Bones s02e08 Episode Script
The Woman in the Sand
# [Pop Rock.]
- # [Ends.]
- [Sirens Wailing.]
[Brennan.]
So who do they think the body is? [Booth.]
A federal prosecutor who disappeared five years ago the day before he was starting a mob trial.
- Five years? So there's not much left of him.
- Yep.
That's why they flew you to Sin City, Bones.
They call this America's playground? We're 15 miles outside Vegas, Bones.
This is America's frying pan.
No kidding.
A person can melt before finding a body anywhere near here.
Once the mob makes a federal prosecutor disappear they kinda want him staying that way.
- Agent Booth.
- Agent Zhang.
Dr.
Brennan, thanks for coming.
May 20, 2001.
Mason Roberts was supposed to deliver a keynote address at U.
N.
L.
V.
But he never showed.
Found his car three blocks from his office, engine still running.
- Right this way.
- What? No leads until now? Leads don't mean much without a body.
Then yesterday we get this tip from this call girl working at the Tangiers Hotel.
Oh, so I dragged out one of the top forensic anthropologists across the country, huh on the word of a prostitute? - But what difference does her profession make? - I'm backing you up.
- You were judging.
- I wasn't judging.
- Yeah.
Your voice was judging.
- I had your back.
Anyway, the body's right where she said it'd be mile marker 15.
[Brennan.]
Confirm victim is male, late 30s.
No clothing, no personal artifacts.
Hey, this informant of yours, any chance I can talk to her? As long as you don't expect her to talk back.
She died this morning.
Cancer.
It was a deathbed confession.
She was still scared as hell.
Multiple fractures to the skull and upper extremities caused by something cylindrical, like a pipe or a bat.
Straight out of Capone's playbook.
- I'll know more once I compare dental records, but - [Bird Squawking.]
What, Bones? It's a vulture.
Dead body here.
Kinda how it works.
They don't circle skeletal remains.
Get my bag.
Oh, right.
It's the sun-baked, rotting corpses they're into.
[Brennan.]
It's a female, mid-20s.
Similar injuries to the male victim but this is a fresh kill a week to 10 days.
Popular dumping ground for these guys.
You don't mean the same guys five years later? Well, if they're not connected, it'd be one hell of a coincidence.
I'd have to compare them side by side but, from what I see here, whoever buried that victim buried this one too.
- So, two dead for the price of one.
- Viva Las Vegas.
- [Chattering.]
- [Police Radio Chatter.]
Yep.
Dental records confirm.
The male victim is Mason Roberts, bludgeoned to death.
Presumably with a baseball bat.
This guy here looks like a long-ball hitter.
That's Sweet Pete Arno.
He's the gaming exec at the Tangiers.
He and the other two there, they were on Roberts's immediate to-do list when he disappeared.
Any specs on the female victim yet? Mmm, only preliminary.
Blows to the cranium, torso, and upper extremities.
All similar injuries to Roberts.
- But the likely result of domestic abuse.
- Likely result? There's nothing domestic about a mob hit.
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.
- Is that a hearing aid? - They're common with abuse victims.
Repeated blows to the head can damage the bones of the inner ear.
Sorry to butt in, Brennan, but I got a name off the serial number.
Hearing aid is registered to a Wilhelmina Morgan of Mount Charleston, Nevada.
Oh, that's not too far from here.
She goes by the name Billie.
Listed here as Billie Morgan, 26.
Reported missing two weeks ago by her husband, Donald.
- Her abusive husband covering his tracks? - Possible.
Okay, he might know how his wife and Roberts ended up here.
- He may even know your friends here.
- You get on that.
- I'll fly these remains back to theJeffersonian.
- Whoa.
- You can't leave.
- I can't? No.
We came for one body, and suddenly there's two.
What if there's more? Just ship both sets of remains here, along with bugs, dirt the works.
If there's a forensic link to these murders, we'll find it.
- As long as you keep me in the loop.
- As if we could keep you out.
Okay.
So that's the deal.
Box them up, and we go break the news to big Don.
And here I thought she left me.
- Why would she do that, Don? - I got laid off a couple months ago.
Poor Billie.
She hated seeing me sitting around the house all day, depressed.
- Drinking? - Punching walls? No.
I just I fell off a ladder.
Breaking a fall like that would fracture distal radius not proximal phalanges.
So I got a police report that says that your neighbors heard you screaming at your wife three weeks ago.
Screaming? No.
Just arguing.
Billie wanted to help out.
She thought she could bring in some money dancing.
You know, the exotic kind? - I kind of flipped out.
- And broke your thumb against your wife's face? No! Look, I could never hurt Billie, okay? Then how'd she lose her hearing? I don't know! She was a kid playing sports.
One too many soccer balls to the head.
- Oh, please.
- Listen, Don, you're my number one suspect.
So it would be wise if you were straight with us.
Implants.
Breast implants? 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.
Gave the money to Billie.
That's the last time I ever saw her.
- So that's how you broke your thumb.
- Huh? The loan shark comes to collect his eight grand.
Don here, he can't pay him.
- So - Yeah.
Now I owe him 10.
I need the loan shark's name.
Just give me a name.
Mackey.
Yeah, that's right.
Lewis Mackey.
Yeah.
Send his information to my cell phone as soon as you can.
Thanks.
- We had the shark in our system.
- Proving at least that he exists.
You know, Don's story might seem a little, I don't know, hinky.
- But just keep an open mind.
- To what? All those soccer balls to the head? I'm just not sold on the whole domestic abuse thing.
A scrawny guy like that? - Rage has nothing to do with size.
- I know that, Bones.
You know that I know that.
It's just, I looked into the guy's eyes, and I I just didn't see it.
What about the breast implants? If she'd gotten them, they would've been part of her remains.
Yeah.
Well, then the money had to be for something else.
And hopefully, this guy will be able to tell us what it was.
[Bells Ringing.]
- [Woman Screaming.]
Yeah! - Hey.
[Man.]
Place your bets.
- There's our loan shark.
Let's go.
- Just give me a moment here.
- [Man.]
We've got a winner! - Color out.
Oh, my God.
I completely forgot.
You can't be here, Booth.
You're a degenerate gambler.
Former gambler, okay? Not degenerate.
I've been through the program.
And he's on the move.
Well, what if you get a sudden urge to gamble while you're here? - It's like sending an alcoholic to a distillery.
- [Coins Clattering.]
- Do you need to sit down? - No, I'm fine.
It's just the sound of the winning.
It'll pass.
What? The sound or the winning? Just kinda reminds me of the first time.
I walked into the Desert Inn with 35 bucks in my pocket and walked out with a cool 10 grand.
Next night, I lost everything.
Tapped out my A.
T.
M.
trying to get it back.
- What's that game called again? - Craps.
- What's the matter now? - No, it's the game.
It's called craps.
This used to be my game, Bones.
Roll dem bones.
Chuck the dice, you know? - Seven-11! - That's craps.
[Players Groaning.]
And he's going for the bar.
You stay here.
I know how to talk to these guys.
- Talk? You can barely breathe.
- I'm fine.
Just trust me, all right? - Wait here.
- And do what, exactly? You're an anthropologist.
Observe the culture.
[Man.]
Five dollars, yo.
- [Woman.]
Come on! Boxcars! - [Shouting, Cheering.]
[Croupier.]
Winner, seven! Winner, seven! Hit me.
Lou Mackey.
Don't I owe you money? I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else.
I don't think I do.
My buddy, Don Morgan, he introduced us Do I need to call Security? Yeah.
You know, that's a great idea.
Then maybe you can tell all of us what you did to Don and how his wife ended up dead.
- I don't know anything about any wife.
- Come on, Lou.
Don't make me work so hard here.
Look, the guy owed me money.
He neglected to pay.
Then he fell off of a ladder.
It's instant karma.
Instant karma.
That's gonna get you every time, isn't it? What about, uh, Billie Morgan? She have instant karma, too? She's attractive.
I didn't even know he was married.
How about the name Mason Roberts? I'm sure that rings a bell.
Whispers on the strip is that you finally found him.
Congratulations.
Now leave me alone.
If you know more than what you're saying, I'm gonna find out eventually.
- Do I look worried? - [Chuckles.]
I'm a businessman.
What are you harassing me for? Ah, it's just something I have about bullies.
Thanks for the drink.
- Nineteen's a winner.
- Yes! Yes.
- Uh, hey, Bones.
- 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.
- Yeah.
lxnay.
