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"The Headless Witch in the Woods"

Episode 2x10

Written by: Karine Rosenthal & Stephen Nathan

Directed by: Tony Wharmby

Transcribed by traciepwns

TEASER

(Open: George Washington National Forest. Brennan and Booth trek through the forest with a forest ranger that has roped off a crime scene)

BRENNAN: It’s getting thicker and thicker in here.

RANGER EDISON: That’s why a forensic team got lost. I’ve sent somebody back to find them.

BOOTH: Look, you sure you know where you’re going?

RANGER EDISON: I still have trouble and I’ve been here for three years. That’s why we advise hikers to stay away.

BOOTH: I know, I’m pining for concrete. You just, uh, you stay close, alright Bones? (Brennan walks away from Booth and finds some kind of talisman in a tree) I don’t want you to get caught out here when it gets dark. Okay? (he looks around for her, but doesn't see her anywhere) Bones? Bones? Where the hell are you? Bones?

BRENNAN: I’m right here, Booth.

BOOTH: Don’t do that, alright?

BRENNAN: What?

BOOTH: Take off like that, okay. You heard the guy.

BRENNAN: I saw this, some sort of talisman. These are bones from a bird and the coloring on that ornament looks like dried blood. There are more of them, too.

BOOTH: Geez, they look like eyes. Okay, this is weird. You see a lot of these?

RANGER EDISON: Not me, but I‘ve heard some other folks have come across some pretty strange stuff in here. Word is, it‘s Maggie Cinders.

BRENNAN: There’s a woman who lives out here?

RANGER EDISON: Did. Died in 1780. Folks around here thought she was a witch and beheaded her. Legend is, she still haunts the woods, looking for her severed head.

BRENNAN: And you believe this, Ranger Edison?

RANGER EDISON: Look, I’m just telling you what I heard.

BOOTH: Yeah, I‘d prefer we keep moving, okay?

RANGER EDISON: This is one of the only clearings around here. The pit was covered with sticks and leaves. One of the hikers fell in on the body, freaked and ran. Maggie Cinders did say she‘d kill anybody who dared to look for her.

BRENNAN: So you talked to Ms. Cinders? That must have been difficult since she doesn’t have a head. Bag the eyes. Give me a hand.

BOOTH: You want me to go down there with you?

BRENNAN: No. I don’t want the remains compromised.

BOOTH: Alright?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

BOOTH: So, uh, how’d she kill them? You know in the legend?

RANGER EDISON: Like she was killed. She cuts off their heads.

BRENNAN: Iliac crest and pubis show it’s a male. Epiphyseal fusion puts him between 18 and 25 years old. He‘s on a - a video camera.

BOOTH: Okay, cause of death?

BRENNAN: Well, since I can’t find a skull, I’d say - his head got cut off.

(Cut to: Medico-Legal-Lab – Forensics Platform. Brennan, Zack and Cam are examining the body)

CAM: Since we don’t have a head, do we have enough for an identification?

ZACK: We’ll look for older injuries that might be found in medical records.

BRENNAN: More wood splinters.

CAM: Could have been the handle of whatever lopped off his head.

ZACK: If a ghost isn’t comprised of matter, but is merely ectoplasm, which is actually the clear outer layer of cytoplasm on amoeboid cells, how can the victim have suffered bruising and multiple fractures?

BRENNAN: Because there are no such things as ghosts.

CAM: I thought you never jump to conclusions.

BRENNAN: Well, it’s safe to dismiss fantasy and deluded perceptions.

CAM: My mother came to me the day after she died. I wasn’t some kid, I was 23. She came to me- She came to me and told me to look in her dresser, third drawer, behind her pink blouse. There was something there for me.

(She shows the necklace she is wearing to Brennan and Zack – Zack looks a bit unnerved as Hodgins enters)

HODGINS: The European hornet queen I found on the remains puts time of death at November of last year.

ZACK: We have more splinters.

HODGINS: The wood is from a Betula Uber, a sub-species of round leaf birch tree that’s been extinct since 1800. The legend says that Maggie Cinders kills her victims with the same old axe used to decapitate her - in 1783. Anyone else feeling tingly, or is it just me?

(Booth enters)

BOOTH: I checked missing persons. A film student from UVA went missing in the woods last year. He was making a documentary on the Maggie Cinders legend. Graham Hastings, 21, 5'10”, 176 pounds.

CAM: That explains the video camera.

ANGELA: I, um, I got something from the videotape.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Angela's Office. The gang is gathered around Angela's computer)

ANGELA: I cleaned the section of the tape with an isopropyl alcohol solution and fed whatever digital information I could salvage into a restoration program. I didn’t get much-maybe I got too much.

(Cut to the video: A girl is in the woods at night, screaming)

LORI: Where’s Brian?! Where's Brian!

GRAHAM: Lori, wait where are you going? Lori, stop! Stop, Lori!

LORI: Brian! Bri-! (she screams)

(Cut to: Brennan watches as Cam grabs for Booth's hand. She looks a bit surprised or hurt.)

(Cut back to the video: Graham looks into the camera. He's scared.)

