Genre: Romance, Drama, Crime, Family, Humor
Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.
A/N #1: Since the next chapter after this is short, and because I just decided it would be better to group the two chapters together, I'm going to be posting the next one a few hours after this one. So if you'd like to read it it'll be up then!
A/N #2: I had really been wondering what readers would think of the last chapter, so it was great to get to read the feedback for it and I'd love to get to my thank yous for that! Shutterbug5269 (I wasn't surprised to see that you had the reaction to the last chapter that you did. And you do make a point; it was mean what happened to Beckett. And I wasn't too shocked either that you felt sympathy for Beckett, I did figure I'd get that reaction from readers), Beckett-Castle4ever (It was nice to see that you thought the last chapter was a really good one. Not surprised that you too felt bad for Beckett, again, had expected readers to think that. And it was great to see that Castle having amnesia was such a twist; had been hoping for that. I was really happy to see that you thought it was nice to see him having the flashbacks he did and of course happy you enjoyed those flashbacks! Really glad that you can't wait to see what'll happen next with this story, and now you don't need to wait any longer!), vetgirlmx (I was happy to read you too thought the last chapter was a very nice one as you said. And I kinda thought that chapter had a more minor cliffhanger, lol, but that might be because I'm writing the story, sorry about that. And I really had to laugh at what you said about misreading the title, if it had been what you'd thought it was, lol, the story would have gone in a whole different direction, lol. And I thought I'd put down the wrong title myself when you said that, so glad in the end everything was okay. Yeah, you weren't kidding about them having different nights, and not surprised you felt bad for Beckett. I wouldn't be able to imagine what she went through either. And you'll have to wait and see how long that lasts of course, but, not a shock you're hoping it doesn't last for long! Great to see that I surprised you so much with the amnesia that Castle had. But you got part of what I did with those flashbacks; to fill the readers in on some of what went on between the last story and this current one. Of course, really happy that you liked reading them too! Pleased to see you're wondering how Castle's going to get out of there and how he's going to get back to Beckett, since you'll want to continue with the story!), MichelleBell16 (I'm not surprised to see you're wondering whose body it is that was burned up. Neither was I too surprised that you're glad he's alive and also that he remembers who is and everyone in his life too. I was so glad to read that you enjoyed the flashbacks with the girls; I thought you might actually, lol, since you're right they haven't been in the story too much. And that's another reason why I wrote those flashbacks, to be able to fit in some family time into this story. And I'm not shocked to see you want Beckett to figure that Castle is alive soon as well as find him. Was nice to see that you thought it was a great chapter and that you want me to update soon. Which of course I'm doing now, lol, so hope you'll enjoy!), life's a mystery (No surprise seeing that you too were feeling sympathy for Beckett, thinking he's dead. And not surprised that you want to see them getting back to one another soon, I figured a lot of fans would think that. And I thought you too might worry about Castle's amnesia, and not surprised that you were glad to see that they came back to him) and TORONTOSUN (Glad to see you liked the way Castle's memories came back to him with the pictures and flashbacks. Not surprised you want him to make it back to Beckett, that I was expecting, lol. And you'll have to see how he'll handle the cuffs and if Beckett will stay or not). Thanks so much to all of you who let me know what you thought, I am so grateful for all the reviews I got and I appreciate you taking the time to write the; as always!
A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Flying Hour written by George Harrison and Mick Ralphs and sung by George, from the original rejected track listing of George's album Somewhere in England.
Future May Not Be At All
When Beckett opened her eyes she was a little confused as to where she was before she saw the bookshelves to her right. And when she realized that what she had just been dreaming about was that; a dream; she wrapped her arms tighter around herself, trying to forget what she had seen. But everything came rushing back to her with her helpless to stop it, remembering the explosion, the frantic search for Castle and finding his body… She stopped herself there, knowing if she dwelled on it she was going to go crazy with the memory of that moment knowing he was dead. She got off of the second armchair in the room, the only place in the cabin she found she could fall asleep without being jolted awake by recalling being with her husband.