- The most common card is a 10 because of the face cards.
So if you just always assume that the down card's a 10 - I'm afraid you're gonna have to - We were just about to leave.
- I was just getting good.
- Good at cheating.
- That's what counting cards is.
- It's not cheating.
It's strategy.
- Not to them it's not.
- Well, what is the fun in that? - The odds are completely skewed in the dealer's favor.
- Now do you see the attraction? Now, the man on my right, he's going to win ifhe doesn't hit on an eight.
Aegialia concinna.
- Gesundheit.
- Also known as scarab beetles.
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 spans.
- From ingesting Billie's flesh? More likely, the powerful glucocorticoid in her system.
I have yet to isolate which one specifically.
Be sure to notify Dr.
Brennan when you do.
Any specifics on the bat used to kill Roberts yet, Zack? Here's a replica.
Cincinnati Slugger with a three-inch diameter weighing about 27 ounces.
You'd think the mob would come up with less clichéd ways to whack people.
But there's something else.
Staining in Roberts's cranium indicates seepage to the cervical spine.
So somehow, blood from his head got down to his neck.
Vertebrae C-7.
- Are those cut marks? - So his throat was cut too.
Per my scarab beetles, did you find a specific cause of death on Billie Morgan yet? She displays a hemothorax on her left lung.
Caused by a left-sided rib fracture.
A broken rib punctures a lung causing massive internal bleeding.
And between her pre-existing injuries and the new ones the poor girl never had a chance to heal.
Oh, won't Dr.
Brennan love to hear that.
[Brennan.]
Take a closer look at the stress markers to her sternum, Zack.
They strike you as unusual? Well, they do seem more the result of repetitive medium-impact manual blows than the single high impact from a bat.
This husband could really dish it out.
Maybe she dished it back.
These hairline fractures on her knuckles 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? Yeah.
It's certainly possible.
What are you thinking, Dr.
Brennan? - I'm thinking Billie Morgan could've been a boxer.
- Like a real boxer in a ring? But wouldn't boxing gloves prevent injuries like these? Unless she wasn't wearing gloves.
- Well, what boxer does that? - Ultimate fighters.
Ultimate fighters! [Chuckles.]
You're into that crap too, huh, Hodgins? Dude, it's barbaric.
When it shows up on cable, I can't turn it off.
- And it's actually legal? - Completely sanctioned.
They do wear some protective gear which would fly in the face of our girl's injuries.
- Unless it was underground.
- Underground where? Come on.
Haven't you guys ever seen Fight Club? Illegal, no-holds-barred slugfests.
Modern day panem et circenses.
But generally there's no free bread.
- What? - So Don Morgan didn't beat his wife.
Hate to say I told you so.
Why didn't you tell us, Don? Because I didn't know.
All right? She never told me.
- Your own wife didn't tell you that she was fighting? - 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.
It about broke her heart, but she was done.
- Apparently not.
- You know what I think? I think somebody offered Billie an illegal fight and you jumped at the chance for a payday.
- Are you out of your mind? - You borrowed money from Mackey and you put it all on Billie.
And she ended up paying the price.
- No! That's not true! - Who are you protecting, Don? Nobody! Look, I swear I didn't know.
Don, we can protect you if you let us.
If I knew who killed Billie, I'd tell ya.
Believe me.
Please.
- Why would anyone fight illegally in the first place? - There's limited options.
Not everybody can be Oscar De La Hoya.
Who? Injuries, criminal past, failed drug tests leaves them with no other skills.
- So they take on a fight wherever they can find one.
- Even if it kills them? - Mmm.
- [Phone Rings, Beeps.]
Brennan.
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 with the E.
P.
A.
Ow! What? - [Brennan.]
Hey! No gambling! - Am I interrupting something? [Booth.]
It's just keno, all right? I'm sorry if Hodgins lost me at hexavalium chromo Hexavalent chromium.
And we need to find some.
How can we contact the Environmental Protection Agency? Yeah, I'm on it.
- Whew.
- This was an auto shop? Yeah.
E.
P.
A.
, they shut it down months ago for hazardous waste material.
It was the only shop authorized to use that chromium stuff.
See it anywhere? Could be absorbed into the dust particles on the floor.
Along with flash paper.
- What's that? - Betting slips.
Burn fast in case there's a raid.
Look at this.
[Booth.]
They painted a ring for the fights.
- So this was the fight club.
- If there's blood, I'd say it is.
Where's your, uh, light thingie? Blood.
The whole place is covered in blood.
Of the 30 blood samples found in the body shop six were A-positive, same as Billie Morgan.
[Saroyan.]
Still waiting on DNA.
fights per hour over a three-hour period.
Or three fights over five hours, six fights over We get the idea, Zack.
Lots of fights.
I ran thermal imaging on Billie's remaining soft tissue to reconstruct her injuries.
This is what she might've looked like after the fight.
Ah, the sweet science.
Just when I get to a place where I can almost stomach seeing maggots eating intestines, this.
How could anybody do this to themselves? In 900 B.
C.
, the Greek ruler Theseus entertained himself watching two men in chairs beat each other to death.
Just saying, it's nothing new.
I can work up force and velocity readings for each blow.
Zack can help me I.
D.
her opponent from the circumference and diameter of the fists.
I'd rather Zack focus on our second weapon for Roberts.
None of these blades are narrow enough.
- It's as if his vertebrae was cut with a razor blade.
- [Hodgins.]
Or a razor wire.
Luca Brasi.
The Godfather? Please, someone buy a DVD player.
- You mean a garrote? - Yes.
A garrote pulled so tightly around Luca's Or rather Roberts's neck It sliced through his throat and severed his carotid artery.
Okay, the whole "maggots eating intestines" thing is not nearly as gross to me now.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
Thanks a lot.
Agent Zhang said he found the owner of the old body shop.
He said some guy paid him $3,000 cash just to use the place for one night.
No names, no questions asked.
- Seems like a theme in this town.
- [Chuckles.]
Yeah.
Why is he hitting on a 16? I mean, look at him.
He's completely distracted.
Well, you know what? Actually, Bones, you can.
If the face card is show All right.
- I don't want to hear it.
- There he is.
- Look at this.
It's my buddy, Lou Mackey.
- Great.
We're friends now.
I need you to tell me where a fight fan can get a little, uh - Seeley? - Frankie? What are you doing back in Vegas, huh? - Man's got a lot of friends.
- So it would seem.
- I'll catch up with you later, Frankie.
- Hey, Lou.
- See you, friend.
- Is he a problem? No, no.
That's all good.
Hey, look at you.
Yeah.
Frankie Daniels.
Hey, Temperance Brennan, Frank Daniels.
- We served in the Gulf together.
- That's right.
Hit the Strip the minute we got back.
- And you never left? - I bounce around.
You know, here, Chicago, L.
A.
You know me, huh, Seel.
Always chasing rainbows.
Good ol' Frankie boy, huh? How's Karen? No, no.
That's over.
You know? She ran off with some loser stockbroker.
- You know, it's just as well.
I don't need that.
- Frankie, you all right? Don't start with that, huh? It's been too many years.
I'm getting by, all right? - Yeah.
Guys like Lou Mackey? - Yeah, well, you know, minor minor occupational hazard.
- Have you considered medication? - Oh, Bones! An antidepressant might raise your norepinephrine level.
It could help control the impulsivity.
- What are you, a drug rep now or something? - Excuse us, Bones, okay? Wondering if you know anything about these underground fight clubs.
Yeah.
Actually, I do know one.
Bare knuckles.
No rules.
All right, I need to know where.
It moves around.
This guy, Joe Nolan, he sells 800 numbers.
- You call, you find out the time, the place, code to get in.
- The old boxerJoe Nolan? The welterweight champ in '92.
He owns a gym here on Federal.
- Thanks, man.
- Hey, uh Think you could spot me a couple of bucks? Forgot my wallet at the house.
- Yeah.
- Just something, you know? I'll get you back.
Yeah.
Frankie's a better guy than he seems.
And yet he knows this Nolan guy.
Anybody who knows the fight game knows Joe Nolan.
The guy he was, you know, set to be the next Sugar Ray until he was accused of throwing a couple fights.
What? You mean losing on purpose? Why would anyone do that? - I should talk toJoe alone.
- What's with this sudden impulse to leave me behind? I'll tell you, Bones, the usual rules, they don't apply here.
The deeper we get, I don't want anyone knowing that we're F.
B.
I.
- Well, that's easy for me.
I'm not.
