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: Loved reading the feedback for the last chapter that I got so I'll go right into my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (Great you thought that the writing in the last chapter was very good, as always!) and
Mb (Not surprised you thought with the new information they got about Gage it put more suspicion on the Leo's colleagues. And same you mentioned the big news, a possible camera where Leo had been killed and the possible clue at the pharmacy. I had to laugh at your reaction to where I waited cut the chapter in half, lol, hopefully your question about who went to Julia was answered- haven't seen your review for the other half at this point. I wasn't surprised you were wondering if they'd go to Eliza, but I feel with her youth they'd want to go to some one older with a little bit more of a handle on their abilities. Great to see you thought the first half of the chapter was nicely done! You're welcome for sharing the first half! I was happy to see you thought the second half of the chapter was interesting. And no surprise to see you wondering what Leo was so desperate for them to find at his house. You're right, her grandmothers will work to block anything from Julia that's malevolent. I also wasn't shocked to see you're looking forward to getting more clues and answers, hopefully it's worth it! Oh crap, lol, I always try and catch that since it's so easy to switch their names, but sometimes that'll slip through, sorry about the confusion. You're welcome for sharing the second half!).
Thanks for the reviews, I loved reading them all and I appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them my way!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Pisces Fish written by George Harrison, from his album Brainwashed.
Get Off This Big Wheel
"Want to discuss what happened at all?" Skye asked, sitting to the left of Julia in the back of Darnley's car.
Julia quickly related it and seeing the frown on the investigator's face asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to make Leo angry," Skye said. "But he was trying to jump you for some reason."
"He said he wanted me to see what had happened to him," Julia then said.
Startled at the investigator sucking in a breath of air loudly, Beckett asked, "What's wrong."
"I hate to tell you this," Skye replied. "But if he had been able to do that you might have ended up unconscious for half a day."
"That happened to you?" Julia said softly.
"Yes, when I was twelve," Skye said. "And Dad found a medium to help me."
"Will I need to do that?" Julia asked.
"I'll watch you and see," Skye replied. She paused and then said, "You said you felt a pain in your head?" At the girl's nod she said, "He was close. But I think he's angry; wants the killer to be brought to justice."
"There has to be a way for her to keep that from happening again," Castle said, looking back at them from the passenger seat.
"There is, I'll work with her once we're back at the house," Skye said.
Julia was about to ask if that was going to be meditation when she felt the car slowing down and heard Leo telling her they were near his house. She looked outside the windshield and saw a small house with a lot of trees around it before she said, "It's nice."
"It is," Beckett said. She looked at her daughter and said, "Remember what I said."
"I know," Julia replied.
"Promise you'll stay in the car," Castle then said when Darnley parked the car.
"I promise," Julia said begrudgingly.
"Hey, Wade is going to stay by the car," Brad said. "Just to be here in case Julia needs him."
"Does he know why she's here?" Beckett asked.
"Everyone does at the station," Wade himself said, leaning down to look into the car. "They've seen Ghost Adventures. Hi Julia."
"Hello Officer Wade," the girl said with a smile.
"I told you, Jeremy," Wade said in mock annoyance. While she was laughing softly, he asked, "Okay?"
"Yeah," Julia said with a nod, watching as the others were leaving the car. She felt a little panicked and asked her parents, "Could I stand outside the car?"
"Julia," Castle said, he and his wife sharing a look with each other. He had intended to say more, but their second oldest was speaking as fast as she could before he could continue.
"Just so I get some fresh air," Julia said.
Looking at each other again, Beckett sighed and said, "Just stay here sweetie."
"I will," Julia said. She watched them walk into the front yard, since there was a picket fence around it, and she turned to Wade asking, "Does this house have a lot of land?"
"It does," the officer replied. He then smiled at her and said, "There's a pool in the back."
"Neat," Julia replied, looking back at the house. She waved at her mother when she looked back to her but studied the land before something caught her eye. She glanced then at Wade before she looked back to the yard and then bit at her lower lip before she watched the others splitting up and looking at the right side of the landscaping. She found herself growing more and more frustrated before she found her chance when Brad called the officer over to help them.
"Stay there Julia," Beckett said from where she was with Skye at some rocks grouped together.
Julia, a voice said then.
'My mom is going to be really upset,' Julia told the young man who had appeared, standing on the other side of the fence. 'My dad too for that matter.'
