Mirror Image

Chapter 16

       

"So who's picking me up after practice tonight?", Zoey asked as she was putting the last of her school books in her back pack. Castle and Kate, both drinking coffee, looked at each other.

"I can if you're going to be late tonight", Rick said sitting his coffee on the counter.

"Probably best, I'm honestly not sure what time I'll be out tonight", Kate walked to the other side of the counter where Zoey was standing, "You ok with that kiddo?"

"Ya sure, as long as I get home I don't care how", she said flatly, a little distracted by the text on her phone. Kate smirked and patted the girls back.

"Alright then, I'll see you two tonight", Kate leaned down, planting a smacking kiss on Zoey's cheek.

"Ewwwww, Kaaate", Zoey drew out Kate's name while wiping the kiss from her cheek.

"You think you're wiping it off but really you're rubbing it in", Kate wiggled her eyebrows before kissing her cheek again, "Mwhaha", she ruffled Zoey's hair and walked for the door. "Love you guys", and with that she was gone.

"We should be heading out too ZoZo", Rick said grabbing his keys off the counter.

"You're driving?"

"You don't want me too? Does the Ferrari embarrass you?"

"Not if you drop me off around the corner", she playfully punched him in the arm as she walked by him to the door.

"Or I could honk the horn all the way to the door and yell, 'That's my kid right there walking up the stairs. I'm her dad!!!', Rick hollered after her.

Zoey froze in her tracks. She slowly turned around, back pack on her right shoulder. "You wouldn't"

Rick smiled, walked over to her, took the bag from her, "Watch me", his smile growing wider as he walked to the door. Zoey could only watch.

"What...what just happened", she said to herself and walked through the door to the hallway.

"Hey Beckett, you should come look at this", Javi had just walked into her office.

"Not now Javi, I'm swamped with paperwork and I need to focus if I'm going to get home before my kid goes to bed"

"Kate", his tone dropped, more serious now. It was enough to bring the Captain's attention on him. "We got a hit"

"Shorts", she did ask as so much say it. That tone and look on his face, it could only be one thing. She followed her friend to a room with surveillance images pulled up. She took one look and instantly knew it was him. He looked to be in a park, one of the security cameras the city had recently put in had caught a good image of him.

"A beat cop spotted him, said he recognized him when he was on the canvas a few months ago. Tori was able to find a camera in the area. We got him Kate, he's still in the city."

"Let's not get out hopes up yet", she sounded very somber. She knew finding him was still going to be like a needle in a haystack. After a minute, something about the area he was in looked familiar. Too familiar. "Tori, where exactly is this camera"

"Central Park, around the North Meadow", Tori stated.

Kate's heart dropped. "What time", she asked bluntly.

"Around 4:30 this afternoon, why?"

Shit, shit, shit, was all she could think. She scrambled for her phone in her pocket, pulling up Zoey's number.

"Beckett what's wrong", Esposito questioned. Kate held up her hand, listening to the ringing tone on the other end.

"Come on baby, pick up", she mumbled to herself, every missed ring her heart pulling tighter and tighter til she heard Zoey's voicemail greeting.