Murder Tale Heart:

Death on the Menu

The city lights of New York glazed the night sky on a cold Friday in January. The night still young the crowds leave a mark on the city and streets; legal and illegal activities. The 12th precinct staff found the usual trouble coming in normal as yelling broke out from some arriving offenders. Kate Beckett, recently promoted to Captain, found this as normal as Castle's writer's insight. Though Beckett did the same as any other weekend night, ignored the noise coming from outside of her newly acquired office, she was finishing up the paperwork for two new officers on her taskforce. Joseph Hall a new resident to New York City with an impressive record, and Caroline Osaka who is a transfer from the 8th precinct. Though the paperwork which seems to be interrupted in some form or another, the usual phone call of a new case came in, and Beckett figured this would be the perfect opportunity to test her new officers.

"Hall, O'harra we have a fresh one at Washington Square Park and Castle go with them, looks like you've been itching to go out there, I have a stack of paperwork to get finished by tonight, so go on without me" said Beckett as she went back into her office to finish the stack of paperwork left on her desk.

Washington Square Park 10:39 pm

NYPD Uniforms already in campus the crime scene from the public. A full moon lit the night sky as it reflected in the large fountain. A woman found in a wooden crate on the North end of the fountain; inside was a bloody mess all over her white blouse and black slacks. The Medical Examiner, Dr. Lanie Parish already getting an idea on how the Victim expired. Arriving on the scene a little at fifteen minutes till are Hall, Osaka and Castle. Joseph Hall, thirty-one has short brown receding hair and cold piercing brown eyes, he would be consider uptight and serious, but he always gets the job done. Caroline O'harra, 29, long brunette reddish hair that curled to her shoulder blades, brown eyes with joy. Unlike her partner she was more cheerful and outgoing.

"Hello Lanie, what do we have this time?" asked Castle in his usual tone.

"Beckett's not with you was she down poured with more paperwork. I told that girl not to take the promotion yet; though I see you brought the new officers. Guess Beckett wanted you to babysit?

"Enough small talk, what happened here" Hall asked as he starred at the wooden crate with a body laid out next to it.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Anyway our vic here died from the three fatal shots to the back, one bullet hitting her heart and the other two into her lungs. From what I can tell from the abrasionson right arm and the back of the neck, she was struggling to get free from being in a face down position, probably before taking the three slugs into her chest cavity. Though as usual I would like to take the body back to the lab for further analysis on our vic Though judging the temperature of the body she had to have died sometime this afternoon from one to three pm." Explained Lanie.

"Any idea who she was" asked O'harra turning to look at Ryan and Esposito who were already walking up to them.

"Amanda Lockheart, apparently whoever killed her wasn't interested in robbing her, she lives up at 192333 W 45th Street"

"Wait did you say Amanda Lockheart? She's a top Lawyer who has won several top name cases like the John Vs Minrow, in which Minrow tried to get John Peterson thrown into jail for theft of his clothing chain, but it was thrown out and won in John's favor because there wasn't enough evidence against him" said Castle, "She also made enough money to be consider a millionaire, so it puzzles me in why they didn't try to rob her."

"Castle even you would know that murder isn't always what it seems. Though I just got looking up that address and it gave me the food chain of 'Yorker Hotbox', and it's a high quality restaurant" informed O'harra.

When the word "restaurant" came up it stirred a little interest on why a successful Lawyer who makes well above that of a restaurant owner. Hall and Osaka went back to Osaka's assigned cruiser and plugged the address into the GPS. They started up and headed northbound for the location, to company them instead of going back to the 12th Precinct was Castle.

Yorker Hotbox 11:31 pm

As they arrived at the specified location, it was more than what they expected. Hall texting Beckett letting her known they had arrived at a location that may prove to be helpful in the case, as O'harra made the cruiser come to a complete stop. This "Yorker Hotbox" was a medium size building with three floors. The first floor had open windows with tables, televisions on the East and West walls. To the back were a bar and a stairway leading to the second and third floors. The inside was empty with only three people cleaning the tables and floors, the third was behind the bar doing what seemed to be sales report. As the usual taking the lead Hall knocked on the glass door to get their attention.

"Detective Hall, open up we have a few questions to ask you" said Hall as the two workers just stood calm, but the one behind the bar jumped like a rabbit and just ran out the backdoor.

"Hall circle around left, I'll go right, and Castle stay put!"

Taking both directions and Castle who had a knack for not listening to orders like he did back in the day with Beckett, followed Hall. The left side of the building was heading towards a few apartments where else the right lead to an ally block. Catching a break the radius wasn't long and the three met up seeing the suspect running up the emergency latter. Hall went after him, as O'harra and Castle went into the backdoor and ran upstairs to try to pin him. The suspect went into the emergency door exit of the third floor and had Hall close to his back. Yelling thought Hall would do no good because he would just keep on running. Opening the door behind him, he would see the suspect against the wall by O'harra.

"ouch you're hurting me, listen as a child when you saw the cops you're suppose to flee, because we never knew when we would be next" explained the suspect who was male in his forties, Hispanic and was wearing a business suit.

"Now why would a man of your stature run from the cops, with that fancy suit I doubt you would have something to hide, unless death was on the menu at your establishment" questioned Castle.

They headed back downstairs in order to be able to question this guy so that they had a good pinpoint of keeping him secured until he had given them some answers. The suspects now quite calm knowing he wasn't going to be arrest was in a good mood to cooperate. He signed out his workers letting them know he would finish things up. Ready to talk to them, O'harra began with her questions.

"First of all who are you, and secondly why is this restaurant establishment? It has the same address as Amanda Lockheart's residents" explained O'harra, and a quick response the suspect's eye widen as if in shock.

"My Amanda is she alright?"

"I'm afraid not, she was found dead out at Washington Square Park earlier this evening, now what relationship do you have with her" asked O'harra.

"I'm Jose Lockheart, her husband. Yes she is a successful Lawyer but I do know how to run a decent business. When she would have clients, she would use her office on the second floor as you saw coming down into the restaurant floor" explained Jose.

"When was the last time you saw her" asked Hall as the follow up question.

"Last time I saw her was last weekend before I visited my mother in New Mexico. She was on her death bed and I had to go visit her one last time. Though if you ask our maid who comes in tomorrow morning she may give you some better answers then I can. I only just arrived back in town today at 3:10pm. Though I did manage to speak to her this morning on my mother's phone and seem all right and happy I was returning" said Jose, "would you keep me informed if you find this killer?"

"We'll do, but as for right now we have to follow by the book" said Hall, "good evening Jose"

Cruiser 12:01 am

The three, Castle, Hall and O'harra where driving back to the 12th so they could begin the timeline and put information down on the murder board and informed Beckett of their progress on the recent murder case. O' and Hall were talking about last's night's new episode of Firefly and the recent information given from Jose Lockheart, but Castle seemed a bit preoccupied about something else and was looking out the backseat window pondering, though the two wouldn't notice. His mind now racing about what he wanted to ask Beckett, when they got a chance to talk in private, and after a busy day it would only make this task even harder for him. His thought process would be broken from an incoming call to Hall's phone with Beckett on the other end.

"Hall."

"All of you if you're not on your way back now, I suggest you do. A witness just came in claiming he saw killer who stuffed our vic in the wooden crate."

"On our way Captain."