Glee/Castle | Red Herring: 6. Scarlet Fever | Glee, Castle (6 of 7)
Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th , 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 26th and 27th cycle. Now cycle 28!
if you have things you would like to see get written, pleeease drop by the suggestion box. The link is further down!
RED HERRING - A Glee/Castle Crossover - This week-long story is dedicated to a couple of BAMFs who shall remain nameless (for reasons to be made obvious later) until the day of the final chapter, next Wednesday, which so happens to be both their birthdays ;)
"RED HERRING: 6. SCARLET FEVER"
Will, New Directions - Crossover with Castle
Beckett arrived at the hotel the next morning to find Castle already waiting for her, finishing up his coffee. “Morning,” she greeted him. “How did your guests fare through the night?” she asked.
“Well, Brittany and Alexis got along right away; I think I heard something about pen pals. I could still hear them chatting up there after midnight. And young Noah behaved himself, as promised, spent the night on the couch. That is until my mother got her hands on him,” he frowned, and before Beckett could get the wrong idea, he went on. “Found out he was a musician and this somehow turned into a concert before breakfast. Needless to say neither of them had a problem with those two hanging around until this is taken care of.”
“Good, then,” Beckett told him, the image of Martha still making her smirk to herself.
“I’m still waiting,” he told her, as they went through the door.
“Waiting for what?”
“Oh, for you to slip and reveal some sordid past on the show choir circuit,” he looked over at her, dramatically.
“Good luck with that,” she shook her head, briefly catching a glimpse of his ‘disappointment.’
As they made their way through the lobby, even without seeing too much, there was just enough of a sense like something was happening, something they had planted… New Directions were currently not eligible, and this meant the competition had changed. This meant a potentially bigger victory for some, or it meant a bigger headache for others… That wasn’t what Beckett and Castle or the others were looking for though. They were looking for that one person who would not see a club in distress; they were looking for the one who would see that they were missing members because they were solid suspects on the murder that had happened.
“So are you going to say it or am I?” Beckett looked over when he spoke.
“Say what?” she asked.
“Something’s not right about this. Somehow it’s felt very ‘open and shut’ from the start, but even then it doesn’t feel like we have the actual picture going. Like we weren’t just thrown off about the kids, but…”
“All of it,” she agreed. “Okay, so what are we missing?”
“Whatever happened, if you ask me, we’re not wrong about it having to do with this… personnel shift… Ooh…” he suddenly blinked.
“What?”
“I don’t know, maybe nothing but… What if it’s not about the person who lost their job? What if it’s about the person who wanted that job? All these posts vacated, and maybe they thought this was their chance, except they went for an outside hire. They went for Marie Bennett.” Beckett listened to this, and as soon as he was done, she was reaching for her phone.
“Worth looking into,” she agreed, dialling. “I need to speak to Mr. Matheson,” she told the woman who picked up. Ten minutes later, they were in the man’s ‘office,’ sitting across from him. “Mr. Matheson, were there a lot of applicants for Marie’s job before she was hired?”
“Oh, sure. You know, you wouldn’t think it, but it was a job in high demand,” he nodded.
“Did anyone apply from within the organization? Someone who already worked here?” Castle asked.
“A few, yes,” he nodded, thinking back. “Most of them would just be looking for a pay raise.”
“Most of them?” Castle asked.
“Well, there was Charlotte. You’d think this was like the chance of a lifetime, the way she talks about it. You’ve spoken to her, she’s my assistant,” he indicated just outside the door where they could see her own desk, which like Matheson’s was just a table, as they were temporary offices. Only there was no one sitting there. “She must have gone out on break. I keep telling her to just try the patch,” Matheson shook his head to himself, but to Beckett and Castle it was something else. Without even saying it, they knew: if they’d spoken to her, then she’d know they were going to talk to Matheson. And if she wasn’t there, then maybe there was a reason… And then Beckett’s phone rang.
Ryan and Esposito had made it there on their own, before Beckett or Castle, and for the moment the only task that mattered was keeping an eye out, and making sure nothing happened to…
“Hey!” the shout drew their attention and they saw one of the boys from McKinley, identified by Esposito as Finn Hudson, running toward them. “This woman came, she’s got Tina,” he rambled on, and it didn’t take much explanation for them to get what he meant by ‘she’s got Tina.’ Esposito motioned for him to lead the way, and they ran after him as he dashed back to where they were. The nearer they got, the more they could hear voices growing louder. When they saw what they had to deal with, saw that their killer was indeed flushed out, Ryan reached for his phone and dialled up Beckett.
She arrived, with Castle and Matheson in tow, and she saw just what they’d seen: the teacher and ten of his students standing around helpless, just a few feet away from a cornered woman holding the girl they recognized as Tina Cohen-Chang from McKinley like a shield before herself and, judging both by the fact that the girl was not moving, and the way none of the others did either, some weapon pointed at her back. As still as the girl was trying to stay, they could tell she was terrified.
