Castle stood at the window looking down on the traffic below. The streets were still wet from the storm that had passed through less than an hour before. He took a sip of his coffee. The angry, gray clouds still hung low and most of the cars had their lights on. What a dreary Monday morning.

"Hey, Dad," Alexis said from the kitchen. "I was going to make a bagel for myself. You want one?"

"You got a shift at the morgue this morning?" Castle asked turning and walking back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, they just need me for 4 hours this morning."

"Hey, you want me to whip up something better than a bagel?" Castle asked already opening the frig to see what there was.

"No, a bagel is great." She was already slicing it open and sticking it in the toaster.

"It seems like I haven't seen much of you lately. Is everything OK?"

"Dad, I was here all yesterday evening, but I…I've been trying to give you and Kate some space so you can get your relationship off to a good start." Alexis was blushing a little as she grabbed the toasted bagel and spread cream cheese on it.

"Oh Honey, this is your home. I don't want you to feel like you have to make yourself scarce. Kate and I are getting along great but we love having you around. You don't feel like you're getting pushed aside do you?" Castle's brow was creased with his concern.

"Dad, I'm fine. I don't feel like you're replacing me with Kate or anything. I'm happy for you guys and I want everything to work out, but I know you guys need a little space to get to know each other so I'll probably spend at least a couple of nights a week at a friend's."

Castle smirked at that, "You realize I've been following her around for 4 years? I think we know each other pretty well."

Alexis gave him a look that really reminded him of Martha. "You know what I mean, Dad."

She started to brush by him but he caught her arm, "Hey, we need to do something special – just the two of us – for a day or a weekend. Whatever you want to do. Think about it."

Alexis smiled, "OK, Dad. That'd be fun. Hey, I've got to run. See you later." She stood on tiptoe and gave him a peck on his cheek.

"Bye, Pumpkin," Castle smiled at her as she hurried off.

A few minutes later Kate came out of the bedroom wearing a soft white terry cloth robe, towel drying her hair. "I thought I heard you talking to Alexis." Kate said glancing around for the girl.

"She had to run off to the morgue." Castle shook his head. "I still can't wrap my head around my little girl working at the morgue."

Kate put her arms around him. "Well, I think the problem is that she's not a little girl anymore." Kate's voice was soft and understanding.

Castle had a wistful look on his face. "I really miss the little girl she used to be." He held Kate close and rested his chin on her head.

After several seconds, Kate pushed away so she could see his eyes. "You know you've done a wonderful job with her. She's smart, beautiful, well-grounded, and how many other girls would be brave enough to take on an internship at a morgue. She's pretty amazing."

"Yes, she is," Castle agreed. "OK, I'm done pouting about my little girl growing up. How about some breakfast? I could make omelets and bacon."

"That sounds good. I'll cut up some veggies while you fry up the bacon. Just let me get dressed first."

"Need any help?" Castle offered wiggling his eyebrows. Kate just rolled her eyes at him as she retreated to the bedroom.

As Kate washed the breakfast dishes, Castle decided to call the lawyer who had left a message on his machine.

He replayed the message to get the number then dialed the phone. He had to push a few buttons when he got the canned menu selections, but he finally got connected to a real person. "This is Richard Castle calling for Alex Montrose." He was put on hold for about 5 minutes. He was already annoyed with this firm and hadn't even talked to an attorney yet.

"Mr. Castle," Alex Montrose voice came over the line. "First, I'd like to offer my condolences." Castle felt icy fingers twist his insides. He wracked his brain for who must have died that he would be notified by a lawyer. Right away he thought about Meredith. Surely not but he was scared nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, who died?" Castle asked confused.

Now Mr. Montrose seemed confused. "Why, Mr. Craddock died. I thought you knew."

Castle's brain was flooded with relief and confusion and was frantically trying to put the puzzle pieces together. "Craddock, as in your firm, Martin, Craddock, and Bazzini?"

"Yes, he was killed a week ago in a home robbery. It's been hard on all of us."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Castle said, "but I don't believe I knew Mr. Craddock."

There were several seconds of silence on the other end. Finally Montrose said, "I just assumed you knew him since you were named in his will."

"Really?" Castle said totally surprised. "What did he leave me?"

