The Hot Dog in the Competition

Mr. Sedlak! Mr. Sedlak!

You're eight days late with the rent.

Just because I'm the new super doesn't mean I won't heave your sorry ass out the window if I have a mind to!

I...

What a slob.

(rats squeaking)

Someone's not getting their security deposit back.

SAROYAN: How did you complete your undergraduate degree in two years while confined to a juvenile detention facility?

Well, some people are born with a knack for shooting, some singing.

Me-- I got a knack for thinking.

Simple as that.

You graduated top of your university class when you were 16, you'll have a doctorate by the time you're 20.

There is nothing simple about that.

And you're sure I'm cleared to work here?

I mean, after such a kindness, I don't want to get no one in trouble on my account.

I spoke to your parole officer in North Carolina.

Your record is officially expunged and sealed forever, so it's no problem.

I cannot thank you enough, Dr. Saroyan.

Yeah, the pleasure's mine.

I'm the one that's getting a brilliant new intern.

Well, I'm just a simple country boy trying to put one foot in front of the other, ma'am.

Well, put on this simple lab coat, and you can help me prep the forensic platform.

All right.

(laughs)

(indistinct chatter, rats squeaking)

There are multiple lacerations to the ribs.

Yeah, that'll happen when you're thrown through a terrarium.

I got you.

Skin as smooth as a baby's bottom.

Looks like Dr. Evil's cat.

Okay, so what do we got here, Bones?

The victim is a female, early 30s.

It appears death was caused by the L1 vertebra being punctured, severing the posterior spinal vein and arteries.

Dr. Brennan, you sure you don't want a chair?

The way you're squatting, I'm worried that little guy in there is gonna just drop right out.

Thank you but my uterus and cervical plug are quite healthy.

Also, I'm not having a boy, it's a girl.

(laughs) A girl.

Excuse me?

Well, the fetus growing inside my womb has female genitalia.

You guys are having a girl?

That is so awesome!

Okay, just wait one second. Can I just have a word with you here?

You're guessing, right, what we're having?

No. I had an ultrasound at the doctor's this morning.

Are you displeased with the results?

No.

Thrilled, but you can't just spring something like that on me in public.

Why didn't you tell me that you had a doctor's appointment?

Ultrasounds are poorly pixilated and in black and white.

You only like movies that are in color.

I would have loved this movie.

It would have been my favorite movie of all time.

Sorry. I had no idea that our child's genitals were so important to you.

Bones, I am the father.

You see?

All right, you know, I can't deal with this right now.

We'll talk about it later, and okay, so, victim here is a female, correct?

Yes. Should I have told you that in private, as well?

(chuckling): That's good.

Well, let's just keep pressing forward.

Okay, so the registered tenant was Mr. Sedlak.

He can't be located, so this is definitely not the tenant.

BOOTH: And why did the rats only eat half of her?

Well, since they're hairless, the rats need to stay warm under the terrarium's UV lights.

The rats were just food for the real tenant, Python regius.

It appears that our slithering friend has found another warm and cozy hiding spot.

It's very possible that the python consumed some evidence which we will need to retrieve.

Right. Hodgins, you find the snake.

Bones, you take the body back to the Jeffersonian.

What are you going to do?

Well, it's not really important that we share every detail of our day, is it?

I agree.

For a moment, I thought you didn't understand.

Mr. Abernathy, a few observations so that I may judge your ability with a real set of remains.

Yes, ma'am.

Uh, the victim is a female, normally I would say late 20s to early 30s, but in this case, I would say 30 to 31 based on the sternal rib ends, smooth, only a few pores, sharp rim edge irregularly contoured, zero projections.

That, in conjuncture with the barely discernible fusion line at the medial clavicle, gives us precise age.

As for injuries, cursory examination shows sharp-force trauma present on the ribs, posterior ulna, humerus and supraspinous fossa.

It's all consistent with being thrown through annealed rather than tempered glass; said glass approximately six millimeters in thickness, judging by the shards protruding from the scapula.

A promising start.

Dr. Saroyan?

