Broken Bones

Episode 54 "The Salt in the Wounds"

-Venus POV-

We are at the crime scene as Booth explains to us, "So, the, uh, weather's been warm for the past six weeks- wow- so they haven't had to use rock salt. Whoa!" I just smile as Temp and I brush the salt off the body carefully as Temp says, "The dermis is extremely desiccated. The salt quick-dried the tissues" Booth then says, "Looks like a really big apple doll." I then speak, "Teenage girl. Very tall. Six feet." Booth adds, "Looks like she's been dead for about a hundred years." I nod as Temp says, "No, in fact, less than a month. Salt is hygroscopic." I add, "It draws moisture from its surroundings and replaces it with crystal." Booth nods, "You know what? I suddenly got a potato chip craving." We look at him as he smiles. I chuckle a bit, "Then today is your lucky day Ranger, I got some potato chips in my bag over there." I point to him towards my bag as his smile grew even more, "Really?! You're the best." I chuckle as he runs off to get the potato chips.

We are back at the lab as Temp's new intern starts today as we see him praying. Temp then says, "He's going to do this five time a day." I nod as Cam says, "Mr. Vaziri is Iranian. He's an observant Muslim." Hodgins then says, "Bright side: we'll always know which way is east." I just shake my head at him as Temp says, "I don't know if this going to work out, Ven, Dr. Saroyan." I ask, "Why not?" Cam adds, "This country was founded on the notion of religious tolerance." Temp then says, "Well, I'm not discriminating because he is a Muslim. I find all religion equally irrational." I just chuckle, "That is what I love about you the most." She looked confused as Mr. Vaziri comes up the platform, "Oh, thank you for your patience." I nod as Temp says, "I had no choice. Apparently, it's a Constitutional issue." I then say, "No matter how much I love you, there is room to improve." Mr. Vaziri just nods a bit then puts up the X-ray of the skull, "Uh, trauma to the temporal and sphenoid region, with buckling on the outer edges. Probably from being dropped from the bin. Bonk." I nod as Cam says, "I see some red fibers."

Hodgins and I look at each other quickly as he yells out first, "Ohh, that's me!" I sigh flopping down by the table next to me, "I will get it next time." He laughs, "Haha! Never." They all look at us weird as Temp asks, "Mr. Vaziri, do you see the ante-mortem skeletal trauma?" He nods, "Significant remodeling of the metacarpophalangeal joint on the right thumb. A snap. An old fracture to the little finger. Crack. And... a bone chip at the dorsal radial portion of the left wrist." Hodgins adds, "Pop?" I try not to laugh as Temp gives Hodgins a glare as Mr. Vaziri then says, "I have seen this before in cases of abuse. A girl who was handcuffed to a radiator in order to preserve her virginity." Angela then comes up to the platform, "Well, it turns out, there aren't that many 16-year-old girls who are six feet tall on the missing  person list."

 Angela hands me the file as I take a look, "Ashley Clark. Missing three weeks." Angela nods then says, "So, Roxie and I are getting a dog." I looked excited as everyone else was surprised as Hodgins says, "Wow. I had Roxie pegged as a cat person." Angela then sees Mr. Vaziri, "Hi. I'm Angela." "Oh, Arastoo Vaziri. Uh, your boyfriend's name is, uh, 'Rocky'? Like, pow? Like the famous boxer?" I kept my laughter to myself as Angela shakes her head, "No, uh, Roxie." Temp then adds, "Angela's boyfriend is a girl. Perhaps your religion won't allow you to accept that." I cough and looked over to Cam, "Cam... did you say that you got something?" She looks at me as I gave her a look as she quickly nods, "Blood chemistry shows unusually high levels of relaxin." Angela hums, "Relaxin? That sounds like something you could get arrested for taking." I chuckle, "Sorry Angie, but it's a naturally occurring hormone secreted during pregnancy."

Cam then says, "So, if she was handcuffed to protect her virginity, didn't work out so well." I nod, "I will call Ranger and tell him what we found so far." They nod as I left to make a call. Temp and I are with Booth at the victims house speaking to the parents as the father says, "We last saw Ashley the afternoon before her high school dance." The mother add, "It was the End of Winter Dance. I remember because we made a bunch of jam that day, and Ashley was worried that she'd smell like raspberries." Booth then asks, "Ashley never made it to the dance?" The father shakes his head, "We had to wait 24 hours before she was officially missing." "Were there any major developments in your daughter's life in the weeks leading up to her death?" The husband was confused as the wife says t him, "He means drugs. Was... Was Ashely doing drugs?" Temp then says, "No, we don't mean drugs." I add, "No, no drugs. Were you aware, that your daughter was pregnant?" Temp adds, "Approximately 12 weeks." The mother asks, "Pregnant? Ashley couldn't have been pregnant." Temp nods, "She was. Do you have any idea who might be the father?" The father then asks, "Is that who you think killed her? The father of her child?" Booth then says, "Well, we'd like to talk to him."