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Castle Fan Fiction by DinerGuy
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| Chapter 1 “Haha! Got you!” “Nuh-uh!” “So did!” The laughter and playful shouts echoed through the old warehouse. Feet pattered up and down stairs as the boys’ paintball guns popped over and over. One of the two had just started up a flight of stairs when his foot slipped. He crashed onto his side, laughing breathlessly. “Time out, dude.” He waved at his friend, blonde hair falling in his eyes. His brown-haired companion clomped down the stairs to join him. “What? Can’t handle the game?” “Nah, it’s just …” he trailed off. “John, do you smell that?” “Smell what?” John sniffed playfully. “Ew. Did you have beans for lunch again, Tim?” Tim smacked John’s arm. “No! And it’s not that kind of smell. It’s … really bad.” John caught a whiff of whatever scent Tim had noticed. “Wow. Yech.” “I can’t believe we didn’t notice that before. Smells like when we found that rat in your basement – only ten times worse.” “We’ve mainly been on the other side of the place,” John observed. “Probably why.” “What do you think it is?” “Nobody comes here much. Could be a cat or something.” Tim dusted his pants off. “Wanna go check it out?” “Why not?” The boys followed the smell, covering their noses as they got closer. “Whoa, man, that has to be one big cat,” John winced. “And I think it’s behind these boxes.” He kicked them to the side, and both boys jumped back in horror, visibly paler than a moment before. Tim covered his mouth, a nauseous look in his eyes. John yanked his cell phone out, quickly dialing three numbers. In a wavering voice, he spoke into the mouthpiece. “Yeah, um, we just, uh, we just found a guy in a warehouse. I think he’s dead.” * * * Richard Castle was in his office, having a staring match with his computer screen, when his phone rang. Snatching it up, he pressed it to his ear. “Castle.” He listened for a moment, then saved the document and jumped up. “On my way.” Within half an hour, he was pulling up at a warehouse downtown. The officers playing crowd control recognized the writer and waved him inside. He nodded his thanks and jogged over to join the detectives. “So what happened?” Castle questioned. He wrinkled his nose. “Whatever it was, it obviously happened a while ago.” Detective Kate Beckett looked up from the body. “Castle. That was quick.” “Yeah, well, what can I say? The writing process has been a little slow lately.” He shrugged. “Right. Either that or you’re just excited to stick your nose in a police investigation again.” Castle grinned playfully. “Could be.” Beckett rolled her eyes. “Well, come on. Tell me what happened.” he persisted. “Couple of kids playing around found our friend here,” Detective Kevin Ryan jumped in. “Not many people come around here, especially not this far back.” “Do we know who he is?” “Yeah,” Beckett answered. “According to his driver’s license, he’s Matthew Forrest, 29.” “How’d he die?” Castle asked, thoughtfully studying the man lying amidst a jumble of boxes. Lanie Parish, the medical examiner, answered from her place beside the body. “Blunt force trauma to the head.” The detectives and Castle leaned in for a closer look. Parish pointed to the back of the man’s head, where the blonde hair was darkened, stiff with dried blood. “Well, he wasn’t killed here,” Beckett noted. “From the way it’s all over the back of the head, he would have had to be lying on his back when it first happened. He’s on his stomach.” “Plus,” Castle pointed out, “there’s no blood on the floor.” Beckett nodded. “And all his credit cards and cash are still in the wallet.” She met Castle’s eyes. “This was personal.” Chapter 2 “I just can’t believe he’s gone,” the woman sniffed. She wiped her nose with a tissue and leaned against the man beside her. He, in turn, wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s all right, Sandra. We’ll get through this.” “Miss Forrest,” Beckett greeted with a sympathetic smile, entering the room and taking a seat on the opposing couch. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The woman nodded but didn’t speak, so Beckett continued. “I need to ask you a few questions.” Castle slipped in as she spoke, standing near the wall of the small room, ready to observe – and interject if he could. “Can’t this wait?” the man spoke up. He glared at Beckett. “Sandra just lost her brother.” Beckett returned his gaze. “Mr. Fulton, I understand, but if we’re going to find the person responsible then I need to find out what I can.” He didn’t look convinced but settled back in his seat, keeping his arm protectively around Sandra. “Drew, it’s all right,” Sandra told him, dabbing her eyes with the tissue. “How can I help?” “Did Matthew have any enemies? Anyone you can think of who would want to hurt him?” “No …” She drug the word out in thought. “I really don’t know that anyone hated him. I mean, he didn’t get along with quite everyone, but it wasn’t like he was ever threatened.” Nodding, Beckett continued. “What can you tell me about your brother?” Sandra sighed, a little ragged breath that caught in her throat. “Well, he was a musician. Really talented, too.” Her eyes glistened as she recalled memories. “He was going to make it big, I just knew it. Right now, he was working at a place downtown. Nowhere big, but enough that he was making good enough money.” “He was a pretty big hit whenever he played,” Drew interjected. At Beckett’s look, he explained. “I’m a bartender at The Blue Moon. That’s where Matthew and Sara performed.” “Sara?” Castle couldn’t help the question. Drew gave him a curious look but answered the question. “Yeah. Sara Johansen. She was the second half of Matt’s act. Real cute girl, too.” “Were she and Matthew a couple?” Castle ignored the look Beckett was sending him. “Not officially,” Drew replied. “Though I think they were going to end up together before too long.” Sandra nodded. “They really hit it off; Matt just wasn’t one to make commitments like that quickly. He liked to think things over.” She dropped her gaze to the tissue in her hands, rolling it around as she contemplated her next words. “Matt was performing the night he disappeared.” “Disappeared?” Beckett asked. “How long ago was this?” “About two days ago.” Sandra looked ready to cry again. “When he didn’t come home after the late night performance, I just thought he’d stayed out for some reason. He’d stay for drinks or go out with Sara sometimes. But then … then he didn’t come home by the usual time.” Drew patted her leg as she paused. After a moment, Sandra pressed on. “I got worried when he didn’t return by the afternoon. Drew said Matt was an adult and that he was probably busy with something or other. And since nothing can really be done until 48 hours pass, he said …” “I told her to wait it out,” Drew finished. “After 48 hours, she could come to you folks if he still didn’t come back.” “We got the call a few hours before I was going to report it.” Sandra swallowed hard. Castle and Beckett could both see the guilt in her eyes. “If I hadn’t waited, Matt might still be alive.” “Sandra …” Drew began. “No, stop it, Drew. You made me wait,” Sandra snapped. Everyone’s eyes rose. Sandra sunk a little lower into the couch, embarrassed at the outburst. “I’m sorry … But why did we have to wait?” She began crying again, unballing the tissue clenched in her hands to pat her face. “It’s okay,” he assured her. Turning back towards Beckett, he offered, “I was working that night. He didn’t seem in trouble or anything, and I had no reason to think something had happened.” His voice betrayed his stoic expression. “Did he say anything unusual that night? Do anything different at all?” Beckett inquired. Drew took a breath and continued. “Matt finished his performance and had a drink.” “Did he say anything to you?” “Well …” Drew shifted uncomfortably, giving Sandra a sideways glance. “He asked me to step outside, said he wanted to talk. He was … uh, upset with the way Sandra’s and my relationship was going. We’ve been dating for a few years, and Matt felt I was leading Sandra on.” His girlfriend sat up a little at that, twisting to look in his eyes. “Drew?” “Sandra, it was no secret he wanted us to quit … messing around, as he put it. Matt said we should either get engaged or break it off, that there was nothing good about just dating for fun.” Drew still seemed a little uncomfortable with the subject and everyone’s eyes on him, but he continued. “I told him I wasn’t … ready to commit.” He stole another look at Sandra, who was watching him with a slightly pained expression. “Matt stormed off after that, and that was the last I saw of him until we got the call.” Castle joined the conversation again. “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?” “No,” Drew shook his head. He glanced at his girlfriend. “Do you?” She shook her head, still looking upset. “Okay, thank you,” Beckett acknowledged. She rose from her seat. “I promise we will do what we can to get to the bottom of this.” Chapter 3 The Blue Moon was one of those out-of-the-way places, tucked down a side street that branched off of another small road. The bar wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small by any means. The location was the perfect place for the right people to know it and the wrong people to have no idea it existed. Or, if they did, they weren’t going to make the