I so wish that there had been a new episode last night... The wait is killing me!

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Castle we would have had a new episode last night...well, we'd probably have a new episode every night! Hint hint Andrew Marlowe...

Still Wednesday...

It doesn't take long to narrow down who he is. Dave is just a cover name, as they suspected. But using the sketch artist's drawing - created from Castle and Lanie's collective memories - they find a suspect. One that has never been caught before. He's dangerous. He's violent and gruesome and clever. A man who manages to evade capture for as long as he, has got to be all those things.

The stories he hears are horrific to say the least. Eleven. Eleven women killed by this man. Each more disgustingly and more gruesome than the previous.

The tales make him pale, the pictures make him sick, the thought that Kate could be next makes him want to die. He would rather run blindly into a war than know that this man has her and there is nothing they can do yet.

They know who he is - they are ninety-nine percent sure - but where he is or who he is pretending to be, they have yet to uncover. And how they plan to do that, Castle knows not. He only knows that these are the best people he could hope to have on this case. They are New York's finest - really and truly, they are. He trusts them with his life, and he trusts them with Kate's. He knows that they won't stop, not until they get this guy. He knows that. He believes that they will find him and take him down like the scumbag that he is.

But how long will it take? The other victims were dead within a week of being taken. Kate's been gone for almost a day. Castle doesn't know how long is took before the others were killed. He doesn't know if there is any way to predict how long it will be before he tries to kill Kate. If the boys take too long, if they aren't fast enough, Kate could end up mutilated like the women before.

"Yes, yes, Andrew Wilson," Ryan says into the phone. "No, he won't be using that name anymore. That was his name in 2007." He pauses while the person on the other end speaks and then talks again, "Okay, just send anything you've got over." He slams the phone down on the receiver in frustration.

"Got anything?" Castle asks the Irishman.

"In 2007, this Dave guy was using the name Andrew Wilson. That's the name that popped when we ran the sketch," Ryan says. "But Andrew Wilson doesn't exist anymore. At least, no Andrew Wilsons that could be our guy. But I'm getting any files they had on him then. That seems to be the only name on record for this picture. Javi is off getting the extra files for his murders though, so that could help."

"Extra files?" Castle asks. "I thought we had them all?" He gestures to the murder board with his head. It is covered in pictures of the previous victims. And in the middle is a picture he never wants to see up there again - Kate's.

"Those are the main files," Ryan explains. "But there are files hidden way down in storage that should have more details in them. With more eyewitness accounts and investigator thoughts and ideas."

Castle nods slowly, "That's good, right?"

"Probably," Kevin says. "But it really depends on the lead investigator and how much information he put in the files when the case was open. Some of them may help, some may just be a bust and a waste of our time. But we've got to try everything."

"Everything," Castle immediately agrees. He leans back in his chair again and stares at the whiteboard in front of him. He studies it, like he has so many times before. It's different this time, yes, but it's the same board with the same objective. Find the killer.

He's quiet for a moment, tries to tune everything out and focus on what they know. It helps, sometimes, but today he just comes up empty. He inwardly curses himself and then turns back to the detective, "I meant to ask before - what did Gates want with you two?"

A flash of confusion crosses Ryan's face but the realization of what Castle is talking of dawns quickly enough and he answers his friend, "She just told us to do whatever we must."

Castle frowns, "There's more. What aren't you saying?"

Ryan takes this moment to curse to himself. He cannot lie to his friends. Ask him to lie to a suspect or a witness? Sure, no problem. But his friends? No way. "She also told us to only tell you the bare minimum. Dude, I don't know, but she might know about the two of you. Or maybe she just knows how close you are...? Honestly, I don't know. But we aren't supposed to let you be too involved. She thinks you're too close to it."

"Of course I am!" Castle says outraged. "But you're going to keep me up to date on everything. Right?"

Ryan rolls his eyes, "Of course. We just agreed to get her off our backs so we could get back out here and investigate."

Castle smiles weakly at the man and turns back to the board, while Ryan turns back to his computer screen. The files on Andrew Wilson have come through and the detective begins to read through and analyze them. Rick continues studying the murder board. He's staring at the board and it's starting to go fuzzy from lack of blinking when he has another thought. There's a beat of silence before he speaks: "Do you really think she knows about us?"

"About what? Who?" Ryan shakes his head and blinks to get the real world back to focus instead of his computer. "Oh, you? And Beckett? Nah, I doubt it. She just knows how you two are."

"Really? Because she's really the reason we kept it secret," Castle tells him. "It's not like we wanted to keep it from you...just her. We couldn't risk it. She would throw me out."

"Castle, we know," Ryan says. "And we know now and the important thing is that we don't focus on that, we focus on finding Beckett."

"Yeah," Castle nods. "I just - I wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me, at us."

"Mad? No, man, Javi and I? We are so happy for you," Kevin smiles at him and shakes his head in disbelief. "It's been a long time comin', let me tell you that. I mean, it's really about damn time you got together. Me and Espo have been rooting for you since day one."

"Day one? Really?" Castle makes a face at him as he flashes back to the beginning of their unorthodox partnership.

Ryan thinks back as well and makes a face, tinted with a grin, "Okay, maybe day two."

Castle laughs his first real laugh and nods, "Works for me."

"But really... Kate? We gotta get back to this. Javi should be back soon," Kevin tells him. "You do the murder board, I'll go over the emails I got. Javi can bring the boxes up and we'll go through those when he gets here."

"Sounds like a plan," Castle agrees. "He shouldn't be too much longer."

Ryan doesn't reply, his attention is already back on the screen in front of him. Castle doesn't mind though, as his focus is on the whiteboard as well. The two men go completely silent again as they read their respective information. Not a word is spoken between them until Esposito exits the elevator and comes over to them, boxes piled high in his arms.

"Those all for this guy?" Castle's jaw drops at the number of papers that must be inside those cardboard boxes.

Esposito grimaces and nods solemnly, "'Fraid so. We've got our work cut out for us here." He drops the boxes down on his desk and pulls the top one down. He opens the lid and pulls a file out, hands it to Ryan. Then he does the same to Castle, and finally he pulls one out for himself.

Ryan shouts out to the room, "Anyone who is not doing something, come and grab a file from these boxes. Just one. Read through it carefully and find anything information - no matter how minuscule it may seem - and report it back to us."

A few cops come over, but it seems most are busy with other tasks involving the case. They each grab a file and go back to their desks to open them. The faces they all make are identical to those that Ryan, Esposito, and Castle make - pure disgust at the pictures.

But Castle is fairly sure that the three of them have those looks for different reasons - not just because of the appalling mutilations shown. More likely because of the fear they have for their fellow detective.

"We have got to find her," whispers Castle as he forces himself to read the file. "We have to."

He doesn't get much of a response, simply a mumble from either of the boys. But he knows they're thinking the same things. They have to get her back safe.

Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Please review!

The next chapter is definitely how Kate feels. It's still Wednesday in the next chapter, and the one after I believe. But then it goes to Thursday and...well, I hope you remember the prologue.

Reviews make me update quicker.

xo Sarah