Sorry, but I had to borrow from the show
"Hurry Alexis" Castle is standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up toward his daughter's room and mother's room "You too mother. We're going to be late"
"OK dad, I am dressed"
"Me too kiddo" Martha's voice comes down the stairs as well
"Mother…I am familiar in what you call ready. It usually means we have another thirty minutes before you are ready, and we do not have that much time"
"OK…OK!" she is still speaking as she appears at the top of the stairs and begins her descent in her fully dramatic manor
"Mother, there is no paparazzi down here. You can walk normally"
"ALRIGHT!" she huffs as she finishes her path and steps down to the lowest level "I am just rehearsing"
Just a moment later Alexis appears behind her grandmother. She is dressed in a modest off the shoulder evening gown and carrying a set of books and a tablet
"What is this?" her father asks pointing at the armload of school work
"I have a test tomorrow and I really need to study"
"Pumpkin. You are the smartest student in that school and missing one or two questions on that test will not kill you"
"It could affect my GPA and I can't afford doing that"
"Daughter, your GPA has stayed at the top ever since you began school, I don't think one little test would drop your score at all"
She looks at her father and sneers "DAD…"
"OK! OK!" as he turns to head for the door directing the two women to lead the way outside the loft, down to the street, and into the waiting Towne Car
After they settle in Martha begins her chides of her son "Why did you kill your main character?"
Castle seems shocked that his mother knows "How did you find out? The book has not been out until tonight. The readers and members of my fan club don't even know "
She does not even turn her head from staring out the window "A little birdie told me"
Castle glances in the direction of his daughter "You told your grandmother?"
Alexis is truly surprised "I did not know…you killed off Derrick Storm?"
Richard Castle is feeling ganged up on. The only person who probably spit out the news was his ex-wife, and publisher Gina
"Great" he mumbles under his breath
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The phone on the desk of the homicide division at the 12th precinct rings "Detective Beckett" Kate answers. She is not surprised by anything being said to her over the phone. She begins writing on a note pad "We are on the way" she hangs up and spins around facing her two partners "We got one. Downtown, fancy apartment"
Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan both stand and grabbing their jackets off the chair and getting their service weapons out of their respective drawers, join the lead detective and fast walk toward the elevator.
As the doors close Ryan questions "Where we headed?"
Without even looking toward him "Penthouse on 24th"
She seems to be thinking as the cab travels to the basement and the garage where their cruiser is waiting for them. Beckett remains silent as they quickly head to the scene. Even after arrival she stays silent and begins looking around the area in intently.
She begins making mental notes about the crime scene
Located near the center of a well decorated apartment is the body of a woman laid out on the kitchen serving counter. She is covered by roses with sunflowers covering her eyes.
Beckett makes a full circle before kneeling to study the body a little closer.
"Who are you?"
"Allison Tisdale" Ryan answers as he is looking around the lavish expanse of the home
"Nice place" Beckett remarks to no one in particular
"Daddy's money" he points toward the expanse of the room
"Money didn't keep her from being killed" Esposito adds to the conversation
"I wonder what evidence the killer left" Kate looks around
Just as she speaks, her best friend and medical examiner, Dr. Lanie Parish walks up "I don't know about evidence, but he left her a lot of flowers. Who says romance is dead"
Beckett stands and whispers toward her friend "I do…every Saturday night"
Lanie almost wants to laugh "Lipstick wouldn't hurt"
As Beckett sneers toward her best friend, Lanie finishes her thought "Just saying…."
"What do you have?" Kate is trying to deflect from the conversation
"Three gunshot wounds, Small caliber. Probably a .22, but I can be sure when I get her back to the lab and get the slugs"
Beckett starts to walk slowly around the body "I've seen this before"
Her partners look at her with questions on their faces "Where?" Esposito asks the question for both of them.