Walking over to the table, Beckett let out a sigh as she saw the paper was filled with notations she'd made going over hers and Castle's investigation and what had happened with the explosion. But all of that didn't tell her where she could find Hill and who his accomplice was. She went over to the kitchen, taking an apple from the fridge, not really wanting to eat, though she knew she had to. She got a knife and went back to the armchair; that one spot somehow becoming a safe haven for her, as it was harder for her to evoke in her mind what she'd lost. But while that had worked when she was fatigued and falling asleep, in the harsh light of day it wasn't so easy.
The blade of the knife dug into the apple's green peel, and sliced it open as one thought that Beckett had had the night before kept coming back to her. "It wasn't long enough," she finally admitted out loud, thinking that might make her stop saying it like a mantra. "Eight years was nowhere near long enough," she continued, relieved she wasn't crying but feeling as if she was very cold. She ate a slice of apple finally, studying the creamy flesh of the fruit but not seeing it. Her dreams had been a hodgepodge of memories; understandable since she couldn't really control what she saw when she dreamed. But Castle had of course been in them which had been a joy to see as she was experiencing them but in the day they were brutal to face.
Taking her phone out of her pocket then, Beckett breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that there was still no reception as she still had no idea how she was going to tell her family that Castle was dead. She stared at the screen of her phone, hesitating for a moment before she went to her gallery, looking at the one picture she kept out of the folders she had. It was of her and Castle with their daughters, she had been taking a picture the first of each month since Eliza had been born, wanting to document in that way how she and Julia grew; the other pictures in a folder. Tears in her eyes she went to the pictures of her and Castle, some of just him and also of him with the girls there. She paused at one and a tear snaked its way down her cheek before she could stop it as she could vividly recall when she'd taken the picture of Castle on his back with Julia, Eliza who was around six months old in between them.
Walking down the hall, Beckett paused as she heard Castle talking, smiling when she quickly discerned who he was talking to. She walked a little faster, trying to go as quietly as she could when she heard Julia's giggle and Eliza's cooing.
"This seems pretty uncomfortable," Castle was saying to his daughters as they were all on their stomachs. "How do you stay like this for so long?" he asked Eliza though he obviously didn't expect an answer.
"I think the blanket helps Daddy," Julia said with a wide smile on her face as she leaned her face close to her sister's to kiss her cheek.
"I guess, maybe it's because… oh, I guess we're going this way now," Castle said, interrupting himself when the baby rolled over onto her back then and he and Julia followed suit. He wasn't surprised when the little girl laughed softly and copied her sister in kicking her legs in the air a few times. He'd been left to watch the girls while Beckett had cleaned up from lunch, and he and Julia had decided to spend their time seeing the world through Eliza's eyes; as he had put it when he'd suggested it. "This is a lot better," he commented.
"That's 'cause we lie down like this when we're grownups," Julia said.
"Oh, well if you're a grown up Miss Julia then I must be ancient," Castle said, keeping his gaze on the ceiling above them. He laughed when he heard running and Julia suddenly climbed on his stomach, trying to tickle him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" he said though he knew she wasn't mad.
"Good," the little girl replied before they both looked at Eliza at the same time, seeing she was sucking on her hand in her mouth.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Castle said, carefully withdrawing it. "Why don't you try your keys?"
"Interesting parenting style you have love," Beckett said, walking into the room after getting some pictures with her phone of them.
"I do what I can," Castle said, tilting his head back to watch her walking up to them. "So, care to join us?"
"Yeah Mommy! Come and lay down it's really fun," Julia cried as she was on her side so she could look at them.
"Another time," Beckett replied with a smile. "For now though, someone needs to have a nap you know."
"Oh fine, I'll sleep right here if that's okay," Castle said, turning on his side towards the girls, letting Eliza take his index finger with her hand.
"Not you," Beckett said simply. "Come on sweetie," she said as she reached over him and pulled the baby off the floor.
Sighing, Castle stood and then picked Julia up, carrying her after her mother to Eliza's room where they kissed the baby goodnight. "Okay, so since it's a Saturday," he said once they were out in the hall walking to the stairs. "What would you like to do?"
Julia, since that question was directed to her, was quiet for a moment before she said, "Can we fly my kite?"
"Get it," Beckett urged her. She turned to her husband then as they headed down to the door out back and told him, "You're a great father you realize that right."
"You saw me with our girls?" Castle asked her, smiling slightly at her very serious tone.
"I did, got some pictures as well," Beckett told him before she showed him on her phone.
