Disclaimer: Don't own Castle… just this AU idea. 8-)
A/N: You all ready for the double-update? ;D Together chapters 6 and 7 make about 8 pages and I hope you all enjoy it. We're closing in on the end. After this there are only 2 more chapters and an epilogue left. I have a little announcement in the end author's note. Please read it. In the meantime, please enjoy these next two chapters! Please comment if you can! 8-)
Previously in If…
Beckett gave him a slide glance before looking at either Ryan or Esposito expectantly, "Did you find any of them?"
"We did," Ryan said, "They're all dead."
"All?," Castle and Beckett asked in unison.
"All," Esposito nodded, "You said that her friend Sam said she bounced from foster home to foster home. We found all of her adoptive parents, three sets to be exact, and every single one of them are dead."
"Natural causes?," Castle tried.
"Try again," Ryan said, "They all died in house fires… and the latest one happened two weeks ago."
"Arson?," Beckett suggested.
"The local police just wrote them up as accidents," Esposito said, "There was no cause for any further investigation."
"Well now there is," Beckett said, handing him back the file, "And let me know the instant you find out who she was talking to."
Ryan and Esposito nodded and grabbed their phones to see what they could find out about the fires Anna's adoptive parents died in.
"Those must be the same dates Sam was talking about," Beckett connected the dots, "What do you think the significance of them are?"
"I don't know," Castle shook his head, "But I'm willing to bet there's a connection between those fires, who she was e-mailing, and those dates. Something must've happened to her when she was little and it caught up with her."
"We need to figure out her story," Beckett commented, "Find the chain of events that will help make everything make sense."
Castle smiled. That was one of the first things he had ever said to her on their first case together, "Exactly."
Now in If…
Chapter 6
"It seems like all we have on this case are questions upon questions. Everybody in this case has solid alibis," Beckett shook her head, staring up at the murder board. They had finally filled it with all of their up-to-date information, complete with a timeline.
"I know how that can be," Castle nodded, "I'm sure something will come up that'll help us break the case, something always does."
The next thing they knew, Beckett's desk phone started ringing. Castle gave her a look that said 'See?' as Beckett answered it, her eyes still on him, "Beckett."
"Hey, girl, you're gonna want to come down to the morgue," Lanie's chipper voice came from the other end, "I think I may have found a clue to help you solve this case."
Morgue
"Put these on," Beckett slapped Castle in the chest with some blue scrubs and held out some goggles.
"Why?," Castle asked as he grabbed everything from her, "The last time we wore both of these things when entering the morgue to see Lanie was our dead nanny case."
"Just put it on," Beckett said, "Lanie's still working with the body, that's why we have to put these on, okay?"
"Okay," Castle said as he put them on and followed Beckett into the morgue.
"Thanks for coming down so quickly," Lanie greeted them.
"You said you had a clue that might help us solve the case," Beckett said, "With that as an opening, I dropped everything and got here as soon as I could."
"So what's the big clue?," Castle asked.
"The dirt on her feet," Lanie started and gestured to it.
"What about it?," Beckett asked, as she looked up from Anna's feet.
"It's not dirt," Lanie stated, proud of herself.
"What is it then?," Castle asked, "I can't see anything through these scratches on these goggles. I can't believe these things still haven't been upgraded."
Lanie ignored Castle's tangent about the scratched goggles and answered his other question, "It's soot."
"Soot?," Castle and Beckett asked at the same time.
Lanie hid a smile at their timing and repeated with a nod, "Soot."
"How come you didn't call about it not being dirt before?," Castle wondered.
"I was doing some other tests, working on other bodies," Lanie replied, putting a hand on her hip, "You got a problem with that?"
"No," Castle looked a little embarrassed and scared.
"The fires," Beckett said, ignoring Castle and Lanie's last exchange of conversation, "Do you think she could've been near or around one of her adoptive parents' fires?"
"The last fire was two weeks ago," Castle said, the pieces of the puzzle started to come together to make the picture just a little more clear, "I'd say it's a big possibility."
"I can't imagine what they had to endure when they were in here when this place was on fire," Ryan commented as they made their way through the burned down home of Anna's last adoptive parents: the Snows.
"Me neither," Esposito shook his head.
"What exactly are we looking for again?," Ryan asked as he ducked to get around a fallen wooden support beam.
