"Hey, anything on the note?" Beckett asked.
"Believe it or not yes and that's why I called you here," Brad told the two. "Looking into it it's close to a report number on an attempted robbery at a home."
"Any connection to Eileen?" Castle said.
"No idea," Brad said. "Wade's looking at the address more closely but Hutchinson did tell me something she forgot about Eileen." He then explained the man that had been with the vic before she had given the note to his officer. "What do you think?" he asked.
"You do know Eileen is gay," Beckett said as she knew that Brad was thinking of the man as being close.
"I know but she was disguised as a man, in the men's changing room," Brad replied.
"Something else you should know that not many people do; except for her wife," Beckett replied. "She was transgender."
Brad opened his mouth and said, "You mean she wanted-"
"She told us the last time we saw her," Castle said. "She was changing her name to Evander and would go through the process."
"That makes this a possible hate crime," Brad breathed out heavily as he sat back down at the table in the break room where he'd brought the two.
"Possible, you might want to wait and see if it is before you call the FBI," Beckett replied. "That being said, it doesn't really explain why she was there."
"Maybe it does," Castle replied. "Maybe she was trying to see me."
"I don't know," Brad said. "The note was written for you."
"And yet she never approached me," Beckett said as he was looking at her. "There's only a note."
"Okay, we need to get to the murder board and keep this all straight," Brad said, standing up again. He led the way over to his office where the board already had the preliminary information from the case. Once he'd written what he had so far, he turned to the two and said, "The names on the report and the timing of it predate the vic being here."
"We're aware," Castle said first.
"We know Eileen didn't come here until 2012," Beckett said. "But that might mean her killer was here then."
"Okay now the vic herself; her wife; what do you know about their relationship?" Brad asked the two.
"It was good; of course we only saw them out never really at their home," Castle replied.
"And you never heard from anyone else about them? Anything negative?" Brad then said.
"No," Beckett answered that time. "From what everyone said, they were fine."
"Have you spoken to her wife yet?" Castle asked.
"No but Ms. Yearling is on her way here," Brad told them. "It's why I asked you here too; to help me out speaking to her. She wasn't at the game, was she?"
"I never saw her," Beckett said when her husband looked at her to answer that. "But then again I wasn't exactly paying attention to everyone who was there."
"Are there security cameras anywhere?" Castle asked his friend.
"A number of them, one on the entrances to the changing rooms," Brad said. "From what CSU told me the men's and women's rooms don't connect."
"Which makes sense," Castle said.
"Who's looking at the footage?" Becket then asked.
"Rice," Brad answered. "And she'll let us know what she finds. But for now, I'd like you two to see the house." He went to his computer and quickly pulled up a picture of it saying, "I didn't want to show you this," when they looked at him.
"What's so special about it?" Castle asked as his wife looked grim.
"That's where I was kidnapped by Dunn," Beckett said, recognizing it quickly. "Anything about this place?"
"Sir?" Wade said to the chief.
"Is that it?" Brad asked. When his officer nodded he took the file the man handed to him and he said, "Okay it used to be a… meth lab."
"I think there's always been meth here," Castle said quickly when the chief looked at them. "Even before we came together that first time. Anyone arrested there?"
"It was abandoned and then found… because of an attempted break in but they never found who did it," Brad read off from the report. "So no names."
"Then you need to look at the owners," Beckett said easily.
"Renters. Which he did and they're fake names," Brad replied.
"Of course," Castle said with a sigh. "I'm wondering… could we go out there and see what there is?"
"Me as well," Beckett said quickly. "I don't mind going there; Dunn is dead you know."
"What about Whitney?" Castle said then.
"We can talk to her first and then go to the home," Brad said. "I'd like CSU to meet us there." He stood and said, "Luckily she's here."
Turning to look out into the bull pen Castle and Beckett saw that he was right, the woman they knew as their friend's wife was walking with Officer Yorke to lead her. When they went into the interview room they looked at the chief, waiting to see what he would say about what he wanted them to do during the interview.
