95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

After getting back from informing the parents of their new victim, Moira Austin, of their daughter's murder, an emotionally drained Beckett stopped to speak to the desk sergeant. "Is Archer on duty right now?" she asked.

"She's at the end of her shift. She and Bisaga just checked in a few minutes ago; so if you need her, we should let her know quick. She'll be heading out in a few minutes."

"Tell her I'd like to see her if she has time before she leaves, but give her the option of going home now if she needs to. It isn't pressing, so there's no problem if she can't stay. If you'd let her know, I'd appreciate it."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Sarge."

After two possibly, if not leaning toward probably, related murders in four days, Beckett's team was feeling pressure to find answers fast. She went to her desk, started her computer, and checked what had come in from CSU; and by the time she had determined that the boys had already made copies, a nervous looking Archer was leaving the elevator, still in uniform, minus her weapon.

"Is anything wrong, Lieutenant Beckett?" she asked quietly when she reached Beckett's desk.

"Nothing at all. We have this case, which will save time if it turns out to be related, because you voiced your observations. You seemed interested in our process in the first view of the crime scene this morning; and just as importantly, you seemed sensible about when and where to talk about it. I thought you might want to observe the beginning steps of the investigation. I know you're off duty, so please don't feel obligated to stay if it's inconvenient."

"I'd love to stay."

"Then here," Beckett said, handing her a legal pad. "You're taking notes. Grab a chair from wherever you can find one. Hey guys, Officer Archer is sitting in for a while. You all met her this morning, right?"

There were varying sounds of welcome as Archer rousted up a chair and set it next to Sully when he patted the edge of his desk in invitation.

Beckett stood between the two murder boards saying, "We need to be sure if these killings are linked. You want to start with what's similar or what's different?"

"Let's be honest," Esposito answered matter-of-factly. "Right now it makes more sense to start with the similarities."

Hearing sounds of agreement from the others, she said, "Then let's get started. Archer, you first."

With everyone chipping in, the list they compiled included:

_ Both victims had similar wounds to the neck and were left to bleed out

_ Both were young women in their twenties

_ Both were killed in their own apartments not far from the front door

_ Both had a similar vase of fresh flowers nearby

_ There was no doorman at either apartment

_ Both had the day off from work the day of the murder

_ No pictures of significant others in the apartment

"Why would that matter, Archer?" Beckett asked after Castle mentioned the last item on the list.

"Um… No boyfriend…or girlfriend. Oh. They're both single."

"Anything else?"

"Other than, fortunately for us, both buildings had cameras, no," Ryan answered, "I think that's about it for now. We need more background on the second victim before we can make any more comparisons."

"Do we need to list the differences?"

"Other than hair color, clothing, and apartment décor?" Castle asked, leaning back in his chair solemnly and crossing one leg over the other.

"Yeah. I know how it looks," Beckett answered. "I just keep hoping we're wrong."

"Well, we better keep working like we're not, just in case," Esposito answered.

"First things to do now?" Beckett urged. The entire team had recognized that the major part of this exercise was for Archer's benefit; but it also put things in proper perspective for them, and no one seemed to mind.

_ Get Moira Austin's paperwork…phone and work and financials

_ Friends, neighbors, co-workers who might know her habits – where she shopped, ate out, had haircuts, bought groceries, clothes, flowers, places she frequented, like gyms, bars, coffee shops…

_ Ask about new friends or boyfriends, personal or family problems, unwanted attention from anybody

_ See if neighbors saw flowers being delivered the day of the murder, or the night before

"Sully, Ryan, Esposito, did one of you get the paperwork done for Moira Austin's records?"

"Yep. All done, We'll get to work on them as soon as we have them," Ryan answered. "And we'll check what we got from the cameras in her building…see if we see anything that correlates with the Penston case.

