Alex got up the next day to the sounds of the phone ringing. Looking at the phone it was Paula. Why would she be calling this early especially when we have a murderer to catch!

"Hi, Paula what makes you call this early?"

"You have just got off a phone call from a producer who is in London right now?"

"Wait, he wants to option the rights to Heat Wave to make a movie?"

"For how much? Paula draft up the papers I need to sign. Tell him we have a deal!"

Alex got out of the loft and headed to the precinct.

Arriving on the 4th floor he noticed both Ryan and Esposito hard at work looking through video. Kate had set up the murder board. Alex crosses over to Kate with the customary coffee and Bearclaw. Kate accepted without looking at him and said,

"Hi Castle thanks, CSU report is going to have to wait they are backlogged. Ryan and Esposito is going through the videos."

I was musing to myself about the crime scene. What if the suspect was an animal lover?"

"I can see the person would shoot the old lady but would be reluctant to shoot the cat."

"So you think a crazed PETA lover might be involved? That is more crazy than your usual CIA theories. Well you have said you thought the old lady was ex KGB. And the Cat was trained by her to be an Assassin Cat. Too!"

"If the amount of damage the person would have sustained to cause that mess. The Assassin Cat theory is not far off!"

Kate rolled her eyes and said,

"In the real world there are no such things as Assassin Cats! Really Castle!"

"Yes, but you never met Buster! I tell you he is trained!"

"That is so wrong Castle and you know it! I have met Buster. Remember, I got him into his cage for the CSU tech!"

"Yeah, that was all of what 10 seconds? I mean really know him!"

"Castle! Focus!"

Kate's phone just rang,

Beckett, Hi Lanie what? Ok we will be right down.

"Let's go Castle, Esposito, your girlfriend called and we are going to meet her in the morgue."

Esposito looked bright red and Ryan teased him

"Girl friend Huh? Dude you and Lanie? You sly dog! Spill!"

"Nah, it is nothing like that. It is only the Boss playing with us."

Ryan looked at Esposito and shrugged his shoulders. Knowing that the boss was well known to tease Esposito over any girl he looks at Ryan went back to look at the video.

"Wait, I saw something from the stairwell camera It was a hooded man exiting through the fire escape.

I need you to zoom in on the hand. Yes this is our perp. Look , There are the scratches on the hand. We got him. Lets go back and see when he arrives.

"There about 2 hours before the time of death he arrives but you can not see his face."

"Dude, he knows where the cameras are! Is it possible that he lives in the building?"

"Lets get a copy of this guy and run it past the doormen and see if any of them recognize him!"

Esposito calls Kate

"Boss we have a lead. A suspicious person leaves the building out of the stairwell to the street 20 mins after the time of Castle's call. He had scratches on his hand. We are going to interview the door men to see if anyone recognizes him. Ok boss we will be in touch. Ok Bro lets roll!"

Ryan grabbed his coat and followed Esposito out to the car.

Kate and Alex entered the morgue to be greeted by a earsplitting Yowl! Buster was here and he was unhappy! Lanie had ear silencers on her head and her head was looking down on the victim.

Mrs. Carlson had no known kin. Except for a Grand Nephew William in Minnesota. Kate got the back ground information. Knowing she would be needing to call the survivor soon. This was part of her job which hurts the most. Notification to innocent people that their loved ones were dead.

Kate tapped Lanie on her shoulder. Lanie looked up and said,

"What? I can not hear you."

Kate searching found Buster in his cage under the ME's desk.

"Buster! Quiet!"

The cat looked at Kate and gave a quick yowl then Kate said it again this time like she was interrogating the worst criminal.

"Buster! Quiet!"

Buster became quiet.

Alex watching the interchange between Kate and Buster said,

"Who would believe it? Beckett is a Cat Whisperer!"

Kate rolled her eyes at the hapless writer.

"So Lanie what did you bring me down here? I am sure it was not to keep Buster company!"

Right, I retrieved the bullets they were 9 mm shot from a glock the CSU have them now,

The CSU found the shell casings now it becomes a bit weird. There are letters etched in the casing.

Alex looked at the tray holding the casings. Each had a letter 5 casings 5 letters. W-I-I-L-L.

"I will? I will what? What kind of message is I will?"

Kate conferred with Lanie then Lanie said,

"We have gotten trace from him now. He is your responsibility. He is your witness!"

Alex looked at Buster in the cage when Buster saw him he lunged at the cage door. He stuck his paw through the cage door with claws extended trying to reach Alex's out of reach fingers.

