CH1 (22)

This story picks up where the previous story "I don't believe in no Ghosts" left off. It is necessary to read that story first or this story will not make that much sense to anyone. Sorry, but you'll have to go through that first.

There is no character death in this story, I promise. Scouts honor. (Yes I was a scout once long ago. Way too long ago (insert groan here)).

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"Are you sure about this pumpkin? It's not too late to find a sitter, or I could not go in at all." Kate offered up.

They were both sitting at the kitchen counter eating breakfast. Alexander was still fast asleep upstairs in the nursery.

After he was born Kate now understood when Rick had told her that the second he laid eyes on Alexis after having been born, he had fallen in love instantly.

Kate had fallen in love with Alexander the second he was placed in her arms and had looked down at him. So much so that last night was actually his first night sleeping in the nursery. Kate had moved his crib downstairs and into the master bedroom where he had slept for weeks.

Kate didn't want to be separated from him. Kate had told herself it was because she didn't want to walk up and down the stairs every time he needed his diaper changed or needed to be fed, or just wanted attention.

Between Kate, Alexis and Martha he got all the attention he would ever want. And maybe that was the problem, not that any of them cared for a second.

Though Kate had been tired after giving birth to him. Kate had always been fit and in good shape and she worked hard at keeping it that way. However being pregnant and then giving birth to her/their son had left her tired, and trudging up and down the stairs wasn't something she was ready to do a lot of.

"We'll be fine mom." Alexis rolled her eyes, having learned it from her mom. "School is out for the summer and Lanie isn't expecting me until Monday." And since today was Saturday, ….

"And I don't have any after school projects or classes this summer, and you've pumped more than enough milk that is in the refrigerator." Alexis points to said appliance just the other side of the counter.

"You didn't have to do that Alexis. I know how much you enjoy after school projects and your desire to get into college early." Kate brings it up again. Kate liked having her home, but what was it costing her for the future.

"I don't have to mom, I want to. … And I can still make it into either Stanford or Oxford early with just a little extra work next semester. Nothing has changed mom." Alexis confirms she has worked this out and Kate doesn't need to worry.

Kate was proud of her. Being involved with Lanie had given Alexis something to reach for. Oxford was ranked 2nd and Stanford 4th in the top 10 for medical schools. Alexis still wasn't sure if she wanted to be an ME like Lanie or some other specialty, but she had made a choice.

Kate couldn't help but lean over and kiss the side of her head. "I'm proud of you pumpkin. I'm sure your father is beaming down on you too. He loved you a lot and only wanted the best for you." Kate placed a hand on Alexis's arm.

"I know he is mom, I know. … And yes, I still miss him." Alexis looked down at her breakfast and fought to blink back tears.

Kate squeezed her arm. "I miss him too, there's a new hole in my heart that I don't know how to fill this time, and Castle isn't here to help me this time." Kate worked to blink back her own tears.

"You should get going mom, or you're going to be late on your first day back." Alexis needed to get off this topic or they would both turn into blubbering messes yet again.

"I don't really have to go, …." Alexis however interrupts her.

"Get going mom, you're out of excuses. Alex and I will be fine and grams will likely be over long before you get home." Alexis was thinking she was going to have to shove her own mother out the front door.

Alexis knew she was back in shape again. Even Alexis was in better shape than she ever had been before.

Martha had opened a small acting school and already had 6 students with applications for 3 more as soon as they solidified their finances to pay for it. Martha didn't charge that much, she was using the money Rick had left her to fund it.

Martha for the most part only accepted those students who had their hearts in acting, but just couldn't afford the more established and horribly expensive schools.

Martha had found a large place that allowed for more than one set that also had a studio apartment above it. Two of the stages had already been completed and the studio apartment was presently ripped down to the studs for a complete makeover.

Kate had emptied the storage area that was down in the underground garage of everything that was in it. It had her old furniture that was donated along with a number of boxes that the three of them had gone through one box at a time.

Some of it was brought back upstairs to the loft, some of it was donated and a lot of it was sent to the landfill. It had proven to be harder to do than any of them had anticipated.

Rick had saved any number of things. Pictures none of them had seen ever or for a long time. There were homemade medals commemorating something along with nick knacks and furniture pieces from when Alexis was really little.

It had all three of them crying for a week while they cleaned it out. Kate had replaced it with exercise equipment. Kate had used it a lot to get back into shape after the baby and had talked Alexis into using it with her.

They even went out running at least once a week so far. They were both up to 5 miles so far, coming back into the loft huffing and puffing getting Martha to march them straight into the showers.

Kate was delaying at the front door. "Call me if you need anything, anything at all. I'll be home in a heartbeat."

"Will you go mom! You're dragging your feet. We'll be fine; I'm not a little girl anymore." Alexis gives Kate a little shove.

"I'm sorry pumpkin, it's just, …." Kate didn't want to be separated from her son, however her maternity leave was over. Though she had argued with Alexis that she could take some vacation days, she had a lot of days accumulated.

