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2x08transcript

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years ago

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"The Woman in the Sand"

Episode 2x08

Written By: Elizabeth Benjamin

Directed by: Kate Woods

Transcribed by 206Bones2break & traciepwns


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


 

(Open: Las Vegas Desert. Tents are set up and Agents are scouring the area. Booth and Brennan arrive at the crime scene)

 

BRENNAN: So who do they think the body is?

 

BOOTH: Federal prosecutor who disappeared five years ago, a day before he was starred at a mob trial.

 

BRENNAN: Five years? So there’s not much left of him.

 

BOOTH: Yup, that’s why they flew you to Sin City, Bones.

 

(Brennan looks around)

 

BRENNAN: They call this, America’s playground?

 

BOOTH: We’re fifteen miles outside Vegas, Bones. This is America’s frying pan.

 

BRENNAN: No kidding. A person can melt before finding a body anywhere near here.

 

BOOTH: Once the mob makes a federal prosecutor disappear, they kind off want him staying that way.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: Agent Booth

 

BOOTH: Agent Zhang

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: Dr. Brennan, Thanks for coming. Okay, May 20, 2001. Mason Roberts was supposed to deliver a keynote address at UNLV but he never showed. Found his car 3 blocks from his office, engine still running. Right this way.

 

BOOTH: Wait. No leads until now?

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: The police don't mean much without a body. Then yesterday, we get this tip from this call girl working at the Tangiers Hotel.

 

BOOTH: Woah. So, I dragged out one of the top Forensic Anthropologists across the country on the word of a prostitute?

 

BRENNAN: What difference does her profession make?

 

BOOTH: I’m backing you up.

 

BRENNAN: What? You’re judging.

 

BOOTH: I wasn’t judging. I had your back.

 

BRENNAN: Yes, your voice was judging.

 

BOOTH: I had your back.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: Anyway, the body was right where she said it would be, mile marker 15.

 

(The show the skeleton buried in the sand)

 

BRENNAN: Confirmed victim is male, late thirties. No clothing, no personal artifacts.

 

BOOTH: Hey, this informant of yours. Any chance I can talk to her?

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: As long as you don’t expect her to talk back. She died this morning. Cancer. It was a dead bed confession, she was still scared as hell.

 

BRENNAN: Multiple fractures to the skull and upper extremities, caused by something cylindrical, like a pipe or a bat.

 

BOOTH: Straight out of Capone’s play book.

 

BRENNAN: I'll know more once I compare dental records but-

 

(Brennan sees something and stops talking.)

 

BOOTH: What? Bones-

 

(Agent Zhang and Booth look behind them and see vultures flying in circles overhead.)

 

BOOTH: Yeah. It’s a vulture. Dead body here. Kinda how it works.

 

BRENNAN: They don’t circle skeletal remains. Get my bag.

 

(Booth gets Brennan’s bag while she walks over to the place where the vultures were circling. They find another skeleton)

 

BOOTH: Oooooh, Right. It’s the sun baked, rotting corpses they're into.

 

BRENNAN: Female, mid twenties. Similar injuries to the male victim but this is a fresh kill. A week to ten days.

 

BOOTH: Popular dumping ground for these guys.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: You don’t mean the same guys, five years later?

 

BOOTH: Well, you know, if they’re not connected it would be one hell of a coincidence.

 

BRENNAN: Well, I'd have to compare them side by side, but from what I see here whoever buried that victim buried this one too.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: So, two deaths for the price of one?

 

BOOTH: Viva Las Vegas.

 

(Cut to: Desert. Make shift lab in a tent)

 

BRENNAN: Yup, dental records confirm, the male victim is Mason Roberts., bludgeoned to death, presumably with a baseball bat.

 

Booth (Pointing at a picture): This guy here looks like a long ball hitter.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: That’s Sweet Pete Arno, he is a gaming exec at the Tangiers. He and the other two there – They were Roberts immediate 'to do' list when he disappeared.

 

Cam (on Brennan’s laptop screen): Any specs on the female victim yet?

 

BRENNAN: Umm, Only preliminary. Blows to the cranium, torso and upper extremities.

 

CAM: All similar injuries to Roberts.

 

BRENNAN: But the likely result of domestic abuse.

 

BOOTH: Likely Result? Bones there is nothing domestic about a mob hit.

 

BRENNAN: But the shape of her injuries, the pattern of healing and re-breaking..There's a long history of assault here, Booth, and not from any baseball bat. Plus I found this embedded in her skull.

 

BOOTH: Is that a hearing aid?

 

BRENNAN: They’re common with abuse victims. Repeated blows to the head can damage the bones of the inner ear.

 

Angela joins cam behind the webcam.

 

ANGELA: Ah, sorry to butt in, Brennan, but I got a name off the serial number. The hearing aid is registered to a Wilhelmina Morgan, out of Mount Charleston, Nevada.

 

BOOTH: Oh, that’s not too far from here.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: And she goes by the name Billie, List here’s Billie Morgan, 26 reported missing 2 weeks ago by her husband, Donald.

 

BRENNAN: Her abusive husband, covering his tracks?

 

BOOTH: Possible. Okay, he might know how his wife and Roberts ended up here. (to Zhang) He may even know your friends here .(taps photograph)

Brennan (to Booth) You get on that, I’ll fly these remains back to the Jeffersonian.

 

BOOTH: Whoa. Okay, whoa. We can’t leave.

 

BRENNAN: We can’t?

 

BOOTH: No I mean we came for one body and suddenly there’s two. Hey look, what if there’s more?

 

CAM: Just ship both sets of remains here. Along with bugs, dirt, the works. If there’s a forensic link to those murders we’ll find it.

 

BRENNAN: As long as you keep me in the loop.

 

CAM: As if we could actually keep you out. (Booth closes the laptop)

 

BOOTH: Okay. Alright. Fine. So that's the deal. Box them up and we’ll go break the news to

Big Don.

 

(Cut to: Trailer Park. Home of Donald Morgan)

 

DON: And here I thought she left me.

 

BOOTH: Now why would she do that, Don?

 

DON: I - I got laid off a couple of months ago, poor Billie. She hated seeing me sitting around the house all day, depressed.

 

BRENNAN: Drinking?

 

BOOTH: Punching Walls?

 

DON: No. I..I just fell of a ladder.

 

BRENNAN: Breaking a fall like that would fracture distal radius, not proximal phalanges.

 

BOOTH: Alright, listen. So I got a police record that says that your neighbours heard you screaming at your wife three weeks ago.

 

DON: Screaming? No. Just arguing. See Billie wanted to help out, she thought she could bring in some money, you know, the exotic kind. I kind of flipped out.