But I can show you where it is, Leo told her.
Sighing Julia glanced at her mother before searching for her father and once she saw where he was said, 'If they get mad, I'll have to tell them you pushed me to it.'
Go ahead, Leo replied.
Julia knew she wasn't going to be able to resist, so she headed to the fence and slipped inside the gate. Pressing close to the fence she headed around the outside, away from the adults before she went to the trees on the side and covering the gate to go into the back there. She hurried inside, surprised the gate wasn't locked but focused on where Leo was taking her before she saw the full backyard. "Wow," she breathed. "It's beautiful back here."
I know, I gave my home to Sonia, Leo replied.
"Really?" Julia asked. "Why her?"
I have no family, and I think she would stop with the shows if she had this home, Leo replied. I was going to ask her and Matthias to move in with me since they were having trouble paying for their home. Just roommates until they had enough money.
"That's nice of you," Julia said. She looked at him and said, "But I'm following you," she reminded him before he was replying while he walked away, and she rushed to go after him.
I put a camera here, Leo was saying. I was a little paranoid since I was mugged a few years ago. Your parents won't know that because I didn't report it to the police.
"Where?" Julia asked as standing at the edge of the pool next to him as he'd stopped walking.
In Flanders, Leo said. But that doesn't really matter right now, you need to go up to the rocks in the waterfall.
Looking down at the covered pool, Julia saw the steps and breathed out before she started going across them. She reached where Leo had told her, pausing because she could hear her mother suddenly.
"I don't think that camera is here," Skye told her friend.
"No," Beckett said with a sigh. "I hope there's something to this."
"There will be," Skye said firmly. "Maybe we should head over to the other side."
Turning to the car, Beckett froze when she saw Julia wasn't standing next to it. She was about to call to the officer when she felt a hand grabbing hers and saw it was Skye.
"I'm sure-" the investigator said before Beckett was running to where her husband was by the side of the of the house.
"She's gone," Beckett told Castle as soon as she reached him.
"Gone," he said immediately, turning to look at the car. "Julia!" he called.
"Julia!" Beckett yelled. She called her daughter's name again and paused when she heard a faint voice in the distance. She hurried to the other side of the house, calling to Julia again before she realized her daughter was in the backyard since the gate was open. "She's back here," she told the others as Skye had gotten Brad and Wade's attention. She went through the gate before they could start walking to her and said, "Julia-" before her daughter was interrupting her in a hurry from where she was on the rocks in the back of the pool.
"I know Mom, I wasn't supposed to leave, but Leo wanted me to," Julia said.
"Come here Julia," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when her daughter was walking carefully across the stones visible under the cover of the pool. "Why didn't you just tell one of us?" she said firmly once Julia was with her.
"I…" the girl said before she was glaring at Leo who was to the side of them. "I'm sorry, but he wanted me to go, and you were busy…" Julia said before she sighed. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
"No, but don't do that to me again," Beckett said, pulling her daughter into an embrace. "She's fine," she told the others while they were entering the backyard.
"I found a camera," Julia said immediately. "Leo told me where to look. It's over there by the waterfall." She was watching her father, Brad and Darnley going to it and said, "Is that gonna help you?"
"For his case," Beckett replied. "But we'll see about Weller's."
"Okay, here's the box," Brad said as he and Castle had gotten the false rock panel they'd seen the seam for off. "Leeds Security," he read. "Hold this," he told his friend, giving him the panel.
Watching the chief writing down the number on the box Castle said, "They said Manaudou was good with tech stuff, right?"
"They did," Brad replied, putting away his notebook and pencil.
"Do you think he might have had the footage on his laptop?" Castle asked.
"If he did then we're still waiting," Brad replied as he put the panel back.
Looking at his wife and their daughter, Castle said, "I wouldn't mind." He turned to the two men he was with, not surprised they already understood what he meant, and he walked with them across the covered pool so they could head back to the station.
"Do I really have to stay here?" Julia asked her mother. She wasn't surprised when she just gave her a look and sighed before saying, "I'll stay," her mother speaking to her gently.
"You're still twelve sweetie," Beckett commented.
"Almost thirteen," Julia couldn't help saying immediately.
"Smart aleck," Beckett replied, cupping her daughter's cheek lovingly. "Do you have your book?"