His smile growing wider at the sight of the three of them laying on their backs, Castle wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her close against his side and murmuring to her, "We have a beautiful family love."
"We do, but for the moment…" Beckett said, pulling on the front of his shirt until their lips met. She momentarily forgot that Julia was about to join them, instead she took the time to enjoy that kiss as Castle's tongue slowly slipped past her parted lips until they gently curled together. Her hands went from his shirt to around his neck, holding onto him tightly until she heard the thud of Julia's feet on the stairs.
"Easy sweetheart," Castle said as he was facing the staircase. "You'll wake up your sister."
"Sorry, but I wanted to tell you I was here, so you wouldn't get scared," Julia said with a wide smile, holding up her phoenix kite her grandmother had bought for her in Indonesia. "Now?"
"Yes, come on," Castle said, taking her hand. "You too," he said shortly to Beckett before he dragged her out.
"I was coming with you," she said with a laugh as they went down to the grass. "I'll take some pictures," she suddenly said.
"But you have your phone Mommy!" Julia cried in protest as Beckett went back inside the house. "Wait," she said as her father tried to take her kite to get ready to hold it up for her.
"She'll come back; see there she is already," Castle told her as his wife was coming out of the door. "Is she okay?"
"I didn't hear anything," Beckett said, since she had the baby monitor speaker in her pocket. "Okay, start," she said, laughing as she saw the way the two were waiting for her. As soon as Castle had the kite in hand, walking backwards, she began to take pictures, of both her husband and their oldest daughter who kept teasing him by crying out, "Go back more!" Finally though the kite was up in the air and she managed to get a shot of them and the bird made of fabric above them.
Interrupting into her own thoughts Beckett jumped up from the chair, the half of the apple she hadn't eaten tumbling to the floor, the knife sliding along the back of her right hand as it did that. The pain from it brought her back to the present and wincing she hurried over to the kitchen, rinsing the long but shallow cut to keep from bleeding on the furniture. She sighed as she realized her phone was still in her hand and she looked at the black screen, wondering if she wanted to turn it back on and be reminded of her loss even more than she was already.
For a few minutes though Beckett had a reprieve from that as she picked up the apple and knife. She went to the window next to the door and glanced out to take a look at the snow. It was deep and she wasn't exactly looking forward to walking out in it. But since the sun was shining she could see it was melting already and she glanced at her watch, deciding to take one more look at the murder board before she left. When she got to the table though she found her phone where she'd left it, for some reason directly in the middle of the paper murder board. She picked it up and turned it on, telling herself that she was only going to get out of her picture gallery so she could get to work. But when the screen came on, she saw a picture of her and Castle after they'd been married; a little before the reception had started. She slid her finger across, not wanting that reminder at all though she was hard pressed to forget the day as it was one of her best memories with her husband. She was startled to find the next picture was of her, Castle and Julia together in what looked like a Victorian parlor, then suddenly said, "The day before." That memory was very strong, as she had been reassured while they'd gone out to lunch with their daughter that she had found someone she could love far more than she thought possible; as well as giving Julia the best father she could possibly have found for the little girl. "And for Eliza too," she murmured to herself as she recalled being pregnant that day before the wedding.
When they stepped inside the home, Julia looked up at Castle and asked, "This is where we eat?"
"It's a special lunch," he replied, looking at Beckett.
Smiling, as a way to tell him she wouldn't let Julia know what their lunch was, Beckett squeezed their daughter's hand gently before they followed Castle inside. "So tonight we're going to have that dinner," she told the little girl.
"I remember," Julia said quickly. "I can't wait to see Mari so she can meet Celia."
"I'm not too surprised," Castle said, helping his fiancée into her chair. "But for now, we're going to have this for lunch," he said as a waiter came over with a teapot.
"Which is what exactly?" Beckett asked.
"Spearmint," Castle quickly assured her. "I didn't think you'd want her to have regular tea; besides the fact you can't right now."
Nodding, Beckett looked with him at their daughter, seeing that she seemed to be excited. "Do you know what this is sweetie?" she asked.
"Is it the tea they have in England? With little sammiches and treats?" Julia asked, sitting up straighter at their gazes.
"It is," Castle said. "I heard about this place that just opened and thought you'd want to try it."
