Title: Double the Trouble
By: greygoose70
Summary: Two murders, one weird, the other not so weird, so what did they have common. DISCLAIMER: I have the privilege of writing about these fabulous characters. But do not have any association with AWM, the show, or the network.
AN: In this story I will be introducing three new characters into the twelfth precinct (I will also have eliminated three).
Chapter 1
Monday, Day 1
Marriage. It was a double edge sword, or at least it was to Kate Beckett. Her husband, Richard Castle, infuriated her in a way no one else in her entire life had ever done. He has also took her to heights of pleasure she'd never experienced. Most of all though, she loved the man with all her heart and she'd do anything to protect him. Which is just what she had done not so long ago. It had almost cost them everything. She'd beaten herself up over pushing Castle away during that last case. In the end, she'd done what she had to so he'd be safe. The case had taken her away from the things she loved. The man she loved. Why was life so complicated"
Her mind swirled back to a single word – Reykjavik. It involved titillating memories of the earliest days of her marriage to Castle. Their honeymoon had taken them to Iceland, to the green hills of western Switzerland, to terraced vineyards and remote fishing villages in Italy, to Buddhist temples in Tibet. Reykjavik. It sent her mind on a vivid reenactment of every blissful moment she and Castle had spent together exploring wondrous parts of the world. And of each other. Reykjavik, set her on fire.
Reykjavik. It was the word that brought them back where they belonged – together. But now there was another word almost as powerful, and far less metaphoric. Actually, it wasn't one word but two words. Two very literal words, that instead of igniting passion for her husband, turned her body stone cold.
Book tour.
She only had to think book tour to have a layer of Arctic ice form inside her. And not even a Hudon River barge full of his cavalier charm could melt it. In fact, for once, she almost felt immune to that charisma, focused as she was on the fact that Castle has been gone for three weeks with two more weeks to go before he would be home.
She chastised herself. She was a captain, for Christ's sake, and a damn good one. She'd paid her dues to get where she was, starting where everyone else did, as a rookie, and climbing the proverbial ladder. Patrol officer, Detective, Sergeant. And now she leads New York City's Twelfth Precinct. It is a damn good one too, all facets of it, from Missing Persons, to Robbery, to Homicide. But now it was time to put the absence of her husband away as she pulled into her precinct parking space – she had a job to do.
"Morning Cap, you okay? Detective Ryan said as he looked at her, with a mix of concern and curiosity. She didn't like seeing either one of those emotions directed at her so she turned her full attention to him, dismissing his question with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine. Whatta ya got?"
"What we got is a dead body," he said.
The beat in Beckett's heart quickened. Her promotion to captain had changed her. Being head of the Twelfth had changed the primary function of her job. She'd gone from fieldwork as a detective to a job filled with bureaucracy. Most of her time was spent dealing with the brass at 1PP, shuffling papers, taking reports, and all the other trivial things that came along with being the head honcho.
Finding balance by finding a way to stay in the field was the trick. And right now, the chance to get back into it was like an itch that needed scratching.
"I'm listening," she said.
"Details are a little sketchy at this point." This time it was Detective Esposito who spoke.
"Accidental?" she asked. Not every dead body they came across was the result of a murder.
"Unlikely," Esposito answered.
"Cause of death?"
"Unknown," Ryan replied
"Age?"
"Also unknown," Espo said.
Beckett dragged her hand through her hair, fingers splayed, her frustration mounting. "Is there actually a dead body, Espo?"
He gave a noncommittal grunt. We're pretty sure."
"You're pretty sure? What exactly does that mean?"
"He hasn't been examined yet. It's a little bit of an unusual situation?"
"Sounds like it," she said.
"We'll get to the bottom of it, Cap," Ryan said.
"Oh, I know you will. But let me get this straight. We have what we think is a dead body, but no age, no COD. And presumably not an accident. And why do think it was murder?"
"Thought you'd never ask, Cap," Esposito said, a little too lightly for her taste. "Our vic was found this morning on one of the sculptures in the pool at Lincoln Center Plaza."
This caught her by surprise. There weren't many firsts when it came to murder in Manhattan. Bodies in alleys. Bodies in dumpsters. Bodies in bed. Bodies in cars. There were plenty of unsavory locations . . . "On the sculpture?" she said in surprise.
Esposito checked his notes, reading straight from his pad. "Body found on sculpture."
"On. Not in the water," Beckett mused.
He confirmed, "Not in the water."
"So he didn't drown."
"Doesn't look like it."
"Found on a sculpture at Lincoln Center Plaza…"
"On a sculpture in a pool," he interjected.
Never a dull moment in New York. She knocked back what was left of her cold coffee and stood. "Let's roll," she said, then headed for the elevator, pressing the call button when she got there. The doors immediately opened, and there he stood.
"Reykjavik," was all he said.
End of Chapter 1
AN: Reykjavik is the capitol of Iceland. It is of Norse origin and literally means 'bay of smoke'. The name was said to be inspired by steam rising from the hot springs in the area.