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Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.
An Eventful Staycation
It was late afternoon, and I was sitting on the couch while finishing up one of the many worksheets I received that day. Castle was in his office, trying to work on his next book, but he's been having a ton of writers block lately. As I was marking down one of the answers, the home phone started to ring. I reached towards the table it was resting on, and answered with a simple, "Hello."
"Hello, this is Rocky Smith from KVZ 99.9 The Jam. Is this Kate Beckett?" the man from the radio station asked.
"No, I'm her niece," I said.
"Is she there?"
"Not at the moment. She's still working."
"Is there an adult I can speak with?"
"Sure, I'll go get my uncle."
I ran towards Castle's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in mini Beckett," I heard him say.
I opened the door and ran towards his desk with a big smile gracing my face.
"What?" Castle questioned with worry.
"Rocky Smith from KVZ 99.9 The Jam is on the phone," I said, placing the phone on speaker.
Castle looked at me with a raised brow, not sure what was going on, and spoke to the man on the phone, "Hello, this is Richard Castle."
"The author?" Rocky asked.
"Yes, the author."
"Well Mr. Castle, we have some good news for you and your family."
"What is it?"
"Kate Beckett signed up for a sweepstakes we were having and she is our big winner."
"She did?"
"Yep… So, you and three family members will be staying at the new five-star hotel called The Shamrock, which just opened last week. You'll have a fun four day, three-night stay at the hotel, and free room service, including four tickets to go see the new off-Broadway show, Dark Rooms."
"Wow, um… Okay."
"Have Kate Beckett call us in the next 48 hours to claim her prize, or we'll have to pick another winner. Have her call this number, 555-999-5454, and they'll give you more information."
"Yes, I'll relay the message to her."
"All right, Mr. Castle. Congratulations and thanks for participating. This is Rocky Smith, over and out."
Rocky hung up, and Castle followed suit by hanging up, and placing the house phone on his desk. Castle looked at me and asked, "Emily, did you enter that contest?"
I placed my hands in my pocket with a sly smile and said, "Maybe…"
"That hotel is literally a block away and I heard Dark Rooms was going to be a flop."
"Come on Castle, I thought it would be fun. Just a nice family staycation for us to do. And it's free, no one turns down free things."
"Why couldn't it be a trip to Bora Bora, or something?"
I shrugged and said, "I don't know. But it's going to be fun, and we're still in the comfort of our own backyard. So, please…"
Castle rolled his eyes with a sigh and said, "Fine, but we're going to talk to your aunt about this. She is the winner after all."
"Yes! This is going to be an awesome weekend."
I gave Castle a large hug before I ran back to the living room to finish my homework and to think about our staycation.
Aunt Kate came home around dinner time and I wasted no time to ask her if we could go to The Shamrock and have a staycation.
"Aunt Kate, you won a sweepstakes that I entered you in and we can stay at the new hotel, The Shamrock, and we'll get tickets to a new off-Broadway show… and... and it'll be epic! Please can we go? Please…." I said as I stood in front of her with my hands clamped together in a pleading fashion.
"You entered me in a sweepstakes without my consent?" She asked me.
"Um, well yeah… But that doesn't matter now, you won… And we should except it."
"Emily…"
"Come on… I'm sorry that I entered you into a random sweepstakes without your permission, but my favorite radio station kept advertising it and I thought that it couldn't hurt if I just entered. So, please…Can we go?"
She looked over at Castle in the kitchen, and he gave her a shrug and said, "Don't look at me. I just found out about this myself."
She sighed and looked back down at me. I could see her think for a moment and I raised a brow in suspense, wondering if she was going to say yes or no.
She sighed once more before she said, "It could be fun and I do have this weekend off. But next time, ask me before entering my name into anything."
I gave her a huge hug and said, "I won't… This is going to be fun."
"Yeah, I guess it will."
I ran towards the table where Castle placed the number and then I ran back to Aunt Kate to give it to her. I handed it over and said, "That's the number to call to confirm your winnings. You must call them back in 48 hours or you forfeit the prize."
"Okay, I'll try to give them a call tomorrow."
"Awesome."
"And since it's a family staycation for four, I'll see if Alexis will like to come along, since mother will be away for the weekend," Castle spoke up.
"That sounds nice," Aunt Kate said.
Aunt Kate called them the next day, and confirmed that she would take the prize and worked out the whole schedule with them. The rest of the week went by in a blur since I was so excited about this whole staycation. And we even got Alexis to come with. It was going to be great, even though we'll be literally a block away from where we live, I just feel that since it's technically a "vacation", the whole atmosphere will be different.
So, we got to The Shamrock hotel, and as soon as we walked in my eyes lit up with wonder. Everything was so shiny and extravagant, I couldn't believe how beautiful it all was, and that was just the lobby. I couldn't wait to see what our room looked like. We walked up to the front desk, and the hotel desk clerk, with the nametag of Nick, said, "Hello, how may I help you today?"
"Hi, there should be a reservation under Beckett, Kate," my aunt said.
"Ah, one moment please," he typed away at his computer before he spoke up again, "I have your reservation right here, Ms. Beckett. It looks like you and your family will be staying in our mini suite. It has two small bedrooms and a master bedroom, along with a main bathroom and a master bathroom. Is that all right?"
"Yes, that sounds great."
"Okay, I'll go grab your four room keys and the packet that the radio station dropped off."
"Thanks."
He walked off to the back and I looked around the lobby some more. There was a cute older couple sitting on some large comfy chairs by the stairs towards the entrance, then there was a man in his thirties on the phone by one of the many polished egg shelled pillars, and there was a young couple smooching away by the elevators. It seemed that a whole bunch of different people were staying here this weekend, and it should be fun getting to know some of them throughout our stay. Nick came back and said, "Here you are. Four room keys to room 2021, and the package from the radio station. If I may remind you, room service is free and we also have a complimentary spa treatment if you'd like to attend. Do you have any questions?"