"I know mom, I know, … now go." Alexis shoves her mother out the door and closes the door on her and then presses the button to turn on the security system. The dead bolt automatically engaged when she did.

Kate was left standing in the hallway shaking her head and chuckling at how she got here.

The elevator ride down was torture, she was getting farther and farther away from her son. The ride into the precinct using the precinct's Dodge Charger wasn't helping any. In fact Kate had no idea how she ended up in the underground garage at the precinct.

"Oh I'm in serious trouble." Kate runs her hand through her hair. "Coffee, I need coffee."

Kate knew Castle's fancy coffee machine in the break room hated her. As often as it spitted hot anything at her Kate didn't know what it was going to do now that Castle wasn't there to stroke it and coo soothing words to it.

Kate did know that there was a coffee shop just down the road a little from the precinct that Castle always got his coffee for both of them in the mornings from. That sounded safer than the Kate hater upstairs.

Kate had just entered the coffee shop when a guy in front of her had just gotten his cup of coffee or whatever it was he had ordered. He had a binder/notebook tucked under his arm and was just turning when this notebook slipped and he spun faster taking one of his hands off the coffee cup.

It swung out a little wide and Kate's body hit it sending the contents flying with the cup falling to the floor spilling whatever was left. "I'm so sorry, I was in a hurry and not paying attention." Kate apologizes and looks him over to see if he is soaked since she doesn't feel anything.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I probably shouldn't be drinking coffee anyway." The guy tells her as he makes a grab for his notebook again since it slipped again.

"Let me get you a new one, I owe you." Kate offers still trying to figure out what to do.

"That's quite alright I'll just get a danish or something and some water." The guy argues back.

"I insist, tell me what you were drinking and go find a table." Kate tells him.

He lifts his head to look at Kate and Kate can see his brilliantly green eyes looking back at her. Kate's eyes are a little darker green. "Thanks." And he gives Kate his order and wipes his hands along his pants trying to remove coffee stains that don't exist.

Kate orders for both of them and sits down at the table he is sitting at. "Here, I really am sorry." Kate tries again.

The guy looks up at Kate again and Kate can again see his brilliantly green eyes looking back at her. "Thanks. … What's this?" He holds up a small bag that came with the coffee.

"It's a bear claw, the perfect thing to go with coffee." Kate tells him still looking into his eyes.

"I usually get a danish, cherry mostly, apple and something else that I forget. But thanks." He takes it out of the bag as Kate finally looks down and does the same.

"I think I see why they call it a bear claw." He points out holding it in his hand.

"It is kinda a dead giveaway." Kate smiles as she takes her first bite. After swallowing. "I'm Kate." Kate offers her hand.

He swallows his first bite. "Richard or Rick." Rick takes her hand.

His hand wasn't big but his fingers were long and thin and there was some muscle in them. And Kate could feel her heart flip. 'RICK?' Seriously?

Kate started to look him over. He was tall, maybe a little taller than Castle, he was also a lot thinner, maybe too thin. There was a hint that there used to be muscles under all that somewhere. What happened to them?

He was also handsome, just not "Ruggedly handsome" like Castle. Except it looked like he hadn't shaved this morning or maybe for a couple of days really. She liked it, it gave him, …. something.

"What do you do?" Kate asks taking another bite, then a sip of her coffee.

"I'm an illustrator, watercolor, pen and ink or pastels. At the moment I'm freelance but looking to change that. I haven't been doing it for very long so I only have just the one client." Rick tells Kate.

It told Kate a few things, it also told her he didn't have much money. Likely just scraping by. Coming here to buy coffee and a danish was probably a splurge for him.

"Is that what's in your book? …. Can I see?" Kate was interested in art, just what type of illustrating did he do?

"This?" Rick places his finger on his notebook. "No I do my work at home, this is, … this is just a hobby. Something in my mind that I'm trying to get out. It's nothing." Rick places his hand palm down on it, protecting it.

What was so important about it that he thought she couldn't see? Kate was all set to ask another question when her phone vibrated. "Castle." Kate listened for a moment. "I'll be there in 30." Kate hangs up.

Kate had however seen his head snap up to look at her when she answered the phone. Did this mean he had put 2+2 together and worked out her husband was a popular writer?

"I have to go, … work." Kate stood up. "I'm really sorry about the mess. It was nice meeting you." Kate turned to leave.

"Can I ask what you do?" Rick called after her.

Kate stopped and turned to look. She was conflicted, should she? And why did she suddenly care what he thought? "I'm a homicide detective." Kate tells him, still unsure why she is answering his question. Though he did answer hers.

The look of shock was written all over his face and she noticed he actually grabbed his notebook and took it off the table and put it in his lap.

"Homicide detective, …. that is so cool. You must have a lot of cool stories." Kate could see his eyes light up and open wide. He was genuinely interested.

"Homicide isn't cool." Kate points out.

"No not that part, you're right of course. I just didn't, … I mean I never thought, … cool!" Rick was still staring at Kate.

"I have to go, it was nice meeting you Rick." Kate exits and can feel his eyes on her till she is back in her car and driving away.

