Kate Beckett - Mother's Murder

Mother's Murder

During the pilot, Castle speculated that Beckett had joined the police force due to an unsolved trauma suffered by someone close to her, and Beckett implied that he was correct. Castle also confirmed that Beckett "does have a history with (an) unsolved crime" which inspires her to build "case that would never fall apart in court." In the second episode, Beckett plied suspect Chloe Richardson by admitting that someone close to her had been killed. By the fifth episode, Beckett tells Castle that it had been her mother, Johanna Beckett, who had been violently murdered, and that Beckett became a cop because she wanted to be a detective who did not commit what she felt was the investigating detective's mistake of "pigeon-holing" crimes (she explained to Castle that she believes that her mother's killer was never caught because the investigating detectives simply assumed that she was killed in a botched robbery and ignored all evidence to the contrary, such as the fact that her mother still had her purse and keys when she was found). She explained that she now wears her mother's wedding ring on a necklace for "the life lost" and her father's watch for "the life saved" when she helped him recover from his alcoholism. She also reads mystery fiction as a result, hoping to gain insight into murderers' motives, and is not so secretly one of Castle's fans, although her main strength as a detective lies in her ability to empathize with the relatives of violent crimes, which she does "better than anyone knows".

In "Little Girl Lost", Beckett's past is further revealed when a former love interest, FBI Agent Will Sorenson, returns to New York and requests Beckett's assistance on a kidnapping case. It is revealed in the episode by Sorenson that Beckett once waited in line for an hour just to get one of Castle's books signed, and also how his novels helped her through her mother's death. In the first season finale, Beckett angrily refuses Castle's help in reopening her mother's murder investigation—having concluded after conducting her own investigations after joining the force that focusing on her mother's death would destroy her life—stating that if Castle interferes, it will end his police collaboration with her. Despite this, Castle confronts Beckett at the end of the episode with evidence that her mother was targeted for murder. At the beginning of season 2 she forgives Castle for his indiscretion about her mother's murder after he delivers a heartfelt apology. During this period it was also revealed that Beckett speaks Russian after a semester in Kiev between her junior and senior year, as well as spending a brief period modeling when she was seventeen on the grounds that it seemed easier than waitressing (although the only shown photograph of her modeling period is her in tennis gear). Her partnership with Castle is later extended after Castle receives a three-book publishing deal after the success of the debut Nikki Heat novel.

Beckett's mother's case is again brought up at "Sucker Punch" when Lanie contacts a specialist, Dr. Murray, after realizing the wound similarities between the victim and Beckett's mother. Dr. Murray then reveals to Beckett that there is no doubt in his mind, that the victim is killed by the same man that murdered her mother. At first she is informed by a corrupt politician Dick Coonan that it is a contract killer named "Rathborne" that killed her mother and the four other victims. They then set up an exchange—Castle actually donating $100,000 of his own money to cover the fee to fake a hit—so Beckett can finally catch the killer but he never shows. After the exchange goes bust she realizes that Coonan himself is the killer—given that he implied awareness of her connection to "Rathborne" without Beckett having made any reference to her mother's death—and as she goes to arrest and confront him, he takes Castle hostage. Castle manages to free himself but Coonan comes charging after him, only to have Beckett shoot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Though she gains some closure on her mother's death she still must figure out who now ordered the hit on her mother. In the same episode, Castle states that he will stop shadowing her and feels guilty that Beckett had to kill in order to save his life. However, Beckett tells him to stay, admitting that she has grown accustomed to Castle "pulling on pigtails"—although she threatens to shoot him if he mentions that to anyone else—that he makes her hard job more fun, and that she wants him to be there when she finally finds whoever ordered her mother's murder.

Beckett's training officer after leaving the academy was Mike Royce; who according to Beckett was "the only one who understood the obsession that drove ". One of their cases involved a karaoke bar; another involved a monkey. She also says that she was in love with Royce, and claims that she was lying by saying it in order to keep him talking on the phone long enough to get a trace. However, after telling Castle that she lied, she walks off with tears clearly visible in her eyes.

