'Bones' Season 8, Episode 13: 'The Doll in the Derby' Recap

Two police are called to an abandoned warehouse to investigate a possible B&E. Thinking it is nothing, they panic when one of the officers falls into a pool of rancid blood and spots a mutilated corpse.

While Booth and Bones head to the crime scene, Booth says he has to go to the hospital first. Bones, aware of the situation offers her help, but he turns it down, saying it’s his thing.

At the scene, Bones theorizes that someone chopped up the body and attempted to dispose of it through a drain. Hodgins sets the time of death at 8 hours ago, and Booth points out that it looked like the guy melted, but Bones quickly corrects him; it’s a female victim.

Dr. Saroyan says the body was covered in a highly corrosive liquid, melting it, and Bones notices saw marks on the spine, indicating a crosscut saw was used to chop it up.

The body is still dissolving, so Dr. Saroyan has Hodgins use a pressure washer to clean off whatever acid was used so she can preserve her tissue samples. Bones is not too pleased.

In the lab, Wendell notices all the cuts were made at the joints, and hopes the victim was not alive when she was cut up. Hodgins arrives and points out that Wendell’s 29th birthday is tomorrow. Wendell doesn’t seem too happy about it, and Hodgins figures it’s because he hasn’t achieved anything big yet. He points out that Dr. Saroyan had a big career at that age, and that he had his current job.

Changing the subject, Wendell shows that the victim shows signs of blunt force trauma, indicative of domestic abuse. The victim is IDed as Melinda Perkins, 32, married to Dr. Bradley Perkins. Angela is able to pull information out of the watch the victim was wearing, including her heart rate and GPS location. She found the watch stopped at 12:29 am, and that she had an elevated heart rate before her death.

Sweets interviews Melinda’s ex-husband, Dr. Perkins, an ER trauma surgeon. He reveals that she was filing for divorce, and they had been separated for a year. He says he doesn’t beat ex-wives, so he didn’t do it.

Booth and Bones head back to the scene of the crime, and use the GPS information provided by Angela to discover where Melinda was at the time of her death; a roller derby rink.

They interview Nick Bennet, owner of the team (Susan Carroll points out that no one owns the team, it’s a co-op). They identify Melinda Perkins as “Pummel-ya Anderson”, a skater on their team. They had a match the night before, and she left early, saying she didn’t feel well. Nick points out that “Ivanna Kick Ass” was missing as well.

In the lab, Hodgins finds particles in the skull wound that indicated she was beaten by a roller skate. Hodgins casually asks Wendell if he’s made his Pre-30 Bucket List, which he hasn’t. Hodgins points out some things he can add, all things he can’t do after he’s 30. But all the things he lists, Wendell has already done. Including posing nude from Hodgins’ wife Angela.

Angela tracks down Dr. Saroyan (who found drugs in the victim’s blood) and asks if she knows why Booth has been going to the hospital. She doesn’t know.

Booth tracks down Ivana and brings her in for questioning. She says she missed practice because she was studying. She was in college for physical therapy. Ivana reveals Melinda lived a wild life, filled with drugs and men, including having sex with a random guy on her ex-husband’s lawn.

Booth, Bones, and Sweets realize that the answers they need are in the rink, but they’d never be able to get a warrant to search the entire rink. Bones reveals there might be another way: Angela. She volunteers to try out for the team as her new alter ego “Smackie Kennedy”.

Several girls show up to fight for the one open spot, but Angela eventually wins the spot.

In the lab, Hodgins and Dr. Saroyan check the victim’s clothing, and find blood spatter that indicates she was alive when she was cut up. So, not only was she beaten with a roller skate, but she was stabbed.

In the locker room, Angela scans all the skates for blood, which they all contain because of the violent nature of the sport. Emily/Susan Carroll stumbles upon Angela, and warns her to not leave anything valuable in the locker room, because things have been going missing. Angela and Emily go out for a drink to celebrate.

In the lab, Wendell tells Bones he found what was used to dismember the corpse. He concludes it had to have been a high-quality wood saw. Bones points out that Nick, the manager, built the wooden rink himself. Wendell also found the pre-death stab wound that Dr. Saroyan theorized.

 In a bar, Emily and Angela get increasingly intoxicated when Booth arrives. Angela called him. Angela pretends Booth is her boyfriend, and excuses herself to talk to him in private, when Emily passes out. Angela tells Booth that Nick has been skimming money from the team, and that Melinda Perkins accused him to his face.

Booth brings Nick in for questioning. He claims he could never kill her, because she was the biggest moneymaker. Fans would could just to see her. Nick says he thought Melinda was skimming money from the team, but he never confronted her. He reveals he was sleeping with her, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that by accusing her of stealing. He says she wanted them to have sex on her ex’s lawn so he could see, but he didn’t want to go that far. He reveals they were at a bar when the husband came in, and she got angry with him, but he left.

Dr. Saroyan visits a Dr. Crawford in the hospital, trying to find out what Booth is up to. Dr. Crawford reveals she promised Booth she would not reveal anything about his hospital visits.

Wendell shows Bones markings on the skeleton, which indicate that the victim received CPR after her death. However, the CPR wasn’t used to attempt to resuscitate the victim, but rather, to aid in draining the blood out of the body. They conclude only someone with knowledge of anatomy would think to do that. And the only suspect with training? Her ex-husband.

Booth brings Dr. Perkins in for another round of questioning. He confronts him that his whereabouts were unaccounted for the night of the murder. He denies he’d ever hurt her. Booth points out the various men she was sleeping with, and how angry he must be. He clams up and requests a lawyer.

In the lab, Hodgins shows Wendell something strange on the victim’s shirt. A splatter of albumin, and other various chemicals… Which make up the fluid which fills the eye. They conclude she was stabbed in the eye, as well. Hodgins swabbed the skull for any trace remnants, and finds that a key was used to stab her.

Back at the rink, Booth is upset. He thought the husband did it for sure, but reveals the husband’s house has no keys, only keypads. Bones points out that keys-between-the-knuckles is a self-defense move taught to women.

Bones finds that Ivana’s keys are a match for the size and shape of the wound, but the key is clean. However, the ignition on the bus contains blood. Ivana stabbed her in the eye with the key, and with her background knowledge in physical therapy, she’d know where to cut the body. She tries to defend herself by saying that their profits have increased and nothing has gone missing since. Booth arrests her.

Wendell, Hodgins, and Angela go to the bar to celebrate his birthday. Wendell gives Hodgins the nude painting Angela made of him, but edited to have boxers over his naughty bits.

At the end, we learn why Booth has been going to the hospital. He has been organizing a carnival for all the ill children. Booth wanted them to have a good time, but wanted to do it in secret because of his religious background. Charity should be anonymous.