"No, I think that's it. Thank you, sir," my aunt said as she grabbed the items from the counter.
"Okay, have a lovely stay and if you have any questions, our staff members are here to help."
We all nodded towards the man and headed towards the elevator. The door was still open, so we all piled in along with a man wearing a black jacket, grey jeans, a black trucker cap, and dark brown boots. He hit number twenty and Castle said, "That's where we're going."
"Hmm," the man grumbled.
Castle raised a brow as we all fell into an awkward silence. As soon as we reached our floor and the doors opened, the man in the jacket stalked off to his room quickly and I said, "Well, he was creepy."
"Emily…" my aunt said with a warning tone.
"What!? He was… Didn't he give you a serial killer vibe, I mean you are a detective."
"Just because he gives me the creeps, doesn't mean he's a criminal. Everyone has their rough days and awkwardness about them."
"Yeah, I guess so. He still didn't give me good vibes."
"Come on mini Beckett, we're supposed to have a fun weekend. We're not sniffing out potential murders," Castle said as he carried our bags to the room.
"He's right, Emily. This is supposed to be fun, we don't want to get into any trouble," Alexis said.
"Okay," I said.
We went into our mini suite, and it was huge. It had a nice spacious living room, a small kitchen, and a huge flat screen TV. I ran to the first room I found and jumped on the large, comfy, bed that was covered in a fluffy tan comforter. Castle came in still lugging our luggage and dropped my small suitcase on the floor. He looked around with a small nod and said, "This is a nice room."
"Yeah, it's so nice. And my TV is way bigger than the one in my room at home and I have an awesome window view of the city," I said.
"Looks cool. I'm going to drop the rest of the luggage off, and check out Kate and I's room."
"Okay."
He left my room and I got off the bed to look out the window. I could see all the high-rise buildings and the city streets below. It was pretty high up, I mean we are on the twentieth floor, so everyone looked like ants and the cars looked like toys. Alexis stood beside me and said, "Wow, what a view."
"I know, it looks crazy from up here," I mumbled as I pressed my face to the glass.
"It sure does."
"So, what's up?"
"We were going to order dinner; do you want to come see the dinner menu?"
"Yeah, sounds good."
I followed Alexis out to the living room to discuss dinner, and I was excited to spend the weekend in this awesome hotel.
It was our first night in our hotel room, and I couldn't fall asleep because it was raining cats and dogs outside. It's been a steady down pour since we've gotten dinner and it wasn't letting up. As the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed, I tossed and turned in my bed with annoyance. I really hoped the storm would end by tomorrow morning, so we could go do some things outside, but we may be cooped up in here for the whole weekend, except for when we go to the off-Broadway show on Sunday.
I knew I wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon, so I sat up and turned my television on. I made sure to keep the volume low, so I didn't disturb anyone else's slumber. The meteorologist from our local news station came on, and I listened to what he had to say, "Good evening folks, if your joining me tonight than you must be up because of the awful weather we're having."
"It's terrible out there Jim," the female news anchor said.
Jim laughed and said, "It sure is Kelsey, and I have some bad news, this front that's pushing its way down, is bringing a whole bunch of nasty weather with it, so it looks like this weekend is going to be a washout. Sorry for all you folks out there who wanted to go out and enjoy some beautiful sunshine. We'll see what's in store for next week, so let's take a look at our seven-day outlook, and come back after a look at our sponsors."
I shut the TV off and flopped back down in my bed with an aggravated sigh. Whenever we get to do something fun, it's either washed-out, halted by murder, or both. It's not all the time, but it still feels like we have more bad times than good times on vacation, and that stinks.
The thunder boomed loudly once again, and since I was in deep thought, it made me jump with a fright. Since I still couldn't fall asleep, I walked over towards my window and looked outside at the pouring rain. I couldn't see much because it was pretty dark out except for a few lights that were on here and there across the way. I could barely make those out though because of the immense amount of rain on my window and the blinding flashes of lightening that went by every few seconds.
I looked around some more and I caught a glimpse of a pink, silky, thing, flying through the air. I watched it float past my window and I made out that it was a woman's dress. I thought it was strange, but maybe someone had it out on their balcony and forgot to take it in before the storm started. But then another dress flew past my window, and then another, and then some other articles of clothing went past. I found it strange that someone was dumping their clothes over the side of the building, in the middle of the night, and in the pouring down rain, but if there is one thing I've learned, people are crazy.
I was about to leave the window, and try to fall sleep again, but a female scream stopped me in my tracks. I squinted out my window and saw a female falling past at a high rate of speed. I shook my head in disbelief at what I just witnessed and ran to Alexis's room. She was sleeping peacefully, but I quickly ruined it by putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her awake.
"ALEXIS! WAKE UP!" I yelled with panic.
Alexis sat up with worry and said, "What's wrong Em, are you okay?"
"Someone fell!"
Alexis's door burst open and Castle came in, holding a shoe in his hand, and Aunt Kate stood next to him looking tired, but she still seemed alert. They looked around the room and my aunt said, "What happened?"
"Is there someone in here?" Castle asked with a shoe at the ready.
"No… What's a shoe going to do anyway?" I asked.
"A shoe can be used as a weapon. You just have to be good at it like me."
Castle tried to show off with a fancy move, but the shoe wound up flying out of his hand and hitting a dresser in the corner. We shook our heads at him and Alexis spoke up, "We're fine… Emily just barged in and told me that she saw a lady fall from the building."
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" my aunt asked me.
