Chapter 2

His name was Andrew Rutledge. CSI had found his bloody wallet about two feet from the street ladder he'd climbed while trying to escape. It was suspected that the wallet fell when the animal, or human, attacker clawed at Andrew's pocket and slashed it open.

At first, Kate had been thrilled to find this vital piece of information. Since calling pet stores and synthetic material suppliers got them no where so far, this new lead was a welcome relief. They could start investigating the personal side of the murder, and maybe finally get a few suspects.

That was Kate's thinking yesterday. Now, about a full day later, she was even more frustrated than she had been. She couldn't imagine why anyone would've wanted Andrew dead. True, he was a corporate lawyer, and his will would leave a substantial amount of money to the beneficiary. But since he and his wife Lisa had no children, most of his money was going to various animal charities. His wife had actually supported the decision, since she was a successful corporate lawyer herself, and her own will matched his almost exactly. From what Kate knew, the two had dozens of equally successful friends but no family, since both were only children. They were going to look into Lisa's finances, since Andrew had left her a decent amount even though most of it was donated, but that didn't seem promising. Lisa had seemed very much in love with her husband.

So, at this point, Kate wanted to scream.

Their only option at this point was to keep digging until they found something. Ryan was interviewing all of their friends, hoping to find one who knew if there were any strains on Lisa and Andrew's marriage. And Esposito was interviewing Andrew's coworkers, trying to discover if anyone had a problem with him. The team also thought there might be a lead in the time of death. After all, what would a lawyer be doing wandering around a park at two in the morning? But Esposito said every single coworker he interviewed told him Andrew had been working late every night for a case…until about midnight. So by the time he drove home, that would be around one. And Lisa said he often liked to cut through the park from where he left his car. Not the safest choice, but the path was usually well-lighted, and he always carried pepper spray. They were even looking into the charities listed in the lawyers will to see if there were any charity workers who would kill for their cause.

All of this pointed to a random killing. But by who? Or, as much as she hated to admit it, by what? She really was considering that maybe some sort of large animal did commit the crime. It was the only answer that made any sense.

The monotous task of making calls was starting to drive her nuts, so when she saw Esposito walk into the precint, she practically ran over to him, grateful for a distraction. "So, any leads at the law firm?" she asked.

Aware that he was letting her down, Esposito's shoulders sagged. "Not a one. From what I could get, his case was on the level, don't think anyone on either side would want to off him. Same with his coworkers. They were all singing his praises. One guy broke down in tears when he heard Rutledge was dead."

Kate groaned. "I was afraid of that. This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed as she wandered over to their relatively barren timeline. Esposito went to stand next to her. "There has to be someone who wanted to kill this guy!" she nearly yelled. "I refuse to believe that some mutant monster dragged him into the sewers!"

Her uncharacteristic breakdown earned her stares from others in the room. Captain Montgomery poked his head out of his office. "Beckett? Is everything all right?"

"Oh, uh, yes, sir. I was just…venting. Sorry," Kate replied, her face red from humiliation. The captain nodded, then went back into his office. With a sigh, Kate turned back to the board. "Okay, what do we know so far? Rutledge's assistant saw him leave the office at twelve-fifteen the night of the murder…"

Esposito raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we go over this like a million times?" At her annoyed glance, he decided not to question her. "One more time couldn't hurt."

"Exactly. Now, Rutledge's assistant has an alibi because his apartment building's security cam has him walking in at twelve-thirty," Kate went on. "And the law firm's security shows Rutledge walking out in one piece at exactly twelve-fifteen. The assistant's in the clear. Since Rutledge's credit cards came up clean, we have to assume he drove straight to his usual parking spot, about a block away from his townhouse. A local resident who usually walks her dog late at night and sometimes used to chat with Rutledge says she saw him park in his typical spot that night as well, at about twelve-fifty. The two exchanged small talk, then she went on her way, and he headed into the park. As usual."

In a rehearsed voice, Esposito continued, "Lanie said he died at about two in the morning. Which means Rutledge probably encountered his attacker then and tried to escape for about an hour. Makes perfect sense."

"Unfortunately. There's absolutely no clue who the killer was." Kate's eyes widened. "Unless it's a serial killer, and Rutledge was an easy victim. That would make sense since there are no suspects."

Though he didn't look like he supported the idea, Esposito reluctantly replied,"I guess. The violent death and lizard skin could be a calling card."

"Oh…God…" Kate whispered. Esposito was absolutely right - why would anyone else go through the much trouble of slashing up and biting the body like that? "What about the tail, though?" she quickly added when the memory came to her. "Would any serial killer really be so cocky as to taunt CSI while the crime scene is being investigated? Wouldn't the lizard skin be enough?"

Before Esposito could say anything, Ryan and Castle walked into the precint. "Good news, Beckett," Ryan called. "CSI is done, you can go in now." Since the sewer was cramped quarters, Beckett had been told the crime scene was off-limits until CSI was finished with it.

"Finally! Maybe we can make some progress now," Kate replied happily as she grabbed her coat. "Ryan, you and Esposito stay here. You need to keep making calls. Castle, you're with me. You two be ready though in case we need back up."