 

BRENNAN: And broke your thumb against your wife’s face?

 

DON: No! Look, I could never hurt Billie. Okay?

 

BRENNAN: Than how did she lose her hearing?

 

DON: I don’t know, she was a kid playing sports. One to many soccer balls against the head.

 

BRENNAN: Oh, Please.

 

BOOTH: Listen Don, you’re my number one suspect so it would be wise if you’re straight with us.

 

DON: Implants.

 

BRENNAN: Breast Implants?

 

DON: She thought they’d help her chances of landing a job as a dancer. As much as I hated the idea I borrowed eight grand from a loan shark. I gave the money to Billie. That’s the last time I ever saw her.

 

BOOTH: So that’s how you broke your thumb?

 

BRENNAN: Huh?

 

BOOTH: The loan shark comes to collect his eight gran, Don here can’t pay him so-

 

DON: Yeah, and now I owe him ten.

 

BOOTH: I need the loan sharks name. Just give me a name.

 

(Don exhales and looks at the picture of Billie)

 

(Cut to Booth's Car.)

 

BOOTH: (on the phone) Mackey. Yeah, that’s right. Louis Mackey. Send his information to my cell as soon as you can. Thanks. (to Brennan) We got the shark in our system.

 

BRENNAN: Well, proving at least that he exists.

 

BOOTH: Ya know, Don’s story might seem a little, you know, hinky, but just try to keep an open mind.

 

BRENNAN: An open mind to what? All those soccer balls to the head?

 

BOOTH: I’m just not sold on the whole domestic abuse thing, alright. A scrawny guy like that-

 

BRENNAN: Rage has nothing to do with size.

 

BOOTH: I know that Bones, alright, you know that I know that. It’s just - I look into the guys eyes and I just didn’t see it.

 

BRENNAN: What about the breast implants? You know, if she’d gotten them they would have been a part of her remains.

 

BOOTH: yeah well, than the money had to be for something elseand hopefully this guy (shows his cell phone with a picture of the loan shark to Brennan) will be able to tell us what it was.

 

(Cut to: Casino. Booth and Brennan are walking through)

 

BRENNAN: Hey. There’s our loan shark, let’s go!

 

BOOTH: Okay, just uh..give me a moment.

 

BRENNAN: Oh my god! I completely forgot! You can’t be here Booth. You’re a degenerate gambler.

 

BOOTH: Former gambler, okay? Not degenerate, I been through the program, okay, and you know what? He’s on the move.

 

BRENNAN: Okay but what if you got a sudden urge to gamble while you’re here? I mean it’s like sending an alcoholic to a distillery. Do you need to sit down?

 

BOOTH: No. I’m fine it’s just, you know, the sound of the winning. It’ll...it’ll pass.

 

BRENNAN: What? The sound or the winning?

 

BOOTH: This kind off reminds me of the first time. I walked in the Desert Inn with 35 bucks in my pocket and I walked out with a cool 10 grand. The next night, I lost everything. Tapped out my ATM trying to get it back.

 

BRENNAN: Wha-What’s that game called again?

 

BOOTH: Craps.

 

BRENNAN: What? What’s the matter now?

 

BOOTH: No, it’s the game. It’s called Craps. You know, hey, this used to be my game, Bones. Roll them bones, chuck the dice, you know. (Turns around to the craps table guy) Seven Eleven. (Booth watches as the Craps dealer clears the table, then to Brennan) And he’s going for the bar. Okay, you stay here. I know how to talk to these guys.

 

BRENNAN: Whoa. Talk? You can barely breathe.

 

BOOTH: I’m fine just trust me alright. Wait here.

 

BRENNAN: And do what, exactly?

 

BOOTH: You’re an anthropologist, observe the culture.

 

(Brennan looks around to see what she can do)

 

(Cut to: Casino Bar. Booth sits down next to Lou Mackey)

 

BOOTH: Lou Mackey. Don’t I owe you money?

 

LOU MACKEY: I’m afraid you had me confused with someone else.

 

BOOTH: I don’t think I do. My buddy, Don Morgan, he introduced us. 30. Scrawny guy. Broken thumb.

 

LOU MACKEY: Do I need to call security?

 

BOOTH: Yeah, you know that’s a great idea. (he takes his badge out and places it on the bar.) Maybe you can tell all of us what you did to Don and just maybe how his wife ended up dead.

 

LOU MACKEY: I don’t know anything about any wife.

 

BOOTH: Come on Lou, Don’t make me work so hard here.

 

LOU MACKEY: Look, The guy owed me money. He neglected to pay and he fell of a ladder. It’s instant karma

 

BOOTH: Instant karma. That’s going to get you every time, isn’t it? What about Billie Morgan. (Booth puts Billie’s picture in front of them on the bar) She have instant karma too?

 

LOU MACKEY: She’s attractive. I didn’t even know he was married.

 

BOOTH: How about the name Mason Roberts? I’m sure that rings a bell.

 

LOU MACKEY: Whispers on the strip is that you finally found him. Congratulations, now leave me alone.

 

BOOTH: If you know more than what you’re saying, I’m gonna find out eventually.

 

LOU MACKEY: Do I look worried? I’m a businessman. What are you harassing me for?

 

BOOTH: Ah, ya know. It's just something I have about bullies. Thanks for the drink.

 

(Cut to Casino. Brennan is playing Black Jack)

 

Black Jack Dealer: Nineteen’s a winner.

 

BRENNAN: Yes! Yes.

 

BOOTH: Uh, hey, Bones!

 

BRENNAN: Oh, Booth! Have you ever played this game before? It’s basic math. You just count the cards and then you know what the dealer has left.

 

BOOTH: Yeah, uh, ixnay. Ixnay.

 

BRENNAN: And the most common card is a ten, because of the face card, so if you just always assume the down card’s a ten-

(The Pit Boss approaches)

 

PIT Boss: I’m sorry. I'm afraid you’re gonna have to-

 

BOOTH: We were just about to leave. Thanks. (to Brennan) Come on.

 

BRENNAN: But I was just getting good.

 

BOOTH: ..at cheating, Bones. That’s what counting cards is.

 

BRENNAN: It’s not cheating! It’s strategy.

 

BOOTH: Not to them, it’s not.

 

BRENNAN: Well, What is the fun in that? I mean, the odds are completely skewed in the dealers favor.

 

BOOTH: Now did you see the attraction?

 

BRENNAN: The man on my right is going to win if he doesn’t hit on it.

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab – Forensics Platform)

 

HODGINS: Aegialia concinna.

 

CAM: Gesundheit!

 

HODGINS: Also known as Scarab Beatles. They came from the soil around Billie Morgan. These adults, feed on putrefied organic matter. Or in this case, Billie. As a result they suffered unusually short life spasms.

