Chapter 7

Monday November 27 2017 (P.M.)

Rick and Kate arrived just before noon at the offices of Lee, Price and Nielson, who had been Aaron and Sarah's Attorney's. On entering they asked for Mr Simon Lee with whom they had made an appointment for , they were asked to take a seat and told that he would be right with them. Within five minutes he appeared at his office door and invited them in.

Rick introduced them selves and explained that they were there because of the murder, the previous Thursday, of Kate's cousin Sarah and her husband Aaron. He went on to say "You may not be aware Mr Lee that Mrs Woodhead had been pregnant with twins at the time she was killed. The doctors at Presbyterian Hospital were been able to save them and they were now in the maternity ICU at the Hospital, they likely to be there for at least six to eight weeks."

He continued "We have obtained Death Certificates." and handed over copies to Mr Lee along with the Letter of Authorisation from Aaron and Sarah Woodhead for Rick and Kate to act on their behalf.

Kate asked "Did they each make a Will?"

Mr Lee confirmed that each of them had made a Will approximately twelve months previously.

Kate said "In that case would you attend after the funeral to read them please?" She went on to tell him that they were going to hold a family meeting to discuss with the family what it they felt should happen to the twins as they were now orphans, and there were no living relatives left on Sarah's branch of the family. She also understood that Aaron had been an orphan, after his parents had been killed in a road accident when he was thirteen years of age, he also had no living relatives.

Mr Lee confirmed that was also his understanding of the situation.

The appointment drew to a close shortly afterwards with Rick telling Mr Lee he would telephone him with the funeral arrangements and details of the venue for the meeting, hopefully no later than Thursday that week.

…

Back at the 12th Precinct Sully, Hastings and LT arrived back at the precinct from a very satisfactory lunch at Remy's. The first thing Sully did on his return was check his emails to see whether they had yet had a result from the DNA test on the hair found on the victims overcoat, but as yet there was nothing.

However Dr Morgan's PM reports were both on his desk showing that the cause of death of both victims was BFT, as expected, There were several bruises to the front and sides of Sarah's body which indicated that she had probably been attacked and restrained before the fatal blow had been administered.

This raised the question in Sully's mind as to whether there had been two assailants, one to hold Sarah whilst the other one attacked and killed her husband, he had been prepared to accept only one assailant if the attack had been from behind with the husband having been hit with one blow knocking him out followed by the next blow being to Sarah then a further blow to finish off Aaron, that theory had now been thrown into disarray somewhat due to the bruising.

At that moment the elevator pinged and out stepped a clerk from CSU with the DNA result. This showed that the hair was from a Caucasian male.

CSU had run the result through CODIS and had got a hit on a Raymond Shepherd who had a very long rap sheet, which included Robbery with Violence, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Attempted Murder. Drug Dealing and a number of other offences. It was however noted that he rarely worked with a partner.

Sully went into see Jo and asked if she wanted to join in with the discussions he was about to have with his team, she joined them in the conference room, where a lively discussion took place, it was agreed that Shepherd had to be located quickly and brought in for questioning, his current address was found to be in Washington Heights, Jo told the team to go and pick him up, before going they were to get a search warrant for his apartment for any evidence connecting him to the murders and any other cases they thought might be connected. They should also keep an eye out for any sign of an accomplice, she said to bear in mind that it might be a woman that Shepherd had hooked up with and tried to impress by letting her take part in the robbery.

Once the warrant came through Sully and the team, followed by a couple of squad cars, set off to pick up Shepherd and search his apartment. They were in luck when they reached his address because he was in, along with his girl friend, Sully invited both of them to come along to the police station to answer some questions regarding the deaths of the Woodhead's. Once the couple were being transported Sully and his team did a thorough search of the apartment and found a number of items of high end jewellery along with various Laptops, I Pads and other Tablets certainly enough items to detain Shepherd in custardy whilst enquiries continued to be made.

