Chapter 55

"Look, we are talking about the lead in a Broadway play. This is a potential gold mine, Kate."

"Gold mine for?"

"Us." Rick stressed. "If my mother gets the role, who knows how long it could run for. It could even take her on the road. This is awesome!" Rick was overly excited to share the news with Beckett, who drove the unmarked police unit to the crime scene. As usual she wore an expression that was a good blend of awe and terror.

"Awesome? How?" She glanced repeatedly at her boyfriend confused by the cause of his elevated behaviour. Since the second he'd got in the car he'd been talking. Had barely taken a breath. It was noise she wasn't accustomed to.

"Do I have to explain this?"

Kate looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. "Yes, you do."

"We will have my place to ourselves more. Just you, me and Alexis."

"Great, I guess. Does Alexis want Martha gone too?"

"No. No way. She loves her grandmother being there. They adore each other."

"We have my place." Kate reminded him with a smile, "Your refuge."

"Shit yeah." The writer laughed, "For those times when the red heads take over."

Kate laughed. "So glad that I'm brunette."

"Same. Enough red heads in my life. I hope you have brunette kids." Rick smiled.

"Rick," she warned.

"Sorry, so continuing, things were getting quite strenuous at home. When I got your call, I had the get out of jail pass. Alexis begged me to bring her with me to this murder scene."

"Your Mother is really that bad with rehearsing?" Kate pulled the car to the curb and cut the engine. She relaxed a moment turning in the seat to face her partner.

"Wait till you see her prior to a new role. She will draw you in, believe me. Recruit you. Some people would have her committed. For days, she repeats the same line over and over." Rick unclipped his seat belt. "Hopefully she'll get the role. Get a break. She could do with that."

"Yes."

"Murder at Fountain plaza?" He peered out the window to towards the crime scene.

"Yeah, apparently two skinny dippers found a body in the fountain thingo." Kate replied, not sure whether the square randomly shooting water into the air was classified as a fountain.

"Thingo?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to figure out a correct name but my brain is stuck on your family's breakfast and what I've got myself into dating you, writer boy."

"Writer boy?"

She nodded repressing a cheeky smiled. "Not just a celebrity."

"Mm." He opened the door.

She couldn't help the smile as she got out the vehicle. At the side walk she stopped in front of him, gazed over is face thinking about how handsome he was with his bright blue eyes, still a little puffy from sleep.

He casually pushed her hair away from her eyes, "Glad you left early for the gym huh?"

"Yeah, well you didn't want to do Pilates this morning." She answered briefly watching his hand that had brushed away the annoying strands of hair the wind kept disturbing.

"Had I known what the future held I would have joined you."

"I will remind you of that tomorrow morning, Ricky. Its kick boxing."

"Same thing at home really." Rick smirked as they walked to the scene.

A minute or so later, they found Esposito and Ryan with Dr Parish who leaned over the body.

"Tell us what happened," Beckett said scanning the scene. A body in a wet dress, hair messed up and a stabbing wound in the back.

Esposito replied, "Caucasian female. A couple of skinny dippers found her this morning."

Castle said, "Bet that killed the mood."

Ryan continued, "Purse is missing. No ID. And get this, we couldn't find her shoes."

Beckett looked about them at the apartments and offices surrounding the square, "Canvass the buildings, Ryan, surrounding the plaza and get uniforms to check trash cans and dumpsters for her purse."

"Will do."

Beckett and Castle focussed on the body that lay face down. The doctor was busy taking notes.

"Hi, Lanie," Kate greeted.

"Hey." The doctor responded glancing between Rick and Kate.

"Cause of death?" Kate asked taking in the sight of the woman in what had been a beautiful dress.

"Stabbing. There's a fatal wound in her back." She pointed at the bloodied hole in the dress, "Maybe it was a robbery gone wrong."

"Maybe," Beckett agreed, "We gotta find out who she is and what she was doing here so late, though."

Castle scanned the body a Lanie and an assistant rolled the body over to her back, "Well, she's tall, she's gorgeous, ten pounds underweight. Her hair is fried, she's wearing too much eye makeup. She's a model. Which means she was probably at a club last night. It is, after all, Fashion Week, when all the hottest women in the world descend upon the hippest nightspots like locusts. Only, locusts eat."

Beckett stared at him, "Can you tell me who killed her?

Castle shook his head in the negative.

"Then pipe down."

"This was on her wrist." Lanie handed Beckett an evidence bag with a wrist band.

Beckett declared with disbelief, "She was at a club. That's Teddy Farrow's logo. He designs clothes for women. Upscale, expensive."

"Oh, my credit card and I are painfully aware of Teddy's designs. I almost asked for custody of them after my last divorce." Castle stated but didn't see Kate roll her eyes.

