Chapter 4

The crime scene was just as they had left it. Where Castle had been attacked was roped off with caution tape. The closet door stood open behind it. Dried blood stains covered the carpet where Faina's body had been removed. The whole thing, and some of the sub-floor, would have to be replaced if this apartment were to be rented out again.

The space seemed desolate with out the hustle and bustle of a crime scene investigation. Without the police all over, it was just empty. Silent. Not even the traffic outside made a dent in it. Like yesterday there wasn't a person living here.

"How are you doing?"

Castle knew how he looked, with the over sized hospital sweatshirt, blood stains, sling and noise canceling headphones. That knowledge didn't stop the irritation. "Give it up. I'm fine. My shoulder's fine. You've been with me the whole day. You know I'm fine."

"Castle-"

"No. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. My old life died, here," Castle pointed at the blood stain, his blood stain, "this morning, and I am not ready to face that just yet.

"Just let me be in denial just a little bit longer."

"Ok, Rick. Take all the time you need." Beckett hugged Castle. "Just don't pull a Kate Beckett and not talk to me for years."

"I promise I won't." Castle came in for a peck on the lips.

"But I think if we're going to use your name as a verb, it should mean 'kicking ass and solving crimes like it's going out of style.'" Castle pressed a kiss into her hair, and held on for a moment longer before saying, "We need to figure out if Faina really did steal that vial."

Beckett squeezed a little harder before letting go. "I'll check the bedroom. You check out here."

After watching his wife head down the hallway, Castle pulled a napkin out from his coat pocket, and used it to move the TV. He pulled a few DVD cases out and looked behind them. Faina had some really bad taste in movies. Who liked Disaster Movie? But she did have Plan 9 From Outer Space.

To get behind the sofa, Castle needed both hands. Without thinking too much about it, he took off his sling. His wounded shoulder didn't so much as twinge in pain. Many dust bunnies lived back there, but no obvious vial. Before moving on, Castle turned the sofa over and ran his hands over the fabric covering the bottom. It was perfect. None of the staples were out of place either. Not Faina's hiding place.

He was headed into the kitchen when he stopped. On the side table were some wolf figures. The ones he was looking at when everything went down that morning. Right where he had left them.

Armed with his napkin, Castle picked one up. There was a small seam along the 'waist.' A twist of his wrist and the wolf opened with a pop to reveal the stolen vial. In his hands lay the cure. He felt the temptation curl around his brain. It would mean more time with his family. He wouldn't have to go live at the werewolf hotel. No full moon festivities.

He wouldn't be a danger to anyone.

The devil on his left shoulder told him about hiding it. Just pocket it, and all will be good. The angel on his right talked about letting Faina's killer go free. There was a murderer out there, free to kill again. If he took the vial, there was every possibility the killer would never be caught.

"Beckett! I found it!"

"You had a fight a few days ago with Faina Murdo about a missing vial from work. Is that correct?" Ryan asked as he looked at the notes on the case.

Dr. Rhonda Huang sat in the interrogation room. She slouched in the chair. Her gaze directed at the large mirror in the room, and not at the detectives therein. Her business casual dress made it look like she had just come from her job. Esposito knew she had been picked up speeding downtown.

"Yeah. She took it. She probably used already it on her flee bag of a husband. Either that or she sold it." Rhonda leaned back in her chair. "Bitch."

"Why are you so angry about this?" Ryan asked.

"She's stolen from me before, but she wasn't caught."

"What did she steal?"

"My lunch."

"And is that why you killed her? To get back at her?" Esposito accused.

"What? No." Rhonda paused as the news sank in. "First off it was just my lunch. No one deserves to die over cold cuts. Second Faina's dead?" Rhonda looked crestfallen. "We didn't get along but I never wanted her dead."

"Tell me more about the fight."

Rhonda shifted back and forth in her chair. Her eyes darted around the room, never settling long on anything. She was stalling. "Not much to tell. When I got to the lab that morning, I saw a vial missing. I knew it had to be Faina. She was the last one to open the container the night before."

Esposito and Ryan both asked some more questions, but Rhonda would simply give the same answers over and over again.

"Excuse us for a second," Esposito said. He was fed up with this line of questioning.

The two detectives stepped outside the door, where Rhonda couldn't see them. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

"I think she is. But there's something she's hiding."

"Agreed. Follow her?"

"Yeah." The two detectives tapped their fists, before heading in to tell Rhonda she was free to go.

Rhonda weaved through the traffic. She would go left, then take the next right. Go in circles for a few blocks. A sudden right turn was next. She could only hope she had done enough. Once she was satisfied that she lost any tails, she made her way to Faina's apartment building.

It didn't take much to locate Faina's key on her key chain. Simply striding through the lobby like she belonged was enough for most people to not give her a second thought. Her steps fell on the floor fast and furiously.

She didn't see Ryan and Esposito slip in behind her.

Making her way upstairs was harder. She avoided the elevator, and people who lived here. Going up the stairs meant she could avoid any awkward conversations about what she was doing here. She needed to get the steps in anyway.

Once she got to the apartment, she put her key in the door. One last deep breath in before she would be able to get what she came for. Hopefully, if Faina hid it like a normal person. She opened the door.

Only to come face to face with Castle.

"Looking for this?" he asked, waving the vial. It was still tucked into his napkin.

Rhonda turned to run, but was stopped by Esposito coming up the stairs. Ryan blocked the way to the elevator.

"Now you need to tell us the truth," Esposito said.

"Inside. Shut the door." Once everyone was inside, Rhonda took a deep breath.

"Talk. This is the only way you won't go down for murder," Beckett said. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"We planned on stealing it together. I left the box unlocked. She was supposed to take two vials. Two. One for me and one for her. Do you know how much that vial fetches on the black market?" Rhonda shook her head. "That one vial was going to set me up for life. I was going to leave my idiot husband. Thinking I don't know he's been sleeping with her." Rhonda scowled. Contempt dripping from her words.

"I'm hearing a lot of talking but nothing about why it wasn't you who killed Faina."

"I was out last night with some of the girls from the lab. We were out drinking until two am. You can check with them."

/hr

"Rhonda's story checks out. We got in contact with the cabby that drove her home last night at 2:15." Ryan wrote a few words on the whiteboard, before taking a photo from his hand. "This is her husband, the one having the affair." He slapped the new person of interest up. "Paul Huang, husband to Rhonda Huang."

"So, Faina gets the cure. She wants to get back together with her husband. Tells Paul it's over, so he hits her in the back of the head, then when he realizes he just killed her, stages the whole thing to look like a werewolf attack," Castle said.

"Her husband had already been there earlier in the night. Could he have known about the affair?" Esposito asked.

"Remember there is no evidence that this is a werewolf attack," Beckett gestured at the crime scene photos to make her point.

"Not necessarily. A shifted wolf didn't do it. Husband comes in, confronts Faina with the affair, and then kills her. Never becoming the wolf the whole time," Castle said.

"And then puts himself in the closet?" Ryan asked.

The theorizing came to an abrupt halt when a certain red head tackled Castle.

"Oh my god. I was so worried. Why didn't you call me?"

"Everything is ok. Everything is fine now." Castle hugged his daughter, rocking them back and forth. He felt a pang of guilt for forgetting to call. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to call. Let me make it up to you, I'll spring for Chinese on the way back home?"

"Only if you tell me everything. Dad, I mean it. I'm worried about you."

"Good night, boys." Beckett called out as she picked her coat up.

"What about Shannon Moonlight?"

"We'll find her in the morning. Good Night."