Evening Day 3 – Beckett's Apartment

She pushed the door closed behind her, juggling keys, coat and boxes whilst holding her phone between shoulder and ear as she finished talking to her father.

"No, that's fine Dad, I'd like that. …. Hmm ….. no, that's not a problem, just drop it in when you can …. yeah, love you too …. night Dad!"

She dropped both boxes on the kitchen counter, grabbed her phone with her now free hand and turned it off. Placing it next to the boxes she headed for her bedroom, kicked her shoes off and stripped down to her underwear before going back through the kitchen to the bathroom. As she was about to drop her shirt into the clothes hamper she paused; had she really chosen that green shirt this morning without a hidden agenda? She had, hadn't she … ? There was no way she'd chosen it on purpose! With a huff she dropped it and stripping off her underwear added them to the basket. A quick shower, a change into nice comfy yoga pants and an old NYPD T-shirt and she was back in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of white wine.

Placing the glass on the coffee table she went back to the kitchen counter, picked up her phone and both boxes and carried them back to her couch. Settling down, she curled her legs under her, opened the box of sushi she'd picked up from Mitaka's, rubbed her chop sticks together and selected the salmon makizushi and popped it into her mouth before picking up her phone and calling Lanie.

"Hey, girl! You home?"

"Yeah Lanie, just got in, what about you?"

"Relaxing with a glass of wine and watching The Big Bang Theory … these guys really need help" she laughed, "What about you Kate?"

"I'm fine Lanie, really, just having some sushi and winding down"

"Tough day?"

"No tougher than usual … or at least it shouldn't have been …"

"Writer boy getting to you girl?" she laughed

"No! … No way Lanie! … he's a jerk …. but anyway, I don't want to talk about him … just wanted to see if we're on for tomorrow as usual?"

"What! Katherine Beckett, just why would our usual girl's night not be on?"

"No reason Lanie, just thought maybe you and Espo might have something planned" she laughed.

"Oh girl, I am so going to smack you tomorrow!"

"You don't frighten me Dr Parish …. anyway, I'll let you watch your show. See you tomorrow Lanie"

"Night honey, and don't you think I'm gonna forget what you just said!"

Smiling, Kate dropped the phone on the couch next to her, took a sip of wine and picked out the prawn uramaki, savouring it with closed eyes and a hum of enjoyment. Getting up she went over to her music centre, selected a CD, put it on and returned to her meal. With the last of her sushi washed down with wine, some R&B playing in the background, she pushed the now empty box to one side and sat staring at the other one which had been trying to seduce her all evening … well, if she was honest, all day.

Looking at it she could feel her irritation building up again. Every time she had the guy neatly pigeonholed, he'd go and do something which confused her … and then he'd go and do something else which would again prove he was a jerk .… UGH!

Her hand stretched out almost of its own volition, pulled the box with the blue flower print towards her and then lifted off the lid. She pushed the tissue paper to one side and pulled out the advanced copy of Storm Fall. In spite of herself, she couldn't help but open it up to where he had signed it for her. Her hand brushed over the words scrawled in his rounded hand …

Kate,
I couldn't think of a

better partner in crime.

Richard Castle

She sighed … then guiltily sat up straight and looked around as if ….

Oh shit! Really Kate, the guy signs his book with a corny … ok, quite a cute … line and you go all squishy! The guy's a goofball, don't let yourself be fooled …. just be thankful he didn't add his phone number to it …. and don't forget it was all a ruse anyway, geez, how did he think he was going to get away with stealing her case files …. With a frown she had to admit that for a few minutes she had been suckered … what with the book, the kiss …. Oh my god! I hope he didn't notice how hot and embarrassed I got …. Yeah, not surprising it took me a few minutes to land back on my feet again … did I just think that?! ….. oh dear, shame on you Kate! ..

She'd called down to reception but he'd already left the building. Rushing out onto the street she'd looked around for him, asked a couple of uniforms if they'd seem him, eventually she'd had to call his mother who, after tracking him down had called her back with his location … she had felt guilty about not telling her why she was looking for him ... but served the idiot right!

….. ok, I have to admit I already had doubts about Cabot's guilt, but having him point out that a PDD obsessive would have made sure to use the correct petals just …. Just .. drove me insane! I wish I could have kept him in lock-up overnight .. that would teach him!