 

CAM: From ingesting Billie’s flesh?

 

HODGINS: More likely the powerful glucocorticoid in her system. I've yet to isolate which one specifically.

 

CAM: Be sure to notify Doctor Brennan when you do. Any specifics on the bat used to kill Roberts yet, Zack?

 

ZACK: Here’s a replica. Cincinnati slugger with a 3 inch diameter weighing about 27 ounces.

 

HODGINS: You think the mob would come up with less clichéd ways to whack people.

 

ZACK: But there’s something else. Staining on Roberts cranium indicates seepage to the cervical spine. So somehow blood from his head, got down to his neck.

 

CAM: Vertebra c7. Are those cut marks?

 

ZACK: So his throat was cut.

 

HODGINS: Did you find a specific cause of death on Billie Morgan yet?

 

CAM: She displays a hemathorax in her left lung.

 

ZACK: Caused by a left-sided rib fracture.

 

HODGINS: A broken rib punctures a lung, causing massive internal bleeding.

 

CAM: And between her pre-existing injuries and the new ones, the poor girl never had a chance to heal.

 

HODGINS: Oh, won't Dr. Brennan will love the hear that.

 

(Hodgins takes a swing with the bat)

 

(Cut to: Booth's car – night. Brennan is on the speaker phone with everyone back at the lab)

 

BRENNAN: Take a closer look at the stress markers to her sternum, Zack. They strike you as unusual?

 

ZACK: Well, they do seem more the result over repetitive medium impact manual blows than the single high impact from a bat.

 

HODGINS: This husband could really dish it out.

 

ZACK: Maybe she dished it back. These hairline fractures on her knuckles-

 

BRENNAN: Defensive wounds. Wait a minute. Let me zoom in? Repetitive manual blows. Fractured knuckles. The glucocorticoid that killed your bugs, Hodgins. Could it have been simple cortisone to treat an injury?

 

HODGINS: Yeah. That's certainly possible.

 

CAM: What are you thinking Dr. Brennan?

 

BRENNAN: I am thinking Billie Morgan could have been a boxer.

 

BOOTH: You mean like a real boxer? In a ring?

 

CAM: But wouldn’t boxing gloves prevent injuries like these?

 

HODGINS: Unless she wasn’t wearing gloves.

 

ANGELA: Well, what boxer does that?

 

HODGINS: Ultimate fighters.

 

BOOTH: Ultimate fighters. Ah, you're into that crap too, huh, hodgins?

 

HODGINS: Dude, it’s barbaric, When it shows up on cable I can’t turn it off.

 

ANGELA: And it’s actually legal?

 

HODGINS: Completely sanctioned. They do wear some protective gear, which would fly in the face of our girl’s injuries, though.

 

BOOTH: That is, unless it was underground.

 

BRENNAN: Underground where?

 

BOOTH: Come on. Haven’t you guys ever seen Fight Club?

 

HODGINS: Illegal, no hold barred, slug fast. Modern day Panem et Circensus. But generally there’s no free bread. (to Cam) What?

 

BRENNAN: So Don Morgan didn’t beat his wife.

 

BOOTH: Got to say, I told you so.

 

(Cut to: Don Morgan's Trailer. Booth and Brennan are inside, talking with Don)

 

BOOTH: Why didn’t you tell us, Don?

 

DON: Because I didn’t know, alright? She never told me.

 

BRENNAN: Your own wife didn’t tell you that she was fighting?

 

DON: Because I’d never let her. Billie hadn’t boxed in a year. Commission took her license away when they found out about her hearing. Alright, it about broke her heart, but she was done.

 

BRENNAN: Well, apparently not.

 

BOOTH: You know what I think? I think someone offered Billie an illegal fight you jumped at the chance for a, uh, pay day.

 

DON: Are you out of your mind?

 

BOOTH: You borrowed money from Mackey and you put it all on Billie and she ended up paying the price.

 

DON: No. No, that’s not true.

 

BRENNAN: Who are you protecting, Don?

 

DON: Nobody. Look I swear, I didn’t know.

 

BOOTH: Don, we can protect you, if you let us.

 

DON: If I knew who killed Billie, I’d tell you. Believe me, please.

(Cut to: A hotel food court. Booth & Brennan are sitting at a table)

 

BRENNAN: Why would anyone fight illegally in the first place?

 

BOOTH: You know, there’s limited options. Not everybody can be Oscar de la Hoya.

 

BRENNAN: Who?

 

BOOTH: Injuries, criminal pasts, failed drug test- alright, it leaves them with no other skills, so they take on a fight wherever they can find one.

 

BRENNAN: Even if it kills them? (phone rings) Brennan.

 

HODGINS: I found something in the particulates from Billie’s shoes. Traces of hexavalent chromium. It’s a chemical used in high end automotive shops, specializing in chroming. Mechanics who use them have to file reports for the EPA.

 

(Brennan slaps booth hand.)

 

BOOTH: Ow! What?

 

BRENNAN: (to Booth) Hey! No gambling!

 

HODGINS: Am I interrupting something?

 

BOOTH: It’s just Keno, alright? I’m sorry if Hodgins lost me at, uh, hexifalium chromo.

 

BRENNAN: Hexavalent chromium and we need to find some. How can we contact the Environmental Protecting Agency?

 

HODGINS: Yeah, I’m on it.

 

(Cut to: Abandoned auto shop. Booth & Brennan enter.)

 

BRENNAN: This was an auto shop?

 

BOOTH: Yeah. EPA, they shut it down months ago for a hazardous waste material. It was the only shop authorized to use that chromium stuff. See it anywhere?

 

BRENNAN: Could be absorbed into the dust particles on the floor.

 

BOOTH: Heh, along with flash paper.

 

BRENNAN: What’s that?

 

BOOTH: Betting slips. Uh, burn fast in case there’s raid.

 

BRENNAN: Well, look at this. (she shines her flash light on a red line on the floor)

 

BOOTH: They painted a ring for the fights.

 

BRENNAN: So this was the fight club.

 

BOOTH: If there’s blood, I'd say it is. Where’s your, uh, light thingy?

 

(Brennan takes out the ultraviolet light and shines on the floor)

 

BRENNAN: Blood. The whole place is covered in blood.

 

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

 

CAM: Of the thirty blood samples found at the body shops, 6 were A positive. Same as Billie Morgan. Still waiting on DNA.

 

ZACK: Thirty fighters translates to five two person fights per hour over a three hour period or three fights over five hours, six fights over-

 

CAM: We get the idea, Zack. Lots of fights.

 

ANGELA: I ran thermal imaging on Billie's remaining soft tissue to reconstruct her injuries. This is what she might have looked like after the fight.