- Okay, fine.
# [R& B.]
[Grunts.]
# [Ends.]
- What do you think? - I have enough Bibles, thank you.
- But try next door.
- You said I could be a schoolteacher.
Not the spinster kind who lives with her sister, but the hot one who makes the boys crazy.
Here.
Put on the one that I picked out.
Okay.
But don't be so bossy.
We're newlyweds, I said, taking Sin City by storm.
Ready for action! You know, marriage is such an archaic institution.
[Sighs.]
Listen, Bones.
I know what I'm doing.
Okay? I've done this before.
Just stop arguing.
I'm not.
It's just, you know, I don't need a piece of paper to prove my commitment.
Fine.
We're engaged.
- Why would I be okay with engagement? - Whatever, Bones.
All right? 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.
Like this? Yeah.
Yeah, like that.
[Cell Phone Rings.]
- Hey, Cam.
- Dr.
Brennan.
Judging by the angle of the blows Billie's last opponent was 5'6" and left-handed.
With a fist size of approximately 90 millimeters.
Zack measured.
- That's hot.
- Hot? Wait a minute.
What's hot? N Uh, nothing.
Vegas! Vegas is hot.
It's very hot here.
- [Punches Landing On Punching Bags.]
- [Men Shouting.]
How does anyone actually walk in these things? Well, them boots, they ain't made for walking, sweetheart.
Okay.
That was completely over the top.
You play your part.
I'll play mine.
- Come on, Marisol! - Hey, Booth.
The girl.
Yeah, I see.
Yeah, and left-handed.
- Can I help you folks? - I can't believe it.
- SloppyJoe Nolan.
- SloppyJoe? - Yeah.
That's how he left his opponents.
- These days, it's justJoe.
I busted a lace, Joe.
Sorry to bother you, Joe, but you had a huge impact on my style back in the army.
Juke to the body, followed by a right hook.
Worked for me every time.
Another army fighter, Joe? How many of these has-beens you get in here a week? - At least this one still looks like he's in shape.
- My man's in great shape.
- Believe me.
- Easy there, honey.
Well, let's see it, army.
Show us those moves that made you so famous.
Go ahead, tiger.
Show these clowns.
- Yeah, maybe I will.
Just a little.
- Come on.
Yeah.
Come on, tiger.
Let's see, Joe.
Give it that little, you know, tap.
You know, juke to the body with a hard right followed by a whole bunch of the old [Grunting.]
- So much for my "has-been" army fighter.
- Not bad.
- I still got it.
- Yeah.
Maybe a little too much.
- What's your name? - Tony Scalia.
Here's my fiancée, Roxanne.
Yeah, we're more engaged to be engaged.
- You looking to train or what? - Ah, you know, I don't fight no more.
But they say that you could direct me and Roxie to a little, you know, underground action.
- They say a lot, don't they? - Some guy at the Rio.
- One of them "you didn't hear it from me" types.
- Sorry.
Can't help you.
What'd I tell you, Tony? That guy was just trying to hit on me.
But I do know a number you can call.
Not that I give it tojust anybody.
Oh, come on, Joe.
They seem like such nice people.
- Yeah.
We're nice people.
- A thousand bucks.
- Each.
- Whoa.
That's a little steep.
No, Tony, come on.
We only live once.
I want to see a fight.
- Nothing like being a kept man.
- Yeah.
Don't know what I'd do without her.
That was amazing.
What got into you? It's from when I used to watch old movies with my dad.
He really liked Clara Bow.
Clara Bow was a silent film star.
Yeah, but I I guess that's how I always imagined she sounded.
Just like you imagined she carried around a wad of cash? Oh, that.
I couldn't sleep last night, so I snuck off to play a little crap.
Craps, Bones.
Plural.
And I can't believe your beginner's luck.
- Don't say that.
You'll jinx it.
- Since when do you believe in jinxes? I don't.
But after hearing the crap dealer say it Crap dealer's right.
No jinxes.
We got a big night ahead of us.
All right.
The federal prosecutor here and Billie here.
Both show evidence of topical chemicals.
This'll extract the elements I need to cross-reference with the dead beetles safely.
Not that she was safe, letting herself get drawn into a fight like that.
- We've all been in a fight or two we wish we hadn't.
- Not me.
You've never fought? Never thrown a punch? Never saw the logic of it.
It's not about logic.
It's It's emotional.
It's anger.
I don't get angry.
It's not rational.
What if you were on the beach and someone kicked sand in your face? - I don't go to the beach.
- All right, 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 10-year-old? I don't have much in common with a 10-year-old.
And although I don't know what a twit is objectively, I am thin and lack muscular definition.
- Dude, you're a Vulcan.
And a dull Vulcan at that.
- Can we please work? Now you're pissing me off.
You're a freak, man.
Anger is a part of being human.
- Grow a set.
- I would really like to work, Hodgins.
You know, it is not enough to be some robotic, second-rate grad student.
I am the most valuable and accomplished grad student who's has ever been installed at theJeffersonian.
And you're gonna be a grad student the rest of your life because you have no fire.
I'm working on my dissertation.
Oh, please.
You've been saying that for years.
You're a poseur.
You don't have your doctorate because you have no drive, no passion for what you love.
- Dude.
- It's not what you think.
- You got pissed.
- 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.
- Nice punch though.
- Thank you.
And my dissertation will be finished by the end of the month.
- Have the chemicals been extracted yet? - Looks good.
- Dr.
Brennan wanted the results as soon as possible.
- I'm moving.
You're not gonna hit me again, are ya? - [All Shouting.]
- All right, get 'im! # [Garage Rock.]
- Come on! - Get 'im! 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 cockfighting.
More like lesser surrogates engaged in battles on behalf of the elite lords who don't have the courage to fight themselves.
You know what? Come back to me, Roxie.
Ooh, look at all the sweat.
[Shouting, Cheering.]
That's it! It's over! Your winner! Little Mikey! Come on! Give it up! Give it up, everybody! Come on! For Little Mikey! [Man.]
What's he doin' - What the hell are you looking at? - Not much.
[Voice Echoing.]
Hey, Tony.
Tony! Sorry, Booth.
I just couldn't have you blowing my cover.
Ah, yeah.
And as they taught us in Quantico, Walt, I wasn't about to.
Do you know everyone in this town? - I had no idea we had an agent in there.
- I'm on a RICO assignment.
Under deep cover about a month.
Still can't crack who's running the show.
- What do you know aboutJoe Nolan? - Low-level guy.
One of many buffers.
That 800 number he sells changes with every event.
Trying to track it is like playing Whac-A-Mole.
Have you ever seen her fight at the club? Uh, yeah.
It's, uh, Billie-something, right? Yeah.
Four-to-one underdog.
Oh, she whupped this hot Latina pretty good.
Latina.
About 5'6", left-handed? - She works out at Nolan's club? - Yeah, Marisol.
Tough as nails.
And undefeated before your girl came along.
- Well, what if Billie bet on herself? - Well, you know what? With the money Don borrowed $8,000, 4-to-1 odds that had get 'em to their feet in a hurry.
- Maybe that's what got her killed.
- We gotta talk to this Marisol.
We'll go find her.
What's next for you? Sprained my wrist two fights ago with no chance to heal.
If I lose another bout, I'm off the rotation.
- Booth's a boxer.
- Excuse me? I'm just saying, if we can find a way to get you into the rotation you can fight Walt, lose, and then he can stay and maybe have a chance to heal.
- You're volunteering me to fight? - [Cell Phone Ringing.]
I'm volunteering you to throw one.
You could lose with your hands tied behind your back.
- Hey, Hodgins.
- How's this for coincidence? Scarab beetles from Roberts's body had the same short life span as Billie's but not from cortisone.
His bugs died from ingesting Pinus elliottii.
Pine? In the desert? Yeah, pine oil resin is often used to treat the same skin conditions as the cortisone that killed the other beetles.
Confirm that and get back to me.
Pine oil.
Okay.
Pine oil.
- What's that mean? - I don't know yet.
Go pick your fight.
- [Speaking Spanish.]
- What the hell's all this all about anyway? He insulted me, Joe.
He needs a beating, and I need the money.
Thought you didn't fight anymore.
Ah, you know, that was before I got blindsided out of retirement.
Will this do? Glad to see your sugar mama taught you a thing or two.
Sir? - Hey, Bones.
Fight's on.
- No trouble convincing Joe? Nothing a stack of bills couldn't fix.
She give us anything yet? - Nothing.
