Becks Takes A Vacation

CHAPTER THREE

Becks stared at the excited woman. Her mouth just hung open without any words coming out. Whomever this woman was, she apparently knew Kate, but had mistaken her for her older version and that told Becks that she hadn't seen Kate recently.

"Excuse me?" Becks finally found her voice.

The blonde woman's face converted to a look of confusion. "I'm sorry." She said. "You look exactly like a friend of mine, but I can see now that you are somewhat younger than the woman I know."

Becks gave her a smile. "If you are talking about Captain Kate Beckett, NYPD. Then I do know her, but I'm her cousin Rebecca Becket." Becks reached out and shook the woman's hand. "People call me Becks."

The blonde nodded. "Well I can definitely see a family resemblance. So she's a captain now, eh? I'm not surprised." The woman leaned closer. "I had the privilege to spend a few days with Kate and her partner Rick Castle for an article I was writing on them about 4 or 5 years ago.

Suddenly it clicked in Beck's head. "Oh, you must be Sue Thomas, the journalist. I thought you looked a bit familiar."

Sue laughed. "I'm not used to being recognized, but it does happen."

Becks shrugged. "After Kate and Rick told me about their adventure with you, I looked up some of your older stories."

Just then, Ruth came over and set Beck's lunch in front of her.

Sue waved her hand. "You eat your lunch, but if you have a few minutes after you finished I'd be thrilled if you come over and sit with me and my friend for a while. I'd love to hear how things are going with Kate and Rick, and find out what you are doing way out here in northern Minnesota."

Becks smiled. "I'd like that. Rick and Kate seemed to only give me an abridged version of the time you spent with them."

Sue's smile was a bit tentative when she left to get back to her table.

Becks didn't hurry her lunch nor did she constantly look over at Ms. Thomas as she talked to her male friend, even though she wanted to.

After she finished her lunch, which she enjoyed, Becks left the money on the table with a generous tip. She stood up and made her way over to the table occupied by Sue and her friend.

Sue smiled as she approached. "Please sit." Sue indicated the chair next to her. Her friend would be sitting across from her. "Becks, this is my good friend Guy Otay. I met him on a story many years ago. We've been friends ever since."

"A pleasure to meet you." His smile was wide and showed his teeth.

Becks returned the smile he gave her. She couldn't place the name or the accent, but she would bet that he wasn't from around here.

Sue had an eager look on her face. "So, how are Kate and Rick doing? Did they finally make their relationship permanent?"

Becks laughed. "I guess you'd say that. They got married a little more than three years ago."

"I find it hard to believe they waited that long? They seemed pretty solid when I met them."

Becks shrugged. "Yeah, well I've only been around for the last several months, but from the stories they told me they always seemed to find ways to complicate their lives. Like Rick was kidnapped on their wedding day and was missing for two months."

Sue gasped. "You're kidding." Sue shook her head and waved her hand. "We'll definitely get back to that, but tell me, how are things with them now?"

"Well, Kate's only a few weeks away from popping out a brand new little Castle."

Sue chuckled. "That's great, I never met Rick's daughter Alexis, but I understand he's a good father."

Becks nodded as she thought back to the Richard Castle that she knew in her own world when he was still raising a teen ager. "Oh he's a great father, but he's a bit older and dealing with a new born will be quite a challenge."

"Yeah but Kate will be there to help out."

"Oh I'm sure she will, but she never had to deal with younger children, being an only child. Plus, eventually she'll be going back to work with the NYPD."

Guy tapped his finger on the table getting Becks attention. "If I remember what Sue has told me about that story, wasn't Mr. Castle a wealthy author? Why would Kate choose to go back to work?"

Becks spread her hands. "It's because being a cop is how she defines herself."

Sue patted Guy's hand. "When Kate was a young college student her mother was killed. And the murder was written off as gang violence. She changed her life path and became a cop so others wouldn't have to suffer without the closure that finding the guilty party would bring."

Guy nodded. "So they never found her mother's killer?"

"They did, eventually." Becks responded.

Sue jumped in. "Yes, you remember me telling you about it when all the papers ran the story of the arrest of that senator Bracken a few years back. That was the fellow behind all the nasty stuff that led to the death of Kate's mother."

Guy nodded. "Oh yes, I remember. That was quite the scandal. Wasn't that fellow going to run for president?"

Sue gave Becks a quick look. "Yeah, the whole country lucked out that Kate and Rick were able to bring him to justice."

