Richard Castle has sequestered himself in his basement office below The Olde Haunt. He has his cloned computer open and is researching and trying to dig down to where the money came from and wen to relating to Johanna's murder.

He knows Dick Coonan was the trigger man. He knows it was 100k to do the job. He has researched tracks of money looking for a trail, but he is still running down a lot of back alleys that lead to a dead end. He knows the money went to an offshore bank, but eventually it has to come back to the states or he can never spend it.

Since Castle sent 100k to the fake name Coonan gave him, he has a cold trail to start with. What he needs is someone in the intelligence community who can punch through the firewalls of these offshore financial institutions and get him some answers as to where the money came from and where it went.

Rick decides to make contact with an intelligence officer who may, or may not, want to talk to him. The way they left it off was filled with tensions at a very emotional level.

He takes his phone out and dials a number. Like he had done before with another operative. He speaks a code in the phone and hangs up. It is not long before his phone rings and the caller ID says 'Blocked'. He has no doubt that it is her.

"Hello Sophie" the conversation begins.

"Rick Castle. I honestly thought I would never hear from you again after the way we left things."

"You know I did not want things to end that way"

"Then what way did you want it to end?"

"Sophie, we were never a good match. You knew it and I knew it"

"We should have just left it in the desire and not in the action instead."

"I agree. We could never have gone any farther anyway. You cannot have a real relationship in your line of work. Especially with a public figure like me"

After a poignant moment of silence "I know that. But do you think you and Detective
Beckett can do any better?"

This time Castle is silent then he speaks "Sophie. I am trying to help her if I can. I opened this pandora's box and if I can find closure for her, with me or without me…I owe her that much."

"OK Rick. What do you need?"

"I have a wire address that money was sent from my account a year ago. I need to get the tracking to where the real account that received the payment and any other payments that went through this account."

"You know that I cannot touch any banks in the US?"

"The bank is offshore. It was a onetime wire transfer, so I assume the money went from there to a US bank. Once I know who the US financial institution is, I can work it from there."

"Anything else?"

"After I find the US destination, I will locate any other inbound transactions and from where. Then I will need other inbound wire transfers that ended up in the same US Bank. I will need the foreign source and where that came from."

"You don't want much, do you."

"I know this is a lot Sophie. If you don't want to do this I will understand."

She waits a beat. "No Rick. I will do what I can for this, but then we call it even."

"Even."

"Give me a secure e-mail and I will see where it leads and e-mail the information."

He gives her a special address he created thru the VPN server.

"Rick?"

"Yes"

"Is she worth it?"

More than you could ever know."

/\/\/\/\

It is a short trip from the Olde Haunt to the 12 precinct and Castle arrives only 20 minutes after he leaves the bar.

He exits the elevator and looks across the floor looking for the two partners he is assigned to work with. He does not see either of them at this moment, but he figures they are probably at a crime scene, but his assumption is destroyed when he hears the pair exiting the break room each holding a fresh cup of coffee.

They stop as soon as they see him "Hey bro" Esposito always starts.

"Hey guys. You have any cases assigned to me right now?"

The two look at each other.

"Yeah " Ryan responds " She assigned you to the cold case files"

"Really?"

Esposito answers "Yup. She gave you the cases that have gone unsolved"

Castle smiles "This could not be better. Do I get to choose my cases?"

Ryan look confused "You are happy with the cold cases?"

"Oh yeah. I get to do any cold case…including Johnna's"

"That works out well"

"I still can't do any research from here directly to that case. I will have to use my secure connection, but I can look into all the police reports and investigations for all cases."

"How will that help?" Espo asks

"I will do it globally pull cases between two dates and then start here looking at a case that is close. Then return to the other machine to finish the investigation."

"That works" Javi comments just as he looks up to see the Police Commissioner entering the floor. "Look who came to make sure you are here:"

"RICK" Commissioner Seam O'Malley speaks loud enough for everyone to hear including Captain Gates. She uses the opportunity to assure the Commissioner sees her and her fake happiness to have Castle back. "YOU are taking me to lunch." He firmly remarks.

