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Once again Castle isn't mine.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Chapter Two

Beckett sighed as she pulled her car in behind the patrol cars at the edge of the park, she shivered as she climbed out into the early morning breeze, this wasn't the Hamptons. There would be no chance of a run along the beach this morning. She smiled at the uniform who held the tape up for her and she bent over and slid underneath it. She took a deep breath as memories of her mother and her mother's murder flooded her head, every time she crossed a line of tape at a crime scene she'd see her mother's face, soon followed by her mother's crumpled body. It didn't matter that she now had more answers as to why her mother was killed - the memories still remained. Lately Castle had taken to giving her arm a small squeeze as they crossed under the tape, he'd known about her flashbacks long before they were ever together – he'd been the first person she'd ever told. She smiled wistfully and reached for her right arm with her left hand, squeezing it. It wasn't the same and immediately she missed Castle, missed his comforting presence.

"Yo Beckett." Esposito called from a squatting position, Beckett looked over to where he was and she knew she'd made the right decision in leaving Castle at home, missing him or not, he didn't need to see the sight that was greeting her.

Lanie was kneeling next to the body, holding one of the victim's small hands in her own, staring under the fingernails, Esposito was watching carefully and Ryan was talking to a man who still seemed to be having trouble breathing.

Beckett took a deep breath and walked over to Lanie, "What have we got?" she asked cautiously, staring down at the body, taking in the scene in front of her.

"She's been strangled," Lanie began, using her pen to lift the strap of material from around the victim's neck, "based on the degree of bruising on her cheek I'd say she's been dead no longer than three hours."

Beckett looked down at her watch, "Just before 2am?"

Lanie nodded, "She's also got a deep cut along her arm," she explained, pointing at the left arm of the body, "It seems to have been made by this." Lanie said gesturing towards a pen that rested on the grass next to her.

Beckett knelt next to her and stared at the victim, she was young, no more than twenty-five, she had deep green almost grey eyes, one side of her face was perfect, her makeup professionally applied, the other was marred by a large bruise and a blood stain that looked as if the victim had wiped at her face after she'd been cut. Her hair was a dark raven black, half of it was curled and framed her face, and the other half tied up and clipped on top of her head, her dress was designer made, and clung to her body in all the right places. Alive, she would have been a stunning young woman, she was beautiful, but not in the sense of beauty that was in fashion now, she was beautiful in the way that women were years before. Beckett regarded her carefully; there was something eerily familiar about her face, Beckett had seen someone that looked like her before.

Immediately she thought of Paulette Bancroft, Paulette had had dark black hair, she'd been found with a large cut on one of her arms and she'd been strangled, strangled with the length of the leather strap of her handbag and she'd had the kind of classic beauty that this victim had.

"It isn't robbery," Esposito said as he pointed towards the jewellery that the victim was still wearing, "That bracelet is at least a grand, if not more."

"$1199." Lanie answered quickly, "I pointed it out to you last week baby. I suggested it as a birthday present. I've taken it off the list."

Esposito nodded his head, "Got it, I'll think of a new idea and she's still got the matching necklace." He replied as he then gestured towards the victim's neck, before moving his attention to her handbag, the strap was missing, it was still around the victim's neck, Beckett could see where the strap had been torn off. "Also cash and phone," he said as he handed the broken handbag towards Beckett, "No ID or cards, but there is this."

Beckett stared at what Esposito had handed her, folded pieces of paper, she read them carefully, it appeared to be a script of some sort. It wasn't anything she recognised, it was a scene set in a hotel room, involving two characters Beckett had never heard of.

"Beckett," Ryan said as he came over to join them, "Our witness here says he was out running and fell over the edge of her handbag, he immediately fell next to our vic here, that pile over there is from where he was sick before he called us."

"What was he doing out running at 4am?" Beckett questioned, keeping hold of the papers and the handbag as she stood up.

"He's a Wall Street man, comes out to run before he makes a cool million an hour, providing investment advice to the rich and famous." Ryan explained, "He left me his card, told us to call if we needed him."

Beckett nodded, "He can go, tell him we will be in touch."

Ryan nodded back and headed back over to the witness, who smiled through his deep breathing and immediately ran off and out into the still quiet park.

"Lanie," Beckett said as she turned to look at her friend, "I need to know if Bancroft could have done this?"

A look of realisation crossed Esposito's face, "That's why no Castle."

"Exactly," Beckett replied, "We don't mention any of this to him until we are certain, but more importantly the press will be all over this if it is Bancroft. Captain needs details to head them off."

"As soon as I've got her on the slab I'll compare wounds," Lanie explained, "As soon as I know you'll know."

