Wow, I have to admit, Im quite shocked at how many readers I lost by explaining what happened. The numbers dropped to less than a fifth... So, Im even more thankful for those of you still reading :-)
I'm not exactly happy with this chapter - when I had written more than half of it I was told I had to change almost everything which didn't have me too thrilled, as you can probably imagine. So let's see what you make of it. Just so you know: I originally intended to fully write all the now summarized parts. So don't get too confused by them, just accept it. It was a means to pass time...
Have fun reading!

"That didn't go too bad, did it?" Esposito said when they excited the building and stepped onto the now emptier though still busy street.

"Not as bad as I expected", Beckett admitted. "He was surprisingly co-operative, I have to give him that. Although I don't like we had to give up all responsibility."

"Why didn't you try negotiate?", Castle asked.

"There would have been no use. It was either accepting his demands or defeat. And he had a point, it would've been dangerous if both parties had worked on the case. I'd just have liked to still have a say in the matter."

Esposito grunted in agreement.

"Back to the precinct it is, then", Beckett said but before she could move, Castle interrupted her.

"Actually, I had hoped we could find us something to eat first", he said. "I don't know about you guys, but my dinner last night was cancelled by a sudden enlightenment."

"Good idea, bro." Esposito looked at Beckett questioningly.

"I'm in", she stated and looked around. As everywhere in Manhattan, one didn't need to look far in the search of food. There was a Starbucks on the opposite side of the street, a bakery next to them and a café at the next corner.

"I vote for the bakery", Esposito said. "Let's get a coffee and something to eat, then we can be on our way again."

"Fine with me", Beckett said and looked at Castle who nodded.

They had barely reached the bakery's entrance when Beckett's cell phone started ringing. She took it out of her pocket and Castle glanced at the display.

"Speaking of bad timing", he muttered when she lifted it to her ear.

"Beckett", she said as a greeting then paused to listen. "Yes, sir. We'll be right there."

Esposito and Castle groaned.

"There's been a homicide, guys", Beckett told them what they already knew.

"I won't go there without having something to eat first", Castle stated and the other man nodded in agreement.

"Me neither", he said.

Beckett looked at them but didn't protest. She, too, was already over the edge to being hypoglycaemic.

Ten minutes later they sat in a cab, each a coffee and some pastry in hand, on their way to the crime scene.

oOo

What followed was nothing special, just every day work and a welcome distraction from the waiting that was all they could do now for Ryan. Only Lanie, who had been on vacation for the past week, had to be dealt with. Of course, the medical examiner instantly noticed there was one of them missing but with all the people crowding the space around the young woman's body, Beckett deemed it best to delay the inevitable explanation until a quieter moment.

Back at the precinct they started the usual investigation, first telling the parents of their daughter's early and violent demise, then her brother and boyfriend. Neither knew a reason for why Anne Elmond could have been killed. The only lead they had, a mysterious phone call only minutes prior to her death, was of no use because her mobile was missing and the provider had some technical difficulties so there was no access to the call detail records.

Having reached a dead end for now, Beckett decided to pay Lanie a visit. Both to see if she had found something useful during the autopsy and to tell her for what reason their team had so suddenly been reduced. Next to Castle she took Esposito with her. He had no partner at the moment, it would take a few days for another detective to get assigned to him, so he was to be with her for now.

oOo

The door to the morgue swung open and three people entered. Lanie didn't even need to look up, she already knew who it was. She had heard their steps on the tiled floor so often, she would recognize them even in her sleep. But she did anyways and saw Kate, Javi and Castle walking up to her. Still no Ryan. She hadn't been completely sure if his absence this morning was just temporary or of a longer duration but she hadn't dared ask directly. If Kate told her she would get to know later, there probably was a good reason for it. Maybe all the people that had been around. Well, now they were alone, apart from the dead body on the autopsy table, so no more excuses on that part.

"Hey", she greeted the incomers, abandoning the microscope she had just been working with and straightening up.

"Hey, Lanie", Kate responded while Castle just smiled and Javi grinned as usual. Although his demeanour seemed slightly subdued. Lanie knew him good enough to tell if there was something off. She eyed him curiously and a bit worried. Ryan missing and Javi not his cheery self. There was something important she was unaware of.

"So, who gets his questions answered first?", Lanie asked. "Will you tell me what the matter is before asking whether or not I've got something for you?"

