Sinning by Silence

Summary – Post 7x09 AU. What if Beckett's last visit to her old apartment didn't go quite as she planned. Not light and fluffy like some of the fics out there.

Author's Note: And yes, once again, no one on Beckett's team would be allowed to work the case, including Gates, but this is TV fanfic, which sometimes defies reality.

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Chapter 2 – Painted Ladies

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Espo and Ryan had finally gotten Castle to his feet and maneuvered him into the conference room, closing the blinds so that he could have some peace as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that the love of his life had been so cruelly taken from him after they had come so far.

Epso quietly called Lanie to come and sit with Castle so that he and Ryan could work the case, now deemed a recovery mission by Gates when she walked back in and saw the evidence.

Quietly damning the bureaucracy for their hesitancy to admit that the 3X killer was alive, Gates threw all the manpower she could into finding Beckett, Tyson, and Dr. Neiman.

A funereal atmosphere clung to the precinct as the word spread and officers stopped by Beckett's desk to lay small mementos.

Ryan and Espo spent hours poring over the video footage from the cameras in the area where Beckett's car was found. All it showed was a tall slender brunette getting out of the car around 7 pm and then just walking off. No other cameras in the area picked her up again and the FBI didn't have any luck in turning her cell phone back on. She had just walked into the darkness and disappeared.

The team knew that any promises at this point were empty and useless because they had nothing to go on. This had caught them with their pants down, not only very embarrassing but also deadly.

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Tory queued up the text from Castle's phone one more time to show Espo and Ryan. "The odd thing is," she said, "this isn't just a picture – it's a video."

Espo frowned. "Why would he do that?"

Ryan nodded. "That doesn't make sense."

"Unless there's something on the video that he wants us to see," said Castle, coming into the room, his eyes rimmed in red, his face blotchy.

"You sure, man?" asked Espo.

Castle nodded wearily, sniffling slightly. "He sent it to me – he wanted me to see it. I owe her that much."

Espo nodded at Tory, who started the video again. All it showed was Beckett, lying there peacefully like she was taking a nap, but one that she would never wake up from again.

Castle closed his eyes as tears threatened to spill again and then paused, cocking his head slightly, listening. "Can you turn up the volume?" he asked Tory, looking at her.

The tech nodded.

Castle closed his eyes again, listening to the sounds – where had he heard those? The low rumble in the background – the muffled thud – another low rumble.

His eyes flew open. "That's from her apartment," he said. "Those are the sounds that Mr. Kubiak makes while in the bathroom."

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Not knowing the situation, SWAT moved in very quietly, surrounding the building and snaking a camera under the door while Espo, Ryan, and Beckett sat in the van, each lost in their own thoughts.

Gates had flatly refused to let Castle go along, saying that it could be exactly what Tyson wanted – to take them both out.

Castle shook his head miserably, barely able to get the words out. No, Tyson wanted more than death – he wanted him to suffer for the rest of his life.

The electricity had been left on for Sophia so she would have power when she moved in and the lights in every room were on.

They had spotted Beckett lying by the bathroom door and no one else was in the apartment. There were no signs of forced entry and booby traps.

SWAT cautiously entered the apartment, well aware that there could be dangers that had not been seen. When the lead officer was finally satisfied, he declared the area secure so that the team could enter.

Espo looked at Lanie as she took her bag out of the van. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Lanie looked sadly at Espo. "She was my best friend, Javi."

Espo nodded and quickly hugged her. "I'm here for you."

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Several uniforms stood guard in the hallway as the team walked into Beckett's old apartment.

Lanie stopped for a moment and pulled on gloves, taking a deep breath, steeling herself for what she had to do next.

"Let us know if you need anything," said Javi.

Lanie nodded. "I will," she said, her voice quavering slightly and then she turned and walked into the bedroom where Beckett lay while Espo and Ryan started taking the rest of the apartment apart for clues.

She put her bag down and pulled out a camera, taking pictures of …Kate… from several angles.

Finally, when she was satisfied with those, she knelt beside the body and gazed into her friend's unseeing eyes. The universe sucked right now – Beckett was finally happy – she had caught her mother's killer and married her best friend. And now this?

Lanie let out a sigh as she reached forward and closed Beckett's eyes gently, brushing a finger against her pale cheek. "Oh, girl," she said quietly. "You deserved a lot better."

What the hell, Lanie thought as she looked at the smudge on her glove and then the area that she had touched on Beckett's face. That part of the skin was tanned, not pale.

And her lips – the blue tinge looked strange – almost like lipstick... Lanie quickly rubbed her finger against Beckett's lips and looked at the blue smudge on the glove with a puzzled expression on her face.

It was the same when she rubbed the ligature marks and the thin line of blood on Beckett's neck – there was skin underneath – not torn flesh.

Lanie quickly bent over, feeling for a pulse and listening for any signs of life.

"Javi! Javi! Call an ambulance – she's alive!" Lanie screamed.

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Castle sat in the conference room, trying to get his brain to function on some level again – trying to decide whom to call first – Jim Beckett or his mother.

But any attempt at a decision was futile. Or maybe this news was best delivered in person – the news that Jim had lost a daughter or Martha a daughter-in-law – Kate Beckett's life was cut short by a deranged serial killer whom the NYPD had declared dead and was suddenly back.

He held up his phone again, struggling against his roiling stomach and taking a deep breath. Maybe in a minute he could do something…

His phone chirped as he heard high heels hurriedly clack towards the room he was in.

Beckett's ring tone again – he closed his eyes in pain and then swiped the phone on to read the text message. "Apparently she's not my type after all. And apparently you're not her type either since she lied to you. Congratulations on your wedding."

Castle could only stare at the phone and then look up stupidly as Gates burst into the room.

"Rick, Kate's alive – she's not dead. They've taken her to Mount Sinai."

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