CHAPTER 4
THE sun was shining brightly as Beckett stepped out of her car, the mid - morning breeze brushing past her face as she made her way up to the Martin's front door. She had decided to do this alone, and Castle had understood, deciding to bother Esposito and Ryan until she came back to the precinct.
She rang the extravagant looking doorbell and waited for someone to open the door. Within moments, it swung open, and a very tired looking Ben Martin, was standing on the other side.
"Detective Beckett," He said, surprised to see her. "Come on in." He stepped aside.
"I'm sorry to bother you so early," Beckett began. "But I was wondering if you and your wife could look at something for me."
"Of course," Ben said, and then put his head toward the stairs. "Holly, Detective Beckett is here."
Holly appeared on the other side of the banister, and looked down. "Detective Beckett," she greeted. "Do you have any information on the case?"
"She wants us to look at something," Ben answered, as Holly made her way down the stairs. When she got closer, Beckett could see that Holly too, had looked emotionally exhausted.
Beckett pulled out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket and handed it to Ben. It was the clearest picture they could get of the mystery man.
"Do you know who that is? Does he look familiar to you?" Beckett asked, and watched as both Ben and Holly really looked at the photo - something no one ever did.
"No," Ben finally said, and turned to his wife who was also shaking her head. "I don't recognize him. Why?"
"He was seen with Adria and Lara at the mall," Beckett answered. "They were sharing a drink together. They looked like they have known each other for some time."
"They never mentioned anyone before," Holly said. "Why didn't they tell us?"
"This guy was the last one to see our girls, and we have no idea who he is, and he could have hurt them." Ben ran his hands through his hair.
"I assure you Mr. and Mrs. Martin, that we will do everything we can to identify this man, and bring their killer to justice," Beckett said.
"We appreciate it, we really do, it's just so...hard," Holly said with a sigh.
"I know the feeling," Beckett commented. She took the picture back from Ben, thanked them for their time, and headed back to her car, stopping only once to tell Ryan to get the picture of the mystery man out in the media. Now, it was just a waiting game.
RYAN carefully lined up his shot, taking everything from force and angle into account. There was a lot at stake if he missed, and he wasn't going to let his partner down. Eyeing the playing field, concentration in full gear, he wound up for the shot, preparing for the release -
"What are you doing?" Beckett's voice rang, throwing Ryan off, causing him to send the nickel to the far left from Castle's makeshift goal post hands. Castle clasped his hands together excitedly, as Esposito put his head down in disappointment.
"Come on, guys, that wasn't fair," Ryan began to say, completely ignoring Beckett. "She interrupted me."
"She?" Beckett said while crossing her arms.
"All is fair," Castle started to say. "Pay up."
"I'm gone for an hour tops, and you three resort to money-games?"
Esposito took out his wallet, placing a twenty on the desk by Castle, as Ryan did the same.
"You owe me, bro," Esposito said to Ryan, who threw his hands up in the air.
"It wasn't my fault," Ryan said.
"Ladies, can you two take your bickering else where? You are making Andrew Jackson very upset," Castle said, about to pick up the forty dollars he just won, when Beckett's hand landed on the money before he could reach it.
"Now, detective, isn't that robbing?" Castle joked.
"If by robbing you mean my patience, then yes, it is."
Castle just gave her a touché look, as she released her grip on the money. However, instead of collecting it, he gave it back to Esposito and Ryan. After all, he really didn't need it, and in all fairness, Ryan's last shot was interrupted. If he was going to take their money, it would be a game they all loved, in a neutral setting free from disturbances, with equal footing, and where the stakes were higher - poker.
"Okay," Castle said. "Poker. Saturday night. My place."
"In." Esposito said without hesitation.
"Me too," Ryan added.
"What about you Beckett?" Castle asked.
"I don't know, Castle. I usually have dinner with my father on Saturday's."
"Fair enough," Castle said. "What about you, Captain?"
Everyone turned to see Captain Roy Montgomery exit his office.
"Poker game?" Roy asked.
"Yep," Castle responded.
"Why not?" He said, before his conversation took a serious turn. "I was hoping you four could update me on this case."
"We have a lead, a young unidentified male. His picture is out in the media," Beckett said. "He could have been the last one to see them alive."
"The Commissioner is really breathing down my neck on this one. Apparently the Mayor is friends' with the Martins. They both go to the same golf club."
