Author's note: I'd like to thank southerngirl1 and TORONTOSUN for their reviews. This chapter starts where the last one left off. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Ryan summarized the file. "Aaron Blakeshaw. Thought the cleaning service his mother used was stealing from her. Hayley went undercover in the service and Alexis became friends with Mrs. Blakeshaw to install hidden cameras. Footage proved the cleaning ladies were stealing and the company fired those cleaners."

Hayley nodded. "There was an internal investigation and a 'cleaning' as a result. Should be fine to hire that company now."

Beckett took the file from Ryan. "What can you tell me about him?"

Hayley shrugged. "Not much. We rarely interacted with him past the initial sit down. You've seen him though. He is yummy. At the same time, I got the feeling there wasn't much behind the face."

"So, if he is involved, he's not the brains of the operation."

Hayley stood. "That would be my assumption. Do you still need me?"

Beckett shook Hayley's hand. "No, we should be good. I'll let you know, though."

"Great. Have fun, guys." She turned and headed for the elevator.

"Hi, Hayley."

"Hey, Vikram. How's your day going?"

"Good, it's great. You?" Vikram smiled nervously.

"Can't complain. We still on for Friday?"

"Wha- yeah, yes. Yes, of course. I'll come get you at seven?"

"I look forward to it." The elevator arrived and she stepped in with a smile.

Esposito was going to wolf whistle, but Beckett jumped in. "Leave him alone."

Vikram walked into Beckett's office and launched into his report. "I got the phone unlocked. The girlfriend's name is Rebecca Green. Smithe called her at least twice a day. Texts were a lot more frequent."

"Ballpark?"

"Ten at least. The average is closer to twenty-five. I'll… let you guess the contents." Vikram handed Beckett his report.

"Good job. Ryan, Esposito: find her. Bring her in." Beckett went back to her office.

Ryan typed in the mistress' name. "Got her address."

Esposito grabbed his coat. "Let's go."

The boys picked up Ms. Green as she left her apartment building to go to work. She had been very reluctant to go with them, citing a few times that failure to report to work could get her fired. They told her they would smooth things over with her boss and she relented. The car ride back to the precinct was quiet. Esposito wanted to engage her in a conversation, but she was a suspect; anything she said needed to be preceded by a reading of the Miranda Rights, and they hadn't recited them to her yet.

When they got back to the precinct, Ryan recited the rights to Ms. Green. "Do you understand these rights as they've been read to you?"

"Am I a suspect in something?"

"Yes or no, Ms. Green?"

"Yes, I understand. Am I a suspect?"

Ryan sat down. "We've had to recite that to everyone we question lately."

Esposito set the victim's DMV picture in front of her. "What is your relationship with Mr. Smithe?"

"Was. What was my relationship."

"So you know he's dead?"

Rebecca looked up. "What?" She looked between the two. "I thought… I thought he was trying to get the ring he gave me back. He's dead?"

"Murdered. He was murdered this morning. Why did you say was?"

"We broke up. About a month ago."

Ryan took the picture off the table. "Did you know he was married?"

"Yes, I knew. That was half the appeal. You know, the fact that it was 'forbidden,' I guess. But then he was done with it and broke it off with me."

Beckett was watching from the other side of the glass. Rebecca had been nervous at the beginning when the boys had recited her rights, but she'd settled in soon after that. When she talked about how the victim had broken off their relationship, her shoulders moved slightly, as if she was shrugging off something. Esposito asked if she'd heard the name Aaron Blakeshaw before and Ms. Green did it again when she said no.

Becket knocked on the glass and Esposito opened the door between the rooms. "Yeah?"

Beckett gestured that he should come in. "Close the door." She waited for the door to close before she continued. "She has a tell. Her shoulders moved like she's shrugging, but with a lot less movement. Don't press her relationship with Blakeshaw, but do ask if Smithe promised to marry her."

"Okay?"

"I think she knows Blakeshaw, but I don't want her to shut down yet. We're going to let her go and have her followed. Now that we've talked to both of them, they should meet up."

"Got it." Esposito returned to the interrogation room. "A colleague of ours wonders what the ring Mr. Smithe gave you means. Did he promise to marry you after divorcing his wife?"

"What? Oh, no, no it wasn't like that for us. I was his mistress, nothing more." Rebecca shrugged again.

"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt Mr. Smithe?"

Ms. Green sat back and thought about it. "No, not really. I don't even think his wife would've hurt him."

"And where were you this morning?"