When Julia nodded rapidly in response to that, Beckett turned to him and asked, "Our family didn't want to join us?"
"I asked all three of them but even Alexis said for us to go on our own," Castle said. "You know if we go to England with them, we're making them go to an afternoon tea."
"They don't like it?" Julia asked.
Before he could answer that question, Castle had to quickly order which tea they wanted, namely what to have to eat with their spearmint tea. After the waiter had gone he turned to the little girl and told her, "I don't think they were hungry for it. As far as I know Alexis is taking your grandfather to the barbeque place on the outskirts of Southampton and my mom is going to her friend's for lunch."
"Well, we'll have breakfast tomorrow," Beckett replied. "Since we're all sitting at the same table."
"Are you nervous Mommy?" Julia whispered.
"No," Beckett said, smiling as she watched Castle shake out Julia's napkin over her lap.
"I guess you can't 'cause you have the baby there," Julia said in a low voice, glancing at her mother's stomach.
"The baby's not exactly there, remember I told you sweetie," Beckett replied.
"I forgot," Julia said, recalling then. She saw the waiter coming over then and sat a little straighter as he set down the three tiers of sandwiches, cakes and scones in the middle of the table. "What can I eat?" she asked quickly once they were alone again.
"There are cucumber sandwiches, watercress and ham, which of them do you want?" Castle asked.
"Can I try watercress?" Julia asked interestedly.
"If you don't like it you can give it to Castle," Beckett said as he handed their daughter a tiny sandwich. "I told you," she said to him then.
"Well, considering we're reading her Trumpet of the Swan…" Castle said with a smile.
"I love that book," Julia said quickly before she took a sip of her weak tea and then nibbled a corner of the sandwich, getting some of the watercress.
"So did Alexis," Castle said in response as he got a few sandwiches after Beckett had.
Hearing his tone of voice, Beckett glanced at him and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"No, I'm wondering if you're going to be okay with us gone?" Castle asked their daughter.
"Yeah," Julia said, hurriedly swallowing a bite of watercress sandwich. "Why?"
"We're both worried you might not like us going away," Beckett said, understanding why he'd asked that. "We haven't really done that before, just a couple times for more than a few days really."
"I don't like it," Julia said, pursing her lips after thinking about that. "But it's a honeymoon, you have to go or else you're not going to be really married."
Jumping slightly as Castle started coughing next to her, Beckett thwacked him on the back before she said, "That's not really what it's for. Remember we told you it's for a couple to get used to being married. Who told you a honeymoon was for that?"
"A girl at my old school," Julia said, frowning. "She said that you go on a trip like that so you're for real married or else you're not."
"I think she's mistaking the honeymoon with the marriage license," Castle said with a slight cough as he recovered. "But you should have a lot of fun," he told her.
"Yeah, 'cause my friends will be here and Mari is next door," Julia said excitedly, starting to jump up and down in her chair before she quickly stopped herself.
"Keep eating sweetie," Beckett urged her.
"But will I get to hear where you go?" Julia asked, picking up the second sandwich on her plate.
"You will," Castle replied. "Why don't you try and guess where I'm taking your mom?"
Beckett looked on in amusement as Julia did just that, laughing softly with her fiancé as their daughter's guesses became a little outrageous towards the end of the meal. "I don't think," she said as she was taking her to the entrance while Castle was paying for lunch. "That he would take me to Antarctica, since there aren't any hotels there."
"I would go, to see the penguins," Julia told her mother seriously before they went outside. She cried out when Castle picked her up and after he put her on his shoulders said, "Wouldn't you go to see them?"
"I would, but there's just the problem of it being super cold," he replied. "But we've seen penguins before luckily."
"Yeah," Julia sighed. "Now can we go swimming?" she asked eagerly, leaning her cheek on the top of his head.
"Love?" Castle asked.
"Go," Beckett said, following them to the car. She watched them start to sing together; the song Faster they'd been listening to right before they'd arrived; as Julia was humming. Seeing the smile on her daughter's face, she had to wonder if tomorrow would finally be the day that Julia would call him daddy. She sighed a little under her breath, hoping that the little girl would give Castle that as a wedding present at the very least; knowing she herself would count it as a gift too.
