Like Midnight CliffNotes
If you haven't read Chapters 1-17 of Like Midnight and you feel like someday you might want to without knowing what will happen, you probably shouldn't read the summary below.
Chapter 1: The dead chick in the alley
It's the middle of the night. Lanie calls Beckett about a body. Said body is across the street from Castle's loft. Beckett retrieves a sleepy Castle from his apartment. Castle sees body. "Shit," Castle says.
Chapter 2: The return of teh triplez killr
Dead girl is Angela Branson. Dead girl looks eerily similar to Alexis. Dead girl has a remarkably familiar strangulation pattern. Yeah, that's probably Jerry Tyson, or if you want to be melodramatic about it, 3XK! Castle is sad. Castle and Martha and Alexis and Gina (yes, Castle is still dating Gina) get protection details. Castle snuggles Alexis to sleep.
Chapter 3: Complexities abound
Beckett briefs a group of cops - yup, it was Tyson who strangled Angela, a 16 year old junior at York Prep. Afterwards, Beckett gets a call from Eric Jenkins, a cop from the 21st. Two days earlier (so 1.5 days before Angela Branson died) they found this dead chick, Marisa Harrington, strangled in her dorm at Barnard. Jenkins' C.O. told him to STFU, but Jenkins saw Beckett's APB and he totally thinks Marisa got Triple Killered. Castle and Beckett and Castle's “angry boring robot” shadows, Haines and Garabaldi, head on up to the 21st.
Chapter 4: You guys are detectives. Detect.
Beckett and Castle flit about the 21st precinct and Barnard. Castle is mopey. Beckett is detecty. Also, yeah, the killer was Tyson.
Chapter 5: Breaking up is hard to do. Kind of.
It's two days later. Castle and Beckett have some pretty schnazzy timelines for Angela and Marissa, but they are still bereft of some actual solid Triple Killer info. Castle remains mopey. Esposito slams him into a wall and tells him that maybe he should try and not be a big douche to Beckett. Castle and Gina break up. Castle and Alexis have a supersoaker v. marshmellow gun battle, the outcome of which, sadly, will forever remain a mystery.
Chapter 6: Your love is my drug
Castle feels bad about his previous unintentional douchiness. At 3am, he and Haines and Garabaldi (who for some reason don't let Castle do anything by himself) swing by Beckett's apartment and then, when they don't find her there, go to the 12th. Castle and Beckett suck face in the break room. Haines and Garabaldi drop Beckett off at her apartment. Per Beckett's forceful demands, they will be back to pick her up at 7am.
Chapter 7: Is it me you’re looking for?
Due to Castle's intense cheeriness during a 6am waffle-making session, Alexis and Martha quickly and accurately deduce the activity in which he was engaged (and with whom he was engaged in said activity) the previous evening. Alexis goes off to school with six body guards. Castle and Haines and Garabaldi trot off to Beckett's apartment, but after Castle knocks, he gets a text from her -- she's at the precinct. Only, when they get there, there's no Beckett to be found. Hey. Hey! Where's Beckett?
Chapter 8: No, really. Where's Beckett?
Castle and Ryan and Esposito and Haines and Garabaldi zoom on over to Beckett's apartment, which looks like mine does after I've gone on one of my twenty-four hour benders (just kidding!). But no, really, it's totally trashed, and Castle feels pretty guilty when he realizes that Beckett and Tyson were probably in there when he was knocking earlier. He manages not to vomit all over the crime scene, and they go around and knock on some neighbor’s doors, but really Castle wishes he was still sucking on Beckett's face (as we all do, Castle, as we all do).
Chapter 9: Ketamine hangover
Beckett wakes up tied to a chair in some dimly-lit basement. She’s coming off her Ketamine daze, and her wrist and head and back all don’t feel so great. Also, she’s pissed, especially at Tyson, who keeps speaking Creepy Serial Killer to her. She thinks back to how awesome she was during her and Tyson’s fight in her apartment.
Chapter 10: A sad day for Beckett’s mug
Back at the 12th, every one’s all aflutter trying to find Beckett. Tyson calls Castle and is really pretty rude. Castle gets sad, sad enough that he winds up breaking Beckett’s mug after Tyson hangs up. Lanie comforts him in the break room, but not in quite the same way that Beckett comforted him in the break room in Chapter 6.
Chapter 11: Would you say your hair is normal or dry?
Beckett is still tied up and still pretty pissed. Tyson sits creepily close to her and explains that he killed Marissa to get his groove back but was bored, killed Angela to eff with Castle but was kind of sad about that whole dead sixteen year old redhead thing, and finally took Beckett because, let’s be real, she’s kind of awesome. Tyson’s learned from his previous sad attack over Angela, so he dyes Beckett’s hair an alluring shade of blond. She’s really not thrilled about that, particularly when he gives her a little more sedative and puts her in a freezing cold shower.