Uh, sure, 'cause who wouldn't want to follow that act?

Well, uh, feeding activity on the lower half of the body was isolated, leaving this entire portion almost fully intact, including much of the small intestine and--

Whoa!

Did you guys see that?

Uh, peristalsis due to abdominal distention?

(squishing)

Except the victim has no abdomen.

Oh, God! Get it out of here!

SAROYAN: Oh, God, I hate snakes!

Dr. Hodgins?

SAROYAN: Somebody kill that thing.

BRENNAN: You can come back to the lab.

We've discovered the warm place where the python was hiding.

Oh, I got to say, ma'am, this is the best damn job ever.

♪ Bones 7x02 ♪ The Hot Dog in the Competition Original Air Date on November 10, 2011

♪ Main Title Theme ♪ The Crystal Method

♪

So I hear Finn saved you from having a heart attack.

Yes. He's quite handy with serpents.

Even Dr. Brennan was impressed.

Really? It's rare for her to trust a new intern to work solo.

Well, I'll, uh, I'll try to do her proud.

Seriously?

"Do her proud"?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

What exactly did you do to wind up in juvie for three years anyway?

Dr. Hodgins, we have work to do.

Eh, it's an innocent question.

No need to worry, Dr. Hodgins.

A few mistakes when I was a sprout.

But now I'm as honest as the sunshine on the back of a honeybee.

Why is that honest?

There is a lot of masticated food in the teeth.

A lot.

Oh, wow.

Looks like she was eating from a trough just before she died. Okay.

I'll floss and see if I find anything interesting.

The victim's mandibular fossa is unusually shallow, allowing for the condylar process to slip.

Meaning this lady's jaw could unhinge itself, like a python.

She could swallow anything.

Excuse me.

Well, I'm confused, Finn.

No one spends three years in juvie for hotwiring a tractor.

Dr. Hodgins.

I reckon he has a right to know.

I did some joy riding, mailbox baseball, I borrowed a few things from the grocery I shouldn't have.

I ain't proud of it, sir.

But now I'm proud to be able to assist y'all in whatever way I can.

Okay, then.

Well, I reckon I'd best go look and see what we found in the teeth.

(clicks tongue)

(chuckles)

I'm so sorry, Finn.

No problem, ma'am.

But there is something here that is as odd as my Cousin Bobby.

We have an extra bone, and it's the victim's 'cause it's covered in her scar tissue.

An extra bone?

It must be due to fibrodysplasia ossificanus progressiva.

You know, a disorder that causes the muscle and tissue to ossify.

But I'd sure feel better if Dr. Brennan took a look-see.

BOOTH: So, the original lease holder, Gerald Sedlak, has been living in Cleveland for four years.

I don't understand.

Well, the apartment is rent controlled, so when he moved out, he just sold his key to the next tenant.

Who posed as Sedlak for the cheap rent.

That's a good move in this economy.

Who was it?

Well, we're not sure.

But there have been seven tenants all registered under Sedlak.

The last one, being a female but she kept to herself.

You want me to see if I can give a profile based on her personal effects?

That's right.

I want you to use your Jedi mind powers.

I like it when you call me a Jedi.

Well, most kids do.

Oh, hey, congratulations, by the way.

I hear you're having a girl.

How did you know? I ran into Dr. Brennan this morning. She was leaving the doctor.

Why? Is it a secret?

Obviously not.

She probably hired a skywriter to tell the world.

Is there something I should know?

Yeah. Who the victim is.

Well, I mean, she has virtually no personal effects.

No... no photos on the wall.

Was there any mail?

No. No mail.

There's not much to go on here.

There's a couch, a kitchen table... And the python.

No home would be complete without a python.

True. Very true.

Says here that neighbors who did see the victim described her as "extremely attractive."

She was seen multiple times with very fat men.

Prostitutes sometimes keep a separate place to conduct their, you know, business.

And snakes are often seen as sexual.

Maybe one of the clients got a little too excited.

(squishing)

Oh, good Lord, and you wonder why nobody ever visits you.

Which makes it doubly odd that you're here.

