BONES AU - PART THREE "The Cannibal in Question"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Scott and Joe were in a small argument as they walked back into Scott's office at the lab.

"Look, he's just trying to help, Bones."

"Well, his opinions won't get you a conviction. He doesn't have any evidence."

"Yeah, but he's a profiler with a great track record!"

Kevin walked in just to hear that. "Who is now?"

"Malo says Max is Gormagon!" Scott said in an outrage before Joe could answer.

Kevin shrugged. "Well, it makes sense. Throw suspicion off him."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Well, Malo, of course. He shows up right after you find the Gormogon vault, when Gormogon's at his most vulnerable. And in therapy, he plays you two like a cheap piano until you ask for his help with the case."

Joe scoffed. "Nobody plays me like a cheap piano, Kevin, honestly!"

"No, hey! We all trusted the brilliant, young, profiler. I got him security clearance because he was gonna help us!" Kevin reassured.

Scott thought. "He was here. He had the opportunity to switch Kirstie's chemicals."

Joe raised a finger. "He's not a chemist."

"He's the only one we can't account for after the explosion." Kevin refuted.

Scott shook his head. "Great. Now we sound like Malo. We have no evidence."

Kevin crossed his arms. "I was a cop for ten years, Dr. Hoying. I can smell it on him."

"I- I'm sorry, but we need more than your gut feeling." Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Kevin nodded. "Well, then find it. Cause trust me, Malo is your man."

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Kevin went back to his office, checking out something on his computer screen when Max walked in, when he noticed him, he jumped.

"Dr. MacDunagh, knocking would be appreciated!"

"Right. Thorry. Tho rumor is one of us is a thuspect. Who ith it?"

"I can't say. You know that."

"Of courthe not. And thince it'th rumor, it might not even be true. Right?"

"Do you have a legitimate reason to see me or are you just here to squeeze me for information?"

Max shook his head. "I foundth something." He walked over to Kevin's computer to pull something up. "Kirthtie thaid she thought the mandible had been boiledth."

Kevin nodded. "To remove tissue."

"I pulled trathe elementth from the mandible and ran them through the mass thpectrometer to see what the bone was boiled in. It was tap waterth. But see this thpike here?" He pointed to the screen.

"Lead?"

"Yep."

"I thought the city had to replace all their lead pipes?"

"They did, but individual homeownerth didn't. I focuthed on neighborhoods with the highest lead levelth. Older hometh were the worst offenderth." He brought up a map, part of which is shaded in blue. "Thith neighborhood matcheth the level of lead found on the victim'th bone."