Hey everyone. What's up? I've just recently found the inspiration to write Castle fiction so I figured I would try my hand at a Multi-chapter fic. I wanted to write an episode-style story that takes place sometime between Gina and Castle's breakup and Josh and Beckett's breakup which WILL happen. Anyways, so I'm hoping people will read this but if not, hey, I wrote! I make no guarantees about when this story will be updated because my life is a made of quick sand but I will try my hardest and if I get lots of reviews, I might be motivated to write faster. Either way, I hope you enjoy it and even if you don't that's okay too. I LOVE getting reviews especially criticism so critique is encouraged. I guess that's all. Without further ado: I Dream Of Murder
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything associated with it.
She ran down the long corridor frantically, looking behind every few seconds. Her footsteps echoed but the intensity came in and out, causing her to wince as the sounds grew louder. She turned behind her to see nothing but dead air but as she turned back, she tripped over a tree branch that had suddenly appeared. She whimpered as she fell to the dirt floor, her ankle twisting under itself. She was completely surrounded by the shadows of trees looming over her, threatening to grab at her from every angle. She instantly grabbed her foot in surprised pain and tried furiously to pull herself across the ground, seeking shelter anywhere. The trail of broken branches and stones cut at her bare legs and grabbed at her aqua tank top. Her blond hair was barely in its ponytail anymore and she had lost her shoes somewhere while she was running. She brought her arm up from her ankle to wipe away the dirt that clung to every bead of perspiration that dripped from her brows and slid down her cheek and in between her breasts. The only sounds that seemed to register were her frantic, ragged breaths and the echoing footsteps that were always getting closer. As she felt the shadow grow nearer, her eyes grew wider and her breathing became laboured. Her arm gave out beneath her and she was frozen in fear. The shadow stalked forward, its darkness swaying back and forth against the light following behind it. She released a whimper as the shadow rose what could easily resemble a meat cleaver above its head.
She let out a piercing scream that echoed into the night.
Kate rolled over onto her back as she heard more than felt her phone vibrating on her night table. Opening her eyes just wide enough to grab the offending object, she flipped it open to reveal that she had one text message, received only moments ago. Opening it, she read it over once before turning to the vacant side of her bed. She vaguely remembered missing Josh's warmth a while ago but in her semi-conscious state, she wasn't sure quite how long he had been gone. They weren't living together but she found that they had been doing a lot of sleeping over at each other's houses in the past few months. It wasn't uncommon for one of them to be called away so when it did happen, there wasn't much to be said. His text simply read:
Sorry. Didn't want to wake you this early. I'll see you tonight. Love you.
She promptly deleted the text message, not needing the reminder. She and Josh had been doing fairly well for a little over six months and he was the first person to say "I love you" in the relationship. It wasn't that she didn't love him as well she just wasn't ready to say it out loud – to anyone. She held on to the phone for a moment before sighing and raising it up closer to her face so that she could make out the time through her blurred vision. 5:32. Not the earliest she had been awoken but she wasn't in the mood to sit around waiting to be called into work so she rolled over enough to return the phone to its place on the table. She was inches from her destination when it began vibrating in her hand. Sighing dejectedly, she pulled her blanket away and placed her bare feet flat on the frozen hard wood floor as she answered her phone without looking at her caller I.D.
"Beckett." Her voice adopted a professional tone. She listened as an officer gave her the basics and the address to the location of their latest murder before thanking him and hanging up. She flipped her phone closed, tossed it haphazardly on the crumpled bed and rose to her feet, making her way to the washroom to get ready for her day. She closed the door before leaning against the frame and rolling her eyes. For a brief moment, she had forgotten that it needed to be done but she finally convinced herself that she would never live it down if she didn't. Biting her lip, she opened the door once again to grab her phone. Hitting the number 3 on her speed dial, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the person on the other end.
"Castle?" Her voice was very sharp for five in the morning. "We got a murder."
Castle gently pressed the off button of his iPhone, successfully ending his conversation with Beckett. She had simply rattled off an address in mid-town and hung up the phone but he couldn't help but wonder about the tone of her voice.
Nah.
It couldn't be anything. Unless of course she was still in bed with motorcycle surgeon boy when she called him and she was annoyed. That had conjured up some very unnecessarily disturbing images in his head. Shaking those thoughts and his concern away, he placed his phone on his night table and exited through the bathroom door with a sold click. It was a comical second before he once again opened the door, snapping his fingers in remembrance, to grab his cellphone and snuck into the washroom to get ready for his day.
Castle arrived on the scene about a minute before Beckett did, coffee and bear claw in hand. It always amazed her how he could find a coffee shop open and servicing at all hours of the day – granted, it wasn't that early but still. Accepting it with a muttered thanks, they walked side-by-side towards the crime scene.
"Morning, detective." He was much too awake.
"Someone is certainly cheery this morning."
"Just excited about murder." She rolled her eyes, completely convinced that he was saying something else but not catching it. They both ducked under the crime scene tape and took in the scene.
A smaller bedroom painted a pale blue color with a small window opposite the door. The window was slightly ajar, allowing the early morning breeze to fill the room with the smells and sounds of early morning traffic. A large armoire stood in the corner beside the window and next to it, a desk with a bulkier laptop resting closed on top. There were books of all size and width strewn at the base of the double bed and there was a small carved night table to the right of it. Lying there was a girl dressed in an aqua tank top and smaller black shorts which had ridden up around her thighs. Her white sheets were soaked with sweat and were a tangled mess around her legs. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was tangled and messy but still held together in a ponytail and there were marks on the sheets beneath each of her loosely clenched fists where it appeared that she had pulled at it furiously. Despite her desperate appearance, her face was peaceful. Her eyes were closed gently and her thin, pink lips were set firmly in a line.
There was not a mark on her body.
Ryan and Esposito suddenly appeared beside them and as they looked around.
"Twenty-four year old Amy Caine. Works as a waitress down at McMillian's. Gets driven every morning by Katelyn Adams." Esposito nodded towards a girl in her mid-twenties sobbing hysterically just behind the door, trying to tell a uniformed officer everything she could. "Katelyn shows up at 5:00 to pick her up, doesn't get an answer so she uses the spare key to get in. Found her lying on the bed and couldn't wake her up." Beckett silently acknowledged the information and made her way towards the body, Castle following behind.
"What do we have, Lanie?" She addressed the medical examiner who was silently examining the body. The woman looked up at the sound of her friend's voice.
"I'm not certain." Beckett's attention snapped to Lanie instantly.
"What?" The ME shrugged.
"I don't know what to tell you, sweetie. There are no marks on the body and no indications of internal trauma. She's just… dead."
"How can someone just be dead?" Castle spoke Beckett's mind. She looked at him in confusion. Lanie turned back to the corpse and continued her examination.
"I'll be able to give you a cause of death once I get her back to the lab but I can tell you that she was killed sometime between twelve and three last night." Beckett nodded.
"Thanks Lanie." They watched as two men came with a stretcher and lifted the body away. Now bodiless, the room seemed to be a bit warmer and almost homely. Beckett and Castle turned to each other.
"Where do we start?"
