The Tutor in the Tussle

♪ ♪

(dogs barking in the distance)

Hey!

Hey, you! You, right there!

You kids got to stop stealing that sign.

Hey, hey! Get back here.

It's a lost cause, kid!

Drop the sign!

(grunts)

No, no, no, no.

Where you going now? Where you going, huh?

Yeah, I got you.

I got you now.

Stop right-- whoa, whoa.

(panting)

Whoa. See you.

Damn it, get back here!

Ah, hell.

(radio static)

Yeah, it's Adams.

I need backup.

Dispatcher (over radio): What is your location?

Yeah, I'm at Tenth and...

Well, it's a lot at the corner of Tenth and...

I'm at Tenth and Boner, all right?

(radio static)

It's pretty juvenile, if you ask me, I mean, the street is named for a prominent old family.

I disagree.

The word "boner" is objectively...

(laughing): hilarious.

The human pen1s has no skeletal material of any kind.

Wow, you really are overthinking this.

I mean, the kids, they steal street signs that sound like dirty words, okay?

Like Wanger Street or Morning Wood Way.

There's nothing humorous about nocturnal penile tumescence.

What?

It's a natural phenomenon, as you well know. But... "Boner Street"? (laughs)

Right. That's great.

Why don't I just put on some entertainment for someone over the age of eight?

(chuckles)

British male Voice: Kathy arrived at Quantico, but found her lecture hall empty.

"Where is everyone?" she asked herself.

Wh-What is this?

What, you don't recognize it?

It's your latest novel on audiobook.

"I'll need to see the director at once," Kathy said.

This is terrible.

The narrator. The narrator?

Yes.

He misses all the nuance of the main character's voice.

I need to call my editor. Here.

Sounds good to me, listen to that.

Booth, do you mind?

Narrator: But there, too, Kathy could find no one. All right, great, I'll just, you know, drive in silence.

(indistinct radio chatter, camera shutter clicks)

Bones, all I'm saying is, you know, you should just... just stay in your lane, okay?

Just let the publishers do their job.

I mean, come on, what are you gonna do?

Narrate your own book? Yes, that's exactly what I intend to do.

I'll narrate it and then have the audiobook reissued. Good morning, you two.

Is everything okay?

Booth: Excellent, excellent, compared to-to this guy here. So, what, shotgun, right?

'Cause we got shells all over the place.

Saroyan: Yep, techs found multiple shell casings from what appears to be a 12-gauge.

And I'm finding birdshot inside the body.

Booth: All right, so the killer, he stood over the body and he shot him at close range.

'Cause... (explosion sound)

Yeah, which sent bone and tissue flying everywhere within a ten-meter radius.

Be careful what you touch.

It's likely there's evidence even in the branches of this tree.

(whispering): Wow.

Time of death? I'd say...

Brennan: Impossible to say, based on osteological evidence.

Cam? Based on decomp, two days.

See, Bones? You see what happens when you let people do their job?

Brennan: Lack of arthritic deterioration suggests a young adult.

However, with the skull and the hands so damaged, determining I.D. will be a challenge.

And we got, uh, no eyewitnesses, either.

You got nothing on your canvass? You know, people in this area, they just don't seem to be too interested in talking to law enforcement.

Wait!

Oh.

Oh, well, you know what? That happens to the best of us, Aubrey.

Anybody got a good dry cleaner?

Stay still.

Booth: I got a great guy.

I'll give you the information later.

Oh, Stan, on U Street?

He is good with blood.

Not so much with bile.

Stan is not the man. I got the guy.

Brennan: I use Susan at Dupont Cleaners.

For blood and feces, there's no one better.

I got a better guy. Right next door is this great sub shop.

Aubrey: Okay, people.

I think one is probably enough.

Yeah, why doesn't everybody just send me their guy?

♪ Bones 12x05 ♪ The Tutor in the Tussle

♪ Main Title Theme ♪ The Crystal Method

♪ ♪

Taking a closer look at the victim's patellae, I'm seeing robust tendinous attachments, as well as early-stage osteoarthritis.

Saroyan: So, bad knees.

Fisher: Yeah, the kind you see after thousands of hours of manual labor. Ugh.

The sheer drudgery depresses me.

Hey, speaking of labor, is Brennan really narrating her own audiobook?

It's pretty crazy how she managed to bring the Agent Andy character back, right?

Yeah.

Ooh, Fisher, you can tell us if the science was authentic.