nightly trek to be turned away, as they did some of the city’s larger party scenes. It appeared to have been an old store at one time, and the large window in front had been covered with various decorations to block curious passersby from seeing inside. Castle stopped to admire the 3D mural; it appeared as if you would be walking on the moon if you could manage to get through the glass. Never mind that it was a heavenly blue rather than the grayish white usually seen through space, it was still quite convincing. “Castle.” Beckett was waiting for him at the door, her arms crossed in her usual stance, tapping her foot with the impatience that Castle had become used to seeing. He hurried to join her, giving her his trademark grin in apology. Rolling her eyes, she pulled open the door and entered. The door began to swing shut, but Castle grabbed it and pulled it the rest of the way so that he could follow. A blast of cool air hit them as they walked in. While it was slightly smoky, it wasn’t as bad as some places of which Castle could think. He glanced around, grinning at the sight of the various planets and stars hanging from the ceiling as he trailed Beckett to the bar. She, in turn, ignored him as they approached. The man behind the counter glanced up, his towel continuing in its rotation around the inside of the glass in his hand. “You need something?” he asked. “We are not open until later tonight.” His accent was Hispanic, and his dark eyes and light brown skin gave him away as having come from the Southwest. The planet decorations were lower by the bar, and Beckett had to duck out of the way of a replica of Saturn. She nodded in response. “Yes, you can.” She showed her badge, then pulled a picture of Matthew Forrest. Tossing it onto the bar, she placed her hands on either side, leaning towards the bartender. “What can you tell me about this man?” The bartender set his task aside and leaned over. “Sure. Yeah. That’s Matt.” “Did you know Matthew Forrest well?” she wanted to know. The bartender furrowed his eyebrows as he gave Castle an odd look. Knowing she would regret it, Beckett turned and rolled her eyes. At her glare, Castle retracted his hand from the Jupiter he had been poking and gave her an innocent smile. “Oh yeah,” the man answered her question. “He comes in every day at about 3. He should be arriving soon … Wait. You said ‘did’.” Beckett gave a slight nod. “Mr …?” “Roberto.” “… Roberto. Matthew Forrest’s body was found in an abandoned warehouse earlier this afternoon.” “Wha … What? Matt … Matt’s gone?” Roberto asked in shock. “Yes, I’m sorry.” “Roberto,” Castle broke in, “was last night … unusual for any reason? Anything concerning happen at all?” “Unusual …” Roberto mused, still slightly disoriented. “You know, there was something. After Matt and Sara finished up, she left, and then … then Matt sat down right … there.” He motioned to a stool down the line. “Drew was working, and the two started talking. Since Drew is dating Matt’s sister, they talk a lot when he stays around.” “Did you happen to overhear anything?” Beckett asked curiously. “Anything that might indicate Matt was in danger?” “Not anything they said.” Roberto shook his head. He picked up the towel and wrung it nervously. “But after that?” Beckett pushed. She saw the man give Castle another look but didn’t bother following his gaze. “They didn’t talk for very long before they left.” Beckett remembered Drew’s statement that Matt had asked him to step outside. “Left?” “Yeah. I think Matt had asked Drew to go out for a moment …” Roberto was having a hard time keeping his eyes on Beckett. “They …. they went out the side, then Drew came back after a few minutes.” “Did you happen to notice anything while they were out?” “Well, I did think it was a little … strange for them to go out like that, so …” When the man trailed off again, Beckett whirled around. “Castle!” Castle was tugging on his right hand, which was suspended above his head. Beckett’s eyes drifted up to where his fingers were tangled in a string. A small Earth bounced around near his palm. Choosing to ignore him for the time, Beckett turned back to Roberto. “Did you see anything out of the ordinary? Anything at all?” She looked him in the eyes. “Roberto. We need to know if there’s something that can help us find out who killed Matt.” “There was an argument,” Roberto replied, returning her look. “And then they started shouting.” “Shouting?” Castle asked, pausing with both hands in the air. “Shouting,” Roberto repeated. “Matt even took a swing at Drew. That was when I went out and broke the fight up … After all, I couldn’t have them killing each other.” Beckett raised an eyebrow. “They were fighting?” ‘Drew left out