Pirates!

98 3 0
                                    

I was next to Temperance as she examined the only bone we've got, due to her wanting me to get some more use out of my degree.
"Shouldn't you get Zack to do this?"
"You have a degree in the subject. I would like you to use it."
"I only got it cause I was bored and had all the required knowledge to get it in a couple of weeks." I stated.
Soon Angie came over and leaned against the railing, to watch us study the bone with an inquisitive face.
"You think it's a pirate?" Angie asked as Doc peered through the lenses of the scope.
"It's a 300-year-old finger from the left hand of a male. That's all I'm sure of so far." She told.
"Worth killing for?"
"Most likely." I told before Doc got up and headed to another computer.
"I worked a case once where a woman was killed, dismembered and burned because her friend thought she'd taken her favorite pair of slippers." She told making Angie take a breath to calm her wincing expression but was also slightly amused by Temperances colourful candor.
"Cheery." Angie told as Temperance studied the computer data.
"Maybe they're right. Maybe this man died burying the treasure." She told pausing for a bit. "Ironic. Stealing all that and never enjoying the spoils."
"So you believe there's treasure?" She asked slightly smirking.
"Yes." I told as Doc pondered for a bit.
"I believe there's greed. That's the real curse."
"That is a pretty bad curse." I added causing Angie fold her arms across her chest, considering this train of thought as Doc walked away.
'I shouldn't have told her.'

Turns out, Jack had found a whole skeleton at the bottom on the pit which had us in the bone room to look at it with Doc, Seeley and Zack.
"I'm amazed you found a complete skeleton." Doc told.
"This is so cool." I stated.
"C-14 dating matches at three hundred years." Zack added as she stood at the head of the table studying the skeleton.
"Subject is male, early twenties, approximately five feet ..." she explained as she made her way around and carefully set the ring finger bone in its proper place completing the skeleton. "... six inches."
"Legs are bowed, result of visible calcium and phosphate deficiency." Zack told as he faced her and held a file.
While the three of us were at the bones, Jack and Seeley were near computer monitor exchanging a look of delight.
"He had rickets as a child, but his upper body is extraordinarily well developed." Doc told before looking towards Seeley and Jack as they joined us at the table.
"Epiphyseal separation in the long bones. Sunken sternum forms scorbutic rosary ..." Zack explained as our eyes following his hand when he pointed to the region. "... at costochondral margin."
'I'm liking the odds this is going to.'
"He suffered from scurvy as well as tertiary syphilis." Doc told making Seeley shake his head.
"What's with the 'tertiary'? Isn't plain old syphilis bad enough?" He told making her give him a look.
"Scurvy, syphilis ..." Zack began shaking his head and I knew he was no longer able to contain himself any more causing us to speak at the same time.
"Pirate."
"There is anthropological evidence which supports the claim that Blackbeard executed his burial crews after they were done digging." Jack told and the whole time Seeley was nodding enthusiastically along and even pointing at him in agreement.
"Okay. Let's ... say it's a pirate." She told as her eyes were now bright and amused causing us to get excited.
"Yes!" Jack exclaimed as Doc got into the spirit of this whole thing.
"This would be an extraordinary find." She told as Jack grinned widely and Seeley rub his hands together out of excitement.
"And ... would open up the reality ..." Seeley began before unfolding both of his hands dramatically. "... of the treasure!"
"It would be stupid to dismiss anything at this point. But we need to discover why the ossein isn't fully decomposed from being waterlogged for so long." She told
'Really?'
Seeley looked like he was going to explain why but then remembered that wasn't his area of expertise, causing Jack to jump in and walk over to the computer that had a map of the pit.
"About fifty feet down the shaft is a layer of blue putty consisting of silicone and clay. It could be used to form a watertight seal." He told
"He's correct. Perfect way of helping preserve things." I added.
"That would explain the condition of the bones." She told as Seeley looked towards Jack excitedly, adjusting his belt and grinning like a child.
"I took samples of the same blue clay between 200 and 207 feet. Something is buried down there." Jack continued.
"And these bones were lying on top of it." She stated.
"Macy was killed because of something that he found." Seeley told as I nodded in agreement.
"The silt in his throat and lungs confirms he was killed at the top of the shaft." Me and Jack told as one and Zack jumped in to get in on the fun of the conjecture.
"After he swam back up with the treasure." He told before Goodman walked into the room.
"Special Agent Booth." He told making us turn to look at him, and saw he was not up for the pirate excitement we were having at the moment. "I hate to interrupt your investigation, Agent Booth, but there's an angry billionaire in my office, and ... he won't go away."
Seeley exchanged an inquisitive look with Doc and me and I could tell this was not going to go well.
'Shit.'

Me and Zack were in mine and Jacks lab when we heard yelling.
"Zack!" Doc called with an agitated tone making us rush to her.
As we neared she began to speak again about what's gotten her so mad.
"The bones. What did you do with the bones?" She asked making us walk past her into the bone room baffled at what she's asking.
'What?!'
"Nothing, Doctor Brennan. I left them on the table just like you asked ..." he explained only to stop when we saw that the table was empty and that the skeleton was gone.
She stormed back out of the room again ans began to shout out to everyone in the lab.
"Where the HELL are my bones!?"
"This is not good." I told
"No it certainly isn't." Zack added as we both shared a worried look towards the other.

I ended up going with Zack to avoid the whole mad Temperance as well as avoid the possibility of her yelling at me due to not being able to handle people yelling. The reason we were away from the others was due to the fact we needed to collect the surprise we had in hopes it would call the mad doctor. Once we found what we needed, we went back to where the others were and caught the end of what Seeley was saying.
"I want account of all off-duty personnel as well." He told before Zack spoke as we joined the group.
"They didn't get everything." He told making them look towards us.
"I thought all the bones were on the table." Seeley stated.
"Ah, all the new ones were on the table." I told before Zack continued.
"All the new ones. I was still examining the original finger bone we found for scurvy, so it was in my room." He told before holding out the phalanx that was in the palm of his hand, and Doc carefully took it and examined it closer.
"There is something they don't want us to find on this bone." She told holding up the bone for Seeley to see, before she looked over at me. "Ashley."
"Yes?"
"I need you to find those bones."
"I don't exactly do that anymore doc. It's been quite awhile since I had to find what people wanted hidden."
"I won't ask you to do anything to do with your bone forensic degree for three months." She told
"Deal."
"That actually worked?" Seeley asked.
"For the right price, Ashley will do almost anything."
"I don't do killings. Kinda like how I can't fully escape my second job." I stated.
'Welp, guess Imma be figuring this out.'

The young doctors.Where stories live. Discover now