So, a sternum transplant-- is that for real?

Oh, you guys actually read Dr. Brennan's books?

Uh... you don't?

Well, no offense to her, but I find them to be a little lowbrow.

Hodgins: Okay, I would definitely not let Dr. B hear you say that.

Yeah, I'm more into the nihilists' work.

Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Garfield.

Like, the cartoon cat?

Mm.

Montenegro: Oh, it's gonna be difficult to get an I.D.

Well, that's a pity.

But then again, Kierkegaard would say, the very idea of individual identity was long ago subsumed by the specter of the public.

Is he still talking?

Hang on, Angela.

Your camera's flash just... illuminated... yep, it's a contact lens.

Dr. Hodgins?

Hodgins: Yep.

If we can pull his fingerprint off it...

Gonna be a long shot, but I may be able to get I.D.

The victim is Austin Wilson, 24.

Booth and Brennan are talking to his roommate.

He's got a criminal record.

Thank you. Here.

Thank you.

(groans)

Nope, that must be yours.

What is that?

Come on, it's the sweet nectar of life.

It's the quad-shot cappuccino with cinnamon in it.

Oh, man.

Caffeine much?

Well, I was up before dawn, video-chatting with Jessica.

She's on this Euro trip.

Mm-hmm.

And with the time difference, there's just... no chance to talk.

Mm, I'm jealous.

I mean, of her trip.

You know, I went to Europe right after college, and, I'm not trying to brag, but things got a little bit crazy.

Ooh! I'm so sorry.

(chuckles)

Hello, James.

Oh, hi, I'm Karen, so...

You mind giving us a minute?

Sure, I'll, um...

I'll meet you at the office.

You look good, son.

Hey, Dad.

I tell you what.

(sets cup on counter)

I'll make this easy on you.

Why don't you turn around, put your hands behind your back?

James, don't be ridiculous.

You can't just arrest me.

Sit down, son.

You and I need to talk.

You sure it was Austin?

We are.

Listen, your friend was, uh, killed by a shotgun in a pretty bad part of town.

Any reason why he'd be involved in criminal activity?

No.

No, people think 'cause we came up in the system, we got to be gangsters.

Not Austin.

Look, no offense, but, uh, you have a record, and Austin was arrested for assaulting a cop.

No, that was a misunderstanding.

We were kids in high school.

Riding bikes, shaking up soda bottles, spraying them on people.

Austin just got unlucky.

He sprayed an off-duty cop.

Evidence on the body suggests he worked manual labor.

Yeah.

He was working construction through college to pay for Princeton.

Princeton, huh?

What, 'cause he's a foster kid, he can't go to a good school?

I assure you, we think nothing of the sort.

I myself spent time in foster care.

Look, do you know where Austin worked?

At this tutoring company.

He was applying to med school, also.

Tutoring?

Like, I'm sorry, helping kids with their homework?

That's a common way for graduates of elite schools to make money while they pursue graduate-level degrees.

I'm telling you, Austin had no life, he had no girl.

All he did was work and study.

Those rich parents were intense, too.

You should look at them.

Austin's phone records show almost no contact with friends or family.

Benny was right.

His whole life was tutoring for money and preparing for med school.

That's sad, right, Bones?

Everyone needs a little fun in their lives.

I rarely socialized between college and graduate school.

(phone chimes)

I find his work ethic admirable.

(phone beeps) Ugh.

What is it?

(sighs)

My editor says that if I want to perform my novel, I have to... record an audition.

Sure, it makes sense.

Makes sense?

It does not make sense.

It's insulting.

All right, well, there you go, tell her that you're-you're not gonna do it. Problem solved.

Don't be silly.

Of course, I'm gonna do it.

(indistinct conversations)

Woman:

We were all horrified to hear about Austin.

Well, we were hoping we could take a look around.

If you must, but bear in mind, our students have been traumatized.

We're doing our best to maintain a professional environment.

Booth: Right.

Well, we are still talking about homework help, right?

Well, we live in a competitive, globalized world now.

I founded this place to ensure our students stay on top.

We only hire the smartest tutors from the best colleges.

Harvard, Yale...

Northwestern.

Sure, if we're understaffed.

Well... (scoffs)

I attended Northwestern.

It is quite prestigious.

Oh, I'm sure it is, Dr. Brennan.

No offense intended.

Well, I assure you, offense was taken.

Well, let's all just calm down.