"Anything that might help us find a clue about what happened here," Esposito replied, "Or any indication that Anna could've been here. Beckett just called to say that the dirt on her feet was actually soot… so it stands to reason she could've been here."
"Hey, Esposito," Ryan called him over, "Look at that."
"What?," Esposito maneuvered his way over to his partner.
"Those high-heels aren't charred," Ryan made his way over to the shoes and knelt down to pick up one of the heels with his pencil, "Wasn't our victim barefoot?"
"She was here," Esposito concluded.
"Not only that," Ryan gestured with his head to the end of the table near where Anna's shoes were. Esposito knelt down to be eye-level with Ryan to see what he was looking at on the table.
There was blood on the sharp corner edge of the table. Ryan declared, "She was killed here."
12th Precinct
"Hey, did you guys ever find out who those people were at the diner Anna's fiancée was talking about?," Castle wondered.
"No," Beckett shook her head, "We tried pulling surveillance from the restaurant to see if we could get a make on them, but they weren't facing the camera… Though, Anna did look nervous and edgy like Adam said. What brought that up anyway?"
"Just thinking about all the clues," Castle shrugged, "Maybe she recognized them from somewhere or something."
"Maybe," Beckett bit her lip, "but without knowing who they are, we can't conclude anything."
"What about that mysterious phone call the principal was talking about?," Castle tried.
"Nothing on that," Beckett shook her head, "The incoming call was from a payphone, there's no way to determine who was on the other end."
"Sounds like we've got nothing but dead ends on this one so far," Castle sighed. It was starting to mirror the case they were working on before this whole mess started.
"We'll catch a break soon," Beckett said, "Something will pop up from CSU or Tech and it'll lead us to something."
"Speaking of which, I don't understand why you just won't let me use my connections to jump the line and get results from CSU already," Castle commented.
"Because, I don't want you assisting us with this case made known public," Beckett said, "And because I told you so… all we can do right now is wait anyway. We've already re-checked everyone who was in contact with Anna the day she was murdered and all of their alibis are solid."
"You checked them all when I was back at my loft?," Castle asked and Beckett just nodded. They were sitting at Beckett's desk.
"Yo, Castle," Esposito got his attention as he and Ryan wheeled their way over to Beckett and Castle.
"Yeah?," Castle prompted him to continue.
"While we're waiting for CSU to give us their results from their sweep of the Snows' burned down house and Tech to figure out who she was e-mailing, why don't you tell us about what we're all like in your dream world," Esposito suggested.
"What?," Castle laughed, taken by surprise, and sat up a little straighter in his chair.
"Tell us what we're all like in your little dream world," Esposito repeated, "Are we any different than them?"
Castle finally caught on to his meaning, "Oh… well, I don't know. I don't know what things are like here."
"Just start stating facts that you know about us and we'll tell you if it's the same here," Ryan said, "Come on, we're bored. We need something to do to pass the time."
"Uh, all right," Castle conceded, "Are you still with Jenny?"
"Yeah, she's been my girlfriend for quite awhile," Ryan nodded.
"Well, in my 'dream world'," Castle used air quotes, "You and Jenny are getting married soon."
Ryan was a little stunned at that, but Castle continued by turning to Esposito, "And you and Lanie have recently got together."
"Lanie?," Esposito enunciated, "Really?"
"You like her, bro?," Ryan teased, smiling.
"What? No, no, no, no," Esposito denied it a little too vehemently, "No, I mean, yeah, I like her… but not like that, no."
Beckett, Ryan, and Castle exchanged glances. They weren't buying it. Castle smirked, "Other than that, you seem pretty much the same."
"What about me?," Beckett decided to join in on the fun, "Am I any different in your dream world?"
"You're a little tenser here," Castle said, "You're a lot like the way you were when I first met you."
"Tense?," Beckett raised her eyebrow.
"Tense," Castle nodded, "You're as serious as a heart attack, you need to loosen up – I've taught you that over the years, you've got more of a sense of a humor since I've rubbed off on you…"
Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito blinked at him and Castle coughed out, "That sounded a lot dirtier than I meant it."
"Uh-huh," Beckett wasn't swayed, "Tell me, does dream me put up with you?"
"Not at first, but now you more than put up with me," Castle said, "I'm your partner."
