Genre: Crime, Drama, Family, Romance, Humor
Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.
A/N #1: Wasn't that sure if I was going to get reviews for the last chapter since it was so short, lol, but glad to see I did, so gonna get to the thanks since I'm gonna be posting this chapter soon! pcol22 (Really happy seeing that you liked the introduction to the case, lol, found it very satisfying to see you thought it was creepy, always try to go for that in the intros since the show sometimes does that. And great to read you're looking forward to the next chapter!), vetgirlmx (Had to laugh at what you said about me doing it again with the last chapter, lol, but glad that I did it again! And was very happy to see that you thought the beginning was suspenseful, was definitely aiming for that! And not surprised you were asking about the trees, lol, but now you've got the next chapter and I hope you'll enjoy reading it!) and sammysgirl78 (Was happy seeing you liked the intro too. And you don't have to wait too much longer for the next chapter now, lol. Glad to see the word suspenseful in there again, and was interesting seeing you too were wondering about the trees!). So thanks so much to you all for taking the time to review the last chapter, I appreciated it so much, and was grateful for all of them!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter is the title of Paul McCartney's album, also a lyric from the song That Day is Done by Paul and Declan MacManus (Elvis Costello), from Paul's album the same name as the title of this chapter.
Flowers In The Dirt
"Castle… Castle, wake up," the voice cut into his sleep. Shaking his head, Castle opened his eyes and looked up into his fiancée's eyes. "What is it… Julia-"
"She's fine, I checked on her before I came back," Beckett said before she kissed him on the lips. When he responded she pulled away and said, "And I called the station, I have the week off." She kissed him a second time and kept it quick to say, "And called Julia's school."
Stopping her before she could lean down to kiss him again, Castle studied the look on her face, and nodded saying, "So everything's set?"
"Everything's set," Beckett said before she sat up when he started to. Together they pulled up her shirt she'd worn for pajamas and after that it was a little bit of a scramble until she was the first one naked. It took a short amount of time after that for her fiancé to join her in that state, and once he was, she straddled his legs, but had turned away from him while he'd been tossing aside the last of his clothing. She waited a brief instant to make sure he realized what she was doing, and as soon as he had, she grasped him in her hand.
Hissing a little at the touch, Castle was quick to grab her hips, watching as he sank slowly into her. With her moving at that pace; plus the look in her eyes; he had a feeling that things were not going to continue as simple as that. And he was proven right as she began to move roughly on him, speeding up without any warning to him. While she was doing that, he grabbed her body, pulling her back to lean against him before he reached up and cupped his hands over her breasts.
Beckett couldn't really explain her sudden desire when she'd woken up, but was glad that she hadn't needed to do that when he had woken up. She reached up to his hands, squeezing them before she wrapped her arms around his neck behind her. She had a pretty good view of him then, as he used his fingers then to rub along her nipples, dragging out into a wider circle around them. The sensation was much the same as his touch always left behind, a trail of fire that made her move faster and harder on him. She reached with one hand to brush her hair away from her face, and hoped that everything wasn't going to her as she suddenly needed him to feel the same as she did.
A little startled when Beckett suddenly stopped and turned around, Castle had little time to recover as she lowered herself onto him yet again, and began to move. But that time, instead of going in an up and down motion, she rocked back and forth. He grunted slightly at the first time she did that, and then wrapped his hands around the small of her back as he was quick to move with her at the same pace. His breathing became heavier as he looked down in between them, watching intently where their bodies were coupled together.
Nearly trembling at the forceful look in Castle's eyes as he watched them, Beckett finally sat up straight and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him to her lips. As they were kissing each other deeply, she took his hands and once she managed to pull away from him, leaned down to kiss at his fingertips. His groan each time her lips touched his skin sent a thrill through her, and she looked into his eyes for a split second before they moved towards each other at the exact same time.
Their kiss was heavy and feverish, and they were clutching at each other tightly as their hands roamed over one another. When they parted to breathe they found themselves moving quicker and more intensely, and they kept their lips close enough to taste each other's breath. They stayed like that for some time, until Beckett broke their moment, reaching for the back of his head.
Led to her breast, Castle took the nipple eagerly into his mouth, lightly sucking on it for a few seconds before he pulled away and flicked his tongue out to the very tip. The short cry that Beckett gave when he did that immensely satisfying and he then proceeded to kiss around it, ending with his mouth going in between and to her other breast to do the same. He was a little surprised that his fiancée wasn't trying to control him, but she then pulled him back to her nipple he'd been at first off, and he complied, taking it back into his mouth to suckle at it a little fervently as she moaned deeply above his head. His hands were free, so he reached down in between them with one hand, and proceeded to carefully stimulate her swollen nub.
The instant his fingers were on her, Beckett tensed up, a little surprised at the sudden burst of pleasure that resulted from that. It seemed to travel up her body to her breasts where Castle still was, and for a moment she froze, pushing against him hard. She felt him lean up to press a kiss to her chin and then jaw, going back to her breasts, and she tried to get back to her rhythm she'd had before. It took a little time, since Castle's hand was not stopping, but finally she had it, and she made him tilt his head back to look at her once she did, caressing his cheeks tenderly in stark contrast to how they were both moving.
