A/N. I thought I'd try a bit of case stuff but it's really hard – kudos to the show writers who manage it every week!
Finding a Date - Chapter 6. Investigating the case
Beckett scanned the murder board checking that everything they knew was recorded. Castle had called Esposito from the car and got an update. The detective had found nothing out of the ordinary at the vic's apartment, now identified as a Sandra Armitage, aged 20.
Her sister and flatmate Ruth had been frantic with worry when he'd arrived. She'd missed Sandra at breakfast and found her bed hadn't been slept in. She'd immediately called the Nanny agency Sandra worked for and had been told that Sandra had been allocated a family the last couple of weeks and may have stayed over there, but it was not policy to release the family's details to her over the phone.
Esposito had had the unhappy task of informing her of her sister's death. It was usually Beckett that fulfilled this role with great professionalism and delicacy and Esposito tried to emulate her sympathetic manner. The sister had also been calling Sandra's cell at regular intervals, it was the ringing phone that had attracted the attention of a uniform checking an alleyway near where the body was found and he'd retrieved the victim's purse from behind a dumpster.
Esposito informed Castle, who had his phone on speaker so Beckett could join in, that the bag still contained Sandra's credit cards and some personal effects, but no cash. That made it likely it was an opportunistic theft, the thief not risking any chance of identifiable items being traced back to him.
"Let's get the phone back to the precinct and checked for calls. We'll see you there. " Beckett requested. As she pulled up outside the Twelfth her own phone rang. Her friend, ME Lanie Parish, usually invited her down to the morgue to give her the report in person but Perlmutter saw no need for such courtesies.
His report was short and to the point. "Cause of death was subdural hematoma from that bang on the head. Wound shape indicates it was caused by a rounded object, no defensive wounds so I can't say whether she was hit or she fell. The cold wouldn't have helped if she was lying there injured but my estimate is she died sometime around midnight. I'll email you the pictures of the injury with my report." Beckett thanked him and ended the call.
Back in the bullpen she arranged the copies of the files they had on the victim in her leather folder – wanting ready access if Gates asked questions. Castle had gone to the break room to make coffee but she didn't want to keep the Captain waiting, despite her longing for a mug of her favourite brew. Tucking her hair behind her ear she crossed to the Captain's door and knocked lightly.
Castle pushed open the break room door with his foot, carefully wriggling his way out carrying two mugs of freshly brewed coffee. Seeing Beckett in Gates' office he set her mug down by her elephants and sat down in his usual chair to sip from his own NYPD mug.
"I'm looking for Detective Beckett." Officer Ann Whittaker approached him.
He indicated in the direction of Gates' office, "She's in with the Captain, what do you need?"
Officer Whittaker placed an evidence bag on the desk. "Sandra Armitage's phone. I took the liberty of getting tech to download the call log, there's also a photo on the screen saver."
She handed Castle a folder with a picture of a young man and the victim laughing at the camera in the now all-pervasive selfie. Castle had never become accustomed to officers reporting to him when Beckett was absent but they all did it, even Ryan, treating him just like the partner of any NYPD detective. Castle silently thanked the universe again that he was so much more than her work partner.
He smiled at the pretty officer "How's Paul?"
"Great! His fifth Lone Vengeance graphic novel is selling really well."
Castle nodded, "That's good." He hasn't told anyone he recommended Paul's work to his own publisher. The young officer made for the break room, the entire precinct appreciating the use of the shiny coffee machine Castle had provided.
Just then Esposito arrived in the bullpen and Castle took the folder and phone across. The detective quickly assessed the photo. "We need to find this young man, the vic's sister said she didn't know if Sandra had a boyfriend. She works on cruise liners so is away a lot and wasn't too much help on Sandra's current social life."
He flipped over the page and looked at the call log. "Someone tried to reach her seventeen times between 10pm and 1pm." he said, pointing to the list. "I'll run a trace. "
He typed the number onto his screen and the details came up. "Ouch!" The number belonged to a cell registered to Frank Reagan, New York Police Commissioner. "Now why would he be calling our victim and not mentioning it when he identified her?" Esposito wondered out loud.
Stepping inside the office as Gates beckoned, Beckett offered an apology "Sorry I was late this morning, Sir" she began.
Gates shook her head. "No need to explain." She looked over her glasses about to ask if Beckett was up to running the case when she realised that was unnecessary and would be an insult to the Detective. Beckett wouldn't be here if she wasn't focused on finding out the truth. She waved Beckett towards a chair, "What've you got, Detective?" .
Beckett completed her report; as usual it was thorough but succinct. "Good so far." Gates told her. "What's your next move?"
Beckett shifted in her chair," It was Esposito, Sir. He's done all the investigation on this one."
Gates nodded, appreciating that Beckett gave credit where it was due.
"I'd like to interview the Commissioner, Sir, just for background on our vic. Then we need to check her phone records and watch any traffic cam footage to see what went down on that street."
"Carry on." Gates stood, casting a glance into the bullpen where Castle was now standing talking to Esposito. "I'll set up the meeting with the Commissioner. Take Detective Esposito with you. "
"But Sir! He knows a Castle works with me." Beckett protested half-heartedly. She knew Gates was only thinking what was best for the precinct. She didn't need Castle throwing out wild theories in front of the Police Commissioner.
Gates ignored her objection pointing to the TV screen on the wall showing several reporters and cameramen standing outside the Commissioner's residence. "This is high-profile - I want my best detectives on it," but she looked disparagingly at Esposito who was dressed in a khaki Henley style t-shirt stretched tight across his torso and a faded denim jacket.
Detectives never knew who or what they would come across in the course of a day's work and sometimes a sharp suit was an impediment in gaining the trust of some elements in their society but when interviewing prominent people it could help garner respect.
