Broken Bones

Episode 22 "The Headless Witch in the Woods" Part 1

-Venus POV-

Booth, Temp, and I are in the woods being escorted by a Ranger Edison as I was walking behind Temp as she says, "It's getting thicker and thicker in here." Edison nods, "That's why the forensic team got lost. I've sent somebody back to find them." Booth then asks, "Look, you sure you know, where you're going?" "I still have trouble and I've been here for three years. That's why we advise hikers to stay away." "You know I'm pining for concrete. You both just, uh, just stay close, all right Bones, Blueberry?" 

I then see something from the corner of my eye as I nudge Temp and point at the object. We head over there to look as Booth kept on talking and walking not paying attention to us, "I don't want any of you to get caught out here when it gets dark. Okay?" He finally turns around not hearing or seeing us as he starts calling us out. "Bones? Blueberry? Bones?! Blueberry?! Where the hell are you both? Bone?! Blueberry?!" Temp then answers, "We're right here, Booth." "Don't do that, all right?" "What?" "Take off like that, okay? You both heard the guy." 

I nod, "I know but we saw this." Temp continues, "Some sort of talisman. These are bones from a bird, and the coloring on the ornament looks like dried blood. There are more of them, too." Booth then says, "These... they look like eyes. Okay, this is weird." I then say, "It seems that this is a representation of some sort of idea that there is someone watching you all the time. May I ask Ranger Edison, are there a lot of these or something that has to do with witches?" "I don't see a lot of these, but I've heard some other folks have come across some pretty strange stuff in here. Word is, it's Maggie Cinders." Temp asks, "There's a woman who lives out here?" "Did. Died in 1780. Just as the Doc said, folks around here thought she was a witch and beheaded her. Legend is, she still haunts the woods, looking for her severed head." "And you believe this, Ranger Edison?" "I'm just telling you what I heard." Booth then adds, "Yeah, I'd prefer we keep moving, okay?"

We make it to our crime scene as Edison says, "This one of the only clearings around here. The pit was covered with sticks and leaves. One of the hikers fell in on the body, freaked and ran. Maggie Cinders did say she'd kill anybody who dared to look for her." Temp asks, "So you talked to, Ms. Cinders? That must have been difficult, since she doesn't have a head. Bag the eyes." I look down as I say, "Give me a hand, please." Temp then says, "I could go down." I shake my head, "No, it's okay, if anything I am lighter and I am more physically fit if I do need to get back up myself." She nods as Booth gives me his hand as he asks, "Do you want me to go down?" "No, that's okay, you need to stay up there and keep an eye on Temp." "Your right." Temp looks at us, "What?"

I get down as Booth asks Edison, "So, uh, how'd she kill them? You know, in the legend?" "Like she was killed. She cuts off their heads." I start examining as Temp asks, "What do you see?" "Iliac crest and pubis show it's male. Epiphyseal fusion puts him between 18 and 25 years old." I look and see something poking out. I take it out a camera, "He's on a... a video camera." Booth then says, "Okay, cause of death?" "Well... I can't find a skull; I would say that his head got chopped off. We should take all of this back and see what else we could find."

We are back in the lab as Temp and I are collecting anything that we see on the victim as Cam says, "Since we don't have a head, do we have enough for an identification?" Zack then says, "We'll look for older injuries that might be found in medical records." Temp then says, "More wood splinters." Cam adds, "It could have been the handle of whatever lopped off his head." Zack then says, "If a ghost isn't comprised of matter, but is merely ectoplasm, which is actually the clear outer layer of cytoplasm on amoeboid cells, how can the victim have suffered bruising and multiple fractures?" I chuckle as Temp reply's with, "Because there are no such thing as ghosts." Cam then asks, "I thought you never jumped to conclusions." "Well, it's safe to dismiss fantasy and deluded perceptions."