"Well, when they're here, Sully, you take the financial records and see what you can find…compare them to what we already have for Ruby Penston's case. Ryan and Esposito, check with Archer about the neighbors she and Bisaga saw earlier: and after you look at the phone records, speak to the ones who weren't home. Castle and I will talk to her co-workers before they all go home for the day. We'll probably be here late, but we're all going home by seven. By then there will be things we can't do before tomorrow anyway. "Archer, just leave the notes on my desk."

"Is there anything I can help with while I'm already here?" Archer asked hopefully.

"Shouldn't you be anxious to go home?" Beckett asked with a smile. "You've already put in a full workday plus some."

"But I really want to see how the job works. If I can help without being in the way, I'd like to. You said you're all going home by seven anyway." She paused for a moment and finally said. "Lieutenant Beckett, I want to be a detective someday; and I don't want to pass up the chance to learn."

"Sully, would you mind working with Archer on the financials?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Be honest, though," Archer demanded. "If I'm slowing down something this important, I need you to tell me."

"Deal," Sully answered.

"See you later, then. We'll check back in before we go home."

About six, Castle and Beckett returned with a few bits of information that might or might not turn out to be helpful, but they couldn't do anything with it until morning. Esposito and Ryan were back a few minutes later, having spoken to the neighbors who were at home.

"Fortunately, Moira actually knew her neighbors and talked to them," Ryan reported, and he and Esposito shared the information they had gathered. "People were cooperative. Everybody seemed to like her and couldn't imagine anybody wanting to kill her."

"Anything in the financials that could link the victims?" Castle asked.

Sully reported a couple of things to follow up on the next day. Then he added, "Archer is a quick study."

"What about the phone records?"

"A couple of possibilities. Again, nothing we can follow up tonight."

"Then let's go home," Beckett answered.

"Anybody want to grab some dinner?" Esposito asked. "Maria and Gabe are with her mom again tonight."

"Yeah. It looked like we might be putting in a long one, so I told Jenny not to count on me. I'll go with you."

"Sully? Archer?"

"Sure," Sully answered as Archer simultaneously said, "Me?" sounding surprised.

"You did your whole shift then stayed as long as we did. You gotta eat, Right? We aren't bad company; and with three of us, nobody's going to bother you unless you want them to."

"We'll go another time," Beckett answered. "This afternoon we had to tell some parents that their only child was murdered. We're going home to give ours a lot of big hugs. Castle already invited Alexis and JD."

"We can offer dinner and drinks at The Old Haunt, though…on us," Castle told them. "I'll call ahead for you."

"Thanks, Bro'," Esposito answered.

"I need to get my stuff from my locker. Be right back," Archer said, following Castle and Beckett to the elevator.

As the couple waited for the elevator, Archer stopped and said a little shyly, "Thanks for today, Lieutenant Beckett. I don't know why you did it, but I loved every minute of it."

"It was because, unless you were having an exceptionally good day today, I think you might be doing this job before too much longer. Captain Montgomery did the same thing to give me a chance to prove myself, and it's my job to pass it on. We might start calling on you from time to time."

"Any time you want," the younger woman promised before all but scampering excitedly toward the stairs.

"Told you," Castle said as the elevator doors opened.

"Told me what?"

"That you made her day. Then a big compliment on top of it? That young lady left here on cloud nine."

"She did look a lot like I felt when Roy let me in now and then."

"He taught you well but he also recognized your natural abilities. He told me once he thought you'd outshine him."

"Really?"

"He did."

"I miss him."

"Me, too."

"Did you order dinner yet?"

"I ordered this afternoon and told them to deliver it at seven. Now would probably be a good, time to confirm, huh?" he answered as the elevator doors closed behind them.

"Yeah. Right after we leave the elevator. I'm gonna kiss you first."

"Then the food can wait another minute," Castle answered wolfishly. After an unusually uninterrupted and quite enjoyable elevator ride, he called after they left. Their dinner reached the loft just ahead of them.

Ignoring Jim and Meagan, Castle went for Alexis, and Beckett went for Jamie. Then they traded; and before it was over, JD had been grabbed and hugged within an inch of his life, too.