We're gonna need a warrant.
- For what? What's our evidence? 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 prove they fought.
If the fight's what killed Billie, Marisol's guilty of manslaughter.
Which would give us leverage to force her to give up whoever runs these fights.
Which she might do in exchange for protection.
So, you want to get her D.
N.
A.
sample and send it back to theJeffersonian.
Actually, I want to send Marisol.
This girl? The whole girl? Our squints can perform a live autopsy while our thermal-imaging programs reconstruct a theoretical fight.
You're lucky I know a very understanding judge in Vegas.
Of course you do.
Okay, Marisol.
You're not under arrest.
You're just here as evidence.
- So when this nice agent leaves you here - I'm gon' kick your skinny ass.
Honey, I'm from the Bronx.
Don't for a second think you scare me.
Look, I didn't kill nobody, all right? I didn't even fight.
Well, if that's true, let's go over to the scanner and prove it.
- Or disprove it.
- Hodgins.
- I'll take your robe.
- Is this gonna hurt? You won't even know it's happening.
Okay, Marisol? Sorry if these are cold.
What just happened? Blood pools in recent injuries.
Thermal imaging records that.
Now we're gonna match your injuries against Billie Morgan's.
[Both Grunting.]
- Yeah! - Whoa! - You nervous? - About what, huh? Throw a few to make it look good and then let Walt take me down.
[Shouting, Grunting.]
- [Cheering Continues.]
- It's over! Your winner, Diana the Destroyer! All right, ladies and gentlemen we've got some fresh blood to shed for you tonight.
The great Tony the Tiger! [Crowd Booing.]
- Why are they booing? - They find it more fun than cheering.
[Woman.]
What's up, Tony? - That's the guy from Nolan's gym.
- Yeah.
I had a feeling we'd see him again.
- Hey, Tony.
- What are you doing over here? Yeah.
You're supposed to be over there.
- Hold on, folks.
There's been a change in the card.
- Sorry, man.
They pulled me.
They what? In this corner, a man who needs no introduction.
Monroe! [Grunts.]
- They said Monroe would be a bigger draw for the bettors.
- He's sorta bigger everything.
[Grunts.]
All right, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.
Last call for wagers right now.
Get your money down.
[Shouts.]
You can't fight him, Booth.
He'll kill you.
I don't really have the choice, Roxie.
Tiger, center ring now.
[Man.]
You're gonna get your ass kicked, Tiger! Okay, boys, on my signal.
Kill! [Zack.]
Damage to Billie's scapula and thoracic vertebrae.
Force and velocity match patella damage to Marisol's left knee.
This contusion on Billie's fifth rib the mark looks like it was delivered by a heel or a fist.
[Zack.]
Now a right, followed by a grab to the throat and Billie's down again.
[Grunting.]
[Saroyan.]
More damage to the scapula.
Whoa.
Easy on Billie's chest there, Marisol.
Hairline fracture of Billie's sternum at the third costal cartilage is congruent with damage to Marisol's left hand.
And we have another match.
[Hodgins.]
Billie ducks and then causes the maxillary fractures in Marisol's skull.
Marisol seems to favor the right-to-the-body, left-to-the-head combo.
- I do not.
- You can deny it all you want.
We've got the evidence here.
- [Zack.]
The choke hold - Excuse me.
Tony! matches the bruising on Billie's neck.
Tony, stay down.
[Groaning.]
Monroe has calcium deposits on his left medial epicondyle.
And that helps me how? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
He can't extend his arm, and he lacks range of motion in his quadratus lumborum.
Hit him there.
- Hit him where? - In his lower back above his right kidney.
The tide has turned, my friends.
- I told you she could fight.
- She doesn't fight.
She dominates.
Give him your Nolan move! [Groans.]
Wow.
You can say that again.
- How could I miss that? - We all missed it, Zack.
Missed what? What is it? - Your winner! The last man standing! - [Crowd Groaning, Booing.]
Tony the Man-eating Tiger! Tony the Tiger! - I did it.
- Your winner! [Cell Phone Ringing.]
[Man.]
Are you kidding me? - Hey, 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.
- What is it? - [Beeps.]
It was a baseball bat that killed Billie, just like the one used on Roberts.
So when you're dressed, um, the agent will take you back to the airport.
Marisol why do you fight? Where else am I gonna make a thousand in one night without selling myself? And I can make even more betting on myself, long as I ain't greedy.
- What do you mean, greedy? - Bookies don't mind us making a few bucks on the side.
- But just a few.
- Had you bet on your fight with Billie? - Girl cost me 200 dollars.
- Had Billie bet on herself? Marisol.
From what I heard, some guys picked Billie up after the fight.
- They didn't look happy.
- Why didn't you tell the police? Or tell us? Look, I might not have much, but what I got I aim to keep.
What could be so important to you that you could let somebody get away with murder? My daughter.
She's two.
She lives with my mom, okay? - And if they found out I was brought here - Who's they? Look, I don't know.
And I don't want to know.
I'm sorry.
- [Brennan.]
Thanks, Angela.
- [Beeps.]
So we were right.
Billie bet on herself, which is why I bet on you.
- You bet on me? - Yeah, with Nick, the guy from Nolan's gym.
It was one of two reasons.
But when I heard the odds, I couldn't - My odds? What were they? - You were a 20-to-1 underdog.
- So I bet with Nick figuring that - 20-to-1 against? Really? Did I look that bad? If Nick pays me, he's not our guy.
If he doesn't, it may not prove he killed Billie, but it'll put him in strong contention.
At the very least.
Very smart, Bones.
What was the other reason? Come on.
I have winnings to collect.
Hey, Nick! Thought you ran out on us.
Nick Arno don't run from anybody, sweetheart.
Arno? Sweet Pete's kid? That was quite a show you put on tonight, army boy.
- Well, I had my lucky charm here.
- And you owe us some money.
I suppose.
But the gentleman I answer to, there's an unwritten rule about fighters getting greedy.
Plus their spouses, too, I'm afraid.
- No, we're not married.
We're not even engaged.
- What's the rule? Enjoy a taste, but never expect a meal least of all with a ringer involved.
- Wait.
I ain't no ringer.
- What's a ringer? - They think I cheated.
- She's good, army boy.
Real good.
- But I seen Monroe take out whole biker gangs.
- Then I want my thousand back.
- Consider it a fine.
- Fine? Are you serious? 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.
- You think you can make me fight for you? - You only find out if you don't.
I want to talk to this gentleman that you answer to.
And I want world peace.
Look, take my advice.
LetJoe 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.
- Let's go.
I vouched for you.
So it's my ass in the sling.
You understand? - We didn't mean to get you in trouble.
- Yet here I am.
So you're gonna 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.
- You got an itch, Joe? - What? 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 - What the hell is she talking about? - She's talking about your rash.
Psoriasis? Eczema, which is none of your concern.
Let's go.
Whoa, whoa, hey, whoa.
Where we gonna go, Joe? We gonna go back to our hotel or mile marker 15? Where we found Billie Morgan and Mason Roberts.
You remember them.
Who are you people? I'm with the F.
B.
I.
, 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.
- What kind of choice do I have? 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.
There was so much money.
Easy money.
I thought I could handle it.
He was gonna get me another shot at the title.
- Who? - Nick's father, Sweet Pete.
And he's owned me ever since.
Made me throw more fights.
- Made you kill Mason Roberts? - I didn't kill anybody.
I just buried 'em.
For Pete? And when Billie Morgan won her bet, you buried her too.
She was a sweet kid, just looking for a way out.
I begged Pete to let her be.
- He killed her.
- Might as well have done it myself.
I brought her in here.
I knew what kind of punks she'd be dealing with.
Bad enough you're under Sweet Pete's thumb.
But now you're under his son's too? That's what happens when your luck turns in this town.
You keep hoping it's gonna turn around again hoping you're gonna get back to even.
But you never do.
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.
Vegas authorities have arrested Nick Arno, along with his father, Tangier's casino gaming executive Peter Arno, otherwise known as Sweet Pete, in connection with the murder five years ago of federal prosecutor Mason Roberts, among others.
"Among others"? Is that what Billie Morgan is to these people, "others"? It's day one, Bones.
Relax.
But you know what, I mean, Billie Billie's going to have her story told.
It's just a matter of time.
So what was the second reason? What? You never told me the second reason why you bet on me.
Yeah, it was silly.
Aww, come on, you know, try me.
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 I couldn't lose.
