[Fic] Notes and Murder - Chapter 10: Shock (whitecollar_bb, White Collar/Castle)
Title: Notes and Murder
Chapter Title: Shock
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 1,991
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Neal was being amused for the moment. It had to do with the fact that Mozzie had just finished a long rant about the Templar Knights and Peter ignoring the entire thing for the baseball game that was on. It wasn't a typical night of the week, but he did like it. He looked confused as Mozzie asked him a question. "What?"
"I asked you if this was going to become normal," Mozzie said. "As I thought we were going to have our movie marathon tonight."
"June would be more than happy to do that with you," Neal said. "He's watching it with no sound which is more than he would have done before."
"Only because I know how much the two of you don't like sports," Peter said as he had a few different case files spread out in front of him. "Either of you want to help?"
"Not really," Mozzie replied. "I like not to implicate myself, thanks."
"I've got a case file open," Neal said. "Problem is that I can solve it but then I'd have to ask Moz to represent me."
"The necklace?" Peter asked. "We decided that wasn't one of Alex's due to it being before her window. So close it and grab a real file before I throw one at your head."
"You would not," Neal said as he did so before going over to grab one out of the pile. He took a look at the game. "You don't have the sound on because they're losing."
"It's only May," Peter said.
"To the Blue Jays," Neal pointed out.
"Again, it's only May," Peter said.
"I'm going to remind you that you said that when October comes and you're complaining about them not going to the playoffs," Neal said. He was about to say something else when Mozzie's cell phone rang.
"Hello," Mozzie said. "Yes, this is him." He paused. "What did she say her name was again?" Another pause. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Nobody talks to her until I get there." He hung up and was about to say something when he looked to the Suit.
"Moz, whatever it is, you can say it unless it's illegal," Neal said.
"It's a gray area," Mozzie said.
"You've got immunity," Peter said as he looked up from his documents. "What is it?"
"Romana Smith called asking for her lawyer," Mozzie said.
"That's impossible though," Neal said.
"Is that due to the fact that she might have been destroyed with the rest of the Time Lords when the Doctor destroyed Gallifrey or that she's a fictional character?" Peter asked. "What?" He asked as Mozzie and Neal just stared at him for a moment.
"Suit, you surprise me every day," Mozzie said. "Who was your first Doctor?"
"Fanboying aside," Neal said. "Kate picked Romana as a code word for when we might need to ask for a lawyer."
"So highly impossible," Peter said. "And Tom Baker."
"Right," Mozzie said. "So, who wants to give me a ride?"
Peter picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. "Jones? We need to go out," he said. "I'll drive if you want to sleep in the backseat." He listened and grinned. "Thanks. We can go in five minutes."
"And we can talk about Whovian things on the way," Mozzie said.
"Great," Peter said as he turned off the TV and followed the other two out.
*~*~*~*
"I hate waiting for the lawyer to come," Castle said. "Nobody wants to have fun anymore."
"I think it is the fact that nobody wants to go to jail," Beckett said. She looked up as the elevator doors opened. "This is new," she said as she saw Peter, Neal, and Mozzie walk out of the elevator.
"Detective Beckett," Peter said. "Romana's lawyer."
"Claudius Dark," Mozzie said.
"Your parents were Doctor Who fans or your changed your name?" Castle asked. He looked at Beckett's confused face. "Alias of the Sixth Doctor in the audio play The Hourglass Killers."
"…Why are the Whovians out in force tonight?" Mozzie asked.
"Conspiracy," Neal offered.
"That would make sense," Mozzie said.
Peter sighed. "The reason why Neal and I are here is due to the name the person gave you."
"So she's not really a Time Lady?" Castle said. "Here I was hoping that she had just escaped Gallifrey."
"No, but if she is who uses the alias, then she did escape death," Neal said. "Is it alright if we look into where she is?"
Beckett looked at Mozzie. "What does the lawyer say?"
"A look is fine but I would like to talk to my client first," Mozzie said.
"This way," Beckett said as she led the group down to the interrogation room. She raised the shades and stepped back.
Peter raised an eyebrow as he looked at the woman and then at Neal. "I can honestly say that I didn't know this time."
Neal just stared at the woman, moving closer to the glass. "That's Kate," he said quietly. He moved to go in and struggled as Peter stopped him. "What - ?!"
"We can't talk to her," Peter said. "That includes you. You're working with the FBI, remember?"
"I'll go in and talk to her," Mozzie said. "And see if she'll let either of you come in."
Peter nodded a yes. "Just be careful - they think she's the one who killed Alex."
"Got it," Mozzie said and went into the interrogation room. "Hello."
"Good to see you again," Kate said. "Did you bring anybody with you?"