I'm here 'cause someone needs to knock some sense into you, chérie.

What were you thinking bringing a criminal into this lab?

Caroline, I've already had this conversation once today.

Finn has no criminal record.

He did until two days ago when he turned 18, and it was expunged.

You should have talked to me before you hired him.

Why should I discuss with a federal prosecutor who I hire in my lab?

Tell me: What happens when a defense attorney questions the integrity of this lab because we have a teenage miscreant handling evidence?

So, you think that this young man, brilliant by even Dr. Brennan's standards, should be condemned forever because of some youthful indiscretions?

Sometimes life isn't fair.

But I don't have to help it along.

He deserves a chance, and I am going to give it to him.

Now, unless you would like to help, I have some work to do.

(sighs)

(sighs)

HODGINS: I'm not killing that snake.

This ain't me askin', you understand.

It's not "ain't," it's "isn't."

This is the Jeffersonian, not a fishin' hole.

Look, I appreciate you're agitated, but Dr. Saroyan insists.

See when we X-rayed our little friend here, we found a rat inside, and inside that rat, a distal phalanx from the victim.

Now, we need to get that bone before the snake's digestive juices gets to it.

Well, maybe someone of legal drinking age can figure out a way to read that X ray without killing an innocent python.

Is everything okay?

No, it's not.

I only just gave him a new home.

He's got bamboo climbing branches, artificial plants, his own hiding box.

Well, everyone has to make sacrifices, Dr. Hodgins, and it's time for that python to make his.

ABERNATHY: You know, growing up, I kept myself a few snakes, so I might be able...

Wonderful, Opie, really.

However, the adults who can speak properly-- we're talking now.

Excuse me, sir, but elocution was not on my application and it doesn't seem to bother anybody else here how I talk, so I'm getting the feeling you're just doing it to make me feel bad 'cause I'm different than you, which right now is making me feel pretty glad, but just because we speak different don't mean we can't understand one another.

After all, we both speak science.

And that's all that's important in here, right?

Oh, snap.

Now, let's get this over with and kill the vile, slimy, soulless creature and get that finger.

His metabolism is very slow.

Okay, we've got two hours before there is any damage to that distal phalanx.

Give me the two hours.

Please.

Look at that face.

Two hours.

After that...

Got any good ideas?

I have reviewed your notes, which are thorough and excellent, except for your conclusion concerning this bone.

It fits the profile for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

A rare and fascinating disorder.

However, in our search for the extraordinary, the mundane is often overlooked.

This is a chicken bone.

Oh, shoot, I'm sorry, ma'am, I should have known.

I grew up on barbecue.

It was lodged in the lung after it was swallowed and it went down the trachea instead of her esophagus.

Well, why didn't she cough it up like a normal person?

That is one of the questions we will need to answer.

You might find something valuable in the intestinal contents Dr. Saroyan retrieved.

Thank you, ma'am.

Hey.

Hodgins just told me the big news.

A little girl.

Hodgins also mentioned that Booth wasn't there when you found out.

I didn't see the importance of it.

Put yourself in his position.

Would you like to hear secondhand?

I wouldn't care.

(sighs)

Why do I try?

Okay, I got an I.D. from the facial reconstruction.

Victim's name was Tina Thomas.

Your wife was identified by the forensic team at the Jeffersonian.

I can't believe it.

Who would want to murder Tina?

Mr. Thomas, were you aware that your wife was renting an apartment?

Yeah. She went there for a week at a time to get her business done.

So you knew what she did?

At first, she used to do it at the house, but you know, it got to be too much for me.

I just couldn't watch anymore.

You used to watch?

Well, I wanted to be supportive.

Tina was so good at what she did, I got to quit my job.

She sounds very accomplished.

Oh, yeah.

She could dislocate her jaw, I mean open her mouth really wide and she had no gag reflex.

Honestly, she could put anything in there.

Oh.

Once I saw her make a foot-long wiener disappear.

Is that some sort of euphemism that prostitutes use, or...?

Prostitute?

What the hell are you talking about?

My wife wasn't a hooker.

