CASTLE
PETALS OF A WHITE ROSE
"The pale girl lies there, long black hair pooling around her shoulders; big violet eyes void of emotion staring into nothingness. If she hadn't had her limp hand over the wound on her stomach, you might of thought she'd been sleeping. The bloodied, silver Bowie knife that had stuck, protruding out of her gut, lay lifelessly in her other hand. The killer stood over her for a few more minutes before placing a single white rose in the dead girls hand on her stomach. With one last look at her, he left her there, lying in the green grass- as green as an emerald and strode away silently, satisfied with his work." I finished telling Alexis a perfect murder, one that I had just thought up.
She sat there with the tip of her pencil in her mouth; her orange blossom hair framed her face making her blue eyes look huge in a cute, endearing way. "Dad, where do you get your inspirations for murders? I mean, I know you've been working with Detective Beckett for a while now, but do the murders you help solve give you any incentive on what you write?"
Alexis was such a bright girl, always thinking. She was a smart girl who loved learning new things. Sometimes it frustrated me that she was so smart, when I was her age i'd been doing a number of illegal stuff that would get me in trouble. Now I kind of wished I had been more like her, maybe i'd right better books.
"Well, Alexis theres something you should know. I secretly write the murders as I have committed them in real life." joking around always brought a smile to her face.
Smiling, she punched my arm, "I'm serious, I mean you just gave me the next idea for the story we are supposed to write for an English assignment. I still want to be a Veterinarian, but I would just like to know how you get your ideas."
I was just about to answer when my cell rang, "Rick Castle, author and now also a crime solver at your service," I winked at Alexis. I knew before I answered the phone that it would be Kate Beckett on the other end. The reason I knew that was because the only people who ever called me on my cell were Kate, my poker mates and my clingy mother who happened to be singing to a piano tune in the next room. I know, its kind of sad when your a best selling author to only have a couple of people call you, you'd expect to have to change your number every day but I didn't.
"Crime solver- barely, author- getting there," Beckett joked. "Ouch," I said, faking hurt. Laughing she said, "We have a case, I'll fill you in when you get here."
"What makes you presume i'll come," I taunted.
"Hmm juicy new murder, the idea of the departments awesome tasting coffee just not cutting it for you Castle?" she asked.
"Damn you got me on the coffee," I said, "I'll be there in the morning I promised my mother I would take her to a stage show tonight," I hung up and put my cell back in my pocket. Alexis decided to stay home and work on her assignment. Getting dressed, I collected my mother from her singing then I took her to one of her favourite stage shows, 'Beauty In The Beast,' the whole time wondering what kind of murder a killer had come up with this time.
The sun beat down bright when I reached the police building in the morning. Taking the elevator, I Reached the homicide department in a matter of minutes. I walked straight over to Kate's desk. She was immersed in a case file, her brow furrowed as she read. Creeping behind her I whispered "Boo," in her ear. She jumped, kneeing her desk which knocked her cup, spilling the luke warm coffee all over the floor. I tensed, "I'm in trouble aren't I." Kate glared at me, without a word she pulled a handkerchief out of her drawer and threw it at me. If it had been a brick, it would have killed. "Clean it up," I could almost hear sound of smoke coming from her ears.
She walked away angrily; as I cleaned up the coffee I muttered about how best selling authors shouldn't have to do lowly work. Ten minutes later Kate came back. Grinning broadly I said, "Cleaned spotlessly Lady Kate," the look I got in return had the effect of a recking ball. Ignoring my latest quip she handed me the file. "We were going to go through an old case, but this one happened just last night. Lisa Nicholson was murdered last night sometime between 12 and 3. She has a stab wound to the chest and trauma to her left arm. Probably defensive wounds. People on the sight found that she had a white rose placed in her left hand and a bowie knife lay loosely in the other. It was ruled out as suicide after we found the defensive wounds and because our analysts stated that the way the knife was plunged couldn't be achieved by the girl alone."
Frowning I turned to look at the scene photos. A wave of startling recognition settled in as I remembered what I had told Alexis last night. The scene photos looked exactly the way I had told Lexi a perfect murder would look like- from the Bowie knife right down the petals of the white rose.
"What is it Castle," Kate looked at me with concern. Speechless I just stared at a scene. The girl had an indigo coloured summer dress on. She stared dreamily out into nothingness. Even her eyes were a violet colour.
Pointing at the photograph I asked, "Are those contacts?" Beckett took the file and after a minute she read, "The victims eyes are originally blue but at the time of death she had in purple contact lenses. It is impossible to tell which manufacturer made these."
Running a hand through my hair I said, "This is my murder- I mean the one I invented. Last night Alexis wanted some ideas for an English task so I told her every last detail of this exact murder."
Eyes widening she said, "Castle did you tell anyone else about this?"
"No but-" I stopped. Lexi had said before I left that she was going to call her friend to get her to help the end of the story. "Alexis said she was going to call a friend to help her finnish the story. Avery Maslin a friend from school. Nice girl, I never thought she would do something like this though," looking at Kate's look I added, "I mean I just didn't think she fitted the profile for your ordinary killer."
"You don't know with people these days Rick, they kill for anything and everything," she had a dark look in her eyes. It made me wonder if she were thinking about her mother.
"We should bring Alexis and Hannah in for questioning." She speculated. I gaped at her. "I highly doubt Alexis did it but we have to ask her exactly what she told this girl and if she told anyone else," Kate smoothed her crimson Tee over her black jeans. "Ask Alexis for Hannah's number and tell her not to contact her. If she did it, she might run." And with that, Kate walked away to make herself another coffee. I had no doubt that if I saw what she was making it would be a black coffee. She always had black coffee when she was agitated.