Chapter Eleven

She grabbed her keys and made her way to the cruiser, with Castle in tow. On the way to the prison they discussed what they knew of the old case.

"Aurora, aka Elizabeth Rivers, killed three people, all because a guy rejected her."

"She used a drug to lure them in and watched as it, with a spell, killed them."

"During her interrogation she mentioned the name Jez, believing he'd done something to her."

"So obviously she knows who he is. With her help we may be able to find him, and solve this murder." Beckett nodded at Castle's optimism, hoping they could get some answers. If not they were stuck, as they didn't have any inkling of a lead otherwise.

They spent the rest of the ride hashing out everything they needed to know, who he was, what he did, how he knew the victim, where he would be and why would he want the victim dead.

"Hello Aurora." Detective Beckett took a seat opposite the woman, slightly shocked at the change in the woman since her incarceration began. She looked like she'd aged ten years, her hair had turned grey and she had lost a significant amount of weight. If it wasn't for her eyes, she would have been convinced it was someone else.

"Please don't call me that." The older woman cringed at hearing that name. "I haven't been her for years. My name is Beth now."

"Ok Beth." She got straight to the point. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about Jez."

At hearing the name, the woman paled and looked like she would pass out. "I haven't heard that name in a while. What do you want to know?"

"First off, do you know his real name?"

"I only know him as Jezebel or JT." She told them. "He is a very suspicious person and valued his privacy. He never told any of us his real name."

Beckett wrote down the aliases. "What did he do? What was his job?"

"He was my mentor in magic. He knows everything about it. He's also a whiz at chemistry. Whatever type of drug or spell you needed, he could do it. Didn't matter what it was. Everything I know, I learned from him, but he knows so much more."

"What do you mean?" Castle sat forward, intrigued by what he was hearing.

"From the way he spoke about it, his family is descended from the Salem witches. He is very proud of that fact. He never mentioned who it was, but we all believed him. The things he knows, the things he does, they'll make a believer out of you." She whispered the last bit, fearing he could hear her.

Beckett tried to steer the conversation back on course. "Do you know where he worked, or if he had a job?"

Beth shook her head. "No, he never mentioned a job of any sort. But if he did work, it was in some kind of chemistry based sector. That was his passion."

"Can you provide a description of him?"

"Oh no, that's not possible." She shook her head, adamantly.

"What do you mean? You obviously met him to learn from him, right?" Castle asked.

"Yes, I met with him, but he never showed anyone what he really looked like." At their confusion she elaborated. "He wore a glamour, so his real face was always hidden. We saw what we wanted to see. For me that was a young man in his late 30's, with dark hair and brown eyes." She smiled at the recollection. "He had perfected the art of projection over the years, meaning we saw what we were attracted to every time we met him. If our tastes changed, so did his appearance."

"So identifying him is next to impossible." The Detective concluded for her. The older woman nodded at her. "Do you know a man by the name of Grant Henderson?"

"I don't recognise the name, no." Beckett pulled out a picture of their victim and placed it on the table. Beth took a good look at it, then shook her head again. "Sorry Detective, I've never seen that man before in my life."

"Well, he knew Jez. They spoke to each other over the phone several times a month for the last few years."

"He never mentioned him to me." She smiled a little sadly. "But then he didn't discuss anything but magic with me."

"Is there anything you can tell us about Jez that can help us? Anything at all." Castle implored softly.

"He's extremely powerful. More powerful than anyone I know." She leant forward towards them and lowered her voice. "When we met, you didn't meet me, you met him."

"What do you mean, we never saw anyone else in the apartment."

Beth took a deep breath before continuing. "I had gone to see him when you identified me, begging him for help. He decided I wasn't worth the trouble of helping, so he cast a spell. A possession spell. That was the last thing I remembered until I woke up in your interrogation room."

"He possessed you?!" Castle was amazed and excited.

"Yes, he confessed to the murders, not me." She watched her visitors closely, looking at their expressions. The detective was looking at her sceptically, whilst the man was hooked. "Didn't you notice the change in me after he confessed? He took over my body and mind, made the confession and left me to deal with the aftermath. Knowing him like I do, I knew there was no going back. If I tried to retract it, or protest my innocence, he would have killed me."

"You really believe he could have managed that? That he could get into the Precinct unseen and commit murder right under our noses?" Detective Beckett asked, incredulously.

"I don't doubt it at all that he could kill me." She was completely sure of that. "And he wouldn't have had to enter the building to do so. He wouldn't even need to be in the vicinity. He's powerful enough to kill from anywhere in the world, with or without magic."

"Can I ask you something, unrelated to the case?" Castle asked, breathlessly. Beth nodded. "If you can do magic, how come you've never escaped?"

Ms Rivers smiled at him indulgently. "Two reasons, sir. One, if I managed to get out, Jez would find me within hours and I would end up another statistic. And two, he took my magic from me when he possessed me. I'm normal now. That's something he never told any of us, that he could take our powers from us when we became useless to him." She sat forward suddenly, startling Castle so much that he fell out of his chair. "If you find him, Detective, be very, very careful. He is extremely dangerous, and will do anything to get away. Anything."

"Thanks for the warning. One last question. I know you don't know our victim, but do you have any idea why Jez would want him dead?"

"Pride, greed, power, it could be anything. Maybe he cut him off in traffic, or insulted him in some way." Beth shrugged, non committally. "It could be anything really. He's a very prideful and narcissistic man."

They stood, bringing an end to the interview. "Thanks for your help, Beth. You've been very helpful." They shook hands and were led out of the prison.

"Well, that was..." Castle stopped, not knowing what to say.

"I know," Beckett understood what he meant. "But we know a little more about him now, so let's get back and inform the guys." They got into the car and pointed it back towards the city.

He opened his eyes, picked up the nearest object, and with a roar of pure anger, threw it against the wall. Whatever it was shattered on impact. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" He shouted out to the empty room. "They were never supposed to identify me!"

A knock at the door drew his attention. He took a few deep breaths before calling "Come in."

"Are you alright sir? I thought I heard something break." A young woman said as she stood in the doorway.

"Yes, Janice, everything's ok. I just got some bad news and took my frustration out on things."

She nodded her understanding, knowing not to ask questions and closed the door on her way out.

Sitting at his desk again, he tried to calm down and come up with a plan. Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, he just breathed, regaining his equilibrium. Slowly a picture began to form in his mind, the perfect revenge, and a way to get them off his back for good. He opened his bottom drawer by touch and pulled out a blue crystal. Holding it in his hands, he began whispering his plan, embedding the words in it with his will alone. The crystal started to heat up, absorbing his energy so it would be ready for use when it was time. His words trailed off and the crystal returned to room temperature. "First things first, it's time to deal with you, Aurora." He smiled sinisterly at the thought of what he was about to do.

Well we're half way through now. 11 chapters to go.