Thinking about his release had her smiling at the memory of Martha and his daughter Alexis, they were so different, although his mother must be something else, but the daughter, wow, how could an idiot like Castle have a kid like that? Throughout the whole episode she had tried to keep a straight face, it had been priceless …. until he had insisted they had the wrong guy. Wouldn't she have dismissed it if it had been any other civilian? Was she already letting him insinuate himself into her mind …. no, she already had her own doubts, his words had simply made them crystallise, whatever Espo thought to the contrary; from a murder of convenience escalating to a murder of somebody he knew very well, and then back to a murder of convenience? It didn't make any sense.

… it all ties in around Alison Tisdale, she's the key …. well enough already, I'm for bed …

Standing up she cleared away the table, put the wine back in the fridge, dumped the sushi box and chopsticks in the bin and headed for the bathroom.

Ten minutes later she emerged, turned the music off (it must have looped several times, but she was so absorbed in her thoughts she had been unawares), picked up the copy of Storm Fall and headed for her bed.


Evening Day 3 – Castle's Loft

"Well ladies, it's been a long day, I'm off to bed!"

"Probably feels longer because of jail time Dad!"

"All in the name of research Pumpkin, you know how seriously I take it …."

"Yeah kiddo! Give Detective Beckett a voice in the matter and you'll be doing forty to life research!"

"Very funny Mother, maybe you could move in with me there?"

"Richard, If I wanted to research prison life … it wouldn't be with you present!"

"Eww, Grams … enough! I'm off to bed as well!"

With a grin, Richard Castle closed the door to his study behind him and paused at his desk. Although he had been focused on the Tisdale case all day, there was something else beginning to form in the back of his mind and he wanted to put some of the bones to paper. Sitting down he pulled out his current legal pad, looked at the mess of jotted notes and crossed out texts on the open page and without a moment's hesitation ripped it out, screwed it up into a ball and threw it in the bin.

Starting on a fresh page he rapidly wrote some notes, bulleting some points and finished with a list of names. He kept looking at them and crossing them out when he felt they didn't suit. Eventually two of the names were circled in red; he would look at them with fresh eyes tomorrow.

Dropping the pad on the desk he stood up, stretched, and headed for his bedroom, switching the study light off as he went, the room plunging into darkness with only the lights from the sitting area (where Martha was still enjoying a nightcap) filtering through and around the open bookshelves and their polyglot collection of tomes.

Well the day didn't go exactly as planned, but at least he'd accomplished two out of his three goals … unsettling Beckett had been one and boy had he done it …. he laughed to himself at the look on her face when he'd leaned forwards and kissed her after giving her the book … oh boy, did she colour up at that … and oh! How pissed was she when she'd appeared at the library to arrest me ... he grinned at his reflection in the bathroom mirror ... wow, is she hot when she's mad! ... but really, it was the only way I could get to see the case files, there is no way she would have let me see them otherwise! ...

Switching the bathroom light out as he went back into the bedroom he climbed into bed and settled down, the grin still on his face. The smile faded slowly as his mind went over the case files and the notes he'd made ... why can't she see that the case against Kyle Cabot just doesn't hold up ... he's too obsessive to have made so many mistakes ... the wrong rose petals, the necktie instead of a plastic bag in the Fisk murder, the wrong coloured dress in the victim of the pool ... Ke... Kendra, that was it ... no, too many errors ... the only one of the three victims that had any real knowledge of Kyle's obsessive condition would've been Alison Tisdale …. the killer had to have known both his intended victim and Kyle fairly well ... Alison's the key. It's her murder the killer is trying to cover up ….. how can Beckett not see that!

He rolled over, rubbed his hand over his face and yawned. He was going to prove them all wrong …. I can't wait to see her face when I turn up with the case all neatly tied up …. She'll have to admit she's got the wrong guy … and I will have sooo much fun rubbing that point in ….

His mind suddenly turned to the trip back from the precinct … his daughter was so smart! But he was going to have to have a word with her about suggesting a raise in allowance in the presence of his mother; Martha did not need any encouragement!

His mind was still working out his plan of action for the following day when he fell asleep. Not long after, a certain smart, opinionated, tough cookie of a cop was chasing him round the bullpen which became the public library as she climbed over his book to kiss him passionately …..