The Haunting Past (A Castle Fanfiction)

Part Three: Rematch

I'm so sorry you guys. I know this is taking forever. Junior year is just being a BEAST. So many tests. So many classes. Freaking SAT/ACT prep and cheerleading and choir and balancing the boyfriend and the friends and the family shIt which is F-ed up (which is probably why I'm able to write shIt that's F-ed up like this) and studying and- ugh... In short, I'm hating life right about now. Anyway, I swear that I'm doing my best to update as quickly as I can without sounding rushed in my writing. Love you guys and thank you so much for bearing with me. You're the best! Please enjoy!!! :D :*

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CSU managed to get to the crime scene in a record amount of time, but they still didn't beat the speeding M.E. Lanie got to her friends as quickly as she could just to be sure Beckett was alright more than to check out the body. Kate commented at her friend as she rushed from her car to them, "Now you know how I feel when you text me 911."

Lanie didn't comment. She just looked at the couple. "Are you both alright? What happened?"

"We found a body, Lanie. We weren't kidnapped. We're fine," Beckett uttered while her eyes rolled.

The M.E's annoyance suddenly then trumped her concern. "What is wrong with you? Why the hell would you volunteer to go check up on a no-show witness? What if Gerick's little play mate had been waiting right there for you?" Kate had seen this coming. Ever since this case closed, Lanie had been protective of Beckett. She constantly reminded her friend to eat right and to not get too worked up. She'd put Beckett on the restrictive diet she was on now, one that was prefect for a pregnant woman with heart problems. Javi had been tasked by Lanie to keep her out of the interrogation room and to keep criminals as far away from her as possible. Honestly, Beckett was hating the whole mothering thing Lanie had begun. It was exhausting.

"Nothing happened, Lanie. I'm fine. The twins are fine. Please. Don't worry about it."

After heaving an unsatisfied huff, Lanie dropped the topic and asked with a dulled irritation, "Where's the body?" Beckett gestured with her hand and the M.E walked toward the room. As the initial forensic fun played out, Castle and Beckett studied the room and the body and theorized a million different options of what could have happened. At one point or another, Rick swore that Gerick cloned himself and killed Pablo while his clone stayed in court. As always, his outland-ish theories were overlooked.

Due to the discovery of the body, a recess was granted for the day and the others arrived as soon as they could. By the time they all got there, Lanie was finished with her initial report. She was able to determine, "Your boy was shot at around three A.M yesterday with a small caliber handgun at close range. In case it wasn't obvious, he was dead before he was strung up. There are no signs of struggle."

"CSU find anything?" Melissa asked the group.

Beckett reported, "As always, no fibers, no prints, no forensic evidence of any kind."

"Awesome," Lucas stated with irritation.

"Did we expect anything less? I mean, this is Gerick we're hunting," Carpenter pointed out.

Melissa then asked, "Is it? I mean, he was in jail last night. We don't think he got out, killed someone and went back, do we?"

"He could have. I mean, he and his daughter pulled plenty of heists during the case," Murphy pointed out.

Beckett argued, "Yes, but that's extremely unlikely. I mean, most of that was only possible because he had his daughter's help and breaking out of prison is a whole other kind of ball game."

"But it's possible," Murphy stubbornly state.

"But not likely," Beckett again rebutted. "It's more likely that someone on the outside is helping him. What about that girl. Oh, what was her name?"