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"The Doll in the Derby" is episode fourteen of season eight of Bones, the forensic drama television series loosely based on the novels and life of anthropologist Kathy Reichs. In this episode, a roller derby member is found dead and dismembered in a slaughterhouse.
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The Rookies in the Slaughterhouse
Two police officers are investigating a report of a break-in at an old slaughterhouse. At night. Both sound to be rookies, and one believes that the desk sergeant has sent them out on a bogus call. Lucky for them, this isn't a horror movie. One of the officers calls back to dispatch with a fake report of suspects. Both then split up - really lucky it's not a horror film - and one is heard crying out. The other goes to see what's wrong and the officer who cried out said that he slipped and fell. His partner, when he sees what the man slipped in, runs out screaming.
The Evidence is Being Eaten Away
Brennan says that an abattoir - Booth says slaughterhouse is fine - is an excellent place to dispose of a body, as all the needed equipment is there. The rookie policeman slipped and fell in human remains that had been dismembered, disturbing the crime scene a bit. The remains were dismembered with a crosscut saw and the victim - a woman - was doused in a very caustic substance, enough that the rookie who fell in them needed medical help for his hand. The corrosive is eating away at the evidence. Cam wants the substance neutralising before it eats away all the evidence; Hodgins suggests water from a nearby pressure hose. Brennan does not want them to do this without discussion. Cam says that there is no time - and that she's the boss anyway - and Booth won't get involved, as it isn't his jurisdiction.
It's Wendell's Birthday (Nearly)
At the lab, Hodgins congratulates Wendell Bray on his birthday. It's actually tomorrow and Wendell isn't the 24 or 25 that Hodgins suggests, but 29 (he doesn't look that old). Wendell also doesn't appear to be looking forward to his birthday; Hodgins suggests that's because he hasn't really achieved anything yet and it's weighing him down (Hodgins brings up Wendell's birthday again, and winds up regretting it at one point). Wendell says the damage to the bones prior to death looks like domestic abuse.
Not a Serial Killer
Booth wants to know if Sweets thinks it's the work of a serial killer. Sweets doesn't think so - cutting up a body and putting it in a wheelbarrow simply isn't weird enough, and there is no sense of ritual. With the suggestion of domestic abuse, Sweets suggests that, after years of abuse, the abuser went too far and then disposed of the remains.
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The Trail of the Fitness Watch
An ID is got for the victim, so Hodgins tells Sweets to go and talk to the husband, a trauma surgeon. Angela says that the victim was wearing a fitness watch at the time of death, which broke, and that her heart rate spiked for two minutes prior to her death. Either running or scared. The watch also had GPS, and leads to the place where she apparently died.
The Ex Was Divorced for Being Stodgy
The husband had been separated from his wife for a year. He says that his ex-wife was exciting and thought that her husband was stodgy, so divorced him. Sweets mentions that she had injuries after their separation, but the ex-husband was working in a hospital with plenty of witnesses.
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The Roller Derby
When Brennan and Booth arrive at the place - not the slaughterhouse - where the dead woman apparently died, another woman comes out with a head injury. Which she says was just an accident. Inside the location, there is a roller derby going on. Which Booth recognises but Brennan does not. The players on the team, the Derby Dolls, recognise the woman - Melinda - a teammate. They saw her the night before for a match, but she didn't come with them for drinks. The roller derby explains the domestic abuse injuries. There is another member of the team who didn't show up for training that morning. She is okay though, and was a friend of Melinda.
Leading a Wild Life Prior to Death
Melinda herself was beaten to death with a roller-skate, showed signs of extensive drug use, and was leading a wild life, racking up a police record. Booth can't get a warrant to check everyone at the ring, and Brennan thinks there is another way. By getting someone inside the rink, undercover. After all, there's a spot vacant. Angela. Hodgins is worried. Although he is impressed by her outfit. The tryouts are quite rough. Looking for blood on a roller-skate worn in a very bloody sport is not helpful.
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The Ex-Husband is Still a Suspect
Money and valuables had been going missing from the team and Melinda had a habit of trying to wind up her ex-husband. By sleeping with men on his lawn. The husband, even though he has an alibi, is still the strongest suspect. But it doesn't look like he could have done it. So, is his alibi genuine?
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Booth is at the Hospital - But Why?
Booth has a last minute appointment at the hospital. When Angela hears about it, she wants to know what is wrong, but Brennan can't tell her. This concerns Angela, who speaks to Cam about it. Who is also concerned about Booth, and checks up on the hospital. It is, of course, nothing like what people think when it's finally discovered why Booth is at the hospital.
Bones - The Doll in the Derby Trailer
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