 

HODGINS: Ah, the sweet science.

 

ANGELA: Just when I get to a place where I can almost stomach seeing maggots eating intestines. This. How could anybody do this to themselves?

 

HODGINS: Ya know. 900 B.C.- the Greek ruler, Theseus, entertained himself watching two men sit in chairs beat each other to death. Just saying. It’s nothing new.

 

ANGELA: I can work up force and velocity reading for each blow - Zack can help me ID her opponent from the circumference and diameter of the fist.

 

CAM: I’d rather Zack focus on our second weapon for Roberts.

 

ZACK: None of these blades are narrow enough. It's as if his vertebra was cut with a razor blade.

HODGINS: Or a razor wire. Luca Brasi. The Godfather? Please, someone buy a DVD player.

 

CAM: You mean a garrotte?

 

HODGINS: Yes. A garrotte pulled so tightly around Luca's- or rather Robert's neck-

 

CAM: -that it sliced through his throat and severed his corroded artery.

 

ANGELA: Okay. The whole 'maggots eating intestines thing' is not nearly as gross to me now.

 

(Cut to: Casio.)

 

BOOTH: Yeah, Yeah, Okay. Thanks a lot. Agent Zhang said he found the old owner of the body shop. He said some guy paid him three thousand dollars cash just to use the place for one night. No names, no questions asked.

 

BRENNAN: Seems like a theme in this town. Hey, why is he hitting on a 16! I mean, look at him, he’s completely distracted.

 

BOOTH: You know what? Actually, Bones, you can if the face card is showing-alright- (Booth spots Lou Mackey near a slot machine talking to another man.) There he is. (they head over to him) Hey look at this! It’s my buddy, Lou Mackey.

 

LOU MACKEY: Oh great. So we’re friends now?

 

BOOTH: I need you to tell me where a fight fan can get a little uh-

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Seeley?

 

BOOTH: Frankie?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: What are you doing back in Vegas huh?

 

(Booth & Frankie 'guy hug')

 

LOU MACKEY: (to Brennan) Your man’s got a lot of friends.

 

BRENNAN: So it would seem.

 

LOU MACKEY: I'll catch up with you later, Frankie.

 

BOOTH: Hey, Lou-

 

LOU MACKEY: See ya, friend. (he walks off)

 

BOOTH: Is he a problem?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: No, no. It’s all good, huh. Hey, look at you, huh?

 

BOOTH: Yeah, Frankie Daniels, hey. Temperance Brennan, Frank Daniels. We served in The Gulf together.

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: That’s right. Hit the strip the minute we got back.

 

BRENNAN: And you never left?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: I bounce around, you know. Here, Chicago, L.A. You know me, huh Seel? Always chasing rainbows.

 

BOOTH: Good old Frankie boy huh? How’s Karen?

FRANKIE DANIELS: Nah...nah. It's over, ya know. She ran off with some loser stockbroker. Ya know, it’s just as well. I don’t need that.

 

BOOTH: Oh, come on, Frankie. You alright? I mean, you don’t need any-

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Don’t start with that, huh? It’s been too many years. I’m getting by alright?

 

BOOTH: Yeah. Guys like Lou Mackey?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Yeah, well ya know, minor, uh, minor occupational hazard.

 

BRENNAN: Have you considered medication?

 

BOOTH: Oh, Bones...

 

BRENNAN: An anti-depressant might raise your norepinephrine level. It could help control the impulsivity.

 

FRANKIE DANIELS (to booth): What are you, a drug rep now or something?

 

BOOTH: It's – excuse us, Bones, Okay? (he moves Frankie away from Brennan – then to Frankie) Wondering if you know anything of these, uh, underground fight clubs?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Yeah, actually I do know one. Bare knuckles. No rules.

 

BOOTH: Great. I need to know where.

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: It moves around. This guy, uh, this guy, Joe Nolan. He sells 800 numbers. You call, you find out the time, the place, code to get in.

 

BOOTH: The old boxer, Joe Nolan?

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: The heavy weight champ in ’92. He owns a gym here on, uh, on Federal.

 

BOOTH: Thanks.

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Hey, uh, think you can spot me a couple of bucks? I think I forgot my wallet at the house today, you know?

 

BOOTH: Yeah.

 

FRANKIE DANIELS: Just something you know, I’ll get you back.

 

BOOTH: Yeah.

 

(Cut to: Outside hotel. Brennan and Booth are walking next to a swimming pool.)

 

BOOTH: Frankie's a better guy than he seems.

 

BRENNAN: And yet he knows this Nolan guy.

 

BOOTH: Anybody who knows the fight game, knows Joe Nolan. I mean, the guy was set to be the next Sugar Ray, but he was accused of, uh, ya know, throwing a couple of fights.

 

BRENNAN: What? You mean, losing on purpose? Why would anyone do that?

 

BOOTH: Maybe I should just talk to Joe alone.

 

BRENNAN: What’s with the sudden impulse to leave me behind.

 

BOOTH: I'll tell ya, Bones, alright, the usual rules? They don’t apply here. Okay? The deeper we get I don’t want anyone knowing that we’re FBI.

 

BRENNAN: Well, that's easy for me. I’m not.

 

BOOTH: Okay, Fine.

 

(Cut to: Hotel room. Booth is getting ready while Brennan is dressing in the bathroom)

 

BRENNAN: (Comes out in a black dress) Hey, what do you think?

 

BOOTH: I have enough Bibles, thank you, but try next door.

 

BRENNAN: You said I could be a school teacher.

 

BOOTH: Not the spinster kind who lives with his sister but ya know - the hot one who makes the boys crazy. Here, put on the one - that I picked out. (He hands her a dress) Alright?

 

BRENNAN: Ok, but don't be so bossy. (she goes back into the bathroom)

 

BOOTH: We're newlyweds, I said. Takin' Sin City by storm. Ready for action.

 

BRENNAN: (from the bathroom) But you know, marriage is such an archaic institution-

 

BOOTH: (exhales in frustration) Listen Bones, I know what I'm doing. Okay? I've done this before. Just stop arguing.

 

BRENNAN: I'm not. It's just, you know, I don't need a piece of paper to prove my committent.

 

BOOTH: Fine. We're engaged.

 

BRENNAN: Why would I be okay with engagement?

 

BOOTH: Whatever, Bones, alright? We're a loosely committed couple of hot high rollers. See, with money to burn. Cause that is what's gonna get us in the door.

 

BRENNAN: (comes out of the bathroom in a stunning little black dress) Like this?

 

BOOTH: (staring at Brennan) Yeah. Yeah, like that.

 

(Brennan's phone rings and she goes over to answer it.)