Alexis looked at JD over Kate's shoulder. "This is the 'I need to hug my kid because this case was bad' hug. Get used to it. I have no doubt that's why we were invited tonight."

"I won't even try to deny it," Castle answered. "We're parents. We don't have to justify anything about loving our children."

"What happened?" JD asked before Alexis could, both of them now having escaped.

"We had to visit the parents of a victim only a few years older than you and tell them that their only child had been murdered."

"They were…" Beckett started, then her eyes glistened with moisture. It was…heart wrenching. And well, we left thinking about our children. It was really tempting to try to see you right then. It nagged at us all day." She took Jamie back from Castle and held him close, kissing his cheek and murmuring, "I love you." several times as she swayed with him.

"Well, now that I know what happened, you two aren't escaping either," Martha told them, wrapping her arms around her son.

Meagan smiled. "You guys are the huggiest bunch I've ever seen."

Then Castle saw the overall picture they had presented and laughed in spite of himself as his mother descended on Kate and Jamie.

"Let's get the food on the table before they go for us again," Alexis told JD as she pulled him with her to the kitchen.

Jim was already following close behind Martha to reach his daughter.

"Quick, grab some plates, Meagan," Alexis called. "They won't attack while you have an armload of dishes." By then they were all laughing, and they ate their dinner in a much better mood.

xxxxx

When they gathered the information they had from Moira Austin's neighbors, early the next morning, Beckett asked the desk sergeant if Archer and Bisaga could be assigned to ask Ruby Penston's neighbors a few more questions. Since the neighbors had spoken to them before, and Archer had a reasonable insight into the case as it stood the night before, the request seemed reasonable. Having received an affirmative answer, Beckett requested, "Have one of them call me."

Ryan and Esposito had gone through the camera footage from the Austin case and had found a florist delivery that seemed to match the flowers in Moira's apartment, There had been a floral delivery in the Penston case, too, but the man was looking down, and the flowers covered the florist's logo on his jacket. At the Austin apartment, however, they had a full face image of the man, and they printed copies.

Eventually, there was a slight lull in activities that gave Castle and Beckett time to recaffeinate. As they stood in the break room making coffee, Castle brought up Jamie's first birthday again. During the beginning of their conversation, the rest of the team appeared at the door, and Esposito said, "We're invited, right? You can't have a first birthday without his aunts and uncles."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other and smiled. He was right. Even though they had discussed having only immediate family, their silent communication was one of agreement.

"Sure," Castle answered. "But you need to be aware that Lanie and Frank will be there, too. If it feels awkward, all of you will have to deal with it."

"Yep. 'Cause I hope you don't think I'm going to incur the wrath of Lanie Parish and not invite her, too," Beckett answered.

"We're all grown-ups, and she and I are happy for each other. We'll manage."

"Okay," Castle answered. "We'll be looking for Gabe, too."

"He'd be disappointed if he didn't get to see Jamie," Esposito said.

Archer and Bisaga reported to the homicide floor about nine-thirty. "We might have something," Archer reported excitedly. "That florist van Ms. Austin's neighbor saw yesterday and only had a description for? That florist Ryan found on his laptop last night at dinner? One of Ms. Penston's neighbors saw the same van the day Ms. Penston was killed, and she remembered the florist's name. It's the same one Ryan found."

"Time to visit a florist," Beckett announced. "You ready Castle? Sully?"

Sully shook his head. "I'll go talk to Ruby Penston's co-workers again. There are things we had no reason to ask the first time we talked to them. I think one woman there knew her pretty well. They should all be at work by now. Anything else from the neighbors, Archer?"

"That was it. I hope it helped."

When they realized Bisaga had disappeared, Castle saw that he was across the room at the murder board, looking everything over carefully.

Castle joined him and asked quietly as he added the florist to their information, "Is this the first time you've seen one of these?"