"I'm positive. I couldn't fall asleep, so I watched the weatherman on the news and then after I turned the TV off, I looked out the window and watched the rain. I saw a few pieces of clothing fly by first, and then I heard a woman scream, and then I saw her body go past my window," I said.
"Are you sure?" Castle asked with seriousness.
"Yes, I know what I heard and saw."
"Why don't we head downstairs and see if anyone else noticed this?" Aunt Kate suggested.
"All right," Castle said.
We went down in our nighties and robes, but we had sneakers on just in case we had to go outside to prove what I saw. When we got to the lobby there were several different people at the front desk and walking around with worry on their faces. Castle turned to the man near us and asked, "What's going on?"
"Didn't you hear? Some broad from room 2100 fell from her balcony. I'm supposed to be up in three hours for a presentation, but now I have to deal with this," the man said with a huff before he walked to the front desk.
"See I told you," I said.
"Yes, Em. You were right," my aunt said.
"Do you think she jumped?" Alexis wondered out loud.
"Hmm… I don't know. Hopefully it wasn't foul play, but they're both pretty depressing," Castle said.
"Yeah, and hopefully we don't have a murderer in the hotel. We don't need that this weekend," Aunt Kate sighed.
"Beckett!" Ryan called out as he made his way over to us with Esposito.
"Hey guys, any ideas on this dead girl?"
"Well nothing yet. We know her name is Dina Smythe and she was staying in room 2100 for a couple of days while in town for business."
"So, it could be a homicide?" Castle asked.
"We don't know yet. We're about to check her room to see if there are any signs of a struggle," Esposito said.
"I'll meet you guys up there," Aunt Kate said.
They nodded and headed towards the elevators to go up to the twenty-first floor.
"You're going to work?" Castle asked my aunt.
"I'm just going to check it out. They might need my help," she said.
"Okay, I guess we should head back up to our room."
We all agreed and went back up to our room.
We were up in our mini suite and aunt Kate left as soon she got ready, leaving the three of us alone. I decided to go back to my room and get changed myself. I wanted to see if the body was still down by the entrance, and I also wanted to snoop out some clues.
I walked out of my room and headed towards the door when Castle stopped me, "Where are you going?"
"To see the body and snoop out some clues," I said with a shrug.
"I don't think so mini Beckett. It's almost four in the morning and we need our sleep."
"Come on uncle Rick, don't you want to see the body and find out what's going on?"
"Well... I mean… No…"
I raised a brow at him and asked, "You're not the least bit curious…?"
"Of course I am, but we shouldn't."
"Aunt Kate's not going to know as long as we get back before she does. And since when do we do what we're told?"
Alexis came out of her room and saw us standing there. She gave us a serious face and asked, "You're not planning on snooping around, are you?"
"I'll admit it, I totally am. I don't know about Castle… I'll be back before you know it, and don't tell my aunt," I said as I left the hotel room.
I went to the elevator and looked around our floor as I waited for the elevator to arrive. It was pretty silent and there was no signs of life, so I figured everyone was asleep or still in the lobby trying to get answers. The elevator finally arrived and I took it down to the lobby. I walked outside of the hotel and there was a small crowd out there, but since it was 4 in the morning, there wasn't as many people as usual at the crime scene. It was still raining, so I made sure my hoodie was up so I didn't get wet, and pushed myself through the small crowd. Once I made it to the front, I was greeted by a long strip of crime scene tape. I looked passed it and found Lanie under a blue tarp, keeping her from the rain and the body was already under a white sheet. They were loading her up on the stretcher and getting ready to take her to the morgue.
Lanie saw me, and I watched her heave a big sigh as she made her way over. She looked down at me and asked sternly, "Shouldn't you be upstairs and in bed?"
"I wanted to see the dead girl, but I see I missed that, so now I'm going to have a look around for clues," I said.
"Emily, does Kate know your down here?"
"Uh… No. But Castle does and Alexis, so that should be good."
"Emily, go back to your room before you get in trouble."
"Fine, but was there any signs if a struggle… Foul play?"
"I'm not discussing that with you, it's an open investigation. Now go upstairs before I call your aunt."
"Okay, okay… See you later Lanie."
"Yeah, Yeah…"
I smiled at her and walked back through the crowd and into the hotel. Of course I wasn't going to go back to my room, so I went over to the cute older couple who were still sitting in the same spot when we checked in.
"Hi, I'm Emily Beckett. I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay?" I asked them.
The older gentleman raised a brow at me and asked, "What is it kid?"
"Were you guys here all night? I saw you sitting here this afternoon too."
The woman spoke up this time and said, "We're always here. This is our little spot. We come up here every weekend and sit here to read the paper or magazines. We don't sleep much anymore, so we usually relax down here instead of being cooped up in a room all day, and we go out occasionally."
"The hotel has only been open for two weeks."
"I know that dear. We used to stay at another hotel before this one, but we enjoy this one much more. Last weekend, the grand opening was exquisite, and we even stayed an extra day. So, we kind of claimed this spot."
"Oh… So, if you were here most of the time, did you happen to notice anything odd, or out of the ordinary?"
"Not really, but we did see the woman a few times today. She looked like a lovely girl."
"We also saw her at the hotel's restaurant during dinner time. And then I decided to get a beer at the bar, and she was flirting with a man. Well, it was more like he was flirting with her, but she didn't seem to mind it," the older man said.
"Can you describe him?" I asked.
"I don't know. I didn't pay them much mind. He was wearing a long black coat and had thin black hair. Didn't seem like a great guy, but he did have a way with words, and not just with the lady, he also engaged with a few others at the bar. So, I felt like he was nicer than he looked."
"Hmm… interesting. Anything else, either before or after her murder?"
