The Plain in the Prodigy

"The Plain in the Prodigy" Episode 5x03 Written By: Karine Rosenthal Directed by: Allan Kroeker

Disclaimer: The characters, plotlines, quotes, etc. included here are owned by Hart Hanson, all rights reserved. This transcript is not authorized or endorsed by Hart Hanson or Fox.

TEASER

(Open: Crime Scene - Train tracks in Virginia. Brennan is examing parts of the skeleton when Booth approaches)

BOOTH: Okay, so the guy here says he was out doing routine track maintenance and saw the bones, he thought it was a deer.

BRENNAN: Human dentition is completely different; another example of our country's deplorable educational system.

BOOTH: All right, until every kid becomes a dentist, we have some psycho throwing a hacked-up body out of a speeding train.

BRENNAN: No. These bones were under the train. If body parts had been thrown out a window, they'd be scattered in nearby foliage. Level of decomp suggests the remains have been exposed to the elements for at least two months.

BOOTH: Drunk? Suicide?

BRENNAN: Conjecture. There's evidence of sharp-force trauma on the sternum.

BOOTH: Stabbed.

BRENNAN: More conjecture.

BOOTH: Beaten.

BRENNAN: Would you please stop that?

BOOTH: Come on. It's a beautiful day, Bones. We must enjoy conjecture.

BRENNAN: There's a distinct lack of hemorrhage. This victim was dead before being hit by the train.

BOOTH: All right, so, someone killed him, dumped him on the tracks in hopes of trying to make it look like a suicide.

BRENNAN: Well, I can't determine motive, but I can say the train dragged the victim, and his body broke up as it smashed against the rails and ties.

BOOTH: Whoa. Wow. We're saying the bones and the body gunk were scattered along the track here?

BRENNAN: Yeah. For miles. Yes. All trains should be diverted from this track until we locate the rest of the remains.

BOOTH: But do you know how much chaos that's going to cause Amtrak?

BRENNAN: Well, I told you, Booth. I'm not interested in conjecture.

(garbled radio transmission fade into scene change to designate time lapse)

BOOTH: You know, when I was a kid, Bones, I always wanted to be a hobo. I wanted to ride the rails, play the guitar...

BRENNAN: Be malnourished, riddled with preventable disease.

BOOTH: Tell you what. You know what? You could make Santa Claus cry. You really could.

BRENNAN: Hey, you're wearing your belt buckle again. Cocky.

BOOTH: Yeah. Ever since the whole coma thing, I just kept staring at it, thinking to myself, "Why would I wear something like this?"

BRENNAN: 'Cause you love it. You always have.

BOOTH: Yeah, that's what I landed on, Bones.

BRENNAN: Well, I'm glad you did. I like it. It's... it's Boothy.

BOOTH: Boothy?

BRENNAN: There's a bone cyst on this femur. The result of the parasite Echinococcus granulosus. It's extremely uncommon in the U.S.

BOOTH: Immigrant, illegal. Sorry. No conjecting. I'm just being Boothy. So, what do you got there?

BRENNAN: (she picks up the pelvis) Pelvis is male. Partial epiphyseal fusion indicates the victim to be in his teens.

BOOTH: He was just a kid.

BRENNAN: The markers on these bones are anomalous; even for an immigrant. I'd like to get them back to the lab to run some tests.

BOOTH: Well, hold on, Bones.

BRENNAN: FBI Forensics can continue the search. I'll send Clark to supervise.

BOOTH: Bones, time-out. Hold on. You might want to take the skull back there that my people are holding.

(A FBI tech holds up the skull)

(Cut to: Royal Diner. Cam and Michelle are leaving. )

CAM: So, you and Perry going to get something to eat after the library?

MICHELLE: Probably.

CAM: Okay. But promise me you're going to...

MICHELLE: Call if I'm going to be late, I know.

CAM: Sorry. New mom.

MICHELLE: It's okay. Oh, um, I wanted to ask you, you know that dance this weekend?

CAM: The... formal?

MICHELLE: Yeah. Perry and I thought it might be fun to, you know, make a whole night of it. Like, we'd rent a limo and go to breakfast in the morning and...

CAM: The whole night? Well, Where would you sleep?

MICHELLE: We wouldn't. That's the point.

CAM: So, you and Perry would be spending the night together, not sleeping?

MICHELLE: Why do you say it like that?

CAM: Just thinking it through. That's all. (horn honking)

MICHELLE: Oh, Here's Perry. I thought you liked Perry.

CAM: Well, I do, but...

MICHELLE: You'll think about it?

CAM: Yeah.

(Michelle gets into Perry's car)

PERRRY: Hey, 'Chelle.

MICHELLE: Hey.

PERRY: Dr. Saroyan.

CAM: Cam, Perry. Call me Cam.

MICHELLE: Bye.

CAM: Bye, guys.

(She walks away but looks back and sees Perry kissing Michelle so she runs behind a tree to spy.)

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Forensics Platform. Clark & Hodgins are unpacking boxes of evidence.)

HODGINS: Flora! Oh, Clark, you shouldn't have. I presume that is for me.

CLARK EDISON: Yeah, knock yourself out.

(Angela enters the platform)

ANGELA: Hey. Brennan said she found a skull, so...I can give you a face.