"Yeah. It's… I mean… It's the first time I've had a reason to be this close. I have an idea of how a detective works, but… I feel like I'm at a disadvantage sometimes. No college classes. Everything I know, I got at the academy, and they have to cram a lot into the time you spend there. You don't always get all the fine points. I'm not stupid, though. I can learn." He didn't seem to be feeling sorry for himself. He seemed to simply be stating facts.

Across the room, Castle heard the sharp, clipped sound of his wife answering her phone, and he immediately tuned in to the fact that it was probably Frank Stokes. Turning to Bisaga, he said, "I'm not here as much as I used to be, but I have four years of experience working with this team, and I know how they do things. If you want to do a little studying outside of work, I have a lot of books I've used for research. We can talk about what you think you need to know, and you can do some reading, maybe a little catching up." He took out his card and said, "Call me if you're interested." He stopped and smiled. "We have an almost one year old. I'm home a lot." Nodding in Beckett's direction, he added, "Sounds like I'm going to be leaving any minute now."

"Castle, we need to see Dr. Stokes on the way to the florist," Beckett called.

Tucking the card in the pocket of his uniform shirt, Bisaga said, "Thanks, Mr. Castle," and Castle waved over his shoulder as he joined his wife.

Franklin Stokes was substantially easier to work with than Perlmutter. Neither Castle nor Beckett any longer felt the need to roll their eyes and sigh deeply when they saw that the crime scene didn't include Lanie. When they entered the morgue that morning, there was no need to expect anything other than a friendly greeting.

"'Morning," Frank called out. "I might have something you can use."

"We'll be glad to get anything helpful," Beckett answered.

Getting right to business, Frank said, "You saw that the wounds on both victims were nearly identical and absolutely lethal; so either the killer got very lucky, or he knew exactly what he was doing. I'm going with the latter. Here's what I found." He held up a glass dish with a tiny piece of metal in it. "It looks like there was a small hook that broke off the end of the blade when it was used on Ms. Austin. I researched a little bit and found this." He took them to his computer, jiggled the mouse, and a florist's knife came up on the screen. "They come in two sizes for different purposes. I'd say this is from the smaller one."

"Something that size could easily be concealed," Beckett noted as she looked at the description on the screen.

"And, as it happens, we were already on the way to a florist shop," Castle added

"That floral shop is looking a lot more interesting now," Beckett responded. "Thank you, Frank."

"I hope it helps," he answered as they left.

On the way to the florist, Beckett said, "So, it looks like the birthday party has grown. We never managed to get to Remy's alone to discuss it."

"Yeah. I'm kind of glad Esposito came in the break room when he did, though. We couldn't have invited Lanie without inviting everybody else, and that 'wrath of Lanie Parish' if we didn't invite her would have been classic. She would never have let us forget it. Is it time to invite Sully, too? He's a good guy. I think he still feels a little on the outside, but he's there every time he's needed."

"Probably. I know him well enough now to trust him in our home…with our family."

"And the captain? I wouldn't mind seeing Ray again."

"It might be awkward for her to come when there's no celebratory reason connected to the precinct. But, if she does come, at least there's nowhere you and her husband and the boys can have a cannonball competition at the loft." After she heard Castle chuckle, she asked, "Want to tell them all to just come and love Jamie and play with him, to save the presents for when he's old enough to know what presents are?"

"Let's do that. He has everything he needs…and more. Good idea, Mrs. Castle."

"He's a lucky kid to have so many people who love him. I have no doubt that, if it came to it, any of them would agree to take him and raise him as if he were their own."

"Like you would have done for Alexis. And I'll never stop loving you for that, by the way. That was when I only had two others in my family. Look what you've done for me. Family fills the loft now, even though we adopted more than half of them…or they adopted us."

"It's hard to tell sometimes, isn't it? It wasn't all me...and it's a two-way street, Mr. Castle. My family has done some growing, too."

"I like it…a lot."

"Me, too."