Here you go, dear friends!
Thanks to everyone who followed and reviewed, it means a lot.
Before it starts, can I just say how much I love Lanie?
Chapter 1 : Unknown
"What do you have for us, Lanie?"
"Hello to you too, Kate. And Castle," she added with an intent look towards the writer.
She was still amazed and amused to see them so synchronized they arrived at the same time to the crime scenes, even though they didn't come together.
Castle didn't answer at first, busy looking around him and taking in the setting of the outdoor subway station.
Faithful to himself, he acknowledged her with a sarky comment. "Tell me Dr Parish, is that you bothering the subway traffic so soon in the morning?"
Lanie shot him a bored look before asserting, sarcastically. "Of course, Castle, I don't have enough problems with the dead, so I decided to mess with the living now."
Castle got back to her with the same dry smile, but gulped, a glimmer of fear shining in his eyes. He'd rather have the wrath of Dr Parish remain to the dead, she was already intimidating enough.
"By the way, what do you know about the subway? Ever stepped foot in it?"
Castle made an attempt to look offended but didn't come up with a witty retort. He just mumbled, justifying himself. "I heard it on the radio this morning... in the cab," he finished lamely.
Kate snickered. Which made Castle even more sulky. He pursed up his lips and folded his arms. Even though most part of this conversation was teasing, he couldn't help but be concerned that Kate didn't approve of his way of life... Although he didn't have to keep his pouty attitude for long as Kate elbowed him and threw him a dazzling smile. He was reassured right away and smiled back at her.
He got lost in his emerald eyes for a few seconds...
Enough time for Lanie to notice and clear her throat.
"When you're finished making goo-goo eyes at each other maybe we can move on to our friend, here, or what's left of them anyway."
Kate turned red while a smug smile took residence on Castle's face.
From the corner of his eye, he saw her biting her lip and felt the need to kiss her. Lanie wouldn't mind, after all she rooted for them all this time...
His intention was ruined fast because in the blink of an eye, in a way only she was able to, Beckett got straight back into cop mode.
"What's left of them? What do you mean?"
"It's better if you come see for yourself." She looked between the two of them. "I hope you didn't eat too much this morning..."
"Oh, Jesus."
No matter what was in their stomach, a wave of nausea hit them. Even Lanie, who had already seen the scene, had to put her hand in front of her mouth for a moment. The sight offered to them was probably among the worst they ever had to face. They almost had to guess to see the remains of a corpse, only pieces of flesh spread out on the rails along with pools of blood. Some remnants were hanging from the wheels of the train, leaving no doubt as to the reason how the victim had been killed.
After quickly inspecting the scene, Beckett and Castle stepped back and took a deep breath into the fresh air to recollect themselves. Beckett broke the silence first.
"Lanie, what are we doing here? There are dozen of people committing suicide under a train every month, what does it have to do with us?"
"Well, it's possible our suicidal friend here has had help, if you know what I mean."
Castle chimed in, a disgusted look still present on his face. "How do you know? His guts told you that?"
"Very funny, Castle. Actually it was the driver, who 'witnessed' the scene that told us. He distinctly saw someone push our vic under the train when it arrived." She almost added something but dithered. Beckett immediately saw there was something her friend was not telling them. She was about to interrogate her when an uniform came in.
"The driver couldn't make any identification nor drawing of the suspect. It seems he was wearing a hood, sun glasses and dark clothes. The only thing we're sure of is that it was a man. Maybe you'll know more when you'll interrogate him, when he... recovers."
"Other potential witnesses?"
"Not a soul. Most of the workers weren't up just yet and this station seems deserted even in rush hour."
"Cameras?" Beckett knew her question was a long shot but without witness, without corpse and without suspect, the investigation looked to be laborious, to say the least.
The uniform looked at them with sorry eyes and went back to the forensic team since they probably needed him to recover the various... pieces of the body.
Castle turned back to the detective and the medical examiner, "Are we sure it really is a murder? I mean, for all we know, the driver had hallucinations or wasn't awake just yet."
Beckett answered him, "We'll see..." and saw her friend scowled. She remember her odd behavior a few minutes earlier. "Anything else, Lanie?"
She looked at them, saddened. "The driver said something else. About the victim. It was a girl. A young woman, barely an adult."
Castle and Beckett turned pale.
She added, "I can't tell for sure at the moment but it's highly possible..."
Castle looked swamped.
Beckett turned to Castle. "Call Alexis."
"No, I'm... I'm okay. It's not her, I know."
"You know you want to. You need to. Go, I'll wait for you in the car."
It was one of these moments he felt grateful to have her in his life. He wondered if he deserved this. Her.
She observed him, worried, while he was moving away, phone close to his ear. It was going to be a difficult case.
Thoughts? :)
