Ch. 23 It's Just The Same As It Ever Was
"Kate. Wake up, it's Ryan." Rick nudged Kate once more and waited for her to turn over and take the phone from him.
"What? Why?" She pushed herself up on her elbow and grabbed the phone. "What's up Ryan?"
"Look. I am sorry to wake you up at this hour but, it's important."
"Is there another body?" Now Kate was fully awake. She threw her legs over the side of her bed, mind already in the Detective zone.
"No. But I think you were right, that he has an apprentice. I mean, it explains lack of evidence on the older crimes and the smudged evidence on the newer ones. There is no way he forgets how to clean up after himself."
"What are you talking about? Smudged evidence?" She felt Rick's hands on her shoulders.
"The bullet. In the other murders, the earlier ones, you couldn't tell what bullet it was but now…"
"We know the gun. Good job Ryan. Wait, why aren't you sleeping?" Rick dropped his hands and scooted next to her.
"I couldn't. I kept thinking about what you said and while Esposito combed over what we've already gathered, I dug around. But I couldn't get anything until about an hour ago I had a thought. I came down and checked and I was right." She could hear the pride in his voice and she laughed.
"Way to go. Today I plan on talking to more of the victims' families. But, right now, I need some more sleep."
"Right. Good night Beckett." He hung up and the name threw her.
"What's wrong?" Rick flipped her light on and looked at her confused face.
"He called me Beckett." She pushed her hair back off her face but it just fell right back down.
"Something wrong with that?"
"No. But he is always calling me Kate. He called me Beckett." Kate had never told Rick that Ryan had a small crush on her. It was something that he pretended didn't exist but Kate could tell and she sort of liked it. He was sweet and cared for her and when he called her Kate, a small part of her enjoyed it.
"Ok. Do you want something before we try to go back to bed?" He climbed back in bed and cuddled up to her.
"No. Let's just sleep." She flicked off her lamp but something itched the back of her mind.
Kate couldn't get herself back to sleep so, at five in the morning, she gently tossed back the covers and grabbed the nearest clothes hanging in her closet. She snuck inside the bathroom and flipped on the light. In her hand was a pair of black, high-waisted, jeans with attached suspenders and a white and blue striped top, with a white peter pan collar. She slid them quickly on over her bra and underwear and laid her pajamas on the bathroom counter. She pulled her hair up into a quick ponytail and flipped the light off before leaving the bathroom. She grabbed her bag out of her closet and tip toed out of her bedroom. She left a note by the coffee pot and slid on her navy blue and brown, tie up, flats.
After arriving at the precinct, Kate pulled out the earlier victims' files. She had noticed the same thing Ryan had, the bullet was missing but we had no idea what gun did the damage. The killer had made sure of that by digging some of the surrounding skin out. She couldn't believe that Cliff and his team had missed it but what really shocked her was that she herself missed it.
But I wasn't really there. And the reality of that hurt. She blamed herself for not being invested enough into the case. She had left it up to Cliff and his team. I mean they are F.B.I How did they miss this?
She pulled up Shaya Reed's file and Sylvia Peters' file. And the two crime scene photos looked exactly the same at first but if you looked at the wound site, you could see a dramatic difference. And Kate noticed something Ryan had not: the burning of the fingerprints and toes were different. They took a different direction.
There are two killers! I was right. One is left handed and the other is right. She immediately added that to the file she had recently started. It was important enough to bring up in the meeting that she had planned. Kate looked at the clock on her computer and saw that it was already after six. She started the break room coffee pot and finished typing up her report on Imogen Bells.
Rick rolled over onto his left side and reached out for Kate. He opened his eyes when he realized that the sheet was cold. He climbed out of bed, flipping the alarm off as he walked out. He looked around the living room but saw no sign of her. He headed to her library but that lacked her presence as well. He went to start a pot of coffee and saw the note beside it.
Rick,
I headed to the precinct. I had a theory that I wanted to check out. Sorry about leaving you, I hated it. But I had to check to see if my theory could be proven. I hope I find it. Will call you as soon as the alarm goes off.
Love Always,
Kate
Rick replaced the note and as he did so, his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey babe. Sorry about leaving, again. But I think I can prove that my theory wasn't so far off. I checked what Ryan had found and then I found something else. I just wish that I could have found it sooner."
