A/N - Hi Guys!

Thanks to everyone for the terrific reviews. You always read how the reviews, positive ones keep an author going, well, it's true. I wasn't quite sure where this chapter was going, but I'm happy with the story's progress. I hope you all are too.

Cheers!

The Castle Wall

Chapter 7

A Connection

Castle sat on the bench in the lock-up at the Central Park Precinct, his right wrist handcuffed to the bench. He had cuts and contusions on his face and multiple bruises on his torso and hands. There were bandages on his right knuckles. An EMT had looked him over at the scene and recommended that he should go to the hospital, but Demming insisted on the precinct. As lock-ups went, it wasn't bad, but Castle was in a foul mood. He was starting to ache. Demming had jumped to the conclusion that Castle had been at fault in the altercation in the park. Beckett tried to intervene, but she had not been a witness to the fight. Rick had put a man in the hospital, true, but that same man attacked him first. He was on the phone with Beckett when the assault began, so Kate tried to explain. Demming was having none of it. So there he sat, his jaw working, his eyes smoldering with ice blue intensity as he stared at the sign on the wall, a sample of the NYPD's propaganda. "If your not a part of the solution, your a part of the problem." Castle sighed, audibly. He couldn't tell if he was more upset about the lock up or the poor grammar. He decided to console himself with the thought that Demming penned the sign, the ignorant jackass.

Beckett was upstairs. The precinct in Central Park was well appointed with newer desks and chairs. Demming was sitting at his desk listening to an eyewitness account of Castle's altercation. He was a skateboarder who was sitting, taking a break on the curb across from the rocks where the fight had occurred.

"Dude! The guy,"

"Which guy?" Demming interrupted.

"Uh, the one you dragged here. He was just sitting on the rock and got up. He was on his phone and the other dude…"

"Again, which one?"

"The messed up dude. The one who got the shit beat out of him. He ran down the boulder and jumped the, uh, the other dude. He totally started it."

"The dude that's here?"

The witness thought and squinted his eyes, "No, dude, the other dude."

Demming sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Are you positive that the man in the hospital started it, that he wasn't provoked?"

"Dude."

Beckett blinked. "Tom." Demming shot a warning look in her direction. He made it clear that her presence was a professional courtesy.

"Kate, I thought you were observing. Just observing."

"It's obvious that Castle was defending himself."

"I think you're a little too close to make any sort of judgment call."

"The same could be said of you!" Kate was losing it. She was sure Castle needed further medical attention. She had called Alexis and told her to go home. She also called Paula and explained why Rick was delayed. Paula was fuming and wanted more information, but Kate gave it right back to her, protecting Rick as best she could. Paula called back a few minutes later saying that she had negotiated Castle's reading to a later time slot, but he had better be there. Kate had to get back to her crime scene. She had the knife in her possession, she had a good suspect, but she was dithering with Tom Demming on what should have been an open and shut assault.

"Detective Beckett, if you can't control yourself, I'll need to ask you to wait outside."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Tom, whatever has happened between us or if your issues with Castle…"

"You're not actually insinuating that I'm doing anything but my job, are you, Kate?" Demming's eyes were cold. She understood. She had hurt him and this was payback. When they were dating, there was a competition for Kate's attention, neither Castle nor Demming acting the adult, but rather jealous asses. It had been a true pissing contest. Castle even based a less than favorable character on Demming in "Naked Heat."

"I'm just looking to get back to the case Castle and I were investigating." Demming winced at the reference to their partnership.

"I need to explore all the angles, Kate, you know that. Your boy put a man in the hospital. I guess he's really butched up since I saw you last. I always thought you were the one with the balls in your partnership?" Disdain dripped from the word 'partnership'. Beckett did not have time for this. She pursed her lips and counted.

The witness watched the exchange. "Dude, dudette – am I done?" Demming had an officer process the witness out. Kate waited.

"Look, Tom, you've got Castle's statement and a couple of witnesses and my account from the phone call. Could you give me a break? I will personally be responsible for Castle and if you end up charging him, I promise to bring him back."

"Kate," Demming began and then saw her face, he sighed and made a face. "Okay, but I want him to be available." He did not want to just let him go. He had lost to him before. He had to be the one on top here, in his own place. It was all he had. Castle had her.

"Thanks, Tom." Beckett chose not to acknowledge the look of defeat on his face.

A uniformed officer came into the lockup. "Castle, Richard, E?"

Rick looked up. "Here" The officer unlocked the handcuff.

"You've been released into custody. Take this," handing him his release papers, "and see the desk sergeant.