"Flowers on the body…sunflowers on the eyes?" she waits for a response from either of the men, but when there is no comment
"You are the one who likes the weird ones" Javier remarks "Just give me a jack shot and I can go home"
"Oh" she takes the opening "The weird ones are better. More to lean. More to see. Takes more to solve them."
After she only gets silence form the other two "I have seen this, or more accurately read about this"
"Read?" comes with a sneer from Esposito
"Don't you ever read?"
"I read"
"I am not talking about the magazines that are mostly pictures. I mean novels...real books"
"Where did you read this?" Ryan asks the question stopping the banter
"A novelist my mother likes. This is right out of one of his books and the other case we had last week. A man found on the ground inside a drawing of a Wicken symbol"
"Oh Yeah" Ryan recalls "The lawyer. That happened over in the 33rd"
"You have an idea who you think did this?" Esposito wonders
"I know who I am going to check into. The author who wrote the books describing these murders" she points at the current victim
"You going to his home and pick him up?"
"No. he is actually at a book release party tonight. I am going there and pick him up. You two go back with Lanie and collect any evidence she gets from the body" she steps toward the entrance "I will pick him up and see you back at the precinct"
As she is heading down in the elevator, she can feel a slight crawl in her skin. She has been reading his books as long as her mother and has developed a small crush on the writer…well more accurately a large crush on him and is looking forward to bringing him in.
She gets back to the street, into her cruiser and is heading to an uptown hotel where he is having the party
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Murder…mystery…mayhem…." Gina begins her introduction of one of her most read authors. As she continues talking her writer is drifting in and out of groups of beautiful women flirting, hugs, and an occasional autograph…including those placed on some very attractive exposed skin
Just as he finishes his name and telling the fan to call him when she plans to wash off his signature, a woman's arm grabs his and pulls him away
"What kind of an author kills off his main character?"
"Storm isn't the star here. I am. I wrote a dozen books before Derrick. I will do it again"
"And just when will that be?"
"Inspiration does not just come out when called, it must grow inside then explode"
Gina stops and looks at Castle with fire in her eyes "Are you sure? I have heard you have not written a word in weeks"
He is caught completely off guard "Where did you hear that?"
"I have my sources"
"Well your sources are wrong"
"They better be, because if I don't have an outline and treatment on my desk in three weeks Black Pawn is prepared to demand return of the advance"
Richard Castle has never liked arguing with his ex-wife and hates arguing with his publisher even more.
When he finds the person most likely leaking information to his publisher, his mother, she is standing at the open bar talking to Alexis and getting herself a glass of Champaign "Mother did you tell Gina that I have not been writing?"
"I may have told her that you have been spending your days sitting in your underwear waiting for the races to start…"
"Mother! I don't need you telling Gina that I am having trouble writing"
"Well, you haven't been doing any writing…" Just as she speaks she notices a nice looking older man "OH! No ring. Out of the way…mamma's going fishing" and she is off like a bolt
"I hope I don't grow to regret letting her move in with us"
"Hey, dad. It was sweet"
He takes a long draw of the Champaign then looking at Alexis "You know why I killed Derrick?" and without even letting her answer "Because I knew everything that was going to happen. And I was getting tired of all the questions" then putting ac accent as if her were a fan "I am your biggest fan…where do you get your stories…"
Then Alexis chooses to remark holding up finger quotes "and don't forget…will you sign my chest"
"That one I don't mind so much"
"Well, for the record, I do"
HE lets out a short breath "Just once I wish someone would come up to me and say something new"
He does not notice the wide- eyed look on his daughter's face and a voice from behind him speaks up in a firm tone. " Mr. Castle"
He takes the marker from his pocket and spins around. Before he can say another word, there is a ravishing woman in close proximity holding a badge in his face
"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. I would like to ask you a few questions about a murder that happened earlier"
For the first time in years, he is completely at a loss for words
Alexis has leaned over his shoulder and grabs the pen from his hand then whispers in his ear "Dad…it's HER"