Dear Mr. Castle,
I never sent my first letter. We never seemed to have a stamp, and maybe I was a bit embarrassed, and at some point everything I had said seemed so juvenile. You see, when I wrote before, I was angry. I wanted to lash out, to yell from the rooftops, and go down to the precinct that was handling my Mother's case and give them all a piece of my mind. Detective Raglan had just called to tell us he'd decided to close her case, with no arrests or effort put into it at all. And I'd had enough.
Random gang violence. That's what they concluded. My Mother was killed as some gang initiation, probably by a teenager who didn't know what he was taking from the world. Even though she wasn't killed in gang territory, and nothing was stolen, that's what they went with. It doesn't add up to me. It never has. It was something I never thought Derrick Storm would do. He would search until he had turned every stone.
So I decided to do something to channel my anger. I enrolled in the police academy. Some of it was easy. I had a degree in criminal justice, and one year of pre-law under my belt. Some of it was trying, and I wondered what had gotten into me. But I keep seeing myself as my favorite book character, getting justice for every victim, no matter how difficult the case seemed. And Mr. Castle, I'm happy to report that I made it. I graduated at the top of my class, and I start with the NYPD in just a few days. I hope to keep Derrick Storm's attitude and dedication with me as I embark on this next chapter of my life. And I just want to thank you for giving me someone to look up to during the worst times of my life.
Signed,
Officer Katherine Beckett, NYPD