Kate left Rick in the Interview Room with Nevaeh, a pack of cards between them, and went back to her team.
"BOLO's out on Hannah Tyler. Her picture's everywhere..."
"Detective Beckett." Ryan's words were cut off by Captain Gates' call across the room. Kate winced and turned slowly while the two boys immediately ducked their heads.
"Yes, Captain?" Kate asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"A word?" It may have been posed as a question but Kate knew better than to assume it was optional. The head jerk had been clue enough, but the look on her face hadn't needed the 12th's best homicide detective to decipher. Kate quickly made her way into her boss' office, knowing that keeping her waiting, and thus delaying the inevitable, would only make it worse.
"Detective." Gates started the moment Kate had pushed the door closed and was stood in front of her desk. "Care to explain why there is a little girl in my Interview Room playing snap with that writer of yours?" Kate managed to stifle the smile at the image her imagination had conjured.
"She walked in off the street about half an hour ago. She asked for me by name. Her mother is missing." Kate explained, trying to keep the strong urge to protect and defend the little human, who very well could be her family, at bay.
"Be that as it may, Beckett, we are a homicide department, not the lost and found. Unless her mother's body is found, it is not our place to investigate. Call Children's Services and send her to missing persons." Gates dismissed before putting on her reading glasses and picking up the piece of paper on her desk.
"But Sir." Kate protested, not caring that she was walking a fine line of not only pissing off her boss, but also sounding like a petulant child. Gates looked up, urging her with her eyes to make this quick. "She is seven years old. She is terrified, lost and alone. And the only person she knows, the only person she actually knows anything about in the entire world right now, is me. I will not just hand her over and palm her off, Sir." If Kate's outburst had shocked the elder woman she kept it well hidden.
"Detective..."
"If she was your daughter, and you had told her to walk into the precinct and ask for me, wouldn't you want to know that she wouldn't just be pushed from pillar to post because of semantics and politics?" Her maternal streak was making her brave. Gates looked downright astonished now. She leaned back, taking in her finest detective.
Her eyes were wild, barely restraining the fierce protection she was feeling towards the child, her hands clasped together behind her back, her feet shoulder width apart. She was ready to fight her on this and Gates knew it.
"She needs to talk to them, Beckett. She isn't a baby and has mental capacity to have a say in this."
"What if..." Kate trailed off, knowing that finishing that sentence how she had been planning, with 'what if she was family', would be a sure fire way to get herself, if not her team, thrown off the case.
"If, Detective?"
"What if, you give me today? Just today. Let my team and I work this case and see if we can't find her mother. If she isn't found, and doesn't turn up dead, by the end of play then I will personally, take her down to missing persons. But please, for that lost little girl if not for me, just give me today. We don't have a case and we're only doing paper work anyway. I'll make sure that is done as well." Kate didn't give a damn that she was begging. She knew if it was her daughter, she'd want someone to fight for her. And if Nevaeh turned out to be her sister, then she was going to be that person. Gates sighed.
"Today Detective, no later." Kate smiled and nodded her head before turning to the door. "And Kate?" Beckett halted mid-step, the use of her first name stunning her momentarily.
"Yes Sir?" She asked cautiously.
"She still needs to talk to them." Kate nodded just the once before exiting the office and striding back to her desk.
It was after two now and she only had till seven, at a push, before Gates would make her hand over Nevaeh. She would do everything in her power to prevent that.
"Hey, Espo?" Kate called across the room, grabbing the man's attention.
"Yeah Beckett, what's up?" He asked, curious as to what Gates had said but knowing better than to push.
"BOLO back yet?" Esposito shook his head. Kate sighed before making her way over to his desk, dragging her chair with her.
"No one's seen her. It's like she's just dropped off the planet." Kate sighed again, running her hands through her hair.
"Where's Ryan?" Esposito nodded to the break room.
"We thought you'd need a jolt after Gates tore you a new one." Kate chuckled, shaking her head.
"She's right. We aren't missing persons and she should talk to Children's Services." Esposito nodded. "But she's given us till end of play to find her mom. Whether this becomes our jurisdiction, or we wave Nevaeh and Hannah off, we have to do it by tonight or that sweet little kid gets turned over to CPS." He looked up at her, his eyes warm and gentle.
"Kate, what aren't you telling us about this one?" Kate smiled at her colleague.
"When I know for sure either way, I'll tell you. For now, can you just do this as a favour to me?" Esposito nodded.
"You know we will boss." Ryan interjected, placing a coffee mug beside her. She smiled up at him.
"Thanks guys, both of you. I wanna know the moment you've got anything okay?" They both nodded and Kate squeezed both of their shoulders as she took her chair back to her desk, sipping her coffee as she did. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to check on the pair in the Interview Room before she got down to her own part of this, dreading both the phone calls she would have to make.
"Snap!" Nevaeh's energetic happy voice found her ears the moment Kate walked into the room. She smiled; Nevaeh was giggling trying to hold onto a huge percentage of the deck while Castle pouted. Kate couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. She'd only ever seen this little girl shy and tentative, but leave her with a nine-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush for just a little while and this bright shiny personality burst forth.
"Hi Kate." Nevaeh waved her over and Kate was quick to sit beside the girl. "I'm beating Castle. He's not very good at this game." Nevaeh looked down to readjust the cards in her tiny hands and Kate locked eyes with Castle. She winked at him and he granted her a gentle smile. Of course he was letting her win.
"I always beat Castle at cards." Kate told her conspiratorially making Nevaeh giggle. Castle shot her a mock glare. "But I actually have to talk to you about something." Nevaeh dropped the cards as she looked up. There was a fear in her gaze that Kate couldn't place.
"You're sending me away aren't you? Mama said that too, before she tried to send me away." Nevaeh's lower lip trembled. "Please don't send me away Kate. I'll be good. I promise." Kate quickly knelt before her and took both of her tiny hands in hers.
"Hey, Nevaeh, look at me." The tears swimming in her gaze near on broke Kate's heart. "I'm doing everything in my power to not let them take you away. Okay?" Kate assured her softly. "But someone from Children's Services will be here soon and I'm going to need you to be big and brave for me and talk to them." Nevaeh looked between the adults for a moment.
"What do I say?" Kate smiled gently.
"You just answer their questions honestly. Now, I know you're going to be my brave girl and that you can do this. And I won't ever be far away alright?" Nevaeh nodded slowly. "Good girl." Kate squeezed her hands gently. "Now, why don't we see if you can't win the rest of the deck huh? I'll let the boys do all the work for a few minutes." Nevaeh giggled and shuffled across the couch so Kate, after she had picked up the dropped cards, could sit next to her, before hesitating.
"Everything alright Sweetie?" Castle asked gently, noticing the hesitation immediately.
"May I, would it be alright if I, sat on your lap, Kate?" The question was so quiet they almost missed it.
Kate didn't say anything but simply lifted the little girl, who weighed far less than she should Kate noticed, and sat her in her lap before wrapping her arms around her tiny waist.
"Thank you." Nevaeh leaned into Kate for a moment, and Kate relished the soft warm weight of her, before she went back to the game. Castle locked eyes with his girlfriend every so often but there was a calmness in her eyes that halted his checking every time.