When they returned to the precinct Sully asked Hastings to grab an officer and go into question the girl friend whilst he and LT went to question Shepherd.

They started the questioning by asking where he had been at 9.30am the previous Thursday morning.

Shepherd replied "In bed asleep with my girlfriend."

Sully asked whether she would confirm this. To which he received the reply that of course she would.

LT then asked "How did one of your hairs get lodged under the back collar of Aaron Woodhead's coat."

Shepherd said "I don't know I probably brushed up against him on the street somewhere.

The questioning continued for another hour by which time Shepherd was beginning to get more and more flustered.

Meanwhile in the other interview room Anne Hastings who was questioning the girlfriend was having a bit more luck. She had obtain the girls name which was Fiona Leather, she also found out that she was only15 and had been sleeping with Shepherd for a couple of weeks However they had not been there at 9.30am the previous Thursday. After more questioning she admitted that she had been with Shepherd when he had attacked and killed Aaron Woodhead and had left Sarah for dead.

Anne passed all this information on to Sully and LT when they took a well earned coffee break shortly afterwards.

When Sully and LT went back in to continue questioning Shepherd it didn't take them more than about 20minutes to get a full confession out of him and they charged him with two counts of murder. They also warned that he would be receiving a visit from the Vice Squad regarding the Statutory Rape of Fiona Leather and any other under aged girls he had been involved with. They also said Robbery were very interested in talking to him about the jewellery, computers and other items that had been found during the search of his apartment.

Fiona Leather was also charged with murder as she had been at the scene and had participated by restraining Sarah.

Once both of them had been charged, Jo phoned Kate to let her know that two people had been charged with the murder of her cousin and her husband.

Kate said "Thanks Jo for letting us know."

...

Rick and Kate were occupied during the rest of the week with making preparations for the funerals which they were able to arrange for the following Tuesday afternoon at 3.00pm at the church that Sarah and Aaron had attended, followed by burial at the local cemetery.

A room was booked for 4.0clock onwards, at a local hotel for the reading of the Will and the discussion that was to take place regarding the future of the twins.

Kate and Rick had continued to visit the hospital each day, sometimes taking Rebecca with them, they noticed that both the babies appeared to be putting on weight, when they asked the nursing staff whether they were correct they confirmed that since their birth both had gained 12 ounces which was step in the right direction.

Tuesday December 4 2017

Overnight on the day of the funeral there had been a very hard frost and the weather forecast was warning that there was a 90% chance of snow before the day was out. All preparations had been made and family members who lived away from New York had mostly arrived by the previous evening, there were just a couple of Aunts, who were flying in from Florida, who had not yet arrived.

Kate checked with the hotel and confirmed that the room they had booked for the reading of the Will and the following discussion would be ready for 4.0clock along with Tea and Coffee and light refreshments. She also confirmed with the Mortician that the Hearse and 3 Limousines would be at the Loft in plenty of time to collect the mourners and to arrive at the church on time. She was assured that they would be.

At 1.0clock she and Rick both went to get dressed for the funeral. Alexis had agreed to babysit Rebecca until they returned home.

At 2.15pm the funeral cortège set off for the church. When the service was over they left for the cemetery for the interment, there were already some flurries of snow in the air however it didn't get any worse than that for the burial, as people did not want to linger long at the graveside due to the cold the family made their way to the hotel for very welcome hot drinks and light snacks.

At 5.0clock Mr Lee the Attorney arrived to read the Wills he read Aarons first. In this he left all of his estate to his wife Sarah and in the event that she pre-deceased him then his money and assets were to go to any issue that they had. If there were no children then all monies were to be donated to a number of charities named in the Will. He also requested that in the event of there being any surviving children the family would arrange for them to be looked after.

Sarah's Will was very similar she named Aaron to inherit her money and assets or if he didn't survive her then her money and assets were to go to her children, if there were no children then her money and assets were to be divided between various charities the main one being the Joanna Beckett Memorial Fund which was to receive 50% of the estate with the rest being divided equally amongst their local church and children's charities named in the Will.

