A/N: As always, I start out with a thank you for the follows/favorites/reviews. : ) .. Hope you like this one too. We start really getting somewhere with the next chapter. Be on the look-out. ; )
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Tra la la la *sigh*
Chapter 11It surprised both of them when they thought about how easy it was to fall into a routine with each other. There was no awkwardness in the morning. They both were up and ready early and were already making breakfast. This time Kate decided to help Rick with it. If anyone were to watch it from a perspective besides their own, it looked like they were doing an elaborate dance around each other in the kitchen. She'd duck under his arm when he would reach up to a shelf above her, he'd slide away from the stove when she came to put a pan on it. No words needed to be spoken, besides those related to the case of course. They spoke as they ate the end results.
"What's our first step today?" Castle asked her.
"I already told the guys that we'd be going over to Nathan's house. He's under protective custody but living in his own home. It's safer if we go there rather than to draw him out to us." She replied before she took the last of her strawberries into her mouth. He rinsed of their plates and put them in the dishwasher as she poured the freshly brewed hot coffee into their travel mugs. He placed a quick call to Alexis and once he was done she said "If you're done, we can leave."
"Yup. All done, let's go" he said as he took his mug from her.
On the way to Nathan Smith's place they decided on what all they should ask him, so when they reached they got right into it, not wanting to waste any more time.
"Mr. Smith, first off we need to know more about your work and whether you'd spoken about any of it with Daniel" Beckett said.
"We were working on a new genetically engineered variety of wines that were weed resistant. Initially it was all going well, but recently we noticed some unwanted mutations. Dr. White thought those were too minor to worry about and she was pushing for the project to get the green signal for the next step. We're a privately funded lab you see, so the more results we showed the better funds we got. As it is Dr. White had been lucky to get the project, it wasn't going to be ours to begin with." Nathan said "And as to whether I told Dan about any of it. Yes, I did. Like I'd told you earlier, when he got the research position I got excited. I told him all about it. Not the specifics of course but just as much and a little more than what I just told you. I – I also told him about White over the next few letters. I didn't think much about it. I was just venting to my brother, you know?" he said sadly.
Castle turned to Beckett and said "Well that would explain why he wanted White gone." She nodded. He turned to Nathan and asked "Why is it that he's still studying and you already have a job?"
"I don't know. I always made safer choices. I wanted to settle down in life quickly and I knew I was interested in this field. Dan always wanted adventure and he wanted to learn more. When I was still studying, Dan had taken a few years to do odd jobs. In that time he did a fair bit of travelling and got into other activities like mountain climbing, stunt biking, long-range shooting, welding and carpentry to name a handful. I guess we ultimately thought alike though cause he came back to genetics."
"Okay, one last thing Mr. Smith. Where do you think Daniel could be staying in the city? What places did he frequent when he lived here before?"
"I don't know where he'd be staying. He was renting an apartment when he lived here back then. I can give you a list of places we would often go to."
"Thank you Mr. Smith" she said as they took they list and headed back to the Crown Vic.
While still on their way to the precinct she got a call from Esposito and patched it through her car's speaker system to Castle could hear it him too.
"Beckett" she answered.
"Hey boss. Ryan followed up on Daniel's last credit entry and that led us to the garage from where he purchased his bike. It's a small garage that sold him a then green colored bike, so he must have painted over it and changed the plates since then. BUT, on a hunch we started showing his photograph – or well, Nathan's anyway – to the shops, cafés and other establishments around here. A local café barista recognized him, said that he comes here almost every alternate day and the last time he came was 2 days ago. We've told them not to mention to him that we were looking out for him. That's when another guy from the café who was eavesdropping – "
"Lucky for us" said Ryan in the background.
"Yeah, another guy recognized him. He said that Daniel rents a flat in his building. He'd left along with this guy in the morning saying that he'd be back sometime late in the afternoon today. So we're going to go to his apartment and uh - hang out – while you guys go get us a search warrant" Esposito finished.
"Great work guys!" Beckett said, clearly pleased. "We'll get that warrant and come meet you guys there."
"Don't we need some paperwork?" Castle asked.
"We have it in the back seat. I don't know why I left it there but it's lucky I did."
"Must be that leprechaun again" Castle replied quietly with a grin.
"Huh?"