In the episode "Knockdown" John Raglan, the detective who investigated in the case of Johanna Beckett's murder, contacts Beckett and is shot by a sniper in front of her and Castle's eyes when he was just about telling them something about the murder. The trace leads to Joe Pulgatti, a mob-boss in the 90's, who was imprisoned for the murder of the FBI agent Bobby Arman. He always claimed to be innocent and told a story about cops who tried to kidnap him, but Arman intervened and was killed by one of them. Nobody believed him till Johanna Beckett, who was killed in the same alley as Arman. This new trace leads to the dirty cops Raglan and McCallister, who was his partner back then. They kidnapped and blackmailed mobsters till this incident with Arman. At the same time Ryan and Esposito traced down the shooter, a contract killer with the name Hal Lockwood who appeared out of the blue in 2004. The two detectives get kidnapped by him and were tortured till Castle and Beckett saved them. Both Lockwood and McCallister were arrested. In the course of this investigation Beckett reveals her home-made murder board for the case to Castle, which she built the summer before.

In the season three final "Knockout" Lockwood kills McCallister behind bars and is breaking free at his official hearing at court. From now on he is hunting down Beckett and it is revealed that there was a third cop in 1992: Roy Montgomery. He shot Arman and he has every single necessary evidence to bring the so-called dragon down. He confesses everything to Beckett and sacrifices himself for her, his last act before dying is killing Lockwood. At his funeral Beckett gets shot by another unknown sniper. While she is lying on the ground Castle finally confesses his love for her.

In the season four premiere "Rise" Beckett barely survives the assassination attempt on her and takes three months off to recuperate. In this time Castle, Ryan and Esposito were tracking the money of Montgomery, Raglan and McCallister, but the evidence was destroyed in a fire in 1998. Beckett doesn't want to believe this, and only after Castle has a long talk to her does Beckett decide to see her therapist again. Castle only talked so seriously to her about this because of a call he received from a mysterious man, who claimed to be an old friend of Montgomery and in possession of the evidence against the dragon and is now blackmailing him in order to keep Beckett safe.

Later in the fourth season, in the episode "Dial M for Mayor" the case surfaces again, but only Castle realizes this thanks to the mysterious man, who informs him that the dragon wants to blame Castle's old friend the mayor with the murder of a young woman in order to get rid of Bob (the mayor) and Castle. Without Castle there would be nobody who could keep Beckett from investigating her mother's case and as soon she does this, the deal between the mysterious man and the dragon is over and Beckett would be no longer safe. The man can arranges for another man who looks guilty to take the fall, but if he is really the murderer is not completely clear.

In the season four finale "Always", Cole Maddox, the man who shot Beckett, returns and tries to find the man, who is blackmailing his employer. Castle tries to talk Beckett out of everything, but as soon he reveals the existence of his mysterious informant Beckett breaks off her partnership with him. Castle is more willing to go than ever before, but he just can't let Beckett throw her life away again. Beckett and Esposito trace down Maddox alone, who defeats both of them and leaves Beckett hanging on the edge of a tall building. In this moment she realizes that Castle is more important to her than justice for her mother. After Gates suspends her and Esposito, she quits and goes directly to Castle. While the two are spending their first night together Maddox visits the mysterious man and threatens him.

In the season five premiere "After the Storm", Castle, Beckett and Ryan manage to trace down Michael Smith, the old friend of Montgomery. When Beckett and Castle find him he is in a very bad shape: Maddox had tortured him to learn where the files are. One of them is burned in Smith's fireplace, another one is hidden in an old storage building. Castle and Beckett head there, but Maddox was waiting for them. Esposito turns up and frees the two out of their hostage situation. Meanwhile Maddox tries in to open the safe with the files, but he is killed by a booby trap and the file is destroyed. The team attempt to reconstruct the files and discover an account number of the senator William Bracken. After they are told Smith is out of surgery, Beckett and Castle go to see him, but he refuses to help them. He is then murdered by one of Bracken's men, though it is made to look like a heart attack. Beckett goes to Bracken and threatens him with the bluff that she has a third copy of the files, and that she is going to publish them if he goes near to her or somebody she cares about.