Foiling the Frame

Chapter 1

Richard Castle sat on the hard bench with his head in his hands. The fingerprints, the barbed wire, the e-mails, the video of him buying jewelry, how could it have happened? Someone had constructed a frame so thorough that he doubted that even Beckett still believed him. And then Tyson was there, taunting him, telling him that he would die in the aptly named Tombs the next day. The video surveillance had been disabled. There was no one who could see him or hear him. There was no one who could help him. Even if Beckett still believed him, she'd be helpless.

"You'll be dead," Tyson had said triumphantly as he left.

It wasn't going to happen. Castle didn't know how long it would be before the security cameras were reactivated, but he had to do something. He banged his nose against the wall. Damn! This had to be the one time it wouldn't bleed. He banged harder. He saw stars, but the blood flowed, covering his fingers. He wiped them on the wall, writing 3XK in the sight line of what should have been the video feed.

Blood flowed down Castle's shirt and fell in splatters on the floor. He called for help, but there was no response. That might be a good thing. It meant that Tyson had not yet reactivated the system. His plan could work. He lay down on the hard metal and tilted his head back, waiting for the flow to stop.

Beckett came early in the morning, gasping at the sight of Castle covered in blood. "It's all right Kate," Castle said opening his eyes and sitting up."It was Tyson! He was here last night. He's behind all of this. He was in the loft. God! He even watched us making love. Kate, he wants me at the Tombs so he can have someone kill me."

"Castle why didn't you call for help?" Beckett asked.

"That's just it. He disabled the surveillance. That's why I had to do that," Castle told her indicating what he had written on the wall. "It won't be on the surveillance. It will prove that Tyson tampered with it."

"I'll check on that," Beckett told him, "and I'll get a medic in here to look at you."

"Thank you," Castle whispered, sticking his fingers through the bars.

"Beckett covered his fingers with hers. "Always."

3XK suddenly appeared on the wall of Castle's holding cell. "There!" Beckett pointed as Captain Gates looked on, "just like Castle said. The surveillance was off."

"I'll accept that, Detective," Gates told Beckett, "and I'll call the D.A., but it doesn't disprove any of the other evidence against Mr. Castle."

"Thank you sir," Beckett said. "If you can just get us a little more time, I'm sure we can find the evidence that Tyson is behind everything."

As Beckett looked on, A.D.A. Toni Gonzalez watched the video on the screen in Gates' office. "Captain Gates, there is no way that I'm going to drop the charges against Mr. Castle on the basis of a glitch in your surveillance system. But this does introduce a small element of doubt. I will allow Mr. Castle to stay in the custody of the NYPD for another 24 hours. If you haven't found any exculpatory evidence by then, he will be going to Central Booking and the Tombs."

"Castle," Beckett called as he lay on the bench, his arm covering his eyes.

"Beckett, what's happening?" Castle asked, sitting up.

"The D.A.'s giving us a day to find something," Beckett explained. "You get to stay here while we look. Ryan, Espo, even Gates, we're all working on this."

"Kate," Castle said, "I need to work on it too. I know Tyson as well as anyone. I can't just do nothing."

"I'll talk to Gates," Beckett told him, looking at his shirt, now encrusted with brown stains. "I'll call Alexis too. She can bring you some clothes with a little less blood on them."

Castle smiled. "I don't know, I think these make me look butch."

Kate smiled back. "Yeah, but we don't need you to scare the other prisoners."

"Mr. Castle," Gates instructed as he was freed from his cell, "you need to stay on this floor of the building. Detective Beckett will be responsible for you, so if you try to leave, it will be her head. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Captain," Castle responded. "I'll be good."

"That would be a first," Gates told him. "See that you are."

Beckett gently stroked the back of Castle's hand as they stood staring at the murder board. "Tyson had to find someone to play me," Castle said. "He would need a look alike."

"Where would he find one?" Beckett asked.

"I don't know," Castle replied, "but I know who would. Do you have my home number on your phone? They took mine when I was put in holding. I need to call my mother."

Martha steered Castle toward a publication called "Broadway Casting" and Castle was able to look at archived issues online using Beckett's computer. "Beckett, look," he called. "Four months ago, someone was casting a Richard Castle."

"Ryan, Espo," Beckett yelled across the room. "I need you to check something out."

The walls of the room were lined with chairs filled with Jack Nicholsons, Chers, and Marilyn Monroes. "Let me guess," said the woman at the desk, "Robert Patkinson and A-Rod."

Esposito scowled. "Esposito and Ryan," he said showing his badge.

"We're investigating a murder," Ryan continued handing the woman a copy of the call for Richard Castles. "Did you place this ad?"

"We did," the woman told him. "We only got one Castle, though. I was thinking of sending over a Jason Bateman, they're pretty much the same look, but the first one got the part and I didn't have to."

"We'll need contact information for him and also for whoever placed the ad," Ryan told her.

Beckett touched the shoulder of Castle, who had fallen asleep with his head on her desk. "Ryan and Esposito have got Tyson's you," she said "You're going to want to see this."

Beckett joined Ryan and Esposito in interrogation with Paul Dyson, who from the back and sides, looked eerily like Castle. Captain Gates and Castle watched from observation. Esposito showed Dyson the video from the jewelry store on his laptop. "Yeah that's me," Dyson affirmed. "It was a strange gig. I got sent in there to buy some earrings for a reality show."

"Do you recognize this guy?" Beckett asked, showing Dyson a picture of Jerry Tyson.

"Yeah, that's the producer of the reality show."

Castle turned to Gates. "Captain," he began.

Gates stopped him. "I get it Mr. Castle. We have evidence that you were framed by Jerry Tyson. I'll call the D.A. right now."

The interview with Dyson continued. "How did you get paid?" Beckett asked.

"By check," Dyson answered, "Joseph Vacher Enterprises. I never met a Joseph Vacher."

Castle knocked on the window. Beckett came out of the room. "What's the matter, Castle?"

"Joseph Vacher was known as the French Ripper. He was an infamous serial killer. That was another one of Tyson's sick jokes."

Captain Gates returned. "The D.A. Is not going to drop charges yet," she reported. "they still want the other evidence against Mr. Castle cleared up. The have agreed to an immediate arraignment and they won't oppose bail."

Beckett accompanied Castle to the courtroom, stayed with him while bail was arranged, and drove him back to the loft where Martha and Alexis were waiting to hug him. "Thank you Katherine," Martha emoted, throwing her arms around Kate.

"We're not there yet," Kate told her.

"But he's home!" Martha rejoiced and pointed to an array of take out cartons on the table. "Join us for a celebratory dinner!"

The Thai food was hot and spicy. Kate couldn't resist brushing Rick's hair off his damp forehead. Martha looked at Alexis, inclining her head toward the staircase. "Alexis and I have some things to take care of," Martha announced, leading Alexis away.

"That was subtle," Rick commented, standing and pulling Kate into his arms.

Kate smiled and clasped her hands behind Rick's neck. "It was sweet. We shouldn't waste it."

Rick pulled Kate tightly against his body. "I couldn't agree more."