"Don't beat yourself up Kate. I mean look at Cliff and his team. They're F.B.I. and they missed it as well." He turned the coffee pot on and watched as his coffee was being made.
"I know. I'll try not to. But even the burn marks are different. At first you can't tell, you have to really look but I found it. One was made by a left hand and the other, newer victims' burns were made by a right hand. It's the angling. And I have already talked with Alaine Waters' family. Her son was six when she died and now he is fourteen. But it was eerie, he looked just like her. His name was Turner."
"I know that's your least favorite part."
"Unless I tell them good news, yeah. He didn't remember much. Just that she walked him to school like she did every morning and she was never seen again. I asked for the security tapes from the day of her disappearance from nearby cameras and the footage was collected as evidence but it wasn't in her file." Kate held up her hand to Esposito. He sat in the chair that rested to the left of her desk.
"What happened to it?" Rick poured himself a cup of coffee and put the phone on speaker.
"It's gone." She heard him let out a 'yum'. "What are you doing?"
"Drinking coffee. What else?"
"Am I on speaker? You know I hate when I am on speaker." Esposito got out of the chair and headed back to his desk.
"I'm on speaker when you're in your car."
"That's for safety reasons and you know it!" She swiveled in her chair and smiled to herself.
"What else did you gather from the Waters family?"
"Nice switch Rick. Well, the husband said that she was a stay at home mom so she only had friends and family over to the house. But while Turner was at school, she was always at home. She was twenty-six. She shouldn't have died Rick."
"I know Kate but you can let her rest in peace when you find this guy. And you will find this guy." He took another sip of his coffee and heard her protest once more about the speaker phone.
"She was found three blocks from her house, in a ditch. Someone tossed her aside like a peace of trash. I talked with all her friends and I gathered nothing useful. But she had a routine. Same as with Elena."
"You think that's important?" He took her off speaker phone and could feel her already calming down.
"Yeah. Maybe he was able to stalk them first. It would help with getting a new F.B.I. profile on him. Do you want to do lunch again?"
"I might be in a meeting. I have three of them today. Dinner out?" He finished his coffee and started soaking his mug.
"Where are we going Mr. Castle?" She leaned back in her chair and smiled brightly.
"Someplace nice. I'll talk to you later. Text until then?"
"If I can. Love you Rick."
"Love you too Kate."
"Hey Espo! You want to talk?" Kate slid her phone to the side and turned her attention to him.
"Yeah. Ryan found something we all missed?" He sat in the chair next to her desk and leaned forward.
"I found something too. Their burn marks. They are made by two different people. Look." She handed him the crime scene photos and the pictures of the burn marks.
"The angling?" He brought the photo closer to his face and saw what she was talking about.
"See?" She checked her phone and realized that she had to go pick up her glasses in an hour. "Is Cliff here yet?" She scratched her sleeve and saw that there was already a red mark.
"What's up with your arm?"
"I forgot how itchy this shirt can get."
"Ok. And no Cliff and his team have not arrived yet. They are running late. Apparently Cliff found something." Espo raised his eyebrows sarcastically then left.
Kate grabbed some of the other victims' files and laid them out in front of her. She continued to scratch until she remembered that she had stashed an extra shirt in her desk. She opened one of her deeper drawers and pulled out the plain, white, t-shirt. Before anyone came looking for her, she dashed off to the bathroom and happily switched shirts.
Just as she was leaving the bathroom, Cliff came upon her.
"Doing something important?" He crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to assert his testosterone level upon her.
"No comment." She hugged her shirt closer to her chest and tried to slide by him but he blocked her path.
"Is there a reason that you felt the need to call a meeting? Like we aren't busy enough trying to find the killer, that you have to stop our efforts just to shop talk? I don't know how you run your squad room Ms. Beckett but this is not how we do it." He seemed to thrash her with every comment. His purpose of wearing a perfectly crisp suit was to display his dominance over her. But she wasn't having any of it.
