Another week begins in the nation's largest city. The Monday morning crowds of men and women traveling to and from work fill the streets. Riding in taxis, buses and subway trains or even just walking the sidewalks to make it to work.
Some travel just a few blocks but most travel much greater distances to make the trek from home to their place of employment and later back home. Sometimes they don't make it to their jobs. Sometimes they don't make it back home. When the reason the journey is interrupted is at the evil hand of a killer, then the detectives under the command of Captain Katherine Beckett-Castle become involved.
Katherine Beckett is at her desk reviewing case progress data on her detectives. She knows the men and women under her command are the finest officers of the NYPD and the statistics in front of her prove that out. Even thought sometimes the cases get strange or just downright weird her detectives usually get to the bottom of the crime and locate a killer and get justice for the victims
Her station's closure rate is the highest in the city and she can proudly say that no one even comes close to her team.
Castle still comes in from time to time and works with Ryan or Esposito or sometime both to keep up his crime solving skills. He does miss being out with Kate but he also likes having her safe in the station and not in the line of fire every day.
Beckett also misses being in on the chase herself. She spent the first 13 years in the department being on the front lines of law enforcement but now she has to watch from the box seats.
However she does, on occasion, sneak out and go with one of the team just to keep her sword honed to sharp perfection. She decides that today will be one of those days. She just needs to select a case to do the ride along.
She directs the intake officer to keep her advised of any cases as they are assigned to the detectives from the 12th. It is early in the day when a case catches her team and something about it just screams for her to join in.
A body is found in an apartment on Lexington. Not a low rent unit, but one of the more moderate buildings. A resident must have at least some backing to be able to afford the rent in this unit.
Detectives Esposito and Ryan have just returned from the investigation and canvas when the phone rings on Kevin's desk. He answers "Ryan! Hey Lanie. No Javi is in on the phone. You have something for us?" Ryan listens then a questioning look appears on his face. "OK I'll tell Javi. This sounds like one that Beckett might like to sink her teeth into
After grabbing Esposito, Ryan and his partner step up to Beckett's door "Captain?"
"Come in guys" Beckett responds when she sees who is entering
"We got one right up your and Castle's alley" Esposito states "The victim" Javi looks at the file "Keith Toler was found dead in his apartment by the super when he went in to check on an order complaint"
"What is so unusual about that?
"The victim was dead twice"
"What do you mean the victim's dead twice?"
"This one has been dead since 2005" Ryan states
"OK guys! How is out victim been dead since 2005?" The Captain asks
"OUR victim's real name is Rodney LuPlace. He was a resident of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit and he was listed as one of the victims. The record even showed that his body was recovered and buried. They had a funeral and everything" Esposito fills in some additional information
Beckett is looking at the file that Ryan had given her when the two detectives entered the room "Is this maybe an identity theft. I mean was the victim using the other man's ID?"
"No. Lanie confirmed the fingerprints. Our victim was listed as a victim of Katrina"
"Wait" Beckett comments "Was he in the system? Did he have a record?"
"No Lanie ran him in AFIS and the government databases and it came back from a military record. He was in the Marines from Gulf One"
"So we have a body that was dead way before we got him?"
"Lanie said that he has only been dead a day"
Kate's Diary
Mom,
It has been two years. Two wonderful, wonder filled years since Rick and I tied the knot.
I had heard somewhere that men change after they get married. Marriage changes them. The man will become complacent with their wife. Take her for granted. He will stop being attentive to her. I will tell you that Rick has in fact changed over these last two years too
He actually treats me better now than he did when he was trying to win me over. He acts like we are still courting. He never ceases to amaze me with his thoughts and gifts. Beginning with that first gift he ever gave me. A copy of Storm Fall while we were working the Tisdale case together and then fixing dad's watch and the list goes on and on. Then doing other things with me like having dinner at Remy's when we both claimed that we were not officially seeing each other or dating each other. Taking me away from a boring meal with a firefighter so we could solve a murder together. Even having hot macaroni and cheese from the comfort food truck after a hard day in the precinct.