Raising his own hands to take hers, Castle entwined them together once they were off his face. He lowered them and put them behind her, bringing him closer to her face, and he nipped at her lower lip before they slid into another kiss. They were slower, and a lot more relaxed, but it was no less sensuous than before, and when they parted, they were almost panting from the exertion of it. He drifted his lips over her cheek and then up to her ear, only ghosting them over her skin as she trembled against him in response. It was then he let her go, going back to kiss her firmly on the lips as they concentrated on their thrusts together. He reached back in between them with one hand, and rubbed at the apex of her legs yet again, feeling her arch her back and clench at the one hand he was holding still tightly.
Beckett wasn't bothering to stop expressing her pleasure vocally, the sudden need for him that had come up as she'd awoken was being sated, but she wasn't feeling like she had had enough. When he suddenly let go of her hand, she had to recover, and as she did so, his fingers were tangling through her hair on the back of her head, holding her still so they were looking into each other's eyes again. Panting heavily as she could see his own desire, she tried to lean over to kiss him, but instead he moved to her ear and whispered to her. Immediately in response she gave him her hand, and he was moving it down in between them. Their fingers were a little bit of a mix then, and she tried to keep up with how many times there was a switch on her very much swollen nub. Finally it became too much, and her body tensed, freezing for an instant before she arched her back, crying out his name repeatedly before he was holding her against him with both hands, groaning her own name as she realized he'd quickly joined her.
Moving with Beckett the best he could; since they'd both become very erratic; Castle breathed out heavily when they finally slowed down and then stopped a little longer after that. He could feel the perspiration on her skin, and he nuzzled her neck as she leaned against him. "Any reason?" he asked when his panting wasn't getting in the way of words.
"Not really, I just wanted you," Beckett said in a very matter of fact tone of voice.
"Great," Castle said. "Me too. Once I woke up of course." And with that said he helped her off his lap and down on the bed where they lay together before he kissed her temple as she had her cheek pressed to his shoulder. "Should we get up?"
"We're going to need to," Beckett sighed. "I need you to do me a favor since you need to get some clothes for your stay right?"
"Yes, but before you tell me…" Castle said, not really wanting to get up and end enjoying the quiet moment between them. He kissed her after he trailed off, relieved when she responded to him. He had to wonder though if they were going to be putting that on hold as they then focused on Julia. But he didn't need to ask it, as he had a feeling they both wanted the same thing. Beckett's hand on his cheek shook him from his thoughts, and he pulled away to press his forehead against hers. "Okay?"
"I'm fine, just needed a second," she told him. She breathed out and said, "But you're right, we should get ready and I need to take a shower. And I'll need to give her some medicine soon."
"We should do that now," Castle said as he helped her up off the bed.
"Together?" Beckett asked.
Castle didn't say a word to that, and instead led her into her shower, closing the door behind him before he turned on the water. "Tell me to stop Kate," he warned her as he brushed his lips over the top of her shoulder to her quick jerk against him.
"I never would you know," Beckett whispered to him. She smiled when he looked at her, and closed her eyes as he leaned down to her lips.
They kissed deeply before standing under the water, washing away their sweat from their previous exertions as they ran their hands over each other's bodies; only to be shortly replaced by more as Castle's hands ran down her back and to her ass. The steam from the water fogged their vision then as he leaned her back against the wall before sliding down her form to his knees.
"Good morning sweetie," Beckett said, opening the blinds in Julia's room. She smiled as her daughter slowly opened her eyes and she leaned over to check on her, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Hmm, your fever has gone down a little more. Do you want to get up?" At her daughter's nod she helped her up and said, "You don't need to go to school today, so you can wear whatever you want; even your pajamas." She laughed softly as Julia's eyes went wide and said, "Do you want to wear those?"
Julia nodded her head, at the same time opening her mouth to speak before she remembered how much it had hurt to do so the last time she'd tried.
"Why don't you try to whisper?" Beckett asked, knowing what she'd been about to do. "And just try yes or no because you don't need to talk full sentences yet. Do you want to wear your pajamas?"
"Yes," Julia managed to say, smiling at that achievement before she waited for her mother to get another pair of patterned pajamas. "Mommy," she whispered, that word easier for her to say as well. When Beckett looked at her she grabbed her mother's hand and pointed to the engagement ring that she was wearing.
"Where's Castle?" Beckett asked, guessing that was what her daughter was indicating. When Julia nodded she said, "He went to get some things for you for breakfast. But he'll be back. Let's get you changed, and we'll watch something together until he does."
Once her mother had gotten her dressed and in her robe, Julia went out to the living room and sat on the couch, holding her Stitch doll to her tightly. She became a little lonely, and set the doll down to sit in her place before she ran back to her room.
"You shouldn't run sweetie," Beckett said, hearing her daughter's slippers hitting against the floor outside the room. She turned in time for Julia to throw her arms around her. She was a little surprised at how much energy she had, and became worried it was too much. "Here, I'm finished," she told her as she picked Julia up. "So let's start a movie together." Carrying her back out, she wasn't too surprised when the little girl leaned against her, the running seeming to have tired her out. "This is why you're not going to school," she told her as she set Julia down at the shelf with her DVDs on them.