"Yoga class." Ms. Green leaned forward. "Did you need the address?"

"That'd be great."

Beckett watched Rebecca leave the precinct from her office. This woman was definitely involved in Mr. Smithe's death, she just couldn't tell what that was. Green had a tell, and when she'd said she was in a yoga class, she'd shrugged again. Green's alibi was mostly gone from that alone, but Beckett would still check that out to be sure. The elevator doors closed and Beckett lost sight of their prime suspect.

Esposito walked in. "Hey, Captain. Plain clothes downstairs are following her now. Ryan and I were going to check out her alibi. Anything else you want us to do?"

"Not right now." She went to her desk. "Keep me posted."

"You got it."

Ryan shut the car door. "I'm just saying that the woman who stole the files might be connected to this case."

"She's not. The victim wasn't involved with that case. He wasn't even in the office when the case was opened. For once this is a coincidence."

"I still can't shake the feeling that I've met her somewhere. I just can't place it."

Esposito nodded. "I've been thinking about it and now I think she is familiar. But you're right; it's a hard face to place."

Ryan opened the door to the yoga studio. "It'll come to one of us eventually."

A woman looked up. "I'm sorry, we're closing for the night. I should have locked that already."

Esposito held up his badge. "We just need to ask a couple questions."

"You're cops." The woman leaned the broom against the wall. "How can I help you?"

"Have you been here all day?"

"It's my studio. Yes, I'm here all day."

Ryan held up a photo of their suspect. "Was she here today?"

"I saw her, but not for long. She must have left and then come back. Yeah, I saw her twice. I think it was almost three hours later when she came back."

"You're sure?"

"I think so." She headed to the front desk. "You have her name?"

"Rebecca Green."

"I had to change sign-in books in the middle of the day, so that might give you something." She opened one book toward the back. "And… here she is. No checkout time."

Esposito was looking at the book already on the counter. "She checked out in this book. Put a time that is an hour and a half before everyone else around her name checked in."

"Her alibi is bogus." Ryan put his phone to his ear. "I'll let the captain know."

"Alibi? Alibi for what?"

"I'm sorry, I can't discuss the case at the moment." Esposito handed the woman his card. "If you see her again, call me."

"Please, at least tell me what she did. I don't want to do the wrong thing and... I don't know, spook her or something."

"Yeah, I'll hold." Ryan looked at his partner and sighed. "Just... assume she's dangerous and keep your distance. It's better to be safe, not sorry."

"Okay. Any chance you could leave a picture with me? So I know what she looks like?"

"Sure. You can keep this one. Thank you for your time."

"Whoo, what a day."

Kate shrugged out of her coat. "Yes, it was."

Rick pulled her into his arms. "What say you we forget about the case for a bit? Let's have dinner and then…"

"I'm still waiting to hear from Ryan and Esposito. Once I hear from them…"

"You're right. I forgot." Rick walked into the kitchen and took a look in the fridge. "I was going to make my famous grilled cheese. Sound good?"

"Very." Kate went into the bedroom and slipped into something more casual. "You know what my favorite part of my day is?"

"The devilishly handsome man you get to come home to every night?" Rick was busy putting dinner together.

Kate smiled as she came into the kitchen to hug him from behind. "No, but that's a nice bonus."

Castle tried guessing again. "Getting out of the monkey suit you have to wear at work?"

"No." Kate grabbed the lettuce so she could put together a salad. "I love getting to come home and just be me. No responsibilities coming at me from all sides, no one nagging me for my time; just me."

"But the precinct still calls you."

"Yeah, but, I don't have to be someone else until I'm there." Kate paused. "It's nice to drop the façade sometimes."

"Do you not like your job now?"

"That's not what I mean."

Rick grinned and turned back to the stove. "Just checking."

Kate's phone rang and she hurried to answer it. "Beckett."

"The yoga studio's owner and manager gave us the logbook for today. Rebecca Green's alibi is bogus."

"Run it for me."

"She signed in when she said she did, but the book filled up, so it was switched for a new one. Green had to put her name down again in order to sign out again."

"She would have been better off not signing out." Kate cleared her throat. "Okay, let's wait until the team watching her have something to bring her back in."

"You got it."

She hung up. "The girlfriend's alibi is bogus. No surprise there. I'm gonna wait for information from the surveillance team before dragging her back to the precinct."

"Good call. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Alexis at Hayley's tonight?"

"Yep." He flipped the sandwiches. "Is that an invitation to...

She kissed him for a long moment. "You can count on it."

A/N: Stay tuned!