"He left you a painting by Emil Nolde. I guess he's kind of famous. Some of his works sell for millions. The painting is called 'Mohn', M-O-H-N. It's in storage so I haven't seen it yet. Craddock was quite a collector and would rotate paintings between his house and storage. You're lucky to get such a piece. When do you want to pick it up?"

"I'm extremely curious. Would it be possible to see it today?"

"Sure, I could set that up for this afternoon. I'll have some paperwork for you to sign and then it will be yours. Let me have your cell number and I'll text you the address and time." Castle gave him his cell number.

After he hung up, Castle googled Martin, Craddock, and Bazzini. He clicked on their website then clicked on 'Meet our Partners'. There was a picture of each partner with a brief biography. Castle studied the picture of Craddock. There was something familiar about him. He read over the biography but it seemed unremarkable.

"Hey, Rick," Kate said walking into his office. "What did you find out? Are you getting sued?" Kate came over and sat on the edge of Rick's desk.

"No, nothing like that. A guy named Craddock was murdered last week. He was one of the partners in the firm that contacted me. This guy, Craddock, named me in his will and left me a valuable painting."

"So you knew Craddock then?"

"I don't think so. I looked up his picture on their website. He did kind of look familiar but I just can't place him." Castle shook his head, "I meet so many people. I could have met him at a fund raiser or it's possible he was at a book launch if he was a fan."

"Wait, why would he leave you something if you don't know him?" Kate asked a puzzled expression crossing her face.

Castle rubbed his hand across his jaw. "I have had eccentric fans leave me things in their wills before. Once I got a valuable first edition. Usually the things don't have much value." Castle chuckled, "Like the picture someone painted of me once. It was pretty bad but Alexis liked it. It's probably still in her closet."

"Montrose told me what the painting was. I'm going to see if I can find it on the internet." Castle leaned over his laptop and quickly typed in 'Nolde Mohn'. Here it is. It's a picture of poppies. Actually he did several paintings of poppies." Castle tilted his head at the screen. "You know I actually like it."

"Where are you going to put it?" Kate asked.

"I don't know, but we're going to go see it this afternoon. It's in storage. Montrose is going to let me know when and where. I'll figure out what to do after I see it."

Rick and Kate arrived at Cirkers Art Storage about 15 min early. It wasn't far from the south end of Central Park. The receptionist directed them to some comfortable chairs in the lobby while they waited for Montrose. Montrose arrived about 10 minutes late. He rushed up to Rick extending his hand and apologizing for being late. He was younger than Castle expected - probably around 30. He was thin and almost as tall as Castle with short, sandy hair. It was the voice that threw Castle off. The young man's deep voice didn't match his looks. Castle introduced Kate as Montrose signed them in. "I've arranged a viewing room for you." He explained as a Cirker employee escorted them to the room.

When they walked into the room, Kate let out a small gasp. "It's breathtaking!" she exclaimed softly.

The picture itself was roughly 2x3 but the frame made it seem much larger. Castle walked right up to the painting. "I don't always appreciate expressionist art, but I really like this piece. You said Craddock was a collector. Did he have a lot of paintings?" He asked of Montrose.

"Yes, he has a whole room here at Cirkers to store all the works that didn't fit in his house."

"So what is going to happen to the rest of his collection?"

"He didn't have any family. There are a couple of pieces he is giving to the firm. A few of the really valuable pieces he is donating to museums. The rest will be auctioned off."

"Did he give any indication why he wanted me to have this particular piece?"

"No, I just assumed that you were a good friend that maybe admired this picture."

"So none of his paintings were stolen in the robbery?" Castle questioned.

"No, they took mostly electronics and a couple of his expensive watches. That's about all the housekeeper could figure out. It was just stuff that was easy to unload."

Rick and Kate sat in the chairs that were perfectly positioned to give the best view of the painting. Rick stared at the picture but his mind was spinning. None of this made sense. Why would this lawyer leave him such a valuable painting for no reason?

Rick stood up and addressed the Cirker employee, "Could I arrange to get this delivered?"

"Certainly, sir. Follow me and we'll get that set up. We might be able to get it to you tomorrow if you are in a hurry."

Castle nodded, "That would be excellent."