Who else is dying for the premiere? It's only like 24hrs to go. Anyway here we are.
A big thank you to the hundreds of followers and people who are reading, please take one more minute out of your day when you're done to review? I'm craving more feedback. Enjoy :-D
A Lipstick Stain
Kate took a deep breath before she knocked on the door of Gate's office. When she heard the invitation to enter she had to stop her hands from shaking. She walked in and closed the door behind her.
Captain Gates removed her reading glasses and sat up at her desk inquisitively. "Detective Beckett. I was wondering when you were coming to see me. I understand you are working a troubling case."
"You've heard about my case sir?"
"Not much gets past me Detective."
"So you know who we are investigating then?"
Captain Gates nodded. "It certainly puts you in a difficult position."
"Castle is now the lead suspect. I no longer feel comfortable being in charge of this case and request that I be removed."
Gates thumbed through the pages of the report she was holding. "What's his motive?"
"Esposito thinks that Castle's past connections with both the victim and her boyfriend might have something to do with it."
"Past connections? There is nothing written in here." Gates flicked through the pages again.
"We have only just established the link after talking to the victim's family a few moments ago. Castle was in a relationship with the victim for a number of years when they were in college."
"And the boyfriend…" Gates scanned her eyes down the page. "….Luke Pritchard?"
Beckett sighed. "Castle's first marriage ended after his wife had an ongoing affair with Pritchard."
"A jury will have a field day with that. You believe that Mr Castle is capable of murder?"
"What I believe sir is irrelevant."
"On the contrary, it's quite the opposite. Humour me."
"I believe that the real murderer is still out there. But with little evidence to support it and my close working relationship with the suspect any decisions I make from here on out are compromised."
"I agree; Detective. But your request is denied."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I may not have a lot of time for Mr Castle but all the same I do not wish for an innocent man to go to jail. You're the best I have Beckett and I trust in your gut instinct."
"With all due respect Captain, I can't interrogate him the way I will be expected to."
"And you won't have to. I will be in charge of this investigation from now on. I will spare you the task of arresting him, and I personally will be conducting Mr Castle's interrogation. But make no mistake, I will go after him until I am satisfied we have the wrong man. I hope for his sake that your team uncovers some other evidence soon; otherwise I will be forced to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. Do I make myself clear?"
Beckett was unsure of how much more of this she could take. Gates assigned Esposito to do the arrest while Kate and Ryan sat in her patrol car. Espo would take Castle back to the precinct where Gates would begin her questioning. Ryan and Beckett would then carry out their newly obtained search warrant for Castle's apartment. She prayed that neither Martha or Alexis were home. Ryan tried making small talk in the car but she wasn't interested in chatting. She sunk lower into her seat as she watched Espo accompany a cuffed Castle into his patrol car and help him into the back seat. She could hear them arguing all the way to the car.
"I want to talk to Beckett, where is she?"
"I don't care who you talk to, as long as you start talking soon bro. You need to start telling us the truth, or else you're going away and they're throwing away the key. On the long ride to the 12th why don't you think about what that will do to Beckett huh?"
Kate flushed crimson when she heard that and it didn't go un-noticed by Ryan. But before he could ask she was out of the car and marching up the front steps to his building. She had to get this over and done with. She rapped on the door loudly only to have her prayers go unanswered. Martha was hysterical.
"Oh thank god. Beckett you'll sort this out won't you, why do they think Richard's murdered that poor girl, it's ridiculous. It's about as far-fetched as him laying a hand against you."
"Martha I'm sorry but I need to do my job. We have a search warrant to conduct on these premises we'll need you to stand in the kitchen please."
"Oh all right, all right." She threw her hands up in the air as she waltzed over to the kitchen. "I don't know what you're expecting to find."
They hunted for a while without turning up anything of interest. On the way out of his bedroom Ryan spotted the sleeve of a black jacket draping out from a washing hamper. He picked it up and a white dress shirt came with it. He gave it a quick once over but stopped when he found a lipstick stain on the collar. "Beckett what do you think?"
"That could be anyone's lipstick." She replied nonchalantly. She tried to keep her tone relaxed knowing that it wasn't hers.
"The Vic still had lipstick traces on her when we saw the body. I normally wouldn't have noticed but it's the same shade that Jenny wears."
"Nice work Ryan, we'll get the uniforms to bag it up, the jacket too, Lanie said to be on the lookout for a black one."
Ryan frowned. He knew how hard this was on her. "Kate I'm sorry. This can't be easy."
"Don't apologise, you're just doing your job. We all are."
