Chapter 2
Castle felt like he had closed his eyes for only a little while. Suddenly he snapped them open to find the room in darkness. He had been awoken by the the sound of Kate's muted murmurings. He felt her hand clutching at his shirt tightly. He reached over to the nightstand and switched on the lamp.
Looking at her face he saw her face was contorted with concern as another nightmare took hold of her. He moved to draw her closer to him making sure not to hurt her. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her.
"Kate, it's all right." He said gently. "It's only a dream."
Kate continued to struggle and murmur.
"Kate, you're safe." Castle said more firmly.
Kate's eyes fluttered open. There was alarm and fear in those green eyes of hers which wrenched Castle's heart. He held her a little tighter as he made soothing noises.
She looked up at him wide-eyed. Seeing Castle the fear began to subside and slowly fade.
"You were having a bad dream." He told her.
Kate closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked up at Castle. She offered him a brief smile telling him that she was all right. She then rested her head against his chest.
"Tell me more of your story, Castle." She said in a low voice.
"It's late, you should get some more sleep." Castle countered.
Kate shook her head slowly. The remnants of the bad dream hovered at the periphery and she feared that if she closed her eyes it would return.
"I don't want to sleep just yet."
"Okay." Castle said a small smile on his face. "The story you want, the story you shall have."
Kate gave him a tired smile in return.
"...We resume our tale to find the fair Detective Beckett emerging from the station house. She strode with purpose to where her stead was tethered and waiting. Richard the Minstrel was beside her matching her steps. He watched as the fair detective as she unhitched her horse and mounted up.
The Minstrel untied the reins of his horse Derrick and with a flourish leaped into the saddle. He paused and smiled in the direction of the fair Detective Beckett hoping that she had witnessed his mounting and be impressed with his athleticism. Alas the smile on his face faltered when he realised that his effort to impress the fair detective had not been witnessed by the said lady. She had already wheeled her stead and was winging her way down the street. Rather than pout the Minstrel spurred Derrick's flanks and raced after her.
The steadfast Detectives Esposito and Ryan mounted their owns steeds and set off after their boss and the Minstrel knowing full well that they had but little chance of catching up to them but hoping they did not lose sight of the fair Detective as she was the only one who knew the address of the scene of the murder.
A ride of half an hour found our fearless four arrive down town outside a modest abode. All ready had gathered a large collection of uniformed constables, more than usually assembled. During the ride Richard the Minstrel had tried to engage the fair Detective Beckett in conversation but she had remained silent spurning his efforts. It took the Minstrel not long to realise that it would be best to remain silent, so he did.
As Richard the Minstrel dismounted and passed the reins over to a uniform constable who had come forward, he noticed that the constabulary physician had already arrived to the scene of the crime. The 'meat wagon', as the constables so endearingly called the physician's wagon was parked out the front of the modest abode.
The Minstrel followed the fair Detective Beckett as she approached the house and as he did so he took in the neat front garden with the well tended flower beds and clipped front lawn. Though a modest abode it was well loved and tended well.
The fair Detective Beckett stopped suddenly and the Minstrel almost careered into the back of her but for his nimbleness of foot. He espied that the fair detective had stopped in front of a pair of men who stood before the front entrance to the house. They were of the same height and grim visage, one man was nattily dressed in hose and tunic, his dark locks had recently been barbered. His companion wore a faded brown knee length tunic that was cinched at the waist by a leather belt, his hair was long and lanky coming down to his shoulders with a beard covering his face. And it did not take the Minstrel much brain power to deduce that they were colleagues of the deceased. The Minstrel would later know their names, constables Gibson and Selkirk.
"We want in on this case, Beckett." Said the nattily dressed Gibson.
"Alas that is not to be." The fair Detective Beckett replied.
"Tis our skipper in there." Said Selkirk, angrily.
"I understand and truly I am sorry for your loss but you know the rules, gentlemen."
"Beckett..." The first man said in a pleading tone of voice.
"Stand aside." The fair Detective Beckett said in a voice that was quiet but firm.
The two investigators standing before her folded their arms across their chests in a silent refusal.
Richard the Minstrel would not have described himself as a gambling man, well truth be told he had been known to place wagers from time to time in the past, most of which he had lost. But as he watched in silence, observing the confrontation that was unfolding before his eyes between the fair Detective Beckett and the two investigative constables he would have wagered an entire royalty purse on the fair detective to win this stand off.