Sounds silly, right? Sounds familiar.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
You ready? Yeah, let's go.
- # [Ends.]
- [Sirens Wailing.]
[Brennan.]
So who do they think the body is? [Booth.]
A federal prosecutor who disappeared five years ago the day before he was starting a mob trial.
- Five years? So there's not much left of him.
- Yep.
That's why they flew you to Sin City, Bones.
They call this America's playground? We're 15 miles outside Vegas, Bones.
This is America's frying pan.
No kidding.
A person can melt before finding a body anywhere near here.
Once the mob makes a federal prosecutor disappear they kinda want him staying that way.
- Agent Booth.
- Agent Zhang.
Dr.
Brennan, thanks for coming.
May 20, 2001.
Mason Roberts was supposed to deliver a keynote address at U.
N.
L.
V.
But he never showed.
Found his car three blocks from his office, engine still running.
- Right this way.
- What? No leads until now? Leads don't mean much without a body.
Then yesterday we get this tip from this call girl working at the Tangiers Hotel.
Oh, so I dragged out one of the top forensic anthropologists across the country, huh on the word of a prostitute? - But what difference does her profession make? - I'm backing you up.
- You were judging.
- I wasn't judging.
- Yeah.
Your voice was judging.
- I had your back.
Anyway, the body's right where she said it'd be mile marker 15.
[Brennan.]
Confirm victim is male, late 30s.
No clothing, no personal artifacts.
Hey, this informant of yours, any chance I can talk to her? As long as you don't expect her to talk back.
She died this morning.
Cancer.
It was a deathbed confession.
She was still scared as hell.
Multiple fractures to the skull and upper extremities caused by something cylindrical, like a pipe or a bat.
Straight out of Capone's playbook.
- I'll know more once I compare dental records, but - [Bird Squawking.]
What, Bones? It's a vulture.
Dead body here.
Kinda how it works.
They don't circle skeletal remains.
Get my bag.
Oh, right.
It's the sun-baked, rotting corpses they're into.
[Brennan.]
It's a female, mid-20s.
Similar injuries to the male victim but this is a fresh kill a week to 10 days.
Popular dumping ground for these guys.
You don't mean the same guys five years later? Well, if they're not connected, it'd be one hell of a coincidence.
I'd have to compare them side by side but, from what I see here, whoever buried that victim buried this one too.
- So, two dead for the price of one.
- Viva Las Vegas.
- [Chattering.]
- [Police Radio Chatter.]
Yep.
Dental records confirm.
The male victim is Mason Roberts, bludgeoned to death.
Presumably with a baseball bat.
This guy here looks like a long-ball hitter.
That's Sweet Pete Arno.
He's the gaming exec at the Tangiers.
He and the other two there, they were on Roberts's immediate to-do list when he disappeared.
Any specs on the female victim yet? Mmm, only preliminary.
Blows to the cranium, torso, and upper extremities.
All similar injuries to Roberts.
- But the likely result of domestic abuse.
- Likely result? There's nothing domestic about a mob hit.
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.
- Is that a hearing aid? - They're common with abuse victims.
Repeated blows to the head can damage the bones of the inner ear.
Sorry to butt in, Brennan, but I got a name off the serial number.
Hearing aid is registered to a Wilhelmina Morgan of Mount Charleston, Nevada.
Oh, that's not too far from here.
She goes by the name Billie.
Listed here as Billie Morgan, 26.
Reported missing two weeks ago by her husband, Donald.
- Her abusive husband covering his tracks? - Possible.
Okay, he might know how his wife and Roberts ended up here.
- He may even know your friends here.
- You get on that.
- I'll fly these remains back to theJeffersonian.
- Whoa.
- You can't leave.
- I can't? No.
We came for one body, and suddenly there's two.
What if there's more? Just ship both sets of remains here, along with bugs, dirt the works.
If there's a forensic link to these murders, we'll find it.
- As long as you keep me in the loop.
- As if we could keep you out.
Okay.
So that's the deal.
Box them up, and we go break the news to big Don.
And here I thought she left me.
- Why would she do that, Don? - I got laid off a couple months ago.
Poor Billie.
She hated seeing me sitting around the house all day, depressed.
- Drinking? - Punching walls? No.
I just I fell off a ladder.
Breaking a fall like that would fracture distal radius not proximal phalanges.
So I got a police report that says that your neighbors heard you screaming at your wife three weeks ago.
Screaming? No.
Just arguing.
Billie wanted to help out.
She thought she could bring in some money dancing.
You know, the exotic kind? - I kind of flipped out.
- And broke your thumb against your wife's face? No! Look, I could never hurt Billie, okay? Then how'd she lose her hearing? I don't know! She was a kid playing sports.
One too many soccer balls to the head.
- Oh, please.
- Listen, Don, you're my number one suspect.
So it would be wise if you were straight with us.
Implants.
Breast implants? 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.
Gave the money to Billie.
That's the last time I ever saw her.
- So that's how you broke your thumb.
- Huh? The loan shark comes to collect his eight grand.
Don here, he can't pay him.
- So - Yeah.
Now I owe him 10.
I need the loan shark's name.
Just give me a name.
Mackey.
Yeah, that's right.
Lewis Mackey.
Yeah.
Send his information to my cell phone as soon as you can.
Thanks.
- We had the shark in our system.
- Proving at least that he exists.
You know, Don's story might seem a little, I don't know, hinky.
- But just keep an open mind.
- To what? All those soccer balls to the head? I'm just not sold on the whole domestic abuse thing.
A scrawny guy like that? - Rage has nothing to do with size.
- I know that, Bones.
You know that I know that.
It's just, I looked into the guy's eyes, and I I just didn't see it.
What about the breast implants? If she'd gotten them, they would've been part of her remains.
Yeah.
Well, then the money had to be for something else.
And hopefully, this guy will be able to tell us what it was.
[Bells Ringing.]
- [Woman Screaming.]
Yeah! - Hey.
[Man.]
Place your bets.
- There's our loan shark.
Let's go.
- Just give me a moment here.
- [Man.]
We've got a winner! - Color out.
Oh, my God.
I completely forgot.
You can't be here, Booth.
You're a degenerate gambler.
Former gambler, okay? Not degenerate.
I've been through the program.
And he's on the move.
Well, what if you get a sudden urge to gamble while you're here? - It's like sending an alcoholic to a distillery.
- [Coins Clattering.]
- Do you need to sit down? - No, I'm fine.
It's just the sound of the winning.
It'll pass.
What? The sound or the winning? Just kinda reminds me of the first time.
I walked into the Desert Inn with 35 bucks in my pocket and walked out with a cool 10 grand.
Next night, I lost everything.
Tapped out my A.
T.
M.
trying to get it back.
- What's that game called again? - Craps.
- What's the matter now? - No, it's the game.
It's called craps.
This used to be my game, Bones.
Roll dem bones.
Chuck the dice, you know? - Seven-11! - That's craps.
[Players Groaning.]
And he's going for the bar.
You stay here.
I know how to talk to these guys.
- Talk? You can barely breathe.
- I'm fine.
Just trust me, all right? - Wait here.
- And do what, exactly? You're an anthropologist.
Observe the culture.
[Man.]
Five dollars, yo.
- [Woman.]
Come on! Boxcars! - [Shouting, Cheering.]
[Croupier.]
Winner, seven! Winner, seven! Hit me.
Lou Mackey.
Don't I owe you money? I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else.
I don't think I do.
My buddy, Don Morgan, he introduced us Do I need to call Security? Yeah.
You know, that's a great idea.
Then maybe you can tell all of us what you did to Don and how his wife ended up dead.
- I don't know anything about any wife.
- Come on, Lou.
Don't make me work so hard here.
Look, the guy owed me money.
He neglected to pay.
Then he fell off of a ladder.
It's instant karma.
Instant karma.
That's gonna get you every time, isn't it? What about, uh, Billie Morgan? She have instant karma, too? She's attractive.
I didn't even know he was married.
How about the name Mason Roberts? I'm sure that rings a bell.
Whispers on the strip is that you finally found him.
Congratulations.
Now leave me alone.
If you know more than what you're saying, I'm gonna find out eventually.
- Do I look worried? - [Chuckles.]
I'm a businessman.
What are you harassing me for? Ah, it's just something I have about bullies.
Thanks for the drink.
- Nineteen's a winner.
- Yes! Yes.
- Uh, hey, Bones.
- 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.
- Yeah.
lxnay.
- The most common card is a 10 because of the face cards.
