Chapter 2

"Huh, huh, huh, huh, hah!" Martha's acting exercises cut through the early morning silence of the loft. Castle groaned and stumbled out of bed. Pulling on a robe, he went to see if he could quiet her down a bit.

"Mother," he whined. It's five A.M.!"

"One must sacrifice for one's craft," she exhorted proudly.

"But this was my sacrifice," Castle argued. "I was showing Beckett a lagoon on Bora Bora and it turned into a puddle in front of a screeching subway train."

"And I sacrifice for my son," Martha told him. "Go back to bed. I'll work on my relaxation exercises."

Castle smiled with half of his mouth. "Thank you Mother."

Beckett had a pillow over her head. She lifted it, glaring at Castle. "Relaxation exercises, that's what I need right now."

"After all these years with mother, I know how those work," Castle told her. "Actually they're pretty similar to exercises for childbirth."

"How do you know that?" Beckett asked. "Meredith?"

Castle snorted. "Meredith wanted as little work and as many drugs as possible. No I did some research. When we're ready, I'll be there for you."

Beckett smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "That's sweet!"

"You want to give it a go?" Castle asked.

Beckett laughed. "Why not?"

Kate listened to the soothing sound of Rick's voice as he instructed her in slow steady breathing. Starting with her toes and moving up, he had her relax every part of her body as he brushed it with featherlight touch. She felt limp and luscious, as she lay completely relaxed. Rick climbed into bed beside her, spooning her as she drowsed.

Kate groaned as the alarm buzzed. "I am too comfortable to get up."

Rick ran his hands up and down her arms. "Get in the shower. I'll help you wake up."

Kate reluctantly made her way to the bathroom with Rick behind her. Rick turned on both shower heads full blast and they stepped under the warm water. Rick loaded a rough loofah with a subtle herbal gel and scrubbed it over the surface of Kate's skin, covering her in shiny bubbles. Using the spray attachment, Rick washed off the foam, paying special attention to his favorite places. Rick washed Kate's hair with the cherry shampoo they both loved, rinsing carefully with the warm spray as the scent blended with the steam. Kate was more than awake and she could see very clearly that Rick was too. She returned his ministrations with his own spicy gel. He arched as she washed him off, pulling her to him and lifting her up. They fit like two halves of a whole. Kate wrapped her long legs around him and he braced against the walls of the enclosure. Mouths joined and tongues dueling, they moved together as shower walls rattled and water streamed over them, splashing at Rick's feet. Arms around Rick's neck, Kate threw her head back as the climax came in shuddering waves. Rick held her tightly until she was able to move again, lowering her feet to the shower floor.

Beckett got a call from Lanie. It took coffee, lot's of coffee, to get to the morgue. Lanie regarded them with a knowing look. "You two started early this morning," she quipped.

"Just tell me about the case, Lanie," Beckett told her.

"CSU found a beaker with a mixture of protein powder, potassium cyanide and dilute acetic acid on Judith Spicer's work table. If she added the acid to the powder mixture, she would have gotten a face full of hydrogen cyanide gas."

"Acid," Castle repeated, "her tech said she didn't work with anything dangerous."
"It wasn't dangerous. Dilute acetic acid is vinegar." Lanie told him.

"And vinegar has a strong enough smell to cover the smell of the cyanide," Castle added.

"Give the man a prize," Lanie said.

"So someone added potassium cyanide to her protein mixture so she would kill herself," Beckett speculated.

"Mmm hmm," Lanie agrees. "Looks that way."

"Right now that would lead us straight to Tony Kolato, but we need to find out who else had access to that lab."

Ryan approached Castle and Beckett as soon as they settled at Beckett's desk at the 12th. "We found something on the canvass. There was a large black SUV parked by the lab for about fifteen minutes last night, around ten. No plate, though."

"A black SUV, that narrows it down," Beckett commented, but she wrote it on the board.

"Yo," Esposito called. "I went over Judith Spicer's financials. She didn't have any money problems, in fact she made a lot more than her husband."

"Check Tony Kolato," Beckett told him. Esposito nodded and walked away. "Ryan, check the traffic video. See if you can find more on that black SUV."

"Already on it," Ryan answered.

"Castle, let's go back to Leto labs."

Beckett and Castle sat down with Margo Keaton.

"Ms Keaton," Beckett told her, "we need a list of everyone with access to the laboratory."

"I can give you one," Margo told her, "but it's everyone who works here. Judith locked up her notebooks in a firesafe, but the lab was never locked. If nothing else, it would have been a problem with the fire laws, but everyone signs confidentiality agreements. There's no reason to lock things up."

"Great," Beckett muttered. "One more thing. Does anyone here drive a black SUV?"

"We don't keep records of cars," Margo told her, "but I think Tony Kolato does."

"Is he here?" Beckett asked.

"No," Margo told her. "The lab is his workspace and you people have it taped off. He can't do anything."

Beckett sent some uniforms to get Tony Kolato into the 12th again.

"Mr Kolato," Beckett asked. "Do you drive a black SUV?"

"Yes," Tony answered. "Why?"

Beckett ignored the question. "Where were you around ten o'clock last night?"

"Home," Tony answered.

"Anyone with you?" Beckett asked.

"No," Tony answered, "but I was online. I sent e-mails. They should be timestamped."

"Mind if we check that out?" Beckett asked.

"It was on my laptop," Kolato told her, pushing a key across the table. "Be my guest."

Beckett sent some uniforms to get Kolato's laptop and she delivered it to Tory Ellis. Tory reported that there had been a steady stream of emails from nine-thirty to ten-thirty P.M.. Frustrated, Beckett had to let Tony Kolato go.

When Castle and Beckett got back to the loft, they found Alexis waiting.

"Kate, can I talk to you for a few minutes. I have some questions on evidence gathering, for the moot trial.

"Of course," Beckett told her.

"I'll just make dinner while you two are talking," Castle said. "Are you staying Alexis?"

"I already ate with Buttons," Alexis told him, "but thanks Dad."

After Alexis left, Beckett and Castle sat down to turkey a la king.

"What did Alexis need to ask you?" Castle asked.

"She wanted to know how we figure out if evidence is planted."

"I think we both know too much about that," Castle said, giving an involuntary shudder at memories of 3XK.

Beckett decided it would be a good idea to change the subject. "This is the sixth time we've had turkey, counting breakfasts, Castle. How much more is there?"

"Not much. It was a big turkey," Castle answered. "That's part of the fun of Thanksgiving, trying to figure out how to use up the leftovers."

"And what other kind of fun are you figuring out, Castle?"

"Wait till you see dessert."

"Better not be turkey," Beckett muttered.

Castle just wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a dazzling smile.

A/N The basic chemistry for this murder is OK but the details are off. That was deliberate. Don't try this at home.