"Oh nothing. What are we waiting for?" he reached over and took the papers into his lap. "Dictate and drive, I'll fill these in on the way. Time is precious."
He filled out the forms as she dictated them while she drove to the court. They found a judge they recognized and got it signed within the hour and headed to the place Esposito had told them earlier. Daniel hadn't yet returned so they had time to properly don their vests. While Esposito waited at the door just in case Daniel showed, the rest of them were looking through his apartment for the weapons or any evidence really. Just over an hour of thorough searching – during which everyone but Castle took turns as the look out – and they found nothing. They had the right apartment though because there were a few pictures of him, torn envelops in his name rather than Nathan's and a few belongings telling them that it was the place he lived in everyday. Castle was looking through his book shelf and speaking into his recorder. 'Only you Castle' thought Beckett. After a few minutes, she thought he must have been bored because Castle asked her if he could go talk to the neighbors.
While they were still searching every nook and cranny desperately Ryan called out from the door "Hey guys, we've got company" he said Daniel came up the stairs.
They got their weapons out and were ready to run after him if he bolted but if he was surprised it was only for a second and then he looked the least fazed as he noticed them. "What are you doing in my apartment?" he asked while maintaining a calm composure.
"Daniel Smith?"
"Yes, but you already know that, don't you? You're in my apartment after all" He replied calmly.
"We're NYPD. We have a warrant to search your apartment" Esposito said. "Are you carrying any weapons?"
"No" he shrugged, "just my groceries. Feel free to check though."
Esposito lowered his weapon and searched him. He wasn't carrying.
"That was fun. Now, why are you searching my apartment? Maybe I could help you out." He said with the slightest smirk.
"We're searching because you're a suspect in the homicide of Mr. James Wilkins and Ms. Rachel White." Beckett said. When Ryan spotted Daniel, she sent him a quick message not to come back to the apartment but to wait for her in the car. She promised that everything was okay and added a please in the end which is why Castle probably must have listened to her she thought. He'd only sent her a text in return 'K. Get my recorder pls. Left it near his door.'
"Wilkins? I don't know him." He looked
"But you know White?" It was part question, part statement.
"I know a Dr. Rachel White. My brother, Nate worked for her. Are you talking about the same one? A pity she'd dead" he said without a shred of pity nor a shred of guilt. "Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.
"No we didn't. But we will." Beckett said just as calmly. She had to hide the anger that was bubbling inside of her. She couldn't give him what he wanted.
"Ah but then, I'm a suspect you said. Are you here to arrest me?" he asked while his face actually broke into a smile. Esposito looked like he'd like to knock off some of the teeth Daniel was showing.
"We don't have enough evidence" she said. "Yet."
"Hmm. Have you finished searching my place?" he asked.
She nodded fractionally.
"Okay. Well then, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. As you can see, I've just come back home and I'd like to have a quiet peaceful day. And I'll have to clean up the mess you've made. I'd have saved you the trouble and helped you in looking if you'd just asked nicely" he said with a smile. "I'm pretty good at finding what I need, you see" he looked straight at Beckett.
It took all of her strength to put her gun in her holster and take the guys along with her and out of there. She took Castle's recorder as discreetly as she could manage then she had to push them out because he'd gotten to them. Before he could close the door she looked him straight in the eye and said "I will find the evidence and then I will make an arrest Mr. Smith." He closed the door, just before he did though, she fleetingly saw what she thought was doubt in his eyes.
They went back to the cars empty handed. Castle was already seated just like she had asked. He looked at her when she took a seat and started to drive. She hadn't said a word and she didn't look at him. She handed him his recorder silently and heard the pop of a button. He knew she wasn't angry at him but she was definitely angry by the looks of things. She was clenching and unclenching her jaw, her knuckles were white on the steering wheel and her eyes were narrowed. He thought it better to take her cue and stay quiet. When he saw that they were going to the loft however he broke the silence.
"We're going home?" He was surprised.
She sighed before saying "Yes. It's late enough. There's nothing more we can do today. They guys are going to work on some more leads. I'll tell you the rest when we get home."
When she parked her Crown Vic she finally turned to him. "Thank you Rick" she said. When he looked confused she added "For listening. Let's get upstairs quick. I'm hungry."
"Sure. You can fill me in while we eat or after" he said.