"Nope, can't say I know anything else."
"Me either. Sorry sweet pea," the woman said.
"It' okay. You gave me some useful information. Nice meeting you both," I said.
"You too," they said before they both went back to reading.
"Mini B," I heard Esposito say from behind me.
I turned around awkwardly and saw Ryan and Esposito giving me stern looks.
"I'm guessing you two are done with the room, huh?" I asked.
"Yep," they said.
"So, aunt Kate is probably in our room already?"
"Yep."
"I was just getting some intel on the case. To help you guys out… you know?"
They shook their heads at me with disappointment written on their faces and Esposito said, "Let's head back to your room, shall we?"
I hung my head in defeat and said, "Fine…"
We started walking, but were cut off by sound coming from the hotels kitchen area. We all looked at each other and Ryan said, "Emily, stay here. We're going to check it out."
They grabbed their guns from heir holster and kept them at the ready as they made their way inside the kitchen. I followed behind them because I wanted to see the action go down. More sounds erupted from the supply closest and it sounded like someone was having a fight with the supplies. Ryan and Esposito counted to three and Ryan flung open the door to reveal a struggling Castle with a mop in his hand.
"Castle," the three of us questioned him as he stood there with awkwardness.
Castle looked down at the mop, before he tossed it aside and said, "Well, uh… I came down here to find Mini Beckett, and heard some noise coming from the kitchen and the closet, and somehow got locked in here."
"Why were you fighting a mop?" Ryan asked.
"Hey, it was dark and I had no clue what was around me."
"Sure, Castle," Esposito said with a snicker.
Another noise sounded from across the way, and that was the restaurant that was supposed to be closed. Ryan and Esposito started to head towards it before turning back to us and Ryan said, "You two head back to your room."
"Yeah, let the professionals handle this case," Esposito said before they left.
I looked up at Castle and said, "So you want to know too?"
"No, I came to find you. And Kate is probably very aggravated that we aren't up there right now. So, let's head back."
"Fine, but admit you were snooping."
Castle smirked just a bit and said, "Maybe a bit."
I chuckled and a loud boom sounded before everything went pitch black. I backed into Castle and said, "The electric just went out."
"No kidding," he said.
"Yeah, yeah… but what if it wasn't the storm?"
"I didn't think about that."
"Exactly, that's what the killer wants. He wants us to think the storm did it, when it was really him."
Castle held my shoulders and said, "Hey, who are you!?"
"That's not funny Castle," I grumbled in the darkness.
"I'm serious, I see someone over there in the dark. They're hard to make out."
I looked, but could barely see anything, yet I kind of made out a darker blob in the distance.
"Who are you?" Castle asked again
The blob was silent and soon disappeared. I wondered where they went and backed into Castle some more, as he continued to hold onto my shoulders tightly. I felt a finger on my hand and wondered aloud, "Castle, please tell me that's your fingers that are touching mine."
"My hands are still on your shoulders," he said with nervousness.
I gulped and felt the warm fingers run down my forehead, then nose, and lastly, my lips. I got an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach, but then the electricity popped back on, revealing the person who was touching me. Castle and I both screamed at the sudden change, and finally being able to see who was there the whole time. Standing in front us, giggling slightly with a satisfied smirk, was none other than my Aunt Kate.
I glared at her with a small frown and said, "Hey, that's not funny."
She chuckled slightly and said, "It kind of was. But if you two weren't down here, getting into trouble, I wouldn't have scared you."
"When you put it that way, I guess you have a point."
"So, you came to grab us?" Castle asked.
"Yes, to make sure you two didn't get into any more trouble. And when the lights went out, I took the opportunity to have a little fun of my own."
"Got it."
"Are we in trouble?" I asked.
"Oh, just slightly. Especially you, Em," she said.
I nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I figured as much."
"Why don't we get back to the room and try to get some sleep," Castle said.
"Yeah, we'll talk more about this in the morning."
"It technically is morning though."
Aunt Kate glared at him and said, "You know what I mean."
He smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah."
We started making our way towards the elevators and ran into Esposito and Ryan who had just left the restaurant.
"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Castle asked them.
"Nope, it turned out to be a worker setting up for breakfast in a few hours," Ryan said.
"Yep, turns out this case might be a typical suicide," Esposito said.
"That's my thoughts too. Keep me posted if you find anything else," my aunt said.
"Sure thing. Have a nice weekend you guys."
"You too," we said to them.
They nodded to us and we all went our separate ways. We made it up to our suite and went to bed to put this crazy day behind us, even though it's still technically the same day.
Because of the eventful early morning activities, I didn't wake up until eleven o'clock in the morning. Apparently, everyone else was just waking up too, because I found them meandering slowly around the kitchen as they made coffee and some breakfast, well brunch to be exact.
Alexis looked over at me from the dining table and said, "Good morning, Emily."
"Good morning, Alexis," I said.
"Morning mini Beckett, would you like some toast and eggs?" Castle asked.
"Sure, sounds good."
"Did you sleep okay?" my aunt asked me.
"Yep, did you?"
"Yes, we got some sleep."
I nodded as I took a seat next to Alexis and poured myself a glass of orange juice that was sitting on the dining table.
"What are we doing today?" I asked before I took a sip from my drink.
"Not really sure. It's still raining pretty heavily out there," Castle said as he looked out our small window in the kitchen.
"Yeah, that stinks. I wanted to go to the park or go window shopping."
"I guess this wasn't the best weekend to win the contest," Aunt Kate said with a sigh.
"Yeah…"
"You know, I was thinking about going to the free spa," Alexis said with a shrug.
"That does seem nice. I haven't been to a spa in years," Aunt Kate said.
