A/N: This is my first multi chapter story that I started just before the end of season 6. I set myself the challenge to write a story like a CASTLE episode. As I don't write for a living, just for fun, it took me a lot longer than I thought to finish. If nothing else this exercise has given me a greater respect for the writers of CASTLE at being able to come up with original ideas for 23 episodes a season. Constructive reviews are welcome. I'll try to release chapters regularly as much as work and life allows.

Disclaimer : Castle is the property of Andrew Marlowe, ABC and all the writers of Castle. Only the original characters and events are mine.


It is a typical cold, dark, February New York night. A figure is running down a street, staggering every few steps. As the figure gets closer it is revealed to be a young man with blond hair, wearing a large, dark coat and a backpack. The man staggers again and grips at his shoulder, grimacing in pain. At that moment, further down the street, a van, tyres squealing, comes around the corner. The man anxiously looks over his shoulder at the sound, sees the van and immediately ducks into a nearby alley. He rushes down the alley and squeezes himself between and behind a pair of dumpsters at its end. Peering from his hiding place he spies the van pass by the end of the alley and keep going. He ducks back with a sigh of relief and then waits a couple of minutes to make sure it's gone. Just as he pokes his head out again to check if it is safe he is blinded by headlights on high beam. There is the sound of an engine being revved to the red line followed by the sound of screeching tyres.


Morning in Castle's loft is the picture of domestic bliss. Richard Castle is at the stove, in his pyjamas, cooking breakfast as usual and humming a tune happily to the room. Kate Beckett is perched on a stool at the nearby counter, also in her sleep clothes, a steaming cup of coffee at her elbow, reading the paper and idly tapping her foot in time to Castle's humming. Into this scene sweeps Martha from the stairs leading to the second level.

"Good morning my dears!" she exclaims

"Good morning mother."

"Good morning Martha."

"Pancakes mother?"

"No thankyou Richard, just cereal for me today," she replies as she proceeds to the refrigerator and pours herself a glass of orange juice. Glass in hand she then sidles up to Beckett at the counter and asks, "Katherine, darling, might I ask a favour?"

The tone of his mother's voice causes Castle's head shoot up with a look of suspicion on his face. He's heard that tone all too many times before.

"Sure Martha," replies Beckett, putting the paper aside.

Martha continues in a voice sounding so innocent that it is almost too good to be true, "Seeing as you and Richard have decided to take a break from wedding planning this week, to reduce your stress levels, I was wondering if you would be interested in addressing one of my acting classes?"

This causes Castle to whip around to face the both of them, who have their backs to him, and start gesticulating at Beckett wildly. He's shaking his head and making cutting motions in front of his throat. Anything to get her attention and wave her off.

Beckett is surprised at the request and, not seeing the frantic miming behind her, asks, "Me, talk to your acting class, why?"

"Richard has told me of your skills in interrogations. Of presenting the right type of persona to get a person to talk. Whether it is to be tough and aggressive or a sympathetic listener or a mother confessor. Developing that that sort of empathetic connection with their audience is essential to a good actor. I thought going through your process would be invaluable for my students," responds Martha with a winning smile.

"Weeelll…I'm not sure…," and Beckett glances over her shoulder at Castle to see what he thinks only to finally see his silent, desperate performance. A look of puzzlement crosses her face.

A moment behind her, Martha also looks over at Castle as well and he immediately stops his arm waving. He changes to casually scratching his head to try and mask what he was doing.

"Ummm…," hesitates Beckett, thoroughly confused by Castle's act. Before she is forced to continue and as has happened many times before, especially for Castle, the ringing of her cell phone saves the day.

"Beckett!" she declares down the phone, "Right, where? OK, we're on our way. Sorry Martha, there's been a murder. Can I get back to you on this?"

"Of course my dear, but do think about it. I'm sure everyone will get a great deal out of it," implores Martha to her retreating back as Beckett and Castle hustle to their bedroom to get dressed.


Beckett and Castle walk down the alley towards the crime scene continuing the discussion that had started in the car on the way there.

"Castle, I don't know what you're so worried about. It seems like a perfectly innocent request to me."

"Of course it does, that's how she lures you in. She's lulling you into a false sense of security. She's wanting to put you in a position, on her terms, where she's in charge and you're out of your comfort zone. Then she can give you "constructive criticism" on how you do what you do. I've told you this before. She's been doing this to me for years. The number of times she's convinced me to do a reading of one of my books to her friends, acting colleagues, "acting students" and each time she's ripped me and my work apart. In front of everyone. It's her way of controlling my ego and making sure I don't get a big head."

