Broken Bones

Episode 10 "The Woman in the Garden" Part 2

-Venus POV- 

I was in Temps office sitting across from Temps desk as I had my hands in a bowl of cold water with ice to get my hands to swell down as I punched Mr. Ortez to hard with my bare hands. As Angie comes in looking a bit mad at us. She first looks at me, "You beat up a gang leader?" I look at her and nod, "He was going to touch Temp, plus if it wasn't going to be me, she would've done it herself." Temp then speaks, "Booth told you that?" "You both got into a fight with a gangbanger." I look down as a bit ashamed as Temp asks, "You're mad at us?" "The guy's a killer, Brennan." "Angela, relax. We were in the FBI building, and I wasn't the one to beat him unconscious, Ven did." I sigh nodding. "Look, I know you're all about self-reliance and fighting your own battles and standing up for yourself, while Venus here take the charge or beat them up for you, but now, as your friend, and knowing how much you hate psychology here... you both need therapy."

I just nod as Temp speaks, "I'm sorry we upset you. It's just that I've dealt with him before." I look up at Temp as Angie asks, "With who?" "People who get what they want through fear. Gangbangers, member of death squads..." Angie cuts in, "I know it's psychology again, but you said 'him', like one guy." "I didn't mean Ortez specifically, I meant... people like him. On my last trip to El Salvador..." "Yeah, I remember- I tried to get you to go to Italy with me." I add, "I wasn't here yet." Temp continues, "I was in a tent set up by one of the grave sites. I was working with the remains of a young girl, maybe 13. She'd been shot in the head and dumped into a well. This cop shows up, and he might have been a soldier, it's not easy to tell. I thought he was there to guard me, but he told me to stop. When I refused, he called in two others. They put a bag over my head and tossed me into a cell with dirt floor and no windows." Angie asks, "For how long?" "Later I found out it was three days. But I thought it was a week, maybe more. He came in every day and made me believe I was going to die. He said that he'd shoot me and toss me into a well, and that no one would ever know who I was or what became of me. I promised myself, if I ever had the chance, I'd get even. That doesn't mean I need therapy." We were all in a sad moment as Hodgin comes in, "I identified the type of wood in the weapon that killed Maria. Am I interrupting a female moment? What happened to your hands Venus?" I shake my head, "No. I knocked out DC gang leader." He looked at me in bewilderment as he was about to ask something else, but Temp cuts him, "What was the wood?" "Uhh... Quarter-sawn cumuru. Definitely not from a shovel handle." Angie then asks, "What is made out of quarter-sawn cumuru?" I pipe in, "Very expensive furniture." Temp asks, "Senatorially expensive?" Hodgins nods, "Most definitely."

Temp left with Booth to the Senator's house as Angie and I stay seated with my hands still in the cold ice water. I sigh when she left. "I am sorry Angie, but I didn't want Temp to be the one targeted for beating up a gang leader." "I know sweetie, but you should also think about yourself. They will be keeping an eye on you the whole time." "Yeah, but it's better me then Temp. I was taught to handle any type of situations that is thrown at me and I don't think Temp would be able to handle all the stares she will get, or any threats comes at her way." Angie nods. "Het Angie want to get some a smoothy." "Please... We need some right now." I nod and we clean up a bit and went our way to get our smoothies.

We were back in the lab after Temp came back finding the wood that killed the girl as we were at the Angelator as Angie spoke. "Your top three suspects are Senator Corman, six foot one, Logan Corman, five foot ten, and Hector Santiago, five foot six." Temp adds, "Maria was five foot one." Angie continues, "The bed is a California king with seven-foot posts." I add, "And assuming that they argued near the foot of the bed..." Angie continues, "Given their relative heights, the angle of impact doesn't match. Her skull connected well below where you found the traces of blood." Temp asks, "What if they were standing on the bed?" "Well, it's high enough but her head struck the outside of the post." I ask, "How tall would her assailant have to be to fit the evidence? That... that's tall." "Seven foot eight. Somebody you'd notice around the house." Temp adds, "Let's think outside the box." "What do you mean- like go non-human?" "No. What else explains striking the bedpost in that manner?" I answer, "Maybe... falling." "Falling? Maria was a maid. Do you have a schematic version of the room? If she fell backwards..." Angie then points out, "But it doesn't explain the damage done to her skull." I nod as Temp speaks, "Okay, what force does explain the damage?" "206 pounds per square inch, which means she would have to have fallen from a height of... it's no good." I shake my head as Temp speaks up, "I know what happened. She was yanked off the ladder." Angie asks, "You mean somebody pulled her off?" "Yes. The missing 84 pounds per square inch can be explained by a hard yank from a full-grown man. I don't know if it's murder, but someone is definitely responsible for Maria's death."