were you following him?

That's my business.

Well, you're in here, so it
becomes my business now.

You really think Booth's
the right guy for this?

They have a history.

I can't think of anyone better.

Recognize that car?

It might be mine.

It might be yours.

Uh, I think it's yours, because
that is you inside of the car.

Following Aldo. That's not true.

That's not true? Come
on. Ted, look at this.

I can pull all these
video stills up.

Come on. We have
enough here to build a case.

You want to tell
me what's going on?

What happened that
night? Okay, I needed him.

I needed someone and
he wouldn't even talk to me.

I understand, all right?

You felt abandoned,
no one was there for you.

No one was there to
listen, not even Aldo.

Like I didn't even exist.

Look, just tell me what
happened that night, okay?

I can help you no
matter what you did.

(SNIFFLES)

I didn't kill Aldo.

I did something worse.

What's worse than killing?

I went looking for
him in Bellevue.

He started to go
there to buy his drugs.

I didn't know what
I was gonna do.

Then as I'm watching him,

someone pulls up, the driver
gets out and jumps Aldo.

Who was it?

I don't know. Come on, Ted.

Look at me, you have to remember

who this was. It could save you.

Whatever happens, I deserve.

Because I froze,
I didn't help him.

Aldo got taken and I just let it
happen, like I wasn't even there.

CAM: McKinney
served with Aldo and

those men trust each
other with their lives.

How can he just watch Aldo
get taken and not try to help.

I don't know, but Booth
believes he's telling the truth.

Did McKinney say
anything that we can use?

Nothing specific.

No plate numbers, no
physical characteristics.

But he did say that it was
clean, precise, perfectly executed.

Perhaps someone
else with military training.

Well, which means it's possible

one of the other men
in his unit is responsible.

You think?

Well, they carry anger,
they are taught to kill.

There are many recountings,
starting with ancient Greeks,

of returning warriors murdering
those they're closest to.

Dr. Brennan.

What is it, Miss Warren?

There's something
you really need to see.

I re-examined the
impact fractures

on the left eighth
and ninth ribs.

How did your perception
of the fractures change?

It didn't, they're
exactly the same.

But look at these rat bites

on the anterior plane of
the affected sternal ribs.

They're deeper
and closer together

than the other rat bites
which you've cataloged.

That's what I thought.

They appear to be both
peri and ante-mortem.

Did you run an
immunohistochemical test?

I did, it came back positive for
fibrin clots and new bone deposition.

There is only one very
likely interpretation.

What do you think that is?

That the victim was alive while
the rats where eating his torso.

That is indeed the
most likely possibility.

I've seen a lot
of things, but this,

for the rats to get
inside of the ribs like that,

it's truly horrifying.

There's no better word for it.

Note the contusions on the anterior
sternal seventh and tenth ribs.

I cataloged those
as defensive wounds.

That is understandable.

The pattern is also consistent

with a cage being pressed up
against that section of the torso.

(BEEPING)

It originated in
the Middle Ages.

The cage would
be filled with rats,

one end of it is heated

so the animals
are forced to burrow

into the body of
the still living victim.

There must be hundreds of bites.

Which indicates that
Aldo Clemens was

tortured for an
extended period of time.

McKinney said that Aldo
went to buy heroin in Bellevue.

And if he's telling the truth...

He's telling the truth.

Then he wouldn't have
any trouble finding product.

It's low quality, but
there's plenty of it.

Dealers aren't too picky.

Has no one here read the report?

Yeah, we read it.

Your close friend
was tortured with rats.

That is something
we need to discuss.

Look, what do you say?

I was hoping you
would have the words.

Something like this, there's
not much you really could say.

We just move on.

And we keep looking till we
find this guy and we don't stop.

That was just right, Seeley,
I knew you would have it.

AUBREY: I've been reading
about this kind of torture,

they say it still exists in the
Balkans and parts of the Middle East.

Yeah, I heard of it.

Well, your unit served in
both. McKinney was there.

No chance McKinney did it.

Look, the guy doesn't have an
alibi, he's impulsive and he's angry.

He's too angry to have done it.

CAROLINE: I agree with Booth.

This was controlled,
it took planning.

McKinney's not capable of that.