"Yeah, I'll read," Julia replied when her eyes widened at the mug her father set in front of her before her mother was reacting to it immediately.
"Rick," Beckett said. She paused and then said, "Where did you get all that whipped cream?"
"In the fridge," Castle said. "Bernier likes it on his mochas," he reminded her.
"It's a lot," Julia said, looking at her mother worriedly.
"Yes, but… we're not having dessert later," Castle commented.
"You better drink it," Beckett told her because Julia was still staring at her in concern. She watched with her husband as Julia took the mug, licking some of the tower of whipped cream her husband had managed to put on the hot chocolate. She reached over and tenderly ran her hand over the back of her head before Skye was walking up to the doorway.
"The laptop is here," the investigator told the two. Looking at Julia, Skye smiled and said, "Enjoy that."
"I will," Julia said, though she was itching to ask them to tell her what they would find on the laptop. She watched them leaving and saw Hutchinson was sitting at her desk, glancing at her. Sighing under her breath, she turned her attention to her hot chocolate since she had felt a little happier tasting the sweet.
Julia?
"Y-" Julia started to say before she stopped herself. 'What is it?' she asked Leo mentally.
Do you mind if I go?
'No,' Julia replied. 'Matthias you too just in case it's who killed you.' She was relieved they both immediately left and sipped carefully at her drink as she glanced towards the chief's office.
"Okay," Brad began. "They said he had it locked tight and there is security camera footage; Leeds was right."
"Will we have anything from that though?" Skye asked. "It was in the back."
"He was shot by the sliding door," Brad reminded her. "The idea is the killer went around since the front door was locked."
"I'd forgotten," Skye said with a swift nod, startled when Darnley snorted before he spoke quickly while she looked over at him.
"I'm not surprised with everything going on today," the carpenter replied. "How is Julia by the way."
"Rick got her some hot chocolate," Beckett said.
"Ah, nice," Darnley said with a nod to the writer.
"With a mountain of whipped cream it appears," Skye said.
"To make her feel better," Castle said.
"I think she's okay," Darnley said. "I didn't think she'd talk to the two while we were in the car."
"It's relaxing them," Skye commented. "And good for her to hone her abilities."
"Guys," Brad told them. When they turned to him, he said, "I have the footage from the night of the murder." He wasn't surprised when they were rushing around him to observe and played the footage, watching as there were only the lights in the house going on and off since it was obvious Manaudou was going around the kitchen and family room.
"Hey," Darnley said suddenly when the there was a distant light, not surprised when Castle was speaking quickly after him.
"That must be the porch," he said.
"I think it is," Beckett said before she glanced at Skye. Reaching out to her she laid her hand on her arm and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Leo's yelling that's his killer," Skye said, opening her eyes she'd had closed. "I had to calm him down. We're watching."
"There, the shot," Castle said when there was a flash because the lights in the kitchen and family room had been turned off.
"They're coming into the back," Beckett said. Her eyes widened when she saw the person walking out before they ran around to the fence on the side. Before she, or anyone else, could say anything the cup holder on Brad's desk was shaking and she turned seeing Julia was running to the doorway.
"What happened?" she asked worriedly. Julia wasn't sure why she did it, but she tried to run around the desk when her father stopped her.
"We know who the killer is," Castle told her. "But we need to go get them and you need to stay."
"She might have to come with us," Skye said. She wasn't surprised when the other four looked to her and said, "She'll keep a hold on Matthias and Leo. I need her to."
"Why?" Brad asked.
"I have something in mind," Skye said easily.
"Julia," Beckett said, turning to her daughter.
"Don't worry," the girl said rapidly. "I know I need to stay here, and I promise I will. But you'll tell me who it is right?" Julia then asked, still amazed the four adults with her hadn't said a word about who the killer was.
"Later," Beckett said before they got out of the car. "Stay with Hutchinson."
"Yep, I promise," Julia said solemnly before she went over to the officer. "I'm sorry you have to baby sit," she told the woman, startled at what she said to her in response.
"It sounds like you'll have to," Hutchinson said with a slight smile though she was watching the doors the others were going inside.
"Someone told you?" Julia asked.
"Chief Davis," Hutchinson replied. She glanced at the girl and asked, "Are they with you?"
"Yeah," Julia said, having had her grandmothers help her holding the two back. "I just hope they can get whoever it is," she added, looking at the doors herself.