So, was Austin here the day he died?

No, he met with a few students off-site.

Maybe we could take a look at his work computers, files?

Of course. Yeah.

Ms. Bryan?

What's up with the vending machine?

Oh, I'm so sorry, Meredith.

The repairman will be here next week.

If you wouldn't mind...

Next week? How am I supposed to focus without snacks?

I completely understand your frustration.

Booth: Ms. Bryan, we heard that some of your clients, well, most of your clients, were pretty much... demanding.

Did Austin have any problems or conflicts with any parents?

Not that I can think of.

What about Psycho Sue?

Psycho Sue?

That's what some of the kids call Jacob's mother, Sue Casey.

She's passionate but harmless.

Harmless?

She tried to run me over with her SUV when I beat Jacob in geography bee.

I'm sure that was an accident.

And last week, I saw her yelling at Austin in the parking lot.

Then she slapped him across the face.

She hit Austin?

Let's not...

Let's not what?

(scoffs)

You're just afraid of her because she threatened to rip out your intestines.

Well, those weren't the exact words she used.

No, but we're not supposed to swear in here.

It was, like...

(whispers): way worse.

Okay, we'll have to keep our voices down.

Jacob's practicing for the SAT.

His critical reading score is stuck in the low 700s.

Well, that puts him well above average.

Tell that to the Harvard Admissions Committee.

Mrs. Casey, do you want to explain to us why you slapped Austin Wilson last week?

Sure. Austin talked Jacob into applying early to UVA.

The last eight generations of this family have gone to Harvard.

So, you slapped Austin because he talked your son into applying to a different, well-regarded university?

I wasn't paying $300 an hour for Jacob to get his heart set on some community college.

Jacob: Mom.

You're being a psycho.

Booth: Our phone records indicate that there were five calls made from this house to his cell phone the day he died.

Uh, that was me.

That was you?

Yeah, I had a huge physics test the next day and I wanted him to answer a question.

(sighs)

Jacob, focus!

Brennan: Booth?

Booth: Yep?

Look.

12-gauge.

Wow. Are you guys big hunters?

(scoffs)

Okay.

I see where this is going.

Look, Austin and I had our differences.

But he was a decent tutor and Jacob liked him.

Uh, that's sweet and all, but we're still gonna have to test your guns.

Fine.

Whatever it takes to get some peace, so Jacob can focus.

Cam, I was wondering if...

(gun cocks)

Whoa, there.

Duck season or wabbit season?

Hey. I'm just trying to determine whether Sue Casey's shotguns are a match for our murder weapon.

Dr. Saroyan?

(gun cocks)

Whoa, there.

Shh! Be vewy, vewy quiet.

She's hunting wabbits.

Come again?

Looney Tunes.

Oh, come on, man.

Oh, cartoons upset me as a child.

More of an Addams Family kid?

Twilight Zone reruns, actually.

Everything about you makes more sense now.

Mm.

Did you need something?

Uh, yes. I found blunt force trauma everywhere.

The legs, the ribs, the skull.

So, maybe our victim was beaten before he was taken to the location where he was shot.

I don't think that he was shot with these guns.

You've determined that already?

Thanks to Parasteatoda tepidariorum.

Hmm.

What is that?

They're spiders, Cam.

Oh, God!

How about a warning for us non-Latin speakers next time?

Careful with that in my office.

Oh, God, are those eggs?

Relax, Cam.

Geez.

They're not gonna hatch.

Fisher: Oh, nice.

They're in this one, too.

Okay, not a fan.

Okay, these must have been in Sue Casey's basement, because these webs take at least a week to... weave!

What? Is something wrong?

Mm-mm.

Nope.

I was just, you know, I was-- I was--

I was thinking that-- that-that-that suggests that-- that these guns over here were last fired long before he was killed.

Saroyan: Okay, hey, I've got an idea.

Why don't you two take these guns and their inhabitants, and, uh, go far, far away?

Good idea.

No problem.

(Saroyan gasps)

Are you sure nothing's wrong?

Hmm? Mm-mm.

Nope. Everything is... really good.

I'm... gonna go.

(Saroyan sighs)

Hey.

You, uh, you need any help?

Uh, sure.

I'm just starting in on Austin's client files from the tutoring company.

Grab a few.

Totes.

That's short for "totally."

I know.

Okay.

So, it looks like Austin was pretty popular.

He was gaining new clients almost every week.

