She answers her phone as she always does, "Beckett".
"Oh, Hi Martha, umm what can I do for you?" she replies, after the grand damme makes her greeting. "No, I have not seen Castle today, actually I have not talked to him since we closed that swimmers case a couple of days ago." The case, it is always about the case, her timeline of important dates and times could be marked with case files and murder photos, and maybe little evidence tags for birthdays.
The lovely detective starts to chew her lip slightly thinking about the "stupid idea", again, one month ago, that damned kiss. "What's that Martha, sorry I was distracted for a moment, yes, I can give him a message if I see him" she states. "You love him? That is the message?" now Beckett is getting worried, the triple killer case flashing back in her mind, of Ric..umm.. Castle's alerting of danger by telling his mother he loved her. "Martha! What is wrong, where are you?" "At the loft, right, I will be there in 15, and you are sure everything is fine, no kidnappers or explosives, or anything like that, right?" Beckett is out of her apartment in a flash, a pensive look on her face as she heads to the garage.
Beckett stands in front of the door once again, hand up to knock, worry etched across her face. She takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly, centering herself, draining the worry out with the departing air. Three sharp rapports on the wood later the door opens and Martha and Alexis are standing there with fake smiles that do not touch the eyes; that is, until they lie upon the detective's calm, stern features. The smiles grow deeper as Beckett watches them open the door, smiles and eyes fully engaged now, as Martha speaks, " Detective!, please come in, I am sorry that you came all the way here over for something as silly as what I said." Beckett's eyes rake over the room and the two ladies in a rapid sequence of threat assessment. Certain details stand out while Martha is speaking. One, they both look worried, and nervous, like they were doing something wrong. Two, where was Castle, he was always around, like a family dog he would come running if there was a knock on the door. "Martha, telling someone you love them is never silly, even if you two seem to use it as a code word for "Danger danger Will Robinson." Beckett replies a smile forming at the end of the statement. " Now, tell me please, what is going on?"
Alexis speaks up while Martha looks contemplative, "Dad is not himself, he is coming home late, and often exhausted, he is wincing like he has been hurt and he has lost some weight. When we have asked him what is going on he just says nothing, he is fine, or changes the subject."
"What do you mean, wincing?" Kate asks, seeking clarification as her hand comes up and moves a stray hair back over her ear. The young redhead replies," I gave him a hug yesterday when he finally got home, and he gasped like a fish out of water, it scared me, but he said he was fine and that I didn't know my own strength.
"Detective, do you think my dad is on drugs?"