"Do you know her as well?" Brad asked them.
"We do," Castle reassured him.
"He's right so I'm guessing you'll want us to take point on this?" Beckett asked.
"Apparently you more than your husband," Brad commented.
Looking at him Beckett saw then that Castle was pointing to her and she sighed before saying, "He's right, since I did play on the all female team with Eileen."
"For how long?" Brad then asked.
"Two seasons," Beckett said. "She stopped when she and Whitney got married."
"Would her wife go to her games?" Brad said.
"She did, which is how we knew her," Beckett said. "We'd have lunch after the games and talk then."
"So now you can see why you're the one who's going to be talking to her mainly," Brad said.
"Alright, let's go," Beckett said before they walked out to the room.
"Ms. Yearling," Brad said, inside first. "I'm Chief Davis and this is Kate Beckett and Richard Castle who I've been told you know."
"Hello," the woman murmured softly, looking at the two as they sat on the couch across from her.
"We were so sorry to hear about what happened," Beckett said, hesitating on the word hear as they'd been there after the vic had been found.
"Yes," Yearling whispered. "I'm… you're…" she tried to say. "I don't know what to say…"
"It's alright," Brad said. "We have you here to speak with you about your wife. What can you tell us about her?"
"She was a wonderful woman," Yearling said, her chin wobbling. Before she could stop herself, she began to cry, whispering an apology before the chief was handing her a tissue. "Thank you," she said softly as she tried to stop, drying her eyes.
Waiting for the woman to calm down Beckett then said, "We hadn't seen you for a while, how was Eileen doing?"
"She was good, she was happy… we both were," Yearling said. She looked at the two and said, "We were going to announce this but we're… I'm pregnant." And there she burst into tears before she felt someone sitting next to her. "We finally were," she told Beckett. She looked at the chief and as he handed her another tissue told him, "Eileen and I have been trying to have a baby for a long time and this time it took."
"Congratulations but I'm so sorry at the same time," Brad said. "So, she was happy."
"She was ecstatic and ready for our baby," Yearling replied. "We both were."
"Then did you notice anything lately wrong with her at all?" Brad asked.
"She was a little… quiet lately," Yearling told them, thinking that over as she spoke. "I tried to ask her what was wrong but she passed it off as just a story that she was writing."
Glancing at Brad, who nodded to show he was aware their vic had been an op-ed writer at the Report, Beckett said to the woman, "Do you know what she was writing last?"
"When I heard that she was dead I talked to her supervisor, Alan Lineman, and he said she was in between articles now," Yearling replied.
"I hate to ask this," Beckett said, knowing that she was going to have to be the one to ask. "But do you think your wife could have been seeing anyone?"
"I had that thought when I got the call about Ellie," Yearling said. "But when they told me where she was I realized that it was something else. She didn't act like she was trying to hide something," she then said earnestly to the three watching her. "She went into work, would stop at places she told me about later and was never gone so long I wondered where she was." She dried her eyes and said firmly, "She was faithful and I know she loved me."
"How did you feel about her becoming Evander?" Brad said. When the woman just looked at him he said simply, "I don't care about that, I have to ask for the investigation."
"She was… she never did feel right as a woman," Yearling replied. "And she shared that with me and I really didn't care, I supported her. But we weren't sure about the procedure now with the baby."
"How far along are you?" Castle asked.
"Two and a half months, I found out a month and a half ago," Yearling said. "She did want this baby but we realized we would need to save our money for it. So, we had to put the plans on the back burner."
"Did anyone ever say anything to you? Negative or…?" Brad began to say.
"Only our friends knew and they weren't really going around telling the whole town about it," Yearling replied. "So, we never got any comments that were hateful."
"Is there anyone that would have an issue with your wife; not because of her plans but because they disliked her?" Brad asked.
"There's only her ex," Yearling said after thinking that for a moment.
"Ex girlfriend?" Castle said.