"We are doing everything we can sir," Beckett said.
"I know. But i have a press conference to attend. Wish me luck."
The Captain waved goodbye as he headed toward the elevator, leaving the four of them alone at the desk.
"Okay," Beckett said. "Let's run over what we know so far."
Ryan answered first. "Adria and Lara's bodies were dumped, and possibly killed using a hunting knife. ETA of death is around 6-8pm"
"They were at the mall, but not for more then an hour. And they left with a mystery guy," Esposito added.
"Couple that with the fact that they usually go to a movie, but this time they didn't," Castle finished.
"Still a lot of holes," Esposito commented.
"I think we are about to get some filled," Beckett suddenly said, looking toward the elevator as a young male stepped off, and apprehensively made his way into the bull pen.
The three guys turned around to see who she was looking at, and from Castle's perspective, it was kind of too good to be true.
Beckett put down her notebook and made her way over to the young man, and introduced herself.
THE interrogation room was very bright, with white walls and a large mirror. The only other furnishing in the room was a metal table, and two chairs. It was a setting that no one liked to be in, especially if you were sitting on the opposite side of the chair.
The door to the interrogation room opened and Beckett and Castle stepped in. Beckett was holding a piece of paper, the black haired boy's criminal record check, and she placed it on the table. The young man was clearly nervous and antsy. Also, the fact that he was here in the first place intrigued Castle on so many levels.
"Alexander Danes," Beckett began to say in her cop voice.
"I go by Xander," He said nervously, and immediately regretted it, by shifting his eyes back down on the table. He was turning all shades of red, and Beckett felt sorry for him. This kid was a college student, and he didn't even have a criminal record. It was obvious that she didn't have to go all tough cop on him - at least not yet, anyway.
"Xander, can you tell me what brings you here?" She asked, this time in a softer voice.
Xander looked back at Beckett. "I saw my picture on the news. They said it was important to talk to the police, so I came."
Beckett nodded her head. "Do you know why we want to talk to you?"
Xander took a deep breath, almost as if he was going to cry. "It's about Adria and Lara, isn't it."
Beckett nodded her head. "You know about them?"
"I heard about it on the news," He said, his voice shaking. "I still can't believe it."
"You seem very upset," Castle added, from the back of the interrogation room.
"They were my best friends..." Xander said sadly.
"The funny thing is, we showed your picture to their parents, and they haven't seen you before," Beckett probed.
"That's because our friendship was a secret. They didn't want anyone to know."
"How come?" Asked Beckett.
"I never asked. I was just thankful to get out once in awhile. I don't have friends."
"How long have you known them?" Castle asked, making his way closer to Beckett.
"We met two years ago. I was sitting by myself in the food court, and they were sitting together next to me. They were talking about a TV show they liked, and I was a fan of it too, so I said something about it, and we just started talking. By the end of it, we sort of became friends."
"And you met them at the mall?"
"Yes, but not all the time. Maybe once a week we would get together. Hang out, maybe catch a movie. It was an afternoon to evening thing." Xander looked up at Castle. "They were a fan of your books. I waited with them for hours so they could pick up Naked Heat before the store even opened. We drank so much coffee that morning..." His voice trailed as he remembered happier times.
"The day that they were murdered, we have you on the security camera at the mall for less then an hour," Beckett said, bringing the conversation back on focus.
"Yes. Adria and Lara texted me like they usually did to meet for around two. We sat down, had drinks and talked, but they said they couldn't stay long. That their parents wanted them home around three."
"When we spoke to the Martins, they said they weren't expecting Adria and Lara home for dinner," Beckett said.
"And why would you go to the mall to meet them for an hour?" Castle pondered out loud.
"I live in walking distance to the mall, so I didn't mind. It wasn't a waste of time for me. I enjoy their company. It's better then being alone all the time," Xander paused. "Anyway, we walked to our usual exit/entrance, but something was off, and now I blame myself. I should have done or said something..."
"What are you talking about Xander?" Beckett asked.
"Well, usually Adria and Lara take a taxi to the mall. There and back home. In fact, when I started heading in the opposite direction back to my place, they were trying to hail a cab. But for some reason, I turned back - I don't know why - I think I wanted to tell them something, but instead of them getting in a cab, they were heading down toward the subway, which was unusual because they told me they have never been on the subway, and wouldn't even know how to get around on one."