GRAHAM: Oh, God. The noises are getting closer. I’ve lost Lori and Brian disappeared. Oh God. It’s her. I can hear her. She’s here. She’s here! Oh God, she’s here! Lori, where the hell are you?! Lori! (there's a chopping sound – possibly from an axe?) Oh my God. Help! Help me, oh God! Oh God, somebody help me! (his face gets splattered with blood) Somebody help me, please! (he screams)

ACT ONE

(Cut to: Medico-Legal-Lab – Forensics Platform)

ZACK: I just keep hearing the screams. I never heard screams like that, Dr. Brennan.

BRENNAN: Neither have I. Narrow focus trauma on the left humerus, posterior side.

ZACK: Indicates an attempt by the victim to shield his head.

HODGINS: From the axe attack. What? It’s always an axe, isn’t it? Remember The Shining“?

ZACK: My palms perspired profusely during that film.

BRENNAN: Until we complete a series of blade comparison tests, there’s no way to know what type of weapon was used.

(Cam enters)

CAM: Forensic team found this near the pit. (she shows Hodgins a bag of what appears to be dirt)

HODGINS: Looks organic. Definitely decomposing.

CAM: Victim’s preliminary tox screen came back negative. No drugs.

HODGINS: That’s too bad.

CAM: Why?

HODGINS: Because drugs would explain the writings I found inside Graham’s backpack. I’m cleaning them and taking mud samples, but I think Booth should show them to a profiler. They’re handwritten, scrawled. So far all I can make out is: “Maggie came to me again, calling me“. And last but not least, “They will scream for air, but their lungs will fill with blood.“

CAM: I’ll - redo the tox screen.

BRENNAN: I may be alone in this, but I think one of us should remain a rational human being during this investigation. (goes back to examining the remains) Got it. Comminuted fracture to the ulna, professionally set.

ZACK: From the degree of callous formation, that’s a childhood injury.

BRENNAN: One that could give us the ID we want. I’ll call Booth. Tell him to contact next of kin. Zack, place some garlic around the remains and chant the Hmong ritual for preservation of souls.

ZACK: Really?

BRENNAN: (shakes her head in disbelief) This is going to be a long case.

(Cut to: FBI – Booth's Office. Booth and Brennan are meeting with Will Hastings – Graham's brother. Brennan is looking at xrays)

WILL: Graham broke his arm - sliding into second base. Um, he was - 8.

BRENNAN: It’s a match. I’m very sorry.

WILL: Thanks. I - can’t say that I’m surprised. He, um - he was missing for a year, but still, when you hear....It was just us, you know. My parents died in a car accident, I was 18, he was 13 and, uh- When something like that happen, when you lose your parents at that age, it’s just people don’t understand how close you become.

BRENNAN: I lost mine when I was 15. It was just - me and my brother, too. He was 19.

WILL: Sorry.

BRENNAN: Did Graham live with relatives or did he go into foster care?

WILL: God no, I would never let him go into the system. I, uh - I dropped out of college, I joined the fire department to support him. Your brother didn’t-

BRENNAN: It was a difficult situation for him.

WILL: I understand. I mean, you know, seems like you turned out okay, though.

BOOTH: Do you know who Graham was with the night he disappeared?

WILL: Yeah. A couple of film students from school. There was a guy and a girl. I tried to get the guy, Brian, his name was, to help with the search, but he-he was too freaked to go back into the woods. I mean, I’ve never seen someone so scared.

BRENNAN: So you were involved with the search?

WILL: I’ve led a lot of Search and Rescue operations as a firefighter. Um, I should have found him.

BRENNAN: It’s not your fault.

WILL: I should have locked him in his damn room. I mean, everyone knows weird things happen in those woods.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Zack's Office)

ZACK: The chatter marks mean the vertebrae weren’t split in one blow.

CAM: Makes sense. Hacking off someone’s head is more like cutting down a small tree than splitting a log.

ZACK: I find your imagery both colorful and accurate.

CAM: Thank you. Let me know when you’ve narrowed down the weapon category.

ZACK: Dr. Saroyan? When you say your mother visited you?

CAM: She appeared. In my room. It was early evening.

ZACK: And you were frightened?

CAM: No, I felt - loved.

ZACK: Dr. Brennan says that’s impossible.

CAM: What do you think?

ZACK: I think it would be wonderful if it were possible.

(Hodgins enters)

HODGINS: I found rust flakes on the neck that were from hand forged iron.

CAM: 18th century.

HODGINS: You got it.

(Zack chops into a wood block using a machete)

CAM: My God. A little warning, Zack.

ZACK: I don’t usually announce each phase of my experiments.

CAM: Yeah. Maybe you should start.

HODGINS: Nice follow-through, dude.

ZACK: It doesn’t look like it was a machete.

(Zack chops into a wood block using an axe. Hodgins picks up a long sword.)

HODGINS: Dibs on the next weapon.

CAM: Looks like you have this under control. (she leaves)

(Cut to: Booths' Car – Brennan is looking out the window while Booth is talking.)

BOOTH: Graham had a fellowship with the school. It was a free ride worth about 30 grand a year. Brian, the other kid - you know, from the woods? He applied for it and lost out to Graham. After Graham disappeared, the fellowship went to Brian. Hm. Did you hear me?

BRENNAN: Yeah. Doesn’t look good for Brian Andrews.

BOOTH: You okay?

BRENNAN: I - I wonder what my life would have been like if Russ had raised me.

BOOTH: Well, you know, since he was a petty thief - you know, in and out of jail all the time – I’d - I’d imagine it wouldn’t have been very good.