"First off," She pointed a finger in his face, "we found something that your outstanding team had missed. So a meeting is very pertinent. And I run my squad better than any of your people could. And you will address me as Detective Beckett, Cliff." She made sure his name was thrown back at him. "And you have failed to show any advancement. But I guess that's how you run your team. Right Cliff?" She shoved past him and tossed her shirt into her bag. She dropped down in her chair and checked her clock. In a half hour, her glasses needed to be picked up.
Just as she was rising from her chair, Captain Montgomery sided up to her desk. His presence was unnerving, he wasn't happy.
"Yes Sir?" She stood, with her phone and bag in tow and waited his silence out.
"Is there a reason that I have a complaint being filed against you? I wanted you to cooperate with the F.B.I. Not to fight them with every turn. This looks bad on me as well Beckett. You need to make sure that that complaint doesn't withstand. Agent Veran is very involved in this case. Work with and not against. And when you get back from your run, the meeting is happening." With that he walked away, closing his office door with more strength than was needed.
Kate looked up from her desk to see Cliff wearing a smug smile on his handsome face. She knew that he was the one who filed the complaint. But on what ground would it ring true? Would he go with filing it? Or was it merely a tool to make her back off? What was his problem with her? The meeting and the unanswered questions would have to wait. She had glasses to pick up.
Rick had just finished his first meeting with a Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, a little dispute against what they were entitled to in the divorce. The clients should have gone to Randall Collar but Randall was a grade-A douche bag. Or at least that's how others viewed him. Rick had sent a text to Alexis that had gone unanswered, which was no surprise. She was still trying to cope with Emery's passing. It wasn't easy to bounce back from a heavy loss, Rick knew what that was like.
Martha gently knocked on his door and he waved her in. The glass walls and doors offered little privacy but proved their worth when you were stuck in a meeting or stuck on a call. She handed him another file and the name surprised him.
"When did this come in?" Rick held the file loosely in his hand and didn't care if it came apart.
"He specifically requested you and I didn't think it too important until you said that you wanted to meet with all the new clients today." With that, Martha departed his office.
Rick once again looked at the name of his new client and wished he were imagining it. But his eyes didn't deceive him, Sal Dobson was his new client.
Kate had her glasses adjusted and once again examined herself in the little mirror they offered her. Her thick, black framed, glasses, screamed Buddy Holly. It was just what she wanted. She nodded her approval, excepted their mandatory case, and left sporting her nerdy glasses.
Once in her car, she took a picture of herself and sent it to Rick. She wanted him to be the first person to see her new glasses but she was let down when there was no reply. She tried to rise him by making a phone call but she was ignored. Upset and dreading the meeting with Cliff and his team, she pulled out of the parking lot, heading to a perfect, rejuvenating, spot.
Rick had met with his last client on his list. A Ms. Catalina Yurner had made sure that what evidence that she had gathered against Your Up! Pharmaceuticals was secure. As it was, she was risking everything for this to pan out. The lawsuit was a big one as Your Up! Pharmaceuticals was one of the more known energy supplement providers, that the country had begun to rely on. Her evidence proved that they were adding harmful and illegal chemicals to their products. She was just a simple line worker, her job consisted on sliding the pills or drinks into their proper packaging. But one day she slid a pill into her apron, tested the product's chemicals in her own lab, and came back with horrid results. The products they provided could accelerate the heart into a dangerous level. Not only that, the chemicals that provided the extra boost were not legal, they were being shipped in from Argentina. But the proof that that shipment was actually taking place took a while to gather. But Ms. Yurner needed to do the right thing, even if that meant risking her home and the money that kept her family afloat.
Rick stared at Sal Dobson's file that lay on his desk, unopened. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet with him, it was that he couldn't tell Kate. And hiding it was going to prove to be more consequently dangerous.
Kate pulled her car a few stops down from her father's gravestone. She passed the other resting spots of people whose families missed them. She said a silent prayer for every person and their families as she walked past them. Just as she was coming upon his gravestone, she saw someone who surprised her very much. Johanna was kneeling in front of his grave and she was crying. There were faint words that Kate was catching from the spot she occupied.
"… I just try. But I can't seem… she doesn't want to listen to me… you would get to her… miss you so much… Jim, my Jim." Johanna rubbed the top of his gravestone and kissed it as well.