Becks frowned. "What the public, myself included, never knew was that Bracken was partnered with a rouge CIA agent who was running the illegal drug trade that had been funding everything."

She noticed a strange look pass between Sue and Guy.

"Once again, Kate and Rick were able to bring him to justice, but it nearly cost them their lives. After they thought it was all over, there was still a loose end. Another member of the gang that they had thought already dead broke into Castle's loft and shot both Rick and Kate in their own kitchen."

Sue's eyes grew wide. Becks continued. "Kate shot him before she collapsed. They were lucky that a neighbor heard the shots and called the police. It was touch and go for a while, but eventually they both recovered."

Sue brushed away a lone tear that slipped out. "I can't believe what those two have gone through." She shook her head in wonder. "And she is having a child after going through all that."

For the first time, Becks let herself imagine all the Kate and Rick had gone through in order to have the family they wanted together.

"They are a pretty amazing couple."

Sue allowed herself a small chuckle. "Oh I saw that when I followed them on that one case." She ran her hand through her hair. "They never gave in. They never quit."

Having not known them very long and had just heard the stories Becks could only shake her head in agreement.

Sue smiled and turned toward Becks. "So, what brings a hard core New Yorker to the wilds of Minnesota?"

Becks shrugged. "I decided to take a vacation, and I decided I wanted to see some fall colors."

Sue nodded. "Well, you will surely get that here, but why not just go up the coast. It would be a lot closer."

"Yeah, it would have been. But I wanted to go someplace I'd never been before. And after thinking about it, I thought it would be fun to take in the parks and see the rivers and the falls that flow down to Lake Superior."

Sue laughed. "I can certainly understand that feeling. "I grew up in Minnesota and I try to get up here at least a couple times a year myself." She cocked her head. "So, are you NYPD also?"

"I used to be, but now I work for Richard Castle Investigations. I'm a private investigator."

"I imagine that could be interesting." Guy smiled as he spoke.

Becks nodded. "It has its moments. I find that I don't miss the murder investigations that used to be my life as a homicide detective." Becks paused because that was the first time she acknowledged that thought. "I liked being able to match wits with the perpetrator, but even after solving a case and putting the killer behind bars, I was still left with a victim that had perished and left behind loved ones who would be bereft because their loved one was still gone."

"I can understand that." Sue added. "You know, I can't get over how much you look like Kate. If it wasn't for the hair, you'd probably look just like her…say, ten years ago."

Becks had to bite her tongue. "Well, her hair is a lot closer to mine than it was. My hair is actually a little longer than Kate's is now."

"Really?" Sue seemed surprised.

Becks nodded. "Kate had decided that she wasn't going to be fighting with her child wanting to pull on her long hair." She grinned. "Kate allowed herself to be influenced by stories from recent mothers she happened to talk to. The child's persistence for pulling on mom's hair was an oft repeated complaint."

Sue laughed. Guy just cracked a slight smile.

Becks turned to Sue. "So what are you doing up here? Is the tireless journalist taking a vacation of her own?"

Sue folded her hands on the table. "Actually, I've got a small cabin about ten miles north of here. I use it to get away and relax, while I ponder my next story." She looked over at Guy and grinned. "I normally come alone, but I thought Guy might enjoy some time to roam around in nature for a while."

Becks chuckled. "Well, that's my plan so apparently I've come to the right place."

Sue nodded. "That you did. I assume you are staying here at the Antler?" Becks nodded. "Why don't you come up to my place for a picnic tomorrow around noon? That will give you this afternoon to explore the area around Isabella. Then we all can do some sightseeing up around my cabin. There's a small lake nearby that has some beautiful stands of trees along its northern banks."

"Well, I don't want to intrude on your and Guy's time up here."

"Don't worry about that. It will be nice to hear some more about how Kate and Rick are doing. And I admit that I'm a bit curious about you. I don't remember either Kate or Rick mentioning you."

Becks ignored the comment and shook her head. "I'd have no idea how to get to your place. As it is I'll probably get lost several times while I'm here."

Sue waved her off. "It won't be a problem." Sue grabbed a napkin from the little silver container on the table. She pulled out a pen and began writing on the napkin. "Here's directions to my place, and my cell phone number if you have any trouble. Though I don't always get a good connection."