"Yes, yes of course." Kate sounded apologetic. "Sorry, we didn't tell you this morning, it's just... Well, let's say the lesser people who know about it, the better."

If possible, Lanie's curiosity spiked even higher. This almost sounded like some dark secret. But it was Ryan they were talking about. If she had ever known someone obvious and completely without mystery, it was Detective Kevin Ryan. The guy wore his heart on his sleeve and was nicer than any boy scout. She couldn't imagine him being involved in some dubious affair or another. And neither his wife. Although she didn't know Jenny as well as her husband, the woman clearly was very much like him.

"Now you certainly got me at the edge of my seat", she said. Pulling her gloves off, she walked over to where the others stood and looked at them inquiringly. "So?"

"He's in witness protection", Javi answered her.

Lanie stopped dead in her tracks and raised her eyebrows. "Witness protection? How on earth did he end up there?"

"Turns out he was undercover with the Irish mob, back when he worked with narcotics", Javi explained. "Somehow must've forgotten to tell us about it." The betrayal in his voice was obvious and Lanie threw him a pitying glance. She knew, the two men were as close as brothers and learning someone so close had just not mentioned something this important must hurt.

"A few days ago, he was recognized by some thug and the FBI managed to get him to safety in time", Castle continued. "They didn't think it necessary to inform anyone, though", he mused. "All we got was a letter of resignation and an empty flat. If Ryan hadn't managed to leave us a note with his neighbours, we would still wonder why he abandoned us so ignominiously."

Whatever Lanie had expected, it wasn't this. She needed a second to get her thoughts in order before she was able to pose the next, quite important question. "And will he come back? I mean, if the mob's after him, there's not much to be done about it, is there?"

To her surprise, all three of the people before her half-smiled.

"Probably not", Castle said. "But, if you possess outstanding ingenuity like we do, all it takes is a good night's work and you can even outwit the mafia." The smug look on his face was the same one he sported when he had just made a major breakthrough in a case, Lanie had seen it once or twice before. Apparently he had had his share in developing a plan.

When Kate had finished explaining what exactly they had found out and what was now to be done by the FBI, Lanie was positively overwhelmed. She knew why she preferred working with corpses and the facts they told to everyone who was able to listen to them. This theorizing, plotting and abstract thinking wasn't her strong suit, never had been.

"So all we can do now is waiting and hoping it works?", she asked.

"Unfortunately", Kate admitted. "We don't like it either, but there were only two options. Giving full responsibility to the FBI or never seeing Ryan and Jenny again. With these options, the choice wasn't hard to make."

Lanie nodded in understanding. "Alright then, shall I provide you with some distraction? I found an interesting thing or two when performing the autopsy on your victim."

oOo

Half an hour later, Castle, Beckett and Esposito where back in the car once more, having learnt that Anne Elmond had indeed died from being stabbed. But of the numerous wounds in her torso and abdomen, the first one had been instantly fatal, so apparently the killer was either very, very lucky or he had known what he was doing and had only added the other wounds to cover up his tracks. Betting on the latter option, they were now searching for someone who either had medical knowledge or was trained in Martial Arts. What they were still missing though was a motive. There had to be a reason for why the young student had been killed.

In order to find something, anything that would have given someone a reason to end Anne's life, they where now on their way to the campus of the NYU, hoping they could talk to some of her friends and fellow students.

Right in the middle of traffic, Beckett's phone rang. She shortly glanced at the display but the number was marked as 'unknown'. She accepted the call while Castle and Esposito looked at her curiously.

"Beckett", she said. Over the noise from outside the car nothing from the other end of the line could be heard by the two men.

"Agent Evans", Beckett exclaimed after a second. Another silence, considerably longer this time. "Yes, thank you for informing me." With that, she put away her mobile again.

"That was short", Castle commented and Esposito asked "What did he say?"

"That his superiors agreed to our plan. They will try to carry it out."

A wide grin spread over Castle's face as well as Esposito's. "Yes!", the Latino exclaimed triumphantly. Beckett just smiled.

oOo

Everyone they talked to on campus seemed genuinely shocked by Anne's death. Each of her friends and fellows confirmed what they had already heard from her brother and boyfriend. She had been popular, friendly and had never gotten herself into any trouble. But some of them recalled her being tense the day before. When asked why, they explained she had refused to talk about it.