Beckett crossed to where her other two team members were standing. Esposito then updated Beckett on the evidence from Sandra's phone showing her the picture and the call log revealing the repeated calls from the Commissioner's phone. "You and I are going to talk to him. " Beckett announced.
"Me?" squeaked Esposito. "What about...?" he looked at Castle.
"Sorry babe," she touched her fiancé's arm gently. "Not this time. Gates needs it to be by the book."
Castle wasn't going to make life difficult for his beautiful partner, today of all days. "What can I do to help?" he simply asked.
Esposito pointed to Ryan's empty desk. "Our King of the media isn't here. Could you look through traffic cam footage see if you can spot our victim?"
"On it - Just set it up for me? " Castle requested seating himself in front of Ryan's terminal. Castle was pretty tech savvy and seen Ryan perform this task many times but he didn't have the detective's password access to NYPD files and needed Esposito to log him in.
"Thanks. " Beckett murmured, placing her hand on his shoulder and leaning over him as if looking at the screen her body pressed to his back shielding any view of her thumb gently stroking the skin above his shirt collar.
Castle drew in a breath, no PDA at the precinct was her rule, so he supposed she could break it but sometimes she really pushed his self-control to the limits. Esposito cleared his throat meaningfully.
She moved away and they both picked up their case folders and made to head towards the elevator. "Have you got a shirt and tie in your locker? We're going to be on TV." She indicated the screen above them.
Esposito grimaced but like all cops he had a complete change of clothes with him at the precinct. It was no fun spending half a shift in clothes stained with any one of the obnoxious substances they often came across in their line of work.
Detectives Beckett and Esposito made their way swiftly between the media entourage outside the Police Commissioner's home. Esposito was now wearing a mid green dress shirt and toning tie with a smart leather jacket over his jeans. A uniformed officer guarding the door eyed their credentials and opened it for them.
The Commissioner greeted them in a pleasant living room. Shaking hands with them, he indicated a child curled up on one end of the sofa. "My daughter, Rosie." he said. "Sandra took care of her."
"Hi Rosie," Beckett responded squatting in front of her, "my name's Kate. How old are you?"
"Five and a bit." The youngster replied, gravely. "Is Sandy really dead?"
"I'm afraid so, sweetheart." Tears appeared in the child's eyes and her father picked her up and handed to an older woman who'd appeared in the doorway.
"My sister will look after her," he said, "how can I help you, Detectives?"
Beckett began by asking how long Sandra had worked for the family and the Commissioner explained she'd been sent by the Agency after their previous nanny had left to get married at Christmas.
"My wife died two years ago," he told them, "from cancer. I have a son from my first marriage. He's eighteen, still at college and I can't expect him to look after Rosie. Sandra took Rosie to kindergarten and met her, gave her her tea and stayed with her .till I in got in. If I had meetings Sandra would stay over but she had her own place and a sister, I believe."
"Yes sir." Esposito spoke up. "We've talked to her but she works away and hasn't seen Sandra for a while."
"Any problems with Sandra? "
"No, none at all. She had all the right qualifications, and Rosie liked her, that was what was important to me. "
"Are you aware of any difficulties in Sandra's personal life, a boyfriend perhaps?" Esposito pressed, glancing at Beckett who was observing the Commissioner closely.
"She'd only been with us two weeks, we'd hardly got to personal stuff," the Commissioner replied. "She stayed over last week when the weather was bad as I was concerned she wouldn't get here in the snow but she kept to herself. I haven't seen anyone with her, dropping her off or meeting her," he volunteered.
Beckett nodded. "Do you recognise this phone number, Sir?" She handed over a copy of the call log sheet.
"No, can't say I do."
"That number rang Sandra's phone seventeen times the night she died, it's registered to you!" Esposito told him crisply.
The Commissioner leapt to his feet and the two detectives also stood, recognising his rank. "What are you suggesting Detective? You're way out of line. I thought I was helping you with background information. I am not involved in this girl's unfortunate death!"
The two detectives looked at each other. This wasn't going well, and they didn't have sufficient evidence to push any further. "We're just doing our job, Sir. Thank you for your time." Beckett tried to ameliorate the situation.
As they turned to leave a young man entered the room, his eyes red rimmed. "What's going on, Dad?"
Both detectives inhaled sharply recognising his face from the selfie on their victim's phone. Beckett changed the direction of her questions.
"Your son, Sir?" She looked at the Commissioner.
"Yes this is Jamie."
She introduced herself and Esposito, shaking the limp hand the young man proffered. She sat down again, pulling a copy of the photo from her file.
"I guess you were a friend of Sandra's?" she said softly to Jamie, showing the picture to him and then to his father. Jamie gulped and sat down heavily, glancing worriedly at his father.
"We dated a couple of times," he admitted, "we liked each other but I knew I needed to spend more time on schoolwork to improve my grades. I met her last evening after she finished here and I told her I couldn't see her anymore. She was mad at me and walked out of the diner. I should've gone after her; I should have seen her home. But I didn't hurt her! I kept calling after she left but she didn't pick up."
The Commissioner snapped his fingers. "The phone! It was an old one of mine I gave to Jamie when he lost his. It was still registered to me." Beckett sighed, as the facts fell into place.
"We'll check your story, "she told Jamie, taking down the address of the diner.
Thanking the Commissioner again she offered her condolences to them both. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Do you believe him?" Esposito asked as they got into her cruiser. "Yeah, actually I do. He kept calling her cell long after we know she was dead. Jamie's not devious enough to try to cover himself by doing that."
Esposito agreed. "She must've got mugged on her way home," he stated sadly. "I really wasn't looking forward to arresting the Commissioner or his son. It can so ruin a guy's career!"