A/N : ABC produces Castle. I'm just an amateur using their characters for my own amusement.
Interrogation Room - Otisville Sheriff's Station
Detective Sergeant Kent, with Detective Esposito following close behind, pushes his way into the interrogation room to the sight of a large, young, brown curly haired man with a full beard sitting at the single table in the room. Kent hopes this won't take long. He's got a call he needs to make when this is done and preferably in private.
The two detectives go and sit in the empty chairs on the opposite side of the table from the man and Kent regards the young man that is looking back at him and Esposito, nervously.
"Russell Baker, I'm Detective Sergeant Kent, this is Detective Esposito. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the murder of Arthur Roggenkamp," starts Kent.
"Let's start with when you last saw Mr Roggenkamp?" asks Esposito quickly to try and get an unedited response from the man.
Baker looks distressed at the mention of Roggenkamp's death and then his wide eyes look back a forth between the two detectives and a slight sheen of sweat can be seen on the man's brow.
"You can't think I had anything to do with that? Arty was like a father to me. I could never hurt him," exclaims Baker desperately.
Kent holds up his hand to placate the man. While they can't rule him out they don't want the man to clam up or ask for a lawyer so they want to keep things amicable for now. That will change if it looks like he anything to do with his employer's murder.
"Russ, we just need to know when you last saw Mr Roggenkamp. It might help us figure out who did this to him," and may or may not rule you out as a suspect, Kent thinks to himself as he tries to reassure the man.
"Come on, man, if Arty was like a father to you don't you want to do everything you can to help us to catch his killer?" adds Esposito reasonably.
Baker keeps looking between the two Detectives then nods in acquiescence, "Yeah, Ok, I…um..last saw Arty at sundown, around just after 6 o'clock yesterday. We'd spent the afternoon fixing a fence in the top field. We'd seated all the poles and most of the wire had been strung. There was just some last tightening of the wire and cleaning up to be done when the sun went down. Arty told me he could finish what was left himself and that I could head home. So I got on my trail bike and left."
"How long did it take before you got home?" asks Kent while out of the corner of his eye he sees Esposito make some notes in the notebook he has pulled out.
"Uh, about thirty minutes. I share a house here in town with a couple of old high school buddies," responds Baker.
"Were either of your buddies there to confirm when you got home?" asks Esposito, looking up from his notebook.
"Yeah," responds Baker eagerly obviously pleased that he can confirm his story. "Billy, William Greer, one of my roommates was home when I got there. He can confirm the time."
Kent and Esposito share a look as they silently agree to confirm the guy's story when they're done here.
"And you stayed home all night? You didn't go out at all?" pushes Esposito.
Baker shakes his head, "No, I went out again about an hour after I got home. I had a date with Jamie Harris. We met at 'The Carriage Wheel' a bar about two blocks from where I live."
"And when did the date finish? Or did it finish? Did you get lucky?" Kent asks a little crudely while giving the man a confidential look hoping that the man will take the opportunity to confide in them or even brag. Anything to open up the man's story and his alibi for confirmation or dispute.
The young man shrugs his shoulders as he answers, "It's not like that with Jamie. We've only been on a couple of dates. We're taking it slow. I walked her home to her apartment and left her there at about 11:30. I walked home and went to bed about fifteen minutes later."
Kent shares another look with Esposito and from the look in the other detective's face he can see that he agrees with Kent's own suspicion that Baker is telling them the truth. They'll still talk to his roommates and the Harris girl but his gut is telling him that this guy isn't the killer.
'What about when you left him or on you trip back to town, did you see anyone or anything suspicious?" Kent asks Baker as he turns back to him.
Baker shakes his head, "No, it was dark and I wasn't really looking for anything out for anything 'suspicious'. In all honesty I was mostly thinking about my date with Jamie and wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around me."
"So, Russ, can you think of anyone that might want to hurt Mr Roggenkamp? Did he have any enemies?" asks Esposito frankly.
Baker leans back in his chair an looks at the ceiling as he thinks. Then it is like a light bulb goes off in his head as he looks back at the Detectives and exclaims, "Yeah, about two weeks ago, I turned up at the Roggenkamp's place and I found Arty and old man Southwick having a knock down drag out on the front porch."
"Southwick?" asks Kent wanting more details.
"Silas Southwick, he owns the farm next to the Roggenkamp's. His family has owned it for generations just like the Arty's has theirs. In fact, that fence we were fixing, is on the boundary between their properties," answers Baker.
