10 hours until Spring Break
"Castle, I need my fucking meds."
"Well, good morning to you, too, honey," Rick laughs on the other end of the phone call. Kate impatiently paced in her office as more personnel were filing into the precinct for their shift.
"If I throw up in the fourth floor bathroom one more time, I will murder you," she threatens.
"Okay, I hear you, I hear you. How are things going otherwise?" Castle asks.
"Bad."
"Great, well, Ruby and I will be on our way to school shortly, and I will be at the 12th with your anti-nausea medication as soon as I can," Rick assures wife calmly.
"Could you also pick me up a bacon, egg, and cheese on your way?" Kate pleads.
"I...I thought it was urgent," Castle says, already regretting saying it.
"I've been awake since 3:30 this morning, have thrown up three times, and haven't eaten breakfast yet. Your wife, who is pregnant with your baby, needs a breakfast sandwich," Kate says, her venom nearly strangling Castle through the phone.
"Yes, dear. Love you. See you soon," Castle replies before promptly hanging up.
Moments later, there's a knock at the office door and Ryan standing in the doorway. "Boss, I think I figured out the connection."
"Lay it on me," Kate says, sitting down in her chair and gesturing for Ryan to take the one across from her.
"So, I looked into Brooke and Amber's time at NYU to see if they could have crossed paths with the other three women there, and it turns out that Brooke never actually attended NYU," Ryan explains.
"Okay, so how'd Brooke and Amber meet, then?" Kate asks.
"Well, I can't say for certain, but I based my search around the time of the Halloween party the Senator mentioned, and Brooke wasn't in school then because she seemingly took a gap year and moved from California to New York. She was working as a barista near NYU's campus at the time. It's the coffee shop right across from the library where our first victim, Claire Steinfeld worked as part of her work-study program."
"So, it's possible that's how Brooke met Amber, and that they may have known Claire as well," Kate pieces it together.
"I'd say that's a pretty good bet. Since we're digging into the NYU connection, Hannah and Felicity never attended, but they did go to school in New York. Both were Pre-Law, so they might have had mutual friends."
"Amber's friend Katie might be able to shed more light on that," Kate adds. "And maybe Tyler, too."
"I've left messages with both of them," Ryan says.
"Awesome work, Kev," Kate smiles as she digests all of the information they'd just reviewed. "Hey, you said that Brooke was on a gap year?"
"Yeah, it looks like she was going to transfer to NYU, actually, but she never enrolled," Ryan says, paging through his research again.
"Transferred from where?" Kate asks.
"UCLA," Ryan reads, picking up on what Kate was insinuating.
"And Hannah and Felicity were Pre-Law? Did they go to law school?" Kate asks.
"No. Felicity even ended up dropping out her last semester at Fordham, but they'd both taken the LSAT. I'm...going to make some more phone calls, see if Claire ever had any interest in becoming a lawyer," Ryan says.
"I also want to know more about this Halloween party, see if it really is where Brooke and Amber met, and if the other women were there, too," Kate adds. "I know it was 7 and a half years ago, but I've got a...feeling."
"A feeling? Castle really has rubbed off on you," Ryan chuckles. Kate shoots him a look and he adds, "boss."
"What have I done this time?" Castle asks as he knocks on the open door of Beckett's office.
"Nothing," Kate smiles. "But, we can use all the help we can get, if you want to help Ryan chase down a few leads."
"Oh, I never thought you'd ask for me to join you in the field again, Kev," Castle cheers.
"I didn't," Kevin says, wiping the smirk off Castle's face. "But you can help me do sone research." As Ryan walks out of the office, Castle begins to follow, but not before Kate stops him.
"Babe, the meds?" Kate asks.
"Oh, right! Here," he says as he hands her a bag. "And your breakfast sandwich."
"Thank you," Kate says as she takes the bag and starts unwrapping the bagel sandwich.
"And thank you for letting me work this case," Rick smiles.
"Well, it's going to take a miracle to wrap this up before we're supposed to head to the Hamptons," Kate says. "So I need all the help I can get."
"Oh, so I'm not only an anti-nausea medication purveyor and breakfast sandwich delivery guy, I'm also a miracle worker?" Castle asks in a sarcastic way that showed off his inflated ego.
"Yes. And the way that your spawn has made me feel this morning, it's honestly the least you could do," Kate says before shooing him out of her office.
"Yes, dear," Castle sighs, pecking Kate on the cheek before joining Ryan in the bullpen.