Hmm, maybe some of the other tutors (singsongy): got a little jealous.

Yep, that's what I'm thinking.

So, how was it seeing your dad yesterday?

Come on. You didn't think I'd notice who that was?

Listen, I'm not gonna tell anyone.

I just wanted to come in and see how you're doing.

Well, look, I appreciate the thought.

But this is not therapy.

Oh, I'm aware, it's just that you always said that if you ever saw him again, he would be arrested immediately.

So...

There's a kid.

A kid?

The government's been tracking and shutting down his offshore accounts.

But he's got a new wife and a son.

He came to me asking for money to support them.

Now, I don't care what happens to my dad, but...

This is your half brother.

So if you make that arrest, then he grows up without a father, just like you did.

Now, look, you don't know Philip Aubrey.

I mean, everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie meant to manipulate.

I don't even know if the kid in this photo is really his.

But if you don't think he's telling the truth, then why haven't you told the FBI that you saw him?

Boo-yah.

You just got shrinked.

Boo-yah?

Mm-hmm.

You're so weird.

Thank you.

So, I think I'm starting to see a pattern here with Austin's newer students.

A lot of them used to work with this tutor named Matt Bogdan.

Losing clients means losing money.

Maybe we should talk to this Matt Bogdan guy.

Totes.

So Aubrey asked me to look into communications between Austin and his colleague, Matt.

And I found this online portal.

"Tutor Talk"?

Yeah.

I've looked through most of the messages and they're almost all work-related.

Hey, has Hodgins been acting different around you lately?

Um... this morning, he tried to get me to taste a mold culture.

So, no. Why?

He's just been poking his head in my office and then making excuses to leave when he sees me.

Hmm, he hasn't said anything to me about it, but...

(computer beeps)

Oh, hey, look.

There is a message from Matt to Austin.

"Dude, answer my calls.

"I'm asking one last time "to back off, or else.

My life depends on it."

Yeah, this was sent the day before Austin was killed.

I'll let Booth know.

(gasping): Oh, my God! Cam!

What? What?

(squealing)

No, no. What? What?

(squealing)

Oh, God.

(yelling)

Oh!

(yelling)

(screams)

(screaming)

Oh, God!

(screaming)

(yelling)

(blows)

(breathing heavily): I know Hodgins is your husband and your soul mate.

Um, but I...

No, no, we'll kill him together.

Yeah. This-this stays here.

(sighing): Yeah.

You wrote an Op-Ed for your college paper about how you bought an assault weapon in 15 minutes.

So, we know that you're comfortable acquiring guns.

Yeah, I'm for gun control.

I wrote this column to show how lax our system is.

That's why I want to go to law school.

Law school's expensive.

It must have been pretty stressful losing all those clients to Austin.

Please. Money is not an issue.

I do this job for the networking.

Networking?

With 15-year-olds?

With their parents.

There's no better in with Beltway insiders than their kids.

Wait, so the last client to switch from Matt to Austin was the daughter of the solicitor general.

That's... (blows) that's like, the most important lawyer in the country.

You must have been pretty desperate to maintain that networking opportunity.

(sighs)

Okay, yeah.

I did beg Austin to let me keep one student.

He refused.

But I would never murder him over it!

Come on.

You weren't just a little bit jealous of Austin being so much more talented than you?

No, see, that's the thing.

Austin wasn't a better tutor.

And denial is just a member of One Direction.

It's a guy in the band.

I know.

Seriously.

Look at our metrics.

Okay, my students saw their SAT scores increase by more points, on average, than Austin's.

And I never did really figure out what it was that parents preferred about him.

(indistinct chatter)

Hey, uh, has anyone seen Cam?

She's at home, showering and changing.

Fisher: Which means you should escape while you still can.

But first, swab results?

Nothing that indicates where Austin was knocked unconscious.

But I did find methylsulfonylmethane and vitamin C, two ingredients commonly used in anti-wrinkle cream.

Huh.

That's weird.

Austin's in his 20s.

Why would he be worried about aging?

Well, I didn't tell you where I found the particulates.

They were on his boxers, right by... let's just say his lower abdominal area.

Okay, so that means someone much older than him had their hands down his pants.

Oh, well, that explains it.

Explains what?

(computer beeping)

Why mothers prefer...

Austin's services over Matt's.

Yeah, I don't...

I...

Oh, my God, you guys. Really?

Come on. Austin's, like, a total hunk.

Objectively speaking, he does appear more virile.