BRENNAN: If he’d accepted responsibility for raising me - I’m romanticizing. It’s foolish.

BOOTH: Everyone does it, Bones, okay? It’s normal.

BRENNAN: It’s a useless fantasy, no different than the childish legend about the headless woman. I mean, look at Will. He sacrificed everything for his brother and still couldn’t save him. By walking out, maybe Russ gave me my life.

BOOTH: But you know what Will said, he was right. You turned out okay.

BRENNAN: I’m going to have coffee with him.

BOOTH: Mmm. That was quick.

BRENNAN: He understands something no one else I know does. People need connection, Booth. Even me. Obviously, you have one with Cam. So -

BOOTH: What?

BRENNAN: I thought you’d mention it. I mean, isn’t that what partners do? Tell each other about their lives?

BOOTH: Wait a second. Look, Bones, I-

BRENNAN: Sorry. I’m sorry. I forgot how self-conscious you are talking about sex.

BOOTH: I am not- I’m- (Booth is speechless)

(Cut to: University Campus – Editing Room. Booth is Questioning Brian)

BRIAN: Graham was kind of the star at school so we all wanted to work with him.

BOOTH: And he thought the legend was true.

BRIAN: Said that Maggie Cinders was talking to him in his dreams. She told him where her head was buried.

BOOTH: And you believed him, too?

BRIAN: Not at first. When we were out there in the woods- stuff like that doesn’t happen.

BOOTH: What kind of stuff?

BRIAN: Chopping sounds. There were these eyes hanging on all of the trees. Something was moving out there that wasn’t us. Look, I know what you’re thinking, but you weren’t out there. Okay, Lori, she freaked. She took off into nowhere. And that’s when we all got separated.

BOOTH: Okay look, the police report said that you brought Lori out of the woods.

BRIAN: When I found Lori, she was just curled up on the ground, shaking.

BOOTH: So you took her out of the woods, but you left Graham?

BRIAN: I thought he had left us. Okay, you don’t get it what it was like out there.

BOOTH: His brother asked you to go on the search with him but you didn’t go. Why didn’t you go?

BRIAN: I’m not proud of myself, okay? But I just couldn’t go back out there. I couldn’t.

BOOTH: Uh, Lori seemed to have disappeared from school. You wouldn’t happen to know where we could find her?

BRIAN: I haven’t seen her since that night. The last I heard, she checked back into the psych ward.

(Cut to: Psychiatric Hospital – Courtyard. Booth is sitting with Lori Mueller)

LORI: I checked back in because I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t slept for days.

BOOTH: Thanks for meeting with me, Lori.

LORI: Sure. There’s not much else to do in here.

BOOTH: Hey, do you mind if I ask you what happened that night in the woods?

LORI: I’ve told the police everything. But Graham is the only one that can make things right. He just got a little lost in there but when he gets back, he’s going to make sure that I’m safe again.

BOOTH: Graham. He promised to take care of you?

LORI: Well, sure. He’s my boyfriend. He doesn’t want anything to happen to me.

BOOTH: Your boyfriend?

LORI: (whispering) We keep it a secret. Other girls get jealous. Everyone loves Graham. Did - did you go into the woods? Is that why you’re here?

BOOTH: Yeah.

LORI: You found Graham? He said he was going to talk to Maggie. Is that where you found him?

BOOTH: He wasn’t with Maggie.

LORI: Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no....(she starts to get upset)

BOOTH: Lori? Lori, calm down.

LORI: She killed him!

BOOTH: Sorry, Lori. We need to know what happened.

LORI: That’s what happened.

BOOTH: We need to know what happened to him.

LORI: Did she take his head? Oh God, no! The blood! I- I called for help, but Brian wasn’t there!

(Orderly arrives to restrain Lori)

ORDERLY: Alright, relax. Relax, Lori. You’re safe.

LORI: (hysterical)There was so. Much. blood! I tried to run! Graham! Graham, she’s coming! Run, Graham! Graham!

ACT TWO

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Booth & Brennan are walking down a hallway)

BOOTH: She freaked, Bones. It was like she was out there in the woods with that witch.

BRENNAN: Don’t let anyone else hear you talking like that, Booth.

BOOTH: I’m just saying. You know, I’ve seen a lot of weird things. It was, like, you know Exorcist weird or Elm Street weird.

BRENNAN: What are you talking about now?

( they start up the stairs to enter the platform)

BOOTH: They’re movies. Okay, Bones? Movies so scary that you know, pee in your pants.

BRENNAN: Good to know.

ZACK: I – I noticed some damage to the subdeltoid bursa. Looks like the subscapularis was torn away.

BRENNAN: They’re fracture lines. This was a postmortem trauma.

BOOTH: Meaning what?

BRENNAN: The victim’s shoulder was dislocated just after his death.

ZACK: The injury doesn’t fit into our established scenario of the struggle.

BRENNAN: These marks, near the vertebrocostal junction, there’s massive hinge fracturing. Zack, lie down on the ground.

ZACK: Face up or face down?

BRENNAN: Face up.

BOOTH: This should be good.

BRENNAN: And give me your right arm. Okay. (she starts to drag him) If Graham Hastings was dragged to the pit by this arm in this direction, the trauma to the back of his ribs would result in hinging.

ZACK: And the exposed wound where the head was severed would have been collecting particulates along the way.