"Yes sir, Mr. Commissioner" Castle looks at Ryan and Esposito and smiles letting them know this was a setup to assure Gates sees the friendship.

"OH, wait Sean…I need to make sure it is OK with Captain Gates."

Ricks turns toward the woman. She puts on a fake smile "Of course it is. You two have a good lunch"

The men leave the floor and Gates turns back to Ryan and Esposito. Let's get some cases closed…shall we?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kate Beckett's body has recovered to the point that it is telling her to get up early so she can get to work by 8AM. She rolls off the bed with much less discomfort than yesterday, which is less than the day before. In fact, she just feels some pulling as she moves her arms over her head in an attempt to stretch out.

She goes to the bathroom and brushes her teeth to try and get the taste of sleep out of her mouth then goes to her kitchen and get a cup of coffee. As she pours the brew that wakes her foggy brain so he can get her day started more alert.

As she takes her first sip of the caffeine, her face grimaces and her lips curl. There is something in her brain telling her that this is not the delicious flavor of drink she is accustomed to having in the morning, but she cannot place a finger on the specific problem, just it is not the taste she loves.

She goes back to her living room and sits down on her couch. She flips on the television so she can watch the news and get a glimpse of today's weather forecast.

A story is running about the NYPD. The reporter has been given access to a homicide unit at the 65th Precinct. The reporter follows the officers to a crime scene. Kate notices how the camera avoids the real scene not showing the body or any possible evidence they collect. The reporter is seen next to a murder board. The reporter interviews the lead officer who is describing how the board is used to consider time lines, victims and their story then the suspects.

As the camera operator scans the board, the details are blurred so no one gets any real information.

Kate sees a murder board in her mind, but it does not look like the one on the television screen. It is smaller and looks more like a window and shutters.

She looks at a window in her apartment that has the exactg shutters she pictures in her mind. She jumps up and rushes to the light. Her heart is racing as she grabs the shutters and swings them open.

What she sees is not what she was expecting. She sees the inside of her window and the daylight outside. There is no murder board. It is just a window.

She feels odd as she goes back to the couch. Disappointed that something in her fuzzy memory does not actually exist. Not every flashback she has had is not real.

Today, Kate Beckett, is moving into the next phase of her treatment so she can resume her duties as a detective at the 12th precinct. She is looking at the business card for a doctor the department uses when officers need some treatment for traumatic or critical incident situations.

His services are not limited to events such as what Kate is fighting. He has established a course called 'Critical Incident Management'. This is for officers, both fire and police, after dealing with critical incidents such as multiple fatalities, or events involving the young.

It has been discovered that after exposure to events the men and women need to decompress and Dr. Burke organized a group to help with that.

So, Dr. Burke is the best at what he does when traumatic events happen. Kate is definitely one that is in need of his services.

/\/\/\/\/

She is sitting in the waiting room of Doctor Carter Burke PhD. Waiting for her first visit with the man. She is trying to prepare for her meeting by imagining what questions he will post and the answers she will give him to satisfy his list of things she must do so she can return to duty sooner rather than later. She thinks of it as a punch list of questions and her boxed answers she had determined he will want to hear so she can be released.

After a very few moments the inner door opens, and the deep soothing voice of the counselor is heard. "Kate. I am Doctor Burke. Please come in." he directs her toward the inner space.

As she enters, she looks around the room. The space is warm and inviting. Nothing like the stories of sterile offices containing a therapy couch located beside a small chair for the therapist to sit facing the client. There is a comfortable couch and wing back chair for the client and another for the therapist, large open window looking into a beautiful sun filled garden. The lighting is subdued yet not dark. The entire area is designed to make the patient willing to open up.

"Please, Kate. You may sit or stand. Whatever makes you more at ease" Dr. Burke sits in the single chair facing the couch.

She looks at the seating arrangement and decides to place herself in the small wing back chair.

She does not realize that this action has just told the doctor that she is closed up and this will take some time to open her up so she can begin her healing process.