Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, which is probably a good thing because even though I love the show, I could never write mysteries well enough
Chapter six-A Day Seen through Haze
A fool's hope. Kate slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket, and raised her head to watch the numbers count down, grateful for the societal taboos that kept people from facing each other in elevators as several tears slipped down the side of her face. As the elevator reached the bottom floor of her apartment building she pushed passed the small crowd of neighbors and headed for the front exit and her car, limping slightly against the dull throb in her ankle. Slipping behind the wheel, Kate vainly listened for the sound of her phone ringing with a returned call; several more tears fell as she looked towards the empty passenger seat beside her. Starting the engine, she turned on her windshield wipers against the morning drizzle. Only, a fool's hope.Silently she slipped into traffic, mindlessly following the map of the city in her head.
Time and distance slipped by in a blur until, she found herself pulling up to the corner of a semi-crowded sidewalk, yellow tape roping off much of the overgrown abandoned lot. Taking a deep breath, she wiped at the tears still silently falling and removed herself the car. She tried to keep her attention focused on the short path ahead, as two familiar faces crossed beneath the barrier to greet her; the first question from both of them edging liquid into the corner of her eyes. Giving as believable reason as possible for Castle's absence, Kate felt her voice catch at the mention of his name. Focus.Clearing her throat to mask the turmoil, she switched the topic to the case at hand; trying to keep her voice steady as she responded to the information Esposito and Ryan presented her on the victim. Crossing under the crime scene tape, she made her way to the body taking in mental notes on the scene around her. She listened for the quirky comments to come, feeling empty at the silence. Focus.She felt a tear break free, chilling against her skin.
Blurred eyes turned the papers in front of her into a wash of blended lines and un-readable words as she tried to turn her brain to the task at hand. Several times she caught herself shifting her gaze towards the edge of her desk, her mind involuntarily seeking the reason for the silence from the corner only to pull her gaze back at the sting the missing piece of the picture left. Glancing at her phone on her desk she hoped a text would be waiting, the knot in her stomach growing tighter at the blank screen. Every ping of the distant elevator, forced her to look up expectantly only to be forced to take a deep breath steadying breath. He's not coming. Kate returned her attention the files on her desk, as two concerned faces shifted their attentions on her. She cast her gaze back to the phone inwardly trying to scold herself for her action. He's not coming. You made real sure of that. She felt like curling up against a far distant corner. Real sure.Grabbing her coat, she removed herself from her chair and made for the exit mumbling a hasty explanation to her team.
Author's note: Just learned how to add a line break in the story. After, four stories being published one would think I had already figured that out, lol. Guess I need to pay more attention to the control features. Anyway stay turned:)