Disclaimers and etc. I don't own 'Castle' but I wish I owned Beckett... ;) and etc... all that jazz. Also, not to reveal myself as a newbie, but well, I'm a newbie. My first fic... I hope there will be many chapters... but please review so I know how I am doing!
Thanks, and enjoy! :)
Detective Kate Beckett shot an icy stare at the murder board leering at her from across the room. She rearraged herself slightly, leaning more heavily on the desk that she had propped herself up against. Sighing, she let her breath send her hair twirling away from her face. She knew that there was nothing more that she could uncover this evening. She had no leads in the case that was before her, glinting in shiny black and red words from the board. Her victim, a female college student from a local university, had been found early this morning by some hikers at Forest Park, in Queens. Her name was Anya MacManus, a Freshman pledge to the Omega Pi Delta Sorority. The recruits were sent out on a hazing mission during their plege period last night, and everyone returned, except Anya. She had been through a dozen of the sorority's sisters, grilling them about the hazing practices, but realizing that they were not at liberty to discuss ritual, let alone hazing, which is strictly forbidden, and with no probable cause, she could not force any of them to divulge any of what was going on that night. There was one thing they all agreed on, though: no one was to be hurt, and no one saw Anya after she received her instructions. Beckett believed the first part. She knew that these so called 'scavenger hunts' were meant to weed out the weak, not cause anyone physical harm, let alone have a pledge end up dead. Other than the bruising on Anya's throat, there was no evidence. Literally. Forensics hadn't even picked up a hair or anything with recognizable DNA. The only glimmer of hope that was being processed was a thread from a white cotton t-shirt, and seeing how common those were, it wasn't much of a help. Even though it was still being tested, it would lead her no where. She was sure of it. Picking up the Expo marker and sliding it onto the aluminum tray, she gave the board one last glance and turned away. She was done. It was late, and although she was used to remaining at the precinct long after the rest of her team had retired for the evening, tonight was different. There was a certain loneliness that was flicking at her nerves, which, she thought, half-smiling to herself and biting her lip for a fraction of a second, made sense. Giving a fleeting glance to the chair next to her desk, she shook her head to clear the thoughts that unconsciously had settled in her brain, and began the ritual of packing up for the night.
Across town, Richard Castle sat on his living room couch, deep in a complicated, side-tracked thought. His laptop rested gently on his knees, untouched for at least a half an hour. Although known for his far-fetched and unrealistic theories, he was drawing a blank. This time, even he could admit that they were worthless. After doing a bit of his own research, distracting himself with writing another chapter of 'Nikki Heat' and of course coming up with his own wild theories, the only thing he could come up with was that somehow the choking was part of the hazing. But that sounded dangerous. He always thought this hazing was something... Frustrating? Yes. Dirty? Of course. Embarrassing? A requirement. But deadly? No. The ME report came back that the COD was asphyxiation, or, in layman's terms, she had been strangled to death. The weirdest part was the bruise patterns on her neck did not match up how they should. The bruises where the assailant's thumbs pressed into her neck were on the front of her neck, and upside down. Almost as if...
Beckett gathered her hair into a loose bun and slid into the tub luxuriously. Sometimes, all it took to clear her head after a day of no answers was an extravagant soak in her claw-foot tub, but today, it was noisy upstairs. Sometimes, she really hated how work followed her home. She tried to tell herself that she wasn't a workaholic, but she was lying to herself, and she knew it. Sometimes, it wasn't even work to her; it was more of a puzzle that had to be figured out. It riddled and twisted her brain, keeping it in shape. She inhaled the exotic perfume of the bath salts, and telepathically told them to start working their magic so that she could finally relax. Holding her breath for a second or two, she enjoyed as much silence as the city below could fathom to give her. It was in that second of silence that it hit her. Cursing herself for not being able to enjoy a moment of peace because of her clearly unsettled mind this evening, she all but leaped out of the tub and hastily dried off. Gathering her robe around herself, she pressed speed dial number three on her phone.
Beckett's ringtone snapped Castle out of his subconsious daze. In a sloppy dive off the couch, he lunged for his cell.
"Castle," he spoke into the phone, trying not to sound too eager.
Beckett's voice came over the speaker. "What if our killer didn't use their hands to strangle Anya?"
"That would certainly make sense, given the pattern. I was thinking the same thing. What if..."
"The killer used her hands," They said in unison. They both paused a moment, realizing what just happened, and at the same time, how ridiculous it sounded.
"The killer had to have brought Anya's own hands up to her neck, thus removing the possibility of tracking them by the bruises left by their own hands," Beckett rushed, all in one breath.
"I am on the same page as you, but how did he get her to do that? That is kind of a precise motion," Castle said, his tone staggered by thought.
"The toxicology reports aren't back yet, so it is possible that she was drugged. She passes out, the killers opportunity comes." Beckett replied, her excitement building. "But," her voice dropped, "we still don't have any idea who might have done this."
"Don't worry, we will get there. We have this step. There is not much more we can do tonight, but in the morning we'll go straight to Lanie for the reports and also see if there are any previously unseen marks on her hands," Castle said reassuringly. He knew that she didn't need the reassurance, but he figured it couldn't hurt. "Until tomorrow, then?"
Beckett smiled at his way of saying goodnight. "Alright, that sounds good. Night," she replied, letting a bit of her smile reveal itself in her tone.
Please, please review. I'm itching to know what you think! :)