BRENNAN: (helping Zack back up) Tell Hodgins we might have enough for him to determine where the victim was beheaded.

BOOTH: Oh, yeah! Double yeah. I’m waiting to hear from the psych ward to see if we can talk to Lori again.

BRENNAN: Well, I’ll ask Will what type of relationship Graham and Lori really had when I have coffee with him.

BOOTH: Whoa. Wait a second. You know, we’re investigating his brother’s death. I mean, don’t you think that can get a little messy?

BRENNAN: I can compartmentalize. Same as you.

(Cam enters)

BOOTH: Mm.

CAM: The blood on those talisman things hanging from the trees? Not human.

Brennan (turns to leave): I’ll be back soon.

(Cut to: Resturant. Brennan and Will are sat outside, having coffee.)

WILL: I just want to thank you for everything you’re doing to find out what happened to Graham.

BRENNAN: Is that why you called? To thank me for doing my job?

WILL: That and, uh- I didn’t think you‘d come, so I guess I’m a little nervous (he takes a sip of coffee).

BRENNAN: Caffeine affects the adenosine receptors in the brain. It causes increased heart rate, so-

WILL: There are other causes.

BRENNAN: My partner warned me to stay focused on the case, so-

WILL: If you’ve got questions, that’s cool.

BRENNAN: Okay, um, what kind of music do you like?

WILL: (laughs) That’s a good question. Um- Snow Patrol. And Leonard Cohen, I like Leonard Cohen.

BRENNAN: Gravel voice, but somehow it’s soothing.

WILL: Yeah, I wonder why that is.

BRENNAN: There’s actually no empirical way of assessing something like - that. But you didn’t mean that literally, did you? (They smile)

WILL: Uh-uh.

BRENNAN: I’m sorry. My - my social skills are very limited.

WILL: Trust me. They’re fine.

BRENNAN: You know, it took a long time for me to understand how my brother could leave and now it’s just as odd to meet someone who stayed.

WILL: I thought about leaving all the time. I mean, I was a kid. I didn’t know how to be a parent. I guess it was my fault that his head got so big, and he was bossing people around like he was already Steven Spielberg.

BRENNAN: Graham couldn’t have been all bad. I mean, my partner says that Lori seemed to love him.

WILL: Poor kid. I liked her. She deserved better.

BRENNAN: Graham didn’t treat her well?

WILL: No. He juggled a lot of girls. I don’t know how he did it, but no one ever found out about each other.

BRENNAN: So he cheated on her?

WILL: Doesn’t run in the family, by the way.

BRENNAN: I have to get back to work.

(she gets up to leave)

WILL: Did I say something?

Brennan: Maybe.

WILL: If I’ve offended you in any way, I’m sorry.

BRENNAN: (she stops and turns back towards Will) Do you like Massive Attack?

WILL: I don’t know Massive Attack.

BRENNAN: Very impressive integration of radical politics into their music. I’ll play them for you next time.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Angela's Office. She's blasting music while watching the video – Hodgins enters and touches her shoulder. She screams.)

HODGINS: (talking loudly over the music) I know where Graham Hastings was murdered.

(Angela turns off the music)

ANGELA: Are you trying to kill me?

HODGINS: What’s with the music?

ANGELA: It helps muffle the screams so I don’t pass out every few seconds.

HODGINS: Smart. We have to go through all the video again. Hastings was killed in a patch of eastern hemlocks like this. They grow in clusters throughout the forest. We have to spot the cluster Graham and the others were near.

ANGELA: Wait. We have to go through all the video again?

HODGINS: Don’t worry. I’m right here for you.

(They start to watch the video)

GRAHAM: There is no way that this is natural. I mean, it’s like - it’s like, she left this here for us. Like, like a guide or something, you know?

LORI: Make it stop.

GRAHAM: Lori. Lori.

(Lori starts to freak out)

LORI: Make - Make it stop!

BRIAN:Graham, there’s something seriously wrong with Lori, okay? We should go back.

(We see Brian)

GRAHAM: No, this is a -

(Lori screams)

LORI: No! No!

BRIAN:What is this?

(Angela grabs Hodgins hand)

LORI: Make it go away! Make it stop! Noooo.

BRIAN:Come on! Let’s go!

(There are chopping sounds and we see blood running down a tree trunk.)

LORI: No, Graham! No!

(Cut to: Medico-Legal-Lab – Brennan is examing Graham's bones in a different room. Booth is with her)

BRENNAN: Lori was not Graham’s only girlfriend. He had lots of girlfriends, but he somehow managed to keep them secret from each other.

BOOTH: So what would happen if a very jealous Lori found out?

BRENNAN: I don’t know. That’s, that's more your territory.

BOOTH: What? What? What, am I cheating?

Brennan (smiles): I just meant that you use psychology. You’re very touchy. Perhaps because of all your skulking around.

BOOTH: I am discreet, okay? It’s different. A gentleman is discreet, okay?

(We realize that Zack has been in the room the whole time, between Booth and Brennan)

ZACK: What are we talking about?

Booth (to Zack): Nothing that concerns you.

ZACK: But I’m quite literally in the middle of the conversation and it seems very interesting. (Booth glares at him) However, your glaring indicates that I shouldn’t press for further information.