Opening her eyes, Beckett allowed herself one more picture before she tried to forget so she could focus on trying to find Hill. She saw it was of four paper cranes in a display box, and she remembered their first anniversary. Castle had been consistent with his gifts for her; as he'd promised when they'd been a month into their marriage. Their second anniversary she couldn't help smile as she remembered they had been at home again, but he'd bought a hammock for her, and had set it in the middle of the yard so they could look up at the stars after dinner; the gift being the cotton cover for it according to him. Their third anniversary they also celebrated at home and he'd given her a crystal decanter with the date of their wedding etched on the bottom of it, using it with their dinner they'd had directly on the beach. She smiled to herself, remembering how he'd promised her their fourth anniversary wasn't going to disappoint, but it was a weak attempt at a smile, knowing they weren't going to get the chance to keep celebrating.
Shaking her head before that thought of more time went through her mind yet again she got up and put on her boots before getting her coat and scarf, bringing her gloves out with her as she didn't want to wait anymore. Beckett broke her way through the slowly melting snow, keeping her gaze determinedly on the hotel once she came out from the trees and could see the ruins of the boathouse, though they were slightly covered with snow.
"Ms. Beckett," the concierge said, sounding a little sad as she saw her walking over to her. "Are you here to check out?"
"No," Beckett replied, not wanting to say more than that.
"Ms. Beckett," Morrissey said from behind her. "How are you doing?"
"Where did they take my husband?" Beckett asked, feeling as if someone else was asking that.
"I… I wouldn't recommend you seeing him," Morrissey stammered, looking over at the concierge who looked surprised as well.
"I just want to know where he is," Beckett replied.
"Oh, we put him in the freezer, we asked the police… they recommended doing that," Morrissey said, sounding decidedly uncomfortable then.
"Okay, then is there any sign of Hill?" Beckett asked, trying not to remember what the interior of the freezer looked like.
"I would recommend you leave the investigation to the police ma'am," Morrissey said, still awkward.
"And I need to find him and his accomplice before I lose any more time than I have already," Beckett said firmly, looking at him square in the eye.
"I haven't heard anything, we've checked everyone; the storm helped out immensely for that," Morrissey finally said. "But no one's missing, or acting suspicious and security didn't really find much of anything when they followed those tracks behind us."
"So how could Hill just disappear in this snow?" Beckett asked sharply.
"I don't know," Morrissey replied.
"I'd like to search where he was kept," Beckett said.
"Of course, I'll escort you there myself," Morrissey said, nodding to the concierge. He led Beckett back to the staff quarters and to the closet where Hill was kept. "No one's been in here since yesterday," he let her know. He watched Beckett go inside before he asked, "Why did your husband want to talk to him?" hoping she would be okay with that question.
"He thought that Hill might have been set up," Beckett said. "And I would have concurred if it hadn't turned out Hill had an accomplice."
"I need to speak to the manager," Morrissey said quickly. "I'll come back to see if you're okay."
Beckett didn't notice the man leaving, looking at the chair that the man had been left on. Since the man had been handcuffed and not tied to it, she hadn't expected there to be any kind of damage to it; and there wasn't. She stood and then went around the walls of the room, trying to find something that might clue her in to what happened the day before. There was no surprise when there was nothing to be found and she went to the window to take a closer look. Since her gloves were still on she reached up to the latch where she found the markings of it being forced open on the sill. But that didn't tell her much so she moved a stepstool over and stood on it to look closer. It was then she found a drop of blood, very small, in the track of the window. She frowned at the sight of that, but guessed either Hill or the accomplice had hurt themselves slightly on the way in or out.
Stepping down to the floor, Beckett went out into the hall, seeing that Perkins was walking to his room. She called to him, and when he walked to her told him, "If you see Morrissey, tell him there's some blood in the sill of the window."
"Of course," Perkins said. "Ms. Beckett, I'm so sorry."
Nodding, and wincing inwardly as she hadn't wanted to have to hear that coming back to the hotel, Beckett went to Hill's room. She stood in the doorway for a moment, glancing around to see if anything had changed since she'd last been there. But everything was as they'd left it and though she made a quick, cursory search of the drawers and closet, she couldn't see any evidence of anything being tampered with or stolen. Giving up then she left the staff quarters and went to the doors and looked at the lake, standing there for a while.