CLARK: Yeah. It's right here; complete with perimortem fractures on the parietal. Looks like the victim was badly beaten.

ANGELA: Brennan said this was a teenager, right?

CLARK: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

ANGELA: These clothing scraps look hand-stitched. Like his mom made them. That makes it sadder somehow.

(Cam enters the platform)

CAM: Where's Dr. Brennan?

HODGINS: She's doing an isotope analysis. She thinks the victim might be from another country.

CLARK: Oh, that makes sense. His cavities suggest that his drinking water wasn't fluoridated.

CAM: When do teenagers start having s*x?

ANGELA: Hello!

HODGINS: If they could, they'd start in the morning and go until they drop.

CLARK: Please tell me this is about the case.

ANGELA: This is about Michelle, isn't it? Is she having s*x?

CLARK: Working here is like being on The View.

CAM: No. I meant "what age?"

CLARK: Dr. Saroyan, um, may I be excused to attend to something more case-related?

CAM: Oh, Dr. Brennan already requested that you suit up to supervise the FBI techs' retrieval of the remains at the train tracks.

CLARK: Wait. Dr. Brennan wants me to put on a jumpsuit and walk along a railroad track? Mm-mmm. That is not a good look on a brother.

ANGELA: I bet you were an early starter, weren't you, Clark? A prodigy, maybe?

CLARK: Um, in case you haven't heard, um, Miss Montenegro, I have, uh, work to do. So, excuse me.

(As he leaves, he runs into a table. Everyone is amused.)

ANGELA: Yeah.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Bone Room.)

BRENNAN: No pesticides. No evidence of processed foods.

BOOTH: The kid's from the boonies.

BRENNAN: No, it's more significant than that, Booth. Our victim grew up with no bone markers that indicate modern life. No evidence of contact with electricity or petrochemicals.

BOOTH: Fine. Then we're back to an immigrant. Maybe a developing nation.

BRENNAN: No. Isotopic analysis of his bone matches the geology of the Mid-Atlantic states.

BOOTH: I don't get it.

BRENNAN: Well, neither do I. Our victim was a teenage boy who died about two months ago, but according to the data, he grew up in the early 1800s.

[Opening Credits]

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Autopsy Room/Cam's Office. Cam is sitting at her desk reading "Talking to Your Teen About s*x" when Brennan enters. Cam tries to cover up the book.)

BRENNAN: I...discovered the origins of our victim's markers.

CAM: What? Discovered what?

BRENNAN: Markers.

CAM: Great.

BRENNAN: He wasn't from the 19th century. I took dual X-ray absorpitometry scans of the pelvic bone and then computed...

CAM: I trust your methods, Dr. Brennan. You can just skip to the conclusion.

BRENNAN: Our dead teenager was Amish.

CAM: Amish, like buggies and hats Amish?

BRENNAN: Yes.

CAM: Then let's call Booth. Maybe something will turn up on Missing Persons.

BRENNAN: He's already checking. I'm going to meet him. (noticing Cam's book) Is that a cartoon rendering of a pen1s?

CAM: Uh...Why, I guess it is. Look at that.

BRENNAN: Why is it talking?

CAM: Isn't Booth expecting you?

BRENNAN: It's cute.

(She leaves.)

(Cut to: Booth's Car - Day.)

BOOTH: So, Levi Yoder's parents filed a missing persons report about two months ago. Kid's a ringer for Angela's sketch.

BRENNAN: He was probably on his rumspringa. That would explain the DMV photo.

BOOTH: Well, what do you mean?

BRENNAN: Amish don't drive while living in their community.

BOOTH: No, I mean, uh, rum... rum what?

BRENNAN: Rumspringa. It's the period when Amish youth are encouraged to explore the outside world. It translates to "running around."

BOOTH: That's crazy.

BRENNAN: No more crazy than your religion.

BOOTH: Hey, look, we reject Satan, and they reject buttons.

BRENNAN: Rumspringa is a quite rational way to help teens make an informed decision as to whether or not to be baptized into the Amish faith as adults.

BOOTH: Right. Take a bunch of sheltered kids and set them loose-- recipe for disaster, if you ask me.

BRENNAN: Well, actually, over 85% of Amish teens return and become full members of their church community.

BOOTH: Really? Huh.

BRENNAN: How many baptized Catholics are still practicing their faith in adulthood?

BOOTH: Here we go with the Catholics again. You know what? I don't want to hear about the Pope's hat-again. Okay? He's got to wear it just like, you know, the guys in front of Buckingham Palace have to.

BRENNAN: Well, it's quite ornate for a vow of poverty. Don't you think?

(Cut to: Yoder Residence - Outside. Booth and Brennan are with Daniel and Rebecca Yoder)

BOOTH: We're very sorry for your loss.

Mr. Yoder: I tried to protect him. I told him the English world was dangerous and seductive.

BOOTH: Well, where did he go?

MR. YODER: Washington. He went with another boy, Josef Beachy.

BRENNAN: So, then, he wasn't really missing.

MRS. YODER: Not at first. He promised to call us once a week to check in. There's an English famy down the road that let us use their phone.

Mr. YODER: Then the phone calls stopped.

MRS. YODER: I spoke to Josef's parents. Josef told them that he and Levi hadn't been living together for quite some time.