Both Wills appointed Mr Simon Lee to act as Joint Executor with Richard Castle.

After the reading of the Will Mr Lee left and the family discussion turned to the twins.

Kate opened the discussion by saying "There are no living relatives on Sarah's branch of the family, nor on Aaron's, as far as we have been able to ascertain." She went on "We don't want the twins to go into the Social Services system if it can be helped, as this may very likely result in them being split up and placed with two different families, as many Foster parent/Adoptive parents don't want to take twins, there was also the possibility that one of them could be disadvantaged compared with the other."

She continued "Rick and I have discussed this matter extensively since we found out about them, and we both agree that we would like to adopt them as our own. We feel that we can provide them with a stable and loving home, we already have two girls one is Alexis who is 18 years old and the other is 15 month old Rebecca, as you probably all know I left the NYPD to become a full time mom after Rebecca was born and I am now ready and willing to take on these two babies. Although this is probably not the right time to say this I have been advised not to have any more pregnancies but I do feel the urge to become a mother again. Obviously as you will all know there would be no worries from a financial point of view."

She asked "What are your feelings about this?

A general discussion took place over the next hour and in the end all Kate's family agreed that her proposal was the best solution as none of them wanted the babies to go to an outside family with all the attendant risks. The family's all agreed to provide support for the couples application should it be needed.

When the gathering broke up, with everyone agreeing, (Knowing that it very unlikely that they would,) to keep in touch with one another not just when the next wedding or funeral took place.

Rick and Kate arrived home just after 7.0clock in time to see and spend a little time with Rebecca before she was put to bed. Both Rick and Kate gave Alexis a big hug for babysitting her little sister and invited her to stay for dinner as they wanted to share the news that the family had agreed to them applying to adopt the twins.

Wednesday December 5 2017

The next day they were due to see with their attorney to put the wheels in motion to Foster then Adopt the twins. Rick had already made an appointment to see the Attorney at 11.0clock

As they were having breakfast Kate said "As yet we haven't named the twins, have you had any thoughts as to what to call them? I have been thinking I like Francine Sarah as a girls name, I chose the middle name in remembrance of her mother. What do you suggest as a boys name? DO NOT EVEN THINK OF SAYING COSMO no child in this household is going to have Cosmo in his name."

Rick said "As if I would dare. How about Daniel Aaron, again the middle name is in remembrance of his father."

Kate Said "Yes I like those names, when we go to the hospital we will tell them so that they can get the records updated and we will go and register them at City Hall.

They took Rebecca along with them when they went to the Attorneys and she was an instant hit with all the women in the office, along with a good number of the men. When they were called in for their appointment, the women all volunteered to look after her.

They told Rick's attorney that they had met with the rest of Kate's family the previous day and everyone agreed to Kate and Rick applying to adopt the twins. Rick asked if the paperwork for the fostering and adoption of the twins had been prepared, when it was confirmed that it had been they signed them to allow for the procedure to get under way. They also notified him as to the names they were giving them.

When they had rescued Rebecca, as all the women were very reluctant to let her go, they decided to go to Remy's for lunch as they had not been in as frequently since Rebecca had been born but each time that they had all the staff made a fuss of her, once again that happened when they arrived.

Looking around for a seat, who should they spot but Jo, Sully, Anne Hastings and LT. they made their way over to them, as soon as they made their presence known Jo reached out for Rebecca and sat her on her knee, Kate knew that that was the last she would see of her until it was time for them to leave.

Just at that time a waitress came and took their food orders.

Kate said to Jo "I'm glad I've seen you as I want to let you know that we are putting in to adopt the twins."

Jo said "That's great news, when?"

Kate said "The papers to apply for Fostering Care and Adoption are going to be filed today, then it is just a matter of time as to how long the CPA take to decide whether we get approval, though even if they were to give approval straight away the twins will be in the ICU for at least another five weeks."