With a deep breath, Becket went outside towards the ruins, tugging her coat closer around herself to keep warm though the sun was shining. Getting to the outline of the boathouse, she looked around on the snow, not seeing any footprints, guessing once they'd gotten her husband's body into the hotel no one had bothered to go back outside. She flinched visibly at how she had just left the crime scene without bothering to search it, but she hadn't wanted to watch them move Castle's body. She went into the boathouse through the doorway which somehow still stood, peering down closely at the ground as she went. But the recent snow had covered a lot and she was unsure about trying to take anything out from underneath.
Scanning from left to right, Beckett stopped turning her head when she saw something black just barely showing up through the white. Hurrying over to it, she brushed off the mushy snow to uncover some plastic. She held up the piece, knowing that it was the bomb. She started nearly digging into the snow to uncover a piece of metal before she heard footsteps behind her. Jumping up to her feet she turned, finding the Maxtones there.
"Kate?" Chelsea asked carefully, walking up to the doorway.
"What," Beckett said, studying the two.
"Listen, we were watching you from outside and we're a little concerned about you," Chelsea told her.
"And what does this have to do with you creeping up on me?" Beckett asked as she walked down to the other end, scanning the snow again.
"We know you're grieving," William told her. "But you should probably come inside."
Turning to them, Beckett narrowed her eyes and said, "I barely know you so I don't think you have any right to tell me what I should be doing. And I need to find who's responsible for this."
"Kate-" Chelsea started to say.
"That's Beckett to you," she snapped irritated. "And I will find the killer. Since I'm trying to do that, please leave me alone." She felt no remorse when she saw the annoyed expressions on their faces before they turned and left. She didn't want anyone trying to tell her what to do and at that moment didn't want the two thinking she was doing the wrong thing by continuing to investigate. When she was alone, she stepped over the remainder of the wall next to the path before going to the lake. She looked at the island, wondering if it was possible Hill and his possible accomplice had had a boat. There was also the idea that Hill had killed who he was working with and was on his own; which would make escaping much easier. But what made those theories implausible was the fact that the snow last night had nearly been a blizzard.
Kicking at a pile of snow, Beckett turned to go when she saw a flash of silver inside the ruins. She hurried back inside and was able to find a bracelet that had a plate on it with the name Ronald on it. It was slightly charred, and she turned to leave when she saw someone behind her. "Mr. Morrissey," she said, startled.
"Perkins told me that you were out here, what could you have found?" the owner asked before he noticed her hands. "That's Hill's bracelet," he said in surprise.
"He must have dropped it when he was leaving," Beckett began, handing it to him as he was wearing gloves as well. "After he'd set the bomb to go off," she finished grimly, showing him the plastic and metal she'd managed to find.
"Okay, I'll get these into plastic bags," Morrissey said. "And save them for the police to have as evidence."
"Did Hill have an office?" Beckett suddenly asked.
"In fact he did," the resort owner said. "Next to my office on the second floor." He turned and pointed to the row of windows in the middle of the second floor above the doors to the lobby. "Right there, but you can only get into them with a special key card," he explained. "But I can still take you of course," he said when he looked at her and saw her determined expression.
Walking after him Beckett looked around, trying to see anything in ther surroundings that seemed suspicious. She then thought of something and asked him, "Has security been watching the perimeter now that the snow's stopped?"
"They are," Morrissey said. "I had them set up some web cams that we had in the office, the only thing I really knew to do."
Nodding though the man couldn't see it, Beckett followed him back inside, trying not to glare at the couples going through the lobby that were looking over at her and whispering. She could almost feel the pity from the women coming to her in waves, knowing they were thankful that they weren't in her shoes; without a husband and trying to find his killer. She ignored them the best she could before she and Morrissey entered the elevator, though that became hard when they shared it with another couple. The two wouldn't look at her and she could see out of the corner of her eye that the woman was holding tightly to her husband. She ground her teeth together, but luckily the ride up was short and she was soon following the owner out to a door.
"See what I meant?" Morrissey asked as he took out a key card.
"I believed you," Beckett said simply. She went inside before him and saw Hill's office since his name was on a plaque on the door. "Is it open?" she asked.
"He never locked…" Morrissey started to say as he turned the doorknob.