"I don't have partners," Beckett shook her head, sitting back in her chair.
"Hey!," Esposito and Ryan protested and she immediately corrected herself, "Not you guys… I mean, when I- when I investigate… never mind."
Castle couldn't help but laugh at her slip. Before he could say anything else, Katlynne from Tech came over, "Got those results back for who your vic was e-mailing."
"Thank you, Katlynne," Beckett took the information from her before she went on her way. Beckett opened the file and widened her eyes, "No way."
"What?," Esposito, Ryan, and Castle all asked in unison. She handed the file to Castle and the boys looked over his shoulder. Once again, all three of them reacted in an identical manner, "You've gotta be kidding me."
Chapter 7
"So, you knew more about those little dates than you let on, Ms. Manna," Beckett started interrogating Sam. Esposito, Ryan, and Castle were watching from the observation room.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sam stated.
"You were receiving e-mails from Anna," Beckett said, "E-mails that were re-routed multiple times before they finally got to you. What were they about?"
Sam didn't say anything.
"Fine," Beckett stood up, and headed to the door, "Let's see if a couple of hours in holding with some assault and battery criminals will change your mind."
"Okay!," Sam stopped her, "But you can't tell anyone…"
"Tell anyone what?," Beckett sat back down, "What were you two mixed up in?"
"We weren't mixed up in anything," Sam shook her head, looking down, "I was helping Anna with something."
"With what?," Beckett gestured for her to continue.
Sam looked reluctant to answer. Just when Beckett opened her mouth to gently encourage her to continue, she did, "I moonlight as an investigator…a-a private investigator."
"What were you looking into for her?," Beckett asked.
"I was trying to find her biological parents for her," Sam replied.
"Shouldn't the adoptive agency have that information?," Beckett was confused.
"It got lost," Sam shook her head, "I was only able to find her mother and she had passed away when Anna was about one and a half."
"What about her father?," Beckett tilted her head to the side.
"Heart attack a couple years ago," Sam replied.
"What's the significance of all those dates?," Beckett folded her hands on the table.
"They were dates from her early childhood," Sam explained, "Days she was put into adoption, adopted, school enrollment, et cetera."
"How come she wrote them in the way someone from say England writes dates?," Beckett asked. That little detail was niggling at her.
"It was just the way she learned," Sam replied.
"Was she paying you?," Beckett asked and Sam nodded, "Did she pay you fifteen thousand?"
"What? Fifteen thousand?," Sam's eyes just about popped out of her head, "No, no way. She was paying me about a hundred a week for every week I found out info for her. There's no way it coulda even added up to that."
"Do you know where her current adoptive parents are now?," Beckett asked, feigning ignorance on the matter to see how much information she could pull from Sam.
"Dead… they died in a house fire two weeks ago," Sam replied, "After that, I told her I had to stop investigating for her."
"Why?," Beckett wondered, pencil poised to take notes.
"It seemed too risky to me," Sam shrugged, "Too many deaths were popping up. When I decided to investigate matters for people, friends, I didn't think that I'd uncover anything like this."
"Like what?," Beckett prodded.
"Death, twists, lies, mysteries," Sam got a little louder.
"What did she expect? She lives in New York," Castle muttered from behind the mirror. Esposito and Ryan nodded in agreement as they continued to listen.
"About a week and a half ago, I told her I had to stop and I gave her back all the information she gave me… she must've decided to keep investigating herself," Sam admitted.
"The dates you saw when you went to check on her," Beckett nodded in understanding, "Did you know Anna went to her parents' house?"
"No," Sam shook her head.
"She did," Beckett said, sitting back in her chair, leaning back a little, "She went to the Snows' the day she was murdered… in fact, she was murdered in the remains of the house."
"Oh my God," Sam was stunned.
"Who else knew about you investigating Anna's past?," Beckett asked.
"I was only exclusive about it with her," Sam replied, "I don't think she mentioned it to anyone else. The only person I could think of would be her fiancée Adam."
"Thank you, Sam. Don't leave town. I'll call if we need anything else from you," Beckett nodded and left the room.
"Well that wasn't very helpful," Castle commented as soon as Beckett came in the observation room.
"Do you pay attention when you follow me in that dream world of yours?," Beckett raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Castle said, but failed to see what was so helpful about that conversation.
