Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. No money will be sought for this work.

Word Count: 1,215

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of ex-husbands. Beckett was interviewing husband number six, Neil Finn.

"Our marriage was her longest - 'til Alan. At first - at first it was just... spontaneous. Marjorie was wild back then. When she found out she was pregnant, things changed. She changed - in a good way. She started working from home, joined a twelve step program, put some serious work into our relationship."

"But you still divorced."

"We tried, you know, we really tried. It ended amicably and we agreed to stay friends - not just for Peter's sake. We are..." He sighed. "Were genuinely close. But we realised that even though we loved each other, we just weren't in love with each other like we used to be. We both deserved more."

"How did you feel about Alan?"

"I liked him. Still do. He's a great guy. We all got along."

"Your son told one of our Detectives that he spent a lot of time with Alan."

"Yeah, and I encouraged it. I understand you need to explore every option. I am her ex-husband; it makes sense. And I'm willing to cooperate, I really am. I was not jealous of Alan; I consider him a friend. He called me as soon as he saw the body so that I could be the one to tell Peter."

"Were he and Marjorie having problems?"

"Not that I knew of. You could not find a nicer guy. He wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone his wife. They adored each other."

"You can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her?"

"Well... my ex-wife made a lot of enemies in the fashion industry. That's the only thing I can think of. Everyone who truly knew Marjorie loved her."

"Her husband's priest mentioned she was considering converting."

"Yeah, to share Alan's faith with him. She was always looking to be closer to him."

"What did you think of it?"

"Look, I'm not a big fan of everything the Catholic church stands for and Marjorie knew that; but I had an open mind. Alan's family are catholic and they were all very nice. Alan treated all of Marjorie's gay friends with respect; he didn't care that she had been divorced so many times and he wasn't exactly devout; they lived together for years before they got married."

"What about Peter?"

"We raised our son to choose his own path. Peter was willing to support his mother and his step-father. He loved them both."

"And her family?"

He almost laughed, leaning forward.
"Marjorie comes from a long line of WASPS. They were not happy when she married Alan. If they knew she was thinking about converting? They'd be even less happy. But I can't imagine any of them killing her over it."

"So, any luck finding out where she went?" Beckett asked.

"Marjorie visited three churches in the Los Angeles area," Karpowski said. "We're making calls. Plus we're tracing a call she made a few hours before her death."

"Ok, I just got done talking to father Brian," Ryan said. "He has no idea what could have upset her but he'll make inquiries to his contacts in that area and let us know if he hears anything."

Beckett narrowed her eyebrows as she looked over his shoulder. Hastings was seeing the father out on to the elevator. They seemed friendly.

"Hastings!"

She came over to them.

"How do you know Father Brian?"

"I pulled him over for speeding yesterday. Let him off with a warning; even gave him a police escort to the church with the siren on to get through traffic. Said he needed to meet a parishioner. Said it was urgent. Sweet guy."

"What time did you get him to the church?"

"Around two pm."

"The same time he was supposedly at Glenda Masters' house," Ryan said.

"Espo." She looked up at Esposito, who was already on the phone.

"On it."

Father Brian pulled the murder weapon out of its hiding spot; the secret compartment under the floorboard kin his office. He was making his escape when he saw a man sitting in the pews and froze.

"Good evening, Father," said Ryan.

"Good evening, Detective Ryan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I think you know."

The priest sighed.
"Would I be right to assume that my church is surrounded by a group of your colleagues?"

"You would. You know, your friend, Alan, says you were the star of the track team - I'm not surprised. Detective Esposito called downstairs maybe thirty seconds after you got on the elevator. You were apparently out like a shot the second those elevator doors opened. Amount of uniforms down there, that's impressive."

"You must think I'm a horrible person."

"It doesn't matter what kind of person I think you are. The fact is that you broke the law; the highest law: you took a human life. It's my job to take you in. I don't always enjoy my job, Father, but that is my duty."

"You keep calling me Father. You must know by now - "

"I know you're not a real priest. That's what Marjorie found out in California, isn't it? She met with a man, Father Scott James. He went to Seminary School with you. Claimed you never finished. A few hours before her death, Marjorie got a call from a man she'd been trying to get in touch with: Father Brian. You found a priest with your name and date of birth, used his credentials to get this job; bribed several clergy members to look the other way. Your church was none the wiser."

"I begged her not to say anything. I begged her; but she didn't even care about all my Parishioners, my job, the fact that I could have gone to prison, all she cared about was the fact that her precious marriage was null and void. What did it matter? She'd been married so many times; besides, if she'd just kept her mouth shut, the marriage would still be legally recognised."

"So, you tied her to the cross?"

"I didn't know what else to do; she was going to call Alan; I panicked; but she wouldn't stop screaming, so, I..."

"That's the murder weapon?" Ryan nodded at the crucifix.

The priest nodded.

"I stabbed her. In the back. There was so much blood."

"I bet lots of people think this church is named for St. John, the Evangelist, don't they?"

"Uh... yes. Isn't this the part where you arrest me?"

"We'll get to that. It's named for St. John, the merciful, isn't it?"

"Yes. I - I have done a lot of good over the years. I wasn' t so great at memorising scripture but I preach it every day. I preach about mercy. Something I didn't show Marjorie." said Father Brian, on the verge of tears.

"Doesn't matter," said Ryan, standing up and showing him a digital recorder before pocketing it again. "You confessed. That's the first step. " He walked over to him. "Please drop the weapon, Father."

The priest complied.

"Come quietly," he said, pulling out a pair of hand-cuffs. "Take responsibility and He will have mercy on you. You will be absolved; and you will join Him in paradise."