Hey guys! Yes another update...Your reviews are so motivating, I wanted to continue fast :D Thanks to the person who let me know about the grammar faults I made in the previous chapter. ("her" instead of "him") I corrected that. I hope I didn't make too many mistakes in today's chapter. Okay, now be prepared for what's next... *Muhahaha* :D xxx
(n/a: RainyMood)
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Leaning over Gina's body for long minutes, Lanie Parish had just finished her examination in silence and was about to reveal her conclusions to Kate, who was squatting next to her. A few steps away, Javier Esposito was watching over them all, lighting up the woods around, ready to draw his gun. On the other side of the body, Kevin was also watching over the scene, paying close attention to any suspicious sound. The rain was still pouring and it wasn't helping. The two boys were also impatient to hear doctor Parish's diagnosis.
"Considering the rigidity and body temp, plus the temperature outside, I'd say the time of death must be around 2 or 3 am, last night. The cause of death is certainly the fatal knock she received on the head, here," Lanie said as she pointed at the swollen crane of Gina, wearing her usual blue gloves. Indeed, Gina had a big bump on the right temple, slightly hidden by her hair. It wasn't the first thing to be noticed, considering all the wounds she had and her ripped clothes.
"What about these lacerations and the wounds on the belly?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She was stabbed repeatedly. Considering the lacerations, I'd say…at least more than thirty times. Maybe it wasn't a kitchen knife…I'd say something smaller. Maybe a pocket knife. She must have bled to death, but that's not what killed her. That knock on the head is the cause of death. Even if it's obvious she wouldn't have survived with so many stabs", the M.E explained.
"So the killer hit her on the head, before she bled to death?"
Lanie shrugged.
"That's what I'm thinking."
"What about the weapon? A wood stick?" Kate asked, staring at the blue bump on Gina's temple. Lanie shrugged.
"It's hard to say without more exams…I'd say a long object, extremely heavy. A steel bar for example."
Hearing her explanations made Esposito and Ryan share a disgusting look. Who could have done this?
"Any sexual abuse?" detective Beckett asked, staring at her friend with apprehension.
"Once again, I can't say without further analysis in a morgue. But it's obvious her clothes weren't ripped for nothing. I just can't tell whether she's been raped before or after she died."
Kate took in consideration Lanie's remarks and looked at Gina's body, disgusted.
"Poor Rick…Finding her dead and seeing her that way…" she whispered sadly.
"It must be horrible to see somebody you loved in that condition," Lanie nodded.
"Somebody you loved or still love…"Kate whispered for herself. But Lanie had heard her.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's not the moment to talk about this…Thank you Lanie", Kate replied, shaking her head. She stood up and turned to the boys.
"So we have a mad dog killer, or a sexual offender."
"In both cases, this is not funny," Ryan said. "The phones are still out of service, even for Internet," he sighed as he glanced at the screen of his Blackberry before he put it in his pocket.
"I know, it sucks," Javier said with a sigh.
"If we can't call 911 for now, we have to catch the guy by our own means. He can't make any more victims", Kate ordered.
The boys nodded.
"Do you think it's somebody who knew Gina?" Ryan asked.
"There's no doubt. We're in the middle of nowhere here. Gina was killed last night. Right after Castle leaded her to her car. I think it's not a coincidence…Maybe the killer was even at the party last night," Esposito said.
"Scary…" Lanie said as she took off her gloves. "You mean…maybe it was a guy from the catering service last night?"
Esposito couldn't help but smirked.
"If you're thinking about your Jake, I think not. He looked like a douchebag, not a killer," he said matter-o-factly. The M.E raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you talking about him?" she asked coldly.
He shrugged.
"Don't tell me you were not thinking about him," he said, looking at her.
Lanie gave him an eye and was about to say something but Kevin interrupted them, raising a hand.
"No, guys, seriously. Usually I love it when you're arguing, really, but I think it is not appropriate now," he said looking at them.
"I agree with Ryan," Kate approved. Finally Lanie sighed but said nothing and focused on her equipments.
"So, let me sum up the situation. There's a possibility we have a maniac who was at the party and who could have killed anyone…or it's somebody who knew his vic…" detective Beckett ended.
"So maybe he knew Castle too," Kevin interrupted, staring at Kate. She frowned before she shook her head.
"He said he had no clue of who it is…"
"So what do we do?" Lanie interrupted, still squatting next to the body. "I mean, for Gina? Shall we take her home?"
"No, we can't risk losing the prints," Javier replied.
"We leave her here for now. Nothing worse can happen to her now anyway," Kate said.
"It's a good thing, in some way," Kevin said.
"All right. We've learned more information about her death", Kate said.
"I wish I could tell you more with further analysis though, but…" Lanie sighed.
"It's not your fault, Lanie", Javier said to comfort her.
"Don't worry Lanie. What about leaving her here, and going back to the manor? Then we ask Castle if he can think about somebody Gina could have known or somebody who could…"
(n/a: Better sensations with the following music: Dead Silence Theme)
Kate didn't finish her sentence. Some rustling leaves had caught Esposito's attention, behind Kate. There was no doubt. Something was moving out there. He pointed the flashlight towards the shadow they couldn't identify because of the rain, while his blood curdled. His reaction surprised Kate who stopped talking and stared at him.
"What's wrong Espo?" she asked, worried. Lanie also stood up, giving her ex a concerned look.
