Chapter 178: Angela: OMG, You Actually Smiled! Chuck: I'm Happy Today!
"As I said, you are one of the most important assets of the Jeffersonian Institution. We will seriously consider your wishes."
Dr. Goodman smiled and said, "You can try, but before that, you need to go to Arlington National Cemetery. A body that shouldn't be in the grave was found there, and you need to identify it."
Seeing that Dr. Bones wanted to speak again, he interrupted directly: "Don't worry, if this is a major case or a difficult case, you can take the opportunity to contact Dr. Wolfe directly and start implementing the idea of working together to solve the case with the FBI only assisting. There has to be a beginning, right?"
"Okay."
Dr. Bones nodded. "I can go, but the FBI agent doesn't have to be that Seeley Booth!"
"As long as your idea can be realized and you and Dr. Wolfe successfully partner up, then you can use whoever you want to assist."
Dr. Goodman stated the key point: "Reputation is everything!"
Arlington National Cemetery
Located on the west bank of the Potomac River, across from the Lincoln Memorial, this is the most famous of the more than 100 national cemeteries in the United States.
Soldiers killed in action, politicians who died in service, and those who have contributed to the American nation are buried here, with tombstones erected one after another. Walking through it, one could claim to have glimpsed the American dream.
But today, that dream was shattered.
On the banks of the Potomac River, the FBI had cordoned off the area.
When Dr. Bones drove up and showed her ID, Agent Booth said to the officer in charge of the perimeter, "She's one of ours."
The officer simply stepped out of the way.
"Again?"
Dr. Bones glanced at him.
"Hey, I know the airport incident is controversial, but I won't argue about who's right or wrong,"
Agent Booth said seriously. "We have work to do here. Even scientists like you should prioritize work, right?"
"If this is another one of your stunts, it won't work,"
Dr. Bones said. Seeing Agent Booth open his mouth to speak, she interrupted him. "Now let's get to work. Stop talking about irrelevant things. What do you need me to do here?"
Agent Booth tugged at his suit and tie with frustration. He took Dr. Bones on a motorboat to the middle of the river and lowered an underwater probe.
"Routine landscaping. They were digging a pond, and a worker found it."
"What should I be seeing?"
Dr. Bones stared at the monitor.
"Don't worry, it's like watching one of those adult films from the Valley..."
Agent Booth lowered the probe, leaning close to Dr. Bones' ear and unconsciously whispering something suggestive.
"What did you say?"
Dr. Bones avoided his proximity, looking at the stunned Agent Booth coldly.
"...Nothing."
Agent Booth, realizing his own impulsiveness, quickly tried to cover it up.
"So in your eyes, I'm not just that high-IQ 'squint' with rigorous deductive abilities, but also some starlet in those Valley films who'll humor you for your entertainment?"
Dr. Bones said coldly.
"You're overthinking it. I didn't mean that."
Agent Booth fixed his gaze on the detector's display.
"No?"
Dr. Bones sneered. "Would you say that to a female colleague, with those kinds of gestures and that tone?"
"..."
Agent Booth was speechless.
He admitted that he wouldn't say that to a female colleague he didn't know well, with those kinds of gestures and tone, or he'd definitely be accused of harassment.
But he did it anyway.
It was because, subconsciously, he'd cast himself as the supposedly suave male protagonist in Dr. Bones's novels, and Dr. Bones was the heroine. It was perfectly normal for a male protagonist to say a few flirtatious words to a female protagonist, right?
Even if that didn't immediately lead to a classic romantic scene, it would at least be a moment of playful banter between the male and female leads in the novels, wouldn't it?
But what was happening now?
Not only was there no chemistry, but he was also harshly rebuked by the heroine, leaving Agent Booth, the "walking testosterone hero," deeply frustrated.
Dr. Bones' best friend Angela wasn't around, otherwise, as the experienced relationship expert who knows better than anyone, she would have undoubtedly offered a practical explanation: "When you're wearing rose-colored glasses, everything looks romantic; when those glasses shatter, everything is annoying!"
The underwater detector's monitor revealed a body. This time, it wasn't the traditional American "suicide by barrel," but rather one bound in a fishing net.
Dr. Bones, momentarily disregarding the issues of discrimination and harassment, glanced at the monitor and said gravely, "Okay, this is a crime scene."
After recovering the body and conducting a preliminary assessment, Dr. Bones took it back to the Jeffersonian Institution for further examination.
Agent Booth followed silently.
After being repeatedly called out, the confidence he had previously carried into this hero scenario was completely shattered, and he suddenly felt at a loss for words.
Jeffersonian Institution
"Besides the temperature, the river's many microorganisms accelerate decomposition, but they also attract channel catfish and other scavengers. I've found larvae, and tracking them will tell me how long the body has been in the river."
Dr. Jack Hodgins, an entomologist, microbiologist, and mineralogist from the Jeffersonian Institution, assisted while gossiping, "Do you think I'm really as energetic as the character?"
"What?"
Dr. Bones was taken aback by this turn of conversation.
"He's talking about the person in your book,"
laughed her best friend Angela.
"That's not you!"
Dr. Bones denied.
