It is fortunate for the park service and the local police departments that Captain Kate Beckett is an experienced police officer, trained in forensic discovery, DNA protection precautions and observation of crime scenes.
Within thirty minutes of the discovery the area was filled with both park police and local offices beginning their investigation
The fact that she and her husband were the ones to discover the boy in the lighthouse brought a different level to the beginnings of the investigation. The closest to crime scene contamination came when both of them were almost crawling from the steps to on the floor, trying to reach the top level and to not be seen from anyone who might be in the area surrounding the building. Their movements might have moved some dust toward the body but hopefully not damaging.
Castle and Beckett are standing on the ground beside the door when the parks captain pulled up "Hey you two" Carl laughs "I leave you two alone in my lighthouse and you discover a body?"
"Yes sir" Kate responds showing respect for the officer "We just topped the stairs when we saw the corpse"
Castle continues "He was all tangled in the gear mechanism. I think it probably is what drives the beacon to spin"
"Sounds like it" Captain Greigo looks up the building "Have the local police begun investigating?"
Having him look up causes both Castle and Beckett to do the same. Then Kate answers "Yes Chief Brady has started hiss investigation"
Carl looks back down "Are you going to assist?"
"This is your jurisdiction Captain. I was not going to step in any toes here" Kate responds
"Captain Beckett. Your reputation proceeds you wherever you go. I would be honored for you to bring your years of experience to this case"
"I will be glad to aid in any way I can" Beckett responds "Do you or Chief Brady have an ME in route?"
"I don't have one availiable and I think the Hampton's coroner is on vacation. We will have to call someone in from the county and that might take up to a day"
"Captain Greigo?" Castle starts to ask "Our daughter, Alexis, is a doctor with experience in forensics while interning with Dr. Lanie Parish, the ME in New York. Would she be an acceptable substitute?"
"That should be alright with me, but I will check with Brady on that"
Just as he makes this statement, the local police chief exits the doorway "Hey Carl…someone put a body in your lighthouse" he points his thumb toward the top of the tower
"That's what I hear. Can you tell much about him?"
"Not really. The body is mangled in the gear mechanism. We couldn't see a face so we don't have any idea how old or young, but we are sure the victim is male. It is going to take a mechanic to release the tension on the gears before we can even attempt to take him out, but I really want the medical examiner to look at him first, but he is off at the moment"
Pointing at Rick and Kate Greigo remarks "Castle said his daughter has some experience in forensics and she is a medical doctor"
"Fresh out of her internship" Kate reminds everyone "and next heading to her residency in a couple of weeks"
"That still makes her an MD" Carl states. "And with some coroner experience. I am good with asking her to look into this if you are Chief"
"I've known Alexis for years and she will do nicely" Brady answers
With everyone in agreement Castle takes out his phone and calls his daughter, tells her about the crime, and asks her if she would be interested in helping at the crime scene. She willingly agreed telling her dad she would be there in about an hour
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Rick and Kate have gone back into the tower to do some investigating while they wait on Alexis arrival. They want to look around for any obvious evidence that they missed. During their first time on the platform they were obviously interested in something other than a dead body when they first climbed to the top level.
This time as Kate proceeds Rick up the stairs he is keeping his mind where it needs to be. On the case. His other plans put on the back burner for the moment
When they reach the top level they both begin a deliberate search of the area making note as to what they see and find.
Kate looks at Rick. "I know that you were wanting to do something other than find a body when we were here before" she has a hint of glee in her voice
"I think you were just as interested in that something 'Other' as I was" Castle responds
Kate smiles at her husband showing him that she was just as interested as he was in a little frisky activity but, unfortunately, it was interrupted. She then turns her attention back to the evidence at hand
The first thing they notice is a flashlight on the floor with a phone a few feet away from the lamp. Kate takes out her cell phone and begins taking photographs of what they see.
"Look Beckett" Castle points to the floor where there appear to be scuff marks. It looks like there was a fight or something was drug here"
She takes a couple of photos then looks up "Yeah. It appears our victim might have put up a fight before being caught up in the gears"
There is also a large amount of white plastic like material crushed on the floor and what appears to be some type stains associated with these items. The plastic looks like drinking straws but a much thicker material
"I wonder who he was?" Rick calmly asks as he is intently looking at the man whose body is caught up in the gear mechanism
"Maybe an accomplice or just a poor spectator trapped-up in the ghost story" Kate answers
"So it is a ghost story?"
Beckett looks away while giving an eye roll "Sorry. Poor choice of words"
They continue their observation beginning at the stairs then around to the opposite side of the tower. This is when they notice the window facing the water is swung open. Not fully open but no longer latched either
Beckett walks up to the window where her face is awash with the cool sea breeze coming in off the ocean "This evening would have been nice if we didn't have a dead body to break the spell"
Castle walks up behind his wife and whispers in her ear "Kate, being with you is a magic spell all of its own"
She seems to become melancholy. "Castle, you have made me become a believer in magic" she looks over her shoulder at her husband "Our life is magic. Our marriage is magic. I wonder sometimes if we need to move forward and go on with the magic instead of spending every day chasing bad guys"
Rick is surprised to hear her make this statement. Is she suggesting that she is ready to pull the plug and stop doing this?
"Kate, what are you saying?"
She turns to look at the body then back at her husband "My family is more important"
She lets out a soft sigh just as the sound of someone coming up the steps can be heard.
They break from each other and walk back to the entry way. There, they are met with Alexis followed closely by Carl Greigo
"Hey mom. Hey dad" Alexis glances at the corpse "I can't trust you two to go on a simple ghost hunt without stumbling onto a body?"
Beckett responds "Evidently not. Your dad and I came up here to check out the story about images and we found a John Doe all wrapped up in the mechanism"
Alexis walks around the platform looking at the gear box and the man wrapped into the teeth on the wheel. She stops for a brief moment. "I don't think he died of natural causes"
"That goes unsaid" Castle remarks
"No. The knife wound in his side and defensive marks on his hands pretty much rule out an accident"
"I missed the knife wound" Beckett responds
"I saw a lot of these type injuries during my ER rotation. Working in a major city trauma center you pretty much see it all"
Captain Greigo is impressed with Alexis abilities and experience "When do you think we can try to extricate the victim?"
Alexis walks around one more time "Give me about thirty minutes to take some photographs and do a few swabs and you can have the mechanic release the wheel"
"That's good" Kate remarks "your dad and I will go back down and start writing some notes"
Alexis responds "Great…and will you send the technicians up with the body bag so when we get him out they can get him into the van and back to the morgue…" She looks at Carl "There is a morgue nearby, isn't there?"
"Oh yes. There is one in Montauk. I will arrange for you to make use of it" and Captain Greigo heads back down the steps behind Castle and Beckett
Once they arrive on the ground Kate looks at her husband "She really has grown up, hasn't she? She had a good role model in Lanie"
Rick looks at Kate smiling "And in you"
Kate drops her head then looks back up when she hears Carl step from the tower "You two have quite a woman there"
Castle proudly answers "Well she did have a good mom to help raise her" looking back at Kate again
"I can see that" he also looks at Beckett
"Thanks Captain but I am only her step mom, but I have known her since she was 15. I first met her, she was having to raise her father"
"It looks like she did a good job" Carl laughs
"Captain Greigo, Castle and I will go write up our notes and meet you in the morgue in the morning for the autopsy"
"See you two then" He responds and walks away
"Kate looks at her husband "Let's go home. I have some unfinished business to attend to"
"What is it you need to do at home?" Castle asks
Kate smiles and the look in her eyes tells all "YOU"
I really don't need to comment...do I?