MR. YODER: We contacted the police and filed a missing persons report.

BOOTH: The last time you spoke to your son, did he seem disappointed or sad about anything?

MRS. YODER: No. He sounded alive. Happy.

(she breaks down, sobbing)

BRENNAN: Would it be all right if we took a look in his room?

(They nod and lead Booth and Brennan into the house)

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. A picture of the area around the train tracks is on the screen)

ANGELA: Okay, the good news is that this span of track only uses southbound trains, which means the body most likely came from the north.

CAM: And the bad news?

ANGELA: Well, we're still missing a lot of body parts. And north of this section, there are multiple switch points where the tracks branch out into dozens of other lines. Clark's looking at a lot of hot hours under the sun.

CAM: Okay. Send him the routes he has to search.

ANGELA: Hey. What's goin' on with Michelle?

CAM: Michelle has this boyfriend, Perry...

ANGELA: Oh, I met him. He's a hottie.

(Hodgins enters carrying a tray)

HODGINS: Who's a hottie?

ANGELA: Perry. Michelle's boyfriend.

HODGINS: Yeah, sure. If you like athletic, confident, young...

ANGELA: Studly.

SAROYAN: Okay. Let's not say "studly", please. (to Hodgins) Do you have something for me?

HODGINS: Yeah, that vine on the bones? It's kudzu. The growth rate suggests the body parts had been undisturbed for approximately two months.

CAM: So, the victim must have died shortly after the last time he spoke to his parents.

HODGINS: Perry's a senior, isn't he? You know, that might be why he's pressuring Michelle to have s*x.

ANGELA: Why do you think he ispressuring her? Women want s*x just as much as men.

CAM: Yeah, well, she's a child. She still has stuffed animals.

ANGELA: Well, I did, too, at 16 and I also had Brian. All you can do is tell her to respect herself and use protection.

HODGINS: During the Crusades, knights used to lock up their wives and daughters.

CAM: How helpful. Anything else, Hodgins? And let's try something case-related this time.

HODGINS: Right. Yes. May I? (he takes the remote) So, the victim's bones, they were covered in a sedimentary rock dust comprised of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, so as indicated, he was most likely hooked beneath a coal car.

ANGELA: Hmm. Well, that eliminates the need for me to search for passenger-only trains. Which means I can focus on which lines used coal cars. Hey, listen, Cam, every teenager goes through this. Think about what you went through.

CAM: (nods - then realizes...) Me? Oh, God! Wh-What am I gonna do?

(Cut to: Yoder Residence - Levi's Room.)

BOOTH: Well, there's no posters, there's no video games. Tell you what, if I was a teenager, I'd want out of this place, too. (he sits on the bed) Nice quilt, though, huh? (he reaches under the bed) Oh, ooh! What do we have here, huh? What is this, some kind of an Amish thing, Bones?

BRENNAN: Rock collection. I don't, I don't think so.

(Mrs. Yoder appears in the doorway)

BOOTH: Mrs. Yoder, do you have any idea why your son would keep these under his bed?

MRS. YODER: No. I've never seen those before.

BOOTH: Right. We should get these to Sweets to take a look at.

BRENNAN: Why? Hodgins would be the one to know if stones would have any evidentiary value.

BOOTH: A kid hides rocks underneath his bed. They're gonna mean something. Not to Hodgins. Here.

MRS. YODER: That photograph of Levi, is it possible for me to keep it?

BRENNAN: (to Booth) The Amish don't use cameras; she probably doesn't have any other pictures of her son.

BOOTH: (to Brennan)Yeah. (to Mrs. Yoder) Of course. Here you go.

(Booth hands the picture to Mrs. Yoder. She takes it, traces his face and starts to sob)

(Cut to: Yoder Residence. Booth and Brennan are walking out the door. Booth is on his phone finishing up a call)

BOOTH: (into phone) Okay, that's great. Thanks. (he hangs up, then to Brennan) So, listen, the FBI is tracking down the address for this Josef kid. We'll have it in a few -

(Booth spots a girl walking behind the clothing lines)

BOOTH: Hello there.

SARAH: Are you here about Levi?

BOOTH: Were you two friends?

AMOS: Sarah. You're needed at home.

BOOTH: (raising his badge) Clearly she's busy right now.

SARAH: No, please, it's okay. It's my brother. I have to go.

AMOS: Sarah!

BOOTH (whispering): Excuse me. Listen. If you need anything, here's my card. You can call me any time.

AMOS: Sarah, now!

(She walks over to her brother and they get in the buggy and drive away)

BRENNAN: The males are clearly dominant.

BOOTH: Yeah, clearly. Look. So we got the address for Josef Beachy. Here we go.

(Cut to: Apartment Complex - Night. Booth and Brennan are outside 1B looking for Josef Beachy.)

BOOTH: Josef Beachy! FBI! Open up!

(A kid opens the door holding a bong. Loud music is playing and everyone is drinking)

BOOTH: Seriously, I yelled "FBI," and you opened up the door holding that?

JOSEF BEACHY: There's nothing going on here, Officer.

BOOTH: You're holding a bong! Josef Beachy?

JOSEF: Yeah, that's me.

BOOTH: Come on. You're coming with us. Come on.

