I guess it is time for someone to die
For once Rick and Kate Castle are not arriving late to an event. Not because they wanted to be early but this time they actually arrive a few minutes ahead of the scheduled time to begin.
The next hour is spent with the wedding planner and the preacher blocking the wedding party. They set up where each person will be on the stage. Each person is individually places so that the bride can have a perfect photographic memory of her nuptials.
Castle smiles as he thinks that his mother would have been a perfect person to direct this event. Martha Rogers feels so at home setting up marks and stage direction and blocking the event. But tonight it is up to a well versed wedding planner to take the helm to make this event perfect for Sara and Brett
As Kate had told her husband, she was the stand-in for the bride as placements were made and every person is directed to exactly where they should stand. Then Kate walks down the aisle to meet Sara's future husband to set up the staging
After the bride is satisfied with how tomorrow night will be presented the group move into the private dining room for the rehearsal dinner. Rick and Kate are placed at the head table beside the bride and groom. The others in the wedding party are seated at the adjacent tables.
After they are seated, Kate leans into her husband "you know you are expected to offer a toast for the couple"
Rick nods his head "I know. I can say a lot about Sara but I will have to leave any comments about the history between the groom and my wife to you, the one person here that knows him intimately"
"I do not know him that way. Kisses don't count as…" she seems to be bothered by the comment
He slides his arm around his wife. "Kate…Kate. I am just kidding you. I know all about your past with him. But we could still have fun with that"
"That might not be a very good idea. You know Sara may not feel that this would be as funny as you do"
"Oh, yeah. OK"
She brings her eyes up at Rick with a look of evil; glee "But I really don't know much about you and Sara. She seemed very interested in connecting that day in the Hamptons when she came by with that bottle of Champaign"
"OK. Truce" he pulls her a little tighter
"Truce" she smiles back to her husband
Castle reaches to the champaign bottle to pour himself and Kate a glass of bubbly. She takes his hand before he can pour her glass
"Babe, just in case…"
He looks at her in wonder
"I don't want to take any chances…so just water for me"
He understands her thinking then he places the bottle back on the table. He then picks up the water pitcher and fills her glass instead.
When the time comes Castle stands up to the small group of family and friends around the tables "I want to offer a toast to a very nice couple" He raises his flute "To Sara and Brett. Two people who share some common background and have a common ground to build up a life together"
The raised glasses of the other guests clink together in acknowledgement of Rick's toast
After the meal is finished the wedding party begins to break up to return to their respective rooms, Castle has taken Beckett along with him from the dining room and into the lounge. This room parallels a long row of windows opened to the beautiful scenery outside
The room is just inside the balcony overlooking the rear of the lodge and down the mountain to the valley below.
When Rick and Kate stop at the long glass wall they can see for miles and are witness the snow fall that now seems to becoming more and more heavy now
"I guess the promised winter storm has arrived" Castle comments "and is falling fairly heavy at the moment"
Rick stands behind his wife with his arms wrapped around her keeping her warm. He can feel how relaxed the soft woman beside has become and he can sense she is enjoying the moment
"More magic?" Kate says softly
"Yes you are" he whispers in her ear
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The call comes in from forensics first thing in the morning.
"We have results on the fingerprints from the apartment" Esposito tells his partner just as he hangs up the telephone. "They are e-mailing them over now"
The two detectives continue in their investigation until the chime comes from the computer speaker announcing the arrival of the message form the crime lab.
Esposito opens the message and begins to read the summary when his eyes pope open "Hey Kev! Look at this" he points to the detail report
"What? How is that possible? The apartment should only have prints of the current resident, our victim, and the prior occupant. How could there be that many fingerprints of someone who has been dead for several years?"
The Hispanic detective responds "It can't be, except the person is not really dead"
"Right. So who is this guy?"