8 hours until Spring Break
"Hey, Cap," Ryan says as he hangs up the phone, grabbing Kate's attention away from the multiple murder boards on display. "I've got Katie Hammerville coming in in 20 minutes and Javi's out in Staten Island interviewing Tyler Boswell."
"Great, let me know when Katie gets here so I can join you in the interview," Kate says. "I just find it odd that we didn't realize the pre-law connection with the other victims before today," Kate thinks out loud.
"I suppose, but I mean, why would we? None of them even ended up going to law school. Amber is the only one who even ended up working in the field," Ryan points out. That was true. Claire had taken the LSAT at the same time as the others, but decided to return to NYU as a librarian. Hannah worked as a medical sales representative with her economics and marketing degree. Felicity worked as a teacher aide at a preschool after she dropped out, and Brooke worked her barista job and bartended nights to make ends meet after deciding not to follow through on her offer from UCLA Law, the same decision that Amber had made after her father passed away.
"I know, I didn't mean to imply that you missed anything," Kate replies. "I just...these girls remind me of me."
"Yeah, the similarities are a bit staggering, aren't they?" Castle adds as he finishes jotting down his most recent notes. "Except you didn't get murdered by a serial killer...yet."
"Dude," Ryan scoffs.
"Right, sorry. Anyway, I just got a copy of Dale Josley's coroner's report sent over, so I'm gonna...go...read that," Castle says and then turns back to his computer screen.
"You think his death might have something to do with this?" Ryan asks.
"Well, I'm going to read the report and find out."
The phone in Kate's office rings, so she gets up to answer. It's Lanie calling to tell her a crucial finding from Amber's initial assessment. A fingerprint was found on the woman's arm, and it was a match for someone in the system.
"Send me the report right now," Kate tells her and Lanie responds, "girl, please, it's already sent."
"Christopher James Trevino, back in town after serving four years upstate for aggravated assault," Kate reads off as she pins the man's mugshot to the murder board.
"Kate, Trevino appeared in a nuisance report last night. He was kicked out of a bar after an altercation with a woman who fits Amber's description," Ryan says.
"A bar?" Kate repeats.
"Yeah, Broadtown Brews, one that Brooke Hallis worked at," Ryan nods as he finishes reading.
"Ryan, find this guy and bring him down here," Kate says. "Have Espo meet you for the takedown."
"Javi? You don't want to come?" Ryan asks, in the prying but not prying way only Ryan could ask.
"No, I gotta interview Katie Hammerville," Kate says, which catches Castle's attention. Kate looks over to her husband for a second and then back to Ryan. "Plus, I really shouldn't be out in the field anyway."
"Why...afraid you've lost your touch spending too much time behind that desk?" Ryan presses his luck.
Beckett bites her lip and hisses, "no, asshole. I think you already know why."
"So, you are..?
"Yes, I'm pregnant, okay?" she's serious at first, but then her face melts into a huge smile as Rick wraps his arm around her.
"So, you gonna stop staring at my wife's boobs now?" Castle laughs.
Ryan's pale Irish skin turns beet red with embarrassment. "I didn't mean...gosh, Beckett, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Kate laughs. "It's how I knew you knew."
"Yeah, well, I had an inkling," Ryan says. "Wow, Castle and Beckett are having a baby. Congratulations, you two."
"Thank you," Kate smiles a giddy smile. "Now, get back to work!"
7 hours until Spring Break
"I don't remember how Amber and Brooke met," Katie Hammerville says as she recalls her college days. "But I do remember the Halloween party. I wasn't feeling well that night, so my boyfriend and I left early, but they were all there. Brooke, Amber, the other girls, too."
"Claire, Hannah, and Felicity were there?" Kate asks.
"Yes," Katie confirms. "It was so weird. They were all hanging out like they were friends, but I hadn't even seen or heard of them before that night. And after...Amber acted strange."
"What do you mean by that?"
"After that night, she was really, distant, secretive with me, and she just kept getting closer and closer with Brooke. Like they knew something I didn't. That went on for months," Katie explains. "And then Amber's dad died and I never saw Brooke ever again. Things just went back to normal between us."
"And you never asked Amber why? She never mentioned anything happening between her and Brooke?"
"She was very protective of her relationship with Brooke, so I didn't pry. Truthfully, I'm a little ashamed of how I acted back then. I was jealous of how much time Amber was spending with someone who wasn't me. So when they stopped hanging out, I didn't question it because I was happy to have her back," Katie says. It was refreshingly self-aware, but Kate couldn't help thinking that it would be much more helpful to know what led to Brooke's exit from Amber's life.
"What about when Amber was dating Tyler Boswell?" Kate questions. "Did Amber act strange or secretive during their relationship?"
