State of Delirium - Chapter 2 [CastleLand Big Bang]
Title: State of Delirium
Author: penelope_ziva
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,081
Summary: When Detective Beckett receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a character in one of Castle's books, life begins to get rather interesting...
Disclaimer: I still do not own Castle. Dang.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my awesome beta hazel_eyes_86!
Ryan pinned up the main crime scene photos on the whiteboard.
“That is creepy, bro,” Esposito commented as he looked at the pictures of Daniela Atherton, with her throat slit and covered in shredded credit cards.
“That’s not surprising, the guy’s a delusional psychopath,” Ryan answered.
“Castle?” Esposito looked confused. Ryan turned to him.
“What?”
“I meant that it’s creepy what Castle comes up with,” Esposito explained. “It’s slightly disturbing and it makes you wonder what goes on in that brain of his.”
“I thought you were talking about the creep who killed the woman,” Ryan replied. Esposito shrugged.
“Well, he is pretty disturbing,” Esposito said, grimacing at the photos. The poor woman hadn’t even known her attacker.
“Who, Castle?” Ryan grinned at Esposito’s face, and then laughed. Esposito turned as his phone rang.
“Esposito,” he answered the call and listened to the other person. “I’ll be right there.”
Ryan looked at him expectantly.
“We’re going to the morgue,” Esposito announced and Ryan smirked before following.
*
Meanwhile, Beckett and Castle were still at the crime scene. Castle was absolutely silent as Beckett listen to the voice of the caller. As she ended the call, she still seemed to be in a slight state of shock.
“He’s watching us,” she told Castle quietly, before adding, “But don’t look around.”
Castle refrained from turning and instead touched her shoulder gently. “What did he say?”
“He thinks I’m of ‘sufficient intelligence’ for him to meet,” Beckett laughed wryly; she had disliked the man’s tone and his immense self-importance. “And he wants me to meet him tonight. Alone.”
“You can’t go!” Castle exclaimed and Beckett looked at him oddly.
“Why not?” she asked. “Ryan and Esposito will be nearby and they’ll get the guy then, if it all goes to plan.”
“And what if it doesn’t go to plan?” Castle asked. “You know what happens next?”
Beckett raised an eyebrow. She did know, of course, but was not going to admit that to Castle.
“He talks to a cop because he wants to become famous,” Castle told her, his tone serious. “And then later, he kills her.”
Beckett chuckled. “Are you worried about me, Castle? That’s sweet, but I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
She turned and ducked under the tape again, heading back to where she had parked the car. Castle tagged after her and almost walked into her back when she stopped abruptly.
“What’s wrong -” Castle began, before he noticed why she’d stopped. There was a piece of paper slipped under one of the windscreen wipers of the car. Beckett read it without picking it up, the writing clear enough and large enough.
Hello Detective,
Remember what I said.
Come alone.
Otherwise… well, you should be bright enough to finish that one.
Beckett rolled her eyes as she carefully picked up the note and slipped it into an evidence bag. Castle raised his eyebrows. “You’re so much more restrained than I would be,” he admitted. “I’d have probably ripped it into tiny pieces.”
Beckett laughed wryly. “Yes, well,” she smiled, “the best way I can get at this bastard is putting him behind bars. Destroying evidence is not the way to do it.”
*
Lanie looked up as Ryan and Esposito walked into the morgue. “Right on cue,” she commented as she laid the scalpel she had been using in a metal tray.
“She looks young,” Lanie commented, looking at the ivory skinned woman lying on the cold metal table with her chest cut open in a ‘Y’ shape.
“She was,” Ryan answered. “She was 26.”
“And murdered by some psycho deluded enough to think that she’d married him,” Lanie added. “No one deserves that.”
Esposito looked up. “I don’t think it would have made much difference to her,” he commented, closing Daniela’s patient file. “She was dying of cancer.”
Lanie nodded - she already knew that - but Ryan hadn’t.
“That’s some bad karma.”
*
Beckett leafed through the paperwork that they’d been given by the detectives at 22nd Precinct. This case was low on their priority list and they’d been happy for the 12th Precinct’s homicide squad to take it off their hands.