Looking inside, Beckett saw the desk was an absolute mess, drawers upended and items tossed around the office. "Did he always leave it unlocked?" she asked the owner, stopping him from stepping inside.
"Yeah, but there's only four offices here," Morrissey replied, shaking off the shock he felt. "Me, Hill, the manager and the head chef."
"Why would the head chef need an office?" Beckett asked idly and rhetorically as she was picking up items. "Are these your grounds?" she asked, seeing a map then.
"About seventy acres," Morrissey told her.
"Would Hill need this for any reason?" Beckett inquired as she held it up.
"Well, for the snow sports we offer," Morrissey said with a slight nod. "I think that's what those red exes are for; the best places to do everything from snurfing to sledding; he was a great outdoorsman."
"So would he know-" Beckett began.
"If you look on that map, there's honestly nowhere he could run to," Morrissey interrupted, being a little hesitant in his tone. "Not last night with the snowfall we had. In any direction… he'd be a dead man, him and anyone else possibly working with him."
"Then where the hell is he?" Beckett asked, gripping the map so hard she nearly tore it in half.
"Here," Morrissey said quickly as he held out his hand for the map. "Listen, I have a number of security guards here, we're making sure that we don't miss anyone trying to leave. Just, please wait for the police now Ms. Beckett." He started to speak, before he stopped, and then he told her, "We have reception back to the phones."
Shooting him a glare, Beckett slammed the map onto the man's chest and she left the office; not having seen anything else as the map was one of the last items she'd picked up. She didn't stop walking until she'd gone down to the lobby, out the door and across the snow back in her own footsteps to the cabin. She went back into the quiet living room, and frowned as she was back in her memories again as soon as the door was closed behind her. "Damn it," she swore as she looked around herself; as if it was the first time she'd seen the place.
Going over to the kitchen after she had discarded her outer layers and coat on the back of the couch, Beckett started to pace between it and the table, trying to figure out what to do. But what was largely on her mind was what Morrissey had told her before she'd left him. She knew she had to tell her family what had happened and she pulled her phone from her pocket, starting to reach down to turn it on when she paused. She had one last thing to do and that was to find Castle's killer before she thought about getting in touch with her daughters, or anyone else.
Pocketing the smart phone, Beckett went back to the table and studied her murder board. She was able to add a few things about Hill, and as she wrote down snurfing under his name she tried to recall that day when she and Castle had been with the man at the top of the hill. While she'd been waiting for her husband to come down to her that first time, she'd scanned their surroundings; not to do with the case, but more because she was seeing possible pictures she could have taken if she'd had her camera. But with so much happening since that day, she couldn't recall anything that had stood out to her.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Beckett wrote down possible hiding place Morrissey does not know of? She had to wonder about that since she and Castle had been told the owner knew his entire property by Fraser. She then quickly wrote building built without Morrissey's knowledge because it was built in area owner did not visit? It was then she remembered that they had reception back so she grabbed Castle's tablet and turned it on, going to a site with satellite images of the earth. Checking on the date the pictures were last taken she found the resort and looked around what she could only guess were the edges of its property from what the owner had said about its size. But as she had been afraid of, there was nothing that she could see that might indicate a hiding place.
A knock on the door startled her and Beckett went to it, looking out and finding it was the head chef she recognized when she and Castle had been in the kitchen. "Can I help you?" she asked after she opened her door slightly.
"I have lunch here for you ma'am, from Morrissey," the man, whose last name was Quentin embroidered on his shirt that was showing below his coat, said.
"You can just, put that on the table," Beckett said after hesitating a moment, standing aside to let him go to it. She waited at the door for him and once he was coming back she heard a sudden crack outside in the trees, turning her attention that way. It was then she suddenly had a thought and froze as she said under her breath, "Why would the head chef deliver-"
Before she could finish that or even move, Beckett was whirled around and she saw the chef was holding a gun straight at her, making her start to step back.
"You're coming with me lady," Quentin said as he aimed the shotgun in his hands. "I don't know how the hell you did it, but you're going to tell me what else you found out. Come with me. Now." When Beckett started to run, he ran after her, his long legs managing to close the gap between them and he knocked her to the ground. Raising the shotgun, he brought it down onto her head before standing up, dragging her with him through the snow.