(They leave, but Brennan goes back and opens the door.)

BRENNAN: (yelling) This is not in the proper spirit of rumspringa!

BOOTH: Bones!

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth and Brennan are talking with Josef)

JOSEF: Levi moved out a few months ago. I haven't seen him since.

BRENNAN: Well, we were told you were going through your rumspringa together. Why would he leave?

JOSEF: Parties weren't his thing. That's kind of what rumspringa's for, right? Cut loose, go a little crazy.

BOOTH: Getting busted for smoking weed.

BRENNAN: It's supposed to be a time to contemplate your future faith.

JOSEF: Well, yeah. I was seeing how in the future I wouldn't want to smoke weed.

BOOTH: Maybe Levi threatened to tell your parents that you were a stoner and you had to stop him.

JOSEF: Look, man, Levi had his own secrets. No way he'd risk telling on me.

BRENNAN: What kind of secrets?

JOSEF: I don't know, but he used to disappear for hours, never tell anyone where he was going. Even back home, there were times he'd tell his folks he was at work, but I knew that that wasn't true.

BOOTH: Do you know where Levi went after he moved out?

JOSEF: Uh, like I said, we didn't really keep in touch. (laughs) You know, I know I will end up going back to the church. I just got to get all the wild out, but Levi - (he gets serious) He always seemed like he had other plans.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Ookey Room. Hodgins is examining something under a microscope)

HODGINS: Ah.

CAM: Are those the rocks from the victim's room?

HODGINS: Yup. Just finishing up now. (to Sweets, who is putting on gloves) What are you doing?

SWEETS: Oh, Booth asked me to take a look.

HODGINS: At rocks? That is so my domain.

CAM: Meaning you found something?

HODGINS: Depends how you define "something". I mean, all rocks are a tangible representation of the awe-inspiring passage of time on this tiny planet that we call...

CAM: Hodgins.

HODGINS: They're your basic Paleozoic-era metamorphic rocks.

(Sweets notices somethng and starts putting the rocks in place)

HODGINS: They're the kind of rocks that you clear awaywhen you're plowing a field, so there's nothing distinguishing about them whatsoever, except for the awe-inspiring passage of time thing.

CAM: What about the feathers?

HODGINS: Uh, eastern bluebird. They're a pretty common songbird.

SWEETS: Guys, I think I know what these are. There are 88 of these. 52 relatively light in color. 36 dark.

CAM: Okay.

SWEETS: Piano.

CAM: You think this is a piano?

HODGINS: For Fred Flinstone, maybe.

SWEETS: No. Like a practice keyboard. You've seen them; I used to use one when I took lessons. Plus, the songbird feathers are further signifiers of music. He kept it hidden under his bed because Levi was ashamed. The Amish aren't supposed to play musical instruments.

HODGINS: So then, where does a kid like Levi learn about pianos?

SWEETS: Well, Booth said that he had a job in town, right? Every small town has at least one piano teacher.

CAM: I'll tell Booth.

(Sweet's starts 'playing' the 'keyboard')

HODGINS: What are you doing?

SWEETS: Playing the theme to Titanic.

HODGINS: Even not hearing it, I hate that song.

SWEETS: Not the way I play it.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Platform. Brennan is examining remains as Clark returns with boxes of evidence from the tracks.)

BRENNAN: Were you able to get some photos of brake rigging?

CLARK: Yeah, I got them. I got the photos, I got the bones, I got bit by God knows what kind of bugs out there.

BRENNAN: Oh, perhaps Hodgins can identify them for you. Trauma is consistent with his body lying face up as an exposed gear lever hooked him in the sternum.

CLARK: Have you found the cause of death yet?

BRENNAN: No, not yet. There's evidence of perimortem fractures, but until I get more bones, I won't be able to see a pattern.

CLARK: Dr. Bernard covered all the tracks between the bridge and the, uh, switch point.

BRENNAN: Well, we're still missing over 60% of the vertebrae. Not to mention a number of extremities.

CLARK: Animal scavengers must have made off with the rest of the bones.

BRENNAN: You have to regroup the tech team and start another search, this time focusing on secluded brush areas within 50 yards on either side of the tracks, where animal feeding sites would likely appear.

CLARK: Actually, I'm more of a lab rat, Dr. Brennan. Perhaps somebody more outdoorsy would be better.

BRENNAN: Clark, if there's spinal damage that corresponds to the compression fractures on the lung bones, we could have cause of death. I need those bones. You're the most qualified. (Clarks scratches his neck) Don't scratch your neck with the gloves.

CLARK: (using a southern accent) Well, is it all right if I get a drink of water, boss? You know, uh, it's awful hot out there, and them tools is mighty heavy.

BRENNAN: Of course you can get water. Why are you talking like that?

CLARK: Never mind. I'm going.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Cam's Office. Michelle shows up.)

CAM: Michelle! What are you doing here?

MICHELLE: We got out early for an assembly, so...

CAM: Come in. Sit down.

MICHELLE: Oh, thanks. (she sits) I was wondering. Have you had a chance to think about the dance?

CAM: Michelle, are you having s*x?

MICHELLE: Excuse me?

CAM: It's no big deal. I just...Well, no, it is a big deal. It's a really, really big deal.