that little detail,’ she thought. “And then Drew stormed off once I pulled them apart. Matt went inside, packed up his gear, and drove off in the same direction Drew went.” “Right. Well, thank you for the information. We’ll be in touch.” Beckett smiled in gratitude. She turned and strode for the door. “Wait … Wait for me!” Castle objected, speeding his struggles with the moon. Roberto reached up to help just as Castle yanked free, and they both managed to lose their balance. The bartender caught himself on the counter as Castle landed in an unceremonious heap on the floor. He jumped up a little slower than he would have liked, gave the man a small wave, and scurried after Beckett. She was waiting at the door with an amused look on her face. “I was just, uh …” He began as he joined her, pointing back towards the bar. “Don’t worry, Castle. I’m not going to rag you about losing a fight to a plastic ball.” “It – it wasn’t just a ball!” he objected. “It had a string, too.” Beckett rolled her eyes as she pulled out her phone. She placed it to her ear and spoke as soon as the call went through. “Esposito. Bring Drew Fulton in for questioning. It looks like he left a few things out when we talked to him this morning.” Chapter 4 As soon as the door to the interrogation room swung open, Drew was on his feet. Castle could feel the tension in the air when he stepped in behind Beckett. “Why am I here, Detective?” Drew demanded. Beckett simply strode to the table and took a seat. She crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare that soon had the man sitting again. “Mr. Fulton, can you repeat your statement you gave me the other night? About the night that Matthew disappeared?” “Oh … sure.” Drew looked a little unsure but quickly covered it with a small smile. “Matt and Sara performed, then she left and Matt had a few drinks at the bar. We started talking, and then he asked me to step outside. He wanted to talk about the relationship between Sandra and me.” He paused, then continued at the prompting look Beckett gave him. “I told him I wasn’t ready, and Matt stormed off. I never saw him again,” he finished with a sigh. Raising an eyebrow, Beckett leaned forward slightly. “Are you sure that’s what happened?” The man across the table nodded and began to speak, but she interrupted him. “We spoke to Roberto Perez down at the bar. I assume you know him?” Castle noticed Drew pale slightly. Beckett noticed as well and took advantage of it. “Care to revise your story?” Drew ran a hand through his hair. “I … may have left out a few things from before he stormed off. I didn’t want to upset Sandra.” “Well, she’ll be a lot more upset when she finds out you’re in jail for killing her brother.” Beckett leaned back in her chair. “What? No! I would never have killed Matthew! He is, was, like a brother to me.” Drew looked indignant. Beckett nodded. “Tell me what happened. For real this time; I can have you charged for interfering in our investigation if you lie again.” “Okay.” Drew sighed. “Okay. Like I said, we went out and talked. I told him I wasn’t ready to go past dating. I mean, Sandra and I are still trying to figure the whole relationship thing out. I’m definitely not ready to get married yet, but Matt kept bringing it up. Last night, he was already a little drunk, and when I told him I was done talking about the whole thing, he got really mad.” “Matt was drunk?” Castle clarified. He was leaning against the wall behind Beckett’s chair, arms folded, studying the man at the table. “Yeah.” Drew’s eyes darted over to Castle for a moment. “He had quite a few before calling me out.” “Was that normal for him?” Drew’s gaze shifted from Castle to Beckett then back again, seeming unsure about who was running the interrogation. “Not really. I mean, he drank here and there, but never that much at once.” “And that contributed to the argument?” Beckett asked. Drew fidgeted in his seat, folding and unfolding his hands. “Right. At least, that’s what it seemed like. He was a little slower, and he certainly was less reasonable.” Beckett looked Drew in the eye, daring him to contradict her. “Did things get violent?” “Yes.” He looked hesitant to answer. Beckett’s stare prompted him to continue. “Matt tried to hit me. Luckily, I was able to step back, but he was really upset. I think he would’ve kept going, but Roberto came out. After that, I didn’t bother trying to patch things up. I figured if he wanted to, fine, but I wouldn’t worry about it till the next day. After all, if he wasn’t being reasonable then, why expect it until the alcohol wore off?” “Mm,” Beckett nodded. “What did you do then?” “Well, I, uh, went home. My shift was over, and I didn’t need to hang around.” “And