BOOTH: Mm-hmm. Good genius, yeah. So, Lori loves Graham. He thinks he loves her but finds out that he doesn’t, so she goes all O.J. on him. Ah, that’s a perfect cover, right? “Headless witch did it, not me.“ The whole insanity thing might be an act.

ZACK: But the victim sustained extensive defensive wounds. This was a very powerful attacker.

BOOTH: Oh, you know, when a woman finds out that a man has been cheating on her, she can get pretty mad.

(Brennan and Zack look at Booth)

BOOTH: That’s what I heard. Okay, look, we got motive and opportunity, It fits.

BRENNAN: No, it doesn’t fit. Graham Hastings was 5' 10” and 176 pounds. Lori is 120, tops. The injuries aren’t consistent with a woman Lori Mueller’s size.

(Cam enters)

CAM: Of course, people on PCP have been known to exhibit extraordinary strength.

BOOTH: PCP? Who was on PCP?

CAM: Hodgins‘ report on the organic matter from the baggy found at the scene showed that it contained psilocybe mushrooms injected with phencyclidine.

BOOTH: Whoa, what a trip.

ZACK: Well, if Lori ingested those it’s possible she could’ve caused Graham’s injuries.

CAM: Not to mention, combining dissociative anesthetics with hallucinogenic compounds- can have a devastating effect on people with fragile brain chemistry.

BRENNAN: So her mental condition is probably genuine.

BOOTH: You know what, I’m going to go talk to my good old buddy Brian, see if he knows anything about the Magical Mystery Tour that Lori might’ve been on that night.

(Cut to: University Campus – Editing Room. Brian and his film professor, Nate Gibbons, are sitting and editing a film)

BOOTH: Hey, Brian.

BRIAN: Hey, Agent Booth. This is Nate Gibbons, my film teacher. (To Gibbons) This is Agent Booth, I told you about.

NATE: Hello.

BOOTH: Hi.

(They shake hands)

NATE: You’re here about Graham Hastings.

BOOTH: Yeah. Was he, uh, one of your students?

NATE: Yes. He was an incredibly gifted kid. What happened out there was horrible.

BOOTH: Mm.

BRIAN: What are you doing here again?

BOOTH: You want to find out what happened to Graham, don’t you?

BRIAN: Of course.

BOOTH: Yeah. So what were we watching? That’s pretty cool.

BRIAN: Nothing, really. It’s this film I’m doing for, uh, my degree.

NATE: Brian’s being modest. He wrote and directed an amazing modern take on the Gilgamesh story.

BRIAN: Uh, Nate produced it. I got it accepted into Sundance.

BOOTH: Oh, congratulations. (to Nate) If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Brian alone.

NATE: Sure. We’ll finish up later.

BRIAN: Alright.

NATE: Call me if you need anything.

BOOTH: Mhm.

(Gibbons exits)

BOOTH: Brian. Listen, we have evidence suggesting that, um, Lori was taking drugs that night in the woods.

BRIAN: No. Those woods are too thick. We knew that we had to keep our heads on straight.

BOOTH: So as far as you know, Lori Mueller wasn’t under the influence of any hallucinogens.

BRIAN: No-

BOOTH: When she was with Graham, was she violent?

BRIAN: No way.

BOOTH: Did you know that Graham was cheating on her?

BRIAN: Man, that was none of my business. Sure, Graham was a hound and everyone knew it.

BOOTH: Maybe Lori found out, got angry with Graham.

BRIAN: No, okay? There’s no way, it wasn’t her, okay? Whacked out or not, it wasn’t her. There was something else out there that night.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Angela's Office. Angela and Hodgins are rewatching the video footage. Lori and Brian walking through the forest)

LORI: Where are we going? I can’t see.

BRIAN: Don’t worry, just stay close.

(Angela closes her eyes and leans against Hodgins shoulder)

LORI: What is-

HODGINS: You’re supposed to be looking for eastern hemlock. It’s much more effective with your eyes open.

ANGELA: I just know what’s going to happen here, okay? This is where they freak out because they hear the witch.

(On the video, there is a chopping sounds and Lori screams.)

ANGELA: Wait. There. (they pause the video on Lori in front of a tree) Did you see that?

HODGINS: Yeah. But where are they? Go, go forward. Stop. (They stop on a tree.) Dense crown, fine branches, scaly bark and wide ridges. Those are eastern hemlocks. Love your eyes. Now we need a landmark.

(They got back to watching the video)

BRIAN:You have to be quiet, okay? There’s something out here.

LORI: No! NO!

HODGINS: Wait a minute, wait a minute. (they stop the video on Lori’s watch) 2:37 a. m.

ANGELA: So?

HODGINS: We have a date plus an exact time. I – I can estimate the position of the moon from shadowing patterns on the forest floor. We should be able to get the approximate latitude and longitude.

(They got back to watching the video)

BRIAN:Graham, leave the camera!

GRAHAM: Run, Lori!

(Lori screams)

HODGINS: Let’s just work out the coordinates.

ANGELA: Yeah.

(Open: George Washington National Forest. Brennan and Booth are back at the crime scene in the woods with the Ranger.)

RANGER EDISON: The axe was found buried over there.

BRENNAN: Dried blood on the trunk.

(Brennan shines a black light on the tree trunk)

BOOTH: Whoa. Make that a lot of dried blood on the trunk.

BRENNAN: Someone should do a scraping here. Where’d you find the skull?

RANGER EDISON: Buried just behind those bushes. But there’s something else.