MICHELLE: This is none of your business.

CAM: It is. I'm your legal guardian, Michelle.

MICHELLE: Oh, so you can just boss me around any way you want?

CAM: No. I think I'm understanding, but s*x... s*x is...Well, when two people have s*x, when the body is secreting hormones...When men and women and s*x are...Some people believe that God will smite you. Just a thought.

MICHELLE: You're not my mother.

CAM: I know, Michelle. I love you, and I don't want to see you get hurt.

MICHELLE: Your only job was keeping me out of foster care after my father died and you did that. So don't pretend there's anything more.

CAM: Michelle...

MICHELLE: I've got homework.

(She grabs her backpack and walks out)

CAM: Michelle...

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Booth's Office. A video of Levi playing the piano is playing on the screen. Booth is talking with his piano teacher, Eleanor Turner.)

ELEANOR TURNER: That was only his third lesson. He was playing Handel by ear. I had to record it. I was so flabbergasted.

(The song finishes and Booth takes the CD out of the computer)

BOOTH: So, Mrs. Tuner, you said that, uh, Levi worked for your husband?

ELEANOR: In construction, yes. Uh, Levi brought some receipts to our home - a couple years ago - and I was with a student, and she was practicing Fur Elise.

BOOTH: Ah. Beethoven. I took a few piano lessons, but, you know, all thumbs, so couldn't quite work it out.

(They both laugh)

ELEANOR: Levi was fascinated, so I invited him to watch. And after my student left, I suggested Levi touch a few keys. Well, he was shy. But once he sat down, the boy was a natural.

BOOTH: You started giving him lessons?

ELEANOR: Mm-hmm. I never charged him. He was a prodigy.

BOOTH: Mrs. Turner, during these secret lessons, did you notice if he was conflicted at all?

ELEANOR: Oh, my, yes. I encouraged him to use his rumspringa to decide whether his love of music was strong enough for him to consider leaving his faith.

BOOTH: Did you keep in contact with him?

ELEANOR: For a while. Then I never heard from him anymore.

(She reaches into her bag and pulls out another CD and hands it to Booth.)

ELEANOR: This was the last thing Levi sent me. He wanted me to know that he had made friends. They were helping him to audition for the National Conservatory, and he seemed so excited.

(Booth plays the video. Levi is sitting at a piano, at an apartment, playing Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag")

ELEANOR: (voice shaking) It's just not fair that he's gone. (On the video, a girl is playing the piano with him) Such a gift.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Angela's Office. The video that Eleanor showed Booth and Brennan is playing.)

BRENNAN: Okay, we know he was in D.C., but it would be helpful to have an area of town to focus on.

ANGELA: Okay, I'll see if I can locate any distinctive architectural markers outside the windows.

(On video) TONY: Okay, Karen, let's switch.

(On video) KAREN: Hey, Tony, do the Mozart.

(On video) TONY: Mozart?

(On video) KAREN: Yeah.

CAM: You can hear them call each other Karen and Tony.

ANGELA: These are some talented kids.

(On the video, Levi plays "Mozart Violin Piano Sonata No. 21 in E Minor, K. 304 - 1st Movement" while Tony plays violin.)

ANGELA: These buildings have Queen Anne detail like a corbeled cornice. Most of the older neighborhoods have these. I'm going to need more.

(song ends on video)

(On video) TONY: Okay, Levi, do your audition piece.

(On video) LEVI: Okay.

ANGELA: : He's adorable.

(Levi plays a song by Chopin. There's a distant sound of a train whistle blowing.)

ANGELA: Did you hear that? That noise in the background? Maybe we don't need architectural markers.

(Angela analyzes the audio on the screen)

BRENNAN: The train.

ANGELA: Architecturally, these buildings could be in one of six neighborhoods. But this building here is the only one that's right next to the train track. I'll triangulate the structures outside the windows and bingo, there's the apartment building.

(Angela, Cam & Brennan continue to watch the video of Levi playing.)

ANGELA: It's so sad.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Conference Room. Booth and Brennan play the video for them Karen Lin and Tony Salina, the people who were in the video with Levi.)

BOOTH: So, that's, uh, your apartment in the video, isn't it?

KAREN LIN: Levi lived in some party place. I had room. My building's not the greatest but it was better than where he was living.

BOOTH: So, how did you two know Levi?

TONY SALINA: It was about six months ago. Karen and I were walking by one of the practice rooms of the conservatory. We heard this piano; it was so beautiful. Levi, he'd snuck in to play. One thing just led to another, and we sort of adopted him.

KAREN: I had this gold medal, not real gold, just something I'd won at a music competition when I was a kid. But to Levi, it was the most beautiful thing ever. So, I gave it to him for good luck. I guess it didn't work very well.

BRENNAN: How come you didn't file a missing person's report when he disappeared?

TONY: We just figured he'd changed his mind about the conservatory and gone back to his family.

BOOTH: Why would you think that?

KAREN: His dad had come to see him and probably convinced him to come home. Amish don't approve of playing music.

BOOTH: Hold on. His dad was there?

KAREN: A few days before Levi was supposed to audition, I went to the apartment and when I left, I saw a full-on Amish guy heading towards the building. And I tried to introduce myself, but he just ignored me. He seemed pretty pissed to be honest.