Uh-uh, she was a champion.

A competitive-eating champion.

Thank you very much.

We don't have any further questions.

Thanks for coming in.

Weiner, I got you.

Stop.

BRENNAN: Throughout history eating contests have been popular in wealthy societies as a reflection of their abundance.

At the height of the Roman Empire, some contestants would gorge until they died.

Wow, that's pretty amazing. So listen, this is Tina's profile from the Competitive Eating Alliance Web site.

Oh.

And there she is, huh?

Her stage name was Tina "The Python" Thomas.

She held world records in eating hot dogs and buffalo wings.

That would explain the chicken bone lodged in her lung.

She ate 65 hot dogs in 12 minutes!

You sound very impressed with her accomplishments.

65 hot dogs?

Yes.

In 12 minutes.

You said.

You don't want to see that? I'd love to see that.

That's pretty amazing if you ask me.

Well, I'm bringing in the head of Competitive Eating so we can talk to him about Tina.

Oh, I can't.

Why?

I have a meeting with a financial advisor about a trust for our daughter.

You're doing it again.

What?

You're not including me.

I thought the reason that you wanted to attend the ultrasound was emotional.

A meeting with a financial advisor is practical.

Also you have no money.

This is not about the money, you understand?

The point is-- is that you-- you should have asked.

That's all, it's pretty obvious.

I thought I was making things easier for you.

No, I don't want things easy.

You know what, I think that you should walk in my shoes for a while.

You want me to see the world as you do, so I can feel what you feel?

Right, you know me well enough to do that, right?

Huh...

I want to have intercourse.

What?

You enjoy s*x at any time, this is any time, ergo, you want s*x now.

A simple syllogism.

Forget it. Let's just order. Now I'm frustrated.

What is that?

These are the scraps Hodgins flossed from the victim's teeth.

A delightful slurry of beef, chicken and pork intestines-- otherwise known as a hot dog.

One good thing about hot dog meat, the preservatives are great for keeping evidence intact.

It seems she took a bite out of something more than a hot dog. Take a look.

Oh.

SAROYAN: This was lodged between her upper right canine and bicuspid.

You know, I just looked in there like I knew what I was doing.

It's a sliver of human tissue and it's not hers.

Meaning Tina may have bitten her attacker?

I'm running the DNA now.

Okay, send me the results, and I'll see if I can find a match in the FBI database.

Cool.

(hard rock music playing)

MAN: You can see why the crowds loved her.

The way she lets the python slither all over.

Wow.

Tina was an athlete. She trained hard.

She never weighed more that 125.

BOOTH: Man, this is a lot more intense than my pie-eating contest in college.

Yeah.

About a month ago I was in Japan negotiating a weekly eating competition for prime time.

Japan, that's where the real money is.

This TV offer, that was just for Tina?

No, it was for the league. But she was the draw.

The sport has really taken off over there.

When was the last time you saw her?

Four weeks ago at a chicken wing competition in Tulsa.

I didn't understand why I hadn't heard from her since, but I just figured she was training and I'd see her today.

Why today?

The Gluttony Games start this afternoon.

She was the headliner.

She would've walked away with an easy ten grand.

Dr. Saroyan, I need a word with you.

If it's about Finn, I don't want to hear it.

Well, you're going to.

Are you aware of all the charges brought against that boy?

He made some mistakes. He was 15.

Joy riding is a mistake.

Assault is something a whole lot different, chérie.

You unsealed his records?!

He has a history of violence.

Kid assaulted his stepfather with a hunting knife.

What were the circumstances?

Does that matter?

Do you want someone here who solves problems that way?

And it gets worse.

A year after the assault, Finn's stepfather disappeared.

His body was never found.

What are you saying?

You're a cop and a coroner, what the hell do you think I'm saying?

Cop in North Carolina said the whole county heard Finn making threats.

You're a good woman, Cam.

With a big heart.

I know you think Finn is some helpless pup that you can save.

But don't ruin your career and the reputation of the Jeffersonian by being stubborn.

(knocking)

Ms. Montenegro said you might have found some DNA.