"I think I'll pass, but you guys have fun," I said.
"Mini Beckett, don't you want to be pampered and get a massage?" Castle asked.
"Um, no…"
"Then what are you going to do? Because I know it's not going to be anything about the case," my aunt said sternly.
"No, I'm not going to be getting involved with the case. I was thinking of going to the arcade that they have on the second floor."
"Ooh, they have an arcade? Sounds like fun," Castle said with a grin.
"Well, I guess you'll be tagging along with Em," my aunt said with a chuckle.
"Yep, maybe we can have a few rounds of air hockey."
"Your so on, Uncle Rick," I said.
We all chuckled and Aunt Kate asked, "Why don't we finish up breakfast, so we can get started with our day?"
"Sounds good," Castle said.
We finished up breakfast, and Aunt Kate and Alexis were already out the door after they got ready for the spa. Once I got ready, I waited for Castle in our living room and listened to the rain that was still pounding ferociously outside. This rain storm was definitely putting a damper on my outside plans, but at least I get to spend some time with Castle and play some games.
Castle came into the living room and I said, "Are you ready to lose at Air Hockey?"
"I think you should be the one getting ready to lose, mini Beckett," Castle said with a smirk.
"We'll see about that."
He chuckled and said, "Okay, let's get down there before we lose a spot at the table."
"All right, let's go."
We went down to the arcade and there were only a couple of kids in there, playing at one of the claw machines and one of the pinball machines. The air hokey table was completely empty and looked spotless. We walked over to it and I said, "Okay, we need four tokens to play."
"I should have a few dollars to get some tokens for this game and some of the other games in here," Castle said as he went for his wallet.
He reached into one pocket and then into another and I watched him with a raised brow. He patted himself down and eventually said, "I think I forgot my wallet in our suite."
"Nice going Castle," I said with a snicker.
"Just stay here and I'll go get it."
"Why don't I get it? I'll be faster and you'll do better fending off potential people who want to play."
"Okay, fine. I left it on the dresser in the bedroom."
"Got it. I'll be right back," I said before sprinting off to the elevator.
I reached the elevator and hit the button, so I could get on when it reached my floor. The elevator binged and then opened to reveal the creepy man from the other day. I was wary about getting on with him, but I did anyway because I wanted to hurry and get Castle's wallet. I noticed number 13 was lit and not number 20, which is the floor we were both on. I shrugged it off, thinking that he may of had his room changed, and I hit my button to go up to the twentieth floor.
It was quiet between us and eventually the elevator reached floor 13, and he stalked off like he did the other day. I was going to let it go, but something told me to follow after him. I probably shouldn't be listening to that little voice, but he could be up to something, and I want to know what it is.
I stopped the elevator doors from closing, and swiftly slid out, so I could go follow him down the hall. I tried to stay quite a few paces behind, so he didn't notice me, and we went past several rooms as we weaved through many hallways on the thirteenth floor. We eventually reached one of the ends of the halls, and I hid behind a corner next to the emergency stairs. I watched him knock on the door he was at and in just a few seconds another man opened it.
The man looked like a business man and had on thick black rimmed glasses and a pricey suite. The man eyed the creepy guy and said, "What the hell do you want?"
"Your soul," the cloaked man grunted before placing a knife at the business man's throat and pushing him inside, slamming the door shut behind him.
My jaw dropped at what I just watched and scratched my head. I didn't know what I was more freaked out about; the fact that the creepy man just killed the other guy, or what he said before he did so. They were both pretty scary.
I decided to get out of there because if he sees me there when he finishes up with the business man, I could be the next victim on his list and I don't want that. I went back down on the elevator and ran to Castle who was leaning against the air hockey table.
"Where's my wallet?" he asked looking at my empty hands.
"No time Castle. I just witnessed a murder," I said.
"Emily, I thought you weren't going to put your nose into this?"
"I didn't… I swear… I saw the creepy man on the elevator and he had floor 13 lit up, but not floor 20 like yesterday. So, I figured something was up and I followed him."
"You could have been hurt Emily."
"I know that, but I just wanted to see if I was right, and I was. He killed a business man and said he wanted his soul."
Castle narrowed his eyes at me and said, "Seriously? He said he wanted his soul."
"YES!"
"Shh… Calm down mini Beckett. Let's just tell the hotel clerk and see if they can go check it out."
"Shouldn't we call the precinct or tell aunt Kate?"
"If we call the precinct and it turns out to be nothing than we'll be in trouble. If we bother Kate and it turns out to be nothing than she's not going to be very happy. Is that what you want Emily?"
I sighed in defeat and said, "No…"
"Okay. Let's go tell the clerk," Castle said.
We went down to the check in desk and Castle hit the bell to get someone's attention. Nick happened to be working today, so he was the one to come over to us.
"You're the guests from room 2021, how may I help you this afternoon?" Nick asked with a smile.
"Emily here, thought she heard something on the thirteenth floor, and we were wondering if you could check it out," Castle said.
"Huh, and why were you on the thirteenth floor?"
"Long story," I mumbled.
He nodded and asked, "What room is it?"
"I'm not sure… It was one of the last rooms on the floor, and it held a business man."
"I know who you're talking about, he's in room 1350. Keeps to himself and only leaves his room for his business meetings."
He picked up his phone, and dialed what I assumed was the business man's room. After a while he hung up and dialed again. Once again, he hung up the phone and looked at us with an uncertain face and said, "Well, he's not picking up the phone. I'll have one of my bellhops go check on him."
He looked over to one of his bellhops and said, "Morgan, I need you to check on room 1350, Peter Bandit, for me."
The bellhop nodded and went to the elevator. Nick looked back at us and said, "I assure you everything is okay."
