Author's Note: This is merely a teaser for an upcoming story, which will be posted at a later date. Feedback is welcome.
Heat
The blaring of a cell phone interrupted Richard Castle's sleep. Rather than acknowledging his return to the world of the working people, however, he grunted, tightened his arm around his girlfriend's waist, and buried his head in the pillow. He really didn't want to talk to his crazy publisher/ex-wife right now….
The phone continued to ring, however, and now Kate was also awake. Rick felt her tug against his arm, so he let her go. The bed shifted as she sat up and leaned over. Rick's sleep- and vacation-addled brain finally realized that it was her cell phone that had gone off, not his, just as she stated, "Beckett."
By the time she hung up, Rick was mostly awake and peering up at her from where he still lay on the bed. "Dead body?" he asked.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kate looked over her shoulder at him. "Yep."
"So much for a nice, easy day of paperwork."
"Poor baby," Kate smirked, leaning over to kiss him. "You know, if you need to recover from our grueling vacation I'm sure that the boys and I can handle this one without you."
"And have you set up another faux-murder for me to solve?" Rick shook his head and sat up. "As cool as that was, I think I prefer working the real thing."
Kate laughed. "You are such a geek. C'mon, Espo's expecting us."
"Of all the places to commit a murder," Castle moaned as he followed Kate in to the crime scene.
"Steady there Castle," Kate tossed over her shoulder. Inwardly, she agreed whole-heartedly with his sentiment: There was something very wrong with finding a dead body in a mom-and-pop bookstore. CSU bustled around the sales floor, marking evidence and taking pictures. Next to the cash register, Ryan interviewed a young man and young woman. Kate didn't see the rest of her team at first, but then Esposito stuck his head out from behind a bookshelf.
"Espo," she greeted the other detective as she made her way over, Castle trailing behind. "Lanie what've you…." Kate's voice trailed off as she took in the sight before her.
Hidden by the bookshelves stood a little reading nook, complete with a rocking chair, a sling chair, and a table stacked with books. The shelves surrounding the area contained not books but a variety of toys and models; Kate noted the presence of such literary staples as the Tin Woodsman, the velveteen rabbit, and several spaceships, including the one from 2001. The victim lay on the floor, surrounded by several more models that appeared to have come from an open box. From where she stood, Kate was reasonably certain that the victim was female. Unfortunately, the body was so burned that even that observation was in doubt.
"Whoa," Castle breathed. "That looks like the body we pulled from the pizza oven."
"Except this time COD are the burns," Lanie supplied from where she knelt next to the body. She motioned for the pair to join her.
"Victim is Mary Langston, age 40. She runs the shop," Esposito supplied. "The body was found this morning by the two assistants."
"What about time of death?" Kate asked Lanie.
"Under normal circumstances, a body should only look like this after being on fire for several hours. But Kate, look around," Lanie said. Kate did as her friend suggested.
"No burns," Castle muttered from behind her.
"No sign of a fire," Kate agreed.
"So how did our vic end up like this?" Esposito asked.
The buzzing of the Farnsworth interrupted Helena G. Wells' sleep. Ignoring the reminder of her working life, she merely sighed, tightened her arm around her girlfriend's waist, and snuggled deeper into the pillow. The pair was on vacation, after all….
Of course, the Farnsworth continued to buzz, waking Myka up. Helena felt her tug against her arm, and reluctantly let her go. The bed shifted as Myka left it, and Helena could just hear her feet as she padded across the room. The buzzing got louder as Myka retrieved the infernal machine from the depths of the suitcase, then finally ceased as she answered. "This better be good, Artie."
The Farnsworth being what it was, Helena could hear both sides of the conversation. "I've got a ping-"
"Artie, we're on vacation!" Myka interrupted. Helena couldn't help but smile into the pillow at the hint of whine in the other woman's voice.
"And I am stuck in the Warehouse with Trailer while all of my other agents are out on two other cases!" The older man's voice softened slightly. "Myka, this ping is right there in New York City."
"Artie," Myka started to protest again, but Helena could hear the softness in her voice.
"I promise: Snag it, bag it, tag it, and whatever time it takes to do that you can tack on to the end of your trip."
"Okay Artie," Myka sighed. "Give me details."
Giving up on getting any more sleep, Helena finally rolled over and sat up. Stretching, she watched as Myka dutifully took notes on a piece of hotel stationary. When Myka shut the Farnsworth, Helena stood and walked across the room, wrapping her arms around the younger woman from behind. "Back to work, then," she commented, resting her chin on Myka's shoulder.
"I guess so," Myka replied, laying her arms on top of Helena's. "So much for our vacation."
"Now, now, Artie did say that we shouldn't count this as time off. Don't worry love," Helena smiled, "we'll still have a proper holiday."
Myka turned slightly so that she could see Helena. "I'll remember that."
"Do." Helena leaned in and kissed her. "Now then, why don't you fill me in on the details while we take a shower?"