"I might have," Mozzie said. "Are you will to waive your rights and speak to one or both of them?"
"I'll talk to Peter," Kate said. "I think Nealan would have too many questions."
"Alright," Mozzie said and was let out of the interrogation room.
"Sit on him," Peter said as he walked into the room that Mozzie walked out of. "Hello Kate."
"It's good to see you again, Peter," Kate said. "Someone would say that I missed on purpose today."
"So you're admitting to shooting on the precinct?" Peter asked. "You don't seem like the type to know how to shoot like a sniper. Or kill someone in cold blood," he said as he pulled out the different crime scene photos.
"No," Kate said. "But you know as well as I do that there's only one way for this to end." She looked at the stiletto. "You should know that's a fake."
"But you won't say how you know that," Peter said and the only answer was a smirk from Kate. "What does Gray want this time?"
"You dead and Nealan doing whatever Gray wants," Kate said. "Which is a pipe dream, since you seem to have nine lives."
"How long have you been working for him?" Peter asked.
"That doesn't matter," Kate said.
"I think it does," Peter said. "You're admitting to working with him, Kate. Don't go down with him. You know I like to strike deals. Make the terms that you want, but in the end, I want to bring Gray down."
Kate laughed. "It'll never work. And I don't want your deals. My real lawyer will be here in the morning. I'll walk and be back where I need to be by lunchtime."
"What changed with you?" Peter asked. "I remember the young, scared Kate. The one who just wanted to be with Neal."
"I did want to be with Neal. He wasn't about to agree with the terms that Gray would have set," Kate said. "I'll answer one more question and then I'm done."
"How'd you get out of the airplane?" Peter asked.
"There was an emergency latch in the belly of the plane," Kate said. "It was to be used when I suggested that we let the plane blow up and let everyone think we were dead. But you showed up at the hanger and it was better for Nealan to mourn me than anything else."
Peter nodded. "I think we both know that Gray is going to kill you when you walk out of here. There's more than enough evidence to convict you on something. Make a deal now and we'll put you in witness protection."
"I don't want a deal," Kate said. "So get out."
Peter got up and walked out of the interrogation room. "How long can you hold her?" He took a glance at Neal leaning against the window into the room.
"Through the night at least," Beckett said.
"I'm going to try to pull some strings and see if we can't swoop her up," Peter said. "I know that you want to clear your murder, but I have to act on the piece in front of me."
"Just this once," Beckett said. "And I'll spread it around that it was agreed upon. Boss will like that it's in good faith to work with others."
"Thanks," Peter said. He looked at Neal. "Neal?"
"Yeah, if that's what you need to do," Neal said. He slipped into the interrogation room, jamming the door handle so it couldn't be open.
Kate looked up and chuckled. "I wondered when you would burst in here."
"Why?!" Neal asked. "Why the hell did you do this, Kate?!"
"Because she was going to tell," Kate said calmly. "I like being a ghost. I'll go back to being one as soon as tomorrow rolls around." She paused. "I did love you, Nealan. That wasn't fake. I was just better for you to pine over."
"You were the ghost that Alex was saying not to be afraid of," Neal said quietly as he got it. "Thanks."
"For what?" Kate asked.
"Closure," Neal said as he turned and undid his work on the door handle. "Are you able to use that?"
"I don't know," Beckett said. "But if we can, it's a confession. A very small one."
"We should go," Peter said. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can." He grabbed Neal's sleeve, making sure that Neal walked in front of him to keep an eye on him.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Neal asked as soon as they were in the safety of the elevator with Mozzie.
"With a capital T," Peter said. "But I will deal with you later," he added as he got on the phone.
"How come we didn't see the emergency hatch when we looked at the wreckage?" Neal asked of Mozzie.
"It could have gotten switched out or it could have - there's so many factors that I can't even go through them all," Mozzie said. "But it's easy enough to switch it."
"Okay," Neal said. He raised an eyebrow as Peter got off the phone just as fast as he got on. "That was too fast."
"I'll tell you in the car," Peter said. As they got out of the elevator, a slick dressed man got in. "Real lawyer," he muttered.
"Every camera can be hacked," Mozzie said.
Neal just nodded a yes, being quiet as they got back home. Mozzie went off to his own place to sleep and he got out pillows and blankets. "I'm sorry," he finally said.
"I know you are," Peter said. "I've got to see Hughes first thing."
"That's never a good thing," Neal said. "So… is this it then?"
"Probably," Peter said. "We know who killed Alex, even if we can't bring her to justice. We know who shot at me, even if I don't fully understand why. So, there is some closure. It's just not in the way that we're used to."
"Right," Neal said. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," Peter said and made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch. All he did was stare at the ceiling, not falling asleep as he went over everything in his mind. None of it made sense, but he wondered if that was how this was supposed to be in the end.