"It's fine Nick. We're sure it's nothing, right Emily?" Castle asked.
"Yeah, sure…" I mumbled.
The phone rang, and Nick raised his pointer finger as he picked up the phone with his other hand. He nodded on the phone with wide eyes and whispered, "Are you sure?"
He nodded a few more times as he ran a hand down his face and said, "Thanks Morgan. Keep the area clear and I'll be right up."
He hung up and Castle asked, "Is Peter dead?"
"Uh… yes. Yes, he is. I'm calling the NYPD and then going to head to his room. You guys should go to your room until more information is available," Nick said as he picked up the phone again.
"Come on mini Beckett, let's get back to our suite," Castle said.
"But uncle Rick. We should tell them what I saw? This is a…" I started to say before he cut me off, "We don't know what this is Emily. Let's just get back, and figure things out from there."
"Fine."
We were in our suite, Castle sitting on the couch watching some kind of program on the television, and I paced back and forth behind the couch. Castle looked back at me and said, "You know, pacing isn't going to help any, right?"
I stopped and said, "I know that, but I don't know what else to do. There is a potential serial killer on the loose, and no one's doing anything about it."
"He's not a serial killer Emily. The woman this morning committed suicide, and whatever you saw this afternoon, may or might not be a murder."
"But what if it is? What if it is all connected and every single person in this hotel is a risk?"
"Then the NYPD will handle it."
"Yeah, but probably not before another victim gets axed."
"Mini Beckett, just relax, okay? Everything will be fine, I promise."
"I hope you're right, Uncle Rick. I really do."
"Come on, sit down and take a load off."
I was about to sit down with Castle before Aunt Kate and Alexis came into the suite whilst laughing with each other. I was about to tell them what happened before Castle cut me off, presumably knowing what I was going to bombard them about, "So, did you guys have fun?"
"Dad it was great. And the masseuse was kind of cute," Alexis said with a giggle.
"Oh… huh…"
"It was great Castle. Alexis and I had a lovely time. How about you two?" my aunt asked.
"I WITNESSED A MURDER!" I yelled, trying to beat Castle to the punch.
"What?"
"I witnessed a murder aunt Kate. The creepy guy from the elevator killed this business man named Peter, and I saw the whole thing go down."
"How? Why? I thought I told you not to go around looking for trouble Emily."
"It wasn't my fault. He was on the elevator and he went to floor 13 which I knew wasn't his floor. So, I followed him."
"Em, you could've been hurt."
"I know."
"Did you guys tell anyone?" Alexis asked.
"Once Emily told me the story, we informed the clerk about what Emily witnessed. The NYPD are probably up there with him now," Castle replied.
"We have to do something," I said.
"Em, you've already done enough. We're just going to stay here and wait for any information that comes in, and finish this staycation that you so badly wanted to have," my aunt said.
"But..." I started to say, but a knock on our door interrupted me.
Aunt Kate opened the door and standing there were Esposito and Ryan.
"Hey, what's up? Is it about the man on the thirteenth floor?" she asked.
"Yeah, we heard Castle and Mini B reported it," Esposito said.
"Yeah, and I know who did it?" I said.
They both raised a brow at each other before Ryan looked at me and said, "No one did it. It turns out that this was another suicide. He cut his own throat."
"Yeah, Lanie is going to give us more details once she examines him, but it looks like another open and shut case," Esposito said.
"That's not true. I know what I saw. He put the knife to his throat and said "I want your soul," before he pushed him into the room," I said with frustration.
"Em, just let it go. You are mistaken at what happened. You just want to find more into this case, but it's nothing. Just drop it," aunt Kate said sternly.
"I'm not going to let it go. And I'll prove it to you, there has to be evidence on the security footage."
Esposito sighed and said, "We check the footage, and there is nothing on there."
"What?"
"Yeah, there security system isn't working because of the storm. The video is grainy and cuts off every two minutes. Sorry Mini B," Ryan said.
I contorted my face in several different emotions, trying to wrap my head around everything they've said. I knew what I saw and I know that this man is doing the killings, but no one believes me, just like always.
"Emily," Castle whispered.
I shook my head, glaring at everyone, before I ran to my room, and slammed the door behind me. I jumped into my bed and cried into my pillow, letting all of my emotions run out of me like a raging storm. A soft knock was placed on my door, and I yelled, "Leave me alone!"
"Em, please… Let's just talk about it," I heard my aunt say softly.
"There's nothing to talk about! You don't believe me! No one does!"
I heard the door creek open and close, knowing that Aunt Kate has made her way into my room. I buried my head further into my pillow and grumbled something incoherently to her. I felt her place a hand on my back and she said, "Come on Em. Talk to me."
I sighed and sat up slowly while wiping my angry tears away. I looked at my aunt and said, "I know what I saw Aunt Kate. I'm not making any of this up. It wasn't a suicide."
"It could possibly be a murder, Em. But we have no evidence to go on. And if we just go on your word and what you think you saw, we could be accusing an innocent man of murder, and without any concrete evidence. It could be horrible for our precinct, and we don't need any bad publicity right now."
"I understand, but I swear he did it."
She nodded and said, "I know Em… I know…" she sighed before continuing, "Why don't we go to the restaurant downstairs and regroup with some dinner?"
"I'm not hungry," I grumbled.
"Em, you need to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Fine. We'll be down in the restaurant, while you learn to grow up, Em. You're not always going to be right about things and sometimes you have to learn to except things. If you do get hungry, order some room service, or meet us downstairs."
I laid back down, turning away from my aunt and I heard her walk out with a frustrated sigh. I knew I was acting childish and like a brat, but I wasn't going to let this go. I'm going to prove that there is a killer and it's the creepy man from the elevator.
