From the crime scene to the precinct

"So how did you get there before me?" Beckett asked Castle. They had already been to the crime scene and were now on their way to the precinct to start the investigation.

"I was excited. How does the facial recognition software work anyway?" Castle couldn't wait to see the technology in action. It was all he could do to not act like a two-year-old.

"Well, it carefully examines the victim's face, and then it looks through all the different faces for matches. It's highly technical, you'll see."

"That is so cool. I've seen so many episodes of crime shows and documentaries where they have that kind of software. I can't wait to see it in person." His excitement was growing by the second. Everything he had done so far in the precinct had been boring paperwork or sifting through files.

"I can't wait for you to see it either, Castle. The look on your face is going to be priceless," Kate said with a smile. At the moment, she wasn't going to let him in on the secret that there was no such software. He'd find out soon enough that he was going to be doing all the work himself.

"Any ideas on who she could be, or why she's there?" Castle asked, shifting his focus to the victim. She was frozen solid when they found her. It seemed to him to be very different than a typical murder, which is why he was so excited. This would be something new.

"Not yet, but there's always an answer. We just have to find it."

From the precinct to Melanie's husband's apartment

"So Castle, why did you get divorced?" Kate asked. She knew he had been married twice, but they never talked about why the marriages had ended. She had asked him once, and he implied that they had both cheated on him, but the conversation never went further.

"Which time?"

"Both times," Kate said.

"Well, the first had a lot to do with Meredith cheating on me. The second time, it just wasn't meant to be. Plus, it was annoying being harassed all the time about writing. Gina's my publisher."

Kate was surprised by all the new information she just received. She had no idea who he had been married to. "Wow, that's tough," she said sincerely. "She's still your publisher?"

"Yes. But now when I dodge her calls, I don't have to worry about her thinking I'm having an affair. It's purely because I don't have anything written for my book."

Kate decided to change the subject. She got the information she wanted for the moment and didn't want her inquiries to cause him to focus on her life. "I wonder what made Sam think she 'ran away.' Or at least, what kind of excuse he came up with that the cops bought."

"And why she turned up now, no less. Five years later. Talk about a cold case," Castle chuckled, laughing at his own joke. All Kate could do was roll her eyes.

From the apartment to the precinct

"Murdered," Castle said, restating the information they just received from Roger, the new resident of the Cavanaugh's old apartment. The man told them that Melanie's husband Sam had been murdered, which was pretty shocking news to both Castle and Kate.

"Well, that makes things slightly more interesting, doesn't it," Kate commented. They didn't have any information on Sam and needed to learn about him before they could investigate any further. This was not something they had planned on.

"Doesn't mean he didn't have anything to do with it," Castle responded. "His murder could be related. Maybe Sam killed Melanie, and someone found out and wanted revenge. Like in 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.' Maybe he died by hook." He couldn't help but make jokes to lighten the mood. It was his nature.

"No, but it also means he couldn't have dumped the body last night. That means that even if he was in on it, he didn't act alone." Castle noticed the frustration in her voice.

"Think Mr. Magoo knows more than he's letting on?" Roger, the current resident of the apartment, had been the one to inform them of Sam's death. That sort of thing probably would have been disclosed in the rental agreement, especially if the murder happened in the apartment.

"A man rents an apartment in NYC, nothing uninteresting about that," Kate said definitively.

"What kind of man rents an apartment where someone was murdered? I would think it would be condemned."

"A man desperate for a good price in New York. Besides, we don't know he was murdered in the apartment. Or that she was, for that matter."

"Well, yes, but wouldn't their ghosts still haunt the place?" Castle was happy with himself that he got a chuckle out of her.

"Let's just see what the boys have come up with. Maybe there's a connection."

From the precinct to White Plains

"So Castle, how do you come up with these ideas anyway?" Kate asked on their car ride to see Ben Davidson, Melanie's father. Ben and his wife had custody of Melanie's two daughters, and it was up to Kate to give him the news they found his daughter's body.

"God-given talent," Castle responded, his ego never faltering even for a second.

"And the titles?" Castle had just came up with a title for the case as if it was a book – A Chill Runs Through her Veins. She had to admit it was catchy, and was definitely something that would catch her eye on a bookshelf.

"They speak to me. Flowers For Your Grave, Hell Hath No Fury…not to mention all the puns on 'Storm' and upcoming ones on 'Heat.'"

At that, Kate decided to change the subject. Talking about Castle's upcoming Nikki Heat series based on her life was not something she liked to remember. "Must be hard on Melanie's parents, raising her daughters and all."

"I don't foresee them reacting well to this news. I can't imagine being on the receiving end myself," Castle said.

"They'll probably be relieved, more than anything. If they can't get their loved ones back, they'll want closure. That's the only way to really move on." Kate couldn't help but think about her own situation, and Castle caught on to the change in tone in her voice. She hadn't told him about her 'story' yet, and wanted to keep it from him as long as possible.

"Do you think they have anything to do with either murder?" Castle asked, curious to see if Melanie's and Sam's deaths were related, or if Sam's really was just part of a robbery.

"Anything's possible."

"I wonder what their relationship was like."

"Couldn't have been that strained for her to leave them the kids," Kate said.

"That was probably just the courts. She had drug problems. That can tear a family apart."

From the Davidson's house to the bar in New Jersey to see Detective Sloan

"Why do you think Sloan didn't put in the work he should've?" Castle asked Beckett on their way to New Jersey. He wasn't experienced enough in the field to realize that cops didn't always do their job the way it was intended.

