:::::::::::::::: Exterior Dr. Weston's office, Brooklyn :::::::::::::

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Kate stormed out of the office. Hell of a time to make my final stand. She stared out into the street. She wasn't quite sure where to go, what path to take. She couldn't go to the 12th, she couldn't go home. Not feeling like this...

"Time's up Kate." Paul had said moments earlier "You have got to come to a conclusion here. Don't waste another minute..."

And Kate had, she definitely had come to a conclusion. It's over!, she thought. Grabbing her phone, she speed dialed Castle. His phone was turned off. Odd. She tried again, insisting before her courage would escape her, before the words spoken in the office above wore off and returned her to the State of Indecision, Area Code I-don't-know-what-we-are. Paul had played a tough but good game. He had deserved that win, she conceded, even if she didn't quite understand just yet exactly how she had lost.

Kate's phone rang. Caught up in her thoughts she answered "Castle?" without noticing the caller's id.

"Yo, it's me." Espo said. "Do you know were Castle is?"
A cloud covered the late autumn sun, and she began to shiver. "No"
"No one's seen him since yesterday. Alexis and Martha are doing a spa thing and he hasn't checked in with them either."
"I just tried to call him, but his phone is off." Kate began to worry. He never does that.
"We're are keeping things quite here, yo'know, on a low key with the Captain, but we think something's wrong..." He hesitated before relaying the information he had. He fell back on his professional tone and deliverance to aid hm through this. "Joey down at archives has Castle getting a file late last night when no one was here. It cost me two tickets to the next Knicks game but they've tracked it down from the logs."
"And?" Kate's detective mode kicked in, and she pushed the overflow of feelings aside. Again.
"The files are from a missing woman's case, one Adriana LaCerva. She had ties with the Gandolfini family and disappeared around the time of the kidnappings..." He shook his head and pressed his lips. Anything that had to do with his Captain's – yes, Montgomery would always be 'his Captain' – lesser than noble actions still rippled inside him with the force of a tidal wave.
Kate's eyes widened. What does Caste want with that file? She managed to answer "Many people disappear in NY, what does that have to do with Castle?"
Esposito looked over to Ryan who sat at his desk hating every thing about this situation with every bone in his body. He encouraged Espo with a somber tone "Tell her everything. She needs to know."
Esposito bit his lower lip, tilted his head up to physically help the words come out "The same file had been requested by one Johanna Beckett." He dropped the professional tone "Your mom asked for the same file a week before she died."

Kate gasped for air. She felt struck by the only force she had ever known capable to leave her body empty of feeling, her face flushed and her voice lost. Even the sniper's bullet that day paled in comparison to that day Officer Raglan stood at her door.

Kate ran her hands through her hair, as she stared out onto the same street that was until recently filled with possibilities and hope. She spoke in a lowered voice "Ok, I want you guys to trace his phone-"
"- he turned it off, it's off the grid"
"I think I know someone who can help. I'll call you back." Kate hung up and searched her phone for Agent Eric Fallon's direct number. She took a deep breath as the phone rang. "Agent Fallon, this is Detective Kate Beckett from the NYPD, badge number – ." She faintly smiled as he had recognized her. She stared out into the street again. At least now she knew what path she was taking: find Castle. Determined, she said "I need a favor..."

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::::::::::::::: Surveillance Van, I-95S :::::::::::::::::::::

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This whole situation was too familiar for Esposito and Ryan. At that time, they were the ones inside a warehouse. Now, it was time to repay Kate and Castle the favor.

Word had got out fast through the media. All the major tabloids relayed that late morning's tragic events. Famous writer's car raided with bullets. 'Nikki Heat' muse also missing. Driver executed. The Captain had pulled them aside and immediately assigned them as leads on the case.

Gates had said "We'll talk about you guys hiding Castle's covert operation later." She paused for effect, then leaned in closer to them, her voice lowered as she pointed to them "No one wants this as bad as you two." She stepped back and put her hands at her hips. Her jaw was locked, her voice revealed her anger "These are my people. No one... touches my people." and in a cavernous voice she added "Go give them hell." Captain 'Iron Gates' had never sounded so dead serious, she had never showed them so much trust. Ryan couldn't help but stand there for a while, taking in some of her lioness stance. Esposito felt a touch of new found admiration for the woman.

A task force was already on stand-by and the surveillance van was set to go when they got Castle's text message. Now on their way to the warehouse, they were sharing their game plan via radio, when Officer Carmichael signaled them that there was another incoming call.

Ryan placed the headphones and answered "Pass it through Chuck..."

"Helloooo boys..." The familiar voice greeted in it's usual melodic tone. It continued "It has come to my attention that you might be needing some help, and I've got just the right toys that need to be used..."

Ryan was appalled. "Agent Shaw? How -"

"We'll catch up on ol'times later, detective" she interrupted, keeping her tone short but sweet "I just wanted to let you know that we're on our way too. Our teams shall assemble at Belmont Avenue and Metuchen Road." The positivity in her voice was contagious "Let's go get our favorite unorthodox partners, and after we'll all go out for ice cream."