After I pulled myself together, I decided to go downstairs and try to get more information about these two "suicides." I didn't know where I was going to get more information from, but I would figure something out. I went into the elevator and hit the lobby button to go down. As I leaned on the back wall, listening to the boring elevator music, the elevator stopped abruptly with the lights going out. The only thing I could hear was the faint sound of rumbling thunder.
I groaned as I slid down the wall and said, "I can't believe I'm stuck in the elevator."
Who would have thought that the storm would knock out the power while I was in the elevator? I know I didn't, or I would've taken the stairs. I leaned my head back and hoped the backup generators would kick in soon, because it was creepy in here. I looked around after a few minutes of nothing happening, and tried to see if there was a way out, or if the emergency phone was working. I checked around and checked the phone, but it was pretty much a dead end.
I decided to bang on the elevator door and yelled out to anyone who might be in the halls. I banged some more and screamed, "HELP! I'm stuck in the elevator! Someone! Anyone!"
It was silent and I let out a sigh, figuring I wouldn't be getting out of here anytime soon. I went to sit back down, but a knock on the elevator door made me run back to the doors and knock back.
"Is someone there!" I yelled out.
The elevator door started opening slowly, so I decided to help by putting my small fingers in the gap, and pulling the doors with all my strength. Since we worked together, we were able to open it enough, so I could possibly get out with their help. They shined a light on my face, and I squinted up at my savior and found none other than the creepy man who I'm almost positive is the killer. I stepped back from him and he glared at me.
"Come on, or I'll leave you in here to die," he said.
"Aren't you going to kill me anyway?" I asked.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out. So, what's it going to be?"
I weighed out my options, dying in an elevator or dying by the hands of a serial killer. They both sucked, but I figured it might be easier to get away from him, than the elevator. I nodded and said, "Fine."
I went up to him and he reached out a hand for me to grab. I sighed and grabbed his large hand which felt rough to the touch. He put his flashlight down and reached for my other hand, and I gave it to him. He lifted me up and as soon as I touched the ground, I went to bolt, but he was just as quick and he grabbed my shirt, making me fall backwards and onto my butt. I struggled in his grasp, and went to scream, but he covered my mouth with one of his hands. During the struggle, I knocked his flashlight into the elevator and it got extremely darker in the hall.
He pulled me up roughly, still having a hand over my mouth, and dragged me into a room. Once we were in there, I noticed a whole shrine was made out and there were candles littering the whole living room. There was a single chair in the middle of the room, and it was on top of some kind of satanic symbol. I wasn't getting good vibes from this, and figured I was going to be a sacrifice for this man. That's so not cool, yet maybe slightly, because it's definitely something different.
He plopped me into the seat, and tied me down, wrapping some rope around my mid-section, arms, and around the chair. He cracked open an old, rustic book, that was almost as big as a small side dresser, and started reading silently. I cleared my throat to get his attention, and his green eyes locked on to my brown ones.
"Before I die… I just wanted to know if you killed the woman and the man from earlier? Even if die, I can at least know I was right," I said, trying to spare some time, and learn the truth.
"Yes, I did. I had to have three sacrifices, a woman, a man," he started to say before I finished his sentence, "And a child."
"Exactly. I want to please my master."
"Satan?"
"That would be the one. I've been studying Satanism for about 15 years now since I went to college. It changed my life. I found this book, and I wanted to learn how to please my master. I found this ritual thing and saw I needed to have three human sacrifices in 24 hours to complete the calling."
I raised a brow at him and said, "Oh… You don't have to drink the blood of your victims, do you?"
"No… But we do have to drink the blood of a goat, which I drained some a few days ago," he said as he motioned towards a glass with blood in it.
I gagged at the thought and said, "You know, I don't judge. Whatever you're into, but it's kind of gross though."
"Whatever…"
"What's your name anyway?"
"Damien! Now shut up and let me finish reading this, so I can do this right!"
"Okay."
He started reading again and I looked around the room. There were several crazy symbols and satanic looking items around the room, which gave me goosebumps. This stuff really makes your hair stand on end, and I was not looking forward to being a sacrifice.
Damien nodded his head a few times with a grumble, and grabbed a large knife from the coffee table. He walked over to me and started saying some phrases in what I assumed was Latin. I shrunk back as he continued to spew out words in Latin, and lifted his head to the sky with his eyes closed. I looked for a way out and noticed there were a few candles by us. I decided it was worth a try to tip my chair over and potentially knock over the candles.
As Damien continued with his whacky ritual, I rocked the chair the best I could, so I could tip over. I picked up enough momentum and felt my chair tip over on to its side, making my right shoulder hit the ground with a loud thud. I winced as the pain racked through my body, but I noticed Damien screaming in pain. His pants leg was on fire, but so was the rug around me, and everything was going up in flames quickly.
He hopped around and tried to desperately pat out the leg that was on fire. I tried to wiggle free from my restraints, but they were still pretty tight. I was getting extremely hot as the fire burned around us, and the thick smoke was starting to make it hard to see and breath.
I heard loud banging on the door, and I tried to lift my head to see through the flames and the smoke. I squinted my eyes and heard two gun shots ring out, before the door got kicked open. Aunt Kate entered with her gun raised and Castle followed her in with his hand covering his face. Aunt Kate went over to Damien, and said, "You're under arrest."
Castle came over to me trying to desperately get past the flames, so he could untie me and get me out.
"Hurry… Uncle… Rick," I said in between coughs.
"I'm… trying…" he said as he fiddled with the knot.
Finally, Castle got me loose, and he pulled me up and away from the rising flames. Aunt Kate already had Damien in handcuffs, and was pulling him out of the door. I was too weak to keep going, so Castle picked me up, cradling my weak body in his arms. We went down the several flights of stairs until we got to the lobby and exited through the entrance. Outside, there were several ambulances and fire trucks around, their lights brightening up the dark night.