Chapter Title: Shock
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 1,991
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Neal was being amused for the moment. It had to do with the fact that Mozzie had just finished a long rant about the Templar Knights and Peter ignoring the entire thing for the baseball game that was on. It wasn't a typical night of the week, but he did like it. He looked confused as Mozzie asked him a question. "What?"
"I asked you if this was going to become normal," Mozzie said. "As I thought we were going to have our movie marathon tonight."
"June would be more than happy to do that with you," Neal said. "He's watching it with no sound which is more than he would have done before."
"Only because I know how much the two of you don't like sports," Peter said as he had a few different case files spread out in front of him. "Either of you want to help?"
"Not really," Mozzie replied. "I like not to implicate myself, thanks."
"I've got a case file open," Neal said. "Problem is that I can solve it but then I'd have to ask Moz to represent me."
"The necklace?" Peter asked. "We decided that wasn't one of Alex's due to it being before her window. So close it and grab a real file before I throw one at your head."
"You would not," Neal said as he did so before going over to grab one out of the pile. He took a look at the game. "You don't have the sound on because they're losing."
"It's only May," Peter said.
"To the Blue Jays," Neal pointed out.
"Again, it's only May," Peter said.
"I'm going to remind you that you said that when October comes and you're complaining about them not going to the playoffs," Neal said. He was about to say something else when Mozzie's cell phone rang.
"Hello," Mozzie said. "Yes, this is him." He paused. "What did she say her name was again?" Another pause. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Nobody talks to her until I get there." He hung up and was about to say something when he looked to the Suit.
"Moz, whatever it is, you can say it unless it's illegal," Neal said.
"It's a gray area," Mozzie said.
"You've got immunity," Peter said as he looked up from his documents. "What is it?"
"Romana Smith called asking for her lawyer," Mozzie said.
"That's impossible though," Neal said.
"Is that due to the fact that she might have been destroyed with the rest of the Time Lords when the Doctor destroyed Gallifrey or that she's a fictional character?" Peter asked. "What?" He asked as Mozzie and Neal just stared at him for a moment.
"Suit, you surprise me every day," Mozzie said. "Who was your first Doctor?"
"Fanboying aside," Neal said. "Kate picked Romana as a code word for when we might need to ask for a lawyer."
"So highly impossible," Peter said. "And Tom Baker."
"Right," Mozzie said. "So, who wants to give me a ride?"
Peter picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. "Jones? We need to go out," he said. "I'll drive if you want to sleep in the backseat." He listened and grinned. "Thanks. We can go in five minutes."
"And we can talk about Whovian things on the way," Mozzie said.
"Great," Peter said as he turned off the TV and followed the other two out.
*~*~*~*
"I hate waiting for the lawyer to come," Castle said. "Nobody wants to have fun anymore."
"I think it is the fact that nobody wants to go to jail," Beckett said. She looked up as the elevator doors opened. "This is new," she said as she saw Peter, Neal, and Mozzie walk out of the elevator.
"Detective Beckett," Peter said. "Romana's lawyer."
"Claudius Dark," Mozzie said.
"Your parents were Doctor Who fans or your changed your name?" Castle asked. He looked at Beckett's confused face. "Alias of the Sixth Doctor in the audio play The Hourglass Killers."
"…Why are the Whovians out in force tonight?" Mozzie asked.
"Conspiracy," Neal offered.
"That would make sense," Mozzie said.
Peter sighed. "The reason why Neal and I are here is due to the name the person gave you."
"So she's not really a Time Lady?" Castle said. "Here I was hoping that she had just escaped Gallifrey."
"No, but if she is who uses the alias, then she did escape death," Neal said. "Is it alright if we look into where she is?"
Beckett looked at Mozzie. "What does the lawyer say?"
"A look is fine but I would like to talk to my client first," Mozzie said.
"This way," Beckett said as she led the group down to the interrogation room. She raised the shades and stepped back.
Peter raised an eyebrow as he looked at the woman and then at Neal. "I can honestly say that I didn't know this time."
Neal just stared at the woman, moving closer to the glass. "That's Kate," he said quietly. He moved to go in and struggled as Peter stopped him. "What - ?!"
"We can't talk to her," Peter said. "That includes you. You're working with the FBI, remember?"
"I'll go in and talk to her," Mozzie said. "And see if she'll let either of you come in."
Peter nodded a yes. "Just be careful - they think she's the one who killed Alex."
"Got it," Mozzie said and went into the interrogation room. "Hello."
"Good to see you again," Kate said. "Did you bring anybody with you?"
"I might have," Mozzie said. "Are you will to waive your rights and speak to one or both of them?"
