Chapter Four
The Sleeper Has Awakened


Dear Boss...
"Years from now, people will look back and say I gave birth to the 20th century..."

Jack the Ripper From the movie, From Hell


Previously

"Yes Lanie I'm still on the case, no...I'm fine...Okay, Castle and I will be down shortly."

Rick perked up a little that they would be able to get out of the now seemingly oppressive confines of the precinct. He was beginning to understand why he had avoided the place during Kate's desk duty when there would have been nothing for him to do. Since the car wreck, he had found himself not overly fond of enclosed or crowded spaces.

When there was nothing for him to do, nothing for him to wrap his mind around, those last moments before the airbag on the Mercedes popped...when he knew he wasn't getting control of the car back...watching in terror as he went over the embankment...played on infinite repeat whenever he closed his eyes.

Going outside, even if it was just the artificial canyons of Manhattan, was the only thing that soothed him. Getting out and being active was the only thing that kept those images at bay.

"Come on Castle, Lanie has something for us down at the morgue."

Rick was up before she finished the sentence, holding her jacket for her. Hoping he didn't seem too eager for the excursion.


During the short drive to the morgue, Kate could tell there was something off with Rick; if she really thought about it, something had been off with him for a while now. Though she had not noticed any major symptoms of claustrophobia before, the evidence seemed to be stacking up.

He hadn't so much as gotten behind the wheel of a car since they came home. He'd given up the keys to the Ferrari the last time they'd weekended in the Hamptons without so much as a word of complaint, not even to needle her about the way she drove it.

He used the car service more than he used to, and his complaints about not being allowed to drive never seemed to surface lately. He didn't reach for her free hand or try to touch her when she was driving anymore either. He was eager to get out of the precinct, that was certain; but in the car, in traffic, he seemed to fidget more than he used to. Though he tried to hide it, she could see the iron grip he had on the door handle.

Their honeymoon in the Maldives had been cut short by a side-trip to Bora Bora after only a few days because of the closed-off nature of their hotel suite (it was a feature he had been very excited about when they made the reservations because he'd wanted to assure their privacy while they were there).

The hotel in Bora Bora had many more large windows looking outside, and a big open-plan private veranda that they both made a lot of use of, both for dinner and for lovemaking. She had thought it to be sweet and spontaneous at the time; Rick trying to keep the promise he had made to her that their marriage would not become boring. But now she was seeing something else entirely.

She had dismissed it at the time, but on the one occasion she had suggested he come into the precinct with her to say hi to the boys, who hadn't seen him in weeks, he had demurred, citing not wishing to antagonize Captain Gates as an excuse.

At the look of disappointment she had leveled on him at this, he had promised to have them over for a poker night and did just that. She had thought nothing of it at the time, but the look that crossed his eyes, which he had been quick to hide from her, had not been nervous apprehension... it had been panic.

She made a note to herself to call Dr. Burke and let him know this was something he needed to bring up in their sessions if he hadn't already. Rick would be mad at her for that, but as his wife, his well-being was now her responsibility.

When they got out of her police issued Charger, Kate saw Rick visibly relax. Though she knew they were going inside, she could sense a different vibe from him now that they were working a case. There was a purpose to the visit and they wouldn't be here long. She reached over and took his hand when they stepped into the elevator, though, thankful they were the only occupants. She recalled what it had been like for her during the sniper case a few years ago, and shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for mocking him after the elevator incident when he thought he had been cursed. For the practical jokes she and the boys had played on him during that case; making light of what she now knew was his genuine fear at the time. She felt guilty about a lot of things she had done (and many things she hadn't) back then, some more than others.

'Anybody tries that now, even Ryan and Espo, and I'll make 'em wish they'd never been born.' Kate thought to herself, almost surprised at how fiercely protective that sounded, even inside her own head.

