never cool down love - Chapter Three
Two nights later, Kate makes her way through the hallway of her apartment building with her phone to her ear. Castle had initially called to offer some – ahem – interesting insights into their current case, but the last few minutes have just been the two of them going back and forth, trading stupid jokes and teasing one another. She'd been frustrated and annoyed when she left the precinct for the night, but that has passed with every laugh he's pulled from her.
"It's the perfect cover, Beckett, I'm telling you."
She snorts. "You keep saying that, and each time it sounds more like bullshit, Castle."
He chuckles into the phone. "No, I think it's great. You just have to open your mind."
Beckett purses her lips, wondering again what he would say if she offered up proof of how open her mind really is. How open would his mind be?
"Mmm, maybe I'm just hoping you'll convince me," she hums, the flirtation slipping past her filter before she can stop it. They've been doing more of that recently, dancing on the line but never letting themselves cross it. She's all-too cognizant of his confession, his rushed pleas for her to stay with him, his desperation for her to love him back. She does, of course she does, but the last thing he needs is to get dragged any deeper into her world than he already is.
"I'm game," he says quickly. "I can be there in fifteen minutes."
Her steps falter at the sight of a corner sticking out from underneath her door as she rounds the corner. Whatever response she'd had on her tongue slips away as she looks around the hall. It's empty. Her closest neighbor's door is closed up tight, no hint of light coming from inside. She listens for a moment, hearing nothing that would indicate they're awake.
"Beckett?" Castle asks.
"I – ah, sorry. Sorry." She shoves her key into the lock, pushing her door open with more force than probably necessary. The paper crunches under her heel. "Just getting inside."
"Oh good, you're home. I'm about to –"
"No, you won't," she says. "Stay home, write. Talk to Alexis. If you show up here, you'll be sitting outside."
She doesn't mean it, of course; she lets him in whether she plans to or not. Besides, he would annoy her neighbors and she likes the fact that they leave her alone too much to draw attention to herself that way.
"Spoilsport," he murmurs, making her lips lift again. "See you tomorrow?"
Kate drags her teeth over her lip. He had annoyed her so badly in the early days, but over their years together, she's come to rely on his quiet optimism that at the end of each night, a tomorrow will dawn.
"See you tomorrow, Castle."
He hums in her ear. "And if you change your mind…"
"Good night," she insists, giving her eyes an affectionate roll when she hangs up the phone. Whether he'd meant for it to or not, the conversation had lifted her spirits and a part of her does wish that he'd insisted upon coming over, if only for a little while.
She eyes the paper waiting in her doorway, finding herself grateful that Castle isn't here to see it. He would absolutely ask questions she isn't prepared to answer and even questions she doesn't even know the answer to. It's not a menu, that's obvious. Any attempt to talk herself into believing that fails in an instant. The paper looks to be the same as the previous note; it's the same crisp white, nothing out of the ordinary. No discernable scent on it to indicate where it might have been written, nothing that sticks out at all. If she didn't know that it's not just a flyer, she would think nothing of it. But this time she knows better.
Curiosity gets the better of her, despite her desire to walk around her apartment and ignore its very existence. She snatches the page off the floor and carries it to her coffee table, kicking off her shoes and slumping back onto her couch. The paper sits on the table unattended for a few minutes as she contemplates what she might read.
No sane cop would risk their badge by harassing another detective like this; the likelihood of it being someone on the job was already slim to start with and the chances of that being the explanation have shrunk considerably. It could still be a prank, but that's improbable at best; there aren't that many families in her building, especially not with teenagers or the age group who might be willing to put notes like this under someone's door. Which leaves the final option, the worst-case scenario she's been avoiding considering.
Hide all you want. It doesn't change what you are.
As with the first note, this one is neatly typed and unsigned, giving her nothing to indicate the identity of the sender. There are no marks on the page, no smudges of ink or oil from someone's skin that she can see. Whoever it is knows at least a little bit about what they're doing; they must have worn gloves when handling the paper.
After another minute of staring and considering her next move – short of getting other people involved, she's not so sure she actually has one – Beckett rubs her forehead, getting to her feet and moving to her desk. Grabbing the folder where she had stashed the first note, she opens it up and compares the two pieces of paper. Same typeface, size, margins, everything she can tell at first glance. The ink looks to be the same color as well, or at least the same general saturation level.
They're both nondescript. And since they'd been hand-delivered without envelopes, she's certain there hadn't been a third-party handler, nor any possible way to get DNA. Short of starting surveillance on her apartment door (or telling her Super that she needs video of the front door to see if she can spot anyone suspicious or out of the ordinary coming in and out of the building – which she won't do, because again, that would open her up to questions), it's a nonstarter. Exactly what whoever it is that sent them wants.
The second note joins the first in the folder before she snaps it shut, and the whole thing gets shoved into the bottom drawer of her desk, underneath the copies of the last six years of her tax returns. Out of sight.
(Putting it out of her mind is a different story entirely.)
Thank you for hanging in there through all of ffnet's ups and downs. I appreciate you so, so much. Until next chapter!