(Cut to: The Yoder Residence - Outside in the barn.)

MR. YODER: How dare you accuse me of harming my own son?!

BOOTH: Mr. Yoder...

MR. YODER: I would never raise a hand to my boy!

BOOTH: Not even if your livelihood was at stake?

BRENNAN: Levi was your only child. I-I can see the arthritis in your metacarpals and phalanges. You needed a son's help to keep this farm going.

BOOTH: You found out about the audition, you and Levi fought, there was an accident.

BRENNAN: You took his body to the tracks...

MR. YODER: How can you say those things to me?! You think this farm is more important to me than my own son? He was my son!

MRS. YODER: My husband hasn't left this farm in over two years. What are you talking about? What audition?

BRENNAN: For the National Conservatory.

MRS. YODER: A conservatory?

BRENNAN: Your son was an extraordinarily gifted classical musician.

MRS. YODER: No. There are no instruments here.

BOOTH: I know, that's why your son had to sneak into town for lessons.

MR. YODER: We would've known something like that.

BRENNAN: Not if he knew you'd disapprove.

MRS. YODER: So he ran away because he couldn't trust us?

(Cut to: Booth's Car - Day. Booth and Brennan are driving back to FBI Headquarters)

BOOTH: I don't believe he had anything to do with it.

BRENNAN: What, your gut again?

BOOTH: I'm a father; he's a father. Okay, it's something you just wouldn't understand.

BRENNAN: Would you advise Parker that sexual intercourse at age 16 is a wise decision?

BOOTH: What? How did you know that? Wait, what are we talking about?

BRENNAN: Michelle. Cam is afraid Michelle is having s*x.

BOOTH: Oh, no, that's not good.

BRENNAN: Well, you just said that you were having s*x when you were 16!

BOOTH: Mm-mmm, that's different.

BRENNAN: Oh, so there's a double standard?

BOOTH: Of course. You know what? Cam needs to shut that down. Finished.

BRENNAN: I said that Michelle should wait until she's at least 17-and-a-half.

BOOTH: Is that how old you were?

BRENNAN: No, I was 22.

BOOTH: Twenty-two?!

BRENNAN: Well, don't..why do you sound shocked?

BOOTH: No, it's just...That's a good age. Twenty-two?

BRENNAN: It was an important decision. I gave it a lot of thought. I finally found a man who could provide a skillful introduction..

BOOTH: Okay, you make it t sound ke it was a class that you took. All right, you know, the first time you should be in love. You know, totally "goo-goo" for the other person.

BRENNAN: Were you when you were 16?

BOOTH: Well, part of me was.

BRENNAN: (she laughs) And if Michelle feels this way, do you think she should be having s*x?

BOOTH: No, Michelle should not be having s*x until she's 22.

(Booth's phone rings)

BOOTH: Yeah?

SWEETS: (on phone) Yeah, there's someone here to see you. She just spent hours on a bus by herself. Says she only wants to talk to you.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Conference Room. Booth and Brennan are talking with Sarah.)

SARAH: Levi and I, we were in love. A few months before he left Lancaster, we started courting.

BOOTH: Did you know why he was going to D.C.?

SARAH: Music.I thought it was important he get it out of his system before we married.

BOOTH: Did you stay in touch with him while he was in the city?

SARAH: He wrote me letters. He talked about going to the conservatory. I began to worry I'd lost him. I shared my fears with my brother, Amos. I'm afraid now that was a mistake.

BOOTH: Your brother, Amos, has a temper, doesn't he?

SARAH: It's been a struggle for him.

BOOTH: Did he get upset with you when you talked to him about Levi?

SARAH: Yes. I told him how close we'd been.

BRENNAN: Sexually?

SARAH: No! Levi and I, we didn't do that. But I don't think Amos believed me. About two months ago, he left for the day. Said he had some business to do.

BOOTH: Do you think he was going after Levi?

SARAH: I'm not sure but shortly after that, Amos told me that I should try to forget about Levi. That he might never come back. And then when I didn't hear from Levi again, I just...

(BRENNAN puts her hand on Sarah's wrist to comfort her.)

BRENNAN: It's okay.

SARAH: I love my brother. I hate to suspect him of something so awful but I had to tell someone.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Bone Room. Clark, Hodgins and Angela are in there when Cam enters.)

CAM: Why are there two massive train wheels blocking the loading dock?

CLARK: They're filled with dried, mangled body bits and bones. Dr. Brennan wants me to examine them for defensive wounds.

CAM: Only she didn't ask you to bring in the whole train.

ANGELA: We may have cause of death. Karen Lin's apartment is on the fourth floor of the building. Underneath the balcony in the alley is a Dumpster.

HODGINS: Now, I swabbed the perimortem fractures on the victim's skull. I found a powder coating similar to the type used on industrial-strength Dumpsters.

CLARK: I identified the perimortem ring fracture on the base of the skull as well as the corresponding damage on the top of the spinal column. Those injuries indicate that the victim fell from Karen Lin's balcony and then landed headfirst into the lid of the Dumpster, thereby severing his spine.

HODGINS: FBI techs confirm that the Dumpster has a dent consistent with our scenario, as well as residue of dried blood on the steel, which matches Levi Yoder.