"No, ex fiancé," Yearling replied. When the three looked at her, startled, she said, "About fifteen years ago they were going to get married when Ellie called things off."
"And did she tell you how he felt about that?" Beckett said first.
"According to her he was a little angry at first but she came out to him and he accepted it as he realized their marriage would have been a lie," Yearling said. "He lives here in the Hamptons his name is Robbie Cora."
"He owns the nursery out on the edge of the city," Castle said.
"That's him, he was able to move on he is married now and they have a son," Yearling replied.
"Okay, thank you for speaking to us," Brad said to finish up the interview. He stood and shook the woman's hand saying, "We'll be in touch."
"Thank you," Yearling said. She turned to Beckett and embraced her tightly saying, "Please find who did this."
"We will, don't worry," Beckett assured her before she let her go. She remained with her husband as Brad escorted Yearling and said, "I think we need to check on him."
"Right behind you," Castle said before they were walking to the chief's office.
Sitting at Brad's computer Beckett typed in the name and said, "Robbie Cora, owner of the Bays Nursery Center. Forty-six and married to Antonia Cora, their son is ten and his name is Robbie Junior."
"Anything else besides that? A record I hope," Brad said as he walked into the office then.
"Not that I'm seeing," Beckett said. "Nothing that would hint at a juvie record." She sighed and then said, "Nothing here."
"Okay," Brad said.
"What're you thinking?" Castle asked. "Are you going to talk to him?"
"Yes," Brad replied. "But first I think we should head out that property to see what we can find."
"We'll follow you," Beckett said.
"How'd you know I'd want to talk to Cora at his nursery?" Brad asked when the two got up.
"It's what I would do if I was heading the investigation," Beckett replied.
Brad nodded and led them out after telling Bernier to back him up at the property.
When they were following the two in the squad car Beckett said to her husband, "What do you think?"
"About her news?" Castle asked. When his wife nodded he said, "I was really happy for them until I recalled that baby won't get to know one of its mothers."
"Maybe," Beckett said then thoughtfully. "Maybe the donor found out about them."
"We'd have to ask where they completed the in vitro," Castle commented. At his wife's nod he then told her, "Are you thinking of the idea that the father wants to be there?"
"In the place of Eileen? Yeah that's what was going through my head," Beckett said with a nod. "But I'd like to pose the idea to Brad once we get there."
"Hopefully he has Whitney's number for that," Castle commented. They were soon pulling up to a decrepit building and he said, "It was here?"
"It was," Beckett said with a sigh as she got out of the car.
"Is there ever going to be a point when they will demolish these?" Bernier asked when they were gathered in front of the home.
"When they allot it in the budget," Beckett answered. When the men all looked at her she said, "I asked David about it and there's some who aren't really that eager to spend the money to do that."
Brad frowned but didn't say anything before he said to Beckett, "You're in charge of him.
"As usual," Beckett said simply. "I'm armed so we'll be careful. We're not going in tactically are we?"
"No, I'm just reminding you to please keep an eye on him," Brad said.
"Let's go now, please," Castle said rolling his eyes as his friend smiled at him.
Leading the way down the path Brad approached the door first, his hand on his gun that was at his waist before he then opened the door. "Hamptons PD," he called out into the house when he pushed it all the way open.
"It's empty," Beckett said from behind Bernier. "You might want to just go in."
"I still have to go by the book," Brad said.
"And it might waste some time," Beckett said.
The chief didn't say anything then and just stepped inside, looking at her as she followed his officer. "What is it?" he asked, seeing Castle behind her looked confused at her comment.
"Did you search much here?" Beckett asked. "After I was taken?"
"Not really," Brad replied. "Because we were more focused on you though we did make a cursory search. Do you think there was something to find for this case back in the past?"
"You've been around my husband too long," Beckett said. When he opened his mouth to speak she continued with, "So have I, though I don't think it was directly applicable to Eileen. It just has to do with the killer."
