It was the end but a beginning too. Rick and Kate had been kept busy for the week. When Kate turned to Rick and asked him whether this was a fling. Rick had kept that conversation in mind. Kate was busy at the precinct he took a light lunch with his Daughter.
He was waiting at the counter when his Red head came into view.
Alexis was excited. Her trip to Costa Rica was happening soon. She was all brimming with joy as she saw her Father. She greeted him as if she did not play that trick on him just a week ago.
Rick was overjoyed in seeing his Daughter so happy. It did his heart good to see the darkness she had suffered was not affecting her life too much. He credited Kate and the Good Doctor for this good of an outcome.
"Hey Dad" the Redhead said embracing him.
"Hey Pumpkin please sit down and order then we can talk." Rick said stiffly.
Alexis sat down then scanned the menu the waitress came up and they both blurted out the same order at the same time. That devolved into a giggling laughing session. The waitress nonplused left after writing down their orders.
"So Dad what do you want to talk about?" Alexis asked and to the point.
"I want to ask Kate to move in with me at the loft." Rick said.
Alexis was taken back of all the things her Father could have said that was not one of them.
"Dad…Are you sure…" Alexis started to say.
Rick held up his hand.
"I was not finished…Alexis I have decided I want to marry Kate once that is official then the move in." Rick said.
"Wow? It is not that I did not see that coming but I certainly did but knowing and hearing it said is Wow!" Alexis said.
"I know I don't need your blessing but I would not mind it if you did give it." Rick said.
"Dad…of course you have my blessing. Kate has been my surrogate mother for awhile now…I am happy you want to make it official. So when are you going to ask her?" Alexis said.
"Well we are getting ahead of ourselves. I have not found a ring yet." Rick confessed.
Their meal had appeared and distracted by the food they ate in silence. Once the meal was halfway done the conversation resumed.
"So Dad I'm happy for you…You want me to help you to pick it out?" Alexis smirked over her chocolate milkshake.
"Would you do that Pumpkin I will get you a Pony!" Rick teased.
"Dad don't you think you should retire that old ploy for one of my siblings?" Alexis said smirking.
"Now, who is getting ahead of themselves? I do not have the ring or the answer yet but you have me with another child or more!" Rick said joking.
"I was just looking toward the future Dad." Alexis said.
"Ok let's go I'm finished." Rick said paying the bill and leaving a sizable tip behind.
/
Kate was being tired of doing nothing. After the DIA wrapped up their investigation there had been nothing for about a week the criminals of New York had avoided the 12th precinct. The Boys were busy playing with a paper football. Kate was wondering what Rick was doing then she remembered. He was out with Alexis for a Father Daughter day. She thought it was sweet when a call came in.
"Espo Ryan we have a floater." Kate said.
"Ah Man can't the Coast Guard take care of it?" Ryan said.
"Bro I hate floaters they are all bloaty and possibly will burst." Espo said as they left and drove up to the address.
"Ok Boss is the address?" Ryan said getting out of the car. "I do not see any body of water around here."
"Eh Boss are you sure that Central said a floater?" Espo asked.
"Yeah they were quite specific and also said the ME was enroute why?" Kate asked.
"It does not have a pool either" Espo said.
"So that leaves what a Jacuzzi? Ryan said.
"That or something else on the roof" Kate said.
"The roof…? You did not share that with us." Espo said indigently.
"Well you only asked for the address. Next time Ryan try to be a bit more specific in your request." Kate said.
As they were squabbling Rick appeared with Coffee.
"Thanks for the text Is there floater here? Interesting..." Rick said.
"Why is that interesting Castle" Ryan asked.
"Well see these building were made before centralized water supplies so each building had a Water cistern on the roof I believe that is where we will find our floater." Rick said.
"In the Water Tower? Ew!" Espo said.
They got to the roof and Rick's suspicions were confirmed.
"Say Castle you knew this for your research in Heat Rises right?" Ryan said. "It was the part where Montrose's bullet ended up in the water tower."