Really?

Looks like one of the mothers at the tutoring place thought so, too.

Mm-hmm.

Brennan:

Dr. Fisher, on the scapulae and the left radius, I'm seeing blunt force trauma that suggests the victim was hit with some object with an angular edge.

Yes, the damage is consistent with a squared-off object, like a 2x4.

I concur.

How are you progressing with your skull reassembly?

In process.

How are you progressing with your audiobook?

Very well.

Hmm.

Not that it interests you.

Angela told you.

(Fisher sighs)

I am a contemptible fool for trusting her.

Tell me, what is it about my novels that you find so objectionable?

I don't know that I should speak frankly here.

But... from what little I've read, I find them to be cheap and lacking a certain perspicacity.

Perspicacity?

Yes, it's a common vocabulary word for my SAT students.

It means shrewdness, or insight.

I'm aware of what it means.

I merely thought it an interesting choice.

Hang on.

There is a slight contusion on this fragment of the frontal bone and its corresponding piece.

See that?

Just a small nick.

A slight puncture, conforming to the shape of a human incisor.

I've seen this injury profile in cases where the victim head-butted an attacker.

So the victim got into a fight shortly before he died.

Given the evidence of the hand cream, and if he was sleeping with married women, we might be looking for a jealous husband.

A melodrama worthy of one of your pulp novels.

Maybe that's enough speaking frankly for you today.

Look, this is all just a... a big misunderstanding.

Where's my wife?

She's with another agent, Mr. Mills.

But never mind her.

Austin was at your house the day he died.

ER records show that you checked yourself in for the broken nose that night.

No use denying that.

Look, I understand how enraged you must've been.

You found your son's tutor with your wife.

You killed him by accident?

No.

Look, he's the one that overreacted.

He head-butted me.

Hard.

So you fought back.

Hope your wife's telling the same story.

So, Mrs. Mills, how long have you been sleeping with Austin?

Please, call me Cornelia.

And I wasn't sleeping with Austin.

Come on, there's no reason to deny it.

We know that you had your hands down his pants.

Yeah.

I went for his goods because I knew that Gavin was about to walk through the door.

So you wanted your husband to catch you?

Gavin and I both run very stressful legal practices.

We need a release.

And there is nothing like that feeling of being caught in the act.

It's a horrible feeling.

My wife... gets off on taunting me with other men.

Of course, Austin's hardly the first.

No?

Oh, heck, no, no, there was the-the gardener, the pool guy, the piano tuner.

So Austin, he was the final straw.

No, this wasn't even the first time with Austin.

Usually, he just pushed her off, but... this time, Austin seemed different.

Angry.

He head-butted you.

A-And then he yelled something like, uh, "You people are all nuts.

"You think money means you can get away with everything.

I'm done."

Then Austin, uh, stormed out and that's the last that I saw of him.

Great, thank you, Mrs. Mills.

I told you, it's Cornelia.

Uh-huh, you're free to go.

We're gonna hold your husband for a little bit, check out his alibi.

But in the meantime, anything else that you may come up...

Why don't you give me your cell?

In case I do come up with something?

Hey.

Anything in Austin's files that suggests why he more stressed than usual?

He was juggling about 50 students, but that was normal.

I seriously doubt that.

In my tutoring days, I could juggle up to ten students.

To imagine Austin being five times more productive strains credulity.

(monitor beeps)

Montenegro: Yeah, that does seem like a lot.

Do you have something for me, Dr. Fisher?

Yes.

Hodgins got these swab results back from the blunt force trauma injuries.

And he had you deliver them?

I think he was afraid to see you.

But he did say whatever Austin was beaten with was made of stainless steel, and had trace of leather.

I'm thinking it was found in the Fifty Shades of Grey aisle.

Thank you for that image.

Fisher: Mm.

So these are Austin's client invoices.

All I have to do is let the computer scan the dates and times of the appointments.

That's odd.

It looks like he was regularly triple-booking clients.

Fisher: Oh, I see what's going on here.

Scams like this are running rampant.

Parents are paying cash-strapped college grads to take online classes for their kids.

So Austin's students were cheating?

Well, some of them might have been honest.

But he would've charged the cheaters extra.

Well, if that's true, Austin's boss, Amy, would certainly know about it.

Aubrey: Ms. Bryan, Special Agent Aubrey.

This is my colleague, Karen Delfs.

Hi.

You want to come on down?

This again.