"But what?" Bernier said, having looked through the entire first floor. "It's clear Chief."
Nodding Brad then said, "Should I call in CSU?"
"I would recommend it," Beckett said simply. "And for us to stay out until they get here."
"You're being cautious," Castle commented.
"That report," Beckett said. "That year, could you talk to anyone who was here then and might know of something that happened here?"
"No, everyone in the station right now is past 2014," Brad said. "Brady was the last one from before then and you know he left in '16."
"Then someone you could call," Castle said.
"Weir, a former officer that lives around Long Beach," Brad replied. "I'll get in touch with the station, tell them that they need to call him and ask him what happened in 2010 here; if there's anything besides what the report said," he said before leaving.
Walking out after him Castle said to his wife, "What're you thinking?"
"There was a report of an attempted break in," Beckett said.
"Then it wasn't for the meth lab," Castle said, watching her.
Looking at him Beckett stopped at the midway point of the path before she said, "What if there was something in there the killer needed, what if it applied to him?"
"I hate to say it but it might be gone by now, nine years ago?" Castle pointed out.
"Chief," Beckett said as Brad walked up to them. "Has this house ever been burglarized again?"
"I had the same thought," he replied. "And no, I checked into it and nothing was ever said by the owner. And the owner herself is clean, she lives in the city but she comes out here to try and rent it."
"Now?" Castle asked, glancing back at the rundown home.
"She still comes to check it though she mentioned she's despairing of it ever being habitable again even if they don't tear it down," Brad answered.
"Then she obviously hasn't talked to you," Castle said. He glanced at his wife and then said to his friend, "I um… I don't know what's going on."
"Beckett?" Brad asked her as she was staring at the house.
"It needs to be torn down," she said suddenly.
"Are you serious?" Brad asked her.
"The walls," Beckett said quickly. "Tearing down the whole place wouldn't really solve anything. Can you call the landlord; ask her when was the last time anything was done to the walls."
With a nod Brad left them before going onto his phone and talked to the landlord on the other end as CSU was pulling up to the curb.
"You think there'd be evidence of tampering inside?" Castle asked his wife once they were alone after the CSU team went in.
"Of course," Beckett replied. "As long as nothing was done to the walls we should be able to see some kind of imperfection."
"Do you think it's connected to the meth lab that used to be here?" Castle asked.
Shaking her head Beckett said, "Not really. But of course, I could be wrong."
With a quick nod Castle then said, "I can help you look."
"You thought I was going to tell you to stay outside?" Beckett asked in amusement.
"It crossed my mind," Castle replied with a smile before he looked with her to the chief who was walking to them. "Well?"
"They didn't do anything and there's space in the walls upstairs for a secret compartment," Brad answered.
"Couldn't they have just put it on the first floor?" Castle asked.
"No," Brad said. "I asked the same thing too and she said they'd cause significant damage to the walls if they tried it; it'd be noticeable."
"Then we'll take the upstairs," Beckett said.
"I'll go with you," Brad told them. When they nodded he led the way into the house and talked with the leader of the team before he said, "They haven't gone upstairs, but we can go. Just take these."
Putting on the gloves the chief had given them Castle said, "Are we splitting up?"
"You two go off and I'll go on my own," Brad replied. "There are four rooms up here, two bathrooms."
"I would leave the bathrooms last," Castle said.
"I had that in mind," Brad said, nodding his head. "Yell if you find anything."
After they were at the top of the stairs Beckett led her husband into a room on the right and she said, "Work from the opposite side."
Castle turned to where she was pointing and then looked over the wall, staring at it from eye level. He didn't notice anything and once he was meeting up with his wife he said, "Nothing?"
"Nothing, but I think the fact we're in the master bedroom is the reason," Beckett told him.
"Oh, so should we try out the next room?" Castle asked.
"Yeah," Beckett said as she went to the hall. "Do you want to do me a favor?"
