A/N: Presumes no one knows about their relationship yet.
He woke alone in her apartment, takes a moment to snuggle with her pillow on her side of the bed. Last night's memories gently waking him. He both loves and hates it when she lets him sleep in. Loves that she cares for him enough not to wake him on a routine day; hates that any day doesn't start with her in it. He checks the alarm clock, 8:15.
Last night. So good.
He rises to use her shower, appreciating the scent of hairspray and coffee that greet him. Finds her half empty mug on the bathroom sink, dumps it in the sink before he leaves, he'll bring her a fresh cup on his way in. A smile graces his lips at this new angle to an old routine.
"Morning," Castle greets the boys, passing their desks.
"Hey Castle."
"Where's Beckett?" he asks casually setting down the coffee on her desk as he scans the bullpen.
"She didn't call you?"
"No, why?"
"Haven't seen her all morning, we figured she was with you."
Concern crosses his features, "No," he says slowly, picking up his phone he shuffles to her picture, a candid of her giving him one of her reserved smiles as she holds the phone to her ear.
It goes to voicemail.
Ryan and Esposito gather around him to hear the verdict, his look is enough to send them both dialing her number.
Voicemail. The electronic voice that repeats her number, it's professional until it isn't her, and then it's disconcerting.
"I'll call her dad," Esposito says directing Castle, "you call Lanie."
"I'll check with Gates," Ryan adds.
Three minutes later all three men are asking the same question.
Where the hell are you Kate?
"When was the last time you saw her?" He's in his chair, slightly bothered by the view of Esposito sitting at her desk.
Just when he thinks there is no good way to answer them, Gates calls out from her office door.
"Ryan, Esposito, we got a body. University Hospital parking lot."
When they take a moment to glance at each other she approaches them, "still no word from Beckett?"
"No Sir."
"When was the last time anyone saw her?"
"Last night," Castle volunteers, "about 2AM."
They're good detectives but even if they weren't, his words beg some questions.
"Has anyone gone by her place this morning?"
Castle takes a deep breath and raises a hand, "She wasn't there at 9." When I left.
"Okay, Mr. Castle, go and check again, ask the Super to let you in. In the meantime, you two get on this homicide."
Ryan and Esposito shoot him a sympathetic look, but when Gates leaves there's a fury of whispers.
"I want to know where Senator Bracken is right now." Ryan's already typing the question into the browser.
"Texas, been there since Monday."
"Doesn't mean he didn't hire someone to do something to her," Castle says, even as he swallows back his growing fear.
"Castle, man, one step at a time, go back to her place. Ryan, get your boys on her unit GPS. I'm going to go work this scene, call me when you find something."
Esposito puts a hand on the writer's shoulder as he adds, "We'll find her bro."
He's got his key in her door when his cell rings and he fumbles to pull it from his coat pocket.
"Kate?"
"Castle, where are you?" Ryan's on the line.
"Uh, Beckett's place." He's gotten himself through the door and does a quick check of her apartment as he talks.
"I think we've got something."
Castle stops his movement, all concentration on the detective.
"You're going to want to come down here."
Oh god.
"Ryan, what did you find?" His breathing has become more rapid.
"The body, Castle . . ."
He closes his eyes and leans against the doorframe to her bedroom. He can see her unmade bed. Their bed. Kate.
" . . . it's Josh Davidson."
He slides down to the floor, unsure which of his conflicted feelings to pursue.
"I'll be right there," he whispers.
When he hangs up, he covers his eyes with his hands. Kate.
The scene is a wild mix of pink and blue scrubs, white jackets and dark blue uniforms. Yellow police tape is wrapped around vehicles and a support post on the eighth floor of the parking structure. A violent yellow plastic tarp covers the body of a tall figure.
"It's definitely Josh. Looks like a single gunshot wound to the chest, I put the time of death at some time between five and seven this morning, " Lanie says, looking worried, "any word on Kate?"
"Nothing at her place."
Esposito whispers aloud what they've all been thinking, "This can't be a coincidence, she disappears the same day he is killed?"
"Yeah, but what does it mean? Were they back together?" Ryan's questions prompt all three to look at Castle.
"No, Kate told me that they broke up last year. As far as I know they haven't seen each other since."
Ryan turns to answer his phone as Lanie shoots Esposito a worried look.
"Hey, Beckett can take care of herself, always has," Esposito sooths her.
"Hey, that was tech, they traced her unit to this location."
It doesn't take long to find the department issue vehicle on the same parking garage level as the body, "Yo, over here."
"I don't see anything, " Ryan peeks in the windows on one side while Esposito works the trunk with his spare key. At the last moment, Castle averts his gaze.
"Nothing here either," Esposito calls to Ryan.
The writer takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly.
Then he tries her cell number again.
Again it goes to voicemail as he shakes his head at the detectives.
"Mr. Castle? Detectives? What the hell is going on here?"
Victoria Gates is standing behind them.
"I need to remind you that I have been more than patient with this team in the past, so I am only going to ask you this once, where is Detective Beckett?"
"We honestly don't know, Sir," Ryan speaks for the group, looking quickly away from Gates' death stare.
"Then what does she know about this case?"
"That's unclear, Sir. We only know she knew the victim."
"She knew the victim? The doctor?"
"She dated him more than a year ago."
"And her vehicle is here? In the same parking garage?"
The detectives nod.
"I think it's safe to assume that Detective Beckett is in some kind of trouble. I want to know where she was this morning when this went down."
It's bizarre to see Kate's photo next to Josh's on the murder board. Castle can't help but swallow hard at the implication. He adjusts the magnet to move her a little further from the other photos. It's time to face the music.
Esposito crosses his arms as he stands next to the author, the two of them look straight ahead at their murder board, no need for face-to-face conversation. The author speaks in low tones.
"She was at her place last night."
The Hispanic detective doesn't respond.
"I know this because I was with her."
Without judgment Esposito presses, "Until when?"
Castle hesitates, "Sometime after 2 and before 8. I didn't hear her leave."
"Was she seeing Josh?"
"Not that I'm aware of." But the slightest hint of doubt creeps in. He's certain she left of her own will. No one took her from their bed, she chose to leave.
He sits down at her desk, noticing the Styrofoam java cup he brought for her this morning, long grown cold. She hasn't had coffee all day.