 

BRENNAN: (into phone) Hey, Cam.

 

CAM: (at the Jeffersonian) Dr. Brennan. Judging by the angle of the blows, Billie's last opponent was 5'6” and left handed.

 

ANGELA: (at Jeffersonian) With a fist size of approximately 90mm. Zack measured.

 

(Camera cuts back to the room. Booth zips up Brennan's dress)

 

BOOTH: That's hot.

 

ANGELA: Hot? Wait a minute, what's hot?

 

BRENNAN: Ah, nothing. Vegas. Vegas -is hot. It's – very hot here.

 

(Cam & Angela give each other looks)

 

(Cut to: Gym. Booth and Brennan enter, dressed to impress)

 

Brennan (about her shoes): How does anybody actually walk in these things?

 

BOOTH: Well, ya know. Them boots? They ain’t made for walking sweetheart.

 

(Booth slaps Brennan's butt)

 

BRENNAN: Okay, That was completely over the top.

 

BOOTH: Alright, you know, you play your part and I’ll play mine.

 

(They notice a girl boxing in the ring and stop walking to watch her)

 

BRENNAN: Hey Booth. The girl.

 

BOOTH: Yeah I see. 5'6”, south paw.

 

BRENNAN: And left handed.

 

JOE: Can I help you folks?

 

BOOTH: I can’t believe it, ah, ‘’Sloppy Joe’’ Nolan.

 

BRENNAN: Sloppy Joe?

 

BOOTH: Yeah! That’s how he left his opponents.

 

JOE: These days, it’s just Joe.

 

NICK: I busted a lace, Joe.

 

BOOTH: Sorry to bother you, Joe, but you know you had a huge impact on my, uh, style back in the army. Ya know a juke to the body, followed by a right hook? Worked for me every time.

 

NICK: Another Army fighter, Joe? How many of these 'has beens' you get in here a week?

 

JOE: At least this one still looks like he’s in shape.

 

BRENNAN: Oh, yeah! My man’s in great shape. Believe me.

 

BOOTH: Easy there, honey.

 

NICK: Let’s see it, Army. Show us those moves that made you so famous.

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, go ahead tiger! (Brennan slaps Booth's butt) Show these clowns.

 

BOOTH: Yeah, maybe I will, okay? Jus- just a little.

 

(He heads over to the punching bag and takes his jacket and hands it to Brennan to hold)

 

JOE: Yeah, come on, tiger.

 

BOOTH: Alright, let’s see Joe. A little, you know tap, you know, juke to the body, with a hard right, followed by a whole bunch of these- (Booth keeps punching the bag. Brennan watches, impressed.)

 

BRENNAN: So much for my 'has been' army fighter.

 

JOE: Not bad.

 

BOOTH: You know, I still got it-

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, maybe a little too much.

 

JOE: What’s your name?

 

BOOTH: Tony Scallion, here’s my fianceé, uh, Roxanne.

 

BRENNAN: We’re more ‘’engaged to be engaged’’

 

JOE: So you looking to train or what?

 

BOOTH: Ah, ya know, I don’t fight no more, but they say you can direct me and Roxie to a little you know, uh, 'underground action'.

 

JOE: They say a lot don’t they?

BOOTH: Yeah, well, some guy at the Rio - one of them 'you didn’t hear it from me' types?

 

JOE: Sorry, can’t help you.

 

(Joe exchange looks with Nick, Nick nods.)

 

BRENNAN: Ah, what did I tell you, Tony? That guy was just trying to hit on me.

 

JOE: Well, I do know a number you can call. Not that I’d give it to just anybody.

 

NICK: Oh, come on, Joe. They seem like such nice people.

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, we’re nice people.

 

JOE: Thousand Bucks. Each.

 

BOOTH: Whoa. That’s a little steep-

 

BRENNAN: No, Tony, come on! We only live once and I want to see a fight. (Brennan pulls a wad of cash from her cleavage and hands it to Joe. Nick laughs.)

 

NICK: Nothing like being a kept man, huh?

 

BOOTH: Yeah, I don’t know what I’d do without her.

 

(Cut to: Booth's Car.)

 

BOOTH: That was amazing! What got into you?

 

BRENNAN: It’s from when I used to watch old movies with my dad. He really liked Clara Bow.

 

BOOTH: Clara Bow was a silent film star, Bones.

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, but – but I guess that's how I always imagined she sounded.

 

BOOTH: Just like you imagined she carried around a wad of cash?

 

BRENNAN: Oh, that. Well, I couldn’t sleep last night, so I snuck off to play a little crap.

 

BOOTH: Craps, Bones. Plural. And I can’t believe your beginners luck.

 

BRENNAN: Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it.

 

BOOTH: Since when do you believe in jinx's?

 

BRENNAN: I don’t. But after hearing the craps dealer say it-

 

BOOTH: Craps dealer's right. No jinx's. We got a big night ahead of us.

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab.)

 

HODGINS: Alright, with the federal prosecutor here and Billie here. Both show evidence of topical chemicals. Now this will extract the elements I need to cross reference with the dead beatles, safely.

 

ZACK: Not that she was safe, letting herself get drawn into a fight like that.

 

HODGINS: We’ve all been in a fight or two which we wish we hadn’t

 

ZACK: Not me.

 

HODGINS: You’ve never fought? Never thrown a punch?

 

ZACK: Never saw the logic of it.

 

HODGINS: It’s not about logic, it’s.-it’s emotional. It’s anger.

 

ZACK: I don’t get angry, it’s not rational.

 

HODGINS: What if you’re sitting on the beach and someone kicks sand in your face?

 

ZACK: I don’t go to the beach.

 

HODGINS: Alright, work with me here Zack. There has to be something that would piss you off. What if I call you a scrawny twit who can’t hold a normal conversation with a ten year old.

ZACK: I don’t have much in common with a ten year old and although I don’t know what a twit is, objectively I am thin and lack muscular definition.

 

HODGINS: Dude, you’re a Vulcan. And a dull Vulcan at that.

 

ZACK: Can we please work?

 

HODGINS: Alright, now you’re pissing me off. You’re a freak man. Anger is a part of being human. Grow a set.

 

ZACK: I would really like to work Hodgins.

 

HODGINS: You know, it is not enough to be some robotic second rate grad student.

 

ZACK: I am the most valuable and accomplished grad student who’s ever been installed at the Jeffersonian.

 

HODGINS: Yeah and you’re going to be a grad student the rest of your life because you have no fire.

 

ZACK: I’m working on my dissertation.

 

HODGINS: Ah, please. You’ve been saying that for years. You’re a poser. You don’t have your doctorate because you have no drive, no passion for what you love.