"Of course it's him, we're all in there."
A young man with a youthful, boyish face said casually, "Let me be clear, I'm not a virgin anymore."
He raised an eyebrow proudly, "Haven't been for a long time. Reid is very envious of me."
Everyone stared at him speechlessly.
The young man was Zack Addy, Dr. Bones' assistant, currently pursuing two doctorates simultaneously. The Reid he was referring to was none other than Dr. Spencer Reid, a fellow highly intelligent young genius who lived near him and was a close friend.
Compared to the iconic Chuck, Reid and Zack were more frequently discussed. Reid was far ahead of Zack in academic achievements, but Zack completely beat him in life experience.
One of the reasons was that Zack, who was younger, was no longer a virgin. This was where Reid fell far behind, and it was also Zack's greatest source of pride.
"No, none of you are in the book."
Dr. Bones glanced at Agent Booth standing aside. "The characters in the book are all fictional. They have nothing to do with anyone. People in reality can never be compared with characters in books, because characters in books never disappoint."
"That's not necessarily true."
Best friend Angela glanced at Agent Booth and took the initiative to mention: "When you meet Dr. Wolfe, maybe you'll find that there are still people in reality who will never disappoint."
"Dr. Wolfe?"
Zack exclaimed in surprise. "Dr. Brennan, you want to meet Dr. Chuck Wolfe?"
"You should be happy."
Best friend Angela smiled and said, "Sweetie and Dr. Wolfe are simply a match made in heaven. They're both top scientists in their fields and are both interested in solving cases. He's handsome and she's beautiful. One is a male detective now and the other will be a female detective in the future. I'm already excited just thinking about them partnering up."
"Awesome!"
Zack said happily. "I'm Dr. Brennan's assistant. Doesn't that mean I'll also become Dr. Wolfe's assistant by extension? Maybe I can pursue a doctorate under Dr. Wolfe's mentorship."
"Get your two doctorates first,"
Dr. Bones warned. "Otherwise, you won't even get a chance to speak with Dr. Goodman."
Dr. Goodman, the director of the Jeffersonian Institution's Museum of Natural History, had a policy of only directly addressing people with doctorates within his domain.
Zack was pursuing two doctorates simultaneously, but he remained Mr. Zack Addy, without a doctorate. Dr. Goodman never directly addressed Zack's comments, even though Zack repeatedly insisted that two doctorates in progress barely counted as one completed.
"He's not a law enforcement officer, so what's the point of working with him?"
Agent Booth couldn't help but scoff.
"Ha!"
Her best friend Angela laughed immediately. "Dr. Wolfe may not be a law enforcement officer, but do you really think that after Bones partners with him, he'll need to worry about whether there are law enforcement officers to assist him?"
"..."
Agent Booth was speechless.
As the Bureau's most famous consultant, Dr. Chuck Wolfe was well-known to everyone except those who didn't pay attention to their work.
"Indeed not,"
Zack replied matter-of-factly. "Dr. Wolfe is a consultant to many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, where he works directly with the BAU. Reid often brags to me about their collaboration, and I guess I'll have a chance to brag back to him someday. That'll be awesome!"
"Dr. Chuck Wolfe is truly remarkable,"
nodded Dr. Jack Hodgins, always proud and a firm believer in conspiracy theories. "He just recently sent both a female senator and her congressman father to prison."
"If I'd caught them, I'd have sent them to prison too. It's a matter of basic justice,"
Agent Booth said unconvincingly.
"I haven't finished yet."
Dr. Jack Hodgins looked at him. "Sending them to prison is impressive, but even more impressive is that, after offending political elites, billionaires, and international criminal cartels, he's still alive and well. That's truly impressive!"
"That's because we law enforcement officers are protecting this country."
Agent Booth shook his head. "That deserves credit."
"Yes, it's because of protection like yours that Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy had such wild fates,"
Dr. Jack Hodgins scoffed.
"What did you say?"
Agent Booth flew into a rage and rushed over, grabbing Dr. Jack Hodgins by the collar.
"Let go!"
Dr. Bones shouted. "This is our lab, not your FBI boxing gym."
Agent Booth's jaw clenched, but he finally let go and walked away.
"What's wrong with him?"
Zack asked, puzzled.
"Because I touched his sore spot."
Dr. Jack Hodgins rubbed his chest and explained with a smile. "His last name is Booth, and the assassin who assassinated President Lincoln and shot him in the head over 150 years ago was named John Wilkes Booth."
"OMG!"
exclaimed her best friend Angela. "Booth's ancestor was actually that John Wilkes Booth?"
"Yes."
Dr. Jack Hodgins nodded and smiled. "Nothing escapes me. He's the direct descendant of John Wilkes Booth."
"Wait, that doesn't make sense,"
Zack questioned. "If so, how did he pass the FBI background check and work as an FBI special agent in Washington DC?"
Civil servants in any country undergo background checks. It seemed impossible for someone like Agent Booth, whose ancestor assassinated President Lincoln—ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history—to enter a government agency, let alone the FBI, the nation's premier law enforcement agency, and perform duties in the capital, where there's a possibility he could be protecting the President.
"Good question!"