"Yeah well, she did a great job there," grins Beckett.

"Ha Ha! Laugh it up now but if you do this you'll regret it"

"Oh come on Castle. Why would Martha be thinking that I'm getting a big head?"

"A big what now?" interrupts Esposito whom they both had just walked up to at that moment.

"Never mind," responds Beckett with a look. "What have we got?"

Eyebrows raised at her brisk answer Esposito responds as they all walk to the body, "Caucasian male, early twenties. He was found by sanitation workers this morning as they emptied the dumpsters at the end of this alley. He was wedged behind one of them."

"More like crushed," interjects Lanie from her position on her knees next to the body. "From the abrasions and broken bones I can just see here and from the blood on the wall and the dumpster our victim was behind the dumpster when it was hit by something, crushing him against the wall. He was also shot in the right shoulder just before he died."

"Ugh, what an unpleasant way to go," comments Castle.

"There aren't many good ones in my experience," responds Beckett. "So looks like he was trying to hide from whoever shot him."

"And that someone found him and decided to make him the meat in a dumpster and wall sandwich," surmises Castle.

"Any ID and an idea of the time of death?" Beckett asks Lanie.

"No ID. From the look of his pockets someone searched the body after he was crushed. From his smashed watch TOD was at 2:15 this morning and liver temp supports that time but I'll make sure of that when I get him back to the morgue."

Ryan walks up, note book in hand, "Hi guys, checked with the clothing store that backs onto this alley. No surprise, they were closed at the time of death and no one was there to hear anything. There aren't any security cams in the alley and with it being mostly stores and no apartments around here and at that time of the morning no one was around to hear or see anything."

"OK Ryan, coordinate a canvas by some unis anyway. Maybe we'll be lucky and someone saw something. Meanwhile Esposito, see if there are any traffic or security cams nearby that might help. Castle and I will head to the precinct and try running down his prints," and with Beckett's orders they break off to their separate tasks.


At the 12th precinct Beckett and Castle are standing at the murder board as Beckett slaps a picture of the victim up and starts writing on the board underneath it, "Our vic is in the system. His name was Samuel Carmody, 24 years old, a computer store clerk, originally from Arizona, no next of kin listed and with an address two blocks from our crime scene."

"So he was most likely on his way to or from home when he was killed. What was he in the system for?" asks Castle studying the mug shot of Carmody.

"Assault of a Michael Ferry, a photographer with a studio in Soho. The report says that Carmody and Ferry got into a fight at Ferry's studio six months ago. The neighbours complained and they were both pulled in. Carmody started it so he was charged but it didn't proceed because Ferry wouldn't testify."

Ryan joins them and says, "Canvas was a bust. As I thought, no one was there to see or hear anything. CSU found smashed headlight glass, tire marks and some paint chips at the point of impact with the dumpster. The glass and tyre prints match a 2005-2008 Ford delivery van. The paint chips are navy blue but curiously there are at least five other layers of different colours under the blue layer."

"Indicating the van has been resprayed several times. That's suspicious. Well slightly less suspicious than using it to ram a dumpster to kill someone I suppose," comments Castle.

Esposito calls from the doorway of the tech room, "Guys, I've got something."

As everyone files into the room he indicates to the large plasma screen at one end of the room and signals to their resident tech, Tori, standing at a keyboard to start the video. "This is from a security cam in front of a jewellery store a few doors down from the alley."

On the screen, a grainy black and white image of the street and footpath at night could be seen. After a few seconds they see a man, wearing a backpack, rush through the field of vision of the camera. As he passes he turns his head to look behind him. Esposito signals Tori again and the image is paused and they are all looking at a profile of their victim and says, "There's our vic. About 3 minutes before the time of death."

He indicates to the tech again and the video resumes playing. The victim moves out of the picture and about thirty seconds later a dark coloured van comes into view. Tori pauses the image again.

"And there's a Ford van," observes Beckett as she walks closer to the screen. "I can't see into it to see who is inside and I can't quite make out the plates." She turns to Tori, "Can you work on this and see if you can clear it up and get the registration."

"Sure thing Detective," responds the young brunette.

Beckett's cell phone chimes to indicate an incoming text message.

"Lanie wants me to go see her. While Castle and I do that, Ryan, you and Espo go and see the photographer, Ferry. See if he knows anything and if he has an alibi for the time of the murder."

"And see if he owns a navy blue van that's been resprayed several times," adds Castle.

Beckett rolls her eyes, "Come on Captain Obvious, after Lanie we'll go check out the vic's apartment."