I sure would like to be of assistance if you'd like.

Uh... No, Finn, it's-it's okay.

I've got this one.

Okay. Yes, ma'am.

♪ Go ♪ ♪ I just want you to know ♪ ♪ That I am about to get my game on... ♪

Maybe some of the other competitors can tell us who might have wanted Tina out of the way.

I know, Bones. That's why we're here.

Listen, you didn't have to come with me.

I know you're probably tired.

No, I am determined to see the world through your eyes.

Oh, right, and being around all this food while you're pregnant, that doesn't hurt.

You just saw the world through my eyes, didn't you?

It's not hard.

(cheering)

BOOTH: Oh God, look at that, Bones.

Oh, they seem quite determined.

Wow. Look at number two go.

He's amazing.

BRENNAN: He's using the Valsalva maneuver.

It increases thoracic pressure throughout the esophagus, allowing him to ingest more food.

You really did your homework, huh?

It's an anatomically fascinating case.

This is all right, huh?

This actually is a sport. Look at it.

Oh, oh, four's down.

Four's down! Look at that!

Interesting.

Your adrenaline is clearly surging.

Huh?

You're allowing the crowd and the competition to stimulate the same chemical response one would experience during battle, but without the actual danger.

It's very clever.

Yeah, clever.

Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!

Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!

Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!

Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!

Come on! Put it up!

Pack it in, losers!

Less than a minute left!

And it looks like we're down to our two legends of the sport: Ron "The Woodchuck" Patterson versus Rick "The Compactor" Koser!

We're tied dog for dog: 52!

Now 53!

Who's gonna cut the mustard, baby?!

Cut the mustard!

Come on! Eat those dogs, you bozos!

Eat! Eat! Eat!

(buzzer sounds)

It's over! That's it! It's over!

This Herculean gastronomic event is over.

The winner and champion, ladies and gentlemen, Ron "The Woodchuck" Patterson!

With a personal best 56 mouth-watering Hankfurter hot dogs!

He's pathetic!

Tina could eat 65 hot dogs!

65 for...? Huh?

Tina's record was 65.

Oh, with Tina out of the competition, this clown'll get all the winnings.

This is good motive.

I can see where you're coming from.

WOMAN: We love you, Woodchuck!

(belches)

Really, I asked you not to do that, please.

You guys brought me in here after eating 56 hot dogs.

You got to pay the piper. (belches)

Oh, God!

He took in extra air because of the speed with which he ate.

That, coupled with the digestive process made it necessary for his body to expel the gas he produced.

(belches)

Wow.

It's wonderful how the body works, isn't it?

It's delightful. Okay, Mr. Woodchuck, we're just gonna cut right to the chase, all right?

With Tina out of the way, you stood to make a lot more money.

But that does not mean that I killed her.

Maybe, but it doesn't mean that you're not jealous.

It wasn't fair.

She had that freaky jaw.

She had a shallow mandibular fossa.

(belches)

God, you're messing up my flow here.

We've determined that Tina was killed on Tuesday evening.

Where were you last Tuesday?

Uh, Tuesday? Atlantic City.

I was at the all-you-can-eat buffets at the casinos.

I go there to train sometimes.

And we assume that you weren't alone?

I was there. I swear.

But I train alone.

(belches)

What are you doing in my lab, Opie?

My name ain't Opie, Thurston.

Thurston?

Yeah, I'm trying to help you... and the snake.

Mostly the snake.

Yeah, well, nice try, but our two hours are up.

Oh, no, we got five minutes left.

See, since a snake's digestive juices are regulated by body temperature, I'm cooling our slimy friend to 26.1 degrees Celsius to slow down his metabolism.

That'll kill him.

Not five minutes it won't.

We'll have time to warm him up after.

After what?

After we get out the distal phalanx.

Without cutting him open?

Yes, sir!

See, here's a little something that I learned at my fishing hole.

Many snakes, when confronted by a specter of death, are known to upchuck what's in their stomach contents.

That way, they may slither away unencumbered.

And I've spooked a few serpents in my day.

