Rick awoke early and quietly extracted himself from their bed. He was extra careful to not awake his angel who still had a few hours to sleep. He wanted to see if his search had brought up anything. He crept into his office and pulled up his laptop. He was disheartened to see that the search had brought up nothing. He retasked the search then closed the laptop.
"There has to be a connection" Rick thought as he crossed over into the kitchen.
Soon he was busy creating a monster size breakfast with plenty of hot strong coffee. Kate awoke a little after 7 and noticed Rick was missing but the unmistakable smell of bacon sizzling was the first indication he was up. Kate did her morning ablutions then joined the rest of the family.
"Well good Morning Babe." Rick intones.
Kate glowered at him as he placed the hot mug of coffee in her hand.
"You are chipper today" She observes.
"And why should I not be" Rick retorts. "It is not everyday I can welcome my wife to her Birthday morning."
Rick reaches over and kisses her then she snags a piece of bacon from the pan.
"Birthday?" Kate looked over it was her birthday November 17th glaring at her from the calendar which was circled in red. "Today was her birthday and she did not even realize it."
It was a small wonder they were called off their honeymoon to attend to this horrific murder. It had only been a week earlier when they finally did their 'I do's'. Kate smiled as Rick plated up her birthday breakfast.
"So what does the birthday girl want to do for her birthday?" Rick asks sitting down next to her.
"Well you know what I really want to do?" Kate asks in that sultry voice of hers that keeps Rick mesmerized.
"No, what's it my love?" Rick says with lust filled eyes.
"My job…Go and catch a killer!" she says as she gets up. "Are you coming Castle?"
Rick is flustered but makes a quick recovery.
/
Kate and Rick exit the elevator. Kate had been hearing all his latest ideas on Eric Vaughn why he disappeared.
"I tell you Kate he has dropped of the face of the earth and now this Dr. Henry Morgan appears. I tell you it is him! I think the space aliens are involved but I don't know how but I will figure it out." Rick says going into the break room to prepare their coffee.
Kate gives Rick an indulgent smile then sits at her desk.
The boys are reporting.
"So Boss, CSU found nothing interesting on your car except a dummy bomb. It is the kind designed for training dogs. Also a hair of our victim had been placed carefully on the note. If you had touched it would have blown away." Javi says.
"A canvas of workers has revealed a missing security guard. It might be nothing but we have an address." Ryan says.
"Good work you two… Ryan helps Tori with the video logs. We need to find out when did Eva appear and when did this security guard disappear. Keep me posted. Castle you are with me we are going to visit the address of the missing security guard." Kate said.
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Kate and Rick pull up at the address listed. It was in a very tony area of the city.
"Kate, are you sure this is the address? If security guards for the mayor can live here they are paying our civil servants way too much! No wonder our taxes are so high!" Rick quipped.
Kate got out and rang the bell. They were met with a butler.
"Yes can I help you?" The snooty butler asks.
"NYPD I am Detective Beckett and this is Mr. Castle can you identify this man?" Kate asks showing him the DMV picture.
"Why certainly that is Master Bruce however, I have not seen him today." The Butler says.
"Would you please inform the madam of the house we wish to speak with her?" Rick asks.
"Oh very well" the butler rolled his eyes. "Please follow me she is taking her morning meal in the observatory."
Rick whispered to Kate as they were led throughout the house.
"I think he has you beat on that eye rolling…Perhaps he gives lessons?" Rick says as Kate just swats him.
The butler stops at the breakfast table. A leggy blonde about Rick's age was sitting there and was clad in a pink robe reading the paper. The lurid pic of the victim was splashed across the page.
Mayor's love Child Murdered in Mansion!
She places the paper down as the butler speaks with her. She turns her head and spies Rick first.
"Ricky Rodgers If I live and breathe! Come give Mama Celeste some sugar." She said standing up with her arms out wide.
Rick looks uncomfortable when he glanced at Kate who nodded her head so he fell into her hug.
"It is good to see you too Celeste." Rick said. "Though, this is not a social call. I'm called Rick Castle now may I introduce my wife Kate?"
"Of course hello Detective so what are you here about?" Celeste says sitting back down and starts to butter her toast.
"It is about Master Bruce Madam" the butler says.
"Brucey…? What has he done now? I swear Baxter and I thought we had him cleaned up. I got him a job with the Mayor's office too." She says.
"Well Celeste we need to talk to him. He might give us clues to the murder which took place last night at the Mayor's mansion. He was supposed to be working there." Rick says.
"Oh that poor girl I read about it. I hear the mayor's family has gone off to his retreat in the Catskills." Celeste says.
"Yes that is the one…So could you tell us when was the last time you saw Bruce?" Kate asks.