Kate was surprised and felt a little, well a lot, guilty about the words that she had thrown at her mom. She did try to be the parent that she hadn't been but Kate wouldn't let her. It was hard to be there when she had no idea how to be. And Kate admitted to herself that she didn't make it any easier. Plus, Jim had been her husband. Maybe their marriage hadn't worked out but that never prevented them from loving each other.
And Johanna was right, Kate would only listen to her father, his words. But Johanna hadn't realized that this was hard and all new for Kate as well. It wasn't easy from going from point A to point Z. You couldn't make that much of a 180° turn. It would take time, words. They were hot or cold and that much of a swing wasn't working for either one. Plus, it was too much at once.
Kate took a deep breath and walked up to Johanna. She kneeled in front of Jim's grave and laid her hand on top of it. Maybe she couldn't talk to Johanna but she could talk to her dad.
"Dad? It's Kate, obviously. I want to tell you, confess to you that I said things that I never meant to say. Sure it would be easier to have you here because you are all I've ever known. Mom doesn't understand that I don't know her or how to talk to her. She left me, for whatever reason she had, that's how I see it. But I don't think she understands that. I am trying but she doesn't make it any easier. I don't know how to talk to her, Dad. How can I do that? You know me and she doesn't. I don't wish her dead, I didn't mean that." Kate swiped her cheek. Another tear fell on her cheek. "I just miss you so much and I am scared. You know it was never easy for me to talk to someone that I don't know. And that's how it is for me and mom." Kate looked at Johanna whose face was full of tears as well. "I'm sorry Mom." Her tears were beyond controlling and she didn't care.
"I know baby. I'm sorry too. I just don't know you, you're right. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to know you. I am very impressed by you. I am your fan Kate. And we need common ground. I can't be your mother sometimes, I need to be that all the time." Johanna grabbed Kate by her shoulders and held her. She rubbed her back and the only sound was the sniffling from their crying.
When Kate was let go, she smiled. "We need to talk."
"Agreed." Johanna laughed. "We look like a mess." She caught the streaks of tears on Kate's cheek and reached her hand out and rubbed them away.
"I don't really wear make-up." Kate dropped her head suddenly embarrassed.
"You're beautiful." She kissed Kate's forehead and smiled down, proudly.
"I hate to do this now but I have a meeting that I need to get to." Kate kissed her father's gravestone and waved goodbye to Johanna but was called back.
Johanna ran after Kate and paused to tell her what she had wanted to for years. "You were never the reason that I left." She reached out an squeezed Kate's hand.
Kate nodded then ran to her car. The thoughts and fears were swiveling into one and becoming hazy. She stopped at the red light and rubbed her temples. She hadn't planned on talking to her mom. She hadn't planned on breaking down but she did anyway. She moved after the horn from the car behind her beeped. And on the way back to the precinct, she couldn't help but think that with her mom, it is the same as it always was.
When Sal Dobson walked into Rick's office, it was his past rushing back. He didn't say anything but just walked into his office, sat down in a chair, and wore a smug grin. His hair had long disappeared from the last time Rick had seen him. His white tank-top was underneath a black, leather jacket. His boots clicked together and his jeans were clearly dirty.
"Scared?" His voice had a gurgle effect that Rick had never been able to place but if he had to guess, it sounded like he had water at the very back of his throat.
"You have never been able to scare me. But I am surprised that you need a lawyer. What now Sal? I am not your puppet anymore. You can't pull my strings." Rick still left his file closed. He had no use for looking at it, it would be filled with lies. Sal had never done anything legal.
"Oh my boy, but I can. Think of the headlines: Assistant District Attorney involved in illegal activities. I think that sounds good, don't you? Rick, come on. No one is really clean."
"I am not going to help you Sal. And you would be wise to not mention what I am involved with unless you want yourself exposed as well." Rick clasped his hands together and hoped Sal didn't notice his knuckles turning white.
"Please. Who will take your word after your reputation is exposed. You will help me or I'll have you finished off."
"So that was you. Or should I say one of your puppets." Rick leaned forward ever so slightly, to make sure Sal knew he wasn't joking. "How many you got? Because there was only one back in the day."
"Oh, Rick, my man, there was never only one. You think I trusted you that much? I am no fucking idiot. There were plenty. So, you gonna ask me what I want?" He kicked his foot up on the corner of Rick's desk and continued to hold his smug grin.