"No," Katie shrugs. "But they weren't really ever that serious."
"Serious like she was with Brooke?"
"Amber loved Brooke. I never saw it back then like I do now, but she loved her. She really liked Tyler. They were a good couple, but Amber and Brooke were soulmates."
"Okay, I understand what you're saying," Kate says. "I know that you and Amber were still good friends, so do you know if she was dealing with any trouble in her life lately?"
Katie shrugs, echoing the earlier sentiment that Amber never really had drama in her life. Then, Kate grabs the mugshot of Christopher Trevino to show to Katie.
"Do you know if Amber knew this man? They were at the same bar last night before Amber was killed," Kate explains.
"Yeah, actually, now that you mention it. A few weeks back Amber FaceTimed me on a walk home to her apartment because she thought a guy was following her," Katie says. "She caught him on camera as they were crossing the street in a big group. The guy looked just like him."
"Do you remember the exact date of that call?" Kate asks.
"No, but...here." She pulls out her phone and scrolls through her FaceTime call history. "It was April 4th."
"Okay, Katie, this has been very helpful. Thank you for coming in to speak with me, and I'm very sorry about the loss of your friend," Kate says, walking Katie out of the lounge and toward the elevator.
5 hours until Spring Break
"Well, if there's one thing this guy learned from his time in prison, it's his civil rights," Ryan sighs as he exits the interrogation room.
"I think you mean liberties," Castle says. "It's his right to vote or not to vote, it's his liberty to remain silent when be interrogated by the police."
"Thanks, Uncle Sam," Espo scoffs. "Either way, we gotta cut this guy lose."
"It's not him anyway," Kate says. "He was still in Woodbourbe for the other murders. He might be able to help us retrace Amber's steps last night, but her cell phone data and credit card transactions paint a pretty clear picture anyway."
"I'll process him out, I guess," Ryan sighs.
"Espo, how'd your meeting with Tyler Boswell go?" Kate asks now that the Lieutenant was at the precinct.
"He was sad to hear about Amber, but he told me they hadn't seen each other since their break up. He had nothing but nice things to say about her," Javier recaps.
"So, also unhelpful," Kate sighs. "Castle? Anything interesting from the Dale Josley coroner report?"
"Other than the fact that he was stabbed and his killer was never caught?" Rick says.
"You're joking," Kate says.
"As serious as a heart attack, sweetie," he responds. The pet name receives glares from both Kate and Javi, and Castle immediately realizes his gaffe.
"Well, let's dig into that a little more, if we can," Kate says. "And lets canvass the bar Amber was at last night. From what we're learning, I have a hard time believing she and Brooke weren't in contact anymore."
2 hours until Spring Break
Nothing. How was it possible that they had nothing? No suspects, no solid leads, just more questions. What had seemed like a promising breakthrough just led to dead end after dead end.
"Kate, it's almost 3 o'clock, are you ready?" Castle says after gently knocking on her office door.
"Ready for what?" Kate responds instinctively.
"Ruby gets out of school in 15 minutes," Rick states.
"Shit, already?" Kate sighs and glances at the clock.
"Already? Kate, you've been working for 12 hours straight. You need to rest. Let's go home," Castle says.
"Castle, I..." Kate's voice trails off. "I don't know what to do."
"You know how excited Ruby is for this vacation," Rick responds with a bite in his voice. It was clear what he thought Kate should do.
"Babe, I'm not suggesting...I don't want to miss our vacation," Kate sighs. "But I can't just walk out on these women, on Amber, on Brooke, Claire, Hannah, Felicity, they...they deserve justice."
"And you will get them justice," Rick assures her.
"Just not today," Kate adds what her husband doesn't.
"Just not today," Rick nods.
"Castle, I don't want to choose between being a good cop and being a good mom," Kate sighs.
"Kate, c'mon," Rick sighs.
"What, Castle?" Kate asks defensively.
"There's nothing more to do here," he says plainly.
"I just, I know it doesn't seem like it," Kate starts.
"That's because there isn't!" Castle exclaims, his patience running thin.
"I know it doesn't seem like it," Kate says again. "But I can feel how close we are to a breakthrough, like so close, babe. And I just feel like I can't walk away from that right now."
"So, what are you going to do?" Castle asks, fully annoyed, anger building quickly.
"Okay, um, I can already tell you're upset with me, and that's...that's fair, but I'm going to need your help," Kate says, pleading for her husband to sit down with her.
Rick takes a deep breath to settle himself. He takes a sit and listens to his wife's request.