So if you just always assume that the down card's a 10 - I'm afraid you're gonna have to - We were just about to leave.
- I was just getting good.
- Good at cheating.
- That's what counting cards is.
- It's not cheating.
It's strategy.
- Not to them it's not.
- Well, what is the fun in that? - The odds are completely skewed in the dealer's favor.
- Now do you see the attraction? Now, the man on my right, he's going to win ifhe doesn't hit on an eight.
Aegialia concinna.
- Gesundheit.
- Also known as scarab beetles.
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 spans.
- From ingesting Billie's flesh? More likely, the powerful glucocorticoid in her system.
I have yet to isolate which one specifically.
Be sure to notify Dr.
Brennan when you do.
Any specifics on the bat used to kill Roberts yet, Zack? Here's a replica.
Cincinnati Slugger with a three-inch diameter weighing about 27 ounces.
You'd think the mob would come up with less clichéd ways to whack people.
But there's something else.
Staining in Roberts's cranium indicates seepage to the cervical spine.
So somehow, blood from his head got down to his neck.
Vertebrae C-7.
- Are those cut marks? - So his throat was cut too.
Per my scarab beetles, did you find a specific cause of death on Billie Morgan yet? She displays a hemothorax on her left lung.
Caused by a left-sided rib fracture.
A broken rib punctures a lung causing massive internal bleeding.
And between her pre-existing injuries and the new ones the poor girl never had a chance to heal.
Oh, won't Dr.
Brennan love to hear that.
[Brennan.]
Take a closer look at the stress markers to her sternum, Zack.
They strike you as unusual? Well, they do seem more the result of repetitive medium-impact manual blows than the single high impact from a bat.
This husband could really dish it out.
Maybe she dished it back.
These hairline fractures on her knuckles 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? Yeah.
It's certainly possible.
What are you thinking, Dr.
Brennan? - I'm thinking Billie Morgan could've been a boxer.
- Like a real boxer in a ring? But wouldn't boxing gloves prevent injuries like these? Unless she wasn't wearing gloves.
- Well, what boxer does that? - Ultimate fighters.
Ultimate fighters! [Chuckles.]
You're into that crap too, huh, Hodgins? Dude, it's barbaric.
When it shows up on cable, I can't turn it off.
- And it's actually legal? - Completely sanctioned.
They do wear some protective gear which would fly in the face of our girl's injuries.
- Unless it was underground.
- Underground where? Come on.
Haven't you guys ever seen Fight Club? Illegal, no-holds-barred slugfests.
Modern day panem et circenses.
But generally there's no free bread.
- What? - So Don Morgan didn't beat his wife.
Hate to say I told you so.
Why didn't you tell us, Don? Because I didn't know.
All right? She never told me.
- Your own wife didn't tell you that she was fighting? - 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.
It about broke her heart, but she was done.
- Apparently not.
- You know what I think? I think somebody offered Billie an illegal fight and you jumped at the chance for a payday.
- Are you out of your mind? - You borrowed money from Mackey and you put it all on Billie.
And she ended up paying the price.
- No! That's not true! - Who are you protecting, Don? Nobody! Look, I swear I didn't know.
Don, we can protect you if you let us.
If I knew who killed Billie, I'd tell ya.
Believe me.
Please.
- Why would anyone fight illegally in the first place? - There's limited options.
Not everybody can be Oscar De La Hoya.
Who? Injuries, criminal past, failed drug tests leaves them with no other skills.
- So they take on a fight wherever they can find one.
- Even if it kills them? - Mmm.
- [Phone Rings, Beeps.]
Brennan.
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 with the E.
P.
A.
Ow! What? - [Brennan.]
Hey! No gambling! - Am I interrupting something? [Booth.]
It's just keno, all right? I'm sorry if Hodgins lost me at hexavalium chromo Hexavalent chromium.
And we need to find some.
How can we contact the Environmental Protection Agency? Yeah, I'm on it.
- Whew.
- This was an auto shop? Yeah.
E.
P.
A.
, they shut it down months ago for hazardous waste material.
It was the only shop authorized to use that chromium stuff.
See it anywhere? Could be absorbed into the dust particles on the floor.
Along with flash paper.
- What's that? - Betting slips.
Burn fast in case there's a raid.
Look at this.
[Booth.]
They painted a ring for the fights.
- So this was the fight club.
- If there's blood, I'd say it is.
Where's your, uh, light thingie? Blood.
The whole place is covered in blood.
Of the 30 blood samples found in the body shop six were A-positive, same as Billie Morgan.
[Saroyan.]
Still waiting on DNA.
fights per hour over a three-hour period.
Or three fights over five hours, six fights over We get the idea, Zack.
Lots of fights.
I ran thermal imaging on Billie's remaining soft tissue to reconstruct her injuries.
This is what she might've looked like after the fight.
Ah, the sweet science.
Just when I get to a place where I can almost stomach seeing maggots eating intestines, this.
How could anybody do this to themselves? In 900 B.
C.
, the Greek ruler Theseus entertained himself watching two men in chairs beat each other to death.
Just saying, it's nothing new.
I can work up force and velocity readings for each blow.
Zack can help me I.
D.
her opponent from the circumference and diameter of the fists.
I'd rather Zack focus on our second weapon for Roberts.
None of these blades are narrow enough.
- It's as if his vertebrae was cut with a razor blade.
- [Hodgins.]
Or a razor wire.
Luca Brasi.
The Godfather? Please, someone buy a DVD player.
- You mean a garrote? - Yes.
A garrote pulled so tightly around Luca's Or rather Roberts's neck It sliced through his throat and severed his carotid artery.
Okay, the whole "maggots eating intestines" thing is not nearly as gross to me now.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
Thanks a lot.
Agent Zhang said he found the owner of the old body shop.
He said some guy paid him $3,000 cash just to use the place for one night.
No names, no questions asked.
- Seems like a theme in this town.
- [Chuckles.]
Yeah.
Why is he hitting on a 16? I mean, look at him.
He's completely distracted.
Well, you know what? Actually, Bones, you can.
If the face card is show All right.
- I don't want to hear it.
- There he is.
- Look at this.
It's my buddy, Lou Mackey.
- Great.
We're friends now.
I need you to tell me where a fight fan can get a little, uh - Seeley? - Frankie? What are you doing back in Vegas, huh? - Man's got a lot of friends.
- So it would seem.
- I'll catch up with you later, Frankie.
- Hey, Lou.
- See you, friend.
- Is he a problem? No, no.
That's all good.
Hey, look at you.
Yeah.
Frankie Daniels.
Hey, Temperance Brennan, Frank Daniels.
- We served in the Gulf together.
- That's right.
Hit the Strip the minute we got back.
- And you never left? - I bounce around.
You know, here, Chicago, L.
A.
You know me, huh, Seel.
Always chasing rainbows.
Good ol' Frankie boy, huh? How's Karen? No, no.
That's over.
You know? She ran off with some loser stockbroker.
- You know, it's just as well.
I don't need that.
- Frankie, you all right? Don't start with that, huh? It's been too many years.
I'm getting by, all right? - Yeah.
Guys like Lou Mackey? - Yeah, well, you know, minor minor occupational hazard.
- Have you considered medication? - Oh, Bones! An antidepressant might raise your norepinephrine level.
It could help control the impulsivity.
- What are you, a drug rep now or something? - Excuse us, Bones, okay? Wondering if you know anything about these underground fight clubs.
Yeah.
Actually, I do know one.
Bare knuckles.
No rules.
All right, I need to know where.
It moves around.
This guy, Joe Nolan, he sells 800 numbers.
- You call, you find out the time, the place, code to get in.
- The old boxerJoe Nolan? The welterweight champ in '92.
He owns a gym here on Federal.
- Thanks, man.
- Hey, uh Think you could spot me a couple of bucks? Forgot my wallet at the house.
- Yeah.
- Just something, you know? I'll get you back.
Yeah.
Frankie's a better guy than he seems.
And yet he knows this Nolan guy.
Anybody who knows the fight game knows Joe Nolan.
The guy he was, you know, set to be the next Sugar Ray until he was accused of throwing a couple fights.
What? You mean losing on purpose? Why would anyone do that? - I should talk toJoe alone.
- What's with this sudden impulse to leave me behind? I'll tell you, Bones, the usual rules, they don't apply here.
The deeper we get, I don't want anyone knowing that we're F.
B.
I.
- Well, that's easy for me.
I'm not.
- Okay, fine.
# [R& B.]
[Grunts.]