(The Ranger brings them to another area)

BOOTH: Second skull.

RANGER EDISON: I’m afraid so.

BRENNAN: Are there any other outstanding cases in the area?

BOOTH: No. There aren’t.

ACT THREE

(Cut to: Medico-Legal-Lab – Forensics Platform)

BRENNAN: Based on bony architecture this skull’s consistent with that of Graham Hastings.

CAM: I’ll confirm with the blood from the axe.

HODGINS: And the other skull?

ZACK: Female. Mid-30s at the time of death - which was between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries.

HODGINS: This axe handle is birch. Betula Uber. Same extinct species as the wood fragments we found in the bone.

ANGELA: Almost done with her face.

BRENNAN: Why are you spending time on that? It won’t help the case.

HODGINS: Come on. Let the kids have some fun, Mom.

ZACK: Both skulls have depressed fractures on the parietal bones. They could’ve been killed with a blow to the head before they were decapitated.

BRENNAN: In Graham’s case, yes, but on the female skull - there’s evidence of new growth what looks like - this person underwent trepanation.

ZACK: An antiquated form of brain surgery.

HODGINS: Practiced in the 1700s on those suspected of witchcraft.

CAM: Do you think that skull is your Maggie Cinders?

HODGINS: Of course not. I mean, there’s no way to know, right? I’m just saying. It’s interesting.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Brennan's Office. She's taking a book off the shelf as Booth enters)

BOOTH: Hey, Bones? You know those papers that Hodgins found in Graham Hastings backpack?

BRENNAN: His hallucinogenic ramblings?

BOOTH: Mhm. You got it. They were written on the back of the pages from his screenplay.

BRENNAN: I don’t see the significance. Graham was a film student, of course he wrote screenplays.

BOOTH: Yeah, but this was a modern-day take on the Gilgamesh story. The same story that Brian Andrews is using for his film.

BRENNAN: He stole Graham’s screenplay.

(Cut to: FBI – Interrogation Room. Booth & Brennan are questioning Brian Andrews. Booth lays out the pages that they found on the table)

BOOTH: Look familiar?

BRIAN: Where - where’d you find these?

BRENNAN: Graham Hasting’s backpack. Near his murdered body.

BOOTH: Care to explain why, uh, a movie that’s about to make it to Sundance sounds a lot like the screenplay that your dead buddy wrote?

BRIAN: Look, I know what you’re thinking.

BOOTH: Oh, really? Because what I think is that you killed him.

BRIAN: No.

BOOTH: I think that you’re the one who drugged Lori, so she wouldn’t know what the hell was going on that night.

BRIAN: No, I didn’t. Look, I know that this may look similar, but this is mine.

BOOTH: Really? Because you know we found an e-mail on Graham’s computer, sending you a complete first version draft to you.

BRENNAN: He wanted you to read it. Get your thoughts.

BOOTH: So. What’d you think?

BRIAN: I thought - I thought that it was better than anything I could ever write. So, yeah, you know, after Graham was missing a few months, Nate thought it would be safe to pass off as our own, but I didn’t kill Graham.

BOOTH: Anything else you forget to mention, Brian? Oh, come on, Brian. You love the movies, right? So, this is the time where the innocent guy comes clean or the guilty guy asks for a lawyer. Okay, so which movie is this going to be?

BRIAN: That night – Lori. When - when I found her, she was covered in blood. It wasn’t hers. I was afraid.

BRENNAN: You think she killed Graham.

BRIAN: It wasn’t her fault, though. She was nuts, okay? She said that the blood just rained down on her. I wanted to protect her.

BRENNAN: So you got rid of the bloody clothing.

BRIAN: I hid them. In the woods. They’re still out there.

BOOTH: Oh, Okay, great. You can take us there.

BRIAN: No! Look, I’ll tell you what I remember, but I’m never going out there again. You can lock me up for the rest of my life. I’m never going back out there.

(Cut to: Booth's Car. Booth and Brennan are both on their cell phones)

BOOTH: (into the phone) The kid said he hid her clothes in a hollow log near a stream.

BRENNAN: (into the phone) Thanks. (she hangs up the phone then to Booth) Angela looked at the video again. Tell the forensic team to fan out across the area south-southwest of the cabin ruins.

BOOTH: Did you hear that, Lou? Yeah, south-southwest. Yeah, I know it gets cold when the sun goes down, Lou. Well, you should’ve brought your blankie. Alright, just call me when you find her clothes. (he hangs up the phone.) Man. (Booth sighs and realizes that Brennan is staring at him.) What? He was being a baby.

BRENNAN: I didn’t say anything.

BOOTH: But you’re looking at me like - I’m in trouble and you’re a teacher.

BRENNAN: You’re very touchy lately, Booth.

BOOTH: Look, Bones. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you about Cam.

BRENNAN: Did I mention Cam?

BOOTH: I just didn’t want it to get weird, I guess.

BRENNAN: Weird?

BOOTH: We’re partners, you know? Together all the time, right? You’re a woman and I’m a man and I never had a relationship like this where we were - like two guys, except you’re not - ya know - a guy. Yeah.

BRENNAN: No. No, I’m not. Should I feel odd about - wanting to hang out with Will?

BOOTH: No, of course not. You know, because essentially - I mean - you’re a guy like me. But not really.

