04 April 2011, 10:10am:

He stops drumming with his fingertips. ' I have lied yesterday twice and now I am here what will it mean for my relation with Kate', he thinks before he replays the yesterday. He is sitting in the chair at Esposito's desk and suddenly hears 'CASTLE, to me NOW', turning he could see a fuming Beckett in the doorway to the interrogation rooms. He stands up and walks over to her his best puppy look on his face. 'Detective how may I … owww … apples, apples', he yelps in the end as she grips his ear in a vice like manner and shoves him into the second interrogation room.

'Sit', she yells at him. 'Kate, I … What have I done', Castle asks confused.

'I said sit down!' Knowing this tone from former interrogations with stubborn suspects he sits down and waits for an explanation or to be more precise the questions she will hurl at him. Both of them are waiting for the other to make the first move and thus showing a weakness.

But Castle has the advantage, he has seen the family walk into the other room and could guess what they have said. So he choose his favorite option "not asking, but that very intense". Beckett starts sliding in her seat, she is stunned that Castle don't starts to defend himself for some minor misdemeanor.

Because of that she knows he hides information and she has to say something, because he will not break the silence.

But right now she enjoys the moment of being able to look into his blue eyes without fear that someone could misunderstand it.

Castle enjoys it too, although he observes her all the time he never had a chance like this before, where he could stare at her eyes, these gorgeous brown eyes with these long eye lashes. If it wasn't for this sad reason, it would have nearly orgasmic for him.

'You have wonderful eyes', he breaks the silence.

Startled by his sudden statement Beckett blurts out the first question she wanted to ask him, 'How did you know it?'

'I just had the chance to take a good look at them.'

'That is not what I mean', she says irritated.

'So what have I done to end here?'

'It is not what you have done, but what you knew! So how did you know it?'

'Know what', he asks gambling for a little more time.

'That the boy played hide-and-go-seek the day before he died?'

'I'm a writer', he starts his explanation, but after he sees the anger sparks up in Beckett eyes, he decides to go further than he wanted. 'I investigated an unsolved murder for a book', he stops his explanation.

'Castle, I have read all of your books, but in none was a child the victim. I'm not dumb, spill it.'

'It didn't went that smooth. I couldn't write about it. This new case reminds me of this old one, especially the cuts are similar,' he stops again and thinks about what he just said. 'Yeah that will work', he thinks to himself.

'Come on, I need more details like case number, names and location you should know the drill by now.'

After a moment to compose his thoughts Castle begins, 'Eleven year old boy named Michelson was found on the beach by his friend … His throat was cut plus he had some cuts on his back. In the autopsy it was discovered that he was drugged with Rohypnol. Sounds familiar, doesn't it.'

''Indeed, so why didn't you tell me earlier about it?'

'It … it can't be the same killer, this happened on the 4th April 1985.'

'26 years ago? I can see why you hesitate. What is the name of the friend who found him?'

'The name in the newspaper was … Richard Burns, but there was never one in the Hamptons.'

'Great a serial killer, one more time. You stay here while I go and check your story.' Beckett steps out of the room and into the observation room and as expected Crawford is there.

'What do you think about his story?' 'To many details to be a simple lie, but I will see what I will get out of it.'

'I'll go back in.' 'Why?' 'Curiosity, why he didn't used his research so far and why he has picked that case!'

Beckett returns to Castle while Crawford already has her phone out to get more information on this case. Meanwhile Castle tries hard to compose a believable story for Beckett. Knowing she will return with head-on follow up questions. He is surprised that the door opens again after only a couple of minutes.'That was fast', he blurts out. 'So did it check out?'

'You tell me, will it?'

Castle raises his eyebrows, 'So you have already questions for me even without checking my story.'

'How do you come to this conclusion?'

'You never liked me asking to many questions without background information, because that way you can't catch them with a lie.'

'These were strangers, but you are my partner. So tell me Castle, why didn't you use that crime scene in one of your books?'

Castle swallows, 'I researched it I believe 18 years ago, but after the birth of Alexis I couldn't bring myself to write about it and with the time I forgot about it.'

'Interesting! You forgot it, but you can still remember the names and facts of this case?'

'What should I say, I have an extraordinary mind.'

'Let us go over the facts one more time, but this time in more details.'

'No problem with that. At the morning of the 4th April 1985 young Burns made an early morning walk at the beach in search for shells and any other treasure he may find, but instead he found the dead body of his best friend. With whom he played hide-and-go-seek the day before. The police couldn't salvage any usable evidence from the side or the body. The police was concerned about the way the boy was killed and mutilated with a knife and feared that there will be more killings, but after a year they relaxed even though they didn't caught the killer.'

'That is good Castle. And why did you choose this particular case?'

This question caught him unprepared, 'What do you mean?'

'Plain simple why this case and not another one, there is unfortunately not a shortage of murder cases around here.'

'I … I choose that case because …' Crawford burst into the room with a couple of papers in her hands and Castle thinks 'Saved by the bell.' Beckett turns irritated and yells a 'WHAT'. 'Seems his story checks out, although it may not be connected.'

Turning her attention back Beckett simply asks again, 'So why. Castle?'