And why didn't you bring this up before?

It might have had something to do with you treating me like a piece of scat and not wanting me to speak.

Yeah, well, I said I'm sorry, so...

Actually, sir, I believe "I'm sorry" must've slipped your mind.

But I'm all ears now.

He's getting too cold.

Yes, sir, he is.

Okay, I'm sorry, all right?

I was an ass hat.

I am Thurston the ass hat. There.

Now how do you scare a snake at a fishing hole?

Simple as flipping a flapjack standing on your forehead.

See, that actually sounds very difficult.

Oh!

(chuckles)

Oh... my... God.

Quick, what's a Southern colloquialism for shock and amazement?

Well, hack my legs off and call me Shorty!

Well, Shorty, we got ourselves some evidence.

(both chuckle)

DNA results came back from that piece of skin I found in the victim's teeth.

Oh, great.

All right, let's-let's run it through the database.

I already did. It's on the server.

Oh. Is it the burping guy?

No. His alibi checked out.

Our new suspect is Brian Tobin.

Yeah, and he's an executive in publicity at Hankfurter Hot Dogs.

Hankfurter was one of Tina's sponsors.

Looks like more than a sponsor to me.

Anyway, I sent the results to Booth.

So what do you need from me?

I need you to run a search... under the radar.

Way under the radar.

Another possible suspect?

No. It's Finn.

I heard that maybe he's more than just a troubled kid, and I need you to check him out.

Oh, okay.

Thanks.

BOOTH: All right, thanks.

Tina took a bite out of this guy Tobin.

He's back at the Gluttony Games.

Meaning we have to go back to where we just were?

Right. So you know what? You should turn right at the next light, and then another right at the stop sign.

(tires squeal, horns blare)

Whoa, Bones, what are you doing?

I'm driving as you would drive.

You don't like taking directions.

Oh, I get it.

You're still walking in my shoes.

Also note how I only have one hand carelessly on the wheel?

That's not very cool of me.

That's okay. I don't mind.

Oh.

Now I'm thinking about intercourse again.

You were too, weren't you?

Okay, so Tobin is supposed to be here, right?

His company sponsors more people than just Tina.

I imagine with the obesity epidemic, their strategy is quite lucrative.

For them and for cardiologists.

MAN: You are pathetic!

What's the matter, you can't breathe?!

I don't care!

Come on! You're pathetic!

I said hold still! (yells)

All the way! Get it down!

(gasps)

Bones, okay, listen...

FBI! You stay there!

Bones, what are you doing?

You don't just charge a suspect like that.

And you're pregnant. Well, I was acting like you.

I'm not pregnant. Just let me be me, all right? Just for a while.

I was just helping her train!

You wrecked her personal best!

And on top of it, you wrecked her personal best.

Sorry.

What's with the scrawny guy? I thought I'd be dealing with that pregnant chick who took me down.

I liked her.

You really don't want to go down that road, buddy.

No, you really don't.

The little girl she's carrying is his daughter.

Oh.

Dr. Brennan works with the Jeffersonian.

And right now she's compiling evidence against you for the murder of Tina Thomas.

Me?

We have DNA evidence.

We found your skin in her teeth.

She bit your finger.

Yeah.

What precipitated the attack?

Were you two intimately involved?

Maybe she tried to break it off?

We weren't fighting about that.

But you admit to getting into a fight.

Sure.

Over money. What else?

Me and my company, we have a lot invested in her.

So what'd you do, shove too much food in her mouth?

Why would I risk hurting such a valuable asset?

She bit me, yeah.

A lot of competitors have pieces of me in their teeth.

I was just helping Tina.

She was starting to hurl.

You can't compete and hurl.

It's not appetizing.

When was the last time you saw Tina?

Uh, at her apartment, Sunday last.

Within five minutes of training, she puked and started sobbing.

Said she was done with competitive eating.

She brought in a lot of money for you.

You must have been very angry.

But I wouldn't kill her.

Don't read (gasps) too good, does it?

Oh, uh, I'm-I'm-I'm sorry.

It's okay, I'd want to know who I was working with, too.