Kate was thankful for the distraction when they finally stepped out of the elevator and found their way into the morgue. She was also happy that Perlmutter was away at a conference for medical examiners in Chicago. He was very good at this job - he and Lanie were two of the best in their field - but Rick really didn't need to deal with the man's obvious disdain for him right now; and she didn't need to be suspended for conduct unbecoming for punching him out.

"What do you have for us Lanie?" she asked, her game-face on, but Lanie was having none of it.

"Don't think for one moment that I buy that 'I'm fine' you gave me over the phone. I saw you at that crime scene, you looked like you were gonna be sick. Should you really be working this?"

Lanie's eyes shone brightly with concern for her, Kate could see it. There was no condemnation or judgment in her tone or body language, but Kate seethed a little all the same.

"Lanie...please, I'm a big girl," Kate complained, her own body language making it clear that the subject was closed, or at least tabled for now. Rick's hand was at her back now, his touch reassuring and calming at the same time, blunting her indignation at her friend.

"And no, Gates didn't find out about your reaction to the crime scene from me, I would never do that to you. Not without talking to you first. You know that, right?"

Kate nodded, knowing this to be true, her indignation followed by a questioning look.

"Yes, girlfriend, I know you got pulled into the principal's office, Javi still keeps me in the loop, even if he is making eyes at Tory now." Lanie said with a smirk.

Kate blushed a little, if Lanie was cracking jokes at her own expense, she knew her friend would back off, for now. But she knew the discussion wasn't over.

"Well I have learned quite a few things since we brought Mary Anne here into the lab and processed her." Lanie stated, pulling the sheet covering the woman's body.

"See this bruise here, running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face? That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb."

Both Kate and Rick nodded at this and waited for her to continue.

"There's another circular bruise on the left side of her face which also might have been inflicted by the pressure of his fingers." Lanie said. "This is how I know her assailant was male; this rules Elena Markov out as your killer. I thought you might want to note that."

Kate wasn't sure if she was disappointed or elated at this news. Part of her had wanted to chase down Elena Markov, wanted to have something more to add to Bracken's guilt, but she also felt a twinge of gratitude to the woman for saving her life.

"This is where it gets gruesome," Lanie noted.

She went on to point out the series of injuries on the woman's neck and lower abdomen. "All of these injuries seem to have been carried out with the same weapon: you're looking for a straight, single-bladed instrument at least six to eight inches long and very sharp. By the wound pattern your doer is left-handed, and knows how to cut into body. He has definitely done this before."

It took a lot to unnerve Lanie Parrish, but Kate could tell the absolutely brutal nature of this murder was bothering her.

"I can't tell you who did this," Lanie said, with a slight tremble in her voice, "but he is not a professional, he's something much worse. The shot to her kidneys seems to be accidental. The rest of the wounds are far too deep and far too intentional to have been made by someone trying to conceal the initial death blow."

"How so?" Kate asked.

"This level of violence post-mortem suggests a lot of rage. This guy wanted to make her suffer before he killed her, but she died too quickly for what he wanted. He wanted to inflict pain. He won't make this same mistake twice. He'll be back and he will escalate."

Rick had been strangely quiet during this exchange. Even Lanie noticed. Kate knew that by the look on his face and the movement of his eyes that his mind was working, that he was making connections, or at least trying to. She could practically feel the frustration rolling off of him in waves.

"Rick, what is it?" Kate asked him. "I know that look."

"Kate, I don't know. Something about the methodology, the weapon of choice, feels familiar... but I can't place it. I just have a feeling we're missing something."

The last time Rick'd had a feeling like this, that that the pieces just didn't fit, was back during their first run in with 3XK. She hadn't taken his instincts seriously enough about Tyson back then. She had been so focused on Marcus Gates and both he and Ryan had nearly paid the price for it. She wouldn't make that mistake this time. She had, since then learned to place more trust in his instincts.

To this day, Tyson was still in the wind. Rick still felt a lot of guilt for that. He was committed to getting it right this time.

She would follow Rick's instincts wherever they went. She trusted him that much.


*Author's note* Hang on tight, more gruesome case related stuff to come.