- Finn Abernathy's Dixie country experience proves as useful as his IQ in figuring out a female corpse smeared over half a mile of interstate road by Alan Bates's truck. The victim, farmer's wife Barb, was a fanatic even by the standards of her coupon addicts club, all of whom bicker and bother Chad Fergus's supermarket, where a cashier was filmed beating Barb. Her husband Dale Berquist spend lonely nights dining with other women. Finn proves a perfect gentleman when Michelle shows interest in dating him, yet now Camille re-questions his past.—KGF Vissers
- The new baby appears to wink at her daddy, Booth (David Boreanaz). Naturally, the FBI man is excited. "She's developmentally incapable of making the decision to wink at you," says Bones (Emily Deschanel), explaining their daughter is only six weeks old. Bones is worried, though. She is prepping the baby for the first day of daycare at the Jeffersonian. It is also mom's first day back on the job. Baby makes her feel better by appearing to wink. This time, Bones buys it completely.
A mom, dad and young teenage daughter are taking a family trip and kindly bickering when -- suddenly -- the car THUMPS. Something has been run over and luggage goes flying. The family pulls to the side of the road and gets out to collect their belongings. The teen starts to SCREAM. Turns out the family SUV ran over the remains of a horribly mangled corpse. Oops.
At the diner, Finn (Luke Kleintank) thanks Camille (Tamara Taylor) for her high evaluation of his work. Just then, a stunningly beautiful young woman, Lily, enters. She wants to know why Finn didn't call her last weekend. Finn makes some awkward excuse about "having to work." Lily exits. Camille asks the young man why he lied. Finn says he just haven't had time to date. "Live a little," Camille advises. Camille then heads to the interstate, where a road crew is scraping the victim off the blacktop. Bones quickly determines the bones are those of a female. Also, the victim's head was removed BEFORE she was run over.
Back at the lab, Finn examines the bones with Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and determines the victim's head was torn off. He compares the remains to those of a deer who was hit by a pick up and dragged for a few miles. Hodgins smells diesel fuel on the body. He also finds grease. Finn, who has experience with cars and trucks, smells the grease and determines it comes from a semi. Special Agent Shaw (Tina Majorino) then approaches Booth with the result of super fancy detective work. Using a scale embedded in the road that measures the weight of trucks on the highway with a scale further down the road at an official weigh station, it seems one truck weighed 122 pounds more at the first scale. Meaning: that truck was dragging the body when it drove over the scale in the road, but had lost it prior to the weigh station. Of course, Shaw has also tracked down the driver: Alan Bates. Booth is both annoyed at the young agent's efficiency and extremely impressed.
Hodgins and Angela (Michaela Conlin) find papers in the victim's pockets. They carefully unravel and examine them. Elsewhere, Finn gives Camille an update on the case when Michelle (Tiffany Hines) enters. Finn gives the young woman a long look. She returns the gaze. Camille is amused ... and then a bit disturbed watching the two flirt. So maybe this is why Finn has been ignoring other women. He has the daughter of his boss on the mind. B&B then approach driver Alan Bates, a driver for a market. Bones quickly looks under the truck and finds flesh and sinew. She also finds the victim's head still stuck in the underside of the semi.
Later, Bones finds pink panties in the truck's cab. Bates, who is married, claims the underwear belongs to him. Bates then pulls down his pants to reveal similar undies. "Don't tell my wife -- I only dress like this on the road," Alan explains. "I didn't kill anyone. I just like to look pretty." Back at the lab, Hodgins teases Camille about her daughter dating Finn. Camille, who has always defended Finn, mentions she is somewhat concerned about his violent past. Hodgins and Angela defend the young lab assistant.
B&B then head to the Jeffersonian daycare center to check in on lil' Christine. Hodgins enters and explains he found traces of American chestnut in the victim's nasal passage. And wouldn't you know it? There's an American chestnut farm within driving distance. So B&B head to the farm where they meet the husband of the victim, Barb. The middle aged man is distraught. "We're convinced it wasn't an accident," says Booth, explaining the team found coupons stuffed in her clothes (the papers). The husband says that makes sense, explaining Barb was an extreme couponer.