BRENNAN: That would mean that, to me, you are essentially a woman. (she pauses a second to ponder this) Yeah, I can see that.

BOOTH: No, no, no. I’d – I'd prefer not to be a woman, if you don’t mind.

BRENNAN: I’m merely trying to follow your reasoning, Booth.

BOOTH: Okay, fine. What do you say we just, you know, we’ll drop it for now (He picks up his ringing cell phone then into the phone.) Yeah, it’s Booth. (he listens. Then a beat later, to Brennan.) They found the clothes.

BRENNAN: That was fast.

BOOTH: Yeah, well, good work, Lou. All right, now you can come home before all the monsters get you. I- (he looks at his phones) Hung up on me. I thought it was funny.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Autopsy Bay)

CAM: The blood from the axe was from Graham Hastings.

BOOTH: Okay, well, is the blood on Lori Mueller’s clothes a match?

CAM: Nope.

BRENNAN: Then there’s another victim out there?

CAM: Yes and she’s probably named Bessie.

BOOTH: Bessie?

CAM: It’s cow’s blood. The hormones and antibiotics confirm that it’s from a butcher shop.

(Zack enters carrying the skull)

ZACK: Dr.Brennan. The witch’s skull was cut with a Stryker saw.

BOOTH: Wait. Don’t you use those in your autopsies?

ZACK: They’re also used in teaching institutions. I found a faded serial number behind the occipital condyle. It’s from the University.

BRENNAN: So the skull was stolen from the medical school.

BOOTH: Someone set up one hell of a horror show to kill Graham Hastings.

ACT FOUR

(Cut to: FBI – Booth, Brennan and Nate Gibbons enter the interrogation room)

BOOTH: Have a seat.

NATE: I’ll help in any way I can, but I do have a class starting in 45 minutes.

BOOTH: Yeah, well, you know, it’s film class. You know what? Have them watch Wedding Crashers.

NATE: I can assure you, Agent Booth, that film class is a lot more than watching movies.

BRENNAN: Were you aware that the medical school at the university has an anatomical specimen collection?

NATE: I don’t even know what that means. This is about Graham, right?

BRENNAN: The research collection can only be accessed by a faculty member with a key card.

BOOTH: Yours was recorded entering the building last November 7. Three days before Graham Hastings disappeared. You often go into a medical school at 2:43 in the morning?

NATE: I reported my key card missing last November. I’m sure you’ll find a record of that.

BOOTH: Yeah. It’s convenient.

BRENNAN: Very convenient.

NATE: Are you accusing me of something?

BOOTH: Someone stole a skull. Planted it in the woods along with, uh, animal bones, blood, weird amulets.

BRENNAN: Tricking people into believing that Graham was murdered by a ghost.

NATE: Okay, but why? Why would I possibly want to do something like that?

BOOTH: Ride his coattails, ya know. Escape the faculty ghetto.

BRENNAN: He shut you out.

BOOTH: And maybe you were feeling just a little bitter about that, huh, teach?

NATE: I’m entitled to an attorney, aren’t I?

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Booth and Brennan are entering the building)

BOOTH: Okay, maybe it was Graham who stole the skull himself.

BRENNAN: Are you suggesting it was some convoluted suicide scheme? He chopped off his own head?

BOOTH: No. Right? Look, I’m just saying, things, they got out of hand, right? He wanted to make it-look like a documentary, right? As scary as possible. So,he sets everything up, right? He gets Nate to help him out that night, but Nate sees an opportunity. No one knows he’s out there and before you know, it’s chop chop and I’m going to Hollywood.

ANGELA: I found someone else in the woods.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Angela's Office. Booth, Brennan and Angela enter. Hodgins is sitting, waiting for them)

ANGELA: At least, I think it’s a person.

BRENNAN: Have you finished with the particulates from the axe handle?

HODGINS: I’ve determined that the assailant was wearing rough-hewn leather gloves, but I still have to check-

BOOTH: Then, uh, why are you in here?

ANGELA: Because I want him here. Okay. Look. I ran it through a mass-recognition program (she points to a shadow on the screen) That’s Graham. And that is our mystery guest (She points to a shadow talking to Graham.)

BRENNAN: It’s not Brian?

ANGELA: No. Different height and weight. This person is about six-one. As you can see, that includes a head.

HODGINS: So, it’s definitely not Maggie.

BOOTH: Nate Gibbons is about six-one.

BRENNAN: I’ll ask Will if he can tell us anything about Graham and his teacher. Maybe he threatened Graham?

(Brennan exits, Booth turns to watch her go)

(Cut to: Restaurant. Brennan and Will are having dinner)

WILL: His professor?

BRENNAN: Did Graham tell you anything about his relationship with him?

WILL: Yeah, he said the guy wanted to help produce his film, but Graham said he wanted to do it on his own.

BRENNAN: His professor is producing his film. Brian stole Graham’s screenplay. He and the professor are making it.

WILL: The teacher killed Graham for a script?

BRENNAN: Make his career. Brian’s, too. I’ve seen people murdered for a lot less. Uh, it’s not certain yet. We’re just looking for evidence that links one or two of them to the remains.

WILL: With all this going on, when I’m with you - I feel like everything’s gonna be okay.

BRENNAN: I’d like to see the world the way you do.

WILL: Then you would be looking at a very beautiful woman.

(They both smile, then Will leans in and they kiss.)