"I'll look," Castle said before he then began to look at the wall to the side as he'd done before. He was near to the next room when he paused and after a moment to double check said, "Kate?"
Turning to him Beckett rushed to the other side of the hall and pressed her cheek against the wall where her husband had. "There it is," she murmured. "Touch the wall; I want to mark it while you get Brad."
"I'm here," the chief said, stepping into the hall. "What'd you find?"
"Here," Castle said, watching as his wife got out of the way for Brad to look.
"Damn, it's almost imperceptible," the chief said in amazement. "But it's there. Okay, you guys stay here I'll grab… something to see what we have there."
"You don't think it could be a bomb, do you?" Castle asked his wife when they were alone again.
"If you're that concerned then put your ear to it," Beckett replied. When he just looked at her she said, "Move."
"No, I'll do it," Castle said hurriedly when he saw that his wife was serious. He pressed his ear to the wall and after a moment said, "I don't hear anything at all."
"You wouldn't, this place isn't hooked up for electricity or water," Beckett reminded him. "Two?" she asked when she saw the sledgehammers that Brad was holding onto as he walked up to them.
"Two, I'm sorry Kate but-" the chief started to say.
"You'll ask her," Castle told his friend as he took one of the tools.
"Alright," Brad said with a slight nod. He then said, "We'll take turns; start underneath so we don't damage anything."
Nodding Castle waited for Brad to make the first hit before he was following with his own sledgehammer. He watched the chief hit the next time and wasn't surprised when the man stretched his arm. "Let her hit, we're almost through," he told him.
With a nod Brad handed the sledgehammer to Beckett and said, "Sorry."
"Oh no, I understand you wanted to do this since you're the chief," she assured him with a smile. She went over to the cracked section of the wall and once she was sure her husband was out of the way she struck it with her tool. After Castle hit it she had him stop and then pulled the drywall off the hole that had appeared before looking up.
"You might need this," Brad said to her, handing over a flashlight.
Thanking him Beckett used it and said, "There's a shelf here."
"Should we hit the wall directly on it?" Castle asked the two.
"That would be better," Brad told them before he watched the two hit the wall until it soon cracked and crumbled. He joined them in pulling off the drywall before he saw there was a lock box. "I wonder now why they didn't come back to get this," he commented as he pulled it out.
"Is it locked?" Castle asked him.
"No but let's get out of here," Brad told them. "And open it downstairs."
Following the chief to where there was an old table Castle watched with his wife as the chief opened the lid of the box and he said, "I was almost expecting passports."
Glancing at him Brad took out the first paper that was on top before he then realized that it was a photograph. "Surveillance," he commented.
"Of the vic's ex fiancé," Beckett continued when she saw who it was in it. She said, "He's coming here to the house."
"Then he was involved in the meth ring," Castle said.
"No, look at the date here," Brad said, pointing down at the date that was in the corner. "From what the report said the meth lab was likely only as young as 2009. This was five years before."
"But the word likely…" Castle said slowly though he didn't continue that.
"There's a woman here," Beckett said, having picked up the rest of the pictures while the two were talking.
"Ah, an affair," Castle commented when he saw the woman and the ex-fiancé were embracing.
"More papers," Beckett interrupted, showing the ones he'd found.
"Paternity tests… it was an affair," Brad said, reading it over.
"Adoption papers… he had a child with this woman," Castle said once he'd read.
"She was born the year after this picture," Beckett said, figuring that out. "And according to this she could be somewhere on the island."
"But what does a fourteen-year-old have to do with all of this?" Castle said.
"We'd have to try and speak to her father," Brad said simply. "They're looking for him right now."
"When did you tell them to do that?" Castle said.
"About twenty-minutes ago, why?" Brad asked.
"I think we should go," Beckett said. She glanced at Castle and said, "We."
"Alright," Brad replied though he didn't really seem too eager.
"What is it?" Castle asked.
"You think it'd be better if we had him come in," Beckett said.
"You don't," Brad said to that.