"Wait. Custody? Who's custody?"

Beckett was waiting for him at the sergeant's desk. "How are you holding up?" The sergeant gave him a clipboard to sign for his wallet, cell phone, watch, and belt.

Castle glared. "Peachy. Where the hell is the son of a bitch?" Then to the Sergeant, "To whom do I make a complaint?"

Kate answered first, "Demming?" Then the desk sergeant asked "What kind of complaint?"

"No, Himmler." Castle spat to Kate. The sergeant handed him his belongings and Rick began to put them away.

He turned back to the Sergeant, "The sign in the holding cell." The sergeant blinked. "You should check the grammar." Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Castle, Demming was just doing his job." He said as they started walking towards the door.

"Kate, you're forgetting that I know what that job looks like."

"We need to get you checked ou…"

"I'm fine." He cut her off.

"Have you looked at yourself lately?" The bruising on his face was worse, if he had gotten ice on it, it may not have been so bad. He still had wads of gauze up his nose. He really had taken as much as he gave that afternoon.

"Damn!" He had just put on his watch.

"What?"

"It's six-fifteen." He looked like he wanted to punch something. "Kate, I need to get back to Belvidere. If I don't fulfill the contract tonight..." He let it hang. "Paula will have me in a vice grip and then she'll get mean. She'll have this to hold over me."

"Sounds like a charming relationship, but I talked to her and you're going on after Buchanan"

"I…uh…okay," he said, a mix of confusion and awe on his face, "Paula scares the hell out of me, but she gets the job done. Besides, I don't want to let down all the other Mandy Griffiths."

"Alright, let's go, but after we're going to the emergency room."

He started to protest, but she held up her hand. He raised his hands in a sign of surrender and followed her down the steps and out of the precinct.

They arrived at Belvidere Castle just as Joe Buchanan was finishing his selection. Castle ran back stage with Kate in tow. Paula was waiting for him, looking at her watch, not at him as he approached.

"Rick, I swear if you were off fooling ah…" She looked at him. "Jeez, what happened to you?"

He regarded her. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He sat down in the make-up chair. The cosmetologist turned him around, "Oy! I don't think I can fix this."

Rick sighed, "Just cover it as best you can, please?" He tried to smile, but it hurt.

To Paula he asked, "What am I reading?"

She smacked her lips, "Frozen Heat." The 'you imbecile' was implied.

"Yeah, I get that, which part?"

"How about the tease at the beginning?"

"Alright. How's the lighting?"

Paula rolled her eyes. "It was okay for Buchanan, so I'm sure your highness can manage."

He tightened his lips. He was just about at his breaking point when Beckett stepped in.

"Paula, how long do you think this will take? Castle and I need to continue our investigation." she was counting in her head, giving Rick time to cool off, "Could you show me where he'll be?"

Rick mouthed a thank you to her as Paula escorted her away.

He opened up the copy of Frozen Heat to look it over. He had five minutes. He looked at himself in the mirror. He sighed, "Such as it is." He stood and waited for his introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, gumshoes and detectives, the organizers of the Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Convention take great pleasure in presenting the master of the macabre, Richard Castle." The emcee had to pause for the applause and Rick walked on stage and smiled. It hurt. "Mister Castle will be reading an excerpt from his latest Nikki Heat thriller, Frozen Heat." More applause.

Rick made himself comfortable behind the podium and began to read. "Frozen Heat by Richard Castle, chapter one. 'Oh, yeah, that's it, Rook, said Nikki Heat. That's what I want. Just like that. A trickle of sweat rolled down his neck to his heaving chest." Castle's silky baritone echoed across the pond. The audience was mesmerized.

Kate was listening off stage. She smiled at his words. She had, of course, already read Frozen Heat, and knew that this scene was about rehab not sex, but Castle was milking it and playing with the audience until the reveal. He read a full chapter and left them wanting more.

He came off the stage, smiling and more relaxed. He kissed Kate and they headed to the Mount Sinai ER.

Castle was checked over at the hospital and released. They taped the bridge of his nose, to keep the swelling down and his ribs because of the bruising. During Castle's examination, Kate checked on his assailant. Thomas Wagner was a small time repeat offender. He was under police guard and sedated. He did have a broken nose. Kate asked to be called when he was conscious and healthy enough for questioning. She met up with Castle as he was getting instructions from the pretty PA. Kate shook her head. He attracted pretty, young women like blood attracts sharks.

"So? Will you live?"

"Absolutely, Karen here says it's all superficial." The girl smiled at Kate.

"Karen knows you pretty well. Can we get back to work now?"