Take a look at this, huh?
Look at those tire marks.

Oh...

Yeah, they're fresh.

Yeah, McKinney was
parked there a half block away.

Then it makes sense
that these tire marks

are from the car that took Aldo.

And the tracks
run north, there's

a highway on-ramp
three blocks away.

No way he took it.
How do you know that?

'Cause he's planned,
he thinks of everything.

He's calculated, okay? There's no
way he's gonna take the highway.

I mean, there's surveillance
cameras all over the place.

That explains why we have
next to nothing to work with.

Uh, not true. We
know how he thinks.

What does that get us?

We know that he takes the
road less traveled, Aubrey.

We find that road, we find
him. And we don't stop, got it?

So, let's keep looking.

Let's find him.

ANGELA: So, I
used Booth's theory

that whoever took Aldo based
their route on avoiding surveillance.

Every turn they
took was weighted

towards avoiding
cameras and crowds.

CAM: That is elegant.

But what happens when there's
more than one equal choice?

Yeah, well... (EXHALES DEEPLY)

Gets less and less useful.
This is now out of control.

Well, at least it gives
us a general direction.

Hey, I swabbed the
perimortem striations on the ribs.

The rat bites? Mmm-hmm. Yeah.

So, rat teeth
never stop growing.

Which means they're always
having to gnaw on something

just to keep them
the right length.

Good to know. What
were they gnawing on?

I don't know. I found
particulates of lead paint,

so maybe they've been gnawing
on some cabinets looking for food.

When was lead paint banned?

(BEEPS)

1978.

So, we've got professional-grade
acoustic foam and lead paint?

We need to be looking for a
sound studio built before 1978.

Somewhere northwest of Bellevue.

Right, but it would have to
be near Rock Creek Park,

because they had to get that
body back there by morning.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)
That's still a few square miles.

Well, if it's a studio, it's
likely to be abandoned.

(TRILLING)

That looks like
an industrial park.

Well, it was, but now
it's slated for demolition.

I'll call Booth.

(GLASS SHATTERING)

(DOOR CREAKS)

BOOTH: Looks like this
is where he set up shop.

Look at all this stuff.

Booth. Yeah?

Look at this.

Parish records, news clippings
about Aldo, discharge documents.

This X-ray is not Aldo's.

It's of somebody else.

How do you know?

There's a stellate-shaped wound

directly above the
right squamosal suture.

Gunshot? Yes.

The extent of the damage
indicates a high-powered rifle.

Perfectly placed. Not too
many people can make that shot.

The writing is Cyrillic.

Serbian.

That is correct.

Where are you going?

BOOTH: Over here.

Going behind door number two.

Look at this. This is not
good. (CLEARS THROAT)

BRENNAN: Oh.

This is blood.

Aldo's?

We can't be completely
sure. There are tests.

Look at that, Bones.
Look. It's the cage.

BRENNAN: Ugh.

Well, Cam will want to do a blood
spatter analysis as soon as possible.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

Bones. I need to finish...

No, look. Look!

Booth, that's a bomb!

We gotta go. Now.

(BOTH GROAN)

(GLASS SHATTERING)

Crews are still
battling the blaze at

an abandoned office
complex in Anacostia.

The cause of the
fire is undetermined,

but fire marshals suspect
a strong possibility of arson.

Booth says it was an IED.

Yeah, but do IEDs usually
take this long to burn off?

HODGINS: Well, Booth
saw jerry cans of gas.

My hunch is it was
powered by petroleum gel.

Sticks to everything and
burns at over 2000 degrees.

Which means there
won't be much left.

Close to zilch.

Whoa! Dr. B!

Oh, my God. What
are you doing here?

My work.

We can handle this.
You should be home.

Yeah, at the very least, you
shouldn't be watching this.

It must have been terrible, huh?

It was unpleasant.

And losing the
opportunity to examine

vital evidence makes it more so.

Right. Well, I uploaded
the photos that you sent.

My theory is that Aldo
Clemens died on that table.

Why torture him so horribly,

but end it with a relatively
quick humane death?

Maybe he got the
information he wanted.

Maybe.

But there's a cruelty to
this killer. It doesn't fit.

BRENNAN: I agree.

Cause of death was a
transected cervical spinal cord.