it was the next morning when Sandra wanted to report him as missing?” Drew seemed uncomfortable with the question. “Right.” “Why did you tell her not to?” Castle wanted to know. “I figured Matthew had gone off somewhere to cool down.” The man shrugged. “He’s an adult, so I advised Sandra from reporting him missing. Since he had been so worked up the night before, I just figured Matthew would come back when he had worked things out … Which was wrong,” he finished, lowering his voice slightly. “Tell me, Drew, did you notice anything unusual with Matthew at all lately? Any other arguments or suspicious behavior?” Beckett asked. She met his eyes. “Anything you think might be helpful?” “Uh …” Drew trailed off as he thought. A moment later, he blinked as a thought crossed his mind. “Well, Matt and Russell had several closed-door conversations over the past few days.” “Russell?” “Yeah.” Drew nodded in response to Beckett’s question. “Russell Williams. He and Jana, his wife, they run the Blue Moon. He manages all the entertainment and stuff.” She nodded. “Do you have any idea of what they were meeting about?” “No. But they’ve never been really secretive before. You think it has something to do with Matt’s death?” “We won’t know for sure until we do some more checking.” Beckett stood, indicating they were done. A few moments later, she and Castle passed Esposito and Ryan near the desks. Esposito waved them over. “So, we questioned Sara Johansen, the other part of Matt’s act. Turns out, he was supposed to meet her after their performance that night, but he never showed up.” “Meet?” Castle raised his eyebrows. “Not like that,” Ryan corrected. “They were supposed to be discussing their relationship as musical partners.” He added the last few words at the smirk on Castle’s face. “A big opportunity had come up, and they were planning to talk it over.” “Why that late at night?” Beckett asked. “Seems like the kind of meeting they’d be having during the day. Especially not right after a performance.” Esposito shrugged. “Sara said it was a pretty big recording opportunity, and that they needed to make a decision as soon as they could.” “Well, that could explain the meetings with the bar owner. If Matthew and Sara had a contract in the works, they’d need to clear their commitments with the bar.” Castle looked over at Beckett. “They were supposed to meet at a small diner down the street from the bar,” Ryan continued. “Guess they didn’t want their fans to overhear anything. Only Matt never showed up.” “Which makes sense from what Drew told us,” Beckett informed them. “Drew said he and Matt had a fight after the performance and that Matt was a little drunk. It would have been easy for him to forget “When she called to remind him, he offered to meet her at her place instead.” Beckett glared at Castle, who noticed and put on a serious expression. “Did he show up?” she asked Esposito. “He did. She said they had their conversation and then he left. We’re pulling video footage from the diner and her apartment building to find out for sure.” “Good. We need to nail down a timeline of Matt’s night, see if we can get a good idea of where and when he was killed. Castle and I will talk to the owner. I’m interested in what he can tell us of these meetings he and Matt had been having.” TBC | ||||||||||
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Latest page update: made by DinerGuy
, Jul 12 2010, 11:17 PM EDT
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Chapter 4 edits
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| becksbiggestfan | CONTINUE | 1 | Jul 12 2010, 11:06 PM EDT by DinerGuy | ||
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Thread started: Jun 19 2010, 11:33 AM EDT
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You have got to keep writing this it's amazing. The more you write the more I read.
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| Anonymous | continue | 3 | Jun 16 2010, 7:41 AM EDT by DinerGuy | ||
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Thread started: Aug 30 2009, 6:16 PM EDT
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i love it continue please
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| Anonymous | Review of Chapter One | 1 | Jun 12 2010, 2:21 AM EDT by DinerGuy | ||
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Thread started: Nov 11 2009, 11:36 PM EST
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Some of your transitions are a tad choppy, but overall this is an excellent fic. You've really got the feel of the show's dialogue down. Here's hoping that you'll write more; the world needs more good Castle fanfics. ;-)
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