Still without a concrete lead, they decided to question the couple's neighbours next. According to them, there had been quite a noisy argument the night before last, but since both Anne and her boyfriend Tom were generally peaceful, no one had intervened. And from Lanie they knew the victim's only injuries were the stab wounds so the fight between her and her boyfriend hadn't been violent.

Confronted by this new information, Tom instantly admitted to have had a disagreement with her. Asked why he hadn't mentioned it, he said he hadn't thought it important. Apparently, while Anne had been working as a waitress to pay her fees, her brother Len was trying for a scholarship. According to Tom, Anne and he had learned that Len had cheated in order to have better chances. And while Tom had been adamant that Len should be turned in for it, Anne had been reluctant to take action against her own brother. In the end, she apparently had given in, agreeing on talking to his dean in the foreseeable future, but not without talking to Len first.

Realizing this seemed like it could be a motive, Tom rushed to reassure Castle and Beckett that he didn't think Len would ever be able to do his sister any harm, no matter the circumstances, which was why he hadn't told them before.

Neither of the two detectives nor Castle were too sure about that, though. Until now, they had been lacking a motive for the murder but here it was, plain and simple. Academic success meant everything to some people and however shocked Len Elmond had seemed when they had first questioned him, most killers proved to be excellent actors.

They agreed on talking to the professor responsible for the scholarship next, but it was already getting late so they decided to pay that visit the next day. Neither of them had gotten too much sleep last night and their concentration was fading. Not even an especially black coffee had done much good anymore.

oOo

"Finally at home", Castle stated when he opened the door for Beckett and him.

"Seems to have been ages ago that we were here, doesn't it?", she asked.

"Yes, definitely! Although it's been only", he paused in shedding his jacket and counted in his head, "twenty-three hours. For me, at least." He looked at her. "Only twenty-three!"

"Well", she said and hung her own clothing on the coat rack next to the door, "that's what you get when you try to save your friends from exile." She moved closer to him and stretched to kiss him. "I'm glad we did, though." She smiled at his typical boyish joy whenever she came near him.

"Dad! Kate!", a voice came suddenly from above their heads. Both Castle and Beckett intuitively took a step away from each other.

"I'm old enough not to be hysteric about my father kissing someone", Alexis stated dryly and with a wide grin when she descended the stairs.

"Sorry, it's a habit", Castle said and embraced her, his jacket still hanging over one of his arms.

"I do believe that. How long do you think you'll manage to keep it a secret from Captain Gates?"

"As long as at all possible", Beckett answered. "Because as soon as she finds out, she'll probably kick your father out of the precinct herself."

Alexis chuckled and Castle attempted to look terrified at the prospect but didn't quite manage because a yawn took hold of his facial muscles.

"Haven't you gotten any sleep last night?", Alexis asked.

"Not as much as we would have liked", Castle answered and finally got rid of his jacket. He followed Beckett to the kitchen area, Alexis next to him.

"So, will you tell me about what's up with Ryan now? In a little more detail than this morning, if possible?"

"Only, if you haven't eaten all the casserole I prepared yesterday."

"She hasn't", Beckett, who had just opened the fridge, reassured him.

"Lucky for you", Castle told his daughter. "Where is your grandmother?"

"On the way home from her studio, I think. Maybe you should wait with you explanation until she arrives", Alexis mused. "Otherwise you'll have to tell twice."

"You told her?", Castle asked, though not angry.

"What choice did I have? I had to tell her why I was sitting here all alone last night, didn't I?"

"Good point", he admitted. "Speaking of, why are you here now? Have you decided your father's company is to be preferred over campus life?"

She smiled at the mock hopefulness in his voice. "No, not quite yet. I just thought you owed me a dinner after you stood me up last night." She put her hands on her hips and looked at him accusingly, although it was obvious she wasn't really mad.

"Deal, we get that casserole heated up, wait for your grandmother and then we'll tell you two all about it over dinner. That alright?"

"Hmm", Alexis pretended having to think about it. "Okay."

The door opened just when Beckett placed the last plate on the table. Martha Rodgers entered the apartment in her usual self-confident and omnipresent way.