"Any idea what the fight was about?" inquires Esposito.
Baker responds, "I only caught the end of it but I'm pretty sure it was about a land dispute that the two families have had since forever. Something about a verbal agreement between their great-great grandads over the ownership of a field not far away from where we were fixing that fence. It's caused a feud between them even until this day. A few years ago Silas even tried to take Arty to court about it but he ran out of money and couldn't pay his lawyer."
"And you think that this Southwick could have killed Mr Roggenkamp over some old land deal that his great great grand-pappy made?" Kent asks Baker with a hint of incredulity on his voice.
Baker shrugs his shoulders again, "Maybe, they've never got along and the gossip around town is that the Southwicks are close to going under and that Silas reckons that not having that field is one of the reasons his farm is in trouble."
Kent and Esposito now both lean back in their chairs and share yet another look that says it all. Looks like they might have a suspect or, at the very least, someone else to talk to.
Conference Room – Otisville Sheriff's Station
Kate walks into the small room that Sheriff Hogan has given them as a base of operations as they work the case. She and Castle have just come back from a nearby motel where they just booked rooms for everyone. She almost rolls her eyes again as she remembers the unmanly whining Castle did after he saw the size of the room they're staying in. She had to repeatedly turn down his offer to look and pay for much more luxurious accommodation for everyone.
He couldn't go around paying for five star hotels for everyone at every out of town crime scene, she'd argued, otherwise even his, now their, large bank account would start to suffer. Besides, the motel is in the middle of town and is handy for the Sheriff's station. Now that they are back her husband has gone looking for the station's breakroom and what passes for coffee here while she checks in on the rest of her team that she left setting up at the station.
As she steps further in the room she sees Kaminski and their newest member, Agent Douglas, sitting side by side at the rectangular conference table in the centre of the room each studying laptops in front of them. Gibson and Ryan are standing at a white board, at one end of the room, that they have obviously commandeered and are writing on it and putting up some photos using magnetic holders. Esposito is in an opposite corner on his cell phone and from the 'Chica' she hears she supposes that he is speaking to Lanie. Of Kent there is no sign but she can't imagine he is far away as he and Esposito had still been talking to Russell Baker here at the station when she and Castle had left.
Kate walks over to where Ryan and Gibson are working and looks at the DMV photo of their victim that they have placed in the centre and at the top of the board. As she moves her gaze over the information that has been written on the board she can sense the nervous scrutiny of the young dark skinned woman standing next to her.
Continuing to read the information there and not turning her head towards the woman she asks, "Do you have something you'd like to ask me, Gibson?"
"Uhh…Umm…," as the woman stammers Kate finally turns to face the young NYSP Investigator and sees the woman looking nervously between Kate's face, her shoes and at the whiteboard.
There is an amused sound, almost a snort, from Ryan standing behind Kate and she turns to fix her glare on the detective to admonish him for taking pleasure from Gibson's discomfort. He has the good grace to look abashed as she asks him, "Could you give us a moment, Ryan."
He immediately nods in obedience and as he moves away says, 'Yes, boss!"
Turning back to the young woman she softens her face a little while still maintaining a bit of a serious look in her eye as she asks again, "So, what did you want to ask?"
"I…umm…just wanted to make sure that we were doing this right. You know, putting the case info on the board like you would do. Detective Ryan told me you have a particular way you like the information displayed and I didn't want to get it wrong. This is our first case after all and I wouldn't want to start off on the wrong foot. I want to make sure that I do things the way you want, Captain, the way you expect….," Gibson halts as Kate holds up her hand to stop Gibson's fast and breathless response.
Kate sighs internally. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea having someone so young be part of the taskforce. The woman in front of her is only in her twenties and hasn't nearly half the experience of the other members of the team. But she wasn't lying when the woman first arrived. On paper Kate had seen a cop that was a lot like herself at that age. Determined, smart and with a lot of potential. She hadn't wanted to fill the taskforce with a lot of old war horses. She'd wanted the chance to mentor someone and thought that Gibson would fit the bill admirably.