"Leave. And I am not asking." Rick slid back into his chair and watched Sal.
"I won't leave until you hear me out. I need you to fudge some things, nothing that you haven't done before. Right?" He winked and continued. "One of my boys was stupid, killed the guy. I told him to knock him out but you see Craig has anger issues. So, when the report comes in, I want you to take the case. Get it thrown out and we're good." He dropped his foot and was proud of himself.
"No."
"Yes you will." Sal stood up and winked as he walked to the door. "Unless you want your sister hurt." He watched Rick grow into his anger and rise from his chair. "Oh and your girl. Kate right? She's a cop. Should be interesting." He winked as he parted.
Rick slammed his fist on his desk and cursed to himself. He couldn't let anything happen to Alexis or Kate but he couldn't do anything illegal. He promised Kate and if she knew she would have to turn him in. He dropped back into his chair and cursed some more.
Kate stood in front of her white board while Cliff, Ryan, Espo, and Captain Montgomery sat around a conference table. They all had copies of what she had gathered herself. She even included the new discoveries.
"As you can see, I have concluded that the older victims differ from the newer ones. They are done by different people. As far as we know, he has stopped for right now. The burn marks are different as well as the wound site." She winked at Ryan but he just looked uncomfortable.
"Am I really supposed to believe that this guy has an apprentice, as you put it." Cliff tapped her report before sliding it in front of him.
"Yeah. Why? Because I can prove it. Look at the wound sites. She tapped the picture that rested on her white board. Look at their burn marks. They are also different. I believe that we have two killers. I also think that he stalked them first. Watched them, looked for a routine. Elena and Alaine had routines. They were killed with more vengeance than the others. He enjoyed watching them. The harder the routine, the more enjoyment he got out of the chase." She waited for them to flip through her report and watched them check off her bullet points.
"I believe this as well." Ryan spoke up but refused to look at Kate. "The older victims were cleaner. The newer ones looked sloppy. I can't say exactly how but I just see it." Ryan looked at Captain Montgomery, Espo, Cliff but not Kate. His eyes averted her altogether.
"Fine. If you all feel this way then you can talk to Victor." Cliff stormed out of the room and left her report sitting there.
Within seconds, a man walked into the conference room and sat down with his notepad in front of him. "So, what do you got?"
Kate just shook her head and was about to repeat herself but Ryan interjected.
"I'll do it Beckett, you can go." It was nice of him to describe what they had found so Victor could create a new F.B.I. profile. But what irked Kate was that Ryan had once again called her Beckett.
"Thanks." It was a weird feeling knowing something about someone and not being able to mention it. She wanted to let him know that she knew about his crush but it would just embarrass him.
Kate was in the middle of writing her new finds on the extra white board she had set up when a rookie cop came up to her. "Hey Hastings. What you got?"
"I just picked someone up that you might be interested in talking to." She just beamed and tried to look as polished as ever.
"And whom might that be?" Kate watched her blonde hair fall out of her secured bun.
"A Mr. Sal Dobson." She smiled, proudly, once more. "I recognized him from the picture. So, I pulled up to the curb and cuffed him. Your welcome." She smiled again then turned to leave.
"Wait." Ann turned around. "Where did you pick him up?"
"Funny thing. He was at the hot dog stand right in front of the District Attorney's Office. Weird right? Oh, by the way, he's in room one." She walked away, very proud of herself for helping Beckett. It was a known thing that Beckett was her role model.
Beckett stood, frozen on the spot. What am I going to do? How could I interrogate him right now? Her mind was so in to the serial killer case now that Sal and Rick's attack had slipped her mind. But wait… I was attacked as well. Was he responsible? It was all happening at once. But she couldn't miss the chance to talk to him. She checked her watch and was relieved to see that she had a full hour.
Kate stepped into interrogation room one and took Sal in. He was of decent height with a slender body. His head was free of hair, his tank top was stained and his jeans were caked with dirt. And his shoes had remnants of the same filth the rest of him was covered in.
"Whoa. When that other babe said to wait for the detective, I never thought I would get a great piece of ass like you." He laughed to himself then stared her up and down.
Kate felt his eyes on her and it made her nauseous. She walked all the way into the room, shut the door, and dropped her legal pad on the table.