"What the matter Castle afraid of a little pussy?"

Beckett laughed and exited the ME's office. Alex was right behind gingerly holding on to Buster's cage.

Getting back to the precinct Kate had Alex place the growling Buster next to her desk close to his chair.

Alex looked at the animal it looked like he had not been fed nor given any water.

Alex asked Kate

"Your witness is hungry. I am going to Remy's would you like me to get something for you?"

"Yeah the usual."

"Ok the usual it is. Please look after our witness while I am gone."

Alex left the building in search of sustenance for Himself, Kate and Buster.

Kate watching the writer leave busied herself with that dreaded phone call. Kate dialed the number provided. The phone rang a mans voice answered

"Hello I am trying to reach William C. Carlson, I am Detective Kate Beckett. I have some disturbing news for him."

"I am William C. Carlson. What sort of disturbing news do you have?"

"Mr. Carlson I have the grave duty to inform you that Helen R. Carlson was discovered late last night murdered in her residence here in New York."

"Great Aunt Helen Murdered? I was going to visit with her today."

Kate continued after the news settled in.

"Mr. Carlson do you know of anyone who wished harm on your Great Aunt?"

"What? No! Why would anyone murder Poor Great Aunt Helen."

"Mr. Carlson we will need information to ship the body once we are done with the investigation. Where are you now?"

"I am in New York on business. Give me the address where you are. I want to see my Great Aunt for the last time."

"The body can be viewed at the 12th precinct morgue. 1st floor in the back of the building. You just inform the officer at the desk they will send someone to escort you."

"Mr. Carlson do you have any other relatives we need to contact with this news?"

"No, there is no one. I was cared by her you know after the plane crash killed all of the rest of my family. They were on the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11/2001. She was there for me."

"I am so sorry for your loss. We do have a witness who can identify the murderer."

"Yes I see. I will help with your investigation as best as I can."

"I would like to interview you at your convenience."

"Yes I will be in touch. Thank You detective Beckett."

Kate found a picture of William C. Carlson on the internet and printed out his picture and placed it on the murderboard.

Alex returned with the meal for Kate and one for Buster. Alex handed over the bag.

"Wait, You said the Grand Nephew name was William? Perhaps that was what the bullets were going to spell out?"

Kate eating was feeding Buster as she munched on the hamburger.

Buster was licking her fingers and purring loudly.

Kate said,

"Yeah, we are going to need to get financials done on the on the Grand Nephew. Maybe he bumped her off for the inheritance money."

"Why would the casing be scratched with a letter then? No, he maybe involved but not as the killer. No this killer was sending us a message. Because only CSU and the police working the murder would see the bottom of the casings. I think there is more at work here than a bump off the old lady for the inheritance."

"Well we will find out. So boys any luck?"

"No luck so far none of the Door man recognizes this guy"

Esposito puts up the picture of the hooded guy with the scratches on the hand on the murderboard.

Alex looking at the picture noticed a faint outline of a tattoo. Not a regular tattoo but an ink stamp.

"Look Beckett, There is something else on his hand. It looks like a star. It is very faint can you enhance it?"

Alex took a picture of the guy on his cell phone and forward it to Max for analysis. While distracting the boys and Kate with his tale.

The boys got a CSU video tech on it right away.

"Good Eye Castle. While we are waiting on results. I need you two the get on the financials of one William C. Carlson."

Alex remembered that name from previous engagements. He knew that association would be dangerous to reveal now. So Alex looked on with interest.

Ryan working on the financials said,

"Whoo, we thought Castle was loaded. This guy is way past that! Man this guy is into Boats, Planes, Cars, Hot Models, you name it. He has Hotels, Restaurants, and Foreign holdings in the Middle East Bahrain. He was the lone survivor of 9/11 attack. His whole family was removed. He got 1.2 Billion in asset from his relatives. Before that he was in Columbia college. I guess daddy was paying for it."

Alex thought that is not the half of it! I wonder if they will pick up the illegal arm shipment part of his wealth too.

"Hey CSU just called they have a match to a partial print on the door to the exit. And blood trace matching the victim."

"Who is our suspect?

A loser named Henry Morgen. He did a nickel in Riker for B and E. Released 4 days ago.

"Do you have a picture and a known address?"

"Yeah the PO has him listed at a half way house on east 9th."

Kate finished feeding Buster with her sandwich said,

"Let's go Castle."

"What about our witness?"

"Oh, Ryan can look after him!"

Ryan looked up then looked across at the cage.

"Yeah, Boss I will watch him."

Ok satisfied? Now let's go!