Instead of replying to that, the little girl only pressed her cheek against her mother's before Beckett turned her attention to picking out a movie. She randomly picked out the two Despicable Me movies, and sat on her mother's lap as they began the first one when ten minutes later, the door was being unlocked and she looked over to see who it was as Beckett straightened up behind her.
"Hey, you're up," Castle said as he came into the apartment and saw Julia and Beckett on the couch.
"I let her sleep a little longer after you left," she replied then as Julia climbed down from the couch with her help. She walked after their daughter and smiled as Castle scooped Julia up into his arms before kissing her cheek. "And these?" she asked, motioning to the roses on the counter, already in a vase.
"From me to you Julia," Castle said, nuzzling his nose against hers to the little girl's giggle. "Since you're sick, I thought you might like some flowers. Did I pick a good bouquet?"
Nodding Julia tried to say thank you, but grabbed her throat before she could get the sound out of her mouth.
"Easy," Beckett said, stepping up to them and kissing Julia's cheek. "Just say yes and no okay?"
"If you want to say thank you again; because you'll be getting some visitors today," Castle said. "Then just do this," he showed her the thank you sign. "Try it… you're very welcome," he told her when she was able to do it. He hugged her and then handed her to her mother saying, "I need another one, no, not from you sweetheart, your mom," he continued quickly when Julia tried to kiss his cheek.
"Why am I thanking you?" Beckett asked as Castle looked at her expectantly. But before he could react to that, she pulled on the lapel of his jacket, and brought him close enough to her lips. Since she was holding their daughter, it was a quick kiss, but enough for the moment. "Alright, do you want to keep watching the movie while we get your breakfast ready?" she asked Julia. When she shook her head no, she turned to Castle and said, "We might as well show her what you got."
"So you can approve of it?" he asked.
"Basically," was all Beckett said in response.
"Okay, so we have ice cream," Castle said once she'd put Julia on the counter. "Some Neapolitan or as you call it the small rainbow, some Popsicles which your mom recommended, Jell-O and a lot of soups. What are we making her for breakfast?"
"I'll take care of breakfast," Beckett said. "You two continue the movie."
Julia shook her head wildly as her mother tried to hand her over to Castle, both of them making her stop, and she pointed to them before shaking her head slowly.
"I think she wants us to watch it with her," Castle commented.
"I got that too, then just get her things to color," Beckett said. "And then we'll eat." She watched as he carried Julia over to the door, and smiled, shaking her head as he was telling her about going to the flower shop and having guessed what Lanie, Ryan, Esposito and his mother would be bringing to her. She glanced at the orange roses, wondering if he knew one thing they meant; pride in the person they being given to. Looking back over to the door, she knew he already did, and she took the vase to set it on the coffee table, reminding herself to tell their daughter that when she had the chance.
"Okay Julia, let's try this again," Castle was saying as he brought the spoon to the little girl's lips. When she turned her head he said, "Please sweetheart, you need to take this so your throat will feel better." He gave up when she shook her head, and moved the spoon away from her.
"I'm guessing she's not being cooperative," Beckett said, walking out from her room to them.
"Not really, you want to take a stab at it, you are a detective," Castle said, holding out the spoon to her. He was surprised when she shook her head and instead sat on the couch next to him, taking their daughter on her lap.
"Sweetie, I know you don't want take that but I promise you it's only for a second, and we'll let you have a Popsicle after okay?" Beckett said as she hugged Julia to her tightly.
Frowning for a moment, Julia looked at Castle and then opened her mouth for him to feed her the medicine. She shuddered as she swallowed it, and relaxed against her mother as first Beckett and then Castle kissed her cheek.
"Okay, so now we've got that set," he said as he went to the kitchen to leave the spoon and get the Popsicle for Julia. "What's next? A nap?"
"Not yet, I was thinking we could go through that origami book that Alexis sent her," Beckett said, not surprised when Julia nodded her head eagerly.
"I'll be right back," Castle said, going to Julia's room. Before he could get too far though, he heard Beckett's phone ring and stopped, going back to her. "Esposito?" he said, seeing the screen. "They do know you're off right?"
"They should," Beckett said before she answered. "What is it Javi?"
"Sorry about calling you, but we talked to Gates and she's asking for your help on this one," Esposito said. "But first, how's Julia?" he asked after Ryan whispered to him.
"She's fine, resting right now. But Gates wants mine and Castle's help?" Beckett asked.
"Well… she didn't mention Castle," Esposito said as Castle rolled his eyes. "But yeah, if you can give him a call then we could use his help, because this one is pretty freaky."
"Do you want me to come to the station," Beckett said, in her mind telling herself she was only going to consult on the case since she did have to take care of Julia.
"No, we were planning on heading out to see our sobrina; Lanie too; so we'll head over in about a half hour if that's okay," Esposito explained.
"Come on over, I was going to call Martha and Castle to tell them about Julia so I'll ask him to come to help," Beckett replied. She hung up and said, "Do you need to do anything?"
