10:12am, ~219h:

The three detectives are at their desks and after two days of showing the sketch to various people from mobster to major the spirits are down by all of them.

Beckett's phone rings, 'Detective Beckett … morning Lanie … That are great news, send the file up … Send my regards to the specialist.'

Turning to the others, she smiles, 'Got a new break in the case, John Doe is identified.'

'But what if he disappeared like Castle without a trace', Ryan asks.

Beckett smile is wiped from her face, Esposito, his neck vein pulsing shouts, 'RYAN.'

Realizing what he has done, he adds lamely, 'Or we get the dirt bag now.'

Beckett turns to check her email account. 'Come on', she murmurs, after seeing that the file isn't there.

Esposito and Ryan close in, so that they can see the screen over her shoulder, while Beckett refresh it every 30 seconds or so.

'What takes her so long to send us the file', after a quick glance on her watch she adds, 'it was nearly a quarter hour ago I talked with her.'

'It is a long way from the morgue to up here', Lanie complains holding up a flash drive.

Esposito and Ryan exchange a worried look and close in on Beckett unconscious, like brothers would do when they perceive a threat to their sister.

'Lanie, why are you up here? You could have send the file per mail', Beckett interrogates.

'I want to give you my cliff notes before you dig into the file, because these guys at the Jeffersonian seem to be a little bit blunt with the facts in their reports. Although they did a terrific job identifying our victim so fast.'

'Come on, Lanie we don't have all the day for discussing style of writing a report', Beckett presses to get the information.

'Okay girlfriend. The name of our deceased is Mike Winters …'

'The MLB umpire? That can't be I have seen him last week on TV', Esposito says.

'If you would just let me finish my sentences you would know that he is clearly not John Doe. It is Winters the writer. He vanished in June 2008 from his house in L.A. And was never seen again after that. Before that he wrote a series of love books, playing in medieval times. He also was co-author from episodes of various TV series, "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" and "Alias" are the most famous series he wrote for.'

'Lanie', Beckett interrupts, 'so far there is no need for you to hand deliver the file. And how did they come up with him anyways. In that time span there must be a couple of hundred missing person matching the profile of Mr. Winters.'

Lanie looking uncomfortable, takes a couple of shallow breaths. 'The broken bones in his arm and cheekbone didn't heal due of malnutrition and these were dated between one and two years old. The malnutrition was so severe that it morphed into a form of scurvy, explaining the loss of tooth's. Additional the forensic anthropologist found a deformation of his right leg and hip, which she has seen in some older cases. That was confirmed by findings of metal particles found in his leg before they removed the flesh. All these facts supported the theory that the person went at least two and a half years prior to his death missing. The forensic anthropologist could make a positive ID with an documented, older injury of his left knee.'

'Lanie, what older cases and are they connected with this case?'

'I doubt it, because these were 18th century prisoners.'

'You lost me, how are these prisoners connected to the time span Mr. Winters went missing?'

'Because they were restraint with ball-and-chain and it takes some time to get these deformations on the leg and hip. But the worst part is ….'

Unknown time, ?h:

Castle shifts his weight in the chair, grimacing because of the pain in his whole upper body and the heavy chain is skinning his ankle. 'Where is a Sam-I-am when you need one, this would be heaven for him.' He has just finished his fourteenth meal. These MRE don't taste good, but the longer he is here the better they taste, that really worries him. But they are his only way to keep track of time, fourteen days of hell he has counted so far. While he tries to make up his mind what next to do, he thinks back on the first time he woke up.

Castle wakes up with a splitting headache, blurry vision and pain in his left leg, which lets him flinch as he tries to get into a better position on the shabby couch. Having a chain on his right ankle, which is connected to a metal pillar doesn't help him achieve a more comfortable position. The room is only sparely lit with a neon lamp and eerily quiet, but at this moment he is thankfully for it, because it helps him with his splitting headache. He sees a desk with something on it and a chair in one corner and an old bed in the other. A big and rusty metal door dominates the wall between these corners. 'What happened', murmurs he as he tries to remember why he is struck in this cellar. He nearly jumps out of his skin as the metal door opens with a movie like creak, the sudden bright light shining through the door feels like dagger being stick into his eyes. And with the clicking of her heels a woman enters the room. 'Kate, is it you?' 'No, Richard, it's me Nikki. You have lost and I control you', is the chilling answer from her.

The memory of that moment still gives him goose bumps.

'CASTLE, don't idle around.'

'Crap, she sneaked up on me again. But then she would have found another reason anyway', he thinks as he tries to cover his head.

10:39 am, ~219h:

'But the worst part is Mr. White was beaten repeatedly in the time he was held captive', Lanie finishes her report.

'And how can these magical wizards of science know that', a pale Ryan asks.

'Besides the broken bones as clear indicators of blunt force trauma, which I assumed are from bar fights. His malnutrition lead to somewhat brittle bones. During later beatings microscopic chips broke of the bone and the different state of healing proof that these beatings weren't one time events.'

Taking the last information in they all look at a very pale and shocked Beckett. The two detectives waiting for instructions what to do now, trusting in Beckett. And Lanie worrying if Kate can handle the gruesome details.

AN: I hope I didn't made to big medical mistakes above.

After I watched the latest episode I was swearing like a trooper, not because it was bad. No, they had nearly same victim like me, okay different gender. I thought about changing the story, but didn't come up with a good scenario I liked, only got CIA, aliens and Illuminati.

The best alternative was Chloe Richardson as the culprit, but then I would have to explain why nobody has recognize her and change the meal number from fourteenth to fifth. Make everything Castle related above a flashback and let him lick water from the walls and leave Castle to starve in his dungeon (Yeah I know, I am a heartless monster ;)). So I will stick to my story line, not better for him, but he has something to eat. And more important I know where I am heading to.