 

(Zack punches Hodgins)

 

HODGINS: Dude.

 

ZACK: It’s not what you think.

 

HODGINS: You got pissed.

 

ZACK: No striking you merely seemed to be the most practical way to get you to be quiet and focus on work, but I didn’t realize how much it would hurt.

 

HODGINS: Nice punch, though.

 

ZACK: Thank you. And my dissertation will be finished by the end of the month. Have the chemicals been extracted yet?

 

HODGINS: That’s good.

 

ZACK: Dr. Brennan wanted the results as soon as possible.

 

HODGINS: I’m moving. You’re not going to hit me again are you?

 

(Cut to: Underground fight club. The crowd is going wild as Booth and Brennan make their way through the crowd.)

 

BRENNAN: I suppose, from an anthropological standpoint, this taps into the nihilistic part of the human psyche fascinated by blood and gore.

 

BOOTH: It's human cock-fighting.

 

BRENNAN: More like lesser surrogates engaged in battles on behalf of the elite lords who don't have the courage to fight themselves.

 

BOOTH: Alright, you know what? (snaps his fingers) Come back to me Roxie, huh?

 

BRENNAN: Ewww, look at all the sweat!

 

(Booth and Brennan watch as two men fight in the ring. After the fight, one of the men approaches Booth.)

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: What in the hell are you looking at?

 

BOOTH: Not much.

 

(Walt punches Booths face and Booth falls to the ground, unconscious. Brennan kneels to the ground.)

 

BRENNAN: Hey Tony? Tony!

 

(Cut to: Hotel Room. Brennan is holding an ice pack to Booth's head)

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Sorry, Booth. I just couldn't have you blowing my cover.

 

BOOTH: Ahhhh, yeah. And as they taught us in Quantico, Walt, I wasn't about to.

 

BRENNAN: Do you know everyone in this town?

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: I had no idea we had an agent in there.

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Yeah, I’m on a special RICO assignment, under deep cover about a month and I still can’t crack who’s running the show.

 

BOOTH: What do you know about Joe Nolan?

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Ah, low level guy, one of many buffers. That 800 number he sells changes with every event, so trying to track is like playing whack-a-mole.

 

 

 

BRENNAN: Have you ever seen her (she shows a picture of Billie to Walt) fight at the club?

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Uh, yeah. It's, uh, Billie something right? (Brennan nods) Yeah. 4-to-1 underdog. Oh, she whooped this hot Latina pretty good.

 

BRENNAN: Latina? About 5'6”, left-handed?

 

BOOTH: She works out at Nolan's club?

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Yeah Marisol. Tough as nails and undefeated before your girl came along.

 

BRENNAN: Well, what if Billie bet on herself?

 

BOOTH: Well you know what? With the money that Don borrowed - $8,000 - ya know, 4-to-1odds? That had to get them to their feet in a hurry.

 

BRENNAN: Maybe that’s what got her killed.

 

BOOTH: Well, we gotta talk to this Marisol person.

 

AGENT ERIC ZHANG: We’ll go find her. (to Walt) So, what’s next for you?

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Well, I sprained my wrist to fights ago with no chance to heal. If I lose another bout, I’m off the rotation.

 

BRENNAN: Booth's a boxer.

 

BOOTH: Excuse me?

 

BRENNAN: I’m just saying, if we can find a way to get you into the rotation, you can fight Walt and lose, and then he can stay and maybe have a chance to heal.

 

BOOTH: You’re volunteering me to fight? (Brennan's cell phone rings)

 

BRENNAN: I’m volunteering you to throw one. You can lose with your hands tied behind your back. (Brennan picks up her phone) Hey, Hodgins.

 

HODGINS: How’s this for coincidence? Scarab beetles from Robert's body had the same short life spam as Billie's - but not from cortisone His bugs died from ingesting pinus elliottii.

 

BRENNAN: Pine? In the dessert?

 

HODGINS: Yeah, pine oil resin is often used to treat the same skin conditions as the cortisone that killed the other beetles.

 

BRENNAN: Okay. Confirm that and come back to me. (she hangs up then to Booth.) Pine oil...

 

BOOTH: Okay, pine oil. What's that mean?

 

BRENNAN: I don’t know yet. Go pick your fight.

 

(Cut to: Gym. Booth and Joe are talking with Joe.)

 

JOE: What the hell is all this about anyway?

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: He insulted me, Joe. He needs the beating and I need the money.

 

JOE: I thought you didn’t fight anymore?

 

BOOTH: Ah, you know, that was before I got blind-sided out of retirement. Will, ah, this do?

 

(Booth throws Joe a wad of cash.)

 

JOE: Glad to see your Sugar Mama taught you a thing or two.

 

(Cut to: Casino. Brennan is sitting the craps table. Booth approaches her.)

 

DEALER: Sir?

 

BOOTH: Hey, Bones. Fight's on.

 

BRENNAN: No trouble convincing Joe?

 

BOOTH: Nah. Nothing that a stack of bills couldn’t fix. (booth sees agent Zhang talking to Marisol) Did she gave us anything yet?

 

BRENNAN: Nothing. We’re going to need a warrant.

 

BOOTH: For what? What’s her evidence?

 

BRENNAN: Agent Zhang's talking to it.. Marisol's bones, tissue and muscle are still healing. If we can match her injuries to Billie's, we can proof they fought. If the fight's what killed Billie, Marisol's guilty of manslaughter.

 

BOOTH: Which would give us leverage to force her to give up whoever runs these fights.

 

BRENNAN: Which she might do in exchange for protection.

 

BOOTH: So what you want to do is, you want to get her DNA samples and send them back to the Jeffersonian.

 

BRENNAN: Actually, I want to send Marisol.

 

BOOTH: This girl. The whole girl?

 

BRENNAN: Our squints can perform a live autopsy, while our thermal-imaging programs reconstruct a theoretical fight.

 

BOOTH: Ya know, you're lucky I know a very understanding judge of Vegas.

 

BRENNAN: Of course you do.

 

(Booth winks at Brennan and laughs.)

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab. Marison is escorted in to have tests runs)

 

CAM: Okay, Marisol. You’re not under arrest. You’re just here as evidence. So when this nice agent leaves you here-

 

MARISOL: I’m going to kick your skinny ass.

 

CAM: Honey, I’m from the Bronx. Don’t, for a second, think you scare me.

 

MARISOL: Look, I didn’t kill nobody al right? I didn’t even fight.

 

CAM: Well, if that’s true, let’s go over the scanner and prove it.

 

HODGINS: Or disprove it.

 

CAM: Hodgins.

 

Hodgins (to marisol): I’ll take your robe.

 

MARISOL: Is this going to hurt?

