AN: Thank you so much for your support and tips, much appreciated!
Hope this one doesn't disappoint.
Chapter Two
She comes into the precinct a little late today, late for her anyway, on time for the rest of the 12th. She walks by Espo's desk, where he and Ryan are chatting about something.
"Castle's not in yet?" looking over at the empty chair.
"Well good morning to you too Beckett" replies Espo while Ryan gives her a knowing smile.
"Oh shut up…I just want my coffee"
"mhmmm" hums Espo as he turned back to his conversation with Ryan.
She drops her jacket at the back of her chair and settles at her desk. Looking over to Castle's chair, he usually was at the precinct early with her and she was already late as is. She picks up her phone and texts Castle.
Morning Castle, coming in today?
She starts catching up on the case file as her phone pings with a new message she smiles as she checks her phone.
Morning Detective, well yes of course, just getting the coffee. Had a late night. Be there in ten.
Kate was taken back for a second - late night? – then her phone pings again.
Late night WRITING!
She feels herself relax just noticing how tense she got over that little bit of information.
Good. I want my coffee.
And a bear claw Castle. Don't forget the bear claw.
And here I thought you missed me…I feel used Detective.
She bites her lip as she considers, she wants to tell him that she did miss him, but they are now in this strange new place where lines have been pushed enough that the parameters of the relationship are not clear. They're not exactly strictly friends and yet not more.
She doesn't know how to break free from the detective persona she puts on around him. She sighs at her ridiculousness.
I'm sure you will find a way to live…besides I can multitask Castle.
There, that wasn't too un-Beckett, was it? - she thinks to herself putting the phone down to shuffle the files on her desk.
Judging by the smile that he gives her as he walks towards her desk, it may have been.
He hands her the coffee and the bear claw, "There you go Detective".
"Thank you" she smiles warmly at him as she takes in the coffee aroma.
"I missed you too Kate" he leans in and whispers so that only she can hear in the quite precinct.
The way he says miss with her first name makes her heart flutter a little. Like he will only use her first name in their intimate moments.
She catches his blue eyes and sees them dancing with something she is not sure how to describe, she just loves how he is looking at her right now.
She takes a sip of her coffee and hums as the latte warms her, "Get some writing done?".
"Yes, enough to appease the hounds…for now at least"
She nods, sorting some papers on her desk.
"Any progress?" he points at the whiteboard.
"I actually just got here, was about to ask Ryan and Espo for an update, hopefully those financials will clue us in".
"No such luck I'm afraid" says Espo as he hangs a piece of paper on the whiteboard behind her desk, "Nothing out of the norm, she made more than a decent pay, no strange activity on her cards…".
Beckett frowns and looks at the board, "Well we got to start somewhere, did CSU find the phone anywhere in her apartment?".
"No" Ryan says standing next to Castle while handing her a file, "But uniforms' canvas turned up a neighbor who saw a man leave the building around 7 PM last night, three hours before we got that call".
Beckett goes through the witness's information, "Sketch artist?" she asks Ryan.
"Heading over there now, not sure how much the neighbor saw though…I guess we will see".
"What about the law firm?" Castle asks.
"That is where we're going" Beckett says as she stands up grabbing her coffee and jacket.
"Espo, Ryan you guys go to the morgue, see if Lanie matched the knife entry wound to the missing knife in the kitchen and if she can give us anymore clues".
"You got it" says Ryan heading back to his desk.
"So where we heading?" asks Castle as he buckles his seat belt.
"90 Park Avenue, Ragson & Oliver" she pulls into the lovely New York traffic.
"Huh, that name is familiar"
"Not surprised, one of Manhattan's top law firms"
"I sense a legal-murder-office drama coming our way"
"Yeah? Plotting the new Nikkei Heat are you now?" she asks with a smirk.
"No" he scuffs, "I leave the legal dramas to Grisham".
"Gotta love a Grisham Novel" she teases as she looks on ahead.
He gaps at her with a hurt look in his eyes and whines, "Kaaate…".
She giggles softly, "What Castle? Your ego can't take it that I read something other than the great Richard Castle's books?" she lifts an eyebrow at him.
"Yes!" he exclaims.
She is smiling as she shakes her head at him "Anyways, let's just hope they give us access to her office and not stone wall us".
"Don't expect too much, we are walking into a law firm after all" he offers.
"Yeah but maybe they will just want us to finish up and get out of their way, instead of starting a warrant battle".
"Alright then, plan is to be as annoying as possible" Castle says as a conclusion.
"I'm sure you won't have to try too hard" she quips and bites her lip.
He narrows his eyes at her.
"You're so easy Castle"
AN: Please R & R, Thank you!
Please let me know if I should add more crime details or just stick to the Castle/Beckett Plot.