Feeling a bit trapped, Beck acquiesced with as much grace as she could. "Okay, sounds like fun. But I promise I won't take up a lot of your time. You are on your own vacation and I don't want you to feel like you have to entertain the 'Easterner'."

"Great, it's settled then. " Sue grinned. "I'll expect you around noonish."

Sue and Guy stood up and said there goodbyes to Becks, then wandered out of the Antler Inn's restaurant.

She watched the door they left by for a few minutes, then got up and went back up to her room to plan her afternoon.

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Becks went up to her room and pulled out the regional map she got down at the check-in counter. She saw a few scattered towns about the region, but she had no interest in them. She folded up the map, grabbed her jacket, and took the map with her as she left her room.

She was in the parking lot moving toward her car. She glanced up at the sun. There was still plenty of daylight left to go sight-seeing some scenery nearby.

She took a gravel road that went mostly northeast for a few miles, then north toward an area that had several small lakes and connecting streams. It looked promising for what she was looking for.

As she drove, she pondered her interactions with Sue Thomas and her friend Guy. She knew that Kate and Rick spent a few days several years back with Sue when she had shadowed them on a murder case. Apparently Sue had been taken along with Kate and Rick when their surveillance of a suspect had been exposed.

Their abduction had led to them being brought out into deep ocean waters and with hands and feet taped tightly, they were thrown overboard. She didn't really remember all of the story that Castle recounted as how they were able to free themselves from their bindings, and something about "The Castle Luck" coming into play when an early morning fisherman came upon the nearly spent swimmers and brought them to shore.

Becks shook her head. Only Castle could have that kind of luck.

She'd been driving for only about twenty minutes when she found a place where the road was wide enough to pull over. She glanced out toward the north when she got out of her vehicle. The scene in front of her was like a painting.

There were hills rising up in the background which were dotted with splashes of color. Yellow, orange and green were interspersed all across the vista. And every so often a patch of bright red would pop up.

The grasses near the road were long and beige in color, their slender stalks waving in a slight breeze. She took out her phone and took several shots. She even tried some of the panoramic tricks she was supposed to be able to do with her phone.

She stepped away from the car and walked out into the field, heading for what looked like a narrow, shallow river, or a stream that was flowing lazily into a large pond, or tiny lake. She had no idea how big an area of water had to be to be considered a 'lake'.

Her hair tickled her cheeks as a puff of wind blew her short locks around. She continued till she got up next to the stream, which is what she chose to call it.

She was sure she was walking in what would be a marsh or swampy area if it weren't autumn and the ground was dry. It allowed her to get close to the stream and follow it along until she reached the point where it flowed into the small lake, or large pond, whatever.

She just stood there staring out across the pond when motion caught her eye. A flock of tiny white birds flew up a few feet in front of her. They lifted off in a group, held their close quarters as they zipped off one way then another as if they were one individual.

After several aerobatic turns and swoops they wound up landing only about twenty feet further off. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

The little birds caused her to look more closely to her surroundings, and she realized that there was a lot more going on than she originally thought. The pond had several batches of geese swimming around, occasionally tipping themselves into the water looking for food. There were also a few ducks over in another corner, and there were even a trio of swans drifting regally by.

Along the bank she saw something brown gliding through the water. It moved with a sinuous motion. It was either a muskrat or an otter. Becks had no way of knowing. She just laughed when he would pop his head up and look at her. Then dive under water and disappear, only to pop back up several feet away and do it all again.

Becks let another smile appear on her face as she watched a hawk fly by. Following the progress of the hawk put her eyes in contact with a majestic bird perched on a thin branch overlooking all the action going on at the pond. It was a lone bald eagle watching over everything, like a king surveying his kingdom.

She spent several minutes watching the eagle and in all that time he only moved his head a couple of times. His body never strayed from the spot. Becks shook her head and moved back toward her car.

She drove along the same road for a while when she suddenly pulled over to the edge just before a large copse of trees. These trees came out close to the road and where fairly thickly grouped. She had suddenly realized the she needed to heed nature's call and it was still a long way back to the motel.

She dug into her bag and found a packet of tissues that would do what she needed.

She got out of the car and carefully made her way into the more heavily wooded area. She had to push branches out of her way, then be careful not to get a face full of tree limb and leaves as she worked her way deeper into the woods.

She remembered a pamphlet she once had read about just such an emergency. The boys had it easy. All they had to do was stand behind a tree. For the gals is was a little more complicated. She needed to find a stout, straight tree that she could lean her back against. One that she wouldn't be able to move when she pressed hard against it, nor slide down once she was in position.