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Autopsy Room)

CAM: Preliminary tests show only one type of DNA on the axe, but now the follow-up tests are showing two.

ZACK: Something wrong with our electrophoresis machine?

CAM: No. I double-checked it.

BOOTH: Uh, so this means you got the killer’s DNA.

CAM: Right. Attacker must have been cut by Graham during the struggle. I’m trying to separate out the two types of DNA, but it’s hard.

BOOTH: That’s easy. I’ll just get a warrant for a blood sample for Nate Gibbons.

(Hodgins enters)

HODGINS: The glove fragments on the handle were coated with diammonium phosphate and a guar gum-derivative thickener.

BOOTH: You speak English?

ZACK: It’s a flame-retardant.

ANGELA: Exactly. Isn’t that only used by professional firefighters?

BOOTH: Wait, Graham’s brother. He’s a firefighter.

ANGELA: He’s also about six-foot-one, right? And, he has a head.

CAM: That explains why it looks like there was only one blood source. Siblings share so many of the same chromosomes.

BOOTH: Will Hastings killed his brother.

CAM: That certainly explains my result.

BOOTH: Brennan. Wait, she’s with him now.

(Booth leaves)

(Cut to: Resturant. Brennan and Will are still having dinner. Booth enters the restaurant looking for them and when he finally spots them, approaches the table)

BRENNAN: ....that’s your opinion. I don’t think you’re the one that should be telling me that – (looks up and sees Booth) Booth. (then, laughing) What are you doing here?

BOOTH: (to Brennan) I’m sorry. (to Will) You’re under arrest for the murder of your brother, Graham Hastings. (Booth sits down at the table)

WILL: What?

BOOTH: You have the right to remain silent.

BRENNAN: What is this, Booth?

BOOTH: He did it. Cam found his blood on the axe and Hodgins found chemicals that only a firefighter would have access to.

WILL: I didn’t kill Graham.

(Brennan looks at Will, horrified. She realizes that Booth is telling the truth)

WILL: We fought, that’s all.

BRENNAN: You were out there in the woods that night?

WILL: Please don’t look at me like that. Please. I was just helping my brother. He said the film was going to make him famous.

BOOTH: So you got the animal bones, the blood, and you made the chopping sound with the axe.

WILL: He wanted me to stay out of sight. But the girl, Lori, he slipped her drugs and she was screaming and I said I wasn’t going to help anymore. And I said I wouldn’t throw the blood on her, so he did it, and she went crazy and you saw her. Graham did that to her.

Brennan (shocked): Will.

WILL: I had to stop him. Okay? I can’t be responsible for raising a monster like that.

BOOTH: So you hit him with the axe.

WILL: He was just lying there, and I was waiting for him to move. And I’ve never - I never even hit him before, no matter how difficult he got.

BOOTH: And then you chopped off his head and you buried him to make it look like some witch did it.

WILL: No. She did it. She did it. Maggie Cinders was out there that night and she made me do it. She told me never to tell anybody. Maggie Cinders made me cut off his head. That’s the only way it could happen. You know me. He was my brother. I could never kill my own brother. It was her.

(Brennan looks at Booth, tears starting to form in her eyes. This is a real horror she can't make sense of)

BRENNAN: What are you waiting for, Booth?

(Brennan stands up to leave as Booth stands behind Will, ready to arrest him)

BOOTH: You have the right to remain silent...

WILL: No!

BOOTH: Understand me? Anything you say-

(Brennan looks at Will one last time before she walks out of the resturant)

WILL: No Wait. Wait please.

BOOTH: ...will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to - an attorney.

(As she walks off, Booth knows he has to let her go. He watches her as he cuffs Will and finishes reading him his rights.)
(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Angela's Office. Angela enters the office while Hodgins is sitting on the couch)

ANGELA: The FBI needs me to finish cataloging the restored footage.

HODGINS: It’s cool. I don’t have anywhere else to go .

ANGELA: You’ve been great today, Hodgins.

(He stands and walks over to her)

HODGINS: No, no (Looking at the screen) I haven’t seen that piece.

ANGELA: Yeah, I was working on it before. I just finished rendering. (They play the videotape)

(They watch the video as the image of a ghostly white shadow woman appears on the monitor)

ANGELA: Um, uh. Could, could be a reflection.

HODGINS: Had to be. Or some moonlight.

ANGELA: Yeah. Uh, moonlight sounds right. Can I stay at your place tonight?

HODGINS: Sure. No problem.

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Brennan's Office. She sits, staring at her computer monitor and leans back in her chair. Booth appears in the doorway.)

BRENNAN: I sure know how to pick’em, don’t I?

BOOTH: Well, you know. Our perceptions are alway colored by what we hope and what we fear, what we love. We do the best we can.

BRENNAN: I’m afraid my best isn’t good enough. I can read bones, not people.

BOOTH: Well, you had no trouble seeing through me.

(Brennan smiles then stands goes around to the front of her desk)

BRENNAN: It’s a good thing I like being alone.

BOOTH: You know what? Bones, you’re not alone. Okay? Come here. (He places his hand on her back)

Brennan (turning to face him): Booth.

BOOTH: Hey, you’re my partner. Okay? It’s a guy hug. Take it.

(She hesitates a second before stepping into his embrace. She hugs him tighter and he rubs her back as the scene fades out.)

END.

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