Beckett led Leslie into the break room, then returned to her desk, where Castle was waiting.
"How is she?" he asked, watching through the window as Leslie stiffly curled up on the lounge, trembling slightly.
Beckett sat with a sigh.
"She's upset, confused, frightened. With this on top of her parent's murder, she's... lost her footing." Beckett tried to find a better way to explain. "She doesn't know where she stands anymore, what to do, how to do it, or who to turn to. She wants to solve this mystery going on in her head but she barely knows what it is, let alone how to figure it out."
Castle looked rather sombre as he asked "What can we do?"
"Best we can do is give her something to hold on to, keep her steady until she figures herself out. Then we can help her the rest of the way" Beckett managed a small smile. "She's a good kid. She's determined. She takes on a challenge and she doesn't give up. I know she'll pull through."
"Sounds like someone I know," Castle murmured, and he and Beckett exchanged a hesitant smile.
"Yo Beckett."
They turned to see Esposito striding towards them.
"We ran the list of judges and the entrants for that story comp."
"Any luck?"
"Jackpot. Three popped - one judge, two entrants. We've got uniforms bringing the judge in now, a Mr Ronald Garret, booked for traffic charges two years ago."
"Great job Esposito. Let me know when he gets here, I want to be the one to question him."
"Will do."
Esposito walked away and Beckett sighed slightly.
"At least we've got a lead now," Castle said optimistically, trying to keep Beckett positive. "Three, in fact."
"I don't understand the motive though," Beckett pondered aloud. "Are writers jealous enough to kill for revenge because they didn't win a little competition?"
Castle shrugged. "Writing competitions are important affairs; they can launch a career. And this wasn't any 'little' competition. The Hanley House is the biggest writing comp in the calendar for New York writers. I even entered it in my early writing years."
"You?" Beckett asked. "Did you win?"
Castle bit his lip, but was saved by the sound of the elevator doors opening. Both of them twisted around to see two officers leading a man into the precinct.
"Ronald garret, I assume," Castle muttered.
Beckett's eyes hardened.
YOU ARE READING
Family Ties - A Castle fanfiction
FanfictionWhen Beckett and Castle are called to a murder scene, they aren't expecting what they find - or rather, who they find. With the murderer skulking in the shadows and just waiting to finish the job, the survivor in his sights, Beckett has to deal with...