Rick told them that they had decided on names for both the twins Francine Sarah and Daniel Aaron.

Kate talked to the rest of her old team and asked how things were going, all three said they were enjoying their new roles and also working for Jo, they said that they would miss her when she went on maternity leave.

Jo blushed at the complement and said she would be coming back but she couldn't promise that this would be her only spell of maternity leave.

Their food arrived and silence fell on the table as they all tucked into their meals.

When they finished Jo reluctantly gave Rebecca back to Kate and said "Come round for dinner on Saturday, we'll get Abe to do one of his specials. Bring the little one with you if she gets tired we can put her in our bed until you have to go home."

Kate teased "Thanks Jo we'll come round early to give you time to play with her, as I know that that is the only reason Rick and I were invited!"

Jo said "See you Saturday."

When Kate Rebecca and Rick left Remy's they made their way to the hospital to see the twins as they hadn't been able to go the previous day because of the funeral. On arrival they made their way up to the maternity ICU. Kate gazed at the twins with love in her eyes and whispered that she hoped it wouldn't be long before they would all be going home together.

Sister O'Malley on the ICU came up to them, as they were looking at the twins, and they told her that they were putting in a Fostering/Adoption application, they also told her of the names they had decided on. The Sister said she would note the records.

Kate said "How are they progressing and when do you estimate they will be ready to leave the ICU?"

She was told that they were continuing to gain weight satisfactorily and that if they kept on doing so at their present rate it should only be Four to Five weeks before they could be released.

Thursday December 27 2017

Thanksgiving Day and the Christmas holiday had passed relatively quietly for the Castle household. Rebecca was spoilt b y her parents, as this was the first Christmas where she was taking much notice. Her big sister Alexis had bought her that year's must have toys. Her doting Grandparents Martha and Jim had once again gone somewhat over the top with the present buying. All her adopted family of Jo and Henry, Ryan and Jenny and Espisito had also bought a nice selection of gifts.

Early on the Thursday after the holiday they received a telephone call from a Mrs Chambers at the CPS asking if she could visit them that day to talk about their application to Foster/Adopt the twins and also to do a safety inspection. It was arranged that she would call at 11.0clock.

She arrived at their door at precisely 11.0clock.

Kate went to admit her. She took her to the sitting area and invited her to take a seat. Kate introduced herself and her husband and asked that she call them Kate and Rick.

Mrs Chamber introduced her self and said they should call her Laura. She took out a Laptop and said that she wished to go through their application, then do an inspection of the safety measures in place for raising the twins.

Both Rick and Kate said that they were aware of the need for the safety measurers as they had a little girl who was coming up to 18 months old and was getting very inquisitive and liked to roam around the Loft getting into as much mischief as she could get away with. Rebecca had been taken out shopping by Martha. After a discussion lasting approximately three quarters of an hour, she asked if she could have a look round the rest of the loft. She noted that all the plug that were not in use had a covers on them. In the utility room all the detergents and household chemicals had safety caps on and were placed well out of reach of small children. In the kitchen all knives and other sharp objects were again placed well out of reach. Her inspection of the rest of the loft showed similar precautions, She noted that they had safety gates at both the top and bottom of the staircase. When she finished she was able to tell the couple that she was very satisfied with their precautions.

Before she left she asked why they were wanting to adopt rather than have more children of their own.

Kate explained "When I was in the NYPD I was shot in the heart, I recovered successfully from this and have been able to lead pretty much a normal life since. Thankfully I had a successful and largely trouble free pregnancy with Rebecca. However my Cardiologist has advised me not to risk further pregnancies as this could put too much strain on my heart."

Laura thanked them for their co-operation and forthright answers and said she would be back in touch with them about their application within the next 14 days.

Thursday January 10 2018

Kate and Rick were beginning to get somewhat nervous as they had not heard anything further about their application to Foster/Adopt the twins although Laura Chambers had promised to contact them within 14 days.