Dr. Jack Hodgins smiled meaningfully and said, "You've hit on the key issue. Yes, how did someone like him pass the FBI background check? The answer is: don't look at what they say, but look at what they do."
"What do you mean?"
Zack had an extraordinary IQ, but his EQ, typical of brilliant minds, was very low, and he was slow to grasp social subtleties.
"In the eyes of ordinary people, Booth might be an unforgivable criminal,"
Dr. Jack Hodgins explained. "But in the eyes of some, he's this country's most trusted and loyal servant. He defended this country's true 'freedom' with his gun. The influence of most ordinary people is far less than that of a small elite group, so his descendants naturally wouldn't fail a background check."
"Alright."
Dr. Bones was taken aback by what she heard. But she knew Dr. Jack Hodgins loved to throw out all sorts of conspiracy theories, and having developed a certain immunity to them, she shook her head and dismissed his speculation. "Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's focus on the victim and listen to her story as best we can."
Agent Booth walked out of the lab, irritably loosening his tie, his face grim and dark.
The series of setbacks today had already made him lose his composure, and Dr. Jack Hodgins had just struck a nerve.
If he hadn't had good self-control, he would have thrown a punch.
"Are you okay?"
After some time, Dr. Bones emerged and glanced at him. "We've reached a preliminary conclusion. Do you want to come in and take a look? If everything checks out, we can invite Dr. Chuck Wolfe to join us on the case."
"I'm fine,"
Agent Booth said self-deprecatingly. "I think from today on, I'll never lose my composure again, because nothing could be worse than what I've just experienced..."
Just then, his phone rang. After answering, his expression, which had calmed down, suddenly darkened again. After hanging up, he cursed, "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Is there a problem?"
Dr. Bones asked curiously.
"No problem. In fact, you should be satisfied,"
Agent Booth said coldly. "The Chuck Wolfe you've been thinking about didn't even need you to find him. He came here on his own. He was invited by the Ellers to take over my case!"
"Which case?"
Dr. Bones' eyes lit up. "Don't tell me it's the disappearance of the female aide connected to Senator Bethlehem?"
"...How did you know?"
Agent Booth was stunned.
"Come in and you'll find out."
Dr. Bones didn't answer directly, but walked in with excitement evident on her face.
"What's this?"
Agent Booth followed her in, staring at a 3D holographic projection of a woman suspended in mid-air. His expression changed drastically when he saw her face.
"That's right!"
Dr. Bones nodded. "Angela used the skeleton we restored, programmed the computer, and created a 3D holographic reconstruction of the body that matched the remains. It's none other than the missing woman, Coriole Eller, rumored to be connected to Senator Bethlehem."
"Impossible!"
Agent Booth was stunned, refusing to accept it.
He had just learned from Colonel Ted Eller that Chuck had taken over the case, and Dr. Bones and her team had been talking about collaborating with Chuck, and then the next moment, the body of the woman who'd been missing for almost two years turned up, and he had personally led the team to recover it?
"Dr. Hodgins has verified that the remains were in the river for one summer and two winters, which matches the timeline of Coriole Eller's disappearance. The conclusions I drew from the remains—the victim's age and her history of playing tennis—also match her profile. We're conducting further DNA testing, but the results should confirm it."
Dr. Bones explained, unable to resist glancing at her best friend.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Angela was very sensitive to her best friend's gaze.
"He's the one in charge of this case."
Dr. Bones glanced at Agent Booth, then continued with a strange expression, "And we just learned that Dr. Wolfe was invited by the victim's parents to take over this case."
"OMG!"
Angela exclaimed in surprise. "You and Dr. Chuck Wolfe are so meant to work together... This is simply fate! I think the male lead in your next book really needs to be changed! Perfect!"
Agent Booth's face turned ashen.
"Hurry up and get Dr. Wolfe over here,"
Zack urged.
Dr. Bones looked at Agent Booth, and everyone followed her gaze. Agent Booth took a deep breath and could only make the call with a grim expression.
Not long after, Chuck arrived.
"Dr. Wolfe, I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. These are Dr. Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro, and Zack Addy."
Dr. Bones introduced Chuck. "And this is FBI Agent Seeley Booth."
Chuck glanced at Agent Booth, who had a sullen look on his face, then nodded to Dr. Bones and Zack Addy. "Chuck Wolfe!"
"OMG!"
Angela caught the fleeting smile on Chuck's face. Surprised, her composed expression could no longer be maintained, and she exclaimed with a dazed look, "He smiled! He actually smiled!"
"Yes, he actually smiled!"
Zack was also stunned.
Because from what he had heard, Chuck was always serious. According to Dr. Reid, that was cool—so cool!
But what did he see now?
Chuck actually smiled!
No!
Not just a smile, but a smile directed at him!
Zack was overjoyed, picking up his phone and sending a message to his friend, Dr. Reid. This would be something Reid would always envy him for.
"It's nothing,"
Chuck said calmly. "I'm just happy today."
"..."
Agent Booth's face darkened even further. For some reason, he felt that Chuck's fleeting smile, which was so surprising to everyone, was somehow related to him.
However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out the reason.
(End of Chapter)
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