Beckett walked into the viewing room and slumped down into one of the chairs with Ryan close behind. They both felt miserable. Esposito was already inside, watching the interrogation unfold; seated at the other end of the table. Gates was in there alone, and she wasn't going to stop until she had answers. Beckett analysed Castle's behaviour and posture as he sat at the desk. He was leaning back in the chair, still not taking this seriously. He appeared relaxed.
"I understand that you were in some form of romantic relationship with the victim some time ago."
"Kellie and I dated in our last years of college, yes that's correct."
"So what happened?"
"College ended. I was busy writing, and she was interning at different law firms. We couldn't invest in it properly. We had never been on bad terms with one another."
"I also understand you have connections with the victim's current boyfriend; Mr Pritchard?"
"I wouldn't call them connections."
"But you know him? Friendly terms are we?"
"I won't be sending him a Christmas card this year; no."
"Please explain your involvement with him Mr Castle."
"My first wife was having an affair with him for the duration of our marriage."
"So it's safe to say that you don't like him very much."
"What do you think?" Castle's arms were folded now.
"So when Ms Donnelly told you that she had moved on with the same man who had been sleeping with your wife, how did that make you feel? Bitter, resentful, annoyed perhaps?"
"I warned her she was taking on more than she could handle. That he would hurt her. But I didn't stand in the way of her decision. This was years ago, what does it have to do with Kellie's murder?"
"I am asking the questions here Mr Castle, if you don't mind."
"You're doing a brilliant job so far, do carry on." His sarcastic tone made it clear that Castle was unimpressed.
"The night Ms Donnelly was killed her friends saw her meet with you at your establishment; The Old Haunt. Tell me about this meeting."
"I had just finished a meeting with my publisher. Kellie was at the bar getting a drink. It was the first time I'd seen her in years so I went over and said Hi. We got talking; her friends left and we got a drink."
"What did the two of you talk about?"
"We reminisced about College; how life was so simple back then. Talked about work; family. Nothing out of the ordinary. She had already had a number of drinks so when she went to get another I insisted on taking her home. That's when she told me she was staying at Pritchard's apartment."
"You discussed her current relationship with him?"
"I asked her why she was still involved with the sleaze. She told me it was for work connections more than anything and she was trying to get up the nerve to leave him. I helped her home and that was the last I saw of her."
"Be honest Mr Castle, you just dropped her off?"
"I helped her inside. Put her on his bed." Castle was trying to give the shortest answers possible.
"And?" Gates prompted.
He sighed heavily; knowing full well that Kate was on the other side of the glass. "Kellie threw herself at me the moment we were inside the front door."
"She made sexual advances on you?" She clarified.
"Yes. But I stopped things before they started. I wouldn't take advantage of her in that state. I also told her that I'm uh…emotionally unavailable."
Kevin looked over at Javi. "Emotionally unavailable? Is that code for I'm sleeping with someone else?"
"More often than not." He confirmed. "He has had that look about him lately. But it's Castle, where his guys. He would tell us." Espo shrugged.
Beckett avoided eye contact with the both of them. Castle's had that look about him lately? People give off a look when they're having sex now?
"Do you know anything about this?" Ryan asked her.
"Me? Why would I know anything?" Her tone was far too defensive for her liking.
"Castle tells you everything."
"No he doesn't. Look whoever Castle is or isn't sleeping with is none of our business."
Ryan and Esposito looked at each other with a knowing look about them. Ryan scribbled something on his notepad and slid it across the desk to Javi. His lips formed into a smirk as he read Kevin's scrawled script.
Put me down for $100 on Beckett. Esposito had been running an illicit betting pool about Castle and Beckett ever since the two of them came back to the Precinct. He slipped the note into his pocket.
Back in the Interrogation room Gates was still going.
"What kind of sexual advances did Ms Donnelly make?"
"How is that even relevant?" Castle was getting angry now. He didn't want to have to spell this out, knowing that his girlfriend was on the other side of the glass.
"Answer the question." Gate's tone was firm.
"She….started kissing me but I pulled back. She tried again, she was kissing my neck. She grabbed my shirt and tried to unbutton it. Trying to restrain her was…difficult. For someone that intoxicated she was quite strong. I didn't want to hurt her but I took her wrists and held them together and moved her over to the bed."
"How did she react?"
"She was upset; she told me she wanted to make up for all the time we'd been apart and that we never should have broken up. I stayed with her until she calmed down, tucked her into bed and let myself out. I went home, had a shower and went to bed. Alone." His tone was firm.
"And what time did you arrive home?"
"Around 9.30."
Beckett was desperately trying to think back to that night. Castle had arrived at her apartment late; about ten. Said he had been held up with Gina. They fell straight into bed and didn't move until the next morning. What unsettled her was that he had been completely normal; like none of this had happened. He could cheat on someone without them ever suspecting it. Kellie Donnelly was gorgeous; it would have been hard for any man to pass up sleeping with her. Kate wanted to slap herself for being so insecure.