Kate made it to the site but her mind was still in the coffee shop. So many questions! Didn't matter, she wasn't going to see him again anyway. She only knew his first name and meeting him was purely by accident.

"Hi Kate, welcome back. …. Kate? Hello, Earth to Kate." Lanie called out a little louder.

Kate snapped her head around to look at Lanie. "Sorry Lanie, I was, … What have we got?" Kate finally asks.

"You were a million miles away, care to share?" Lanie was only to willing to dig.

"It's nothing, … nothing. Who's this?" Kate tries again.

"Don't know yet, no ID on him." Lanie supplies.

"His clothes look nice, expensive shoes, so is the watch. So what is he doing down here?" Kate kneels down to get a closer look. "Whoo, someone has had one too many." Kate waves the air in front of her nose.

"I noticed but there are no bottles on him or near here. I'll do a blood work after I get him home." Lanie tells her.

"Cause of death?" Kate asks.

Lanie parts his shirt to reveal an ugly knife wound. "From the look of it, it made it past his ribs and straight into the heart. I can confirm that and maybe tell you what kind of knife was used."

"I don't see much blood. … So a body dump. Now we need to figure out where he was killed before being dumped here." Kate stands up.

Kate turns on Ryan and Espo. "Have uniforms do a search of the area including the dumpsters. Maybe he was killed near here and our killer dumped the knife close by.

And check all the local bars. It smells like our guy here was drunk. If we can figure out where, maybe we'll find someone who knows him and why he was there." Kate tells them.

"Who found him?" Kate asks next.

"It was an anonymous call to 911, a woman's voice." Espo tells her.

"Get the recording from them and get it to tech, maybe they can find something." Kate adds.

Kate was all set to go to her desk to start looking up how many local bars there are when Kate's, Lanie's, Ryan's and Espo's phones all vibrate.

"Castle." Kate listens and is looking at all the others also on their phones.

"Got it." Kate hangs up. "We've got another one."

"It's just around the corner Beckett, … Castle." Espo shakes his head. He was never going to get this right.

"Let's go see what we've got." Kate watches all of them start to walk away. "You too?" Kate looks at Lanie.

"I'm the closest." Lanie points out.

Of course she is. Kate shakes her head, she needs to get her mind in the game and off those green eyes.

They're probably color contacts anyway. … Except it didn't look like he could afford them. … Focus Kate!

Just around the corner they find another body. Kate gives Lanie a few minutes while her and the guys start looking around. Before finally returning.

"Lanie?" Kate asks looking down. He looked younger that their other vic, and yet his clothes looked nice, shoes were nice, watch looked expensive.

"No ID on the body, cause of death is a single stab wound to the chest." Lanie opens his shirt a little to display the wound. "It looks like it missed all the ribs and went straight into the heart."

"Sounds familiar, I don't see any blood so another body dump?" Kate kneels down low. "I don't smell any alcohol on this one. … Still two vics so close together. Time of death on our two?" Kate asks.

"They were both killed around the same time, 10:00 to 12:00 pm last night." Lanie tells her.

"Killed by the same guy maybe in the same way, both with a knife." Kate points out.

"I might be able to get you an impression of the knife used based on the wound. I won't know more till I get them home." Lanie tells her.

"So who found this one?" Kate turns to Espo.

"Another anonymous phone call, sounded like a woman." Espo responds.

Kate's eyes open wide. What were the odds. "Why is one drunk and one not?" Kate questions out loud.

"Designated driver?" Ryan offers.

"Two buddies out for a good time and run across someone who doesn't like them and kills them for it and dumps their bodies. So who is calling it in? And how is she connected to all this?" Kate questions.

"We still need uniforms to search the area and we need a list of local bars. If they are out partying for some reason likely they drove there if one of them isn't drinking. And check the cab companies, see if they picked up any drunks around here. Maybe they went bar hopping instead of staying in one place." Kate give Ryan and Espo their list of things to work on.

"Our two have any rings?" Kate turns back to Lanie.

"Nothing on this one, I'll have to get back to you on the other one and look closer at both of them." Lanie tells her.

Maybe they took their rings to make it harder to ID them?

Kate got back into her car and headed for the 12th to set up her murder board.

"Castle, how are you doing? Looks like you get a double to welcome you with." Roy stops by her desk on the way to his office.

"Fine sir, it'll be good to get back into the swing of things." Kate was feeling better about leaving her son behind. Having something to occupy her mind was helping.

"Just make sure you bring him in one day so we can all coo all over him." Roy tells her.

"Yes sir, I'll see what I can do." Kate did like the sound of it. Showing off Castle's son to the precinct did sound like a good idea.

"Where's the other Castle?" Roy asks another question.

"Alexis is watching Alexander, she'll be back on Monday." Kate tells him.

"Good, maybe you can bring him then. There would be 3 Castle's in the precinct. Maybe we can turn him into a homicide detective too." Roy jokes and heads for his office.

Kate watched him go. Roy had always been nice, just why was he so happy now? Still it was good to see.