Then he included me in the Nikki Heat stories as co author, the jewelry he gets for me, and the beautiful clothes that we select together when he takes me shopping. Most men won't go with their wives, but he wants to see what I get. There are times I go buy things to surprise him however.
Him taking me to fancy parties and fund raisers, even having intimate dinners at home or sometimes we even go sneaking off on a forbidden rendezvous, just the two of us. He makes it look and feel like we having a scandalous liaison. Sometimes he even hides these from the media to give them something to talk about. Then waits until just the right moment to show them that in fact I am his secret date.
He takes me places I never went before. I feel like we are still on our honeymoon. I originally thought that being married to Richard Castle would be like a delicious soufflé. Sweet but eventually it too would fall.
But nothing is falling when it comes to us. He treats me like we are still just getting to know each other. I am having so much fun just being with him.
Because of all the things he does for me I just want to do more and more to keep the romance alive for him.
I am now in my second year in law school. I am doing a lot online and at night and weekends. And he is not passive and just allowing this to happen, he is helping me with my studies.
He told me that I need to hurry up and get my law degree so I can support him in the lifestyle he is accustomed to. Mom, that man drives me crazy. And I love every minute of it.
Many nights we spend in bed together with our computers. Him writing Nikki Heat and me studying the legal system. Then later we compare some private notes before sleep takes over. I have to admit that this is still my favorite part. How much we are still enjoying each other
Anyway, work is going well. Rick tells me that he does miss the 'us' of murder solving, Him and me going to crime scenes together. The theory building we did. How much the crime solving was the reason for us getting together. That common bond he and I have came from that.
But he still helps out at the station sometimes and I do sneak out occasionally myself and watch an investigation but it is not the same as him and me but when we get home…
.
Rick's Journal
Kate and I just celebrated out second anniversary. I took her to Paris. The City of Love. She surprised me when we got there. She speaks fluent French. I never knew that about her. I thought that after being married this long that I had discovered every secret of the woman I love.
But now I am beginning to believe there are secrets hidden inside that she will never divulge. I am going to keep trying however. For me the trying to uncover her mysteries is half the fun.
She still does things to me that I really thought would be over after being married this long. I remember so well with my first two marriages after we got home from the honeymoon everything changed. Our marriage life lost all of the spice that existed before the wedding. It was like they had what they wanted and the intimacy was now gone forever.
Kate, however, is still doing things to me that keeps that spark we started with and the flame inside is alive and the heat is constantly building.
With her doing so much top keep the romance alive the way she does just makes me want to do more and more for her.
She is doing so well in her studies to get her law degree. We spend many nights in bed together with her on her laptop doing her studies and me on mine writing more about the extraordinary Nikki Heat.
I just realized that when Kate gets her degree then Nikki will no longer be a cop and I will have to change her to a lawyer. No wait! I know. I will have her be part of the DA's office and still be an investigator. That will be perfect.
She will be a smokin' hot DA carrying a gun. Just like she is now, a smokin' hot cop carrying a gun
I think the common denominator here is that Kate Beckett is smokin' hot
OK so much for my love life now on to my daughter.
Alexis and Chip Morgan seem to have become a couple. After Kate's and my wedding the two of them are talking all the time and seeing each other whenever possible. Now he is going to Columbia where Alexis is. They see each other a lot. Whenever Alexis comes home for the weekend, Chip is usually in tow. He stays in the guest room, formerly mother's room since we moved mother to Kate's old apartment.
Kate tells me that I better start planning on becoming a father-in-law since it looks like that is where they are heading. Then I told her that if that happens then she will be the mother-in-law. That earned me a poke in the chest. But I deserved it.
I have to say that Alexis and Kate do get along like a real mother and daughter. I am so glad Kate was willing to take that duty without being prompted. Alexis does love Kate and Kate obviously loves Alexis. And that makes me one very happy dad.
But then I got another call from Mr. Smith. He had some interesting information to pass on to me. I am so glad that he did this when I was in bed with Kate and she heard the conversation and knows I am keeping no secrets from her