Gates decided to wrap things up. "Well I hope you have a good lawyer Mr Castle. Is there anything else you feel I should know before I send you to your cell?"
Castle leaned back in his chair and looked up at Gates with a challenging gleam in his eye. "No. But I am rather interested in my motive; have you come up with anything decent yet?"
Gates paced up and down the front of the room for just a moment before half sitting on the edge of the table. "Why don't you try this one on? Luke Pritchard was sleeping with your first wife. He took your marriage from you; the woman you loved. You saw an opportunity to return the favour. Permanently."
Castle scoffed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Then it's on par with most of the theory's that come out of your mouth every day." She stood up. "This interview is over." Gates walked out and two uniforms walked in to escort Castle to his holding cell.
Beckett couldn't remember the last time she had felt this miserable. She left the viewing room without saying a word and found her way down to the morgue. Lanie was just pulling on her coat to go home for the night.
"Hey girl, what are you doing down here so late?"
"Did you find anything on his clothes?" Beckett's voice was quiet; like she didn't really want to know the answer.
"Honey, I already sent the report up to Gates."
"Please." She didn't have the energy to beg right now.
Lanie sighed. "The nylon fibres found in the Vic's hair matched Castle's coat and so did the lipstick." She saw Beckett's face fall. "It doesn't look good for him huh?"
"We're not looking for anybody else." Beckett's lip began to quiver and Lanie pulled her into a hug.
"Hey, hey, it's ok." She tried to comfort her friend the best she could and held her as Beckett's shoulders started shaking with tears. "Kate; if it helps….." She paused for a moment, considering whether to continue. "...there was no evidence to suggest the Vic had sex the night she was killed."
She let out a large sigh of relief and Beckett finally gave up her charade. "How did you know?"
"I'm not an idiot. It just took me a little longer to decide it was Castle you were on with. With the exception of the last couple of days I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."
"I don't know what to do." Kate admitted.
"You do what you do best, catch the killer." Lanie encouraged. "You need to get your man out of the slammer so the two of you can get back to making little Castle babies."
Kate cracked a laugh. "Thanks Lanie. I needed that. I'll walk you out." The two girls walked out of the morgue; Lanie with an arm still comfortingly around Kate's shoulder.
"When this is all over; I want every single detail; you hear me?"
Beckett had to wait until the rest of her team had gone home for the night before she made her next move. She walked down the block to a twenty-four hour coffee house and waited for Gates especially to leave the Precinct. When she was sure it was safe she went back in and proceeded to the holding cells. She knew she was breaking every rule by going to see him; but she had to. He was going to jail otherwise. The guard on the door owed her a favour so he let her in without asking any questions. She approached Castle's cell and all of this was almost worth it just to see the smile on his face.
"Are you here to break me out?" He wore a cheeky grin.
She reached through the bars of the cell and took his hand in hers. "How are you doing?"
"Oh you know, I'm being charged with murder, so overall not that bad."
She smiled for a moment but then her face turned serious as she asked what came next. "You are serious; about the last month; aren't you?"
"Kate; you know I want this. You know I want you."
"You didn't tell me about Kellie."
"And that was wrong. I was embarrassed. I let the situation get out of hand, I was only dropping her home and it escalated. Kate I swear I didn't sleep with her; I swear. All I could think about was getting home to you."
"I know you didn't sleep with her. The lack of your bodily fluids on the Vic seems to be the only piece of evidence working in your favour."
"I'm so sorry; I should of told you." He couldn't lose her trust; not now.
Beckett could see the sincerity in his eyes. He had a lot of grovelling to do; but there were more important things to deal with first. "I want to come clean about us. I want you to give your proper alibi."
Castle was a little taken aback. "I thought we agreed that there's too much at stake. There are rules we're breaking."
"I'll accept whatever punishment I'm given; I'll be lucky if I still have a job. But there's no point in keeping this secret if it means my boyfriend goes to jail."
"You're sure?" He checked.
"Yes. First thing in the morning, ask to change your statement. It's the only way out. There are no other suspects and all of the evidence supports you. Look I can't stay in here I'm already breaking a dozen rules; I'll see you tomorrow."
"Kate?"
"Yeah?"
Castle lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you for believing in me."
She smiled softly before standing up. Beckett wasn't quite ready to let him off of the hook, but now was not the time to give him a lecture.
Kate left the 12th Precinct that night feeling no better than when she entered it that morning. She drove over to Lanie's house for a much needed glass of wine to prepare herself for the next day. It was going to be one of the most challenging days of her professional career.