Look, as I told your colleagues, we all want to help, but this is disrupting my students' learning environment.

Don't you mean disrupting the tutors that you have taking the students' classes for them?

I don't know what you're talking about.

Oh.

And I told your people already, we didn't see Austin the day he died.

So, I'm sorry, there's nothing more I can do for you.

Oh.

Look at that.

Is that dried blood?

Aubrey: Austin was injured by an object made of steel with traces of leather.

So kind of like these stairs, with shoe leather on them.

He fell down the stairs.

We're gonna have to ask you to come with us.

This learning environment you got here is now a crime scene.

Look, I'm only gonna ask you one last time.

What was Austin doing in the office the night that he died?

(door opens)

Cornelia: Amy, I would advise you not to answer any more questions.

Booth: Whoa.

I'm sorry, what are you doing?

I'll be representing Ms. Bryan.

My son is her client, so representing her in this matter is the least I can do.

She lied to us, you understand me?

Austin was gonna blow the whistle on her.

This is insane, I never spoke to Austin that day.

That's enough, Amy.

Agent Booth, what I'm hearing is that you have no physical evidence to tie my client to the murder, or to suggest her knowledge of Austin's cheating.

Well, it's difficult to believe Amy didn't know about it.

She was making money off of Austin's fraudulent work.

(rifling through papers)

Cornelia: I have something that you might want to see.

This is a list of each student Amy met with in her office the night of Austin's death, as well as stills from the security footage of Amy out to eat at a restaurant 30 miles away from where the body was found.

My client's alibi is documented and it is airtight.

Amy?

So, if that is all...

Or maybe it isn't all.

Agent Booth?

(door opens)

Weird.

Booth:

I'm gonna have the cheeseburger, side of fries.

Nothing for me, thanks.

Okay.

Nothing? Are you feeling okay?

I'm just not that hungry, that's all.

So, Dr. Brennan, how's the, uh, audiobook career coming?

Don't encourage her.

Very well, thank you.

I finished recording my audition and sent it in to my editor.

Hmm.

Cool. Let's hear it.

Booth: Oh, wow.

Sure.

Brennan (over phone): Andy and Kathy were in a predicament.

"Where are we?" Kathy asked.

(gruff voice):

"I'm not sure just yet,"

(normal voice): Andy said.

Booth: Hold on.

I'm sorry, that is your voice for Agent Andy?

Yes, that's exactly how I hear him in my head when I write.

Aubrey: No.

That is... really good.

It's really good.

Recording quality, super clear.

So the case?

Right.

So, look, even if Austin didn't actually see Amy the night that he died, based on what he said at the Mills', clearly, he went there ready to quit.

The question is, what happened outside those offices that stopped him from going inside?

This is a map of all the gunshots on the body.

What do the colors represent?

Each color corresponds with one of the five shots.

But it's still a little bit unclear.

Now, what if you take this image and place it on top of an overhead view of the crime scene, and then map out the areas where the pellets hit the ground?

Oh, that's a good idea.

(beeping)

Okay, this'll just take me a few seconds.

Hey, have you figured out what you're gonna do to Hodgins yet?

You sure you want to know?

(chuckles)

Oh, yeah, much clearer.

The killer fired while standing directly over the body.

The spray is too spread out.

Oof.

Okay, yeah, you're right.

It doesn't match.

Given the size of the spray range, the killer would've had to have shot from several meters overhead.

But not if the barrel was shortened.

What, like a sawed-off shotgun?

Exactly.

Adjust the simulation for a barrel length of...

30 centimeters.

Okay.

Yeah, that works.

But, wait, isn't it illegal to even own a sawed-off shotgun?

It is.

So we're not looking for someone with a gun used to hunt.

No, we're looking for somebody with a gun used to commit a crime.

Aubrey, didn't they tell you there's cake in the break room?

Look at that, huh?

Hey, no, I'm okay.

(plate thuds on chair)

Okay, that's it.

What the hell's wrong with you?

Come on.

(exhales)

All right, look, I don't want this to interfere with work, but you know that my dad is back in the country.

Yeah, I know, we got people out there looking for him.

Yeah, no, I know, it's just, uh... it's on my mind, that's all.

Anyway, uh, this is every case file for crimes committed in the past year involving a sawed-off shotgun.

There's a lot of them.

You can throw out any of the, uh, gun-holders that were arrested, right?

You can't kill someone if you're already in prison.