Beckett felt a pang of jealousy, but she pushed it down, aware there was no reason to feel that way. She was after all the one he wanted to be with. "Is there a label in her dress?" She asked.

Lanie checked the label, "Teddy Farrow Collection."

"Well, if she is one of his models, maybe he can identify her for us. Thank you, Lanie." Beckett handed the evidence bag back to Lanie.

"You're welcome." Lanie replied.

"I can already see the blurb on my next book jacket," Rick shared with anyone who listened, "It's Fashion Week in New York City, and the clothes are to die for." He narrated, looked about for his partner and hurried after her.

Kate walked towards to the venue the fashion show was being held at. She knew from experience that the designers, the make-up artists, hair dressers and designers would be preparing for the day, while the models would soon arrive in groups by the car load. Once upon a long time ago, she'd been one of those models and she had crossed paths with the now famous Teddy Farrow. In those days, he'd been a designer's assistance on the other side of the continent, not yet able to make his own designs. She was confident he wouldn't remember her, after all she was one of thousands of women he'd laid his eyes on. She had just been a figure that wore clothes.

Beside her Rick walked, clearly excited about where they were headed. Being a typical man with a heart beat, he was openly keen to clap his eyes on the models. It amused her that he had no idea he was sleeping with a woman who'd dabbled in modelling and knocked back lucrative contracts. No one knew she had a manager and took a few jobs here and there. Rather than a check out job in a store, modelling had paid her way through Stanford and the bug a stuck around a little. A couple of weeks back, her feet had been used to model shoes for a catalog. The month before, she'd modelled clothing for a small NY designer at a private function. The money, good money, helped pay for extra things. Her father had helped her with being able to afford an apartment on her own, the modelling gave her the boost that being a homicide cop didn't provide. Being older and not interested in a career, she had taken to doing the menial jobs that brought in the cash.

Inside the venue, behind the stage where all the action was, she soon found Teddy Farrow. Apart from new age lines on his face, the thickening of his facial features, he hadn't changed much at all.

It was difficult to gain his attention with everyone seeking instruction from him about various aspects of the show but the second she had his focus she got down to business and dismissively introduced herself as Detective Beckett, to avoid the designer make any connection to the lanky eighteen year old model, Katherine Beckett, who had once graced the show room he worked in.

Farrow recognized the murder victim as Jenna McBoyd. They had a name. Farrow was too busy and too distracted to recognize Beckett. At one stage, he had given her a funny look, and she had held her breath, anticipating he was about to ask where he'd seen her face. He had seen her face, probably more than a dozen times over the years, but without the make-up and long hair she'd once had, she looked different.

As they walked out of the venue, Rick summed it up using a deep news reader tone, "So Jenna McBoyd was Farrow's top model for the show he has going on this week, she was a small-town girl and to quote Farrow, straight off the bus from Ohio."

Beckett couldn't help but smile at his narration, "Yes, she was headed for her fifteen minutes of fame, Castle. That would have meant potential to get photo shoots, magazines, billboards in Times Square, travel, not to mention a very generous pay check. It can be overwhelming."

"That seems to be all pretty heavy stuff for a naive young girl from Ohio."

"It would be. Modelling is hard work." Kate stated with emphasis but shut herself up before she said anymore.

"Is that the voice of experience?" Rick asked, glancing from her face to her feet and back, "You could be a model."

"What? No!"

"I'm gonna foot note this discussion for later, Beckett."

"Castle."

"Later."

"I'm saying, Farrow said that in recent weeks, Jenna had become so bad-tempered and paranoid that he'd started to wonder if she was lacking the experience for a major campaign."

"You're avoiding the bit about you modelling, and yes, there also could have been pressure on her," he gave pause, "Not to eat."

"Castle."

"Sorry."

"Mm." She grunted, "Speaking of noting, Ricky, what was with the model?"

Curiously he gave her a questioning look, "Which model? There were heaps of them that turned up."

"Don't give me that, Castle." She waved her hands over in front of her eyes, "Tall as me. Bambi eyes."

"You mean the tall skinny girl?" He asked not able to hold back a smile, "I don't know. I've met her before but I don't remember where or when."

"You slept with her?"

He frowned at Kate, "Arr… Jealous?"

"No."

"Of course not." Rick mumbled as he waited at the passenger side door for Kate to arrive at the driver's side. He said over the roof of the car, "No. And I mean that. No, I haven't slept with her." He got in the car and once he closed the door he looked to Beckett who happened to look at him. A grin broke over his face as he proudly said, "But I got her number." He had to tease her at lease a bit.

"She was quite familiar with you, Ricky. Had the magazine you're in."

"She was. I noticed that too." He gave it some thought while he studied her features, her stance. "You are jealous."

"No. You noticed she was flirting and you responded."

"I noticed. Be stupid not to."

"You do remember you're sleeping with me."

"How could I forget?"

