FRC – Evidence Be Damned

Summary – Post 7x01 AU. After finding the fake Henry Gibson, Beckett starts questioning the evidence against Castle.

Author's Note: So this isn't going to be a one-shot after all since I felt the need to do a fix-it chapter on Espo's attitude towards Castle during his absence. Chapter 1 is still the same.

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Chapter 1 – Evidence Be Damned – Cardano

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"We're entering into a gray area here," Vinnie Cardano, Driven.

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Castle had been home a little over two weeks now, his sunburn healing nicely, but still peeling, giving his complexion a very uneven, blotchy look.

Twice a day, Martha slathered his face, hands, and scalp with her special cream, which left him smelling slightly floral and sliding off his pillow at night, but he put up with it good naturedly because it pleased her so much. And it really was helping his skin heal.

What he wasn't pleased about was his lack of memory of the two months he had been gone. He had seen the evidence they had found and had been strangely quiet since then, brooding when he thought no one was looking, but putting on his funny face when someone was, extruding confidence that he would crack this case.

But on more than one occasion, Beckett caught him staring out the window of the loft, lost in a void, muttering to himself that he couldn't believe he could have, would have left of his own volition – could have, would have left her.

When he came back to himself, he would tearfully beg her forgiveness again and she would tell him that it wasn't his fault, but that did little to placate him. And if she had been truthful, it did little to placate her either.

Since Castle's return, she again spent hours poring over the reports and felt like she was missing something – the reason was there right before her eyes, but she just couldn't see it.

She read Cardano's statement for the millionth time and decided to pay him a visit the next day to find out what he meant by 'entering into a gray area.' Castle would be at a meeting with Black Pawn so they could decide what else they needed to do to handle this situation, so she would be free most of the day.

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Vinnie had just poured himself his mid-morning constitutional glass of wine when the doorbell rang.

His assistant had the day off, so he answered the door himself.

"Good morning, Detective Beckett," he said, opening the door, not surprised to see her there. "What brings you out this lovely day?"

"I've been going over your statement," said Beckett without preamble, "and I have some questions."

Vinnie nodded. "I thought you would eventually. May I pour you a glass of wine?" he asked as he led her into the living room.

"No, thank you," said Beckett, sitting down on the couch next to him. "When we were talking, you said that we were 'entering into a gray area'. So who asked you to crush the Escalade?" she asked point blank.

Vinnie pursed his lips for a moment, regarding Beckett, and then let out a breath. "You may not like the answer."

"Cut the crap," she replied. "I know that Castle made the money drop. We have it on tape. Did he call you about the Escalade?"

"No," said Vinnie finally. "He told me himself."

Beckett stared at him. "He was here?" she asked finally, her voice not so firm, not wanting to believe the worst. "When?"

Vinnie nodded. "About an hour after the crash. Looked like he had gotten into a fight with a 300-lb linebacker. Hair was a mess; tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding; huge bruise on the side of his face. The tux he was wearing was trashed – the knees ripped out, jacket torn. Hell, from the blood stains on the shirt, I think he'd even been shot."

Beckett relaxed slightly. So the pristine tuxedo they had found in the tent hadn't been his. "What else?" she asked.

Vinnie shrugged. "The guy he was with looked just as bad."

Beckett pulled a picture from the portfolio she was carrying. "This guy?" she asked, showing him a picture of Henry Jenkins.

"Yeah, that's him," nodded Vinnie.

"Did Castle seem to know him?" Beckett asked.

Vinnie nodded again. "But it wasn't like they were real friendly. Castle was furious and spoke to him several times in Chinese, I think. Couldn't make out what he was saying, although it didn't sound very polite if you get my drift."

"Did he say who was driving the Escalade – if Henry Jenkins was driving it?" asked Beckett.

"Rick didn't want to go into details – said the less I knew, the better off I'd be. He said that they needed to get rid of the Escalade quickly – that it was being tracked – that they were going dark." Vinnie paused. "I told him how much it would cost and he said that wasn't a problem – he had the cash on him because whoever was in the Escalade took his luggage out before torching the car."

"But if he had the money on him, why did he make the money drop?" asked Beckett, frowning because that had been the most damning piece of evidence.

"He said he needed to make it public – that he had to make 'them' believe he had walked away willingly, so you and his family wouldn't be a target," Vinnie said. "So we found a drop site with cameras and he took the money with him. He asked me to get rid of everything else so no one could find out he had been here."

Beckett nodded slowly. That sounded like Castle – he had said he would do anything to keep her safe, and apparently that anything also included destroying their relationship if necessary.

"Anything else?" she asked finally.

Vinnie stared at her for a minute, and then got up and walked into his office. He returned a moment later with an envelope which he held out to her. "He asked that I look out for you, Ms. Rogers, and Alexis in case things went south. He said he couldn't access any of his accounts at that time, but he deeded over his house here as a guarantee."

Beckett frowned, taking the envelope and opening it. She quickly read Castle's neat handwriting, giving his house in the Hamptons to Vinnie in lieu of $4 million in payment, quite a markdown from the actual price.

"I don't understand," she said, shaking her head.

Now it was Vinnie's turn to frown. "I think Rick came here because of my reputation, mostly undeserved, I might add. But that reputation does offer some protection – causes most people to think before acting. And I was more than willing to oblige him."

Beckett nodded, biting her lip, and then looking up. "How was he when you saw him then?"

Vinnie shrugged. "Devastated – like a man who had just lost everything." He paused for a moment. "Determined – had the look about him of a man going to war who doesn't expect to return."

Beckett nodded again, willing herself not to tear up. "Then what happened? How did they leave?"

Vinnie looked out the window at the bay. "Damnest thing – we were in this very room and a man came out of the water in scuba gear. Had 2 extra tanks and wetsuits with him. Castle put his clothes in a bag." He paused. "I asked him where they were going and he said they were hunting the bastards who had done this."

He looked back at Beckett. He had seen the reports of Castle's return on the TV and in the newspapers. "And I think Rick found whoever they hunting, and whoever they were hunting found him."

Beckett nodded, wiping a tear from her eye finally. "Vinnie," she said finally, "when you were watching us, did you see anyone?"

Vinnie sat back on the couch and then nodded. "Possibly – a couple of times in those first few weeks. We let them know we were there and they backed off pretty quickly." He took a sip from his glass and then looked at the envelope in Beckett's hand. "Just give that back to Rick – tell him it's on the house this time."

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Castle was already back at the loft, standing in the kitchen, smiling at Alexis' story as she made dinner.

He smiled tentatively at Beckett when she walked in. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Productive," said Beckett, looking at him and then smiling at him, genuinely for the first time since his return. This was a man who loved his family so much that he would give up everything to keep them safe.

She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then quickly wiped off her lips. "Eww – your mother's gotten ahold of you already."

"Yeah," said Castle, grimacing. "Sorry."

"No," Beckett said, smiling slightly, shaking her head. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

She took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, relaxing into him, listening at Alexis' story, feeling content for the first time in months.

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