Nine:

It was a few minutes after five when she left the precinct. Luckily, there was no active case and her new lead seemed to be as anxious to leave as she was. The cab ride to her apartment was spent debating with herself about how she should dress for her non date with Castle.

Once inside her apartment, she slipped out of her work clothes and decided a shower was in order. Her desire to fix the damage she had done convinces her to wear one of the dresses that she knew that he would like. The matching Victoria's Secret bra and panty set she changed into had her wondering how he would react if he saw her in it. That thought made her smile as she slipped on a pair of black thigh high stockings and matching four inch heels.

Standing in front of the full length mirror in her bathroom, she takes one final appraising look at herself before heading out. A part of her felt foolish for going to all of this effort, as she never worried about how she looked around Rick before.

The entire cab ride to Castle's loft was spent second guessing her decision to dress the way she did. The last thing she wanted to do was lose the one person that she trusted to help. Exiting the taxi, she is greeted by the doorman who told her that Rick was expecting her. She thanked him and took the elevator to Rick's floor.

She gently knocks on his door and waits as she hears Rick calling out that he was coming. The look on his face as he sees her at the door made her cover her face to hide the smile.

"You look nice Beckett. I hope that you didn't have to cancel other plans because of me." Rick remarks while opening the door and gesturing for her to enter.

She enters the loft and picks up the aroma of something coming from the kitchen. Not sure how to respond to his comments, she decides to change the subject. "Something smells wonderful. Don't tell me you cooked?"

"As much as I'd like to take credit, no, I ordered dinner from Angela's. I recall that you liked their spaghetti Bolognese so I ordered enough for all of us."

The guilty look on his face and his odd comment had Kate confused until she sees her coming from the kitchen. Jennifer walks to where Rick is standing and comments. "Everything is ready. I thought that we could eat in the kitchen." She then takes a look at how Kate was dressed and remarks. "Maybe I should move everything into the dining room instead?"

Beckett takes an appraising look at the woman standing beside Castle, dressed in one of his dress shirts and a pair of shorts. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail and looked as if it was still wet. It was obvious that the woman was quite comfortable in Rick's home. Something that she had refused to do when forced to stay there months earlier.

Kate is about to voice her surprise seeing his girlfriend there, but is cut off by Castle before she can start. "I'll explain everything once we eat. Okay?"

Kate can only nod and follows them into the kitchen. Arranged on the counter were the aluminum foil containers containing salad, spaghetti, and the meat sauce. Plates, silverware and wine goblets were arranged along the breakfast bar. Rick smiles and gestures towards the food. "Grab a plate and serve yourself while I grab a bottle of the red wine you like."

Jennifer grabs her plate and begins to fill it with the food while Kate follows. She takes the seat on the right while Jennifer takes the one on the left, leaving the middle seat open for Rick. He returns to the room and makes quick work with the cork. He pours their wine and places the glasses before the women before filling his own plate.

Taking his seat between the two women, he breaks the awkward silence. "I'm sure that you have a million questions Beckett... and I'll try to answer them after we eat."

Kate can only offer a feigned look of understanding as she picks at her meal, secretly cursing her foolishness for thinking that there was a chance for she and Rick to return to the way they used to be. No, that wasn't the truth. What she wanted was more than the awkward partnership they shared for nearly two years.

Rick's attempt at small talk was met with one word responses from both women. Deciding that there was no point in trying, he returned his attention to his meal. Seeing that neither woman had any interest in their food, he rises to his feet and gestures towards his office. "I'm going to grab another bottle and head to my office. Bring your glasses." He leaves without waiting to see if they followed.

Jennifer was first to comply with Kate following soon after. They enter his office just as he pours a healthy two fingers of his favorite single malt into a tumbler and points at the leather sofa and chair. He takes a sip of the amber liquid and waits for them to sit before speaking.

He turns to look directly at Kate. "I'll try to explain everything I've discovered and would appreciate if you could hold your questions until I get through." She gives him a nonplussed look in response and nods, not used to the dynamic change between them.

"Back when I was writing my first novel, I kept notes on all of the major criminal cases at the time. Those notes were used to help fill in details that I may not have known about crimes. Much like my desire to work with you and your team to get the little things right. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details."

"One of the cases that I researched was the Bob Arman murder. On the first glance, it simply appeared that a deep cover FBI agent had been discovered by the gang he had infiltrated and killed. That was the way the case was presented to the jury."

"There was only one problem, the accused, Joe Pulgotti, swore that not only did he have no idea that Arman was a Fed, he had been murdered by a masked gang that were attempting to kidnap him. Pulgotti had a rap sheet as long as your arm and had been a Capo for Candela family for years, so his story sounded like pure fiction. The jury agreed and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Case closed."

Rick pauses for a moment to take a sip from his glass and see if his audience was still listening. They were. "Until his money ran out, his lawyers tried to appeal the conviction, citing irregularities with how evidence was collected and testimony from others that was not allowed. He then began sending letters to legal action groups seeking their help."

"One of those groups was the one that your mother did pro bono work for. For some reason she decided to take his case. It was the reason she was in the same alley where Bob Arman was murdered. The same alley where Dick Coonan murdered her."

Kate gasps and starts to say something, but stops herself as he continues. "Did you know that the two detectives that picked up your mother's case were the same ones that arrested Joe Pulgotti? Some might call that coincidence, but i don't believe in coincidences."