Chapter 12: Six degrees of separation
Castle gets a text image of a blond, wet Beckett. Needless to say, while in other situations this might be exciting for him, he’s mostly just glum. Luckily, good old Jenkins from the 21st found a Tyson connection through Marisa’s friend, Jean, who was in the biological daughter in Tyson’s first foster family before he got kicked out for smoking weed in the basement; years later, Marisa and Jean attended York Prep as seniors when Angela was a freshman (God, who came up with all this stupid plot). Castle gets pretty convinced that Tyson’s getting kicked out of this foster home was a big deal for him, since Jean’s home seemed like a pretty sweet deal and after that his life started sucking even worse. They decide to head up to the old house.
Chapter 13: Everybody was kung fu fighting
Beckett regains full awareness while she’s tied to a chair again and decides that she’d really rather not die. She thinks back to a conversation she had with Castle about how badass Nikki Heat is as she wriggles her ankles out of the rope that ties them to the bottom of the chair. Tyson emerges, ready to strangle her with his rope, but luckily, just in time, Beckett gets her feet out.
Chapter 14: The un-sexy kind of climax
Castle & Company arrive at a boarded-up house uptown. They hear a noise. After a hasty trip to the basement, they find a banged-up Tyson holding a knife to a banged-up Beckett’s throat. Things are tense. Beckett does some Crazy Detective Kung Fu and gets herself clear. Espo shoots Tyson in the shoulder. Castle unties Beckett and has a Very Manly Allergy Attack in the basement.
Chapter 15: You can’t go home again
Some friendly EMTs try to convince Beckett to get herself to the hospital, but she’s not having it. Ryan and Espo drop her off at her still-trashed apartment. She tries making out with Castle to feel better, but it doesn’t really help.
Chapter 16: Lather, rinse, repeat
Beckett’s upstairs at Castle’s loft, trying to take a shower. It freaks her out. Castle gets in the shower with her. It helps. Mostly.
Chapter 17: Who needs sleep?
Beckett tries to sleep, but Castle keeps waking her up (he has to, to check her poor battered head). She’s tired, he’s tired, and even though she’s checking okay neurologically (okay enough to ping back most Derrick Storm quotes, at any rate), she finally agrees to go to the hospital.
Chapter 1: The dead chick in the alley
It's the middle of the night. Lanie calls Beckett about a body. Said body is across the street from Castle's loft. Beckett retrieves a sleepy Castle from his apartment. Castle sees body. "Shit," Castle says.
Chapter 2: The return of teh triplez killr
Dead girl is Angela Branson. Dead girl looks eerily similar to Alexis. Dead girl has a remarkably familiar strangulation pattern. Yeah, that's probably Jerry Tyson, or if you want to be melodramatic about it, 3XK! Castle is sad. Castle and Martha and Alexis and Gina (yes, Castle is still dating Gina) get protection details. Castle snuggles Alexis to sleep.
Chapter 3: Complexities abound
Beckett briefs a group of cops - yup, it was Tyson who strangled Angela, a 16 year old junior at York Prep. Afterwards, Beckett gets a call from Eric Jenkins, a cop from the 21st. Two days earlier (so 1.5 days before Angela Branson died) they found this dead chick, Marisa Harrington, strangled in her dorm at Barnard. Jenkins' C.O. told him to STFU, but Jenkins saw Beckett's APB and he totally thinks Marisa got Triple Killered. Castle and Beckett and Castle's “angry boring robot” shadows, Haines and Garabaldi, head on up to the 21st.
Chapter 4: You guys are detectives. Detect.
Beckett and Castle flit about the 21st precinct and Barnard. Castle is mopey. Beckett is detecty. Also, yeah, the killer was Tyson.
Chapter 5: Breaking up is hard to do. Kind of.
It's two days later. Castle and Beckett have some pretty schnazzy timelines for Angela and Marissa, but they are still bereft of some actual solid Triple Killer info. Castle remains mopey. Esposito slams him into a wall and tells him that maybe he should try and not be a big douche to Beckett. Castle and Gina break up. Castle and Alexis have a supersoaker v. marshmellow gun battle, the outcome of which, sadly, will forever remain a mystery.
Chapter 6: Your love is my drug
Castle feels bad about his previous unintentional douchiness. At 3am, he and Haines and Garabaldi (who for some reason don't let Castle do anything by himself) swing by Beckett's apartment and then, when they don't find her there, go to the 12th. Castle and Beckett suck face in the break room. Haines and Garabaldi drop Beckett off at her apartment. Per Beckett's forceful demands, they will be back to pick her up at 7am.