"First I need to get some more flowers," Castle said. "And also have my mom come over."
"She said she'd come over after lunch and-" Beckett started to say before a familiar knock at the door interrupted her. "Never mind, come in Dad," she called. "How come you're not at work?" she asked him.
"It's pretty slow today, and everyone at the firm was understanding," Jim said as he walked up to his daughter and hugged her. "A number of them have kids and grandkids. Hello Julia," he said as he turned to his granddaughter. "How are you? Okay?" When the little girl shrugged he looked up at Beckett in slight concern.
"She just had some medicine, so it'll take a while for that Popsicle to cheer her up," Castle said.
Julia, listening to the adults, touched the flower on the bouquet that her grandfather was holding, smiling happily at the white blooms.
"These are for you," Jim said, suddenly reminded of what he was carrying. "I know she likes roses, but thought you and Castle would be getting those for her."
"He got those," Beckett said, taking the vase of orchids her father held. "But they are beautiful."
Tugging on his coat sleeve, Julia made the thank you gesture when he looked at her, and then reached up until he picked her up for a hug.
"Dad," Beckett then said. "I just got a call from Esposito before you came, and they want me and Castle to consult with the case they have."
"Do you need me to watch her now?" Jim asked, kissing Julia's temple.
"No, but in the future we might need you to," Beckett said, watching as Julia held her arms out to Castle.
"I'm available, and if not I'm sure Martha will watch her," Jim said.
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock on the door, and Castle went with Julia, as he already knew who it was.
"Richard, you didn't even bother to look," Martha jokingly scolded her son. "Oh darling, how are you?" she said, taking Julia from him before he could reply to her. She handed him a bouquet of daffodils, and hugged the little girl tightly, kissing her on the cheek. "Are you feeling better than last night?" she asked, looking at her to see Julia nod her head.
"Thank you for the flowers Martha," Beckett said, smiling as Castle's mother went straight to her.
"And are you okay, I know the first time your child goes through such an emergency can be difficult," Martha said, hugging her with one arm.
"Oh, I'm doing a lot better than last night myself," Beckett said, smiling briefly at Castle who was watching her. She shook her head infinitesimally at his expression, knowing he was thinking about that morning, and then turned her attention to Martha. "I was just talking with my dad about this case that Esposito and Ryan got, they'd like my help and Castle's so-"
"I would be happy to watch her if you need me to," Martha said. "And from taking care of Richard and Alexis when they were sick I know exactly what we could do," she told Julia then.
"Thank you so much," Beckett said meaningfully. "But I'm really going to try not to get too involved; I want to be here for Julia."
"Me too," Castle said as he walked over to them once he'd set the daffodils on the counter with the orchids. "What?" he asked when his mother and Beckett's dad looked away from them at that.
"I'd like to see that," Martha said simply. "But I'll be free to watch her."
"So will I," Jim said simply.
"Would you like us to go before they arrive?" Martha then asked.
"No, that's alright, you can stay, actually, and take care of her for us then," Beckett said. "And… Castle?"
"Oh, right, I'll be back," he said when he looked at his watch after Beckett had looked at hers. He had five minutes then to get out to get more flowers, so he hurried over to Julia and hugged her tightly. "I'll be right back, and I'm bringing some pretty flowers again okay?"
Nodding, Julia watched her mother and Castle walk to the door together, talking quickly. She smiled when they kissed gently at the door, turning away when Martha and her grandfather asked about the pictures she'd drawn while waiting for breakfast.
"Come on in guys," Beckett said, opening the door to the boys and Lanie. "She's on the couch," she told them as they walked inside but stopped in the entry. She walked after them to the couch but before she could get too far, there was another knock at the door. "Good timing," she murmured before stepping aside to let him inside.
"So how is she doing?" Castle asked as they joined the others at the couch.
"She's doing pretty well, Lanie?" Beckett asked as her friend was sitting on the couch with Julia.
"You want me to check her throat?" Lanie asked in slight amusement.
"No, just, is she okay fever wise," Beckett said simply.
"She is, and with her being so active, you came out of your surgery great," Lanie told Julia who smiled a little. "But, you still need to rest okay?"
"These are for her," Ryan said as he set down the two vases he'd been carrying down on the coffee table. "Pretty roses."
"I got those for her," Beckett said simply. "But thank you guys for… your flowers, sweetie?" she said, faltering when she saw the bouquet that Castle had gotten for Julia that time.
Making the thank you gesture a few times, Julia touched one of the white tulips in the vase that Castle had brought, and then touched the delphinium; not realizing it was that flower that had made her mother hesitate.
"Dad, Martha, would you mind taking her to her room? She needs a nap soon," Beckett said. "I'll come in to kiss you goodnight sweetie."
"Okay, so, the call came in at about seven this morning, a Joseph Haskell was coming in to surprise his girlfriend with a morning brunch before they needed to go to work. But when he went into the outer room of her bedroom," Ryan explained as they went to Beckett's desk once Julia was out of hearing range. "He found her clothes, cut into strips on the floor with some flower petals," he set down a crime scene photo of that before he let Esposito tell them the rest.