"Thanks Lanie," Beckett replied, "Esposito, Ryan," she began as Ryan came back to stand next to his partner, "I need you two to run witnesses in the park, see if anyone else saw our vic or her murderer. Start with that apartment there, by her clothes she was at a party last night, we could be lucky and she was just there." Beckett explained, pointing to an apartment she could see in the distance, it was lit up like a Christmas tree and there were at least five people dancing on the small balcony. "I'll head back to the precinct and run the phone, see if we can get an ID."

Esposito and Ryan nodded and began to head for the apartment. "I'll see you later Lanie." Beckett said as she turned back, she felt her heartbeat quicken as she saw the look on the medical examiners face, "Lanie?" Beckett questioned, kneeling once more as she stared at what her friend had found.

"Swift's Jewellers," Lanie read slowly.

"The same type of key card Paulette Bancroft had on the night she was killed." Beckett replied just as slowly, "This vic worked at the same store as Paulette."

Lanie nodded as she motioned quickly to one of the other uniforms that were manning the tape, he knew what she was meaning and immediately helped her load the body onto the stretcher before getting his partner to help him take her to the van. "As soon as I know anything." Lanie told Beckett as she slipped past the stunned detective, who nodded and then watched her go.

Beckett took a deep breath before rummaging around her pocket for her cell, she dialled her Captain's office, he answered on the first ring, "Sir," Beckett began, "Our victim worked at Swift's."

Beckett heard the sharp intake of breath on the end of the phone, "I'll get him picked up. See if he can talk his way out of this one." Captain Montgomery answered.

"Sir." Beckett answered and then he was gone and Beckett was left with the dial tone in her ear - alone in the park gathering her thoughts, she was going to get another chance at Michael Bancroft and this time she'd be ready for him.

Alexis Castle woke at 5:30am, the ringing of her alarm clock in her ears as she threw a hand out from under the covers, silencing the alarm immediately. Yawning she pulled herself from the bed and slid her feet out onto the carpet beneath her, her philosophy major essay was due this morning and she needed to read it at least another four times to make sure it was perfect. She sighed as she took her laptop from her desk and her cell phone and headed out into the hall, blinking she noticed a light from her father's bedroom – he'd moved upstairs about a year ago when her Gram had moved out permanently. Her father had taken her Gram's old bedroom and the other spare bedroom and knocked the wall out between them, creating his own giant sized room. Apparently it separated work Castle from non-work Castle – Alexis had pleaded with her father not to tell her anymore, otherwise he'd be paying for her therapy.

Tiptoeing down the hall she squinted as she reached the door, before calling out, "Dad, are you okay?" there was no response, so she tried a different question, "Kate, are you okay?" still there was no response. Alexis took a deep breath closed her eyes and poked her head in the door, still there was silence, slowly she opened her eyes, one finger crossing the other that she wouldn't see her father doing something that no daughter should see her father doing, but the bedroom was empty. The covers had been hastily thrown back and both her father and Kate weren't there. Alexis wrinkled her nose and walked into the room, switching the lamp off and heading into the hall, it wasn't unusual for her to wake with neither her father nor Kate at home; murderers didn't keep to the hours of nine to five. Using her cell as a light she headed down stairs, she'd made sure she'd kept some chocolates in the back of the pantry, after the essay she'd written she deserved chocolate for breakfast.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs she couldn't help but roll her eyes, there was still a lamp on in her father's study, sighing she made her way into the room, honestly, she thought – it was good that her father was a best selling novelist, the amount of electricity he used would sometimes be enough to power a small country. She begun to sigh as she noticed that the laptop was also on, it was then that she realised her father was still there, he was asleep with his feet resting on the desk in front of him.

"Dad," Alexis said quietly, shaking at her father's shoulder, "I think you'd be better off in bed."

"Alexis?" Castle questioned, as he blinked his eyes, "What time is it?"

"Just after 5:30." Alexis replied, as she watched her father wince as he removed his legs from the desk and stretched them. "I thought you must have gone with Kate."

"Why are you awake?" Castle questioned, before he realised what Alexis was also saying.

"My essay." Alexis added simply, motioning towards the laptop she still held in one hand. "Dad," she began, "If you are here then where's Kate gone?"

Castle shrugged as he stood up, "I don't know." He answered simply.

"Did you do something to annoy her?" Alexis questioned as the two of them walked into the kitchen.

He thought for a moment before answering, "Not that I remember. We'd gone to bed, I woke up, and there was a scene with Nikki and Rook and Roach that I wanted to write."

Alexis held up a hand, "Dad you know how I feel about your books especially now you and Kate are together. There are pages that I skip." Castle laughed, "Seriously Dad," Alexis added, "there are some things I really just don't need to know."

Castle laughed again, before he frowned – if there had been a murder which he assumed there must have been – why hadn't Beckett woken him? How long had she been gone? Where had she gone?

So that was the case. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be up soon, my brain just keeps on writing this story at the moment and I am thrilled about it.