Suddenly, she noticed something, and she turned to Castle. “There was a witness!” she exclaimed.
“Did they talk to him or her?” Castle asked, referring to the 22nd Precinct detectives.
“Her. They took down some sort of statement, but I think we should go speak to her ourselves. It looks like we have ourselves a lead,” Beckett smiled. I’m going to catch you, you son of a bitch, and when I do you won’t know what’s hit you.
Twenty four minutes later, Beckett pulled the car to a halt outside the house of Amie Robson, the woman who had called 911 when she’d seen the body of Daniela Atherton as she walked down Third Avenue. Beckett knocked on the front door.
“Hello?” Amie answered the door and Beckett held up her badge for the woman to see.
“Detective Beckett, NYPD,” she announced herself. “May we come in?”
Amie opened the door further so that Beckett and Castle could enter her home. “Is this about that… woman?” she still sounded shaken up at the incident, which wasn’t altogether surprising to Beckett, who nodded.
“Yes,” Beckett answered. “Maybe it would be better if you took a seat, Ms. Robson.”
Amie smiled wryly and walked the pair through to the living room, before sitting down on an armchair, leaving the couch for Beckett and Castle.
“Tell us what you saw, Ms. Robson,” Beckett spoke quietly and yet clearly, trying to make the woman more relaxed.
“I was walking down Third Avenue after work. I had stayed late to finish off a project for the next day as I had to present it in the Friday board meeting. I left around nine o’clock, I think, and I was walking home. I heard someone scream - a woman - and I ran towards her. I don’t know why; instinct, I suppose,” Amie looked down at her hands. “And then this man ran past me and I saw her…”
Beckett leaned forward and touched Amie’s hands gently. “It’s okay,” she smiled at the woman. “You’re doing great. Did you see what the man looked like?”
Amie nodded. “He was taller than me, but less than six foot, I suppose. He was white and looked to be in forties…”
“Did you see his face?” Beckett asked and Amie nodded.
“I’ll never forget it.”
(previous) • (next)
Author: penelope_ziva
Chapter: 2/?
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,081
Summary: When Detective Beckett receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a character in one of Castle's books, life begins to get rather interesting...
Disclaimer: I still do not own Castle. Dang.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my awesome beta hazel_eyes_86!
Ryan pinned up the main crime scene photos on the whiteboard.
“That is creepy, bro,” Esposito commented as he looked at the pictures of Daniela Atherton, with her throat slit and covered in shredded credit cards.
“That’s not surprising, the guy’s a delusional psychopath,” Ryan answered.
“Castle?” Esposito looked confused. Ryan turned to him.
“What?”
“I meant that it’s creepy what Castle comes up with,” Esposito explained. “It’s slightly disturbing and it makes you wonder what goes on in that brain of his.”
“I thought you were talking about the creep who killed the woman,” Ryan replied. Esposito shrugged.
“Well, he is pretty disturbing,” Esposito said, grimacing at the photos. The poor woman hadn’t even known her attacker.
“Who, Castle?” Ryan grinned at Esposito’s face, and then laughed. Esposito turned as his phone rang.
“Esposito,” he answered the call and listened to the other person. “I’ll be right there.”
Ryan looked at him expectantly.
“We’re going to the morgue,” Esposito announced and Ryan smirked before following.
*
Meanwhile, Beckett and Castle were still at the crime scene. Castle was absolutely silent as Beckett listen to the voice of the caller. As she ended the call, she still seemed to be in a slight state of shock.
“He’s watching us,” she told Castle quietly, before adding, “But don’t look around.”
Castle refrained from turning and instead touched her shoulder gently. “What did he say?”
“He thinks I’m of ‘sufficient intelligence’ for him to meet,” Beckett laughed wryly; she had disliked the man’s tone and his immense self-importance. “And he wants me to meet him tonight. Alone.”
“You can’t go!” Castle exclaimed and Beckett looked at him oddly.
“Why not?” she asked. “Ryan and Esposito will be nearby and they’ll get the guy then, if it all goes to plan.”