I noticed that it stopped raining and I smiled to myself, thinking that it was finally nice out, now that he worst was over. Castle placed me on a stretcher and an oxygen mask was placed over my face. The fresh oxygen ran through my body, and I was happy to not breathe in anymore smoke. Castle got one put over his too, and he sat on the back of the ambulance.
I watched aunt Kate hand over Damien to Ryan and Esposito with a few short words, before she made her way over to us. The paramedics handed her an oxygen mask, but she shook her head, saying she was fine. She came over to me, where I sat upright on the stretcher, and she smoothed my hair back soothingly. She kissed my forehead and said, "I'm sorry Em."
I pulled my oxygen mask down a bit, with a small smile on my lips, and said, "I hate to say… I told you so… But… I told you so…"
She chuckled softly and said, "Yes… Yes, you did. Are you okay?"
"Other than getting smoke inhalation, and bruising my shoulder… I'm fine."
"I'm glad we got to you in time."
"Me too, or I would have been barbecue."
"Emily."
"It's true… Hey, Castle?"
"Yeah," he mumbled as he walked over with his manual oxygen pump in hand.
"Thanks for getting me out of there."
"No problem mini Beckett. I wasn't going to let you burn alive."
"I know."
"How did the fire start?" my aunt asked.
"I knocked the candle over. I thought it was the best way to escape."
"It was, and it helped us find where you were."
A paramedic came over and said, "We're heading to the hospital now. Are you both coming with?"
They nodded and he said, "Okay, we'll load her up, and get going."
We were only at the hospital for a few hours and I got checked out for my smoke inhalation, and the shoulder I fell on. Thankfully I didn't inhale to much smoke, and my arm was just a nasty shade of black and blue, but nothing serious. I was actually cleared to go home that night, and home we went.
As we sat in the living room of Castle's loft, Alexis asked, "How'd you even wind up with him?"
"I got stuck in the elevator," I said.
"How'd you do that?" Castle asked.
"I didn't think the electricity would go out on me while I was making my way to the lobby."
"Were you coming to meet us for dinner?"
"Uh... Well…"
"Really, Em?" my aunt said with annoyance.
I shrugged and said, "What? It turns out I was right."
"Yes, but you also put yourself in danger."
"Yeah, I guess I did. How'd you guys find me anyway?"
"Ryan and Esposito called us just before the power went out and told us that they found evidence linking Damien to both murders, ruling out suicide for both cases."
"So, you guys came looking for me."
"Yep, and once we smelled the smoke, we knew you were in danger," Castle said.
"How'd you know I was in danger?"
"Em, we know you to well. Where ever there is trouble, you happen to be smack dab in the middle of it," Aunt Kate said.
"That sounds about right."
"Well, I'm glad you're okay Emily. What a crazy staycation we had," Alexis said.
"Yeah, who would have thought a Satanist would be staying in a five-star hotel," I said.
"That is pretty hard to imagine," Aunt Kate said.
"But this'll definitely be a great case to put in my Nikki Heat novel," Castle said with a grin.
"I think people would enjoy that. You're going to credit me, right?" I asked.
"No."
"Oh, come on. I practically lived it… Can I at least get into the special thanks?"
"Sure, that can be arranged."
"How about a cut of the profits?"
"I don't think so."
"Extra allowance?"
"No."
"Well, I'm going to bed," Alexis said with a chuckle as Castle and I continued to go back and forth.
"Me too," aunt Kate said as she went to her and Castle's shared bedroom.
"Please…" I groaned.
"I'll sleep on it," Castle said as he got up.
"That means no."
He smirked and said, "You don't know that Em."
"Yeah, I do. But I'll keep pestering you about it until you give in."
"I have no doubt that you will."
"Goodnight uncle Rick."
"Night Em."
The next morning came around, and I went downstairs and tiptoed into my aunt and uncles room. I was thankful they were both dressed and weren't doing anything that would blind me for all eternity, and said in a sing song voice, "GOOD… MORNING…"
They both sat straight up and glared at me. My aunt looked at her phone and said, "It's five a.m. and its Sunday. What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep, and I was thinking, since our weekend has been crappy, and the sun is shining today, that we could do something fun. We could go to the park, then dinner, and go to the off-Broadway show we have tickets for. I mean, since we still have the tickets to it, why waste them?"
They looked at each other, their facial features softening, and Castle turned to me and said, "You know, why not? I think we deserve it after what we've been through."
"Yeah, I think that'll be great," my aunt said with a smile.
"Really?" I asked happily.
"Yep," they said.
I jumped onto the bed, and tackled them down into a tight hug. They giggled and my aunt said, "What's up with you this morning?"
"I don't know. I'm just happy. I'm happy to have a family like you," I said with a small shrug.
"We're happy about that too," Castle said.
Alexis walked in rubbing her eyes and yawned out, "What's going on?"
"We decided to spend our last day of what was supposed to be our staycation on a good and fun note. Are you in?" Castle asked his daughter.
She nodded with a sleepy smile and said, "Yeah, sounds great. Can I at least get a few more hours of sleep?"
"Yeah sure. Why don't we sleep a little longer, and go out for breakfast?"
"Sounds good," I said.
"Yeah," my aunt said.
"Uh-huh," Alexis yawned as she walked out of the room.
My aunt and uncle looked down at me and I said, "Mind if I crash here. I don't feel like going back upstairs… I think sleep is finally… hitting me…"
I yawned and flopped back into their bed with a soft thud. All I heard was their soft chuckling before I drifted off to sleep, excited about our fun day ahead.