Unfortunately it had taken all of five minutes for a certain pair of detectives to find out that the NYSP Investigator in front of her has more than a passing case of hero worship for herself and Castle. Nor were they backwards in coming forward with that information to her as they teased her and Castle about it one night after work at 'The Old Haunt'. They'd had their suspicions observing her reactions when she'd arrived and first met her and Castle but apparently finding her reading a brand new copy of Driving Heat in the breakroom one lunch time and talking to her about it clinched things for them. Apparently the young woman had even asked Espo and Ryan what they thought about working with the 'real' Nikki Heat and whether they were really like Raley and Ochoa.
Kate can well imagine the glee with which her old partners received this information and the mischievous plans they have to mess with their youngest team member. Ryan's comment about her wanting the information on the murder board a certain way is obviously one of the ways they intend to have some fun at Gibson's expense.
"Gibson, as long as all relevant information is clearly on the board that's good enough for me. I'm not so inflexible that everything has to be just so despite what you might have been told," Kate pauses to look pointedly over at Ryan who is bending over the conference table looking at some papers trying to look like he is not listening and failing miserably. "Look, you're a good cop, Gibson, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen you for the taskforce. You've run cases before so you know what to do. One of the many goals of this taskforce is to use the different skill sets of everyone that is a part of it to help us close cases and bring justice for the victims. Do things the way you would normally do them, don't second guess yourself and don't look to me all the time for approval. Believe you me if you do something the wrong way I will tell you."
All through her speech Gibson had looked at her with wide eyes and Kate wonders whether her words and the intention behind them have penetrated the young woman's awe of her. Happily she sees they woman's eyes narrow and a serious look cross her face as she glances briefly towards the eavesdropping Ryan, then at the board and then back at Kate.
With a determined and grateful nod she responds, "Yes, Captain."
Gibson then turns back to the murder board to continue writing information up with a black marker. Somewhat satisfied Kate turns and walks over to where Ryan is still pretending to read the papers on the conference room table in front of him. As she arrives next to Ryan she sees Espo finish his phone call and move towards her and Ryan. Kate removes from her jacket pocket one of the motel room keys on a large orange, oval key ring with a room number on it at tosses it onto the middle of the papers that Ryan is pretending to study.
"There you go, Ryan. I made sure you and Espo have one nice double bed to share in your room," Kate tells him playfully as she gives a wicked smile to the newly arrived Espo who is looking quizzically at his boss and partner not having heard what Kate had said. For the Latino Detective's benefit she adds, "I'm sure you two are used to snuggling so it shouldn't be as issue that the bed is a little small. It should relax you both enough so that you can concentrate on the case and not instructing some of the members of our team."
She hears a small laugh from the nearby Kaminski as a look of horror crosses both Ryan and Espo's face. The two friends look back and forth between each other obviously not pleased at the prospect of having to share a bed together regardless of how good friends they are.
At that moment Castle, with Sheriff Hogan, enters the room holding two coffee mugs and makes his way straight to her. As he hands her one of the mugs he notices the look of discomfort, almost horror, on the two detectives faces and asks, "What did I miss?"
"Oh, nothing, Castle. I was just telling Ryan and Espo about tonight's accommodations," she tells him casually as if there is nothing unusual in the accommodations the men will be sharing.
Castle looks confused for a moment at her words and she knows why. In truth there are twin beds in the boy's room but she decided that if they are going to have fun at Gibson's expense it is her duty as a Captain to have fun at theirs. She's pleased to see that Castle's confusion is short lived as he sees the playful glint in her eye and he instinctively picks up on what she is doing.
"Oh, yes!" Castle exclaims. "I think you two will find your room much to your liking," he adds impishly.
Kate takes a sip of the coffee that Castle just handed her and is pleasantly surprised that while it isn't the worst cup of coffee it's not the best either. It will do, which is good given that it looks they will be spending a bit of time at this station while trying to solve this case. She's sure her husband's unique skills as a barista have something to do with the pleasantness of the coffee. That or just that fact that he made is because for some reason the coffee made for her by Castle always tasted good to her.
As she lowers her mug she notices Kent entering the room looking around a little apprehensive and studiously avoiding looking in her direction. Looks like their little talk back at the precinct didn't fully sink in for the New Jersey Detective. Because of the man's demeanour she'd bet her shiny new Captain's bars that whatever he was just doing it wasn't case related. At least not this case.
"Got anything new to share regarding the case, Kent?" she calls to him, deliberately putting him on the spot. Letting him know that she knows exactly what he is doing.
"Uh, no, Captain," he responds and she holds his eyes for a moment to further convey that she knows what he is doing.