"Can't imagine. Specially after what I gave you this morning." She giggled.

Rick's mouth fell open, "God yes. That was fucking sensational."

"Thank you." She smiled, "So, the victim had Christian Louboutin pink satin pumps on when she left the venue. The dress she was wearing was a one-of-a-kind."

"Certainly is now," Rick remarked, "Farrow didn't like hearing the dress was in evidence now. By the way, did you pick up a copy of the magazine on your way to Pilates?"

"What magazine?"

"C'mon Katie, you know which mag I'm talking about. Your arms are crossed…. Have you done modelling? You have long legs, you're tall, a square jaw, most beautiful eyes … You'd make a great model. Legs that go forever. All my photos of you are awesome."

She rolled her eyes, "In your dreams, Castle."

"You are my dreams. They do come true."

"Yeah, well." She bit her lip in thought as she turned the car to the left. "Sierra, the best friend, said Jenna left the party around midnight and assumed she was going home. As we known, Mr Farrow mentioned that Jenna seemed agitated lately."

"And Sierra thought that was because Teddy was announcing the new face of his collection today. Jenna was up for the job and she was a little tense, but she didn't have any reason to be -"

"- because Jenna was Teddy's favourite and now we need to tell her husband." Kate finished.

"We go to him?"

"Nope. I'll call him and ask him into the Precinct for a talk." She continued to drive the car, headed back towards the Precinct. They were silent for about ten seconds.

"Beckett?"

"Castle?"

"Have you done modelling?"

"Fuck Castle, you're not gonna let this go." She glanced at him, sweating about him finding out her little secret.

"I will do research." It was a threat that made Kate think fast. He would look into it until he found evidence.

"Alright Castle. I used to model. Along time ago." Her tone was higher than normal. "Modelled lingerie." She added.

He scoffed, "You did not, Kate. No way!"

Kate clammed up and continued to drive. Sometimes the truth was too shocking to believe and she knew Rick would never swallow that confession. She smiled, and bravely added, "Recently it was expensive lingerie for a French designer." She bit her lip.

Rick roared with laughter, "Get outa here, Beckett. No way! You wouldn't be wasting your time being a cop. You're biting your lip."

"Fantasy, huh?" She giggled.

"Fantasy alright." He shifted on his seat, tugged at the leg of his jeans.

"What's up?" She asked, brow knotted curious as to why he clumsily fidgeted.

"I'm aroused thinking about you modelling lingerie, Katie. See what you do to me?" He squeaked.

A snort escaped her. "Better control it, Ricky, we're nearly there."

"Yeah, well you keep this behaviour up this is what happens, Kate."

She laughed, "I'm delighted I can do that to you."

"Of course you are. Maybe I should investigate what I do to you." He glanced at her groin, before he stared at her face, "I bet I know what I will find."

Quite serious, she said, "No need Castle. You give me headaches. You will find painkillers throughout my apartment."

He gave another scoff.

"You scoffed." She stated. "Again."

"Oh yeah. There's never a sign of a headache in the bedroom."

"Well…. You work on taming that erection, Ricky while I think about what we did last night."

Laughter filled the car. "You are an evil woman, Beckett. Drive us to the nearest hotel."

After they met with the deceased's husband, Castle and Beckett used the good old white board to draw up their time line and organise their evidence. The B team decided to join them, pulling up their chairs.

"On the night of Jenna's death, Travis McBoyd went to bed around eleven," Beckett marked her time line then wrote above the mark.

"At 3.11 am he called the cops," Castle added.

"Which we have proof of and – "

"They said he had to wait 48 hours till he could report her missing." Castle continued, his eye trained on their developing time line.

"He then brought up the harassment reports and the stalker letters." Kate stated, scanning her written notes as she spoke.

Ryan did the same, "Yes, the letters were mailed from the Soho post office. No return address. No signature." Ryan read then looked up from his note book to each of his team members who were smirking.

"So, the anonymous stalker didn't write down his name and number," Esposito chuckled.

Ryan frowned in acceptance they laughed because of his vague moment, "Yeah, I'm just saying."

Castle who had a handful of sheets of paper, read aloud, "I saw you today in the subway. Did you see me? I wanted to taste you."

"That's pretty sick stuff." Esposito commented, as he quietly watched Kate who was secretly studying Rick.

She spoke, "But he doesn't make any direct threats. That's why Jenna and Travis couldn't get the beat cops to take them seriously."

"Boy, two small-town kids go to the big city to follow their dreams and then this. Not the fairy-tale ending they were looking for, I'm sure."

Esposito said, "You know, Castle, to take these shots, he would have had to have been on a rooftop pretty close to the apartment."

Beckett nodded, "No wonder she was freaked out. Find the roof, see if there's anything up there that we can use to identify him. Those cops let Jenna down once. We're not gonna do it again."