Detective Kate Beckett slammed down her phone. The captain from narcotics said that a dead body was found on the way to their scene. His squad had been investigating reports of a new drug manufacturing warehouse. He saw dead a man on the road to the suspected location. He also told her that it didn't look like the death was drug related.
"Yeah right…..Esposito! We have another wild goose chase. Lanie's already on her way, let's go."
"Where are we going?" Richard Castle walked into the bullpen carrying two cups of coffee, one for him and the other for Beckett. She nodded her thanks and took a healthy swallow from the cup and broke off a piece of the bear claw that he brought for her every morning. It was a crappy breakfast, well brunch but it was better than nothing. "We have a case? We have a dead body?"
Kate rolled her eyes at his exuberance; sometimes he acted even younger than is usual 9 years old. "We have a body but I doubt it was a murder. Narcotics never wants to deal with the casualties from the war on drugs. They just want the big headlines and press coverage." She grabbed her jacket and muttered as they left the precinct… "Nothing but a bunch of glory whores."
"Somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning." Castle quickly shut up when Kate's eyes shot him a death glare. He warily got in the car with her, as Esposito and Ryan got into a second car.
"Some of us probably got a full and long night of sleep. I was here doing paperwork for hours after you left last night. My new neighbor keeps stealing my paper. I haven't had a chance to do any laundry or food shopping. This is my last clean outfit for work. Let's just say I was hoping for an easy day and a chance to go home on time for once. This new case will be at least six hours of paperwork and another unsolved case."
Arriving at the scene, Kate looked around quickly. She walked to the body but did not notice that the second car that held the rest of her squad was missing. "Hey Lanie, what have we got? What's with the hazmat suit?"
"Kate, NO! Oh damn, now it's too late."
"What?"
"I put out a broadcast that this area is off limits. We have a potential biohazard here. Didn't you hear my message?"
"Oh, great! My battery must be dead. What else can go wrong today?"
"How does the plague grab you? You and writer boy are going to have to go to isolation."
"No! The joke is over and it is so not funny."
"Do you see me laughing? Honey, whatever killed this man has nothing to do with some bad blow. You need to go with these guys to the hospital. You will have to stay isolated and observed for at least five days. Hey girl friend, don't look at me that way, those are not my rules, talk to the CDC."
It was the worried look on her friend's face, what she could see of it through the mask Lanie was wearing, that finally made the reality of the situation hit home for Beckett.
"I remember signing papers saying I couldn't sue the city if I was hurt, shot or killed but I don't remember anything about the plague." Kate turned to look at Castle in horror as she realized just who she would be confined in a small room with all alone for the next five days.