“And what if it doesn’t go to plan?” Castle asked. “You know what happens next?”
Beckett raised an eyebrow. She did know, of course, but was not going to admit that to Castle.
“He talks to a cop because he wants to become famous,” Castle told her, his tone serious. “And then later, he kills her.”
Beckett chuckled. “Are you worried about me, Castle? That’s sweet, but I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
She turned and ducked under the tape again, heading back to where she had parked the car. Castle tagged after her and almost walked into her back when she stopped abruptly.
“What’s wrong -” Castle began, before he noticed why she’d stopped. There was a piece of paper slipped under one of the windscreen wipers of the car. Beckett read it without picking it up, the writing clear enough and large enough.
Hello Detective,
Remember what I said.
Come alone.
Otherwise… well, you should be bright enough to finish that one.
Beckett rolled her eyes as she carefully picked up the note and slipped it into an evidence bag. Castle raised his eyebrows. “You’re so much more restrained than I would be,” he admitted. “I’d have probably ripped it into tiny pieces.”
Beckett laughed wryly. “Yes, well,” she smiled, “the best way I can get at this bastard is putting him behind bars. Destroying evidence is not the way to do it.”
*
Lanie looked up as Ryan and Esposito walked into the morgue. “Right on cue,” she commented as she laid the scalpel she had been using in a metal tray.
“She looks young,” Lanie commented, looking at the ivory skinned woman lying on the cold metal table with her chest cut open in a ‘Y’ shape.
“She was,” Ryan answered. “She was 26.”
“And murdered by some psycho deluded enough to think that she’d married him,” Lanie added. “No one deserves that.”
Esposito looked up. “I don’t think it would have made much difference to her,” he commented, closing Daniela’s patient file. “She was dying of cancer.”
Lanie nodded - she already knew that - but Ryan hadn’t.
“That’s some bad karma.”
*
Beckett leafed through the paperwork that they’d been given by the detectives at 22nd Precinct. This case was low on their priority list and they’d been happy for the 12th Precinct’s homicide squad to take it off their hands.
Suddenly, she noticed something, and she turned to Castle. “There was a witness!” she exclaimed.
“Did they talk to him or her?” Castle asked, referring to the 22nd Precinct detectives.
“Her. They took down some sort of statement, but I think we should go speak to her ourselves. It looks like we have ourselves a lead,” Beckett smiled. I’m going to catch you, you son of a bitch, and when I do you won’t know what’s hit you.
Twenty four minutes later, Beckett pulled the car to a halt outside the house of Amie Robson, the woman who had called 911 when she’d seen the body of Daniela Atherton as she walked down Third Avenue. Beckett knocked on the front door.
“Hello?” Amie answered the door and Beckett held up her badge for the woman to see.
“Detective Beckett, NYPD,” she announced herself. “May we come in?”
Amie opened the door further so that Beckett and Castle could enter her home. “Is this about that… woman?” she still sounded shaken up at the incident, which wasn’t altogether surprising to Beckett, who nodded.
“Yes,” Beckett answered. “Maybe it would be better if you took a seat, Ms. Robson.”
Amie smiled wryly and walked the pair through to the living room, before sitting down on an armchair, leaving the couch for Beckett and Castle.
“Tell us what you saw, Ms. Robson,” Beckett spoke quietly and yet clearly, trying to make the woman more relaxed.
“I was walking down Third Avenue after work. I had stayed late to finish off a project for the next day as I had to present it in the Friday board meeting. I left around nine o’clock, I think, and I was walking home. I heard someone scream - a woman - and I ran towards her. I don’t know why; instinct, I suppose,” Amie looked down at her hands. “And then this man ran past me and I saw her…”
Beckett leaned forward and touched Amie’s hands gently. “It’s okay,” she smiled at the woman. “You’re doing great. Did you see what the man looked like?”
Amie nodded. “He was taller than me, but less than six foot, I suppose. He was white and looked to be in forties…”
“Did you see his face?” Beckett asked and Amie nodded.
“I’ll never forget it.”
(previous) • (next)