Bomb
Kate Beckett sat in her car at yet another crime scene and took another deep cleansing breath, it was going to take a lot of her strength and resolve for her to make it through the task that she now faced. She was a homicide detective. She has to wonder why her Captain had assigned her and her team specifically to this case. While there had been murders involved, there was the plain fact that it was more of a mass murder situation than one single murder. There was a serial bomber targeting almost anything and everything. His or her targets were indifferent. He or she struck at the common people in their everyday walks of life and the super-rich as well. Whoever this was had no specific group or person in mind when they struck.
Here is where she sat. Trying to collect her thoughts and get her head straight. There was a small part of her that thought that this case was too much for her due to the amount of death and destruction she noticed from the damaged building across from her car. She was used to just one victim, nice and neat. Follow the leads and get the facts thus getting her man. This was all new territory for her. The only thing she knew about any bomb was that they made an extremely loud noise and obvious destruction followed. As her team pulls up behind her car she spots them in the rear view mirror taking her thoughts back to the present.
She quickly gets out of her car and secures it. The boys do the same and they meet between their parked cars.
"Beckett, is it safe to enter the building?"
"Yeah Ryan, the ESU team had just left. They said that while there is a hole blown in the first and second floors structurally we can enter." Ryan and Espo just nodded solemnly.
They turn to leave and Kate tells them to hold up. They are still waiting for the fourth member of their team. They both look at her with a concerned look on their faces. They both think who could be this unnamed extra member. The thought of bringing someone else onto their team leaves them surprised.
"Guys don't look at me like that. These are orders from 1PP. I have no control over who they are assigning me to my team on this one. But I will be letting him know that I am the one in charge here!"
Kate was facing the boys when she made that comment. From where she was standing she could not see or hear the man that walked up behind her and stop short hearing her last admission. Ryan and Espo just looked down at their feet when they noticed the man walk up behind Beckett. She gave them a look and wondered what the hell was with them. As they looked back up to her she had realized that they were looking at something beyond her rather than at her and then a chill ran up and down her spine.
Rick Castle's face forced a slight grin as he heard her say who exactly was in charge of this operation. Now, Rick was an easy-going member of the A&E (Arson & Explosive) unit. It took a lot to get him shocked. But with the admission he was just privy to he wanted to tease her just for a little. Folding his arms in front of his chest he made the following statement directed solely at her.
"Detective, while I may have been assigned to you and your team by the powers at 1PP, I would like to get just one little fact straight here. I am the expert here and without me you'd be spinning your wheels with this investigation. You are an expert with what you do to solve a single homicide, and that's all fine and well, but I'm the expert on what exactly has happened here today right there in that building across the street."
Ryan and Espo look past Beckett once again as she still faces them and they see that this person means business. They actually respect him a little more for calling Beckett out on her comment. They silently nod towards him and that's when Kate turns slowly around. As she does she finds that while she is in 4" stiletto heels, this person towers above her. He must stand somewhere around 6' 5". He is dressed in 5.11 tactical gear from his 8" high black boots to his blue cargo pants and short sleeved shirt. As she turned to fully face him she noticed two things. He has lieutenants bars adorning his collar ends and he had the most beautiful blue eyes she has ever seen in her life. She is standing less than 6" from his face and his grin turns into a full smile as he sees her standing in front of him. Her mouth opens to say something, rethinks it and then closes it just as quickly.
She backs up a step and extends her hand in a formal greeting. He is hesitant at first still trying to let the tease go on for just a little longer.
"Hello, I'm Detective Beckett. And these two men are Detectives Esposito and Ryan. We are from the 12th precinct homicide division." Kate says trying to be nice and make up for her earlier comment.
Rick just stares at her outstretched arm and decides that the teasing has gone on long enough. He is a professional after all. He gently takes her hand and grips it lightly giving her an honest shake. He then does the same gesture with the two other detectives.
"Detectives, I am Lieutenant Richard Castle. I am the second in command at the Strategic Response Group. Formerly known as the NYPD Bomb disposal unit or more affectionately known as the bomb squad."
Kate nods her head as do Ryan and Espo. Rick looks at the building across the street. There was a lot of work to be done and Rick looked back to the new members of the team.
