Kate has led Martha Rogers into her living room and directed her toward the couch.
"Please Martha, make yourself at home"
Beckett knows that to ask Castle's mother to make herself at home in her modest…correction meek apartment when compared to the massive loft she lives in is to ask a corporate executive to accept a ride in a VW micro bus.
The red headed diva looks around and gives an honest appraisal of the unit. "Katherine, you have a lovely place here. It seems to suit your style so well."
Kate is taken back by that remark. She doesn't know much about Martha Rogers, other than she is a Broadway actress. And does not understand how this woman feels she "Knows" Beckett's style.
"Thank you. Can I get you anything? A glass of wine perhaps?"
"Yes. That would be nice. What do you have?"
Kate realizes her meager apartment can only be made worse by her meager selection of wine. "Martha, I am afraid I do not have any vintage coming close to what I know you are accustomed to drinking."
"Katherine. Please, whatever you have will be fine. Very fine."
Whatever the reason for Richard Castle's mother being in Kate Beckett's apartment she seems to be doing her best to relax Kate and make her more at ease with whatever is happening or going to happen.
\/\/\/\/\/\
The afternoon finds Richard Castle finishing his obligation of book signing. He looks at his watch and sees that it is really too late to go back to the precinct to accomplish anything, so he turns toward The Olde Haunt. It has been several days since he has been in communication with his resources in Europe. He is hoping that there has been some movement on the pandora's box he opened several years ago. He now plans to get closed before the person or persons wanting to kill Kate succeed in completing the task.
When he enters the lower level office, he immediately sees a flashing box on his screen indicating there is a message to be retrieved.
He sits down and opens the secure VPN that was established for just this reason.
EXCEPT. He does not recognize the sender or the sender's domain address.
He is very concerned about opening the message, worried that it might, in fact, be a bogus message designed to only locate him and expose his intents.
He stops to think about how much security is in place to prevent that very thing from happening. Multiple bounces around the world. Rotating VPN's. Bogus return domains and spoofed IP addresses. It is virtually impossible to find him or even know who he is.
He presses the 'Open" button and receives a shock when he reads the message
"Hello Richard. What are you doing?"
He is sitting at his desk thinking this is supposed to be secure.
/\/\/\/\/\
Kate is setting in her living room petrified at what she is going to hear from the mother of the man that seems to be inserted in her life, whether she wants him or not.
But keeping the meeting as light as Martha can, she smiles toward Beckett with a face that seems so sincere and makes Kate willing to open up and listen to what his woman wants to say.
"Katherine, I am sure my visit is unexpected, to say the least"
Kate quietly responds "yes. I can't imagine why you came here."
"Darling. You need to understand that a lot of things have happened in the last three years and you should know what and the ramifications of those actions are."
Kate is positive that Martha will unleash on her after how Alexis reacted to Kate trying to talk to Rick. But Martha begins lighter than expected.
"Katherine. What do you really know about Richard?"
She has to shift her mind to what she has looked up. The things written about Castle and his escapades. "He is actually my favorite writer. I have loved his books from the beginning of Derrick Storm. I am hoping to read more."
"For starters, he is not writing any more Storm books."
Beckett is confused. "He's not?"
"No. Unfortunately he killed Derrick off three years ago."
She is truly surprised. "What...Why..."
"He said that Derrick no longer held any mystery for him. Richard said he knew every move Storm was going to make before he ever put one letter on a page, so he closed the story of Derrick in 'Storm Fall'."
Kate suddenly sees a flash of a party. There are lots of women there and posters of the cover of the book 'Storm Fall'. "Was there a release party for that book? On a roof top somewhere?"
"Yes. That was the first time you and he met."
She is trying to recover more from her memory. "Did I arrest him there?"
Martha issues a gentle laugh. "No. But you did have him come in for questioning About a murder that was done in the same way Richard killed a victim on a book."
Kate is getting more memory returning the more Martha talks.
/\/\/\/\/\
Castle is now troubled by what he has seen coming in on the computer. He was positive that the computer and the connections secure from any possibility that someone outside the secure VPN could track him down. But now, not only as someone broken in but knows who Castle is and where to find him.
Castle decides to go one the offense and try to get a track on wo this person is and what they might want.
He opens the reply tab and begins a message. "Who are you?"
Only a minute passes before the response comes "Someone who cares"
Knowing that the response might not be truthful, Rick follows thru. "Friend or Foe?"
Again, the wait is short "Definitely friend"
"How can I be sure about that?"
"One thing is that you and Kate are still alive"
"And another?"
"You will find the body of the man who tried to kill her in a motel in Hackensack, New Jersey. It will look like a suicide"
"Are you sure it's not?"
"Cole Maddox is right-handed. The bullet wound is on the left"
"OK You know about a man dead in New Jersey. That is not information that is hard to get"
"Especially if I am the person who made him that way"
This conversation is becoming frightening for Rick "
"I also know about Smith contacting you"
"If you know all these things, then who killed Johanna and who tried to kill Kate?"
"You already know who killed her mother. What you are really asking is who hired Conan"
Castle is beginning to wonder if he might need to terminate this communication.
"Will you tell me who you are, and how do you know all these things? And you said you killed Maddox. Are you going to kill Kate and me?"
"I will tell you when the time is right. Yes, No. I will not only NOT kill you and Kate, but I am here to protect you. Both of you."
There is a shot pause "We need to terminate this, or you might be caught. I will contact you again later."
Several odd characters cross the screen. Castle assumes they have to do with the security of the messaging.
After thinking for a minute, he takes out the burner phone and sends a text to Kevin and Javi "Got message from spook. He said the man who shot Kate is in a motel in Hackensack with a gunshot to the temple.
A minute later Ryan responds "Will check into it"
Castle closes down his computer, turns off the light and goes back up to street level. He looks both ways as if to make sure there is no threat and proceeds to hail a cab for the ride home.
/\/\/\/\/\
Kate Beckett is laughing at the antics of Martha Rogers as she describes some of her son's antics in front of Kate and the boys when he first started following her. She has put every flourish a Broadway diva can encircle a story in.
Over the last two hours, Martha has eased many of Kate's fears when it comes to Castle. She still does not remember him following her or getting his note into her business, but having his own mother describe him as a child man who cares deeply for Beckett has, in fact, helped.
Kate has come to realize how her own actions caused the daughter's attack a few weeks back and if she can find a resolution, she will.
"Martha, I am still reading about his parties and dates. If he cares as much as you say, then why…?"
"Katherine. Please check the dates on the articles. They go back a couple of years. Back when he was still chasing that elusive love that we all want. But when he came home from the party, I knew there was only one woman that was fitting that empty hole in his heart. And at the time, she was dating another man."
This brings another memory flash to Kate. She is standing talking to Castle and she is feeling a closeness, but it is broken by another man stepping up behind her and putting his arms around her. She remembers seeing the hurt, broken look on Castle's face as he walks away.
She can see the man now. Wait! It is the doctor that said he was her boyfriend. She closes her eyes, and a single tear slides down her face. She does not know why but can feel a regret for this.
Seeing that something has clicked in Kate, Martha decides to make ger exit. "Katherine. I have had such a wonderful visit, I lost track of the time. I must go" and she stands.
Kate also jumps up and walks over to the older woman. "Thank you, Martha. I have really enjoyed your visit. I hope you will come over again. It might help me recover my memories."
"It will be my pleasure, darling."
Kates escorts Martha out. When the door closes, Kate leans back against the door.
And for no reason at all, she breaks down and slides to the floor.