Civil War
Synopsis: A comedy about the Civil War. Beckett V Castle over domestic bliss. Season 4.5.
Chapter 1: Bull Run
"Hey," she says smiling as she opens her door to him.
"Hey," he's holding a coffee in each hand but leans in to peck her on the lips, surrendering one cup.
"Hey," a third voice startles them both.
"Hi Danny," she greets her Ethan Hunt-look-a-like neighbor. Instantly threatened, Castle narrows his eyes, wraps a possessive arm around her waist. Without looking at him she pushes his hand off her hip, but continues to hold it behind her back.
"Just thought I'd drop off your newspapers," he extends a pile toward her, "you were collecting way too many last week." She feels Castle squeeze her hand before she drops his to take the papers. Every day the newspaper collects at her place means she spent the night at his.
"Thanks, I appreciate you looking out for me."
"Anytime Kate. That's what neighbors do," he gives them both a quick once over before turning and walking away.
She pulls Castle out the door by their joined hands, locks it and leads him to the elevator.
"So . . .," he starts.
"He's a neighbor Castle. He was just being neighborly."
"Yeah? Don't forget how we started Kate."
She rolls her eyes at him as the doors close.
xoxoxoxxoxoxo
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was not the place to find a body. This was a hotel with a reputation to maintain, and Beckett was already frustrated with their staff. Esposito meets her at the door of the crime scene.
"Dr. Rob Lee, dentist from Connecticut, presenting at the American Dental Association conference downstairs. Married, two kids."
"Time of death?"
"Sometime between ten and midnight last night." Beckett glances around the room, paper strewn from table to bed to floor. A briefcase open on the bed. A lamp with a skewed shade, a chair overturned. Castle wanders the scene.
"Quite a struggle, he was looking for something," Castle says to anyone listening, but with eyes only for her.
The body is slumped against the adjoining suite door, three bullet holes in the torso. The man is wearing glasses, a Hello, my name is… sticker affixed to his brown tweed suit coat, the very picture of a Connecticut dentist. Beckett kneels by the body, a look of wonder crossing her face as she surveys the damage.
"Anybody hear the shots?"
"Nobody reported them. Could be a silencer," Esposito responds.
"Who is in the room next door?"
"That'd be Dr. Lester Grant, Lee's partner in the dental practice," Esposito is reading from his notes.
"Wait a second," Castle seems to be about to make a profound point, "the partner dentists are Lee and Grant?"
They stare dumbly at him.
"Lee and Grant, as in Civil War?
They can all see he's on a roll. The boys are amused, lean back into their stances.
"Wait, wait, do we have any suspects with the last name of Lincoln or better yet John Wilkes-Booth? I think I can solve this."
"Espo," Beckett interrupts his tirade, "bring in the wife and the partner, let's see what we can find out about his presentation, we need to know if this was a professional hit, and if so why here and not at home?" As she leaves the room, Castle sidles up to Ryan.
"The wife's maiden name?"
"Jacobs, Castle, not Wilkes or Booth."
"Pity."
Both detectives shake their heads as they watch him chase Beckett. They can hear him calling, "seriously Beckett, we should consider where the suspects were born…."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"Detective Beckett, we have a problem," Victoria Gates sounds pissed, and her eyes are red-rimmed, she sneezes as she reaches Beckett and Castle, newly exiting the elevator.
"Are you all right, Sir?"
"I most certainly am not, whatever personal business you need to conduct it should be done outside of this precinct, is that understood?"
Shit. She knew about her and Castle. They had discussed not telling anyone but their family for now. How on earth had Gates found out?
"And damn it, you see what this is doing to my allergies?" Gates stormed off, tossing over her shoulder, "get rid of them today Detective."
What the hell was going on?
Beckett searches for answers glancing around the station, she's startled. At least twenty vases litter her desk, her chair, his chair, the floor around her desk. Gorgeous, fragrant bouquets of roses, lilies, Gerber Daisies, giant stalks of Bird-of-Paradise, Calla Lilies, an outrageous assortment, she glances at Castle, who looks as surprised as she is.
"Did I miss your birthday?"
She gives him a quizzical look and snatches up one of the cards sticking out from a bouquet:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken
-Your secret admirer
"Shakespeare," she says with a smile.
"This one's signed, with greatest admiration, your secret admirer," Castle reads and then whispers to her, "what the hell Kate?"
His response wipes the smile off her face.
"Who sent these?" He demands, his voice barely contained.
"I don't know, let's check the rest of these cards."
"This guy is an idiot," he says after reading what must have been the tenth card quoting Browning, Keats, even a Grey's Anatomy episode ('pick me, choose me, love me').
"I think it's sweet Castle."
"Who is he Kate?"
"I have no idea."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"Dr. Grant, tell us about your research with Dr. Lee," even as Beckett says the names in the same sentence, she can feel Castle smiling into the idea.
"Tic Douloureux."
"Pardon me?"
"Trigeminal Neuralgia, also known as prosopalgia, the Suicide Disease or Fothergill's disease, that was our research, a new cure, one that didn't involve surgery. Usually people have excruciating pain in their jaw or teeth sometimes triggered by loud sounds, hot or cold contact, eating, talking, any variety of activities."
"Anything unusual about your findings?"
"Only that they were relatively simple, we had tried the treatment on several patients, and we were still working on the presentation, it isn't until Thursday afternoon."
"And what was your relationship with Dr. Lee?"
"Rob Lee was my best friend, we've worked together for nearly 20 years." The doctor looks forlorn until he recognizes her suspicion, "what exactly are you accusing me of Detective?"
"Where were you between 10 and midnight, Dr. Grant?" Beckett was undaunted by his offense.
"In my room at the Waldorf-Astoria."
"And can anyone verify that?"
Grant hesitates.
"Dr. Grant, if you have something to say, now is the time to say it. Being arrested for murder doesn't mix well with a life in Connecticut."
"Clara can vouch for me," he says finally.
"Barton?" Castle pipes up.
Beckett slowly turns her head and narrows her eyes at him.
"Probably not," he whispers, trying not to meet her eyes.
"Clara Iverson is my receptionist, our receptionist."
Beckett's silent stare prompts him, "promise me you won't tell my wife?"
Her only response is a raised eyebrow.
"We were having an affair, my wife and I had been having problems for a long time, Clara is the love of my life, I was just figuring out how to get a divorce."
xoxoxoxox
Beckett is still writing on the murder board when hands her another coffee. She stops and straightens, looks him in the eye and winks.
"Thanks," she smiles.
"You can thank me later," he grins back.
Ryan interrupts.
"Looks like Grant had a fairly small office staff, other than Clara, there is a dental hygienist, Gary Sims, a cleaning contract on the building with no consistent employees. Also, Lee's wife is coming in for an interview now."
Kate tacks a photo of the woman she's about to question on the murder board.
A/N: I'm trying to keep this like a real episode, so 4/5 chapters in this story to go with Castle's current 5-Act structure. Also, this is the third story in season 4.5, check out the others if you like.