Are-are those reports wrong?

Wouldn't matter what I said.

The truth is, people always think the worst when given the choice.

That, that's not true.

I'd like to believe that, but from where I sit, experience has been a cruel teacher.

Anyway, I was just fixing to clean off this bone, and a thought came to me.

What was that?

Now, that laminated terrarium glass the victim was thrown through, at 6.38 millimeters that's some pretty resistant stuff.

Maybe we could use your computer to calculate the mass of the killer in reference to the length of the room.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's, that's brilliant.

Well, here are some of the figures I got drawn up so far.

I'll get out of your hair now.

Finn, uh...

About what I was looking at before...

Don't worry none.

I'm used to it.

♪ ♪

You have no idea where Mr. Abernathy went?

He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would quit before we solved the case.

He did have a questionable past, Dr. Brennan.

Look at the victim's teeth.

Tooth erosion.

Due to increased stomach acid from overeating?

That's what I thought as well.

However, based on Booth's most recent interview, vomiting seems a more accurate cause.

But she was a champion. I thought they never vomited.

Correct. So there has to be another explanation.

Wouldn't it be illogical for Finn, if he were still a danger, to work where his every move is observed and documented by the most brilliant minds at the Jeffersonian?

Yes.

But he's a kid.

He might not be that reasonable.

I've seen his work.

I can assure you that he is.

There is diastasis of the symphysis pubis.

A very subtle widening.

Widening?

Meaning...

Tina wasn't vomiting because of the quantity of food she was consuming.

She was eight weeks pregnant.

You said before how grateful you were to be able to quit your day job.

I was a garbage man.

Wouldn't you want to quit if you had the chance?

I don't know, because right now I'm dealing with garbage that stands about five-foot-ten, and I'm not quitting my job.

You got no right.

You don't know me.

Really? 'Cause I interviewed your neighbors.

And they said that both of you argued all the way up to the day she died.

So?

So what'd you argue about?

We argued about having kids.

She wanted me to change my mind.

You didn't want to have children.

God, no.

Not now.

Tina was just starting to make some good money.

It was crazy to throw all that away for a kid.

We had years for that, right?

Right, so you wouldn't be happy if your wife quit competitive eating to start a family.

I don't have to talk to you.

I don't have to say another word.

BOOTH: Her husband admitted that her career was more important to him than having a baby.

Can you believe that?

Surprisingly, I'm a bit horrified as well.

Although my career will help provide a fascinating life for our daughter.

But I think you have to let Tina's husband go.

What? Why?

He's got motive, he's got opportunity.

But he only weighs 183 pounds.

So what?

Based on a suggestion from Mr. Abernathy, Angela calculated both the mass and the acceleration the killer would need in order to throw our victim through the glass terrarium.

Right.

The assailant would need to weigh at least 312 pounds.

Okay, so we're looking for someone who is at least 300 pounds.

Yes. Both Mitch Clancy and Brian Tobin would be ideal suspects.

Bones, I can't arrest someone because they're fat.

Well, I'm still compiling evidence.

Although my intern seems to have disappeared.

What, the kid? What, is he in trouble?

I imagine he will be if he loses his career.

I'll reexamine the injuries that Tina sustained when she was thrown through the glass.

Perhaps I'll find something you can use.

("Anchor" by Mindy Gledhill playing)

♪ When all the world is spinning round ♪ ♪ Like a red balloon way up in the clouds ♪ ♪ And my feet will not stay on the ground ♪ ♪ You anchor me back down ♪ ♪ There are those who think that I'm strange ♪ ♪ They would box me up and tell me to change ♪ ♪ But you hold me close and softly say ♪ ♪ That you wouldn't have me any other way. ♪

Booth can't make an arrest without more evidence.

I don't appreciate having to do your work as well as my own, Mr. Abernathy.

I'm sorry.

I realized quitting was a coward's way out.

It is.

Please clean the distal phalanx you recovered.

I shouldn't have left it like that, should I?

I trust that was a rhetorical question.

Yes, ma'am.