# [Ends.]
- What do you think? - I have enough Bibles, thank you.
- But try next door.
- You said I could be a schoolteacher.
Not the spinster kind who lives with her sister, but the hot one who makes the boys crazy.
Here.
Put on the one that I picked out.
Okay.
But don't be so bossy.
We're newlyweds, I said, taking Sin City by storm.
Ready for action! You know, marriage is such an archaic institution.
[Sighs.]
Listen, Bones.
I know what I'm doing.
Okay? I've done this before.
Just stop arguing.
I'm not.
It's just, you know, I don't need a piece of paper to prove my commitment.
Fine.
We're engaged.
- Why would I be okay with engagement? - Whatever, Bones.
All right? 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.
Like this? Yeah.
Yeah, like that.
[Cell Phone Rings.]
- Hey, Cam.
- Dr.
Brennan.
Judging by the angle of the blows Billie's last opponent was 5'6" and left-handed.
With a fist size of approximately 90 millimeters.
Zack measured.
- That's hot.
- Hot? Wait a minute.
What's hot? N Uh, nothing.
Vegas! Vegas is hot.
It's very hot here.
- [Punches Landing On Punching Bags.]
- [Men Shouting.]
How does anyone actually walk in these things? Well, them boots, they ain't made for walking, sweetheart.
Okay.
That was completely over the top.
You play your part.
I'll play mine.
- Come on, Marisol! - Hey, Booth.
The girl.
Yeah, I see.
Yeah, and left-handed.
- Can I help you folks? - I can't believe it.
- SloppyJoe Nolan.
- SloppyJoe? - Yeah.
That's how he left his opponents.
- These days, it's justJoe.
I busted a lace, Joe.
Sorry to bother you, Joe, but you had a huge impact on my style back in the army.
Juke to the body, followed by a right hook.
Worked for me every time.
Another army fighter, Joe? How many of these has-beens you get in here a week? - At least this one still looks like he's in shape.
- My man's in great shape.
- Believe me.
- Easy there, honey.
Well, let's see it, army.
Show us those moves that made you so famous.
Go ahead, tiger.
Show these clowns.
- Yeah, maybe I will.
Just a little.
- Come on.
Yeah.
Come on, tiger.
Let's see, Joe.
Give it that little, you know, tap.
You know, juke to the body with a hard right followed by a whole bunch of the old [Grunting.]
- So much for my "has-been" army fighter.
- Not bad.
- I still got it.
- Yeah.
Maybe a little too much.
- What's your name? - Tony Scalia.
Here's my fiancée, Roxanne.
Yeah, we're more engaged to be engaged.
- You looking to train or what? - Ah, you know, I don't fight no more.
But they say that you could direct me and Roxie to a little, you know, underground action.
- They say a lot, don't they? - Some guy at the Rio.
- One of them "you didn't hear it from me" types.
- Sorry.
Can't help you.
What'd I tell you, Tony? That guy was just trying to hit on me.
But I do know a number you can call.
Not that I give it tojust anybody.
Oh, come on, Joe.
They seem like such nice people.
- Yeah.
We're nice people.
- A thousand bucks.
- Each.
- Whoa.
That's a little steep.
No, Tony, come on.
We only live once.
I want to see a fight.
- Nothing like being a kept man.
- Yeah.
Don't know what I'd do without her.
That was amazing.
What got into you? It's from when I used to watch old movies with my dad.
He really liked Clara Bow.
Clara Bow was a silent film star.
Yeah, but I I guess that's how I always imagined she sounded.
Just like you imagined she carried around a wad of cash? Oh, that.
I couldn't sleep last night, so I snuck off to play a little crap.
Craps, Bones.
Plural.
And I can't believe your beginner's luck.
- Don't say that.
You'll jinx it.
- Since when do you believe in jinxes? I don't.
But after hearing the crap dealer say it Crap dealer's right.
No jinxes.
We got a big night ahead of us.
All right.
The federal prosecutor here and Billie here.
Both show evidence of topical chemicals.
This'll extract the elements I need to cross-reference with the dead beetles safely.
Not that she was safe, letting herself get drawn into a fight like that.
- We've all been in a fight or two we wish we hadn't.
- Not me.
You've never fought? Never thrown a punch? Never saw the logic of it.
It's not about logic.
It's It's emotional.
It's anger.
I don't get angry.
It's not rational.
What if you were on the beach and someone kicked sand in your face? - I don't go to the beach.
- All right, 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 10-year-old? I don't have much in common with a 10-year-old.
And although I don't know what a twit is objectively, I am thin and lack muscular definition.
- Dude, you're a Vulcan.
And a dull Vulcan at that.
- Can we please work? Now you're pissing me off.
You're a freak, man.
Anger is a part of being human.
- Grow a set.
- I would really like to work, Hodgins.
You know, it is not enough to be some robotic, second-rate grad student.
I am the most valuable and accomplished grad student who's has ever been installed at theJeffersonian.
And you're gonna be a grad student the rest of your life because you have no fire.
I'm working on my dissertation.
Oh, please.
You've been saying that for years.
You're a poseur.
You don't have your doctorate because you have no drive, no passion for what you love.
- Dude.
- It's not what you think.
- You got pissed.
- 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.
- Nice punch though.
- Thank you.
And my dissertation will be finished by the end of the month.
- Have the chemicals been extracted yet? - Looks good.
- Dr.
Brennan wanted the results as soon as possible.
- I'm moving.
You're not gonna hit me again, are ya? - [All Shouting.]
- All right, get 'im! # [Garage Rock.]
- Come on! - Get 'im! 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 cockfighting.
More like lesser surrogates engaged in battles on behalf of the elite lords who don't have the courage to fight themselves.
You know what? Come back to me, Roxie.
Ooh, look at all the sweat.
[Shouting, Cheering.]
That's it! It's over! Your winner! Little Mikey! Come on! Give it up! Give it up, everybody! Come on! For Little Mikey! [Man.]
What's he doin' - What the hell are you looking at? - Not much.
[Voice Echoing.]
Hey, Tony.
Tony! Sorry, Booth.
I just couldn't have you blowing my cover.
Ah, yeah.
And as they taught us in Quantico, Walt, I wasn't about to.
Do you know everyone in this town? - I had no idea we had an agent in there.
- I'm on a RICO assignment.
Under deep cover about a month.
Still can't crack who's running the show.
- What do you know aboutJoe Nolan? - Low-level guy.
One of many buffers.
That 800 number he sells changes with every event.
Trying to track it is like playing Whac-A-Mole.
Have you ever seen her fight at the club? Uh, yeah.
It's, uh, Billie-something, right? Yeah.
Four-to-one underdog.
Oh, she whupped this hot Latina pretty good.
Latina.
About 5'6", left-handed? - She works out at Nolan's club? - Yeah, Marisol.
Tough as nails.
And undefeated before your girl came along.
- Well, what if Billie bet on herself? - Well, you know what? With the money Don borrowed $8,000, 4-to-1 odds that had get 'em to their feet in a hurry.
- Maybe that's what got her killed.
- We gotta talk to this Marisol.
We'll go find her.
What's next for you? Sprained my wrist two fights ago with no chance to heal.
If I lose another bout, I'm off the rotation.
- Booth's a boxer.
- Excuse me? I'm just saying, if we can find a way to get you into the rotation you can fight Walt, lose, and then he can stay and maybe have a chance to heal.
- You're volunteering me to fight? - [Cell Phone Ringing.]
I'm volunteering you to throw one.
You could lose with your hands tied behind your back.
- Hey, Hodgins.
- How's this for coincidence? Scarab beetles from Roberts's body had the same short life span as Billie's but not from cortisone.
His bugs died from ingesting Pinus elliottii.
Pine? In the desert? Yeah, pine oil resin is often used to treat the same skin conditions as the cortisone that killed the other beetles.
Confirm that and get back to me.
Pine oil.
Okay.
Pine oil.
- What's that mean? - I don't know yet.
Go pick your fight.
- [Speaking Spanish.]
- What the hell's all this all about anyway? He insulted me, Joe.
He needs a beating, and I need the money.
Thought you didn't fight anymore.
Ah, you know, that was before I got blindsided out of retirement.
Will this do? Glad to see your sugar mama taught you a thing or two.
Sir? - Hey, Bones.
Fight's on.
- No trouble convincing Joe? Nothing a stack of bills couldn't fix.
She give us anything yet? - Nothing.
We're gonna need a warrant.