"I don't want to miss our trip," Kate says. "So, I'd like to go hard at the case for a few more hours while you and Ruby are getting the car packed. You two can drive out there whenever you're ready, and I'll leave here 6PM, regardless of where I get with the case, and I'll drive to the Hamptons straight from here."
"That sounds very fair," Rick says with relief. "What do you need my help with?"
"Well, uh, since I never finished packing, I need you to get the rest of my stuff together and bring it with you," Kate says.
"That? Oh, I can definitely do that," Rick chuckles. He kisses his wife on the cheek and then stands up from the office couch. "Just, do not forget your anti-nausea medication."
"Oh, gosh, thank you for reminding me," Kate says as she takes it out of her desk drawer and places it in plain sight on the desktop. "And thank you for being so amazing." She gives Rick another kiss before he leaves to pick Ruby up from school.
30 minutes until Spring Break
She was close. She was so damn close.
No more than 20 minutes after Castle left the precinct to pick Ruby up from school, Espo and Ryan came to Kate with one of the missing pieces of the puzzle: how the victims knew each other. It had been clear that by October of Amber's junior year, she knew the other four victims somehow, but they didn't know exactly how. Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, all of the young women had enrolled in an LSAT practice course geared toward women interested in going to law school hosted at the NYU library that semester. It was open to those wanting to hone the crucial skills that the rigorous law school aptitude test required, so even non-NYU students could take it. Though it certainly filled in a few gaps, it didn't exactly answer the question of why the girls had been murdered nearly 8 years later. However, Kate had a gut feeling that the LSAT class was the key. She requested a list of everyone who enrolled in the course, and now, as the clock ticked ever closer to her personal deadline, she was scrolling through the class roster.
She read each of the names with scrutiny, a pang hitting her heart each time she came across the name of one of the victims.
Claire Steinfeld
Hannah Morris
Brooke Hallis
Felicity Curtain
Amber Josley
"Huh," Kate emotes as one more name catches her attention.
She gets up from her desk and calls to Ryan. "Did anyone take out the trash from the lounge today?"
Ryan shrugs, so Kate grabs a pair of gloves and an evidence bag as she goes to check for herself. To her delight, the bin still sat there with the few discarded items from throughout the day, including the one she was looking for. She snaps on the gloves and pulls out the coffee cup, placing it in the evidence bag. She brings the bag back with her to her office and picks up her phone. Before she dials the number she wants, a notification catches her attention. It's a text from Rick.
Just made it out of the city. Damn traffic. Should be at the house in an hour. See you soon.
She grins as she navigates back to the phone icon and taps out the same number she's been calling for the past 15 years.
"Lanie, hey," Kate says when the ME answers. "Question for you. I know we've been assuming that the killer in the serial case is a man, but is there any way it could be a woman?"
10 minutes until Spring Break
Her phone ringer raged and vibrated loudly against the hardwood of her captain's desk, but to Kate, it might as well have been on silent. She was so locked in on the read through she was doing of her notes from earlier that day. After the four or fifth ring, though, Kate finally processed what was happening. She grabs it without looking at the caller ID and says, "Beckett".
"Hey, it's me," Castle's voice says, his phone clearly on speaker. "And Ruby."
"Hey," Kate says. "How's the drive?"
"Fine, once you get out of the city," Castle scoffs. "But, hey, I'm calling because I know who the killer is."
"Yeah, I do, too," Kate says, almost giddy.
Then, in unison, they both say the killer's name aloud. "Katie Hammerville".
"I know how I figured it out, how did you figure it out?" Castle asks.
"It doesn't matter," Kate says. "What matters is that I'll see you two soon."
"Yay!" Ruby exclaims in genuine excitement.
"Great, honey, text when you're hitting the road," Rick says.
Suddenly, the reality of the day hit Kate like a truck. A huge weight was this close to being lifted from her professional and person shoulders, but at the cost of working the case since 3 in the morning while in the troughs of first trimester nausea and fatigue.
"Hey, uh, I know I said I'd leave straight from the precinct, but I just realized how freaking exhausted I am," Kate admits. "So I think it might be best if I get some sleep at home and then drive to the Hamptons in the morning."
"That sounds like a good idea," Castle says. "Best to be rested."
"You guys won't miss me terribly?" She asks sarcastically.
"Nah, we'll just practice a bunch of card game so we can gang up on you when you get here," Ruby laughs.
"Yeah, you two do need the practice," Kate jokes. "Well, I'll let you go so I can go arrest a serial killer. I love you both."
"Okay, love you, too," Rick says. "And Kate, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"You're a good cop and you're a good mom."
