Chapter 5
Lanie is waiting patiently for the results to come back on both the skin residue from the gun barrel and the blood that she recovered from the 2 of the 3 rounds. They came in an official evidence bag completely sealed. It was just more of that sloppiness that she had uncovered. These rounds had never seen by any tech. If she did not know better someone was trying to bury this evidence. However, it would have worked too until Kate's attorney was smart enough to see through the fog.
Lanie decided to use her time wisely. Castles clothes were still in the evidence bin. She had gone over everything again and found a trace of some type of anesthetic on his shirt collar. Wondering how that had got there she tested the compound more carefully. Seeing that CSU was taking so long to come back with the results from the first tests that she ordered, she was going to run the tests herself. Taking a sample of his shirt she set up the sample in the biochemical analyzer. Tapping her fingers while she was waiting, her thoughts went to Kate. She knew about her admission when they talked last.
She could never imagine that happening to her and Javi. Just when she finally admitted that she loved Rick...The analyzer was beeping. Lanie looked at the results and became more puzzled. The results that had been identified were that of Sevoflurane. This was an anesthetic that was used for a surgical procedure and at room temperature and for the life of her she did not how this had been deposited onto Castles shirt collar.
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Kate was alone in her office on the 5th floor. It had been almost a week since she had been a prisoner of the 12th precinct. Not that she minded, there was always some reporter or photographer at the entrance of the 12th. She had not used the front of the building since all this had happened. Instead, she got used the using the underground entrance. There was no way that she could be ambushed there. She had hoped by now that they all had lost interest. But as she pulled into the garage this morning she knew that this was not the case.
Picking up her phone, she called Javi and wanted him to bring her the crime scene pictures so she might be able to see something that the CSU team might have missed. Hanging up, she waited for him to arrive. In the meantime, she read over Ryan's report of the whole incident. After reading a paragraph or two, she heard the elevator ding for the floor. She never realized how loud that ding was until she was the only one on the floor. She settles at her desk as Javi enters.
"Hey Kate…" Javi says jauntily walking toward her.
"Hi Javi" Kate says pushing herself away from her desk so she could swivel her chair toward him.
Her eyes glanced at the empty chair beside her desk then a lump in her throat appears.
"Here are the crime scene pictures you wanted." Javi says handing the pics to her.
"Wow, why is that file so huge?" Kate exclaims as it lands on the desk.
"I am not so sure. The tech's took way too many pictures that weren't really necessary." He surmises.
"Kate I know this is going to be a hard thing for you to do but those pictures are pretty graphic, even if it is Rick." Javi warns.
"Thanks, Javi, but I really need to do this for both of us. I need to go to Alexis with something about how her father was murdered." Kate bitterly says.
"Kate would you want some help going through all those pictures?" Javi asks.
"Javi are you sure you want to be associated with a cleared murderer?" She asks jokingly.
"Kate I would help you with anything you asked, you should know this by now. Chica" Javi replies.
"Yes but Javi I never asked you to help me with this, you just volunteered." Kate points out.
He gave her a sad look
"Well, now I am asking you. What are my orders? You are still my superior officer and my lead detective." Javi earnestly asks.
"Okay, Detective Esposito I am going to need help sorting through all of the pictures. Are you up for the task?" Kate asks with a smile.
"I'm on it" he replies.
They were at it for about 3 hours and were coming up empty. They decided that a break was needed. Kate's stomach had been groaning from about 11:00 am. Espo looked at her
"Kate lets take a break and head down to the 4th floor and be around some real people." He suggests.
She looks over to him and thinks why the hell not.
They both get up from the desk and move over to the staircase knowing it takes forever for the elevator to arrive to the 5th floor. Walking down the stairs they are both lost in thought.
"Kate what exactly are we looking for in those pictures." He asks.
"I am looking for anything, a chameleon if you will. It's something or someone who blends into the woodwork. Like something hiding in plain sight." She replies while rounding the next set of steps.
"What do you expect to find?" He asks.
"Javi I am not sure that there is anything to find. There is something going on here and I am going to find out what it is." Kate says with a determine look.
He looks at her with a reserved look.
"Kate what aren't you telling me?" He asks stopping before anyone could overhear them or even see them.
"Look Javi there is something not right here at the precinct. Someone had removed the barrel on my gun and then while I was being arrested they switched it back. It was not me that shot Castle. My gun was too heavy in my hand and my shots went wide." Kate confides.
Javi looks at her shocked
"Wait what are you telling me? Someone else shot him?" Javi recovers.
"Yeah Javi, it looks that way. We can not let anyone know that their trap did not spring. It had to be someone on this floor." Kate says then continues down the stairs.
They reach the break room on the floor. She usually loves the excitement of seeing other people running around the 4th floor. Busy everyone is so busy. However, she views everyone with suspicion.