"And when he walked into the bedroom itself, he found this," the detective said, setting down another picture.
"A forest?" Castle asked, seeing the trees and blooms along the walls.
"And it was real," Lanie said. "You could smell the flowers and then there's the vic herself."
"Meet Ophelia Meyer, a twenty-nine year old accountant," Ryan said as Castle and Beckett looked down at the picture Esposito laid out of a young woman laying on a bed that was covered in white flower petals, white flowers in a wreath around her head.
Beckett found herself a little surprised as Esposito laid out more pictures of different angles of the bed, and then said, "The vic herself?" He didn't respond, only put down another picture, and she saw the victim's neck, and then the symbol on her chest.
"That's pretty incredible," Castle said, seeing the way the vic was dressed, a thin white dress that looked more like a nightgown. "Did she know how to play the harp?"
"I talked to her parents, and she didn't," Ryan said, shaking his head.
"So it's part of a ritual maybe? The harp was from ancient times and judging by her… dress or whatever you want to call it, it's a pagan murder," Castle said. He made a face and said, "That's an insult to pagans though, I withdraw that… was she a pagan? Maybe someone killed her for believing in more than one god."
"We ran this by the FBI, to see if there were any other murders similar to this, but nothing that matched this level of staging," Esposito said. "They also don't think it was a hate crime, she was Jewish."
"There's something that bothers me though," Beckett said, having been looking at the picture of the symbol on the vic's chest. "Was this found anywhere else on her body?"
"I have the body down at the morgue, but wanted to help them fill you in, in case they forgot any details," Lanie said. "With the bruising around her neck as you can see, she was obviously strangled; likely with a garrote."
"Then it's mob related," Castle said. "She maybe stole money or saw something she shouldn't have, and there was a need to take care of her."
"That's one theory we thought you might have," Ryan said, looking at Esposito who handed him a bill.
"But the staging," Beckett pointed out. "I've never seen a mob hit or murder with this."
"What is it?" Castle asked, discarding his mob theory easily as he could see his fiancée was troubled.
"This symbol is bothering me, what about her hands?" Beckett asked.
"I checked while I was still at the crime scene," Lanie said, handing her a picture.
"Om," Beckett and Castle said at the same time when they saw the symbol.
"What's that? We contacted the FBI about those two symbols but they haven't gotten back to us yet," Esposito said.
"Om, it's said at the beginning of a mantra or prayer in Hinduism, Buddhism and I think Jainism as well," Castle explained. "For Hinduism it's said at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas, a sacred text for their religion."
"And George Harrison had it on his album covers," Beckett said. "I've said it myself when I used to try and meditate, it channels your energy," she said, touching the palm of her hand in a motion similar to the symbol. She saw her partners and Lanie were looking at her; Castle just watching since he already knew she did that; and said, "It's a personal thing; I used to do that to slow my breathing and relax. But here on the body of a victim…" before trailing off and looking at her fiancé.
"Something you want to share?" Lanie asked.
"Well, there's something else about Om," Castle said. "I'm guessing you know about this too?" he directed to Beckett.
"Yes, but… it's not supposed to be meant in that way," she replied. She turned to the other three and then said, "It's also used at the end of an invocation to a god, to invite them to come and also partake of what's being sacrificed to them."
"So is this related to the Hindu religion?" Ryan asked, pointing to the symbol on the vic's chest.
"I've never come across that," Castle said, glancing at Beckett who shook her head.
"If you find any other symbols Lanie," she then said to her friend. "Let me know, I have a feeling they're important."
"I'll let Espo or Ryan know, you're only a consultant Kate, and shouldn't you be tucking your daughter in for her nap?" the doctor asked.
"And after she's asleep? I can take a look at this case if you'll just copy those pictures for me," Beckett said.
"Then you need backup for that," Lanie said quickly.
"What? Me? I was going to head to the station and help you two out," Castle said when she looked at him.
"I think we're fine bro," Esposito said. "You can help Beckett here, at least keep her from forgetting about her-"
"Go," Beckett said in annoyance. "And Castle, you're a grown man… part of the time, decide where you want to go."
"He'll stay, and these are copies," Ryan said simply since Lanie was giving him and Esposito looks.
"Yeah, and we'll call you about anything else," Esposito said. "Tell Julia we hope she gets better soon."
Before she or Castle could say another word, the three of them had left, and Beckett turned to her fiancé saying, "I really thought she'd given up."
"She can surprise you when she's that determined," Castle commented. "So are we going to work on this?"
"Definitely, I can't let this go after seeing these pictures, and neither can you," Beckett said. "For now though, let's say goodnight to Julia, and then we'll come back to this…"
"What?" Castle asked, watching her get her phone from the coffee table.
"Time of death," Beckett said simply. "Lanie? Yeah, I'm just wondering what time you got for- oh, that long? Did they talk to the boyfriend? They did, okay, I'll call them later." She then sighed in exasperation and said, "He's still here, we're going to get started on the case right away, thank you Lanie."
"So, how about you lead with what she said in answer to your first question," Castle said once his fiancée had hung up the phone.
