As Kate Beckett drove to the crime scene, she picked up her phone to call Richard Castle. She sniffed again and cleared her throat while waiting for him to pick up the phone. It went to voicemail, and Beckett figured Castle was still asleep. She left a message, telling him where the crime scene was.
Kate crossed to crime scene tape, blinking slowly as she thought about her mother, just like she always did. Inside, she came upon Detective Javier Esposito and Detective Kevin Ryan speaking with a distraught girl and a man who Kate guessed was her father.
Esposito turned to Kate. "Lanie's in there with the body." He pointed to a doorway.
"Thanks, Esposito." Kate replied, walking to the other room. Her phone beeped as she got a text from Castle. It read: sorry, I was in the bathroom. U sound like crap.
She replied with: thanks Castle. And thanks for sharing.
Putting her phone away, Beckett moved toward the body of a girl with brown hair who looked like she could be the sister of the girl in the next room.
Kate greeted her friend, "Hi, Lanie." She coughed.
"You sound like crap," the M.E. replied.
Kate rolled her eyes, "So I've been told. So what have we got here?"
Lanie answered her, "Nothing I've dealt with before. COD I would say is impalement. This girl was tortured."
Beckett's brow furrowed. "How?"
The M.E. turned the girl over to reveal some strange green sticks running through her abdomen.
"What is that?" Kate inquired.
"Bamboo."
Beckett jumped at the voice behind her. "Castle! You scared the—" as she said this, she turned around to find Castle standing directly behind her. She stepped back quickly.
"Coffee?" Castle offered, grinning, as he held out a cup for her.
Kate Beckett accepted it graciously, thankful to have something warm to drink.