That's for sure.

Oh. Wow.

(clears throat)

Thick, eh?

You know, my old man, he was a piece of work.

Yeah, he drank, right?

Yeah.

He drank, and he beat the crap out of me and my brother, till Pops took us in.

I guess neither one of us drew very well in the fatherhood lottery.

Well, you know, with my dad, he died a while back.

I never got a chance to really confront him.

Tell him how I really feel, you know, man-to-man.

Look, Booth, let's just suppose that I know where my dad...

Stop talking.

All I'm saying is, when we do bring your father in, maybe you'll get a chance for some closure.

Well, look at this.

I think I got something.

What is it?

Convenience store robbery about a month ago.

This look like anyone that we know?

It's Austin's roommate, Benny.

Yeah, he's got the same weapon that was used to kill his friend.

So, looks like your best bud Austin was murdered with a sawed-off shotgun.

You recognize that cashier?

Because he recognized you.

Picked you out of a lineup, no problem.

I get it, this looks bad.

But like I told you, I would never, ever hurt Austin.

What are you saying? Is this some kind of coincidence?

No. You say it was a sawed-off?

Then, yeah, it was my gun that killed him.

Look, I fell in with the wrong people, into some bad things that I shouldn't have.

Austin, he found out.

He was pissed.

He called me on it, he told me I was better than that.

So he was gonna turn you in.

You and your buddies decided to shut him up?

No. Austin was no snitch.

No. He took the gun from me, and the ammo, and he hid it.

He was holding the sawed-off.

One of the parents must have found it and--

You know what? I'm getting sick and tired of you pointing the finger at everyone except yourself.

You're right.

It was my gun.

And I have to live with that.

But I didn't kill him.

You think it was one of his students, Benny?

No. No. Those kids, they idolized him.

I used to joke, those rich kids were just a paycheck.

Austin, he made them feel like it was something else, like they were friends or something, you know?

They loved him.

I'm telling you, look at the parents.

Dr. Brennan, you found something?

Take a look at this injury on the left humerus.

Blunt force trauma.

Most likely from falling down the stairs.

Perhaps. But there are far more hairline fractures surrounding the site than on the other stair-related injuries.

So you think something else caused it?

I should have Dr. Hodgins swab the wound site immediately.

You know what?

Let me take it to him.

It's time he and I had a little chat.

Dr. Hodgins, Dr. Brennan wanted you to look for trace in this injury she found on the humerus.

Yeah. Sure. I'm on it.

Also, I thought we should talk.

Right.

So how much trouble am I in?

Oh, please, Dr. Hodgins.

Actually, I-- I'm looking at this little episode as an opportunity for self-reflection.

You are?

Well, the fact that one of my colleagues was so afraid of me that he would cover up a spider infestation in my office makes me think I should reconsider my management style.

So you're just gonna forgive me?

Well, either that, or I wait until you're lulled into a sense of security-- maybe days, maybe months.

And then when you least expect it, exact my revenge.

Are you serious?

Come on, Cam.

That anticipation, that's just cruel.

Almost like living in constant fear that there might be a spider crawling in your hair?

You might want to hurry up with the swab.

You don't want to keep me waiting.

We searched Benny's place high and low.

No sign of the murder weapon.

Well, maybe he was telling the truth.

I might have something.

Benny said that all the students really adored Austin, right?

That they thought the world of him.

They thought of him as more of a friend than a tutor.

Which means none of them had motive to kill.

Except that I've worked hundreds of stalking cases, and nine times out of ten it's not the overtly threatening type that you want to be worried about, 'cause, see, they're getting their aggression out through their words.

The ones that should scare you--

Are the ones who express their affection.

So what you're saying, maybe if a student was attached enough to Austin--

Then that student would be very upset to find out that Austin was leaving.

Aubrey, get a list of all the kids who were at the tutoring office that night.

So I should just...

Okay.

(speaking indistinctly)

You know?

Oh, great. Now what?

Just need to ask your son a couple follow- up questions, that's all.

Uh, no. Sorry. We already told you everything we know.

Except Jacob failed to mention that he was at the tutoring offices the night that Austin died.

I didn't lie. I told you I had a question about physics, but Austin wouldn't pick up.

So I rode my bike over to see if Amy could help.

There. He answered your question.

Now could you please leave?

Oh, hold on for a second.

Bones, take a look at that bag, will you?

Shape seems right.

It corresponds to the injury I found on the humerus.