"She'd been dead for almost twelve to fourteen hours," Beckett said. "So that gives us between five and seven yesterday."
"Have to ask the boys about a canvas, there had to have been some noise," Castle said.
"And if there was any sign of a break in," Beckett said. "Though I'm sure if the boyfriend got in without noticing then there wasn't. And I know he's a suspect, I have to ask them about his alibi," she said quickly when Castle was about to speak.
"Katie?" Jim said from the doorway. "Julia's barely able to stay awake."
"Oh, of course, I'm sorry Dad, the case really took my attention," Beckett said, having forgotten for a moment that Julia wasn't already asleep. She hurried with Castle into her room, and smiled as Martha was trying to keep the little girl awake. "I'm sorry sweetie; I had to talk with your uncles and aunt." She kissed Julia's cheek tenderly and whispered, "Time for a little nap okay?"
"Sweet dreams Julia," Castle said, kissing her cheek before he watched Beckett set her into bed.
"Sleep okay? You don't have to get up if you don't want to. And remember your aunt said you should rest," Beckett admonished Julia tenderly as she handed her her Stitch doll. She leaned down and shared a kiss with her daughter, sitting on the edge of the bed to make sure she fell asleep. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see it was Castle. She took his hand and they left the room, joining their parents in the hall where she closed the door. "You didn't have something you needed to do did you?" she asked as they walked out to the living room.
"I need to head back to work, but not right away," Jim said. "So I wasn't in a hurry. I'd better go though, since there's not much I can do while she's asleep."
"Thanks for coming though Dad," Beckett said as she walked him to the door, surprised when Martha and Castle followed them. "And again for the flowers."
"Tell her I'll stop by tomorrow if I don't have anything too pressing at work," Jim told his daughter as he hugged her. "And take care of her."
"I will," Beckett said, knowing he knew she would. "Are you leaving too?" she asked Martha as she turned around.
"I am, it's better we let Julia sleep," she replied. "And again, if you need me, give me a call."
"I will, thanks for the flowers and stopping by Martha," Beckett said. She closed the door once Castle's mother was out of sight and turned to him. "So I guess we're getting started on the case?"
"What, you wanted to do something else? A nap too?" Castle asked, following her over to her desk.
"Not really," Beckett said simply. "But I have something we can use to help us."
Following her, Castle watched as she turned her screen of her computer around and opened up a program he recognized. "I told you that would be of use to you at some point," he said, since he used the same thing to outline his books. When she didn't respond, and instead began to type on the screen he said, "I see you got a new toy."
"Not a toy Castle," Beckett said simply, picking up the pictures they had. "Scan these for me."
"So we're making a murder board?" Castle asked.
"Pretty much," Beckett said. "Though again, I'm not planning on getting too involved in this case."
"To tell you the truth, I get the feeling we'll end up working on it," Castle commented as he began to scan the first picture.
"I know, but we need to stay with her most of the time," Beckett said. She then dragged some of the pictures that appeared on her screen to the murder board, and began typing out different notes from what they knew of the case so far. "This is pretty disturbing," she commented as Castle joined her in front of the screen when he'd finished.
"I know, but let's hope this is the time we're lucky and we get the killer right away," he said. "And by that I mean the boyfriend."
"We'll find out right now," Beckett said as her phone rang. Seeing it was Ryan she quickly picked up, and said, "You have something?"
"We just confirmed the boyfriend's alibi," Ryan said. "He was at a class at NYU and then headed to a place next to the campus for a meal, didn't leave the school from four to ten, way outside our kill zone."
"I expected as much, did you ever ask him about that symbol on the vic's chest?" Beckett said as Castle sighed.
"He had no idea what it was, guessed it could be Hebrew, but I don't think he's seen what that language looks like before, because that is not Hebrew," Ryan said. "I'm going to give the FBI a call after I hang up with you and check to see what they have."
"Okay, call me if they have anything on that symbol," Beckett said before she hung up. "So what we can do is focus on the way this victim was posed. It's obviously important, or else he would have just put up fake flowers."
"I'm wondering if this has to do with a failed romance," Castle said, having been looking at the picture of the crime scene that Beckett had zoomed in on while she'd been talking. "The vic turned the killer down, and he killed her but put her into this setting because… maybe she turned him away in a park?"
"Possible, but why not just dump the body there?" Beckett suggested.
"Because he'd want the boyfriend she's with to find her," Castle said. "Maybe in his mind, he sees himself the more romantic one-"
"And with the scene set in such a way, he's winning over her boyfriend," Beckett said. "That's an interesting theory, incredibly twisted, but it could be. We just need to figure out what this symbol is."
"You know, looking at how she is on the bed, it could almost be Snow White in the woods," Castle said.
"I know, I had that same thought, but the harp is a problem," Beckett agreed, zooming in on the woman's hands. "Did you notice this though?"
"Yeah, it looks like it's made out of a branch," Castle said.
"I think it is, so that makes me think, he's seeing her as a kind of symbol for him. Of course, what that symbol is I don't know," Beckett said.