We need to understand
how that was done.

Okay, well, all we
have is a blood-stained

table and a few
strips of duct tape.

I have enhanced the stains here.

Well, the largest
concentration of blood will be

where the rat cage
was fixed to the ribs.

Can you align the
body accordingly?

Yeah, I'll center the stain
on the eighth and ninth rib.

(BEEPING)

The remaining tape matches
up with the arms and legs.

Uh, this doesn't make sense.

The skull would need
more range of motion

for the spinal column
to be transected.

Okay, let me recreate
the fracture to the C2.

You're right. His skull would have
had to go right through the table.

The body's in the
wrong position.

Was that tape torn?

I'm sure this is
important, but why?

Because if I'm the killer, and I
wanna get a dead body off my table,

I'd cut the tape.

It was torn. Which suggests
Aldo tried to break free.

So, perhaps he was
killed somewhere else.

They're at the sound studio
combing through the wreckage.

What's left? (SCOFFS)

What's left is you could fit
into a beer can, is what's left.

So, we're back where we started.

Who is this guy and why
did he target Aldo Clemens?

Yeah. Hold on. (PHONE RINGING)

(GROANS)

Yeah.

There's one possible
explanation for how Aldo died.

Well, does it get us any closer
to finding out who killed him?

Let me show you what we have.

Hold on.

What have you got? (GRUNTS)

From the position of the
body and the fractures,

the killer couldn't have snapped

Aldo's neck while
he was restrained.

So, what's left?

The most likely explanation
is that Aldo killed himself.

He was fastened to
the table by duct tape,

but he managed to loosen it.

Not enough to escape, but enough

to give him some
range of movement.

If he pushed himself
back on to the table,

he could raise his upper torso,

which made it possible for him
to generate a whip-like motion.

And sever his spinal cord.

I don't know.

The man was once a priest
and suicide is a cardinal sin.

It wasn't a suicide.

Booth, the facts clearly
indicate that it was.

A sacrifice. It was a sacrifice.

Sacrifice?

He was trying to
protect someone.

♪ And if you figure me out

♪ You better keep
your mouth shut

♪ You can see I'm living
in my orange tree now

♪ And if you figure it out

♪ I will come down
and show you my face ♪

AUBREY: (SIGHS) Look, so, um,
sorry that I haven't been exactly present.

Well, we've all
been working hard.

I haven't been that
available either.

No, I'm talking mentally
present. I've been distracted.

Oh, yeah, it's
about your father.

I understand.

You must be worried about
what happens when they find him.

I am. It's not as cut and dry
as I thought it was gonna be.

I'm glad you're seeing that now.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

Look, there's something else
that I've been thinking about.

I want you to know
that I'm not him.

I know that, Aubrey.

He left his wife, he left me, you
know. I would never ever do that.

What are you saying?

I'm saying that

when I commit to something,
it's real, that I'm serious about us.

Did I say the wrong thing?

No.

Of course not, Aubrey.

But there's a lot going on.

I know.

And when it's all taken care
of, I'm gonna feel the same way.

I know this is difficult, Booth,

but you're gonna get through it.

Yeah. Feels like something
Aldo would have said.

He was right. (BOOTH GROANS)

Yeah, but this is
different, Bones. He, um...

He died 'cause he
was trying to protect me.

What do you mean?

You know, that X-ray that
we saw in the sound studio,

I know who that was.

There was no name
on it. I looked for that.

He died of a gunshot wound to the
head, center core, 3,000 feet away.

I'm the one who made that shot.

That is a ridiculous assumption.

There are other
snipers capable...

Bosnia, 1995.

The General. Remember,
I told you about him?

The warlord? That
you had to shoot?

You saved a lot
of lives doing that.

I killed him.

(STUTTERS) I killed him
right in front of his own son.

He's got allies and family.
This is about revenge.

You can't know that,
Booth. It was just one X-ray.

And Aldo knew
that I as the shooter.

He killed himself so he
wouldn't have to give me up.

That's one possibility.
There are others.

It's the only thing that
makes sense, Bones.

And whoever this is,
they're not gonna stop until...

(INHALES DEEPLY)

What should we do?

Just be ready.

(CLOSING THEME MUSIC PLAYING)