Did your interest in forensics stem from a plan to murder your stepfather?

Yes, ma'am, it did.

Dr. Saroyan mentioned that he was physically abusive to both you and your mother.

He had a temper.

Probably why I behaved like I did.

Could never find a way to make the mad go away.

So, did you murder your stepfather, Mr. Abernathy?

No, ma'am, I did not.

What stopped you?

I read a paper you wrote:

"Postmortem Dismemberment, Recovery and Analysis."

I knew no matter how careful I was, I'd never get away with killing him.

Least not with y'all around.

I'd like to think that's true.

I took it as a sign from above.

Keep me on the straight and narrow.

I haven't so much talked in church since.

What happened to your stepfather?

Last time I saw him, I told him he was a dead man if he ever touched my mama again.

Guess the son of a bitch didn't know I was bluffing.

I can imagine how it must feel to know that people are thinking that you did something like that.

I appreciate that.

(Southern accent): You best never walk out again, you hear?

There ain't gonna be no more second chances.

(normal voice): I love John Wayne movies.

(chuckles) Yeah.

Dr. Brennan.

Take a look at this.

They're eggs from a parasite.

Good job, Opie.

Dr. Hodgins.

No, I don't mind, Dr. Saroyan.

Truth be told, after walking out, I deserve whatever Thurston here chooses to deal out.

Thurston?

Yeah.

Opie and I have a little understanding.

(chuckles)

So our parasite is a Paragonimus westermani.

It's a lung fluke.

The lung fluke isn't found in the U.S.

Opie, you're like the little brother I never had.

Much obliged, Thurston.

In Japan, however, the lung fluke is endemic to 80% of their freshwater crabs.

Had the victim been to Japan?

No, but she knew someone who had.

You said that you hadn't seen Tina in a month, correct?

That's correct.

Since I got back from Japan.

I regret that now.

She was so dear to me.

Right, you picked up a parasite in Japan.

That's how you developed a cough.

I just had a cold, that's all.

This is a prescription of yours for Bithionol.

It's for the parasite, isn't it?

(mutters)

How did you get this?

My medical information is private.

Not during a murder investigation.

The same parasite-- it was found on Tina's body.

There's only one way it could've got there, Mitch.

This is crazy.

She was the golden goose.

Why would I kill the golden goose?

Because she was quitting to have a baby.

And that contract that you signed with the Japanese was worthless without Tina.

We had a deal.

And I got mad.

And I shoved her.

I'm a big man.

She just flew into that thing.

But all I did was give her a shove.

Mr. Abernathy, I don't want to see you wearing that baseball cap in the lab anymore.

Oh. Yes, ma'am.

I'm sorry about that.

I'd rather you wore this one.

Well, this'll, uh... this'll do just fine, ma'am.

Not bad.

BOOTH: Full confession.

Thanks for getting us the flukey thing.

Sure.

Look, I'm beat.

I understand.

This case must have been difficult for you, since the victim was pregnant and so am I.

You would have drawn parallels.

Yeah. I-I guess I did.

I think this experiment has been successful.

I find that I can now put myself in your shoes and feel empathy.

Also...

I owe you an apology.

An apology?

Wait a second.

Is this you apologizing to me or me apologizing to you for something that I don't understand?

I understand how upset you must have felt, not to have been included at the ultrasound.

While I wish I could undo what I've done to you, I can't.

That's okay.

You know what, apology's enough.

Really?

Because I have more.

Oh.

I'll always take more.

What'd you have in mind?

Well, the doctor made me a DVD of the ultrasound.

Although the resolution isn't ideal, I feel certain that you will enjoy seeing this.

Of course I'm gonna enjoy seeing...

(whispers): Wow...

Look.

That's the heartbeat.

You're happy.

Of course I'm happy.

Look at that. (chuckles)

She kicked.

(laughs)

She has your prominent mental protuberance.

Is that a good thing?

(chuckles): Yes.

It's a very good thing.

Right?!

Did you hear that? Did you hear that?

You have my probamental protuberance.

How about that, huh? Oh, she's kicking.

What's that mean?