Beckett pulled up to the intersection that was only a few blocks from the NYPD's main booking and holding facility and badged her way past the crime scene tape. Nostalgia washed over her momentarily as the fleeting thought that this was the last time she would repeat that act as an NYPD officer flashed through her mind. She also recalled the image of a dejected Castle loping sadly across the park in the opposite direction of her cruiser towards the subway which would take him home. Her heart swelled with longing as she envisioned him pouting at his desk, a tumbler of Scotch in his hand, wracked with heart break and loneliness that she longed to wipe away.
No. Don't go there. Get this case done and then work it out somehow. If there was anything left to work out.
She buried her anxieties when she saw Esposito amongst the hum and buzz of the crime scene looking a lot less than happy.
"Hey, Espo. What happened?"
"From what I've been able to gather from talking to witnesses and from the canvas, the van rounded the corner over there, a couple gun shots rang out, the driver lost control, ran the red light, and t-boned that Lexus. Driver there is fine since the van hit on the passenger side, but we sent him to the hospital just to be safe. Our fine-upstanding killer was found on the floor of the van with a bullet to the chest and head."
"So our guy is on his way to Central Booking and decides to make a grab for a uni's gun?"
"I know, right? Guess the drinking burned off a few hundred brain cells."
"What did the uniforms driving the van say?"
"That's where it gets weird. We can't find them."
"Does anyone know who they were?"
"Nope."
"Well, what are the names on the transfer?"
"They're bogus. I checked with Central Booking once I got here just to cover all our bases and they gave me the names of the officers they sent. They don't match the names on the paperwork."
Beckett's eyebrows arched halfway up her forehead. "Seriously?!"
"Seriously. Additionally, paramedics were on scene within five minutes and all they found was Captain Dipstick on the floor." The Hispanic veteran added.
"Something is seriously fishy here. This all makes no sense."
"A lot of that going around." Esposito's eyes met Beckett's with such a hard stare that she immediately knew his meaning. Fortunately for her, Ryan's approach proved to be her temporary salvation.
"Hey. You fill Beckett in?" He asked his partner.
"Yeah. And she agrees it's totally bizarre."
"Well, it just got bizarre-er," swallowing his grammatical faux-pas, the Irishman continued, "I talked to a food vendor who was working the opposite side of the street of there. He said once the van came to a stop after crashing into the Lexus, our two uniforms," he emphasized the word with air-quotes, "climbed calmly out of the front seat, hopped in a black four-door sedan and left."
"Did he get a look at the sedan's plate?"
"Oh yeah."
"What do you mean it's unregistered?" Captain Gates demanded.
"Exactly that. There's no record of that plate along with that same description of the sedan in the system."
"So our killer confesses to being responsible for multiple murders, then has a change of heart in the back of the transport van on his way downtown, tries to take over the vehicle, fails, and the two men responsible for transporting him disappear into the crowd? That's just-"
"Bizarre?" Esposito interrupted then sank a little lower in his chair under Gates' withering rebuke for his rudeness.
"Yes, it is. I'll lean on CSU to make sure that van is processed from top to bottom. The last thing we want is to have the press get wind of the reckless conduct of whoever those men were, and Detective Beckett, I'm sure the last thing you want is to have your last case end this way. Am I right?"
Beckett's insides clenched, but she had no choice other than to agree with her Captain. "Yes, Sir."
"Keep me informed if anything else comes up." The petite woman then hurried to her office, leaving Beckett alone to face her team.
"Last case?" Ryan piped up?
"Dammit, Beckett. We're your partners. We've had your back for years now, yours and Castle's. Now what the hell is going on?"
She told them about Agent Stack, the interview, and the job offer and watched as a flurry of emotions washed over each man's face.
"So are you gonna take it?" Esposito asked.
There it was. The question she still had no answer to. "I, I don't know guys. I know it's a great opportunity and all, but-
"It's Castle, right?" Ryan guessed. "That what your fight was about and why he hasn't been around?"
Beckett slowly nodded. "I didn't tell him about it. He found a boarding pass in my coat pocket and got pissed."
"Why didn't you tell him?" The married one amongst them asked. Since he received no response other than a heavy exhale, he pressed on. "You know, Beckett, I know it's hard, but if you two are gonna be together, you can't keep secrets from each other. That was one of the things that struck me about Jenny in the first place – she got me to open up and she didn't judge."
"I know, Kevin. It's just not-"
"Who you are. We know." Ryan finished and Esposito nodded in agreement.
"But it was just an interview. I had no idea I'd actually get the job. I just wanted to see what else was out there. What I might be missing-" It'd felt good to unburden herself of the responsibility of keeping the secret from her two closest colleagues that she had to catch herself before she gave out too much information, information that could be construed to apply to her personal life as well as her professional life. That was the problem with working with detectives – they read a double meaning into almost everything.
Once again, her cell phone buzzed at an opportune time. "Hey Lanie. Yeah, I'll be right there."
"We are not done talking about this," Esposito said then turned back to his desk as Beckett gathered her jacket to make the trip to the morgue.