'It was a case which stirred emotions near home, but right now I'm more interested why it isn't connected.' 'The murderer is up the river.' Seeing the confused face of Castle she explains, 'Edgar Watts serves his sentence in Sing-Sing.' 'That can't be I would have heard about it', Castle interrupts. 'Not necessary, what I have seen there there wasn't any trail, because he made a deal with the prosecution full confession to four murders for no death penalty. And the press was concentrating on the strangling cases which just occur and not the cold case.'

'Can't be! I have seen the other crime scene. Photos.'

'I can't judge that, the pictures will be here later, but maybe it is a copy cat killer, also that is a little far fetched.'

Beckett decides it is the best time to interrupt their discussion. 'Castle, I want you to go home and stay out of here till we close the case!'

'But Beckett ', he starts. Beckett holds her hand up, 'NO buts, just do it!'

Castle lets his head hang and makes his way out of the interrogation room and closes the door behind him. As Crawford turns to leave too Beckett says, 'On a word, Crawford.'

'Yes, Beckett.'

'Don't do that ever again. I just had him so far that he was going to spill some information he withheld, but thanks to you he got a distraction and came out clean.'

'It is Castle, you can't believe that he is connected to this.'

'You are right, he will not be the killer, but something feels odd and I don't know what.'

Movements on the other side brings Castle back to the present. He fells a chill run down his spine, 'It is showtime!'

04 April 2011, 10:10am:

Both teams, standing in groups, getting an update from their ME.

Perlmutter reports to Beckett and Crawford, 'It's a clever, sick bastard, he didn't left anything behind that may pinpoint to him. He may has used a serrated knife, but with the cuts on the body I can't be more specific. The cut through the throat puzzles me, here I need more more time. And the rest of his injuries I found were old and they were accounted for in his medical records.' By this Beckett interrupts, 'I want you to reexamine these, especially if they match the way they were explained match then.'

'You have a reason for this?' 'Just a hunch, a real bad hunch', she replies and all of them fell silent.

In the other group Ryan and Esposito get an update from Lanie. 'The cuts on on our mummy leads to broken bones. And by the looks of them it was near the time of death they snapped. So I took a full body x-ray from her and found that the legs were also broken.'

'So he bludgeoned her to death and then stuffed her', Esposito asks.

'No, the injuries are more consistent with a car accident. And judging from the the bone damage there should be some major injuries to the organs, too. But without them it is pure guessing.'

'But where does that leaves us? Mad scientist, body snatcher or what?'

'Now you sounds like Castle', Lanie says. After seeing the reaction from both detectives she inquires, 'What has he done this time?'

'We don't know exactly why, only that Beckett has banned him from the precinct as long as she works the current case. So you better ask her', Ryan offers another target for her curiosity.

'Okay, I will ask her. Our talk brought me another idea where to look for our victim.' With that she leaves the two and makes her way out of the bullpen.

04 April 2011, 10:30am:

'Showtime', Castle repeats, while waiting for the convicted murderer to step into his field of view. And as the man in his orange jumpsuit steps into the room Castle is … disappointed. The man looks average in all aspects, Castle doubts that he would remember him if he passes him on a street or it could be one of his neighbors.

'What do you want', Watts says after he took his seat.

'I'm Richard Castle and I want to talk with you over the murders, and why you changed your MO from strangling elderly woman to carving up small boys.'

'I don't talk to law enforcement without a lawyer present.'

'Calm down, I'm not a LEO. I'm an author you may have read something from me before like Naked Heat, Heat Wave or Storm Warning.'

'So what the hell do you want from me and how could you get a visitation in such a short notice.'

'Let's say the director is a big fan of mine. And as an author I'm interested that my characters are authentic. So how would you write it that a person goes from robbing and strangling one elderly woman, then cutting up a boy and after that going back to strangling elderly women?'

After that both men sit there staring at each other. Castle is hard pressed not to lick his lips in a nervous motion. A minute later the prisoner breaks the silence, 'So we are speaking about fictional characters with no connection to real persons?'

'Sure after all I'm a civilian. So tell me how would you write the story?'

'Mhh, first you need a so called serial killer, who likes what he does. He gets caught through new methods of DNA analysis, which connects him to four strangled women. And as a twist you need a sheriff in an election year enter the scene, who wants to win by all means necessary. And he offers a deal to the killer, confess to one more murder and there will be no extra-diction to Texas and no death penalty.'
'What happened with this sheriff?'
'I would let him get the right thing, win the reelection and then die in a common traffic check', and Watts starts laughing.

'Thank you for your time, have a nice day', Castle says as he rise from his chair.

'Wait a moment I have something to add. You writer make one big mistake in your description every time. (1) After a murder I didn't fall into melancholy. I was more powered up than ever. Couldn't sleep for three, four days always walking through the streets. And I didn't see people, I have seen then only victims and non-victims. It was the best feeling I ever had, better than any drug I tried.(end 1) I miss these times.'

Castle fell back into the chair and could only stare in disbelieve at Watts. Watts stands up and leaves the visitation room with even more laughing.

AN: Yeah I know, I took a lot of time bringing this chapter down on paper, but I hope you guys like what I have done. What Watts said between (1) and (end 1) said a shrink in May in a TV show as a quote from one inmate. And I thought it matches into this story so good I couldn't let the chance pass.