Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.
Notes: Thank you, V, for editing! You rock. Let's get this show on the road, then. Enjoy!
"Do you want to talk about it?" Richard addressed Kate as he drove them back home, his car forgotten at Matt's with the events that had transpired.
His wife shook her head as she stared obstinately out her window, not willing to show him just how much the situation had affected her. "I'm ok." She insisted.
He contemplated delving further into her feelings, but quickly decided against it. "We should get Ryan and Espo caught up."
"We can't tell them about Roy." She deadpanned. Her eyes remained fixed to the darkened landscape outside.
Castle nodded soberly. "What do you have in mind?" He questioned.
A moment of silence surrounded them before Beckett tilted her head his way to look at him. "We'll have them work surveillance at the senior center and hope this John fellow shows up. You and I will go back to question Joe's and Frank's family, someone had to have known more about John." She responded.
He smiled hopefully at her. "Sounds like a plan." He moved his gaze to the road, and smiled when her fingers trace circles on his free hand over the gearshift.
Esposito and Ryan sat in their unmarked vehicle a few blocks from the senior center. Their eyes and binoculars trained on the entrance and surrounding areas while they each shook their heads.
"One of us should have stayed with Castle and Beckett." Ryan huffed as he lowered the binoculars from his face.
His partner nodded in agreement. "Yeah man, I don't like this. They have a hunch about this John guy, fine, but they are completely disregarding the threat they got in the mail." Esposito shook his head.
"I can't believe Gates denied our request to stick someone else on them." Ryan continued.
His friend rolled his eyes. "We're short-staffed." He shook his head one more time. "Holidays, man." He shrugged before he looked through his own set of binoculars.
Both men sat in silence for a few minutes as they kept a watchful eye.
"Javi we don't even know what this guy looks like. All we have is a description from a few people at the center. How are we supposed to find him?" Ryan asked with a hint of frustration in his voice, his eyes now trained on Esposito.
Javier kept his eyes on the front door. "We take as many photos as we can. Anyone looks suspicious, we snap away. Hopefully we'll get a hit with facial recognition." He replied. "We have to do this, bro. For Beckett."
Ryan nodded as he sat back in his seat. It was bound to be a long stakeout.
"Thank you so much for coming in, Mrs. Cortez." Beckett greeted the woman as she sat across from her. Castle glanced up at Beckett as he waited for her begin their second round of questions.
The woman nodded in response. "Anything I can do to help, Detective Beckett." Her eyes reddened. "I just want to know why Frank died, and who killed him."
Beckett allowed her to recover before she continued. "Mrs. Cortez, we have come across a name and some details that do not add up to us, we were hoping that you might have some answers for us." She began and waited for the woman to nod in agreement. "During our investigation we learned of a man named John that was becoming close to both your husband and Joe, but we cannot seem to locate him. Are you familiar with that name?"
The woman knitted her brows in thought before she shook her head. "Frank never mentioned anyone with that name." Her eyes danced in question between Beckett and Castle. "Is he responsible for Frank's death?" Her eyes reddened once more.
"He's a suspect." Castle nodded.
"But there's no way for us to question him since we do not have a last name or even a photo to go off of." Beckett stated apologetically. "Are you certain that Frank never mentioned him? Maybe even in passing?"
The woman shook her head.
"We were told that John, Frank, and Joe would go out for drinks together. Any idea where they might go?" Castle chimed in.
"Frank liked McMurphy's Tavern in Washington Heights. You can try there first." Mrs. Cortez responded.
Beckett and Castle looked at each other at the mention of Washington Heights.
Roy sat in his office with only one desk lamp to illuminate his work. His fingers pinched furiously at the bridge of his nose, the headache that had been festering finally affecting his concentration.
"What are you still doing here, Hank?" One of Roy's team members asked him from the door to his office.
"Working late, Steve. Heading out?" The older man asked as he lifted his gaze to his partner.
The man nodded. "I was. Anything I can help, with?" He offered with a small smile.
"Come on in, Steve. Shut the door, please." Roy ushered him in and stood to stare out of his window. "I'm looking for someone, but I have nothing in the database. Think you can point me in the right direction?"
"You have a name?" Steve took a pen and a small notebook out of his shirt blazer pocked.
"Detective Alan Smith." Roy responded.
Steve jotted the name down. "A detective, Hank? This should raise flags everywhere. Is the search coming back empty?"
Roy returned to his seat and sighed. "No. Not exactly. Turns out there are too many Alan Smiths, only a handful are actually detectives, none match the description I have for the man."
"I can help you find this guy. Give me the description, I will get my algorithm going, and voila." Steve smirked. His knowledge and expertise in all things surveillance was unmatched in the FBI, and Roy hoped he could help.
"Great." Roy nodded as he handed a paper with the description to Steve. "Go home, Steve. We can tackle this tomorrow."
"No way." Steve smirked again. "I was leaving because I was bored. You just handed me a challenge. I'll leave when I get you your guy." He excused himself as he walked out of Roy's office ready to work.
Roy shook his head, remembering the eagerness with which his team faced challenges back at the 12th. He missed it more than words could adequately express sometimes.
It was a few hours later, when the clock on Roy's wall struck one, that he finally stood from his chair to gather his things. His body and mind were near empty when Steve strode in with his own belongings. A piece of paper extended towards Roy. "No go on Detective Alan Smith." He smiled regretfully. "No Detective Alan Smith with your description works in or around New York, New Jersey, or Washington. The man you are looking for is using that as an alias, or it's a name he casually chose on the spot." He handed the paper to Roy who seemed utterly disappointed and somewhat deflated.
"Thank you for trying, Steve." The man took the paper from him and ran his eyes through the data anyway. "You have a few names highlighted, what do those have in common?"
"They are not detectives, but they do reside in the surrounding cities. One of them actually works a security detail for a company called…" He scratched his head in an attempt to remember the information. "Loksat." He snapped his fingers.
Roy furrowed his eyebrows at the paper while Steve walked out. "Thank you, Steve." He called out to his partner, who in turn waved nonchalantly to signal it was no problem.
…
And this is where I have wanted my story to lead since day 1. Loksat! Finally made it! It's sure to be a ride from here guys. Thank you for sticking around. Keep readin', and I will keep writin'.