Twenty minutes later, Kate and Castle stood around an open manhole on a sidewalk just outside Battery Park, the one CSI had used to access the crime scene. The two were equipped with almost blinding flashlights, but even with both pointed down the ladder, they couldn't see the bottom. "Ready to go?" Kate asked.

"U-uh," Castle replied, his voice wavering. "Y-you sure there weren't more powerful flashlights back at the precint?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh at his rare hesitation. "What's the matter, Castle? Want a Scooby Snack?"

"That depends. If you mean the cocktail with rum and Midori, then yeah, sure, I could use a Scooby Snack right now," Castle replied nervously.

"I can't believe it," Kate teased, thoroughly enjoying this. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark."

Though he still gulped, her comment got him on the defensive. "No, not just that! It's going down a long, slippery ladder into the cold, dark Manhattan underworld to chase after who-knows-what. I'm a writer, okay? I can clearly imagine 'who-knows-what,' and it isn't pleasant."

"Well, if you want, I can go down by myself, and you can stay here to get control of your imagination," Kate said as she knelt to the ground. After all the dead ends she was hitting with this case, she needed to see the crime scene first-hand. Castle could be a baby if he wanted, but she was going.

Her determination seemed to knock the sense back into him. "Okay, okay, I'm right behind you. Just…hold onto the ladder with both hands at all times, please?"

To placate him, Kate kept the flashlight clipped to her belt, but still switched on, as she slowly descended. Of course the damp sewer was pitch black. It was just tall and wide enough for the two to stand at full height side-by side. A thin stream of water flowed underfoot, so made Kate happy she'd thought to change into the rainboots she kept in her car. Castle had put on an old pair of sneakers when he got Ryan's call.

"We go that way, right?" Castle pointed in the direction that should go further into the park. "Is it far?"

Kate shrugged. "CSI said they left markers for us." About a foot ahead, there was a piece of duct tape about six inches long stuck to the wall. "I think that's it. Look for those, and we'll be fine."

They walked for about a half hour, chatting about nothing to avoid eerie silence. "So, how's Alexis doing with her new boyfriend?" she asked, mostly because she knew talking about his daughter would help Castle relax.

"Oh, did I tell you how meeting her parents went?" he asked. "They think I'm fascinating and wanted to go on the trip as well. Though I'm still not quite sure if that just means they don't trust their son to be alone with the crazy writer."

Kate laughed. "Although they have every right to be concerned, I wouldn't worry about it. If they're still letting him date Alexis, they like you, trust me."

"Good to know then. But Alexis said -"

He abruptly stopped when the sound of heavy breathing echoed through the sewer. "Beckett, that's not funny," he insisted.

"I was about to accuse you of the same," Beckett assured him. It felt like some cliché slasher flick - a couple, alone in the dark, stalked by a killer with a nasal problem. Because of the echo, she couldn't even tell where it was coming from. Determined to keep her cool, she said, "Come on, it's probably nothing."

Castle gave her an incredulous stare. "That's what the first victim in a horror movie always says. 'It's nothing. Let's go further into the creepy house.'"

"Stop it. We need to see that crime scene. Let's go," Kate said, though she was starting to grow a little on edge. Was it just her, or was the breathing getting louder? Sure enough, they didn't get much further before a loud snarl interrupted the heavy breathing. "Okay, what was that?"

He gulped again. "I believe that was our cue to get out of here. Can we go now?"

"Castle, man up, will you?" Kate snapped as she took out her gun. "Whatever it is, I'm armed, remember?"

"G-good thing, too," Castle said while he pointed a shaking hand to a spot behind her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Come on. You really think I'm falling for that old trick? There's no snarling monster right…b-behind…" She'd turned around to prove her point…only to nearly drop her flashlight at the sight.

The lizard thing's scaly, slimy, dark green head bumped up against the top of the sewer, which meant it was about a foot taller than them. The rest of the lizard body was much the same, except for the bright white, sharp set of fangs. Wide, bloodshot yellow eyes were menacing. And its hands each had claws that were about a foot long. And sure enough, a long, thick tail stretched ten feet behind it.

"Oh…oh, my God…" she yelped. Though her hands were shaking, she fired three shots straight at the thing's chest.

With impatient annoyance, the lizard only shook its head. Then it yanked the bullets out of its chest and tossed them to the side. If it was a costume with a person underneath, it hadn't been wearing a vest, as the bullets had left small wounds. Wounds that didn't hurt at all, apparently.

And then it let out a mighty, threatening hiss.

"Uh…B-Beckett…"

But Kate barely heard him over the thunder of her heart racing. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, her hands still shaking as they clutched her useless gun. What…she thought. How…what the hell…Castle was right? That never happens! There has to be some kind of explanation for this!

"Beckett!"

She snapped out of it and retorted, "What is it, Castle?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I think this is when we…you know…run for our lives?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, let's get out of here," Beckett replied. Still in a shocked daze, she and Castle ran away from the monster, with no idea how much further the next street ladder would be.