"Well, OK. Make sure to let me know when you do," she adds pointedly. Kate shares a look with Castle at that and she sees that he has picked up on the subtext of the exchange with the New Jersey Detective, unsurprisingly, and he gives her a reassuring look of support.
Kate then asks Espo seriously, "Did Lanie have anything new?"
Espo shakes his head, "Nothing, Cap'n."
She takes a few steps back to the murder board with Castle following her and upon reaching it Kate sees that Gibson has finished putting up the information that they have so far accumulated so she turns to those present, "Ok, everyone. What have we got so far?"
Esposito takes a step forward at this, "Well, Kent and I spoke to the deputies that found the body but there was nothing new for us to learn there. They didn't see anyone during their search for the vic or anything unusual at the barn before they found the body."
"What about your interview of Baker?" she asks.
Kent chimes in at this point and she is pleased to see that he is contributing to their case again, "He has an alibi for the time of the murder. I asked the Sheriff to have a couple of his deputies check it out with his roommate and the girl he was supposed to be on a date with." Kent turns to the Sheriff, "Have they been able to confirm his alibi, Sheriff?"
"Yep, both the roommate and Jamie Harris confirmed Russ' story," responds Sheriff Hogan.
Looking at the board she sees the name 'S. Southwick' under the Person of Interest column and indicating to it asks, "What about this, Southwick?"
"Baker saw our vic have a fight with a neighbour about two weeks ago, a Silas Southwick. Apparently it was about some long standing family feud over some land. I had Kaminski check the local court records about it and anything else that might intersect between the two," Esposito informs her.
"Yeah," adds Kaminski from where he is seated. "I found the record of an incomplete court proceeding between the vic and this Southwick over a disputed land claim but that wasn't all." The crew cut wearing Detective turns the laptop in front of him around so that Kate can see the screen. "I found at least a half dozen other actions in the system between the two of them. All of them small claims, damage to property, disputed contracts, trespassing complaints, all petty stuff."
"So, we've got our own little Hatfield's and McCoy's situation," muses Castle next to her.
"What can you tell me about Southwick, Sheriff?" Kate asks the older lawman.
"Well, old Silas is a bit of a character and there was definitely no love lost between him and Arty. There have been a couple of times when me or my deputies have had to step in and stop those two from coming to blows," Sheriff Hogan pauses as he scratches his head. "I'm just not sure that Silas would go as far as killing him."
"We better talk to him anyway," says Kate. She then turns to Ryan and asks, "What about the vic's truck and the outside of the barn did your search find anything?"
"Nothing, in the guy's pick-up, boss. Our walk around outside did discover some fresh oil patches and tyre tracks not far from the barn. The state police CSU people took samples of the oil and pictures of the tread patterns. They'll get back to us when they have a possible match on a make or model. From what I saw it looked like two large vehicles parked not far from the barn recently," supplies the Irish Detective succinctly.
Kate nods at this information and turns back to the murder board and points to the word 'money' that Gibson had written under Motive, "When Gibson and I spoke to Mrs Roggenkamp and asked her if there was any reason she could think of that someone might want to kill her husband she couldn't think of anything at first but eventually she mentioned that her husband had been worrying about money issues lately. A possible angle is that our vic got caught up in something dangerous and possibly illegal to ease his financial worries and that might have got him killed."
"I've got a request in for a warrant for both the vic's phone records and financials so I'll be able to confirm that and see if he's had contact with anyone out of the ordinary, Captain," adds Agent Douglas from her seat next to Kaminski.
Kate nods in approval of the Agent's efficiency as Castle then asks the Agent with just a hint of teasing, "And have you come up with anything to support your theory that devil worshipers killed our victim?"
Douglas glances briefly back at her laptop and in an annoyed tone responds, "No. I've been searching local law enforcement databases and the media to see if there have been any similar incidents in the area and nothing so far." She then looks Castle in the eye as in a resigned tone she adds, "I even sent a picture of the scene to a colleague in the BAU and he concurred that the positioning of the body wasn't consistent with known occult rituals. Looks like you might be right about this being staged to look like a human sacrifice."
Kate sees a distinct smug look appear on her husband's face at the Agent's admission but it is short lived as Espo speaks up, "Oh, don't worry Douglas. We shoot down Castle's wild theories all the time you'll get your chance for payback soon enough."
