Chapter 3
Castle paced back and forth as he waited for Beckett and the guys to arrive. A million thoughts ran through his head. Where is Alexis? What's happening to her? Is she alive? Are they torturing her? Did she get kidnapped by the CIA? He thought. Hey writer's imagination, shut the hell up, he told himself.
He heard the door open. He jerked himself away from his thoughts, and just for a second, he honestly hoped Beckett was there. "Richard, Alexis, I'm home!"
His mood dampened, "Oh, it's just you."
Martha looked at her son. He wore the expression that she often wore when he was out later than usual when he was a teenager. "Richard, darling, what's wrong? Where's Alexis?" she asked. "I don't know," he whispered, plopping down on the couch. "What do you mean you don't know?" she asked. "I came home from having dinner with Gina and Paula, and I found bullet holes and a pool of blood. I called Beckett and the guys, and they're coming over," he said.
Martha thought her son's imagination was getting away from him. Then she turned on the lights. A blood pool and bullet casings were on the wood floor. She gasped and moves to sit by her son who now had his face buried in his hands.
Beckett ran into Castle's building as soon as she parked her car. Ryan and Esposito followed closely behind. She waved to the doorman and ran up the stairs, not bothering to take the elevator. She spotted the blood on 8B on her way.
She yanked the door to Castle's loft open.
Castle and Martha looked up when Beckett opened the door. Castle bolted up and almost ran to her. "Beckett!" he yelled, almost giving her a hug. Almost. Then he remembered the fact that she lied to him. He controlled himself and gestured for her and the boys to come in.
"So Castle, what makes you think she got kidnapped?" Ryan asked. "Over there," Castle gestured towards behind the couch. The three detectives walked over; Ryan handed out latex gloves.
Beckett kneeled down where the blood and casings were; not too far that she couldn't see details, but not close enough to contaminate the scene. She picked up a bullet casing, "Looks like a .40 caliber. We might be able to determine the make and model when we get back to the precinct," Beckett said, pulling out her phone. "What are you doing?" Castle asked. "Calling Lanie. She'll be able to determine whose blood this is," she replied.
Lanie was just about to call it a day at the morgue when she heard her cell phone ring. It was Beckett.
"Hey girl, what's up?" she asked. "Hey Lanie, I'm at Castle's loft and-" "Honey, you better be at Castle's loft for the reason you know I'm thinking about," Lanie replied. Lanie could tell Beckett was rolling her eyes on the other end. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Lanie. I need you to come over with your kit. Alexis might've been kidnapped, and I need you to run some tests on a blood pool," she replied. Lanie's eyes widened, "I'll be right there."
Beckett had just hung up the phone with Lanie when they heard Castle's phone ring. Everyone braced themselves. Castle cautiously picked up the phone and answered with a shaky, "Hello." "Hello, Mr. Castle. I think you know why I'm calling…"