 

ANGELA: You won’t even know it’s happening. Okay, Marisol?

 

ZACK: (he places electrodes on her) Sorry if these are cold.

 

(The machine turns on and a green lights appears)

 

MARISOL: What just happened?

 

CAM: Blood pools in recent injuries. Thermal imaging records that. Now, we’re gonna match your injuries against Billie Morgan’s.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club. Two women are fighting as the crowd cheers them on.)

 

BRENNAN: You nervous?

 

BOOTH: About what, huh? Throw a few to make it look good and let Walt take me down.

 

(One woman knocks the other woman down.)

 

REFEREE: It’s over! Your winner, Diana the Destroyer. (crowd cheers.) Alright, ladies and gentleman. We got some fresh blood to shed for you tonight. The great Tony the Tiger!

 

(Crowd booing.)

 

BRENNAN: Why are they booing?

 

BOOTH: They find it more fun than cheering.

 

RANDOM WOMAN: (O.S.) What's up, Tony!

 

(Nick walks over to the Referee)

 

BRENNAN: That’s the guy from Nolan's gym.

 

BOOTH: Yeah. I had a feeling we’d see him again.

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Hey, Tone.

 

BOOTH: What are you doing over here?

 

BRENNAN: Yeah. You’re supposed to be over there?

 

REFEREE: Hold on, folks. There’s been a change in the card.

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: Sorry, man. They pulled me.

 

BOOTH: They what?

 

REFEREE: In this corner, a man who needs no introduction. MONROE!!

 

AGENT WALT SUGARMAN: They said Monroe would be a bigger draw for the bettors.

 

BOOTH: Yeah, ya know. He’s sorta bigger everything.

 

(Monroe grunts)

 

REFEREE: Alright, ladies and gentleman, place your bets. Last call for wagers right now. Get your money down.

 

(Monroe grunts again)

 

BRENNAN: You can’t fight him, Booth. He'll kill you.

 

BOOTH: I really don’t have a choice, Roxie.

 

REFEREE: Tiger, center ring. Now.

 

MAN: You're gonna get your ass kicked, Tiger!

 

(Booth moves into the ring and stands in front of his opponent.)

 

REFEREE: Okay, boys. On my signal. (he moves back) KILL!

 

(Immediately, Monroe throws the first punch.)

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab. The squints are re-enacting Billie & Marisol's fight using the machines.)

 

ZACK: Damage to Billie’s scapula and thoracic vertebrae.

 

CAM: Force and velocity match patella damage to Marisol’s left knee.

 

ZACK: This contusion on Billie’s fifth rib, the mark looks like it was delivered by a heel or a fist.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club. Booth & Monroe's actions mirror what the squints are talking about back in the lab.)

 

ZACK: (V.O.) Now a right, followed by a grab to the throat and Billie's down again.

 

CAM: (V.O) More damage to the scapula.

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab)

 

HODGINS: Whoa, easy on Billie’s chest there, Marisol.

 

ZACK: Hairline fracture of Billie’s sternum at the third costal cartilage is congruent with damage to Marisol’s left hand.

 

CAM: And we have another match.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club.)

 

HODGINS: (V.O.) Billie ducks and than causes the maxillary fractures on Marisol’s skull.

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab)

 

ZACK: Marisol seems to favor the right-to-the-body left-to-the-head combo.

 

MARISOL: I do not.

 

CAM: You can deny it all you want. We’ve got the evidence right here.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club.)

 

ZACK: (V.O.) The choke hold -

 

BRENNAN: (she rushes to where Booth is) Excuse me! Tony!

 

ZACK: (V.O.) matches the bruising on Billie’s neck.

 

BRENNAN: Tony, stay down. Monroe has calcium deposits on his left medial epicondyle.

 

BOOTH: And that helps me how?

 

(Monroe picks Booth up off the floor and goes after him again as Brennan tries to make her way though the crowd to get closer to him)

 

BRENNAN: Excuse me, excuse me. He can’t extend his arm and and he lacks a range of motion in his quadratus lumborum, Hit him there.

 

BOOTH: Hit him where?

 

BRENNAN: His lower back, above his right kidney

 

(Booth breaks away from Monroe)

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab)

 

HODGINS: The tide has turned my friend.

 

MARISOL: I told ya she could fight.

 

HODGINS: She doesn't fight. She dominates.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club.)

 

(Booth starts hitting Monroe where Brennan told him to – and it works. He actually may win this.)

 

BRENNAN: (shouting above the crowd) Give him your Nolan Move!

 

(Booth does the Nolan move and knocks the guy to the ground. Everyone is shocked.)

 

(Cut to: Medico Legal Lab)

 

HODGINS: Wow.

 

CAM: You can say that again

 

ZACK: How could I missed that?

 

ANGELA: We all missed it, Zack.

 

MARISOL: Missed what? What is it?

 

(Cam walks off.)

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club.)

 

REFEREE: Your winner! The last man standing! (crowd is groaning and booing.) Tony the Man-eating Tiger! (Brennan runs over and hugs him) Tony the Tiger!

 

BOOTH: I did it.

 

(Brennan's phone rings)

 

Referee (points to booth): Your winner.

 

MAN: (O.S.) Are you kidding me!

 

BRENNAN: (into phone) Hey Cam.

CAM: We missed it. The fatal blow was obscured by all her other injuries. Marisol cracked Billie’s ribs, but not hard enough to puncture the lung. It was a bat. The same baseball bat that killed the federal prosecutor.

(Brennan hangs up the phone)

 

BOOTH: What is it?

 

BRENNAN: (whispering into his ear) It was a baseball bat that killed Billie, just like the one used on Roberts.

 

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

 

ANGELA: So when you’re dressed, the agent will take you back to the airport. Marisol...Why do you fight?

 

MARISOL: Where else am I gonna make a thousand in one night, without selling myself? And I can make even more betting on myself, as long as I ain’t greedy.

 

ANGELA: What do you mean, greedy?

 

MARISOL: Bookies don’t mind us making a few bucks on the side. But just a few.

 

ANGELA: Had you bet on your fight with Billie?

 

MARISOL: Girl cost me two hundred dollars.

 

ANGELA: Had Billie bet on herself? Marisol.

 

MARISOL: From what I heard, some guys picked Billie up after the fight. They didn’t look to happy.

 

ANGELA: Why didn’t you tell the police? Or tell us?

 

MARISOL: Look, I might not have much but what I got I aim to keep.

 

ANGELA: What could be so important to you that could let somebody get away with murder?

 

MARISOL: My daughter. She’s two. She lives with my mom, okay? And if they find out I was brought here-

 

ANGELA: Who's they?

 

MARISOL: Look, I don’t know. And I don’t want to know. I’m sorry.