Breaking in on the developing banter Kent asks, "What about the wife? A lot of the time spouses are involved when the other is murdered. Has she got an alibi?"
"No, she doesn't," says Gibson at this point as she taps her marker on the board where she's also written Mrs Roggenkamp's name under Person of Interest. "She was home alone all day and the first anyone outside her home spoke to her was when she rang the Sheriff's office at 11pm. When Agent Douglas' warrant comes through we'll also check her for any unusual transactions or phone calls for a possible motive. Sheriff, do you know if the Roggenkamp's had a happy marriage?"
"As far as I know they were happy. There was nothing official that I know off, no domestic disturbance calls. They are both well liked in the community, except by the Southwicks of course. I know the wife of one of my deputies is a friend of Sherrie I can ask her if she knew of any problems in the home," suggests Sheriff Hogan.
"Thanks, Sheriff, we'd appreciate that. Ok, anything else relevant?" asks Kate to the room again.
"One thing," responds Kaminski indicating with his hand again at his laptop screen. "When doing my search of the court records involving out vic I found a filing by him of an injunction against a WayTech Industries. They're a computer chip manufacturer that have a factory not far from the vic's property. He was accusing them of dumping chemicals in a creek that runs onto his land and wanted to stop them. The case is currently adjourned."
"Oooh, a shady tech conglomerate could have killed him to shut him up about their illegal dumping," eagerly theorises Castle next to her.
"There you go, Douglas, we told you it wouldn't take long for Castle to come up with his own crazy theory," adds Ryan pleasantly and teasingly.
"Ok people, regardless, like everything else we should still look more into this WayTech Industries so Gibson you and Kaminski do that. Castle and I will go and speak to this Silas Southwick. Kent, go with the Sheriff and talk to the friend of the wife and see what you can find out. Douglas you follow up your warrant and as soon as that's through you and Esposito go through the records. Ryan you follow up with CSU about those tyre tracks and see if any of the nearby junctions or roads have cameras on them. In an area like this it's unlikely but check it out anyway," instructs Kate.
With the impromptu meeting concluded Kate, with Castle at her side, walks out of the room as the rest of the team split up and proceed to act on her commands.
The Southwick Farm – 6 miles outside Otisville
With barely restrained enthusiasm Castle strides towards the two story farm house that he and Kate have arrived at. There is one particular reason why he almost has a spring in his step as he approaches the set of steps leading to the porch that runs along the front of the admittedly tired and under maintained looking house.
Beside him he can sense the indulgent and tolerant attitude of his wife. On the way here he had told her of why he is so looking forward to arriving at what is otherwise a routine interview of a person of interest in their case.
As the couple get closer a man in his sixties who is bald except for a band of short white hair going from temple to temple and wearing faded blue overalls pushes open the screen door and steps onto the porch. The man stops at the top of the steps leading onto the porch, puts his hands on his hips and gives a discouraging glare towards Castle and Kate.
"Who are you and what are you doing on my land?" asks the man querulously.
"Mr Silas Southwick?" asks Castle as he and Kate stop at the base of the stairs looking up at the man.
When the man gives them a reluctant nod confirming his identity Castle then does what has him so animated. Something that he admits to himself he has been looking forward to doing from the very first moment he thought of becoming an Auxiliary Detective.
Holding up his seven pointed star badge and with slightly perceptible glee Castle announces, "Mr Southwick, I'm Detective Castle and this is Captain Beckett-Castle we are investigating the death of Arthur Roggenkamp and we have some questions for you."
Yes! He thinks, after all the interviews and door knocks he's been to with Kate over the years and he finally gets to be the one to say that. With his usual childlike enthusiasm he looks at his wife, even before Southwick can respond and gives her a look that telegraphs his pleasure at finally being able to make that familiar yet new greeting. She, of course, gives him a patented eye roll at his antics but there is also the ghost of a proud smile on her lips at his achievement.
The moment is over as he turns back to the older man above than them but his mind is already thinking of ways to incorporate this moment into the next Nikki Heat book. Southwick is looking down at him with a confused look on his face at his attitude but Castle can also see anger simmering in the man.
"I've got nothing to say to you about that man," responds Southwick aggressively.
Ok, not so simmering anger, thinks Castle, as he pushes on, ignoring what the man just said, "Mr Southwick, we understand that you had some long standing disputes with Mr Roggenkamp. Would you like to tell us about them?"