"Well I do not see him exactly. He lives in the manor house in by the pool. Edgar can take you back there." Celeste says. "It was good to see you Ricky you need to keep in touch."
"Yes Celeste I will do that…There is charity function on 6th of December for the unfortunates of the city. Will I see you there?" Rick asks.
"Certainly it is the Mayor's favorite charity. I will see you and your lovely wife there Ricky." Celeste says as they are led away by Edgar to where Master Bruce resided on the estate.
They passed the pool then the tennis court and finally arrived in a place unlike the rest of the estate.
"I will knock" Edgar says.
Edgar knocks and the door swings wide and it looks like Hurricane Sandy had struck. There was no trace of Bruce. Kate pulls out her weapon and does a search. The place was clear.
Rick walks in and observes the young man had packed all of a sudden. Clothes were tossed everywhere.
"So Edgar can you tell me if anything is missing?" Kate asks after holstering her weapon and calling CSU. They might have a kidnapping.
"Well the car keys to the Porsche his 16th birthday present is missing. It is still under his Father's name Baxter Wayne." Edgar says after scanning the wreckage.
"Edgar, how had Master Bruce been acting lately?" Rick asks.
"Well Mr. Castle he was giddy he said his girlfriend was coming to visit him from London. I saw them together last night around 6 pm. It was about the time he left for his job. Also where is the ring?" Edgar exclaims.
"Ring what ring Edgar?" Kate asks.
"It was his great Aunt Catherine's Ring. It was held in a trophy case above the mantle. It is gone." Edgar says.
"Great, not only a possible kidnapping but a robbery too?" Rick says. "This gets better and better."
Kate called Robbery and then Edgar pointed out where the Porsche was housed.
\\\\\
Kate called in a BOLO on the car and the missing heir. They returned to the precinct with many more questions.
Javi accosted them when they stepped off the elevator.
"So I see you two have been busy. While you were out with your snooty friends I have video of Eva getting off a BA flight 502 from London and being picked up in a Porsche. Man I love how that other half lives. Traffic cam footage places it at the Mansion a little after 7 PM. The attack and death occurs at about 9 PM according to the prelim autopsy." Javi reports.
"7pm is when Bruce Wayne clocked in to his security guard gig at the mansion. His time card places him across the building when the attack occurs. After that he disappears." Ryan says.
"Ok so what do we know?" Kate asks as she updates the murder board.
"The person attacks Eva and Bruce disappears at the same time? This can not be a coincidence." Javi says.
"It is not. There is footage at a bridge in New Jersey where the Porsche crossed at 10 PM" Tori says. "It was clocked at 80 once it reached the New Jersey side. Then it is lost from cameras."
"Where is the camera footage of the garage at the mansion?" Kate asks.
"That footage is missing. The camera was spray painted." Tori says.
Rick and Kate follow Tori back to her cubicle.
"Ok Tori show us what you have." Kate orders.
Tori spools up the footage. Rick spots something.
"Tori can you enhance that reflection?" Rick points out.
"Sure I can…It is some sort of badge number… I can make it out. 45874 Running it now…It says it is Detective's Ryan's old badge number." Tori says looking at the two of them.
Rick looks white. Kate did not look much better.
"It is him! Jerry is back! How much proof do you need? The hair of the victim, the warning note, the fake bomb and now Ryan's badge which only 3KX had in his possession." Rick says.
"Ok Rick It looks like he is back or someone wants us to believe he is. This is all circumstantial evidence we do not have him on camera. We still do not know if it is him?" Kate warns.
"Ok Kate I let my fear to get the best of me. You are right it is only circumstantial but you have to agree there is much evidence to point that it is him." Rick says.
"Rick, do not jump to conclusions we have to find the heir first. Then we can jump." Kate says.
Ryan comes to the door.
"We got a hit on the BOLO. The car was found at a chop shop in Jersey. Jersey State PD is there waiting on you." Ryan said.
"Thanks Ryan." Kate says. "Come on Castle let's look at the vehicle before CSU gets there."
"Kate, aren't you going to inform Ryan what we learned?" Rick asks.
"Boss what did you learn?" Ryan asks.
"Ryan we have camera proof your old badge was seen at the Mayor's mansion that night. It might be nothing. We don't know…" Kate said.
"Boss he is back! I had that funny feeling at the crime scene he was looking and laughing at me. 3XK is back!" Ryan says.
"See I told Kate the same thing." Rick says supporting Ryan's conclusion.
"Look Kevin I will tell you the same thing I told Castle. There is no physical evidence linking him. Sure the MO is similar but no proof it is him. So forget about this and do your job." Kate says.
Ryan shakes his head and then exits the room.