“Charlotte, what did you do?” Matheson spoke when he saw her. This drew the woman’s attention immediately.
“Hey, boss,” she threw him a look, not losing grip of her shield.
“Charlotte? I’m Detective Kate Beckett, from the NYPD. How about we talk, just you and me. Let the girl go,” she took a couple of steps forward.
“Yeah, no, I’m not going to do that,” Charlotte quickly decided.
“What about the dream job?” Castle spoke up, from behind Beckett, and she looked back to him. He hesitated before taking a step forward. “If you wanted it so much, then you wouldn’t want to hurt any of these kids, would you?” She didn’t respond, but he had struck a nerve… he was right.
“You killed Marie Bennett,” Beckett not so much asked as she stated, and it seemed to work: no pretence. Charlotte looked around for a moment.
“I don’t want him here,” she declared, nodding to the back, where Matheson stood.
“Oh, I can go,” he held up his hand before dashing off with all the relief of not having to stand around near her and whatever she had stuck to Tina’s back.
“Okay, Charlotte. He’s gone now. So can we talk?” Beckett asked. It took a moment for Charlotte to speak up, and on her face it read like she was waiting for something.
“I didn’t kill Marie,” she finally declared. She could see none of the detectives believed her. “I had to do this, he made me swear. Said he’d go after my family.”
“Who did?” Beckett asked.
“So you did kill her?” Castle asked at the same time.
“I didn’t kill her!” Charlotte insisted, then after a breath. “I just had to buy time so he could get away,” she revealed, and it took all of five seconds for this information to be processed into an answer…. Matheson.
TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)
* IN CONSTRUCTION! *
PREVIOUS DAYS
[Cycle 01] [Cycle 02] [Cycle 03] [Cycle 04] [Cycle 05]
[Cycle 06] [Cycle 07] [Cycle 08] [Cycle 09] [Cycle 10]
[Cycle 11] [Cycle 12] [Cycle 13] [Cycle 14] [Cycle 15]
[Cycle 16] [Cycle 17] [Cycle 18] [Cycle 19] [Cycle 20]
[Cycle 21] [Cycle 22] [Cycle 23] [Cycle 24] [Cycle 25]
[Cycle 26] [Cycle 27]
[Cycle 28]
[568] [569] [570] [571] [572]
Suggestion Drop Off
Title: "Red Herring: 6. Scarlet Fever"
Pairing: Glee, Castle
Rating: G
Summary: New Directions is in New York for Nationals, when a murder brings in Det. Beckett and Richard Castle themselves.
Spoilers: None really; current seasons on Glee and Castle
if you have things you would like to see get written, pleeease drop by the suggestion box. The link is further down!
RED HERRING - A Glee/Castle Crossover - This week-long story is dedicated to a couple of BAMFs who shall remain nameless (for reasons to be made obvious later) until the day of the final chapter, next Wednesday, which so happens to be both their birthdays ;)
"RED HERRING: 6. SCARLET FEVER"
Will, New Directions - Crossover with Castle
Beckett arrived at the hotel the next morning to find Castle already waiting for her, finishing up his coffee. “Morning,” she greeted him. “How did your guests fare through the night?” she asked.
“Well, Brittany and Alexis got along right away; I think I heard something about pen pals. I could still hear them chatting up there after midnight. And young Noah behaved himself, as promised, spent the night on the couch. That is until my mother got her hands on him,” he frowned, and before Beckett could get the wrong idea, he went on. “Found out he was a musician and this somehow turned into a concert before breakfast. Needless to say neither of them had a problem with those two hanging around until this is taken care of.”
“Good, then,” Beckett told him, the image of Martha still making her smirk to herself.
“I’m still waiting,” he told her, as they went through the door.
“Waiting for what?”
“Oh, for you to slip and reveal some sordid past on the show choir circuit,” he looked over at her, dramatically.
“Good luck with that,” she shook her head, briefly catching a glimpse of his ‘disappointment.’
As they made their way through the lobby, even without seeing too much, there was just enough of a sense like something was happening, something they had planted… New Directions were currently not eligible, and this meant the competition had changed. This meant a potentially bigger victory for some, or it meant a bigger headache for others… That wasn’t what Beckett and Castle or the others were looking for though. They were looking for that one person who would not see a club in distress; they were looking for the one who would see that they were missing members because they were solid suspects on the murder that had happened.
“So are you going to say it or am I?” Beckett looked over when he spoke.
“Say what?” she asked.
“Something’s not right about this. Somehow it’s felt very ‘open and shut’ from the start, but even then it doesn’t feel like we have the actual picture going. Like we weren’t just thrown off about the kids, but…”
“All of it,” she agreed. “Okay, so what are we missing?”
“Whatever happened, if you ask me, we’re not wrong about it having to do with this… personnel shift… Ooh…” he suddenly blinked.
“What?”