"That man was a cheat and a liar from a family of cheats and liars. He cheated me and my family out of land that is rightfully ours. Then, on top of that, he grazed some of his cattle on my land and diverted a stream that had run on my land since the revolution. Those are the 'disputes' I had with Arthur Roggenkamp," responds Southwick still aggressively but with surprising frankness.
"So, it would be safe to say you that you are not sorry to hear he is dead," asks Kate from beside him.
The man snorts, "Ha! If you want the truth I danced a jig when I heard that man had met his maker. So, no Missy, I'm not sorry to hear that he is dead. You could say I am very happy."
"So happy that you might have had something to do with his death, especially seeing as with him out of the way you have a better chance at reclaiming that disputed land," posits Castle pointedly trying to crack the suspect's aggressive attitude.
Southwick fixes Castle with an angry glare as he responds, "No, boy! I had nothing to do with his death."
"Where were you between 8pm and 10pm last night Mr Southwick?" asks Kate quickly trying to get an unconsidered answer from the man with his anger so present.
His glare shifts to her as he waves at the house behind him, "I was here, with my wife and my son. After dinner we watched some TV and then my wife and I went to bed at 9:30 because unlike people in the city I have to get up with the sun to make a living."
At that moment a small, grey haired woman in an old floral dress steps out onto the porch and asks timidly, "What's the matter, Silas?"
"These police officers think I have something to do with that idiot Roggenkamp's death. Tell them, Holly, that I was here, with you and Jimmy all night last night," Southwick instructs her brusquely.
The woman looks nervously at Castle and Kate but Castle suspects that she is more nervous about talking to strangers rather than about the truth of what she is about to say. It is obvious that the bully that is Silas Southwick dominates the relationship with his wife.
"Uhh, Silas was here with my son and I and he was here all night," she tells them and while Castle has doubts about what Mr Southwick might say there is something that has him believing Mrs Southwick.
Giving her his most charming smile for which he is rewarded with a slight blush from the elder woman Castle asks, "And he was never out of your sight and it wasn't possible for him to leave the house for about an hour without your knowledge between the hours of 8 and 10pm?"
Holly Southwick shakes her head negatively and with confidence and Castle and Kate share a look. He can see in her eyes that like him she believes the woman is telling the truth and is just as frustrated as he is. With the man's unpleasant attitude he would have liked him to be the killer for no other reason than having the satisfaction of slapping cuffs on him and shutting him up.
"There, you see! I couldn't have killed Roggenkamp so if there is nothing more from you officers I insist you get off my land," demands Southwick in satisfaction with his arms folded across his chest.
"One last thing, Mrs Southwick," says Kate obviously not wanting to end the interview just yet and ignoring the woman's husband. "Your son, Jimmy, he's twenty-three, did he leave the house at all last night?"
A look of alarm crosses the woman's face at the question but she answers confidently, "No, Jimmy was here all night as well."
"OK! That's it! Now you try to say my son had something to do with this! I won't tell you again! Get off my land," yells Mr Southwick as he wife cringes next to him at the volume of his voice.
Castle and Kate share another look and he sees her give a slightly resigned cock of her head indicating that they should go. Castle turns back and giving Mrs Southwick another charming smile and, as Kate did, ignoring the fuming man next to her says to her, "Thank you for your time Mrs Southwick."
With that he and Kate turn as one and walk towards her waiting cruiser. During the short walk back to the car Castle spots a black SUV parked half in a barn that is standing next to and at the back of the house. Nudging Kate with as elbow he draws her attention to the car which with its shinny chrome and polished paint looks decidedly out of place given the rundown condition of the buildings that surround it.
It is not until they are both sitting in the car with the doors closed to either of them speak.
"What do you think, Kate?" Castle asks her as he looks out the windshield to see Mr Southwick watching them with his ever present angry glare.
"I don't know, Castle. It's easy to believe could be responsible but I believe her. Then there's the SUV," responds Kate to his question.
"Yes, I really would like him to be the one but while she's under his thumb I, like you, think she was telling the truth. Yet, that SUV, in the world of Nikki Heat, is the odd sock so I don't think we can discount the pleasant Mr Southwick just yet."
Kate starts her car and puts it into gear before responding, "No, we can't discount him or is family, yet."
A/N : And so the case continues. More suspects and more work for our heroes to solve this. Thanks to you all that have shown your appreciation for my not so little story.