CH 1: Her Guy
"This our guy?" Detective Kate Beckett asked her partner.
"Yeah, um... Richard Knight- changed legally from Rogers, also goes by the name 'Rook,'" Demming said as he walked up to the board holding a picture of their suspect. "Runs a crew called 'The Castle;' they're mercs, mostly ex-Academi - take any job they can get." He stuck the mugshot up on the board, held there by a magnet. "Doesn't have to involve violence, but they seem to prefer it. Knight's a real badass, kind of a scum bag."
Beckett looked up at the mug shot. It was a good picture, he was smirking at the camera in a handsome about him looks familiar. Been on the news, maybe? Roguish and good looking, giving off a bad boy vibe. Kate likes the bad boys... as long as they aren't felons. Huh, she said to herself, he hasn't been jailed or fined for any felonies. And he's cute. I wonder if he has a motorcycle.
"Kate?" Demming said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"Dinner at my place tonight?"
"Yeah." She smiled and tapped a knuckle to her lips like a 16 year old girl as she walked back to her desk. The look on her face was her thinking about Knight, she hadn't even heard what Demming had said, but responded anyway. "What's Knight's story?"
Demming looked down at the file and leaned against his desk. "Let's see here, charged with-" Kate cut him off before he could read anything and Demming looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Nuh-no, I mean... what's his story."
"Oh." He looked back into the file and said, "His story... Okay, I got nothing." He closed the folder and turned back to his partner.
"What do you mean 'nothing?'"
"He has no history... the Uncle Sam blacked out his history so we're just stuck with arrests. None of which, by the way, stuck."
Beckett bit her bottom lip, deep in thought. She looked down at the floor and then back to Demming who was watching her. "Got an address?"
"Unis are bringing him in now." Kate nodded but Demming didn't see it. He was too busy watching three Uniforms escorting Richard Knight into Interrogation 1. He nodded upward to Beckett to let her know something was going on. As he started toward Interrogation, he got a text message. Something he had to deal with immediately so he handed Beckett Knight's jacket and told her to do the interrogation herself.
"Mr. Knight, thank you for coming in," Beckett said as she walked in and closed the door behind her. He sat upright instantly.
"Like I had a choice."
"Mr. Knight-"
"Call me Rook, all my friends do." There was an odd charm in his voice that caught Beckett immediately, but she couldn't let it show if she wanted to stay in control.
"Then I'll let your friends call you that."
"Oh, come on, Detective," he said with a boyish smile. "We can be friends."
Beckett's gut tightened and she felt warm all of a sudden. She forced a scoff, however obviously fake it was. "Not with your record." She sat down and stared into his file. "Says here that you stole a police car."
"Borrowed."
"And you drove it into a chop shop."
"Boys will be boys." Then as a joke, he added, "You should have seen the look on their faces when I got out of it holding an M249."
"Mr. Knight-"
"Rook."
"Knight." He leaned forward and the smell of his cologne caught her off guard. "You also have several felony arrests."
"Those were all dropped."
Beckett narrowed her eyes at him, trying not to give anything away. "You look familiar, have I arrested you before?"
"No," he said, shooting her a sideways glance. "I would remember you. Hey!" he shouted, as though he was remembering something. "Maybe you read one of my books."
"You write?" Beckett sat back in disbelief, arching an eyebrow and leaving one arm on the table in between her and her favorite author. This could get complicated, she thought. Best make something up. "What...?" She paused for too long, trying to think of something. Smooth, Kate. Knight made an amused face. "...Knight Watch?" Knight frowned. Cute, Kate... try to make something up and admit that you know... just great. Then he smiled.
"Looks like I've got a fan."
Beckett was about to say something, hopefully clever, but the door opened and Demming walked in. "I'm Detective Demming. I see that you've met Detective Beckett." She had been shaking her head at him, hoping he wouldn't say her name but he hadn't seen her until it was too late.
Beckett sighed and closed her eyes as Knight looked at her and smiled. "Well, Detective," Knight said with a broad-ass smile. "Beckett here and I were just discussing how she's a fan of my writing."
"Oh," Demming said in surprise. "You're that Richard Knight." Then, as soon as the apparent caring appeared, it vanished. "Well then, tell me the story of how you broke into Vanessa Tetro's home."
Knight looked puzzled. "Someone broke into Vannessa's apartment?"
"Oh, so you know the victim?" Beckett was back in police mode.
"Yeah, she didn't show up for work today.'
Both Demming and Beckett shook their heads at the same time. "She works for you?" They both asked.
"That's cute, by the way."
"Answer!" Demming yelled.
Knight kept his face toward Demming but turned his eyes to Beckett and smiled again. "Do you know you have beautiful eyes?" Beckett tried to hide her blush by rolling her eyes but it didn't work.
"Knight!" Demming was feeling a little jealous of the suspect getting this much of a reaction from his ex-girlfriend.
Rick's eyes flicked back to the male detective. "Meh, yours are alright." Demming scoffed at Knight's childishness and turned around, running a hand through his greased up hair. Dude, you're so easy to annoy, Knight thought, time for some fun. He turned his face and eyes full onto Beckett and made a serious face. "Can I take you out to dinner some time?"
"Mr. Knight-" she cut in before Demming could say anything.
"It's Captain," Knight corrected, his arrogant smile returning.
"If you say so."
"Uncle Sam says so."
Beckett narrowed her eyes at him and smiled a sarcastic smile. "Sure." When Knight began pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Beckett sat back and said, "You can call your lawyer now, that's your right."
"I'm not calling my lawyer." Knight's smile broadened and Kate's heart fluttered at the way the corners of his eyes crinkled. What was it about this guy that got her so hot? "Hey, Sam," Rick said into the mouthpiece when the other end picked up. "Is Leon there? He is? Hey, I seem to have gotten arrested again... no, nothing too bad, it's just a couple of robbery detectives."
"Just?" Beckett was trying to act insulted, but Knight just smiled at her and winked.
"Can I get him on the phone?" the suspect continued. "Hey, Leon! Can I get some help here? ...And she won't even go out to dinner with me." After a moment, Rick held out his phone to Beckett. "For you."
Kate rolled her eyes and sighed into the phone. "Beckett." Rick almost laughed when her eyes widened. "Yes, Mr. Secretary... of course, Mr. Secretary... Uh, dinner with you and Rick?" This time, Knight did laugh. "I'm sure that you- An order, sir? ...I'll see you on Thursday, then. Thank you- ...Leon." She pressed the end call button and stared at the wall behind Knight completely confused. She looked up at Demming who had his hand folded over his mouth. "That was Leon Panetta, the Secretary of Defense."
"Bullshit."
Kate looked up at Knight who was smiling widely and dropping his phone in his pocket as he stood up. "You're free to go, Captain. See you on Thursday."