"Um, Mr. Castle really should rest."

Beckett raised her eyebrows, "Castle, why don't you go home and relax." Rick was shaking his head, "You can start in on your fan mail, and I'll go to the precinct and start the murder boards." To the PA, "Will that be okay?"

She hesitated, "All right, just don't overdo it. Don't drive either, those pain meds should be kicking in at any time now."

Without a way out, Rick responded, "Got it."

Castle and Beckett walked out of the hospital together and across the park to her car. She gradually had to guide him as the meds certainly started working. He hailed a cab and she gave the driver his address. "Call me when you're home." She said to him, uncertain of his current sobriety. She was certain he was not doing any work tonight, so she held on to the boxes of fan mail.

"Got it." He slurred.

She got to her car and called Alexis to let her know that he was on his way home and his condition.

Beckett arrived back at the twelfth to inquiries about Castle from Ryan and Esposito. She briefed them and told them about Thomas Wagner and Demming.

"Holy crap, chica, what the hell happened to Demming? He used to be a good guy." Espo shook his head.

"Yeah, how did he justify holding Castle?" Ryan piped in.

Beckett flattened her lips. Demming had been out of line. Regardless of their history. "Let's just forget it. We've got two homicides to solve and I want to see if there's any connection to Gina."

The boys had already rolled in three white boards and had begun posting info on their three vics. The first had Gina's DMV picture; the details under her picture included the area of the city where she was assaulted, the time of the attack and the fact that she is Castle's publisher. The hit and run victim's photo identified her as Janet Marlowe of Brooklyn Heights. The details listed were where the hit and run had occurred, the time, the make, and model of the vehicle and that she had a signed copy of Frozen Heat. Neither had any suspects listed. The third board had Mandy Griffith's smiling Columbia ID photo and underneath were the particulars of time, location, and the fact that she was a fan of the mystery genre. Unlike the previous two boards, Mandy's had a suspect, Thomas Wagner. His DOC mug shot seemed to be sneering at her as it reminded her that he lay in the hospital unable to be questioned.

"Ryan, call over to Central Park and get them to send the surveillance from Turtle Pond area and the walking path where Castle was attacked. I don't want to take any chances that that son of a bitch could get away."

"You got it, boss."

"Karpowski?" Beckett called. Sharon Karpowski was a detective who sometimes helped with Beckett's team. She was quick and resourceful. Beckett liked her.

"Yeah, Beckett."

"Hey, I am waiting on video from the ninth, ah, Detective Garrett in the Gina Cowell Case. Also, I'm looking for the traffic cam footage of our hit and run yesterday 23rd and Lex. I want that car found. Check with impound."

"On it, Beckett."

Kate cell buzzed. "Beckett"

"Jeez, shees so sexy…" Kate could hear Alexis in the background. "Dad?…dad,…dad!" Then Castle, "Kay, I…um, I'm home."

Kate smiled. "Good. Can I speak to Alexis?"

"Shuuuure." He sang the answer.

"Kate?"

"Hey Alexis, sorry for not bringing him home myself. Just get him settled down, he's gonna be hurting tomorrow."

"It's okay, Kate. I'm glad he's not worse off."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me speak to him please. Goodnight."

"Night, Kate…Dad!"

"Lo?"

"Castle, you need to go to bed."

"But what 'bout th'case?"

"We'll take care of it tomorrow. Go to slee..." She heard a crash and a thud. "Castle?...Rick?"

"Kate, it's okay," Alexis grabbed the phone, "he passed out in his office. I'll do what I can for him. Goodnight."

"Bye"

She turned around to find Espo waiting on her. "Don't even ask. It's the pain meds they gave him. He's totally wasted. I feel for Alexis."

"Did I ask? No. I'm just sitting here amused." He was grinning. He wiggled his eyebrows ala Castle and continued, "Tom Garrett from the ninth called, he's emailing surveillance footage from that alley where Gina was attacked. He also said that forensics got a partial from Gina's bag."

"Great. Let me know when the video is here. Where are we on trying to find a connection other than Castle or, better yet, a non-connection."

"Ran phone and financials on all three vics. Nothing out of the ordinary, but damn, please remind me that I want to be in the book business in my next life." He shook his head. She pursed her lips at him, not so patiently. He continued, "No phone connection, but when I ran Thomas Wagner's cell, it shows several calls made to…" He paused for dramatic effect, "Black Pawn Publishing House. So I checked with their switchboard and the calls were transferred to… wait for it…the office of Ms. Gina Cowell."

There it was. A connection.