Since she was in a heavily wooded spot she didn't have much trouble finding a suitable tree. She first pulled down her pants, then after planting her feet firmly in place, she leaned heavily back against the trunk of the chosen backstop.

It was quick and successful. She wadded up the tissue in another tissue and stuck it in her jacket pocket. She had enough sense not to leave her garbage blowing around in woods. It already sickened her to see all the beer and pop cans lying near the road as she drove around.

She guessed it didn't matter where you lived, there would always be jerks who were too lazy to clean up after themselves.

She was just getting close to the edge of the cluster of trees she was in when she heard the sounds of a couple of powerful engines being pushed to their limits. Something told her to hide behind one of the trees as the sounds grew closer.

She watched as a couple of ATVs came roaring through the grassland a few yards from where she was standing.

The noise was cut off when the two machines stopped just before they came upon the gravel road. The riders got off their four wheelers and one pulled out a map.

She didn't recognize the brand, but both vehicles were definitely powerful. They seemed to be pulling some sort of trailer behind each of them. They had the look of someone who was lost.

Staying behind the tree, Becks held her breath and listened in on their conversation.

"See, I told you we should have turned east back on the other side of Dirk's Lake."

It was the shorter one who was complaining. The taller one was pointing at something on the map.

"It's no big deal. We can just go straight ahead." He pointed across the road. "When we get to Timber Creek we can just follow it till we meet up at the rendezvous point."

The short one shook his head. "Yeah, but that's going to make us late. And you know how the boss gets when we're late."

The tall one waved off the concern with his hand. "We won't be that late. Besides, with what we have in the back. They will be happy to get it, even if we are a little late."

The tall one took a quick sweep of the area with his gaze. Becks ducked behind the tree. For some reason she didn't want the 'wild riders' to know she was there. Call it intuition, call it caution, whatever those two were transporting Becks' cop sense told her that she didn't want to be involved in any way. There was no way that any good would come of it for her.

She was on her vacation. And…she wasn't a cop anymore.

She waited until she heard the powerful ATV engines restarted and revved up a couple of times. She peaked around the tree in time to see them head off to the south.

She quickly made her way back to her vehicle and started it up. The sun was low on the horizon, but still there was plenty of light for her to be able to navigate her way back to The Antler Inn.

On her way back, she couldn't stop her brain from going over what she had just seen. Her cop brain told her that what she saw was part of some illegal scheme. It was obvious from the conversation she overheard, that those two men were transporting something to somewhere for a meet. Just what that might be she had no idea.

She had no idea about any sort of hunting seasons that existed, but she guessed they could be moving illegally obtained pelts of some kind. Becks had no idea if there was real money to be made in illegal hunting, but she was sure they were bringing something to someone.

It was funny how the old juice would fire up at the thought of someone doing something illegal. She enjoyed being a private investigator. And it did bring on the old fire to a point. It was just, the kind of stuff she investigated now was so much more, white collar crime.

She sometimes missed getting down and dirty. Going after the worst of the worst. She missed being Kate Beckett.

Kate Becket, in this world, was a decorated twenty year member of the NYPD. She was a captain of her own precinct, the wife of a special man, and a soon to be mother. That was the path that could have been hers if not for the accident that thrust her into a world that was similar to hers, but wasn't.

She had been her world's Kate Beckett, only she was ten years younger than the Kate Beckett-Castle of this world, this dimension. She had to admit that there were several nasty times that Kate had endured that she was happy to skip. But where Kate was now was better than anything she ever dreamed possible.

Having lost track of time with her musings about those two ATV riders she was surprised when she saw the large log building that was the Antler Inn. She pulled up and grabbed her bag and headed for her room.

Once in her room she tossed her bag on the table and stared out the window. She knew that those two men were going to occupy her thoughts the rest of the night. She wondered if Sue would know anything about an illegal fur trade, or something that might be going on up here. After all, she was a renowned journalist. She'd ask when she saw her for the picnic tomorrow.

Having a plan of action, Becks was able to look toward a relaxing bath, with a book, and a good night's sleep without neon lights peeking through her window, or the ever present traffic noise that was twenty four seven at home.

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A/N: Okay, we're transitioning into the upcoming adventures that Becks will be drawn into. Now that those nagging clues of wrong doing are making themselves known.

All Readers are Appreciated, Review is you wish.