"I get the feeling it has to do more with this," Castle said, pointing to the vic's chest. "It has to do with her, since he likely used her own blood. Though if he used his own blood…"
"We, Ryan and Espo might need to call in the psychiatrist," Beckett said, quickly correcting herself. She saw her phone screen light up before it began to ring, and she answered it saying, "You started already?"
"No, I just got the dress off the vic, and had to call Ryan and Esposito before calling you," Lanie replied. "I'm sending you a picture."
Surprised at the abruptness of that statement, Castle leaned over Beckett's shoulder, seeing that it was the same symbol as above the vic's heart. "So you took another picture of the symbol?" he asked, hoping that was the case.
"Unfortunately no, this was in another place… far lower," Lanie replied.
"How far?" Beckett asked.
"Directly above her womb," Lanie said. "The size is much smaller than what's above the heart, but it was made using her blood again; we confirmed it's her blood."
"Okay, then I guess you need to see if she's pregnant, but… I don't get the feeling she was," Beckett said.
"Yeah, I would suggest you find out what that symbol is, because I'm almost afraid to do a rape test," Lanie said. "I'll get in touch with you once I'm done with the procedure."
After hanging up, Beckett said, "If she was raped, we might… Castle, I'm fine," she quickly said as he looked troubled and was about to speak.
"Are you sure," he said.
"You, Esposito and Ryan seem to think I have a problem with it, but I've worked through that with my doctor," Beckett said simply. "So if she was raped, we might have more victims."
"The Om symbol really bothers me now," Castle said. "Though, it could be a sign of guilt, to try and take away the guilt I should say; except for the invitation to the god part of it."
"True, but I get the feeling it's more for the vic, since the material used to make it was not blood like on her body," Beckett said. "So we'll need to wait and see what they come up with next, because this is pretty much as far as we can go."
"Surprised Lanie didn't mention the fact I'm still here," Castle said as he watched her close the screen to the computer after saving what they had on the 'board' so far. "What should we do now?"
Glancing back at him as they walked out to the living room, Beckett was a little surprised that wasn't a pick up, and she opened her mouth when there was a knock on the door.
"Julia's pretty popular," Castle said, picking up the flowers that were on the coffee table as she went to the door.
Looking out the peephole, Beckett was a little surprised to see it was the new neighbor from down the hall and she opened the door. "Hey, Kent right?" she asked.
"Yeah, I stopped by because I had a really great time talking to you a couple weeks ago while I moved in," the man said. "And I just brought these for you, wondering if you'd like to get something-"
"Who is it?" Castle asked, unable to hear what the man was saying, but as he got closer to his fiancée, he saw the bouquet of white flowers the man was holding out to her and took two more longer strides to stand just behind her, but close enough for the neighbor to notice.
His eyes widening, the neighbor dropped the flowers and nearly ran from them, almost bowling over an older woman coming down the hall before he turned the corner and was out of sight.
"Well, I guess you're good for something," Beckett said as Castle picked up the bouquet. "Ugh, carnations, I never liked those white."
"Bad memory?" Castle asked.
"My first boyfriend brought me those for our first date; he tried to feel me up," Beckett said. "Always remember that when I see white carnations. Are you okay Mrs. Parker?" she then directed to the woman walking down the hall to them.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Castle said, hurrying out to take the bag she was carrying; his overnight bag he'd left at the woman's apartment. "I got a little caught up with our co-workers who came to see Julia."
"That's alright, it gave me the excuse to come and ask if I could see her and also how she's doing," Mrs. Parker said.
"Come on in, would you like some carnations?" Beckett asked as Castle held out the bouquet.
"I'll take those with me when I go, where is she?" Mrs. Parker asked.
"Sleeping, but she's been out for… never mind," Beckett said with a laugh as she could hear the Julia's slippers coming from the hall. "Good morning sweetie, how'd you sleep? Good?"
Julia nodded and waved at Mrs. Parker, smiling when the woman showed her the bouquet she had brought with her; of blue irises and sunflowers. She made a gesture of thanks and then hugged the woman tightly.
"So she's doing better?" Mrs. Parker asked as Julia went to Castle.
"Pretty well," Beckett said as she set the flowers with all the other vases.
"I'm glad to hear, now if you need me to watch her at all I am available," Mrs. Parker said, taking the bouquet of white carnations.
"Thank you, I might call you if I need to," Beckett said. "Thanks for the flowers." She closed the door after the woman and then turned to Castle saying, "We're a popular place today."
"Of course, we're all popular people; me and Julia especially," Castle said as Beckett rolled her eyes and the little girl looked at him in confusion. His phone began to shake in his pocket, so he hurriedly dug it out before checking the screen. "That's Alexis. Mind telling her I'll get your TV set up?"
Beckett took the phone and watched him go to the bag on his chair before she answered the phone. "This is Beckett, Alexis, your dad is getting the TV ready so we can Skype," she told her.
"Oh good, I wanted to see Julia since I can't hear her talk," Alexis said.
Once Castle had his tablet set and he was sitting with Julia on an armchair facing it, he took his phone from Beckett and hung up before Alexis called him via Skype. "Hey, how're you doing Alexis," he asked when she appeared on the TV.