- For what? What's our evidence? 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 prove they fought.
If the fight's what killed Billie, Marisol's guilty of manslaughter.
Which would give us leverage to force her to give up whoever runs these fights.
Which she might do in exchange for protection.
So, you want to get her D.
N.
A.
sample and send it back to theJeffersonian.
Actually, I want to send Marisol.
This girl? The whole girl? Our squints can perform a live autopsy while our thermal-imaging programs reconstruct a theoretical fight.
You're lucky I know a very understanding judge in Vegas.
Of course you do.
Okay, Marisol.
You're not under arrest.
You're just here as evidence.
- So when this nice agent leaves you here - I'm gon' kick your skinny ass.
Honey, I'm from the Bronx.
Don't for a second think you scare me.
Look, I didn't kill nobody, all right? I didn't even fight.
Well, if that's true, let's go over to the scanner and prove it.
- Or disprove it.
- Hodgins.
- I'll take your robe.
- Is this gonna hurt? You won't even know it's happening.
Okay, Marisol? Sorry if these are cold.
What just happened? Blood pools in recent injuries.
Thermal imaging records that.
Now we're gonna match your injuries against Billie Morgan's.
[Both Grunting.]
- Yeah! - Whoa! - You nervous? - About what, huh? Throw a few to make it look good and then let Walt take me down.
[Shouting, Grunting.]
- [Cheering Continues.]
- It's over! Your winner, Diana the Destroyer! All right, ladies and gentlemen we've got some fresh blood to shed for you tonight.
The great Tony the Tiger! [Crowd Booing.]
- Why are they booing? - They find it more fun than cheering.
[Woman.]
What's up, Tony? - That's the guy from Nolan's gym.
- Yeah.
I had a feeling we'd see him again.
- Hey, Tony.
- What are you doing over here? Yeah.
You're supposed to be over there.
- Hold on, folks.
There's been a change in the card.
- Sorry, man.
They pulled me.
They what? In this corner, a man who needs no introduction.
Monroe! [Grunts.]
- They said Monroe would be a bigger draw for the bettors.
- He's sorta bigger everything.
[Grunts.]
All right, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.
Last call for wagers right now.
Get your money down.
[Shouts.]
You can't fight him, Booth.
He'll kill you.
I don't really have the choice, Roxie.
Tiger, center ring now.
[Man.]
You're gonna get your ass kicked, Tiger! Okay, boys, on my signal.
Kill! [Zack.]
Damage to Billie's scapula and thoracic vertebrae.
Force and velocity match patella damage to Marisol's left knee.
This contusion on Billie's fifth rib the mark looks like it was delivered by a heel or a fist.
[Zack.]
Now a right, followed by a grab to the throat and Billie's down again.
[Grunting.]
[Saroyan.]
More damage to the scapula.
Whoa.
Easy on Billie's chest there, Marisol.
Hairline fracture of Billie's sternum at the third costal cartilage is congruent with damage to Marisol's left hand.
And we have another match.
[Hodgins.]
Billie ducks and then causes the maxillary fractures in Marisol's skull.
Marisol seems to favor the right-to-the-body, left-to-the-head combo.
- I do not.
- You can deny it all you want.
We've got the evidence here.
- [Zack.]
The choke hold - Excuse me.
Tony! matches the bruising on Billie's neck.
Tony, stay down.
[Groaning.]
Monroe has calcium deposits on his left medial epicondyle.
And that helps me how? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
He can't extend his arm, and he lacks range of motion in his quadratus lumborum.
Hit him there.
- Hit him where? - In his lower back above his right kidney.
The tide has turned, my friends.
- I told you she could fight.
- She doesn't fight.
She dominates.
Give him your Nolan move! [Groans.]
Wow.
You can say that again.
- How could I miss that? - We all missed it, Zack.
Missed what? What is it? - Your winner! The last man standing! - [Crowd Groaning, Booing.]
Tony the Man-eating Tiger! Tony the Tiger! - I did it.
- Your winner! [Cell Phone Ringing.]
[Man.]
Are you kidding me? - Hey, 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.
- What is it? - [Beeps.]
It was a baseball bat that killed Billie, just like the one used on Roberts.
So when you're dressed, um, the agent will take you back to the airport.
Marisol why do you fight? Where else am I gonna make a thousand in one night without selling myself? And I can make even more betting on myself, long as I ain't greedy.
- What do you mean, greedy? - Bookies don't mind us making a few bucks on the side.
- But just a few.
- Had you bet on your fight with Billie? - Girl cost me 200 dollars.
- Had Billie bet on herself? Marisol.
From what I heard, some guys picked Billie up after the fight.
- They didn't look happy.
- Why didn't you tell the police? Or tell us? Look, I might not have much, but what I got I aim to keep.
What could be so important to you that you could let somebody get away with murder? My daughter.
She's two.
She lives with my mom, okay? - And if they found out I was brought here - Who's they? Look, I don't know.
And I don't want to know.
I'm sorry.
- [Brennan.]
Thanks, Angela.
- [Beeps.]
So we were right.
Billie bet on herself, which is why I bet on you.
- You bet on me? - Yeah, with Nick, the guy from Nolan's gym.
It was one of two reasons.
But when I heard the odds, I couldn't - My odds? What were they? - You were a 20-to-1 underdog.
- So I bet with Nick figuring that - 20-to-1 against? Really? Did I look that bad? If Nick pays me, he's not our guy.
If he doesn't, it may not prove he killed Billie, but it'll put him in strong contention.
At the very least.
Very smart, Bones.
What was the other reason? Come on.
I have winnings to collect.
Hey, Nick! Thought you ran out on us.
Nick Arno don't run from anybody, sweetheart.
Arno? Sweet Pete's kid? That was quite a show you put on tonight, army boy.
- Well, I had my lucky charm here.
- And you owe us some money.
I suppose.
But the gentleman I answer to, there's an unwritten rule about fighters getting greedy.
Plus their spouses, too, I'm afraid.
- No, we're not married.
We're not even engaged.
- What's the rule? Enjoy a taste, but never expect a meal least of all with a ringer involved.
- Wait.
I ain't no ringer.
- What's a ringer? - They think I cheated.
- She's good, army boy.
Real good.
- But I seen Monroe take out whole biker gangs.
- Then I want my thousand back.
- Consider it a fine.
- Fine? Are you serious? 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.
- You think you can make me fight for you? - You only find out if you don't.
I want to talk to this gentleman that you answer to.
And I want world peace.
Look, take my advice.
LetJoe 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.
- Let's go.
I vouched for you.
So it's my ass in the sling.
You understand? - We didn't mean to get you in trouble.
- Yet here I am.
So you're gonna 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.
- You got an itch, Joe? - What? 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 - What the hell is she talking about? - She's talking about your rash.
Psoriasis? Eczema, which is none of your concern.
Let's go.
Whoa, whoa, hey, whoa.
Where we gonna go, Joe? We gonna go back to our hotel or mile marker 15? Where we found Billie Morgan and Mason Roberts.
You remember them.
Who are you people? I'm with the F.
B.
I.
, 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.
- What kind of choice do I have? 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.
There was so much money.
Easy money.
I thought I could handle it.
He was gonna get me another shot at the title.
- Who? - Nick's father, Sweet Pete.
And he's owned me ever since.
Made me throw more fights.
- Made you kill Mason Roberts? - I didn't kill anybody.
I just buried 'em.
For Pete? And when Billie Morgan won her bet, you buried her too.
She was a sweet kid, just looking for a way out.
I begged Pete to let her be.
- He killed her.
- Might as well have done it myself.
I brought her in here.
I knew what kind of punks she'd be dealing with.
Bad enough you're under Sweet Pete's thumb.
But now you're under his son's too? That's what happens when your luck turns in this town.
You keep hoping it's gonna turn around again hoping you're gonna get back to even.
But you never do.
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.
Vegas authorities have arrested Nick Arno, along with his father, Tangier's casino gaming executive Peter Arno, otherwise known as Sweet Pete, in connection with the murder five years ago of federal prosecutor Mason Roberts, among others.
"Among others"? Is that what Billie Morgan is to these people, "others"? It's day one, Bones.
Relax.
But you know what, I mean, Billie Billie's going to have her story told.
It's just a matter of time.
So what was the second reason? What? You never told me the second reason why you bet on me.
Yeah, it was silly.
Aww, come on, you know, try me.
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 I couldn't lose.
Sounds silly, right? Sounds familiar.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
You ready? Yeah, let's go.