"According to the file he has been dead for several years. He was killed in a boating accident out on Long island"
"What is or was his name?" Ryan asks
Esposito looks at the computer screen "uh…Kirk Green"
Ryan continues "Let's take the picture to the apartment building and show the super and see if he recognizes him"
The two detectives stand and head for the elevator
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The bed is much too comfortable and, not to mention, warm. Kate Beckett-Castle finds herself not wanting to get up this morning but the light that is trying to edge its way into the room and invade her sleep is getting much too bright to ignore for very much longer
The man beside her is also beginning to move as he pulls her closer. His is warm and she likes warm and he obviously does not wish to get up either
"Good morning babe" she moves her head so he can reach her neck and she likes the attention he is paying to her neck. As he begins his work on that special spot just behind her ear the phone in the room rings
She puts out a verbal groan then reaches out
"Don't answer it" he says just as her arm begins to exit the warmth of the bed toward the irritating instrument on the table
"Hello" Kate answers then pauses
"This is she"
"Say that again?"
"OK. Castle and I will get dressed and be right down"
"What is it?" Rick asks
"There has been a murder. One of the staff has been found murdered"
"Why don't they just call the local police?"
"They said the roads are closed. The storm came in overnight and the local PD can't get up here until the snow plows can get up here and they said it might be a couple of days. There is another wave of snow almost here"
Rick brings up the obvious question "Are you saying we are trapped…in this hotel? With a murderer?"
"It would seem so, yes"
Beckett has pulled the covers off and is standing up to go get dressed with Castle close behind
Once the pair make their way to the lobby of the lodge they find the hotel owner, Robin Blankenship waiting for them
Robin seems to be in a panic "I understand you are a homicide detective, Kate"
"Yes, back in New York. I have no authority here"
"I understand that, Mrs. Castle, but the local police chief asked if we could secure the scene until they arrive. I told them you were here for the wedding. He wanted to know if you would take charge of the crime scene and make sure the evidence was protected"
"I can do that, but I need to speak to the local chief first"
"Certainly" Robin responds "let me get him on the phone" and she dials the number, handing the phone to Beckett when the chief answers
After a brief conversation with the local authority, Kate hangs up the call and turns back to her husband "he deputized me so I can start the investigation"
"So, Kate…for you and me it's 'Business As Usual'?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Walking into the front entrance of the apartment building where the body was found detectives Ryan and Esposito are bringing the photograph of the man whose fingerprints were found in the unit
"Hey Wally" Ryan speaks to the superintendent as they step up "we have a photograph for you to identify"
The building manager takes the image and only looks for a second "Yup. That's him. That's Barney Fife or the guy who called himself by that name"
Esposito asks the question "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely" is the reply
"Thank you, Wally" the two men walk back put the front door to their cruiser
"This is very odd" Esposito states
Ryan continues "Yeah. Very odd. A man that has been declared dead has been living in that apartment almost from that time"
"What's even more strange is he lived next door to Castle"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Castle and Beckett have been taken to the employee housing section of the lodge and into the corridor leading to the apartment of the maintance man.
While they are walking down the corridor, Beckett is asking about who discovered the body…exactly what time did that happen…when he was last seen alive…and finally if the door was locked or open or if it had been broken into
The answers she receives are Todd Graham, the hotel's driver
It was at 7:15 AM when he didn't answer the phone when he had not shown up for work
He was last seen alive at 7:00 PM the night before in the employee dining room
The door was standing open and had not been damaged
When Beckett and Castle arrive, they make note that the room does not seem tossed. Everything seems to be on place. If something was taken they have no clue as to what it might be
After doing due diligence in observing the room and any evidence that might be found, the husband and wife crime fighters focus on the body.
This is when Castle makes a startling discovery
He looks very closely at the body on the floor
"Kate. I know this man"
"You do? Who is it?"
"Green. This is Kirk Green"
Kate spins toward her husband "Are you talking about the Kirk Green, Sara Green's husband that is supposed to be dead?"
"Killed in a boating accident a couple of years ago/ Yeah!"
.