"Was he the one to betray me? Or was it her?" She thinks as she scanned the busy floor.
Walking over to the coffee machine, she pours Javi and herself a cup. Adding sugar and cream she sips it slowly. Javi takes his and just as he was about to ask Kate if she wants to take the coffee back to her desk, Ryan walks in the break room.
"Well, any progress?" He conspiratorially whispers.
They both shake their head no.
"Kev, there are about 350 pictures to go through. Even with Javi working with me, it will still be the rest of the afternoon before we get through all of them." She whispers back making sure no one knows what she doing upstairs.
They both turn to look to Kevin. He gives them a sign of support. They both turn and leave the break room. Javi decides to break away from Kate.
"Boss I need to go. There is a lead I need to run down." Javi whispers.
"Javi does it have anything to do with Castle's case?" She whispers back.
"I would rather not say anything, only if it doesn't pan out then you would be the less the wiser." Javi replies in another whisper.
"Ok Javi, go after that lead I'll be waiting on your report." Kate says as she ascends the stairs.
Upon arriving at her desk she decides to run through the pictures of the crime scene again, maybe there was something that she had missed. Looking at them carefully she spies a picture she had just glanced at and threw onto the irrelevant pile. Picking it up, she studies the picture for about 3 minutes.
She is so engrossed in her study of the picture that she never hears Alexis calling her name.
"Kate, hello earth to Kate…?" The young woman says.
She finally raises her head to she who was calling her name. At first Kate is startled to see who it is standing in front of her. Feeling the knot in her stomach, she can't imagine why she is standing in front of her. Alexis knows that she was cleared of all charges, but she has no clue why she would be here visiting.
"Kate?" She asks, "Are you alright?"
Suddenly she is at a loss for words.
"Alexis?" she squeaks out as her mouth was suddenly very dry.
"Yes Kate that is my name" the young woman smiles.
"Alexis…Why are you here?" Kate asks as her stomach rumbles.
"Well, I got to thinking that you might be hungry and I was right too. Here I got you your favorite, a cheeseburger with deep fried fries, and a strawberry shake." She says producing the bag.
"Alexis you did not need to do that." Kate says as her stomach again grumbled.
"So says the woman whose stomach growled at me not once, but twice. Kate everyone needs comfort food." Alexis points out.
"Well Yeah, I guess I must be hungry thanks a lot." Kate says
"You think?" Alexis queries with an upraised eyebrow.
Kate sees in a flash Rick doing that same mannerism.
"Thank you Alexis for thinking about me, anyone who brings me lunch means a lot to me." Kate says as she digs into the bag,
Alexis produces her own bag then they silently eat while Alexis sits in Castle's chair. And for a moment Kate feels that familiarness return.
"So what is all this?" Alexis asks being very curious.
She sees all the crime scene pictures on Kate's large table. Kate really wants to reveal what she is working and has a feeling of guilt if she does not tell her.
"Alexis these are pictures of your dad's murder scene." Kate sorrowfully says as she returns to one particular pic.
"Oh" escapes Alexis' lips at that revelation. "Kate what is it?"
"Alexis I am thinking that this EMT here in this picture is actually Jerry Tyson." Kate points to the man in the pic.
"Are you sure, Kate could he have been at the murder scene?" Alexis gasps.
"I am not exactly sure. I'd need to run this by Ryan and Espo, but it might be him" Kate says.
Alexis looks to her with a sad look. She needs to ask something of her and does not quite how to word it. So deciding that the direct approach is the best course of action she just lets it come out of her in one long sentence.
"Kate, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the Hamptons, there is something that I think we both need to do together." Alexis says with tears glistening.
Kate actually draws a blank until she remembers Rick's words that they had in the cemetery before Morloc bit him on the shoulder.
"Kate I think being placed in the ground to decompose is barbaric. I much prefer the Viking method by fire and my ashes spread at my house seaside." She remembers it was one of the only times he called her Kate.
"Kate, tell me if I am wrong, but were you in love with my father?" She asks.
"Yes Alexis, I did love him. I loved him very much" She says in a whisper.
"Kate I need you to come with me out to the Hamptons so we can honor Dad's last wish..."
"The Viking funeral…" Kate whispers while looking at Alexis seeing the amazement in her eyes.
"Yes he must have told you?" Alexis asks.
"Yes he did when we first met. He told me in passing." Kate says with her eyes gazing over.
"Kate then, you know. You have to be there. It was my Dad's last wish. The ceremony will be on this Saturday at the Hampton house. Please bring a bag and spend the weekend with Grams and I" Alexis asks.
"Sweetie there is nothing that would make me happier." Kate says then hugs the young woman.
Once they separate Alexis has an award winning smile on her face.
Without the help of Phnxgrl, none of this story would be possible!