A torn heart

'Castle didn't you get Martha's message?'

'Message,no and I have had my phone on the whole time,maybe its about time I changed network,could be government spies are tapping into my phone?'

'hmm and they would be targeting a fiction writer why?to start a war on words?anyways she called her looking for you about a half hour ago,I thought you would've been with her by now'

'Its not fiction and ae you ever going to tell me what she said?'

'With pleasure, she said you're the most ungrateful son she ever raised'

'im the 'only' ungrateful son she ever raised..hold on…what have I done now?'

'you left her at the mall for 2 hours and she was getting dizzy from watching the elevators,she said'

'oh god I totally forgot I was supposed to pick her up'

'Its ok she already got her revenge,she told me to tell you with a smile that she maxed one of your credit cards'

'that's my mother she probably thought a pretty face would soften the blow,I have a good mind to have a gps tracking device inserted in her brain while she sleeps some night'

'ya either that or she'll call parents neglect services on you'

'oh ha ha detective take a spoonful of witty in our coffee this morning did we?'

As Castle leans over Kates desk and starts flipping through reports Kate speaks up

'Castle'

'Hum'

'go get you mother'

'oh right…wait you mean she didn't just get a cab back already?'

'like I said she maxed out your credit card unless she bought a bike and cycled home I doubt she's back'

It soon registered to Castle that maybe his credit card was the only one she had with her.

'look I even offered to drive over there my self but she insisted she wait for you'

'That's mother always so independent except when it comes to the primary caregiver'with two thumbs pointing at his chest,he looked like a cheery salesperson Kate couldn't help but smile.

Just as he was leaving Ryan and Esposito hurried down the hall like synchronised swimmers to alert Kate to a new followed them giving Castle an apologetic wave.

Damn his mother,he secretly hoped she had bought a nice condo on his tab.

'What have we got Lanie?'

'where's Mr Wiseguy?'

'oh he's been grounded'

Lanie looked at Esposito in question as to Kates meaning while realising how influential Castle was on Kate.

Espo was also clueless to Kates joke but felt that Castle would have been proud,instead he filled her in,

'looks like a mugging gone wrong,all her valuables are gone but maybe she fought back and he killed witnesses except for the guy who found her this morning at around 7 am when he was taking out the trash,he's the owner of the restaurant,a Mr Cossack,real genius,when Ryan asked him about cameras he said they were duds even inside the restaurant and there's none on the corner of the street either'

'this looks like a sharp well dressed woman,what was she doing down a poorly lit alley in the middle of New York?'

This is where Lanie took over

'she has a stab wound to the chest which broke through the thorax and punctured her heart,I'll have to wait to examine her completely at the lab but I'm pretty sure we found cause of death'

'I estimate her age to be about mid fifties to early sixties based on dentition and cranial-mandibular structure and judging on the rigor mortis of the body I put time of death at no more than 6 hours ago'

'ok so between 3 and 4 am this morning,Espo put a trace out on her valuables,her clothes are brand names so they may be expensive items her killer has tried to sell,maybe they left a money trail,Ryan can you check for any reports of missing persons within the last 24 hours she may have been missing before she died who knows,

Ryan: 'Im on it'

I'll head back to the precinct and see if our killer has tried to sell anything online'

For a moment Kate thought she saw somebody else in the victims place,that face so familiar.

'yo Beckett you ok?'

Only when Kate focuses on Esposito does she realise how intensely she was staring at the walks away feeling slightly dizzy.