Broken Bones

Episode 58 "The Double Death of the Dearly Departed" Part 2

-Venus POV-

I get a message from Temp saying that Hank was declared dead and taken to the undertaker where he was then stabbed to death. I told Booth as we are now in his car with the undertaker video chatting with Cam and Temp. Booth tells the undertaker, "You see, what we have here, Franklin, is a real-time video link to the Jeffersonian forensic lab. Huh? So, say hi." The undertaker looked shocked at the screen seeing Hank's body on the other side as Cam says, "Hello. I'm Dr. Camille Saroyan. I'm not sure we met." The undertaker then says, "That's Mr. Reilly!" Temp then asks, "Why did you hid all these stab wounds?" "It's my job to make the body presentable. I did my job." He turns to us, "I did my job." He then starts to cry as I looked at him shocked, "I did my job!" I then say, "Look Mr. Tung, what we need to know is who stabbed Hank Reilly?" "I did! It was me." Booth asks, "You stabbed a corpse?" "It's crazy. This whole thing is totally crazy. Maybe I'm crazy. I did acid in high school, and it's probably why I'm not a doctor." I add, "To much information." Booth then says, "Okay, listen. Just relax. Just tell us what happened, okay?" "It was late. Everyone had gone home, and the body had just come in. I had cleaned and disinfected him, and was about to administer the pre-injection to flush his veins before I began the arterial embalming. I went in through the right femoral artery. And suddenly, wham! His eyes opened. His body jerks up and spasms." Cam asks, "You panicked and stabbed him?" "It was a reflex. I... Have you seen those zombie movies? They can really warp you."

I looked at Booth surprised by Mr. Tangs ideology as Booth says, "Okay, you watched zombie movies on acid?" "I was scared." Cam nods, "I get it. Sometimes I'm here in the middle of the night, and I swear I see one of these bodies move." We just stared at her as she looks at all of us, "Let me just say, I totally get that." Booth then says, "Okay, guys, listen, was, was Hank Reilly dead or alive?" Cam then says, "It wasn't a full autopsy. No need, because he was declared dead by the hospital. Cause seemed reasonable, so the ME signed off on it." Mr. Tang then asks, "Can I go?" Booth shakes his head, "No. You can't go. Listen, Cam, how is it that a guy can appear dead to two sets of medical professionals?" I then say, "Well there are several forms of paralysis which mimic death." Cam adds, "Embalming would destroyed any traces of paralytic toxins in his system. Except..." We see her grab something then going over to Hank opening his eye, "A trace amount of the toxin may still be found in the vitreous humor of the eye." We see her insert a needle in the eye as we all looked a bit grossed out as Booth quickly shuts the computer the says to Mr. Tang, "All right, let's go. You can go. Come on, out."

Temp came back as she had more information for us, "Hank Reilly was in a paralytic state mimicking death when Franklin Tung inserted the trocar, causing Hank Reilly to spasm in such a way that he actually sat up on the embalming table." Booth then says, "Ah, so technically, Franklin Tung committed manslaughter, while somebody else committed attempted murder?" I nod then ask, "What did you find at the lab?" Booth says, "Tetrus hydrogen." Temp corrected him, "tetrodotoxin." "That's what I said!" I then say, "Tetrodotoxin does have limited medical uses as a treatment for some cardiac arrhythmias." Temp adds, "Hank had a congenital heart condition." Booth asks, "So is this tetrahockalin thing common?" Temp, Hodgins and I corrected him, "Tetrodotoxin." "That's what I said." Hodgins speaks, "It's a controlled substance." Temp looks at Angie, "Angela, maybe you could access the FDC database, see if Hank was ever prescribed tetrodotxin." "I need a computer." Booth says, "Use mine. Come on, in the car. Come on. Come on. Come on. Okay. Anybody comes in here, do not let them look in that casket. Do you understand?" We nod, "All right?" They leave as we sit waiting for them.

Booth comes telling us that he needed Temp for now to question Dr. Amayo. After a bit of waiting Hodgins stood up saying that he knows how he was poisoned repeating the word Fugu. In which tetrodotoxin is biologically derived from tetraodontidae. Which is Puffer fish. He doesn't explain to me why puffer fish as he leaves the room. Leaving me alone. I sigh waiting patiently as I hear the door open after a few minutes seeing Booth enter the room with Mr. Tung as I looked at them questioningly as Booth handcuffs Tung to the coffin as he says, "There. So, nobody looks inside the casket. Okay, Mr. Tung?" "How do I do that?" "Just, um... Well, Blueberry, how does he do that?" "Uh... If someone enters and wants to see Hank just say... 'We are encountering fluid seepage at the moment and the body is not available for viewing just now." Tung then says, "I would never phrase it that way." Booth nods, "I know, it's perfect! It's so gross!"