What is she talking about?

Our lab found axle grease on Austin's body.

If Jacob put his bike inside Austin's trunk along with the body, the peg could have pressed up against Austin's humerus.

Booth, there's blood residue all over this bike.

Okay. You have no right to be here.

You saw Austin outside the tutoring offices that night, didn't you?

He told you he was gonna quit.

Well, I asked him if we'd still hang out.

He said no. He said I was nothing but a paycheck to him.

That must have made you mad.

Jacob, what did you do?

I didn't do anything.

All right, he's the one who picked a fight.

I-I didn't mean for him to fall down the stairs.

But after he did...

You drove him to a bad part of town and you shot up his body so it wouldn't look like an accident.

Jacob, tell them they're wrong.

Mom, would you just shut up?

I just-- I didn't--

I didn't want to lose everything I worked for.

He called me a paycheck.

Hey. I figured if I waited here long enough, you'd show up.

It's safe for us?

Does this mean you've thought about things?

That, uh, you're gonna help me?

Not you. This kid.

I thought about how I grew up, seeing your face on the news, seeing Mom cry.

I wouldn't wish that childhood on anyone.

You know, I never would have left if I didn't think you could handle it... that you'd turn out to be such a good man.

And I was right.

I'm proud of you, James.

You're one of the only good things I've ever done in my life.

You know, a friend of mine says that people can change.

Maybe he's right.

But I'm just not ready to believe in you.

Philip Aubrey, you're under arrest.

This was a mistake, James.

Sir...

Oh, and one more thing.

Don't ever take credit for how I turned out. Okay?

Any good in me was despite having you as a father.

Let's go.

I know this was hard, but you did the right thing.

(sighs)

Did I?

I put a call over to my friend at the State Department.

He just got back to me.

They don't know who this kid is.

That's not your dad's son.

Can I get my friend a burger over here, please?

Come on, I'm good. Really.

Double cheese.

Okay. Maybe a shake?

Two milkshakes.

Knock-knock. How are you?

Cam wants you to sign off on this forensic report.

Thank you. You're free to go for the evening.

Have a good night.

Actually, before you do, earlier you critiqued my work as lacking perspicacity.

Perhaps I was a bit too harsh.

I assure you, my skin is quite thick, in the metaphorical sense.

However, the word choice triggered a memory.

Years ago, my editor sent me stories written by readers in the style of my books-- fan fiction.

Oh, fan fiction. Yeah.

Most of them were quite terrible.

But one story at least got the science right.

It was called "The Perspicacity in the Bones."

That's ironic.

Memorably bad title.

The plot centered around a tormented intern who...

Had an affair with his boss.

Uh, Dr. Brennan...

(chuckles):

...if I may...

I ran a computer analysis...

No, you didn't. of the prose from that story with work you've written for me.

The result was conclusive.

Yeah.

You've not only read my novels, but you were once a devoted fan of them.

You're gonna tell Angela and Hodgins about this, aren't you?

That would be needlessly cruel.

Thank you.

I think it's enough for us to know that despite your apathetic affectations, there are things in this world that bring you joy.

I am in a hell of my own making.

(door opens)

Hey, Bones, you're just in time.

Christine, she's brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed.

Excellent. How's Aubrey?

Oh, he'll be okay, he's fine.

He's already 12 doughnuts in.

Listen, I've been thinking.

I think it's great that you're sending in your audition tape.

You know what? You're-you're challenging yourself.

Actually, I destroyed it.

What? Why?

As an author, I can read my audience, and everything I need to know about my future as a voice actor was evident in Aubrey's demeanor today.

Oh, that kid's got no poker face.

Besides, someone else reminded me that my work has already touched many people, no matter how you read it.

Speaking of which, all right, there's a big fan of yours in the back room there that would love to hear a reading from you.

Oh, you think?

(scoffs): For sure.

Really? Well, if I start with my latest novel, that might be too confusing.

Maybe my first book.

Whoa. Wait a second.

Are you serious?

That's a little dark for a six-year-old.

No. My plots are no darker than your average fairy tale.

Bones, you're talking about brutal murders here.

In the original Cinderella, two doves peck the eyes out of the stepsisters.

I don't remember that in the movie.

Well, it's in the original short story, which I've already read her.

What?

Okay. Don't judge me, Booth.

When I described the pecking out of the eyes, I did so in a tasteful manner.

Tasteful? There's nothing tasteful about...