12th Precinct 1am Saturday
Kate was still waiting on confirmation of the name of the second victim. They were fairly certain that the woman in the house was the real estate agent. She focused on her ritual of creating the murder board. Every time the elevator dinged open, she paused hoping it was him. He had not returned her text, but then again he may not have been checking his phone regularly since he was at his mother's function and Alexis was in California with her mother. Her hope for his appearance was beginning to wane, but she kept reminding herself that it had only been an hour since she sent the text—it just felt longer.
After creating the beginnings of her time line and posting the miniscule facts they had gathered, she sat down at her desk to try to focus on the task at hand, sorting through those that the boys interviewed to determine who needed more questioning. She needed to at least discover the questions to make her quest easier.
She sat on the edge of her desk and stared at the board and began making her list of the things she wanted to accomplish in the morning. While she was writing these down, two arms encircled her from behind. He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Are we going home tonight, or are we sleeping curled up on that lumpy sofa in the break room?" he inquired softly.
"Hey, Castle. Thanks for joining me. No, I don't plan on sleeping here. But, I have a bit longer to figure this out first. "She pulled him by the hand to sit next to her, shoulder to shoulder. She turned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"The victims were found together in the bedroom, but fully dressed." She started anchoring the crime scene photos to the board." In fact, there is no evidence of any kind that they were lovers. We found her with a shotgun blast to the face which had to have been at very close range. We can't be 100% sure on her facial recognition because of the damage done to her; however, we believe our victim is a real estate agent that may have been working for the other victim. Her blouse was cut away post mortem, but we don't have the blouse, nor do we know why it was removed. Our male victim, John Sherman, and the owner of the brownstone was shot from behind through the neck. He may have been trying to interfere with what was happening to the other victim." She sat quietly letting the photographs and her description create a scene in Rick's head.
"In other words, we are certain both victims knew each other and there was probably more than one assailant but we don't have any apparent motive at this point." Castle commented.
"Right. But, since she was obviously shot first, she may have been the intended target. But, maybe she we shot first because she was in the way. We don't know."
"Do we know why Sherman had a real estate agent? Was he selling or buying property?" he asked.
"According to his neighbors, his wife was killed a little more than a year ago. His daughter is a freshman at CUNY and is in process of moving to her own apartment. The girl didn't mention the sale of the house, but would she necessarily have been told?"
"We need to look into his finances and maybe even his wife's death. Are we certain this wasn't a burglary?" He asked.
"There are no signs that anything was taken. Ellie, the daughter, says everything is exactly where it always was."
"I guess we also need to know, what do we know about Ellie?" Castle suggested. He was watching as Beckett had a startled reaction to his statement.
Beckett didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement.
"What's the matter KB?"
"It's nothing. I am just tired; we will sort this out later." Beckett could tell from the way Castle responded, he doubted her statement was true. She let her emotional fatigue show when she turned to rub noses with him and then leaned her forehead to his.
"Let's go home, Kate. You need to step away from this, don't you?" Castle said more than asked.
"Ok." She acquiesced knowing he was right.
Castle's Bed Early Morning
In her sleep Kate went back to the year after her mother's death.
She screamed for her father over and over. "Help me Dad, Help me." She fought her attacker as he ripped at her clothes and tossed her backward across the bed. He had her pinned. She was screaming so much her throat felt like it was on fire. Deep insider she knew her father was in a drunken stupor. He couldn't help her. He couldn't even help himself.
Suddenly her door was kicked open. Her father stood their angry and unsteady on his legs.
"You stupid little whore."
She screamed, "Daddy" and tears began streaking down her face. As quickly as the dreams came, so did the memory of her mother rocking her to sleep. The fear was gone, but she still felt an empty sadness clinging to her.
Deep in the night Rick woke to Kate pulling at the sheets in her sleep.
He touched her shoulder, "Kate wake up," he said gently.
"Dad, help me! Dad" she cried and then she curled up into a ball sobbing.
Rick picked her up and sat her in his lap. He began rocking her in his arms, shushing her like a baby. Her eyes never opened, but the racking sobs dissipated. When she relaxed in his arms, he laid her down beside him and pulled her close so that her head rested on his chest and he could wrap both arms around her. He slowly drifted back to sleep.
Castle's Bed 7am Saturday
Kate woke to soft kisses on her neck and then a little nibble to her ear.
"Hmm. Good morning to you too Kitten."
"I thought kittens were supposed to purr, but here you are purring. Maybe I miss named you." He said lovingly kissing down her shoulder and then rolling her on to her back. He sat over her, straddling her.
"Why do I get the feeling that you aren't heading some place I want to go with this?" She said cocking an eyebrow up at him.
"That would be because you know I only pin you down where you can't move when I demand an answer."
"Demand. Strong word. I take it this isn't going to be pillow talk is it?" Kate started moving her hips, trying to wiggle free.
"Not so fast," he said leaning over her, grabbing her wrists and holding them above her head. "I just need clarification on something. Stop looking so worried; you were having a nightmare last night and I couldn't get you to wake." He stopped talking and rubbed her nose with his. "And, if you would like this to be more fun, you might want to tell me what the dream was about." He said teasingly brushing his body against hers causing a tiny shudder to run through her.
He could tell she was trying to look irritated, but her eyes gave her away. She looked lost and sad. "Rick, I wouldn't call it a dream; it's more of a memory." She paused and chewed on her lip for a moment. "Do I really need to tell you about it right now or could it wait for 15 to 20 minutes. I like the other idea better." She said bucking her hips toward him playfully.
"As much as you would like to believe I can't think when you do that, I know that if I say yes we won't ever go back to the topic at hand. Now, will you tell me about why you were crying for your dad's help please?"
Shock shot across Kate's face. "I cried?"
"Yes, you did. You eventually sobbed uncontrollably. I tried to wake you, but when that didn't work I rocked you back into a peaceful sleep and then wrapped myself around you tightly to prevent another one."
Kate lifted her head and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "During my wild days after dad had already become a drunk, I wasn't always careful who I took home. One night I took a beating and screamed for help." She nuzzled him seductively with her nose and said, "I am not interested in peeling any deeper on the Beckett onion today. Castle, can we please let it go?"
He looked disappointed and began to withdraw his grip, sitting up on his hips. He had almost succeeded in completely uncapturing her when she deftly flipped him onto his back and straddle him. "That doesn't mean never; just not today. " She leaned in delivering a slow passionate kiss so that he knew she had other plans before work.
Rick smiled up at her, "As long as you know, I am not through asking about it either?"
"I promise I will tell you about it soon. I have never told anyone about it before, nor did I think I ever would. I just want a little more time." The overwhelming sadness in her eyes closed the subject for Rick. He knew she was being honest. He could wait a few more days.
