„Did you see this woman three days ago?" Kate showed a picture of Captain to the waitress.

Woman put a tray on a table and took a photograph. She looked at it for a while. Beckett watched her reaction. At first, it seemed to her that Gates was not seen here. Over time, however, she saw in the girl's eyes that the face on the picture is familiar to her.

Victoria Gates, as an alibi, said that she was in this restaurant at the time. . On Ian's calendar, they found information that the captain was about to meet him around the time Whitemore was killed. In addition, Victoria had access to weapon and a motive, as it was no secret that the number of people employed at her post was to decrease, even though they had the highest rate of cases resolved. There has also been speculation that the captain may also say goodbye to her job. All these factors led Kate to consider her the main suspect and decided to arrest her so that the woman did not have time to get rid of all the traces leading to her. They still didn't find a weapon.

"This is Victoria" the waitress finally said. "Our regular customer. From what I remember, she was here. Terribly upset. She was supposed to have a meeting.."

„Do you know when she leaves this place?" Kevin joined to the audition.

"About the 1 pm."

„Are you sure?"

„ Yes, because we left the restaurant together. I finished my shift."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Towards the center. I went in the opposite direction. She said something that she got some important phone call. I was surprised that she left so quickly. She didn't even place an order. But… why do you ask all these questions? Something happened?"

"Unfortunately we can't talk about an open investigation" Kate said. "But we can assure you that Victoria is alive."

After talking to other restaurant employees they learned that Gates had returned to the restaurant after half an hour and was sitting there until 3 p.m. After an autopsy, they learned that time of death was between 1 and 2 pm. Victoria's exit showed that the woman could have done it. Whitemore's office was ten minutes from the restaurant. In this case, Victoria's alibi did not clear her of any charges.

The same was true of the whereabouts during the murder of the other suspects. Esposito said he sat all time on the precinct and filled out overdue reports. Meanwhile, a security guard at the door saw him leave the building for an hour. This was also confirmed by the monitoring installed at the exit. On the other hand Rick, who applied that he was sitting at home and writting, was seen by a caretaker as he left around the hour of Ian's death and returned after an hour and a half.

"It will be harder than it seemed …" Kate sighing falling on her chair. "How do we find out the truth when even our friends lie?"

Kevin didn't say anything. Beckett had the impression that she was angry with her.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked when the silence began to play on her nerves.

"Do you think Gates would be able to take a gun from archive while she was going to a meeting at a restaurant? While waiting for Ian, did she suddenly decide to go to his office, kill him in cold blood, then go back to the restaurant and sit there for an hour and a half?" He spoke without looking her in the eye.

"Of course not But I can't rule it out until I find out where she was for those half an hour."

"And do you think that Javi so suddenly sitting at the reports decided that he would go and kill Ian, because he will probably release him? That he will be risking going to jail for what? Keeping his position which he loses anyhow? This is illogical."

"But as with Gates, we need to know where he was for that hour so that he is not a suspect. After all, you know that. This is not your first case."

„They are our co-workers. And what's more, our friends. Who else do we trust as not them?"

"So what do you propose? We clear their names because we know them? And what, we will start over and come to the same conclusions. That's what you want?"

"There's another suspect," he looked her in the eye for the first time.

"You don't think that…" she was lost for words for a while. „Oh my God you really believe it… You think it was my husband who killed him."

„ Everything indicates this..."

„ You have just refuted the assumption Espo or Gates was a killer. And now you want to say that behind all this is Castle? I can also refuse it …"

"You do it all the time…"

"Excuse me?" her agitation grew.

"You are constantly questioning his guilt. You point to others to show just to move suspicion from him! You just cover his ass!" He began to raise his voice.

"I'm sorry! I made an arrest before you decided Rick was guilty!" Now she was already furious.

Not only did things get harder and harder, Kevin was still making baseless accusations that she was helping the killer. It was already beyond her strength. Something inside her broke and she poured all her frustration on the detective.

"… he already had such actions! He's not even a cop! His "I'm going to write" is just a cover so you don't ask where he is! It is very likely...…" Kevin carried out his attack.

"Shut up!" She got up from her desk and walked up to him. „ I thought of you as a friend! And you meanwhile stick a knife in my back!? Do you really thing that fact that that he is not a police officer makes him guilty?! You don't even have a decent motive! You talk about trust. That who else do we should trust if not our friends and co-workers. Well, there is such a person. Husband or wife. The person you love and are ready to give your life for her in the name of love. So if you think the fact that I believe my husband makes me complicit so just arrest me." She stretched both hands in front of her, waiting for her handcuffs to be put on.

"Maybe I'll do it!" He stood in front of her and looked her boldly in the eye.

"Feel free!"

For a moment they fought with their eyes. None of them dropped their heads. When Kate seemed to be handcuffed, she heard the psychologist's voice.

"You're doing a good show." He seemed amused. "Will you continue to behave like this or can we go back to work?"

They looked around. None of police men did what he should have done. Everyone was looking at what would result from their conversation. Kate turned around on the and left behind the astonished faces of co-workers.