So B&B head to Field's Market and meet Chad, the young manager. Bones, meanwhile, searches the parking lot and finds more of the victim's remains. Bargain Barb definitely died at the market. He shows the partners a surveillance video of Barb fighting with Crystal, a longtime cashier. Moments later, Crystal explains Barb ruined her life by urging all her bargain-hunting friends to use her register (because Crystal is the fastest). The poor cashier even developed a wrist injury from scanning so many coupons. Crystal tells B&B to look into the victim's friends, apparently competitive.
Sure enough, Sweets (John Francis Daley) and Angela go online and discover major electronic smack talking in the extreme coupon community. One post even threatens Barb's life. Later that night, Finn takes Michelle out on a date. "You think we could spend a little more time together this weekend?" Finn asks. As a response, Michelle leans in and kisses the young man. "That was a yes," she says. The next morning, Camille is very cold to Finn, who flat-out asks if this is about Michelle. Camille denies the charge ... quite unconvincingly. Finn then notices a break in the victim's skull. Barb was struck in the head. "She was being attacked," Camille says. "That's why she hid underneath the truck."
Bones then walks in on Angela to find baby Michael laying on a blanket in a filing cabinet. Angela explains she knows babies aren't allowed in the lab, but she misses her child too badly to follow the rules. Bones promises not to tell ... and thinks about her own child currently in daycare. Booth and Sweets then arrive at an extreme coupon club to question the woman, Rhonda, who threatened Barb's life via email. She refuses to cooperate, so Booth cuffs the woman, who FREAKS OUT when her coupon box drops to the ground. The other extreme couponers immediately pounce on it. Competitive.
Booth retrieves the small, heavy box because its sharp corners match the description of the wound on the victim's head. Was the coupon box the murder weapon? Rhonda explains she used to be friends with Barb before Barb turned mean in her couponing and hit Rhonda in the head. Rhonda then produces a huge stack of receipts that, she says, will prove she wasn't at Field's Market on the night in question. Michelle, meanwhile, shows up at the lab to bring lunch to Finn. "He is busy right now ... and I don't want you two to see each other anymore," Camille blurts out. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again!" Michelle correctly guesses mom is concerned about the time Finn attacked his abusive stepfather with a knife. Camille doesn't deny it.
Shaw then goes over the case with Booth. She reveals, casually, she is a single mom. Her mother watches the kid during the day. Booth is shocked -- he had no idea Shaw was a mommy. "I'll bet you're a great mom," he says. Shaw then states Barb and her husband shared a credit card. And the records show that, while Barb was out bargain hunting, her hubby was wining and dining somebody at fine restaurants around town. Back at the lab, Bones finds a metal fragment embedded in the skull of the victim. Finn points out the metal is aluminum, so it couldn't have been Rhonda's coupon box.
Booth brings Barb's husband into the interrogation room. He admits he was stepping out on Barb. "She'd rather spend her night dumpster diving for coupons than with me, " the hubby says. "I admit I cheated ... (but) I didn't kill my wife." Finn then visits Camille. "Be honest with me ... you're afraid for your girl," Finn says. "I owe you a great deal and while I do think you're making a mistake about me and Michelle, you're the mom and I have to respect your wishes." Finn then explains he said as much to Michelle, who ran out crying. Camille obviously feels terrible. Finn then gets back to work and discovers ink on the victim's skull. So what kind of marker is made of aluminum?
Bones knows. She remembers Chad the manager carrying an aluminum clipboard with a purple marker attached to it. He must have hit Barb with it. So B&B head to the market and confront Chad. Sure enough, Bones finds a bone shaving on the pad. "I-I hit her ... and she ran away," he says. "She was diving in my dumpster and I was sick of it." He then says he only hit the woman, who then ran away. Bones explains Barb ran and hid under a truck, which killed her. "According to law, you're responsible," Booth says.
Chad is arrested. Case closed, but not the episode. Later that night, Camille tries to explain herself to Michelle, who refuses to listen. "How can you not remember that you were like me once!?" Michelle yells. Suddenly, Finn enters. "I can't stop seeing your daughter, maam," Finn tells Camille. "I think about Michelle all the time and I wouldn't be much of a man if I walked out on her when I feel a little pressure." Finn then volunteers to quit if that's what Camille wants. But it's not what she wants. Finn can stay. He embraces Michelle. "Don't press your luck," Camille says. "Take it outside."
B&B, in the meantime, put Christine to bed. Bones starts to cry, explaining she missed her daughter so much. "I'm going to sneak her into the lab everyday," Bones explains. Says Booth: "You're a good mom."
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