Brick By Brick (Sequel)

Back to the Beginning

I shuffled down the sidewalk sipping Castle's special "strong man coffee." Kate had to be at the precinct early today, which means I took the subway. In the parking lot, I ran into a boy that I've been catching glimpses of ever since he left last night.

"Hey," I joked. "Funny meeting you here."

"Yeah, what are the odds?" His hoarse morning chuckle became the breeze through the buildings.

A yawn captured my face.

"You seem really tired," he retorted.

"Yeah," I tossed back a shot of coffee. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Me either."

Neither of us read into this conversation. It was normal conversation between coworkers. Nothing more and nothing less. We were both too tired to acknowledge what was happening. At least, I was.

We walked out of the elevator together. I approached Kate's desk with another, lighter yawn. "Do we have any new cases?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words came from the Captain's doorway instead. "Body reported in a house on Chambers. Get moving."

The team exchanged glances before grabbing gear and heading out the door. I was thrust awake. No amount of coffee could make a person this alert. I was frozen in my spot as they all reached the elevator. It's probably not...There's an entire neighborhood, not one house. You're being idiotic.

"You coming?" Foster asked from between me and everyone else.

"Yeah." Robotically, I snatched up my gear bag and camera, clutching the handle so tight that my knuckles turned white and my fingernails dug into my palm. I shook the premeditated fear out of my hair and followed.

I spent the entire ride talking myself out of the discomfort that wrapped itself around me like a wool coat. When we reached the scene, air ceased to exist. I stared at the old familiar house. My old familiar house. My house. I was shattering into a million pieces, the shards of me flying through the metal of the car that was now my only protection from the world. I was a planet falling out of orbit. A fish drowning in its own pond.

"You don't have to come in. You can stay in the car if you'd like," Kate said, inhaling the dust that had settled on the house.

My stone mouth cracked just enough to respond. "No." It's just a house. It's just another case. It's not him. He's not there. I reminded my lungs how to breathe, pulling the fear back inside of me and shoving the lid on the box. "No, I can do this." I opened the car door and stepped out.

Kate followed suit, still speaking to me over the top of the car. "Are you sure? You-"

"Yes Kate. I'm sure." I gutted myself of all my emotions like they were pulpy pumpkin seeds and I chucked them onto the concrete driveway.

My feet followed the others through the front door. Instantly, I spotted the body in the middle of the living room floor. I blinked once. Twice. Three times. Four. Then finally I saw the new victim instead of my mother. I swear she was lying in the exact same spot, the exact same way. I took another step into the room, trying to swallow the cotton lining my throat.

Beckett, Espo and Ryan whispered and took turns looking me over to protect me. They tried to be nonchalant, but I was too hyperaware to pretend they weren't watching. I studied the kitchen, unable to look at them, forcing my eyes not to say what my heart was screaming. My face stayed stagnant.

Snapping up, I swiveled back toward the body. I focused on my job. My tasks. My normal case tasks. I searched the scene for clues. The more I saw, the more I recognized. My heart rung itself dry. Nothing about this was a coincidence. My nightmares had resurfaced and were laughing in my face. I numbly lifted my camera from where it hung around my neck to snap pictures even though I didn't need to. I already knew this crime scene. I had it memorized.