"Who's riding so late where wind blows wild, it is the father without his child", she exclaimed dramatically when she caught sight of Castle next to the kitchen counter. "Richard, where did you run off to last night? There I was, coming home expecting to spend the evening with my wayward son and his charming daughter, but the only person I find is dear Alexis here." She hugged the young woman before walking up to Castle, a scolding expression on her face.

"Goethe? Really, mother?", he looked down at her, smiling. "I know of your love for the overly dramatic but don't you think this is a bit much?"

"Oh, no no", she waved her hand dismissively and turned to face Beckett. "There's no such thing as too much drama. Good evening, Kate, nice to see you."

"Nice to see you, too, Martha." Beckett couldn't help but grin a little at the familial scene before her. The Castles really were some special people.

"So, do we get a sensible explanation now?" Martha asked.

Castle sighed demonstratively. "Your wish is my command. But only", he turned towards the oven, "when I get something to eat first." He took the casserole out and placed it in the middle of the table.

"Oh well", Martha answered and swirled back to the door to shed her bright red coat. Underneath it she wore a breath taking combination of blue and silver. It wasn't the first time Beckett wondered where the women in Castle's family got the bravery for their bold choices in colour from.

"Dinner is served", Alexis announced and filled the last of the glasses with wine. They sat down and Castle began explaining.

When he reached the end of the story, they had almost finished eating.

"Okay, I'll accept that as an apology", Alexis said. "This is a good enough reason to abandon your only daughter."

"But only barely", Martha added teasingly. "I have to say, I'm quite impressed."

"By what?", Castle asked. "Ryan's past or our work to make up for it?"

"Both, I assume. He always seemed so calm, almost boring", she said, always her brutally honest self.

"Grandma!", Alexis exclaimed while Beckett smiled. After all, this was what they had all been thinking, more or less, at some point during the whole affair.

"There's no denying", Martha defended herself. "But anyways, I guess I was wrong about him, then. My eye for people seems to loosen some of its sharpness."

"Don't worry, mother, we all made that mistake."

"I, for one, don't care too much about it as long as we'll get him back soon", Beckett said and earned nods from the other three.

"And you will", Martha said confidently. "So, is there anything in that fridge we could have for dessert?"

oOo

The next morning had Castle and Beckett in a car on the way to the precinct to pick Esposito up and then head directly for NYU and the school Len belonged to. Their talk with the professor responsible for the scholarship revealed that indeed something had seemed off about the application in question, and so Len Elmond was once again invited for questioning, this time under the assumption of him being the killer.

Though while he instantly admitted on cheating when faced with the charge, he denied being involved in his sister's death and even gave an alibi that checked out when tested. Born from a sudden epiphany Beckett asked him who had helped him cheat and surprised Len gave them the name of a fellow student of his.

Two hours later, Daniel Prince was sitting in front of Castle and Beckett while Esposito got called off to his phone. They were already questioning the ambitious young man when a sudden knock on the door interrupted them. It was Esposito waving a sheet of paper. The provider had finally gotten around to solving the problem with the servers and had now access to the needed data. The call records showed the number which had contacted Anne only minutes before she had died. It was Daniel Prince's.

From there on, it was easy. He confessed that he had learnt about her wanting to tell the dean about Len cheating and that he had intended to talk her out of it. They had met in the backyard of the café she had been working at, but when she had refused to forget about the subject, something in him had snapped and he had killed her with the switch blade he always carried. After writing his statement down and have him sign it, the young man was escorted to the cell that would hold him until the trial started.

Once again robbed of their distraction from waiting to hear from the FBI, Beckett and Esposito had spent the rest of the day getting rid of paperwork while Castle left for his apartment. He didn't fool himself, he wasn't going to write anything good at the moment, but better pretend that he at least tried than not. Or so he thought. In the end, he went to bed early just to be able to stop thinking.

Okay, so there you got it. I hope it was bearable. As you may already have guessed, this should be the chapter before last, so only one to go, I'd say. I won't guarantee it but it's likely.
I shortly debated fully writing the murder case and upload it as kind of a companion piece, just for the fun of it, because I already plotted it and as a writing exercise. Would anyone be interested in reading it? As you now already know most of it, I guess not...
Fun fact to end with: The victim was originally called Martha Elmond. It took me until yesterday to realize that's also the name of Castle's mother. Don't know how I could have been so blind for weeks... :'-D