 

(Cut to: Underground Fight Club.)

 

BRENNAN: (on the phone): Thanks Angela. (she hangs up, then to Booth.) So we were right. Billie bet on herself, which is why I bet on you.

 

BOOTH: You bet on me?

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, With Nick, the guy from Nolan’s gym. It was one of two reasons, actually, but when I heard the odds I couldn’t-

 

BOOTH: My odds?

 

BRENNAN: Yeah.

 

BOOTH:What were they?

 

BRENNAN: You were a 20-to-1 underdog, So I bet with Nick figuring that-

 

BOOTH: Wait. 20-to-1 against? Really? Did I look that bad?

 

BRENNAN: If Nick pays me, he’s not our guy. But if he doesn’t pay me, it may not prove he killed Billie, but it’ll put him in a strong contention.

 

BOOTH: At the very least. Very smart, Bones. What was the other reason?

 

BRENNAN: (she smiles.) Come on. I have winnings to collect.

 

(Cut to: Booth and Brennan walking over to Nick.)

 

BRENNAN: Hey, Nick! Thought you ran out on us.

 

NICK: Nick Arno don’t run from anybody, Sweetheart.

 

BOOTH: Arno? Sweet Pete’s kid?

 

NICK: That was quite a show you put on tonight, army boy.

 

BOOTH: Yeah, well, you know. I had my lucky charm here.

 

BRENNAN: And I believe you owe us some money.

 

NICK: I suppose but see the gentleman I answer to? There's sort of have an unwritten rule about fighters getting greedy. Applies to their spouses too, I’m afraid.

 

BRENNAN: No, we’re not married. We’re not even engaged

 

BOOTH: Wait, what's the rule?

 

NICK: Enjoy a taste, but never expect a meal. Least of all with a ringer involved.

 

BOOTH: Wait, I ain't no ringer.

 

BRENNAN: Well, what’s a ringer?

 

BOOTH: They think I cheated.

 

NICK: She’s good, army boy. Real good. But I seen Monroe take out whole biker gangs.

 

BRENNAN: Then I want my thousand bucks back.

 

NICK: Consider it a fine.

 

BRENNAN: Fine? Are you serious?

 

NICK: Maybe I’m not making myself clear here. As our new top seed, he works for us now. You don’t just punch out our best guy and walk away. Not when there’s more money to be made.

 

BOOTH: You think you can make me fight for you?

 

NICK: You only find out if you don’t.

 

BOOTH: Than you know what? I want to talk to this gentleman you answer to.

NICK: And I want world peace. Look, take my advice. Let Joe here escort you safely back to your hotel. Let your beautiful - whatever-she-is - ice your wounds. In about a day or two, we’ll come and get you for your next fight. Get 'em outta here, Joe. (Nick leaves)

 

JOE: Let’s go.

 

(Cut to: Alleyway behind fight club.)

 

JOE: I vouched for you, so it’s my ass in the sling. You understand?

 

BRENNAN: We didn’t mean to get you in trouble.

 

JOE: Yet, here I am. (to booth) So you’re going to do exactly what Nick says. Now, the people that are running things, they don't play. I got enough strikes against me as it is.

 

(Joe scratches his elbow.)

 

BRENNAN: You got an itch, Joe?

 

BOOTH: What?

 

BRENNAN: (whispering to Booth) The cortisone. If it wasn’t injected, it could’ve been topical, like the pine oil. They’re both common ingredients in lotions used to treat skin ailments-

 

JOE: What the hell is she talking about?

 

BOOTH: She’s talking about your rash.

 

BRENNAN: Psoriasis?

 

JOE: Eczema, which is none of your concern. Let's go.

 

BOOTH: Whoa, whoa, hey, whoa. Where we gonna go, Joe? We going back to our hotel? Or mile marker 15?

 

BRENNAN: Where we found Billie Morgan and Mason Roberts. You remember them.

 

JOE: Who are you people?

 

BOOTH: I’m with the FBI, Joe. Look, I don’t have my badge, I don’t have my gun, but you’d be wise to believe me now. You have a choice.

 

JOE: What kind of choice do I have?

 

BOOTH: To be the man that you were before you threw your first fight. Or you wind up dead like the rest of these guys. You were the real deal. You were strong and fast. Everybody wanted to fight like you.

 

JOE: There was so much money. Easy money. I thought I can handle it. He was gonna get me another shot at the title.

 

BRENNAN: Who?

 

JOE: Nick’s father, Sweet Pete. And he’s owned me ever since. Made me throw more fights.

 

BOOTH: Made you kill Mason Roberts?

 

JOE: I didn’t kill anybody. I just buried him.

BOOTH: For Pete?

 

(Joe nods.)

 

BRENNAN: And when Billie Morgan want her bet, you buried her too.

 

JOE: She was a sweet kid, just looking for a way out. I begged Pete to let her be.

 

BRENNAN: He killed her.

 

JOE: Might as well done it myself. I brought her in here. I knew what kind of punks she’d be dealing with.

 

BOOTH: Bad enough you’re under Sweet Pete’s thumb, but now you’re under his son's too?

 

JOE: That’s what happens when you’re luck turns in this town. You keep hoping it’s going to turn around again. Hoping you’re going to get back to even. But you never do.

 

BOOTH: Write your own story now, Joe. You can make Nick, Sweet Pete, all his friends just disappear. The way they did to Billie and Roberts.

 

(Cut to: Hotel Room. Brennan is packing while Booth is watching the news.)

 

TV REPORTER: (V.O.) Vegas authorities have arrested Nick Arno- along with his father, Tangiers Casino gaming executive, Peter Arno, otherwise known as Sweet Pete, in connection with the murder five years ago of prosecutor Mason Roberts, among others.

 

BRENNAN: “Among others?” Is that what Billie Morgan is to these people? Others?

 

BOOTH: It’s day one Bones, relax. You know what? Billie - Billie's gonna have her story told. It’s just a matter of time. So what was the, uh, second reason?

 

BRENNAN: What?

 

BOOTH: Uh, you never told me the second reason why, uh, why you bet on me.

 

BRENNAN: Yeah, it was...silly.

 

BOOTH: Well, come on. Try me.

 

BRENNAN: Beginner's Luck. I haven't lost at anything since I’ve been here. So, well, I – I figured if I bet on you, then-

 

BOOTH: I couldn't lose.

 

BRENNAN: Sounds silly, right?

 

BOOTH: It sounds familiar. Thanks

 

BRENNAN: You’re welcome.

 

(They hold their stare for a few moments)

 

BRENNAN:You Ready?

 

BOOTH: Yeah, let’s go.

 

(They grab the bags and leave.)

 

END.

 

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