"Kate, take Lanie home, now," Esposito ordered without answering her question. He seemed to get more and more nervous. He drew his gun immediately and wouldn't stop staring at the bushes in front of him.
"Do you see someone?" Kate asked, starting to look at his direction.
"I…I don't know. I think I saw something move, but…Anyway, do what I'm saying, girls, go home, now!" he groaned. Imagining them in danger was stressing him out more than anything.
"Javi…"
They heard a twig cracking in the same direction. Lanie didn't finish her phrase as Kate and her turned to the sound, shivering. The rustling was so close to them…
"What was that…" Lanie whispered, scared, as she grabbed her friend's arm. Kate replied nothing and looked around, frowning, trying to see something…in vain.
"Do you think somebody's here?" Ryan whispered, holding his breath.
They remained silent. There was only the rain that prevented them from hearing what strangely sounded like…footsteps.
"Go home, girls," Esposito said again, pointing his gun and the flashlight at the shadow, ready to shoot at any moment.
But because of the rain, it was hard to identify what it was clearly.
"We're not leaving you here," Lanie protested.
"Lanie, don't discuss it," Javier ordered without looking at her.
Kate was about to say something when suddenly a gunshot broke the silence in the dark forest. A gunshot that didn't come from Esposito's weapon.
And then a scream. It was Lanie, panicked. The gunshot had surprised her.
"DUCK!" Esposito shouted with authority. Kevin, Lanie and Kate immediately threw themselves to the ground, Kate rushing to Lanie's body to protect her.
There was another shot and this time, Esposito shot back, although he didn't know where to aim, as he couldn't see anything. The shooter was hiding in the bushes. Kevin was on the floor and Kate had pushed Lanie down, protecting her friend who was terrified, with her own body. The M.E wasn't used to such situation. Kate could feel her trembling, sobbing against the floor. She was covering her ears not to hear the deafening sound of gunshots.
A few shots later, the silence remained. For a few seconds, Esposito looked around, on watch. But it was over.
"Anybody's hurt?" Javier asked as he turned his head to Lanie and Kate, hidden in the leaves. Then Kevin, a few meters away, behind Gina's body. Thank God they were all safe.
"Dammit, why is he shooting us?" Ryan said as he stood up, wiping his hands full of mud on his pants.
"Run to the manor girls, we'll follow you", Esposito ordered strongly without answering Kevin's question.
"Kevin, behind me," he added then, knowing his friend and colleague was unarmed. The Irish ran to Esposito, keeping it low while Kate grabbed the M.E's hand.
"Come, Lanie."
She helped her get up. Then Lanie grabbed her M.E's suitcase and turned to Esposito, wanting to say something.
"Javi…"
"Lanie, go," he interrupted her, without even looking at her. He wanted to stay focused after the gunshots, she knew it. This exchange saddened her though, because at that moment, she didn't even know whether she would see him again. She looked at him one last time, disappointed, and then went back to reality when she felt Kate's hand holding hers tighter to make her move.
"Come on," Kate repeated. Then the girls ran away in the dark night, full of terrors.
"Take it!"
Javier threw his flashlight to Kevin so he could focus on his gun he was holding tight, anxiously. Ryan watched the girls go away while he kept lighting up in Javier's direction, until they were out of sight.
"Okay, they're gone", he sighed, relieved.
"What I don't like is that I don't see that freaking silhouette anymore…" Esposito groaned, worried. The boys kept looking at the woods, focused and waiting for any suspicious sound.
"Dammit, he was there, five minutes ago!" the Puerto-rican growled, overwrought. His heart was racing. The rain was falling down on his skin, his hair, blurring his vision.
"'You think you…killed him?" Ryan asked in low voice.
"Nah. We didn't hear anything, no shout, no body falling on the floor…I don't know." Esposito admitted, unsure.
"I don't understand why he shot us for no reason…"
"Because he's a cuckoo, man. Isn't it enough?"
Kevin ran a hand on his face, worried as well.
"So…You think that's the guy who slashed the electricity?" he stammered.
"I'd like to catch him and ask him the question, you know?" Esposito said ironically, still focusing on the woods in front of them.
"Yeah, right…" Ryan said. "Dammit we're so screwed…" he added with a sigh.
"It's weird we don't hear anything now…shall we check the bushes? See if I got him?" Esposito asked his buddy.
"Yeah, so we'll know…"
The two friends slowly stepped towards the bushes, a few meters ahead them. They were walking, still on watch, the falling leaves and the twig cracking under their steps. There was nothing but darkness, pouring rain and blowing wind that made their hair and Gina's clothes balance.
Javier and Kevin kept stepping further, carefully. Every rustle, every move was suspicious. Espo kept pointing his gun in front of them, and Kevin was lighting up the way the best he could with the flashlight that would be out of battery soon. The light was getting weaker every second.
He was breathing heavily. But they were too far to hear him. They didn't know the man had walked around the woods in silence and was now standing behind them, about thirty meters away. He was watching them, without even hiding now. He stepped further, between the mud and the branches…towards the two boys who didn't suspect anything, turning their backs. With the distance, the pouring rain, it was impossible…Kevin and Javier thought they were safe…But he was there, watching every move they made.
He was still looking at the two boys who kept walking towards the bushes…and then he pointed his gun at them.
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..to be continued...