"While we still have some daylight to work with, I think that it would be a good idea to start our investigation. So while I am not too sure on how procedures work regarding a homicide I will tell you that while there is anything that looks strange in that building I need you to bring it to my attention. It could be as small as a child's toy to a microwave oven."
"So anything that looks out of the ordinary we should question?" Espo asks.
"Exactly right. While you might think that something looks ordinary, it could be just the clue that we are looking for. This person has done a lot of damage and has taken lives in his wake. I want this person."
They all agreed with his instructions. Rick walked to the back of his BDU truck and retrieved some gear. Kate, Javi, and Kevin started to make their way across the street. Stopping at the sidewalk to wait for Rick, Kate could only think about the handshake she shared with Rick. It felt as if she had taken a hold of a high power line when she shook his hand. She still felt the tingle of his touch. He joined them on the sidewalk and together they went in the building. In the back of Rick's mind he knew that something was off. There had been four bombings so far and he had a distant thought starting to form in his head about a possible suspect. As apprehensive as he was, he has seen this setup before, granted it has not been for years, but he remembers it vividly. He just can't place it.
They enter the building and the three newest members notice the wide spread damage that has taken place here. Although the building is structurally sound, the three have their doubts. Rick surveys the outer perimeter of the blast damage. He places a grid pattern from a lime green projector onto the floor.
"Okay, here is what we need to do next. On the floor there is a box one foot by one foot. Anything that you think looks suspicious place a number near it and move onto the next box."
Moving to their task they start the tedious job of finding evidence. It's about 30 minutes later when Ryan taps on Rick's shoulder.
"Lieutenant what about biological evidence? Do we mark that as well?"
"As cold as this might sound no, just try to ignore it. We are looking for more or less man made items. And consider this as a warning...you will find some remains of the victims. The coroner usually misses some parts due to debris. When you are done with the grid search, let's meet by the doorway. Then I can record and inventory all of what we collect. Try not to contaminate anything. We want this evidence to hold up in court."
For the next four hours they sifted, prodded, uncovered and examined every square inch of the crime scene. It's getting close to 8 pm and they have found a lot for Rick to catalog. Kate looks to her team and they look back at her in unison. Kate voices her question to Rick.
"Lieutenant Castle, Some of us missed lunch today. Do you think we could take a break for dinner?"
"Detective Beckett, first of all you can call me Rick. There is no need to be so formal. As for your break I think that we have been at this long enough. Please go home and get some rest. We will pick this up tomorrow morning let's say around 9 am?"
They all look at the bomb tech with a feeling of astonishment. They thought that Rick would work them until midnight at least. Not being to be told twice Ryan and Espo remove their latex gloves and carefully walk around the grid pattern. Seeing this, Kate also follows their lead. Just as they get to the door they all wave to Rick and say good night.
Kate stops and turns back to Rick. "Rick aren't you leaving too?"
"I'll just finish up the last two grids and then pack up my gear and head out."
"Okay, we will see you in the morning then."
"Right, good night then Detective Beckett."
Kate felt a little uneasy about not correcting his use of her title. He asked her to call him Rick and she should have insisted he do the same with her. She turns and leaves. Kevin and Javi have already left as she heads to her car. She unlocks it and slides in. Placing the key in the ignition and starts the car. She is curious about what Rick had told her before she left so she pulls her car out of the spot and drives up past his BDU truck and parks mid-block on the other side of the street between two parked cars. She shuts the car down and waits. Checking her watch for the 20th time she notices that it's almost 1 am. She might have dozed for a while, but when she startled herself awake she looked over to see that his truck was still parked where he had left it earlier.
"My god, this man doesn't know when to quit. He is either very dedicated or crazy in his own right."
Just as she completes her thought he appears from behind his truck. Opening the door he starts the truck and drives away. She slouches down in her seat as not to be seen. He passes and she once again is lost in her thoughts. He is dedicated she'll give him that. She rises up in the seat and watches as he turns left on the block from the street he is on. She starts her car once again and heads home armed with just a little more insight on Lieutenant Rick Castle.
A/N: I am doing this story without the aide of a Beta. I do have one, but she is very busy with her own life. If there are any errors in either spelling or grammar please forgive my bad writing habits and point them out to me so they can be fixed. I will try to update on a weekly basis starting on Mondays. This will be a multi-chapter story. Thanks for giving my work a read.