“I don’t know, maybe nothing but… What if it’s not about the person who lost their job? What if it’s about the person who wanted that job? All these posts vacated, and maybe they thought this was their chance, except they went for an outside hire. They went for Marie Bennett.” Beckett listened to this, and as soon as he was done, she was reaching for her phone.
“Worth looking into,” she agreed, dialling. “I need to speak to Mr. Matheson,” she told the woman who picked up. Ten minutes later, they were in the man’s ‘office,’ sitting across from him. “Mr. Matheson, were there a lot of applicants for Marie’s job before she was hired?”
“Oh, sure. You know, you wouldn’t think it, but it was a job in high demand,” he nodded.
“Did anyone apply from within the organization? Someone who already worked here?” Castle asked.
“A few, yes,” he nodded, thinking back. “Most of them would just be looking for a pay raise.”
“Most of them?” Castle asked.
“Well, there was Charlotte. You’d think this was like the chance of a lifetime, the way she talks about it. You’ve spoken to her, she’s my assistant,” he indicated just outside the door where they could see her own desk, which like Matheson’s was just a table, as they were temporary offices. Only there was no one sitting there. “She must have gone out on break. I keep telling her to just try the patch,” Matheson shook his head to himself, but to Beckett and Castle it was something else. Without even saying it, they knew: if they’d spoken to her, then she’d know they were going to talk to Matheson. And if she wasn’t there, then maybe there was a reason… And then Beckett’s phone rang.
Ryan and Esposito had made it there on their own, before Beckett or Castle, and for the moment the only task that mattered was keeping an eye out, and making sure nothing happened to…
“Hey!” the shout drew their attention and they saw one of the boys from McKinley, identified by Esposito as Finn Hudson, running toward them. “This woman came, she’s got Tina,” he rambled on, and it didn’t take much explanation for them to get what he meant by ‘she’s got Tina.’ Esposito motioned for him to lead the way, and they ran after him as he dashed back to where they were. The nearer they got, the more they could hear voices growing louder. When they saw what they had to deal with, saw that their killer was indeed flushed out, Ryan reached for his phone and dialled up Beckett.
She arrived, with Castle and Matheson in tow, and she saw just what they’d seen: the teacher and ten of his students standing around helpless, just a few feet away from a cornered woman holding the girl they recognized as Tina Cohen-Chang from McKinley like a shield before herself and, judging both by the fact that the girl was not moving, and the way none of the others did either, some weapon pointed at her back. As still as the girl was trying to stay, they could tell she was terrified.
“Charlotte, what did you do?” Matheson spoke when he saw her. This drew the woman’s attention immediately.
“Hey, boss,” she threw him a look, not losing grip of her shield.
“Charlotte? I’m Detective Kate Beckett, from the NYPD. How about we talk, just you and me. Let the girl go,” she took a couple of steps forward.
“Yeah, no, I’m not going to do that,” Charlotte quickly decided.
“What about the dream job?” Castle spoke up, from behind Beckett, and she looked back to him. He hesitated before taking a step forward. “If you wanted it so much, then you wouldn’t want to hurt any of these kids, would you?” She didn’t respond, but he had struck a nerve… he was right.
“You killed Marie Bennett,” Beckett not so much asked as she stated, and it seemed to work: no pretence. Charlotte looked around for a moment.
“I don’t want him here,” she declared, nodding to the back, where Matheson stood.
“Oh, I can go,” he held up his hand before dashing off with all the relief of not having to stand around near her and whatever she had stuck to Tina’s back.
“Okay, Charlotte. He’s gone now. So can we talk?” Beckett asked. It took a moment for Charlotte to speak up, and on her face it read like she was waiting for something.
“I didn’t kill Marie,” she finally declared. She could see none of the detectives believed her. “I had to do this, he made me swear. Said he’d go after my family.”
“Who did?” Beckett asked.
“So you did kill her?” Castle asked at the same time.
“I didn’t kill her!” Charlotte insisted, then after a breath. “I just had to buy time so he could get away,” she revealed, and it took all of five seconds for this information to be processed into an answer…. Matheson.
TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)
* IN CONSTRUCTION! *
PREVIOUS DAYS
[Cycle 01] [Cycle 02] [Cycle 03] [Cycle 04] [Cycle 05]
[Cycle 06] [Cycle 07] [Cycle 08] [Cycle 09] [Cycle 10]
[Cycle 11] [Cycle 12] [Cycle 13] [Cycle 14] [Cycle 15]
[Cycle 16] [Cycle 17] [Cycle 18] [Cycle 19] [Cycle 20]
[Cycle 21] [Cycle 22] [Cycle 23] [Cycle 24] [Cycle 25]
[Cycle 26] [Cycle 27]
[Cycle 28]
[568] [569] [570] [571] [572]
Suggestion Drop Off
Title: "Red Herring: 6. Scarlet Fever"
Pairing: Glee, Castle
Rating: G
Summary: New Directions is in New York for Nationals, when a murder brings in Det. Beckett and Richard Castle themselves.
Spoilers: None really; current seasons on Glee and Castle