"Captain Beckett, is it safe to assume that Patrol Officer Michael Reece was killed by the same person responsible for the previous slayings? Is the killer zoning in exclusively on police officers now?"
Feeling her mouth getting dry from playing the circular charade with the local press, Kate Beckett held off answering for a few moments, her keen eyes scanning the crowd intently.
Part of it had to do with her deeply buried discomfort of speaking publicly, having done so as a favor to the Chief who was unavailable this afternoon due to a family emergency.
The other part however was of an entirely different nature.
Plenty of serial killer cases documented the killer staying close to the police, basking in the attention his crimes were stirring up, mocking law enforcement as he waltzed around in front of their noses.
And today, she could practically feel him, sense him in the large room that was designated for press conferences and ceremonies alike.
She recognized many of the faces staring back at her, reporters, patrol cops and plain clothes from various precincts, even the Mayor's Aide was there. Many of them she shared good memories with, others not so much. And while police work and the media interest mixed like oil and water, she also understood that working together would achieve a lot more than fighting one another.
When nobody in her audience stuck out from the crowd, she cleared her throat, eyes travelling to her half full glass of water before she spoke up again.
"While it is too soon to tell, we have seen similarities in this morning's slaying when it comes to murder method and choice of victims."
There, admittance without admitting, just like Captain Montgomery taught her so many years ago.
The painful memory caused a stab in her heart, a somber reminder of her mentor's support and ultimate sacrifice, and her own near-death experience following shortly after.
Too little time had gone by for her to fully come to terms with the losses that had occurred in the wake of her hunt for Loksat, her nemesis' deeply ingrained network of support, the convoluted layers of lies that had thrown them off track over and over again, all the while costing precious lives along the way.
Part of her was suspicious of this particular case, wondering if it was another elaborate trap for her to walk into, all of it wrapped in a pretty package that looked like any regular serial killing committed by a deranged, authority-hating lunatic.
After all, the first four slayings had been committed in her district.
What if these victims were nothing but collateral damage to get to her, quite possibly also getting to Castle? Loksat and anyone in his group surely hadn't shied away from violence at any stretch of the imagination, so why not take out innocent bystanders?
Was the true connection between all these killings standing at this podium giving a press conference right now? Was she the focal point of this case, being pulled back and forth by Loksat or one of his acquaintances? It would certainly explain the startling lack of evidence thus far.
"Captain Beckett, are you okay?"
The sudden silence surrounding her person made Beckett snap out of her deep brooding and she glanced back at the crowd seated in front of her, the glare of the camera lights taxing her dry eyes.
"Yes…next question please…", she said hurriedly, stumbling to move on from the embarrassing incident, then let her eyes drift off to the right where Castle stood, watching her every move, impersonating the shadow by her side that was always there when she needed him.
Knowing that he had noticed her hiccup, she kept her expression unreadable, unwilling to let the world see as much as a glimpse of her private life as she listened for the next question.
"Where do you stand on the progress of your investigation? How many officers do you have on the case?"
"Three.", she answered too fast, well aware of some of the surprised and patronizing gasps coming from the back, "Two of my best detectives are working this case along with myself. We have a full support staff at our disposal twenty-four hours a day. Each of these murder cases has been meticulously analyzed and we are working on gathering evidence to narrow down our killer."
"Captain Beckett, has there been any effort made in consulting with a criminal profiler on this case? And if not, why?"
This time, the question came from the back of the room. She looked up, immediately recognizing the reporter, one of the guys on her naughty list when it came to printing articles criticizing the police force any chance he got.
"I have not put it into consideration thus far…", she began, immediately seeing his mouth open for a follow-up question, "Like so many things in our line of work, resources are scarce, and we must use them sparingly. We have a pretty good idea on who we are dealing with here, but we'll consider that avenue should something change."
"In this case, can you tell us more about the killer?"
Knowing that the reporter had laid that bait out there on purpose, Beckett stalled again, once more sharing a fleeting glance with Castle who nodded unperceptively.
"We can't give out any of that information at this point.", she said matter-of-factly and shook her head, "Considering the scope of these…these killings, it is imperative that any and all pertaining information be kept confidential until we can safely apprehend our suspect."
"So you have narrowed down your investigation to a specific individual?"
She had heard that question in her mind long before it was posed, knowing that any answer given would only further open the doors to incessant probing from the sides of the press.
And little did she know that her concerns were well founded, making the press conference last another agonizingly long hour.