"Ryan, bring him up to speed," Beckett ordered, "Esposito, you're with me."
As soon as Esposito and Beckett left, Castle turned to Ryan, "What am I missing?"
"The fiancée, dude," Ryan said and left the room, shaking his head, laughing a little.
After a moment, a light bulb went off in Castle's head, "Ohhhhh."
"So, uh, the me in your dream world," Ryan started. Castle hid a smile at the dubbed name they gave what he knew to be his reality. They were sitting at Ryan's desk while they were waiting for Esposito and Beckett to come back with Adam Hatch.
"Yes?," Castle cocked his head to the side. He had an inkling as to what Ryan was leading up to.
"You said that I'm getting married to Jenny?," Ryan asked. Castle just nodded as Ryan continued, "How did he propose?"
"A sweet little proposal here in the precinct," Castle answered.
"Really?," Ryan asked, "Nothing big? Nothing huge like a helicopter ride? I mean, she deserves something big and I just want it to be perfect."
"You don't need something like a helicopter ride, Ryan," Castle shook his head, "You've been planning on proposing to her?"
"Yeah, for quite a while now," Ryan nodded, "I guess I just don't have enough confidence in myself to do it… but more than that, I'm afraid she'll say no."
"She won't say no," Castle assured him, "Trust me."
"Thanks, Castle," Ryan smiled.
"Ryan," Montgomery came up to him and Castle as he handed him a file, "CSU got some results from the crime scene."
"Thanks, Captain," Ryan took it from him.
Montgomery nodded at Castle as he reciprocated it, "Castle."
"Roy doesn't like that I'm here, does he?," Castle asked Ryan as he started to look through the results.
"Eh, we're all getting used to it," Ryan smirked. As he went through the results, his eyes widened, "Castle… take a look at this."
"I've written many twists and have come up with many theories," Castle started, "but I don't think I would ever come up with that."
"What?," Beckett answered her phone, annoyed.
"You'll never guess what Ryan and I just found out," Castle teased on the other end.
"I'm not in the mood, Castle, just spill it," Beckett remarked. She and Esposito were almost to Hatch's apartment building.
"Party pooper," Castle commented and conceded, "The CSU results came back from the crime scene. Apparently, they got some prints off of the table where Anna's blood was…"
After a long pause, Beckett realized, he probably wanted her to ask, "Whose?"
"Adam Hatch," Castle stated.
At that, Beckett slowly hung up her phone and looked to Esposito, "Hatch's prints were at the scene."
"Let's get him," Esposito nodded.
12th Precinct
"You lied to us, Adam," Beckett started, "You said the last time you saw your fiancée was yesterday morning, but that's not true is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Adam shook his head, shifting in his seat, "That was the last time I saw Anna."
"Where were you really between ten and twelve thirty last night?," Beckett asked, "You told my detectives later you were at a party with some of your friends."
"That's right," Adam said, "They saw me, they told you they saw me, right?"
"They did," Beckett nodded, "but that doesn't mean that you could've slipped out and come back before they noticed you were gone."
"This is ridiculous," Adam scratched the back of his head, "Are you accusing me of killing my own fiancée? That's ludicrous. I loved her, I would never do anything to hurt her."
"Heard that before," Castle muttered from the other side of the interrogation room.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Adam was adamant.
"We have your prints at the scene of the crime," Beckett pushed the file towards him, "Now tell me you have no idea what I'm talking about."
TBC
Dun dun dunnnnnn… did you guys like your double-update? I thought it'd be fun to have a small scene talking about what Castle's AU friends' lives were like without him in it – a few differences. I thought it needed some Ryan/Castle bonding. I really liked writing that part. :D All that's left after this is just two more chapters and an epilogue. Anybody think they've figured out the case yet? ;)
Guess what, everybody? I wrote a companion fic to go along with this story all in one day. I was on a roll. ;) :P It's about what was happening in the real world while Castle was in the AU one. I'll post it after I post all of If and I want to give you guys an option. Either I post it all at once or in two parts. Which would you all prefer? It's called Connection and turned out to only be 19 pages. I hope you all will check it out if you can when I post it.
Please leave a comment for this double-update if you can! I hope you all are still enjoying the story as much as you did when you first started reading. Thank you to those of you who are simply just reading this story. You mean a lot to me too. :D
Clois and Caskett Forever! :D
