All eyes are on her once she gets back to her team. They're waiting for an explanation that she can't give them yet, so she tries to go past it – "So guys, what do we know so far?"
- "That's it? No details on how the writer boy knows the victim?" – Lainie inquires.
- "I didn't have a chance to get to that" – she responds.
Knowing that that means that her friend is not about giving her more details the ME continues – "Michael Crawford, 39. Single shot to the head. There are signs of struggle, a couple of bruises on his fists and small scratches on the back on his right shoulder" – she explains.
- "Mel" – Beckett whispers remembering how the girl was holding Castle before.
- "What?" – Esposito asks intrigued.
- "I believe Michael's daughters were with him at the moment. Mel and Megan, 5 and 12. He was probably carrying the younger one on his arms when the suspect approached him and she tried to grab her dad as close as she could" – Beckett explains her theory.
The detectives nod - "So, where are they now?" – Ryan inquires.
- "Castle took them to the precinct" – she explains, they all look at eachother knowing that there's more to the story but no-one dares to ask.
At the precinct
The elevator's doors open and right away she spots Castle and the girls sitting by her desk. She takes a deep breath knowing from experience that when cases get personal it's always harder for them to deal with eachother. Once he sees her Castle gets up and pulls Beckett aside before she can reach her desk – "Kate, do you really have to do this?"
- "Do you really have to ask?"
- "I'm sorry, it's just they're just…" – he starts before she cuts him off.
- "… kids" – she completes – "I know Castle, you think I don't see it?" – the detective asks – "I wish I didn't have to put them through this…" – she admits and this time is Castle who interrupts.
- "So don't" – he begs.
- "Castle, remember what you promised them back at the crime scene?" – she asks him calmly.
- "That you would find the guy who did this?" – he asks to be sure.
Becket nods – "How am I supposed to do it, if you don't let me do my job?" – she questions, trying to show him her point of view.
- "Can I be there?" – Castle asks, and before Beckett can deny he promises – "I'll behave."
- "Fine" – she agrees – "but Castle, if you interfere in any way…"
- "I won't" – he guarantees.
The detective approaches the girls and invites them into question room number 2 in order to get more privacy. In other circumstances she would have preferred questioning them separately, however, considering all they have been through today Beckett thinks it's more reasonable to allow the sisters to keep eachother company. The four of them sit around the table and its Beckett who starts the conversation – "Girls, you already know I'm working to find out who hurt your dad, right?" – Beckett waits for them to nod before she continues – "We're trying to understand what happen on the alley, and we'd like to ask you some questions, would that be okay?"
Mel looks at her older sister hoping she'll respond for both, which she does – "We didn't see anything" – Megan rushes to tell Beckett.
The detective nods calmly – "I know these things can be very scary" – she starts in a warm voice, trying to break the ice – "and sometimes, we're so afraid that, to protect ourselves, we try to forget what we've seen." – she suggests. The girls remain quiet, so Beckett continues – "Anything you can remember can help us find who hurt your dad, even if it seems silly."
Megan remains in silent, eyes stuck on the floor, like she didn't hear a word the detective had just said, but Mel reacts to it, she doesn't speak, but Beckett notices how she's nervously starring at her sister almost like looking for permission to speak. Megan finally faces her little sister, her eyes wide open and the detective guesses she's ordering her not to say a word.
She hates herself to do it, but she insists with the younger girl – "There's something you want to tell us, Mel?" – she asks encouraging her, and immediately she looks at her sister – "It's okay sweetie" – Beckett calls, trying to get the girl focused on her – "you can tell us, we just want to help."
- "We've told you, we don't know anything!" – Megan snaps.
- "Is that truth, Mel?" – Beckett asks the younger sister and she can tell she almost broke her. Beckett stares at her for a moment, hopeful, but that's when Megan snaps.
- "Leave her alone!" – she shouts standing up and grabbing her sister's hand – "Uncle Rick, can we please go home?" – she begs him.
- "Of course sweetheart" – he agrees standing up too.
- "Hey!" – Beckett tries to stop him – "Last time I checked I was the cop here, I tell people when they can leave" – she fought back aggravated. Of all things Castle used to do to annoy her, disrespecting her authority was the one she couldn't bear with.
The sisters approached Castle, who, grabbing her hands decided – "We're leaving, Kate. If you want to stop us, you'll have your resources" – he said walking out.
The detective stayed back, while the three of them left the room and the precinct. She was in shock, Castle theories could be crazy, and sure he had disobeyed her before, putting himself at risk, but this was the first time he had ever challenged her like this. She punched the table, frustrated, running her hands through her hair and letting out a long sigh. Everything was finally going so smoothly with them, why did something always had to get between their relationship, she wondered.
She decided to let him go, the children seemed too scared to speak anyway, and to be honest she didn't want to pressure any more than he did. From the moment she had first seen the girls cringed around Castle's necks, this image of the day her mother was killed had been on the back of her mind, and now that she was alone it was all coming back to her again. She lets her body sink on the chair in front of her, while the memories of that day and the images of her mother's bloody body on an alley invade her mind. Beckett loves her job, standing up for the victims, bringing justice to the families, but in days like this she really wishes she would have chosen a lighter career.
The detective allows herself to break down for a few minutes before getting up to continue the investigation. She finds Esposito and Ryan in the break room – "Where's Castle?" – they ask her.
- "He went home" – she summarizes.
- "And the girls?"
- "I think he took them with him" – she replies, keeping her answers short.
- "You think?" – Ryan insists – "Beckett, no family has come forward, we have to keep them in our custody, if social services gets here and we don't know where they are…"
Beckett cuts him off, knowing what he's about to say – "I know where they are. They're with Castle, they're fine." – Esposito gives her a funny look, so she continues – "Look, Castle may be a man-child at times, but he did raise a kid, he knows what is doing, probably better than any of us would" – she concludes.
The boys exchange a look and end up nodding in agreement – "Did you learn where he knew the victim from?" – Esposito eventually asks.
She shakes her head, realizing she never really had the time to ask him that – "But I think they were close" – she guesses – "the girls kept call him «Uncle Castle»" – she tells them.
- "I thought Castle was a lonely child" – Ryan notices, looking at Becket for confirmation.
- "He is, as least as far as I know" – Beckett agrees, distracted.
- "So, where do you want us to start?" – Esposito asks Beckett, seeing that it's personal and wanting to give her the chance to be in control.
- "Let's check with Lainie as soon as she has the report completed and canvas the area for possible witnesses. This is New York City, someone must have seen something" – she plans – "Do we know where is from?" – she questions the boys.
- "Boston" – Ryan replies, looking at the file.
She nods – "I'll try to figure out what he was doing in New York and see if I manage to find any relatives."