"Great, I think the more important thing to ask is how's she doing?" Alexis asked as she waved to Julia.
"Much better, but she's not really talking of course," Beckett said, seeing Julia waving back. "So I'm not sure how much of a conversation you can really have."
"That's fine, I just wanted to see her," Alexis said simply. "My dad said you're staying in from work."
"Gram called you didn't she?" Castle asked.
"I talked to her, she mentioned you've got a case," Alexis said.
"We're consulting, or I am, and much like we did in San Francisco," Beckett said. "We're trying not to leave so we can focus on Julia."
"Well, I hope you guys can because I know she'd be really happy for you to stay home with her," Alexis said.
"Yeah, you realize that I'm not about to force Kate anywhere," Castle said, since he knew his daughter was teasing him.
"He's right, and we're just helping," Beckett said, smiling as he looked a little annoyed.
"Okay, I better go, I have a class and I need to get some homework done for my class tonight," Alexis said. "I probably won't be able to call again today, but I'll try to see you tomorrow okay Julia?" When the little girl nodded she waved to her and said, "Bye Jules."
"Bye," the little girl whispered, closing her eyes at the pain that caused.
"Thanks," Alexis said. "I'll call you later Dad, see you later Beckett."
"Thanks for calling Alexis," Beckett replied.
Turning off the Skype app, Castle looked down at Julia and said, "Well, your throat is hurting I think, after that."
Julia nodded, but then rubbed her stomach, smiling when Castle tickled her side slightly in response. She looked to her mother then, wondering if he didn't understand what she was trying to say.
"I know, you're hungry sweetheart," Castle said quickly, kissing her cheek. "And it's about time for lunch, which I've got set, so you two… have fun."
"You're sure you're a writer," Beckett teased him as Julia climbed down from her lap after he'd handed their daughter to her.
"Pretty sure," Castle replied, playing along with her. "You don't want to stay with your mom?" he then asked Julia. When she shook her head he picked her up and set her on the counter in the kitchen saying, "Then just stay there and watch as I make you a very delicious lunch that won't hurt your throat."
Beckett, leaning on the other side of the counter, watched the two as he cooked some soup, making some salad for herself and him to have with that. She felt a little strange as she was doing that, feeling like she should be thinking of the case instead. But since it was a force of habit, she walked around the counter to resist the temptation to turn her attention to work, and went to Julia, hugging her and kissing her before she helped Castle get everything to the table. It worked until after lunch, when they got a call from Lanie. "Sweetie," she said as Julia was sitting at the table coloring while she and Castle cleaned up. "Can you do me a favor and head to your room? Pick out a game for us to play."
"At least she didn't call until after lunch," Castle said. "She might say something with me here though."
"We'll figure out what to say as we go," Beckett said simply. "Lanie, Castle's here," she said as they went into the entry which would give them a little more privacy to talk.
"Okay, well, I just finished up with your vic, and I was right that she was strangled with the garrote," the doctor began. "But she was also drugged; there was a massive amount of Rohipnol, the date rape drug in her system. Not enough to kill her, but enough to take whatever fight she had out of her, also a dose of chloroform ensured she was out."
"So no evidence of a struggle," Castle said.
"None whatsoever," Lanie said. "And I did a rape test but…"
"Go ahead," Beckett said, knowing her friend was hesitating for her sake.
"Her vaginal area was thoroughly cleaned," Lanie said.
"So was she raped?" Castle asked.
"There was some damage, so I would say yes but I don't think your killer was able to really do much," Lanie said. "If you asked my opinion, he was likely impotent because the worst damage? Was from his fingernails."
Shuddering at that, Beckett shook her head when Castle grabbed her arm, and she was able to say, "So no DNA evidence."
"He cleaned her with pure alcohol," Lanie said.
"Okay, thank you, I need to go Lanie, I have two calls," Beckett said quickly as her screen flashed. "Ryan?" she said, going to his call first.
"Yeah, Beckett, I got a hold of the FBI, they say that symbol on the vic's chest and her… lower is actually Arabic, they're finding someone to translate it now. I'll call when he gets back to me. And Espo-"
"He called me at the same time you did," Beckett interrupted. "I'll call him back; let me know anything else you find out." She hung up and said, "Does it seem like I'm taking charge on this still?"
"I can tell you if you do," Castle said.
Beckett didn't say anything to that, instead glanced over at the couch where Julia had sat with a game. "We'll be right over sweetie," she told her. Satisfied that their daughter was going to stay where she was, she called Esposito and once he'd answered said, "You found something out?"
"Yeah, I'm here at the vic's apartment because CSU is still here and they gave me a call," the detective replied.
"What did they find?" Castle asked.
"Can Julia hear me?" Esposito asked instead. When Beckett replied in the negative he said, "It's a book of sketches with some pictures. And Beckett, the sketches are all of the vic, detailed, even down to the slight bend in her left toe, and in the same way he left the body. And another thing, she's naked in everyone except for the last one."
"Take it to the Precinct," Beckett said quickly, sharing a surprised look with Castle. "Copy every single page and bring it here, we need to see if he was stalking her long before he killed her."