"No," Beckett replied. "You don't want to push him too far," she explained. "Have him where he's most comfortable and then question him there."
Thinking that over Brad then said, "Alright, we'll stick with that and go to the nursery. Let me call off the search and then we'll go."
Castle said to his wife, "Are you talking to him?"
"Oh no," Beckett replied before she smiled at him.
Confused for a moment Castle then came to the realization as to what she was talking about before he said, "I see… okay. What'll we need help for?"
"First, we need to see if he's there," Beckett said as they walked down the path to the sidewalk. "And second if he is we'll think of something."
"I'll let you lead," Castle told her.
"No," Beckett replied. "You talk first. But," she said as she turned to him and pressed her hand to his chest to stop him. "No crazy stories alright? Just… something that will last- a perennial." She then noticed that he was looking thoughtful then and she asked, "You have something in mind?"
"I'm thinking of planting herbs," Castle said. "Some of those are perennial."
"Alright but don't get too long winded," Beckett told him. "We need to get him relaxed enough for Brad, not focused on just our conversation."
"Don't worry," Castle told her. "I have a plan."
Beckett wanted to comment but she saw Brad was walking back to them and she wanted to tell him their plan when the chief spoke, interrupting her.
"I got a lead on the girl," Brad said. "As soon as called in her name in they said she's in the juvenile detention jail about ten miles out of town. I need to go there now."
"I'm not surprised," Beckett said, knowing that he was telling them he would be going on his own. "But do you mind if we go there first?"
"Would that work?" Castle asked before the chief could say anything.
"It can," Beckett said simply. "We don't have to talk to him right away."
"Do I want to know?" Brad asked.
Beckett quickly told him what she and her husband had talked about before she said, "We don't necessarily need to do that though."
"No," Brad replied. "Since I would like him to be inside the building that's at the nursery. I've been there before," he added quickly to the two since they looked surprised.
"Then I guess we'll just wait there for you," Castle said, glancing at his wife.
"I'll give you a call," Brad reassured them.
"Okay," Beckett said when he'd left. She walked with her husband to the car, taking the keys from him and driving to the nursery since they'd been to it a few times before. "Are you serious about the herb garden?"
"Yeah, I figure it would be good for when we cook," Castle said. "And good for the girls too of course."
"Of course," Beckett said. "But you realize we can't get anything right now."
"I do, I'll get everything noted down in my phone," Castle told her. "But we're going to buy from another place."
Giving him a look, Beckett said, "You don't know that he was involved."
"You don't know that he wasn't," Castle retorted.
"Come on," Beckett said with a sigh before they got out together. Walking up to the nursery she followed her husband to the herbs that were there, glancing around to see if Cora was anywhere in sight.
"If this is his nursery," Castle told her after a while, realizing what she was doing. "He might be inside. Look with me as you're not being very convincing."
Beckett wanted to protest but decided it wasn't worth it, watching him looking at a single herb. "What is it?" she asked.
"Mint, this'll be great for teas," Castle replied. He thought of something and said, "How are you?
"I've been waiting for you to say that," Beckett replied. "And I'm not jealous; you and I both know how long it took them to conceive. I just wish things hadn't turned out the way they had…"
"We'll keep in touch with her right?" Castle asked, glancing around rapidly as he kept his voice low.
"And the baby, of course," Beckett replied. She was going to speak; to say she still hadn't seen any sign of Cora or any workers; before she heard her phone ring. "It's Brad," she said as she got it out of her pocket. "It is," she affirmed when she saw the name. "What is it?" she asked as she answered and then put the phone on speaker.
"I just got a call from Ms. Yearling," Brad told the two. "She was moving some of her wife's things and she found an envelope in the nightstand drawer the vic had. There was a note inside that said she; the vic; would be killed."
"Does she recognize the handwriting maybe?" Castle asked.
"She does; it's Cora. I'll be there, do not talk to him," Brad answered simply before finishing firmly and hanging up the phone on his end.