"I will never confirm or deny what I know in the name of research." Rick quipped.
"Come on comedians let's get to work!" Kate said not amused but secretly smiling at Rick. He caught on too.
"So Lanie what do we have Central said we had a floater." Kate said.
"Well yes and no the body of a young 20ish white woman was dumped in the water but it looks like blunt force trauma killed her before dumping her in the water tower. There is no foaming around the mouth so she was definitely dead. If you want more I will have it when I get to examine her back at the morgue." Lanie said.
Espo came back to report.
"Becks CSU found tissue and hair which looks like the victim's on the Fan blade over there." Espo said.
"So the victim was lured up here. She was surprised and the killed pushed her into the fan killing her then to cover he or she lifted the cover then dropped her in to remove the DNA. Perhaps she knew the killer?" Rick said.
"Hey Boss I showed the picture of the vic around. She was IDed as Crystal Sky. She paid cash for a room on the 18th floor." Ryan said
"Crystal Sky did you not have a case with a Sky in it Boss?" Espo said.
"Yeah I did…Sky Blue Hayley Blues' sister. Why?" Kate asked.
"Perhaps she did the name as an homage. Sky is doing well I hear" Ryan said.
Espo just looks disgusted at him.
"Yeah according to Alexis the band is better than ever after Sky clean up her act." Rick said.
"Nah Bro it is made up name like Castle does. Think about a name called Nikki Heat? A made up name if you ever heard one! Could you not make the name more real? Like add a Gonzales once an awhile? Espo said.
"Do you have a room number?" Kate said rolling her eyes.
Getting the room number Espo was interviewing all the residence on the 18 floor to see if anyone had seen her or heard anything. Kate and Rick entered the room. It looked a bit too pristine for the supposed sex acts going on in this room.
Rick found a DVD in the player and pressed play. The sounds of people loudly having sex were heard. Both Kate and Rick were sporting red faces having done some of those same noises last night. Rick quickly pressed stop.
"Well that is the source of the noises but why the deception? If she wanted to be nondescript then why come here?" Rick asked.
Kate shrugged and returned to the precinct. They boys completing the canvas returned later.
"It just does not add up." Ryan said back at the precinct. "Out of all the residence one said she was not a hooker. Everyone else said she was."
"Who was that Ryan?" Kate asked.
Ryan gave her the name.
/
Rick and Kate were knocking on the man's door.
The man opened the door. He was slovenly and looked like he had not bathed.
"Yeah what do you want?" He asked.
"NYPD I heard you talked to my detectives your story does not match any of the others I want to know why?" Kate said.
The man stepped aside and allowed Kate and Rick to come in. The guy looked a bit shifty and had porn available to see.
"I bet you like watching don't you" Rick said. "It must have been driving you crazy hearing all those noises coming from the next door. So what did you do?"
Rick uncovers the peephole.
"Ok you can answer questions here or at the station your choice." Kate said.
"Here please?" The scruffy man said.
"Ok state for the record what is your name?" Kate asked.
Ziff Falgrad. He said.
"Ok Ziff you tell us what you know?" Kate said.
"Well I was friendly with her I talked to her when doing laundry." Ziff said.
"When did you talk last?" Rick asked.
"The night she was killed she was heading downstairs to pick up her laundry." Ziff said.
"Did she look anxious or nervous?" Kate asked.
"No she was calm. She was carrying her laptop. She was always on it." Ziff said.
"What do you mean she was always on it?" Rick asked. "Oh that must have disappointed you looking in and seeing her with a headphone on typing away on her laptop."
"Yeah it was" Ziff said glumly.
"So when she came back to her room… Were you watching? Ziff?" Kate asked.
"No she didn't do anything so I covered the hole and put on porn." Ziff said.
Rick looked at Kate then at Ziff.
"We believe you. Do you have any idea where her Laptop went?" Kate asked.
"No once she was missing I was going to steal it to see what she was writing when I got in the room it was not there." Ziff said.