However shortly after 10.0clock the phone rang, Kate did not recognise the number on the caller display but nevertheless answered it.

The voice on the other end said "Hello is that Kate Castle?"

Kate answered "Yes, to whom am I speaking?"

She received the reply "This is Laura Chambers, please accept my apologies for not calling sooner but I was off work all last week with a stomach bug."

She went on to say "Obviously I am phoning about your application and am very pleased to tell you that you application to foster the twins has been successful, if you want to go ahead with the adoption then you will be able to apply after 6 months. Congratulations Kate and Rick."

Kate was nearly speechless but did manage to get out a heartfelt Thank you."

Laura told her that she would have to visit the loft for periodic inspections during the six months period but didn't envisage any problems arising.

Wednesday January 16 2018

When Kate and Rick visited the hospital to see the twins, Dr Evans approached them and asked "Can you step into my office before you go to see the twins, as I need to have a word with you." When they both seated he told them that he was very pleased with the progress the twins had made and that they should be able to be released from Hospital next Monday, he told them that they had been taken out of the incubators in ICU and put on the main maternity ward and that they could go in and hold them for the first time if they wished."

Kate's face lit up at the news and she said "Thank you Dr Evans this is fantastic news it's among the best we have had this year so far."

The doctor asked if the couple could be there at 10.0clock on Monday to start the process for the twins discharged.

They both said in unison. "You can bet your boots we can."

When they entered the maternity ward they made their way across to the twins, the nurse in charge confirmed that it was OK for them to pick them up. Kate picked up Francine and Rick picked up Daniel. There was a lump in both of their throats as they gazed down at the two babies, after about ten minutes holding the two they swopped over. They stayed with the two new members of their family for over an hour.

As they were walking out of the hospital Kate suddenly exclaimed "Where are they going sleep when they come home?"

Rick said "We agreed that for the first month or so they would sleep in our room until the spare room has been converted into a nursery."

Kate replied "Yes I know we did, but where are they actually going to sleep, ON THE FLOOR? We have forgotten about buying cribs for them. I think a visit to Babies 'R Us is called for immediately!"

Monday January 21 2018

All weekend Kate had been excited that on the Monday they were going to be allowed to bring home Francine and Daniel for the first time. They had obtained two cribs the previous Wednesday one with pink trim and the other in blue and these had been set up in their bedroom, they intended that the twins would be moved upstairs within the next three to four weeks when the conversion of the guest room to a nursery was completed and the smell of fresh paint had dispersed.

They set off for the hospital, in a town car that Rick had hired, at just after 9.30am to start the process of checking the twins out of the maternity ward. This took about 75 minutes to complete. When they had purchased the cribs they also obtained two baby carriers, along with bedding. They placed the two infants in the carriers and strapped them in. they then taken down to the waiting car and they carefully strapped the carriers in the back seat. They were soon back at the loft where Alexis and Rebecca were awaiting them, along with Martha and Jim Beckett who of course all wanted to hold them. The twins were not long before they fell asleep and were taken into the bedroom and placed in the cribs.

The rest of the week passed with a number of visitors all calling to see the twins, one of these was Lanie and her fiancé who were in town visiting relatives, Kate promised her a girls night before she went back to Texas.

Monday July 8 2018

This was the day that the adoption application was to be heard, At 11.0clock that morning the Judge held the hearing of the application in chambers. Once again Judge Elizabeth Francis, who had presided when Rick and Kate had formally adopted Alexis, was presiding, the hearing did not take long and the application was soon granted.

The couple had taken Rebecca with them to the hearing as both Martha and Alexis were unable to babysit, when the hearing was concluded the Judge asked Kate if this was the baby she had been expecting at the previous hearing, to which Kate very proudly confirmed that it was and introduced her to Rebecca who was just over a month away from her second birthday and was getting quite precocious after chatting for a short time. the family made their way back home to carry on with the rest of their lives.

A/N That is the finish of this story, apart from an Epilogue which should I hope be posted next week.