Chapter 7: Is it me you’re looking for?
Due to Castle's intense cheeriness during a 6am waffle-making session, Alexis and Martha quickly and accurately deduce the activity in which he was engaged (and with whom he was engaged in said activity) the previous evening. Alexis goes off to school with six body guards. Castle and Haines and Garabaldi trot off to Beckett's apartment, but after Castle knocks, he gets a text from her -- she's at the precinct. Only, when they get there, there's no Beckett to be found. Hey. Hey! Where's Beckett?
Chapter 8: No, really. Where's Beckett?
Castle and Ryan and Esposito and Haines and Garabaldi zoom on over to Beckett's apartment, which looks like mine does after I've gone on one of my twenty-four hour benders (just kidding!). But no, really, it's totally trashed, and Castle feels pretty guilty when he realizes that Beckett and Tyson were probably in there when he was knocking earlier. He manages not to vomit all over the crime scene, and they go around and knock on some neighbor’s doors, but really Castle wishes he was still sucking on Beckett's face (as we all do, Castle, as we all do).
Chapter 9: Ketamine hangover
Beckett wakes up tied to a chair in some dimly-lit basement. She’s coming off her Ketamine daze, and her wrist and head and back all don’t feel so great. Also, she’s pissed, especially at Tyson, who keeps speaking Creepy Serial Killer to her. She thinks back to how awesome she was during her and Tyson’s fight in her apartment.
Chapter 10: A sad day for Beckett’s mug
Back at the 12th, every one’s all aflutter trying to find Beckett. Tyson calls Castle and is really pretty rude. Castle gets sad, sad enough that he winds up breaking Beckett’s mug after Tyson hangs up. Lanie comforts him in the break room, but not in quite the same way that Beckett comforted him in the break room in Chapter 6.
Chapter 11: Would you say your hair is normal or dry?
Beckett is still tied up and still pretty pissed. Tyson sits creepily close to her and explains that he killed Marissa to get his groove back but was bored, killed Angela to eff with Castle but was kind of sad about that whole dead sixteen year old redhead thing, and finally took Beckett because, let’s be real, she’s kind of awesome. Tyson’s learned from his previous sad attack over Angela, so he dyes Beckett’s hair an alluring shade of blond. She’s really not thrilled about that, particularly when he gives her a little more sedative and puts her in a freezing cold shower.
Chapter 12: Six degrees of separation
Castle gets a text image of a blond, wet Beckett. Needless to say, while in other situations this might be exciting for him, he’s mostly just glum. Luckily, good old Jenkins from the 21st found a Tyson connection through Marisa’s friend, Jean, who was in the biological daughter in Tyson’s first foster family before he got kicked out for smoking weed in the basement; years later, Marisa and Jean attended York Prep as seniors when Angela was a freshman (God, who came up with all this stupid plot). Castle gets pretty convinced that Tyson’s getting kicked out of this foster home was a big deal for him, since Jean’s home seemed like a pretty sweet deal and after that his life started sucking even worse. They decide to head up to the old house.
Chapter 13: Everybody was kung fu fighting
Beckett regains full awareness while she’s tied to a chair again and decides that she’d really rather not die. She thinks back to a conversation she had with Castle about how badass Nikki Heat is as she wriggles her ankles out of the rope that ties them to the bottom of the chair. Tyson emerges, ready to strangle her with his rope, but luckily, just in time, Beckett gets her feet out.
Chapter 14: The un-sexy kind of climax
Castle & Company arrive at a boarded-up house uptown. They hear a noise. After a hasty trip to the basement, they find a banged-up Tyson holding a knife to a banged-up Beckett’s throat. Things are tense. Beckett does some Crazy Detective Kung Fu and gets herself clear. Espo shoots Tyson in the shoulder. Castle unties Beckett and has a Very Manly Allergy Attack in the basement.
Chapter 15: You can’t go home again
Some friendly EMTs try to convince Beckett to get herself to the hospital, but she’s not having it. Ryan and Espo drop her off at her still-trashed apartment. She tries making out with Castle to feel better, but it doesn’t really help.
Chapter 16: Lather, rinse, repeat
Beckett’s upstairs at Castle’s loft, trying to take a shower. It freaks her out. Castle gets in the shower with her. It helps. Mostly.
Chapter 17: Who needs sleep?
Beckett tries to sleep, but Castle keeps waking her up (he has to, to check her poor battered head). She’s tired, he’s tired, and even though she’s checking okay neurologically (okay enough to ping back most Derrick Storm quotes, at any rate), she finally agrees to go to the hospital.