It had been over an hour since his last call. It shouldn't have taken him this long. Worry flooded through her veins, coursing it's way through her rigid body. She couldn't move, every muscle in her body static.
A ring.
'Hello? Yes, this is she.'
Her face fell. A single tear cascaded it's way down her broken face, a scar marking it's ruins.
She could do nothing but run. She ran to the car, the wedding car. This day was supposed to be the best day of their lives, not the worst.
The car sped down the isolated Hampton's lane, no words exchanged, no sounds other than the steady hum of the engine, this keeping her grounded from the point of remorse.
She saw it then.
Sweaty hands unlatched the car door and as she picked up her dress, her feet beneath her increased pace.
She ran towards the scene in front of her. It was then she truly believed.
Castles car. In flames. Nothing but the pressed flower from the pocket of his suit remained unscathed. It sat eerily exposed on the floor by the blazing car.
Her feet that had propelled her here gave way beneath her. She fell to the floor. As she fell, the pristine white of the dress was submerged in a sea of black ash.
Tears fell faster, rolling along the skirt of the dress and mixing with the black ash. It was ruined, gone.
Just like Castle.
For an hour she sat, waiting for the fire department to extinguish every last flame from the wreck that was once a car.
Martha, Alexis and Jim had come and tried to retrieve her, but it was no use. Esposito refused to let Lanie leave his side, out of fear and protection. Ryan wasn't allowed to come as he had Jenny and Sarah-Grace to look after.
But regardless of who came, no one could get through to her.
In an instant her detective instincts ignited. With all the flames now gone, she could see the inside of what was left of the car was still intact. She was able to make out the faint shape of the back seats.
The front seats were somewhat more obscured, and as her eyes worked their way over the scene, she froze.
Being a detective, identifying ruins was of second nature to her, and something was notoriously wrong.
There were no body remains.
For the first time since arriving at the scene, her heart lifted a fraction of a barely noticeable inch.
Suddenly it was a race. To find something, anything that could explain it. She searched through rubble, but everything was beyond comprehensible.
It was then she noticed the small draw that was located under the seat of the passengers side. The handle was intact. It seemed like it was untouched.
When she reached for it she felt a substance coating the front of the drawer. She knew what it was. A fire retardant kept the draw from destruction.
She grabbed the handle, still warm from the blaze, but it didn't deter her. She pulled the draw open.
A single piece of paper was left in the drawer. The side exposed was blank, but she could see the indents left from an inscription on the other side.
Turning it over, she read it slowly.
'4 across, 7 down.'