"I'll talk to Peter," Kate said. "I think Nealan would have too many questions."
"Alright," Mozzie said and was let out of the interrogation room.
"Sit on him," Peter said as he walked into the room that Mozzie walked out of. "Hello Kate."
"It's good to see you again, Peter," Kate said. "Someone would say that I missed on purpose today."
"So you're admitting to shooting on the precinct?" Peter asked. "You don't seem like the type to know how to shoot like a sniper. Or kill someone in cold blood," he said as he pulled out the different crime scene photos.
"No," Kate said. "But you know as well as I do that there's only one way for this to end." She looked at the stiletto. "You should know that's a fake."
"But you won't say how you know that," Peter said and the only answer was a smirk from Kate. "What does Gray want this time?"
"You dead and Nealan doing whatever Gray wants," Kate said. "Which is a pipe dream, since you seem to have nine lives."
"How long have you been working for him?" Peter asked.
"That doesn't matter," Kate said.
"I think it does," Peter said. "You're admitting to working with him, Kate. Don't go down with him. You know I like to strike deals. Make the terms that you want, but in the end, I want to bring Gray down."
Kate laughed. "It'll never work. And I don't want your deals. My real lawyer will be here in the morning. I'll walk and be back where I need to be by lunchtime."
"What changed with you?" Peter asked. "I remember the young, scared Kate. The one who just wanted to be with Neal."
"I did want to be with Neal. He wasn't about to agree with the terms that Gray would have set," Kate said. "I'll answer one more question and then I'm done."
"How'd you get out of the airplane?" Peter asked.
"There was an emergency latch in the belly of the plane," Kate said. "It was to be used when I suggested that we let the plane blow up and let everyone think we were dead. But you showed up at the hanger and it was better for Nealan to mourn me than anything else."
Peter nodded. "I think we both know that Gray is going to kill you when you walk out of here. There's more than enough evidence to convict you on something. Make a deal now and we'll put you in witness protection."
"I don't want a deal," Kate said. "So get out."
Peter got up and walked out of the interrogation room. "How long can you hold her?" He took a glance at Neal leaning against the window into the room.
"Through the night at least," Beckett said.
"I'm going to try to pull some strings and see if we can't swoop her up," Peter said. "I know that you want to clear your murder, but I have to act on the piece in front of me."
"Just this once," Beckett said. "And I'll spread it around that it was agreed upon. Boss will like that it's in good faith to work with others."
"Thanks," Peter said. He looked at Neal. "Neal?"
"Yeah, if that's what you need to do," Neal said. He slipped into the interrogation room, jamming the door handle so it couldn't be open.
Kate looked up and chuckled. "I wondered when you would burst in here."
"Why?!" Neal asked. "Why the hell did you do this, Kate?!"
"Because she was going to tell," Kate said calmly. "I like being a ghost. I'll go back to being one as soon as tomorrow rolls around." She paused. "I did love you, Nealan. That wasn't fake. I was just better for you to pine over."
"You were the ghost that Alex was saying not to be afraid of," Neal said quietly as he got it. "Thanks."
"For what?" Kate asked.
"Closure," Neal said as he turned and undid his work on the door handle. "Are you able to use that?"
"I don't know," Beckett said. "But if we can, it's a confession. A very small one."
"We should go," Peter said. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can." He grabbed Neal's sleeve, making sure that Neal walked in front of him to keep an eye on him.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Neal asked as soon as they were in the safety of the elevator with Mozzie.
"With a capital T," Peter said. "But I will deal with you later," he added as he got on the phone.
"How come we didn't see the emergency hatch when we looked at the wreckage?" Neal asked of Mozzie.
"It could have gotten switched out or it could have - there's so many factors that I can't even go through them all," Mozzie said. "But it's easy enough to switch it."
"Okay," Neal said. He raised an eyebrow as Peter got off the phone just as fast as he got on. "That was too fast."
"I'll tell you in the car," Peter said. As they got out of the elevator, a slick dressed man got in. "Real lawyer," he muttered.
"Every camera can be hacked," Mozzie said.
Neal just nodded a yes, being quiet as they got back home. Mozzie went off to his own place to sleep and he got out pillows and blankets. "I'm sorry," he finally said.
"I know you are," Peter said. "I've got to see Hughes first thing."
"That's never a good thing," Neal said. "So… is this it then?"
"Probably," Peter said. "We know who killed Alex, even if we can't bring her to justice. We know who shot at me, even if I don't fully understand why. So, there is some closure. It's just not in the way that we're used to."
"Right," Neal said. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," Peter said and made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch. All he did was stare at the ceiling, not falling asleep as he went over everything in his mind. None of it made sense, but he wondered if that was how this was supposed to be in the end.