CAM: Anything linking the assault to Karen Lin or her boyfriend?

CAM: No. That's why I should start digging the remains out of the train wheels.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth is talking to Sarah's brother, Amos.)

AMOS: Levi abandoned my sister after courting her. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't try to intercede? I told him his rumspringa was over. That it was time to do the right thing and come home to Sarah.

BOOTH: That's it?

AMOS: He said that there was something pulling him away. He felt possessed.

BOOTH: Music?

AMOS: How could he leave my sister for something so frivolous?

BOOTH: And you wanted to hit him.

AMOS: I shook him. I grabbed him and I shook him and it was shameful. I apologized. Then he tried to explain. He played something for me. I never heard anything like it. It was called "Clair de Lune" and it sounded like a sunrise. Something that beautiful, I have to believe that it came from God.

BOOTH: Hmm, and that's not what your religion says.

AMOS: I cannot pretend to know what the Lord has planned for any of us. That's the greatest sin, you know? Speaking for God. I told Levi that I would make sure that Sarah was looked after.

BOOTH: And that's it?

AMOS: No. He was going to be my brother. I hugged him and then I left.

(Cut to: Royal Diner - Day. Cam is sitting at the counter, eating, when Michelle enters.)

MICHELLE: I didn't mean what I said. I know you care.

CAM: Oh, it's okay. I... I handled things badly, I guess.

MICHELLE: Can I sit?

CAM: I think so. (she sits) Look, Michelle, I...This is all new to me, too. So, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot.

MICHELLE: My dad always wanted me to be independent. To think for myself, you know?

CAM: And you talked to him about boys?

MICHELLE: (laughing) Are you kidding? How weird would that be? Did you talk to your dad about boys?

CAM: Oh, God, no. No, my mom told him to go bowling. She knew he'd have a meltdown. My dad still thinks I'm a...His little girl.

MICHELLE: I didn't know. I never had a mom.

CAM: So, you and Perry... ?

MICHELLE: No. He wants to, but he's not pressuring me or anything...but I'm scared. Is that weird? I mean, it's just s*x, right? It's a a over the TV and everywhere.

CAM: Whoa, there's no such thing as "just s*x", Michelle. Every time, you give a bit of yourself to the person you're with. So, it's okay to wait. As long as you want.

MICHELLE: But I don't want to lose Perry.

CAM: If Perry doesn't understand how you feel, he doesn't deserve you.

MICHELLE: I wanted to talk to you. I really did. But I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me.

CAM: Oh, Michelle. That's what I was afraid of, too.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Platform. Clark and Angela are on platform; Brennan joins them.)

BRENNAN: Have you found anything pertinent on the bones you found in the wheels?

CLARK: I'm still reassembling the fragments from the right foot, but the left arm and hand are all there.

BRENNAN: (examines the bones) The fractures on these phalanges, there's barely discernible rounding along the edges. The fractures occurred before Levi was killed.

CLARK: Whatever injured him was most likely a flat object with a straight edge.

ANGELA: Wait, how much force would it take to do something like that?

BRENNAN: Hmm, about 120 pounds per square inch.

ANGELA: Hey, the keyboard lid could've exerted that much force. It could've happened when he was practicing at the conservatory.

CLARK: So, someone breaks a piano player's hand a few days before his big audition.

BRENNAN: There was only one place available at the conservatory. Tony was already in, but Levi was competing with Karen for the spot.

ANGELA: Which means that she had motive to try to sabotage his audition. She accidentally injures him, hoping that he'll slink back to Amish Country.

BRENNAN: And when that doesn't work, she kills him. Inference, not conjecture.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Booth and Brennan are coming down the stairs by Brennan's office.)

BRENNAN: Agents have picked up Karen Lin and are bringing her to the FBI. I'll pack everything up.

BOOTH: All right, I'll go get the car.

(She heads into her office, Booth heads down the hall and smirks when he sees Perry waiting down the hall)

BOOTH: Perry, right? Michelle's boyfriend?

PERRY: Yes, sir, Perry Wilson. Michelle's with Cam. She told me to wait here.

BOOTH: FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth PERRY: FBI?

BOOTH: Michelle's, uh, family to me. I'm her number one uncle.

PERRY: Really, sh-she didn't mention you...

BOOTH: I'm also a trained sniper.

PERRY: Okay, wow.

BOOTH: Uh, Listen, Perry, all right. You're a red-blooded, young man and Michelle is, uh, an attractive young girl. So, I assume that you...

PERRY: What? No! No, no.

BOOTH: Because Michelle deserves your respect. You understand?

PERRRY: I do. I do respect her. We were just gonna go to a movie tonight.

BOOTH: Right, and if you behave any way less than a gentleman towards her, I'll find you. I think we understand each other, right?

PERRY: Yes, sir.

BOOTH: Michelle, hi! We were just talking about what you were doing tonight.

MICHELLE: Yeah, we're going to the movies.

PERRY: Just a movie. That's all, mo-vie.

(Brennan joins them)

BOOTH: Hey, Bones, um, you've met Perry, Michelle's boyfriend.

BRENNAN: Yes. Nice to see you again. I heard about Princeton; you have a very bright future ahead of you.

PERRY: I hope so.

BOOTH: Me, too. You have fun tonight, okay?