"Just like I don't believe that it was a coincidence that the assistant District Attorney that tried Pulgotti's case was the shot caller on the tape you gave me. That man is now US Senator William Bracken."

Kate can't contain the sob as her emotions take control upon learning the identity of the man that ordered her mother's murder. In a move that was nearly as surprising, Rick sits beside her and wraps his arms around her as she cried.

Reaching into his pocket, he extracts a handkerchief and hands it to her. She manages a thank you as she takes the proffered item and wipes her eyes. Jennifer sits and watches in silence. As much as she tried to resist it, she couldn't help but not be jealous of the hold that Beckett still had on Rick. All she could hope for was that solving her mother's case would give him the closure to move on with his life.

With her.

As her sobbing subsides, he releases her from his embrace and returns to his seat. "I called Vinnie, 'the Scar' Scarlatti to find out if there was any truth to Pulgotti's story. He told me Pulgotti was a piece of shit and deserved to be in prison, but he believed Joe's story. He told me that during that time a gang of three were kidnapping mid level mobsters and holding them for ransom. The mobsters simply accepted that the 'fines' they paid for the release of their prisoners as simply the cost of doing business. Everyone knew that it was a group of cops behind it all and knew that going to the police was a waste of time."

"While it's a safe bet that John Raglan and Gary McCallister were in on it, what I don't know is where Roy fits in this. I don't know what Bracken's role in this was either. Was he the mastermind or simply an opportunist? From what Vinnie told me, Bracken was corrupt even then and was rumored to be protecting an up and coming drug lord named Vulcan Simmons."

This time both Kate and Jennifer gasp at the revelation. They had both had run ins with the drug lord who had been suspected of involvement in several murders, but in every case the charges were dropped by the DA, citing insufficient evidence to secure a conviction.

"Judging by your expressions, you both know who Vulcan Simmons is and why I suspect that Bracken still has ties to the NYPD. We are on our own, but I may know a guy..." Rick adds with a small grin that results in both women visibly relaxing a little.

"Raglan and McCallister have both retired and the best thing we can do is avoid any contact with either of them. If my suspicions are correct, they'd run straight to Bracken and I seriously doubt if we'll get anything from either of them anyway."

"Roy is the key to this, but other than the tape you have, we have no idea where he fits, or how deeply involved he is. We need more evidence before we confront him."

"And how are we going to get this Rick?" Kate inquires, frustrated because she knows he is right.

"That's where Jennifer comes in. If you start asking questions about Roy, there's a good chance that whoever is controlling him is watching you as well." He considers his remark and then smiles as if he has put something together. "It makes sense. How Montgomery finds you and offers to take you under his wing, provided you stop looking into your mother's case."

"Jennifer can discretely nose around and not raise any flags. Between her and I, we should be able to figure out exactly where Roy fits in this."

"What about me? I can't do nothing." Kate counters, her voice pleading.

"You have to. With Montgomery at another precinct, you can bet that Bracken has someone keeping an eye on you." Rick replies, hoping that she understood the danger she would be in if Bracken learns that she was looking into her mother's case.

She knows Rick is right. The only thing that they have going for them is the fact that everyone thinks that she has abandoned Johanna's case. She then turns to face Jennifer and remarks. "I can't ask you to do this."

"You didn't. Rick did. No, I volunteered. He knew how important this was to you. That's why he borrowed your mother's case files and hired the best forensic pathologist in the country that proved her death was not an act of random gang violence."

Kate had reacted badly when he gave her the pathologist's report, saying that he had violated her trust and ended their working relationship. The same report that tied her mother's death to a string of unsolved murders during that same time period. The same method that was used in the Jimmy Coonan case. The case that ultimately led to identifying Dick Coonan as the perpetrator of these crimes.

While Rick had apologized for violating her trust, she never thanked him for the help that led to bringing Coonan to justice. Or the hundred thousand dollars that he spent to prove that Coonan was the assassin called Rathborne.

Or the other times he had saved her life.

"Thank you. Both of you." Kate offers in a near whisper. Glancing at her father's watch that looked so out of place with the rest of her outfit, she remarks. "It's getting late and I need to go in to work tomorrow..."

Rick looks at the Rolex on his wrist and nods in agreement. "You're right. You are more than welcome to spend the night here. It's the same room you had when your apartment blew up."

Kate considers his offer. The thought of spending the night at his place might be exactly what was needed to repair the damage she had done. She then looks at Jennifer and realizes that while she may be sleeping in his guest room, the blonde would be sharing his bed.

"No, but thanks for the offer. I need to take care of some things before I go to bed." Kate replies, noticing the smile that appears on the other woman's face upon declining the offer.

"At least let me call my service and get a car for you." Rick counters.

"That would be fine. Thank you Rick." She replies, rising to her feet and smoothing out her dress.

Rick makes a call and remarks that the car would be there in fifteen minutes. Once again she thanks him and the three leave his office, taking seats in the living room. Jennifer is seated beside Rick on the loveseat, her armed looped through his. Kate looks at the two of them together and wondered if he had felt the same jealousy when she was with Tom. At least he had the decency to keep his PDAs in private.

The doorman calls almost exactly fifteen minutes later telling Castle that the car was here. Rick thanked him and walked Kate to the door, Jennifer following behind him. After a brief exchange of goodbyes, Kate left his apartment, convinced that any chance for her and Rick was gone.