"Could be a number of reasons. He could've just been tired. It was only five years ago- maybe he was about to retire and didn't want to get involved in a big case that would take up that much of his time," she finished, pausing to think for a moment. Would those be real reasons for a detective to leave a case like that? Obviously, it was nothing she would ever do. Nor would any detectives she knew, for that matter. "Or maybe he was crooked, who knows."

"Is that where we're headed to now? To see Sloan?"

"Yeah. Call Ryan and find out an address, would you?" Kate asked, tossing him her phone.

"Think he'll remember details about the case?" Castle asked, finding Ryan's number on speed dial.

"Depends on how important it was to him at the time, and if he was really hiding something or not. My bet is that he'll remember a lot, including why he didn't pursue it further." The more she thought about it, the more she thought Sloan didn't do his job for a specific reason.

"They seemed happy to get their closure, don't you think?" Castle asked, referring back to the Davidsons and how they had reacted to the news of Melanie's death.

"Yeah, it was probably a huge relief for them to finally know." Again Kate had a slight change in the tone of her voice. She sounded almost annoyed.

"Ben seemed kind of angry, too. You think something's there?" Castle asked.

"His daughter was murdered. Wouldn't you be angry, Castle?" Kate asked with fervor in her voice. With that, Castle dropped the subject.

From the precinct to South Jersey to see Hensen

"So you never answered my question," Castle stated. They had a long drive ahead of them and a lot of silence to fill. Maybe he'd try and get some answers, or a backstory for his character. Not to mention he wanted to know a little more about his new partner, and friend.

"What question?"

"About your dad, and what happened to him." Castle thought he had solved a part of the mystery. She had been wearing her father's watch, or at least a man's watch that he assumed to belong to her father. He put the pieces together, but had yet to get an answer.

"Nothing happened to my father. At least nothing I want to tell you about." Kate responded, a little too quickly and defensively.

"That is his watch though isn't it?" he asked. He was determined to peel back a layer of the Kate Beckett onion and figure out why she had become a cop. He had called her out on her story when they first met, but nothing was revealed.

"Yes it is, happy now? Stop trying to write my story, Castle," Kate said, annoyed at his constant questioning.

"I'm not trying to write it. It's already written," he responded smartly. He always had an answer for everything.

"Then stop trying to read my story."

"Come on, Beckett. We're spending all this time together. It's a long drive to South Jersey and back. We should get to know each other better," Castle said, appealing to her softer side. He wasn't trying to be annoying or intrusive, even if it was coming off that way.

"Or we could play the license plate game," she said with a smile.

From the truck place to the precinct to interrogate the friend Charles Wyler

"You know, Beckett, that was some excellent work we did there. We make a great team." The two of them had practically just figured out the entire crime timeline of Melanie's death, with Roger's help.

"Yeah, except for the part where we're married," Beckett complained. Part of putting the scene together had them acting as Melanie and Sam for a moment, which meant they were a married couple. Being married to Castle was something Kate did not want to ever imagine, even for a second, whether or not was hypothetical.

"What, you don't want to be married to me?" Castle asked innocently.

"Not even in your wildest dreams," she responded curtly. They barely tolerated each other. Or rather, she barely tolerated him.

"Come on, it wouldn't be that bad," he teased. "I promise I won't ever shove you in a freezer."

"Oh, well in that case…"

"Anyway," Castle said, changing the subject. "You think Wyler will cooperate?"

"He's going to have to, unless he wants to go to jail for accessory to murder."

"With a good lawyer, people can get away with anything, including murder. Look at OJ."

"Yeah, well, that's why we go for the confession. Aim for the throat," Kate said. She had no sympathy for people who committed crimes of any kind, least of all murder. This was her job, and she did it well.

"Ruthless. I like it."

From the precinct to the Cavanaugh's old apartment

"So we're thinking the same thing right?" The two of them had solved the case. Sam killed Melanie and used the freezer to get her body out of the apartment. But there was something missing.

"It wasn't Sloan," Kate answered.. The pieces didn't add up and they had to find out why.

"Or it was Sloan, and he knew more than he let on."

"Which means someone else was in on it. Let's find out who."

From the apartment to see Melanie's parents

"What's the plan?" Castle asked. They had just learned that Ben had questioned Deloris, the woman who they delivered the freezer to, just a year before. Coincidentally around the time of Sam's death.

"I don't know," Kate answered. She was obviously upset at the turn of events. She wanted to give the Davidsons closure, and instead had to question Ben regarding the murder of his son-in-law.

"He killed him," Castle stated, referring to Sam's death.

"Or had him killed and just made it look like a robbery."

"So he knew all this time…" Castle was talking absently as he looked out the window, thinking about why he never came forward.

"Or at least suspected it. And was positive enough of Sam's guilt to have him killed."

"I can't say I wouldn't do the same."

"Have a man killed?" Kate asked incredulously. There was apparently more to Castle than he let on also.

"If he hurt Alexis? I'd do anything for her," he responded, almost shocked that she didn't realize how far a parent would go for their child.

"But you wouldn't be protecting her anymore. Why not just tell the police what you know instead of risking everything?" Kate asked. As a detective, she had more faith than the average citizen in the judicial system. "They would have handled it."

"Instinct. Knowing that the police didn't care the first time around. Knowing that justice isn't always served."

Reflecting on her own life, she couldn't argue with that.

Much thanks to encantadaa and Janna for the editing help, and to jstar1382 (Jill) for the encouragement!