(Booth and Brennan leave.)

PERRY: A sniper. Good man.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Interrogation Room. Booth, Brennan and Karen are watching the video of Levi playing the Mozart Violin Piano Sonata No. 21 in E Minor, K. 304 - 1st Movement)

BOOTH: So, you were competing with Levi for a spot at the conservatory.

KAREN: No, I wasn't. My grandfather used to be a dean, and I've been taking private lessons there since I was six. So, my admission had nothing to do with the audition process.

BOOTH: Yet you were the only pianist in your class.

KAREN: Yeah, because none of the other applicants were good enough to get in this year. Sure Levi would've gotten in. I mean, he was better than everyone. He was better than me.

BRENNAN: Did you see Levi at the conservatory the day before he disappeared when his hand got smashed?

KAREN: His hand? I-I have no idea wh...

BOOTH: Someone crushed his hand, Karen. Didn't want him to audition. He died at your apartment. You were the last person to see him alive.

KAREN: This is crazy! He wasn't even there the last time that I went. His stuff was there, but his money was gone.

BOOTH: How do you know his money was gone?

KAREN: Levi didn't trust banks, and I had this old rolltop desk with a secret drawer in it and that's where he kept his money and it was gone.

BRENNAN: But his stuff was still there?

KAREN: Yeah, I just, I figured that if his father made him come home, then he wanted to leave everything from this life behind.

BOOTH: Guaranteeing you a place at the conservatory.

KAREN: I was trying to help him get in! I picked his audition piece. I could never hurt Levi. I loved him.

BOOTH: Loved him? Did your boyfriend know that? Right, maybe he just liked him out of the way.

KAREN: Tony wasn't even around the weekend that Levi disappeared. You can ask his parents. He was at his grandma's funeral. I'm not gonna say anything else. I don't have to; I'm not saying anything.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab - Forensics Platform - Cam cut with FBI Headquarters - Booth's Office. Booth & Brennan are on the phone with Cam.)

CAM: FBI techs found a grand piano at the conservatory with bits of dried flesh and blood inside the keyboard lid.

BOOTH: What about the fingerprints?

CAM: There were some partials on the lid directly above the spot where Levi's left hand was broken.

BRENNAN: We still have Karen Lin in custody. We can get her prints for comparison.

CAM: Don't need to, we already have a match. The prints are Levi's.

BRENNAN: Levi broke his own hand?

CAM: That's what the evidence says.

BOOTH: Thanks, Cam.

(He hangs up)

BRENNAN: Levi broke his own hand? It's not logical.

BOOTH: If Levi decided to move back to his family, he wanted to remove all temptations, so he wouldn't change his mind.

BRENNAN: You-you seriously think that he was choosing his religion over his music?

BOOTH: Or maybe it was just over this girl, Sarah. I mean, either way it makes sense.

BRENNAN: No, it doesn't! To destroy a gift like that for a girl or religion, it's awful and it-it still doesn't give us a killer.

BOOTH: Wait a minute. Money, what about the money? What if this was all about the money?

BRENNAN: What money?

BOOTH: The money. Levi's cash; we never found. The cash and that fake gold medal that Karen supposedly gave him. Did that ever show up?

BRENNAN: Not yet, no.

BOOTH: The cash. What if this was all about the money? Come on, Bones.

(Cut to: FBI Headquarters - Voiceover over montage of Booth bringing the thief to the interrogation room)

BOOTH; He was a petty thief. We arrested him in Baltimore. Seven other residents in Karen Lin's building reported missing items right around the time that Levi died. Jewelry, silverware, cash.

(Fade into: Medico Legal Lab - Booth and Brennan are seated in the lounge area)

BRENNAN: So, it was just a robbery.

BOOTH: Well, the thief was some stupid kid who hocked a bunch of stolen items about a month ago.

(Flashback to Booth talking to the thief in the interrogation room at FBI Headquarters. He signs a confession.)

BOOTH: He also tried pawning the gold medal. He didn't know it was fake. The kid said that's what Levi was fighting for when he fell over the railing.

BRENNAN: Levi was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Fade back to lounge) Guess that will certainly justify his parents removing themselves from the world.

BOOTH: Can't blame them now.

BRENNAN: But what Levi discovered; the gift he had. Would their God really want them to deny their son that?

(Cut to: Yoder Residence. Booth, Brennan, Daniel and Rebecca are seated around a table inside the house.)

BOOTH: Levi planned to return. We thought it was important that you knew that.

BRENNAN: He considered life outside the community, but he wanted to come home.

BOOTH: We brought you something.

(Brennan pulls out a portable DVD player)

MR. YODER: I'm sorry, but we can't accept that.

BRENNAN: In this case, I think God will understand.

(Brennan plays the video for Levi's parents)

(On video) KAREN: Levi, if you want to get into the conservatory, you have to learn to perform. You're amazing!

MR. YODER: Our son.

(On the video, Levi is playing a song by Chopin.)

MRS. YODER: It's so beautiful.

(The end montage cuts between Mr & Mrs. Yoder watching the video in amazement and sadness, Levi, happy and alive, playing in real time and Booth and Brennan outside the house on the porch knowing that even though they solved the case, the conclusion is bittersweet.)

END.