"Mr. Dobson?" She let her arms dangle at her sides. "What were you doing at the District Attorney's Office today?"
"I do believe that that is my business." He held up his finger to his mouth. "Shh." He smiled very smugly and it made her want to slap it off his face.
"Not in this matter. I have reason to believe that you assaulted the ADA. Do you know what the sentence is for that?"
"Look lady…"
"Detective Beckett." She crossed her arms against her chest and gave him her best sneer.
"Detective, I was visiting an old friend. I had nothing to do with that attack. Scout's honor."
Kate was getting angrier by the minute and just as she was about to ask him something else, she realized that she was completely unprepared. All she really had was what Rick had told her. But it was hearsay and he wasn't the kind of guy that could be tricked into confessing. She had to have another plan. But what is that exactly?
"If that's all we have to talk about…" He stood up to go but she blocked him.
"I am going to hold you for further questioning." She slapped the cuffs back on him and passed him to Officer Hastings. "Put him in holding." Kate rubbed her face and felt more raw then ever.
Ryan walked out with Victor and shook his hand before Victor left. When he saw Kate, he walked the other way. She was so struck and angry that she yelled for him.
"RYAN!" He turned around and stood as everyone stared at him. Kate waved him closer and tried not to get too upset. "Follow me!" She waved him into the interrogation room and watched him sit down.
"Look Beckett.."
"No. Stop calling me that! You always called me Kate, what happened to that? You won't look at me, you won't talk to me! What the fuck Ryan! What the hell did I ever do to you?!" She was fuming and her chest was heaving in and out.
Ryan just stood up and stood very close to her. "I have to stop pretending that…" He looked down.
"Pretending what?" She was confused and you could see it written all over her face.
"That this can happen." He looked very serious before he pulled her into a kiss. His mouth moved as one with her and when his tongue collided with hers, he felt chills all over his body. But when he felt he no longer could control himself, he pulled away.
Kate stood dumbfounded, and a little over heated. In his kiss, she felt all he had been showing for years. His crush was more than that, he generally loved her. And if she was being honest with herself, she had a little love for him as well. She thought it was just a reaction to his crush but what she realized in that kiss was, that she enjoyed it. That's why she didn't push him away. A small part of her wanted it as well.
He bumped his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry Kate. I shouldn't have, it's just that I couldn't hold it in any longer. I have loved you since the first time I saw you. I was just too chicken to say anything and then when I found out that you were with Rick; I was happy for you but I was immensely jealous. I know we can't happen but it needed to be said." He leaned closer again. "One more." He pulled her face closer once again and gently kissed her before leaving.
Kate was stuck to the floor. She couldn't find it in her to leave, better yet even move. What he had said all made sense it just hurt. I love Rick. I'll never feel that way about Ryan and he knows it. But that doesn't mean that I don't love him. I just don't love him the way I do Rick. She ran her hand down her arms and felt the chill of the air conditioner beating down on her.
She checked her phone and realized that she was going to be late to dinner with Rick. She headed back to her desk, gathered up the victims' files and put them in her bag. She looked up and saw Ryan smiling and her face blushed at the thought of him.
Cliff walked up to her as she was packing her stuff away. He sat on her desk and watched her. "Leaving so soon?"
At the sound of his voice, Kate immediately felt uneasy. It couldn't be distinct, just he was uneasy in whole.
"Great theory by the way. That meeting was a blast. Don't you think so?" He chuckled and clutched his stomach like he had just heard the funniest thing in the world.
"Bug off Cliff." She threw her bag over her shoulder and went to walk past him but his hand reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Maybe you should back off me. You think?"
When he said the words back off, her body froze. Her heart caught in her throat. She had heard that voice and those words before. The night of her attack came flashing back to her. The slamming of her head on the bricks, the way he pressed up against her, and the way he threatened her. When he finally released her arm, it took her all the strength to run away.
On the way back to her place, Kate had a growing fear of Cliff and who he really is. When he threatened her the first time, she took it as him just asserting himself. He had acted so interested in her, she thought he was just another guy looking to score. But just now, when he grabbed her arm and said those words, she had an inkling about him. And her inkling was anything but what she had originally assumed him to be.