"Of this have nod doubt, we will get who ever did this." The fair Detective Beckett added, her voice never rising.
For a moment and maybe more the two men barring entrance to the fair detective looked like they would not move. Then they looked at each other and as if some silent agreement was made between them they stood aside.
"Await here, the both of you." The fair Detective Beckett ordered as she proceeded into the house.
There were uniformed constables in the hallway of the house and they stood aside at the fair Detective Beckett's approach. One of the constables without word pointed her to location of the body.
Richard the Minstrel followed the fair detective into a modestly decorated living room. There was a couch and two armchairs one of which had a well worn appearance to it as if to suggest the lord of this manor used it quite frequently. Beside the armchair there was a small wooden table upon which sat a large glass open decanter of wine that the lord of the manor imbibed. On the couch was a discarded set of knitting needles with a partially completed blue woollen scarf. Against one wall there was a glass fronted cabinet that was used to store and display china and glassware that no doubt would only come out on those special occasions. A fireplace dominated the room. A row of framed drawings lined the mantle. Above the fireplace was a large framed drawing of the couple in happier times, on their wedding day. There was a nice homey feel to the room, the Minstrel deduced.
This homey scene was marred by the handful of scenes of crime orderlies who were gathering forensic evidence and more importantly by the body that lay sprawled faced down in front of the hearth. A broken wine glass lay on the carpet. The body was of a man who the Minstrel would have estimated to have been around six foot in height had he been standing. There was a large pool of blood and brain matter staining the carpet and the flagstones of the hearth.
Crouching beside the body was constabulary physician Dr Lanie Parish. She as was want was making notes on her clipboard.
"What say you, Lanie?" The fair Detective Beckett inquired.
The petite Dr Parish looked up from the notes she was making on her clipboard.
"We have before us a male Caucasian, aged in his mid thirties."
"Identification?"
"Tis Sergeant Maloney all right."
The fair detective nodded her head. "Cause of his demise?"
Dr Parish used her quill to point at the deceased's head.
"Blunt force trauma to the back of his head."
The fair Detective Beckett leaned a little forward to get a better view and saw that the man's head had been caved in a rather savage manner.
"Pray tell have you any idea what kind of object was used?"
"Nothing specific at the moment but from appearances I would venture it was something heavy." Dr Parish reported. "I may have more details after I get him onto my table for a better examination."
The fair Detective Beckett nodded her thanks to her friend and turned her attention to one of the senior uniformed constables present.
"Who found the body?"
"His wife." The man replied.
"And where is she?"
The officer jerked his thumb in the direction of the kitchen.
The fair Detective Beckett turned on her heels and focused her gaze upon the steadfast Detectives Esposito and Ryan.
"Start canvassing the neighbourhood." She ordered. "Also, speak to his colleagues find out what cases he had been working on, you know the usual routine, any threats made against him and so on and so forth."
The steadfast Detectives Esposito and Ryan nodded their heads curtly, made notes in their pads.
"The Minstrel and I will speak to the spouse." The fair Detective Beckett added.
Without further word the steadfast Detectives Esposito and Ryan turned and headed out of the room. The Minstrel looked to the fair detective and watched her as she slowly looked about the room silently taking things in, noting them in her mind.
"Sergeant Maloney was the head of the vice squad out of the one five station house.." The fair Detective Beckett said in answer to the Minstrel's silent question. She turned until she was facing the Minstrel. There was an ever so brief flicker of amusement in those green eyes of hers upon seeing the startled look on the Minstrel's face. For it was indeed the question that had been in the Minstrel's head.
"Did you know him?"
The fair detective shook her head. "Only of him."
The Minstrel nodded his head.
"Shall we speak to the bereaved spouse, Minstrel?"
Again the Minstrel nodded his head..."
Castle peered down and found that Kate had fallen asleep again using his chest as a pillow something which he did not mind in the least. He leaned down and planted a gently kiss on the top of her head and then and then rest his chin against her head. He closed his eyes.
He did not fancy staying up around the clock like he had done the last time. It had taken a lot out of him. Once Kate had woken up in the hospital and knew that she would be fine he had been sent home to sleep. And sleep he did, for a full twenty hours. Not that he would not do it again, for her.
As he listened to Kate's soft and steady breathing it did not take long for sleep to claim the author again.
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Thoughts?
