Series: Idioms - A series of stand-alone stories based off random idioms.
A/N: All definitions can be found in From the Horse's Mouth by John Ayto.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination and even that is a co-ownership with my muse, Wilma.
Idiom: not just a pretty face: intelligent as well as attractive.
Not Just A Ruggedly Handsome Face
"I have a theory."
"Oh, Castle." Beckett moaned. "We don't have time for one of your outrageous scenarios."
Ryan and Esposito nodded their agreement as all three detectives turned back to the murder board, completely ignoring the writer.
"But it's not outrageous." he told them, a little offended. "It's brilliant, if I'm being honest. And so obvious that I'm actually surprised you didn't think of it first."
"Fine." Kate turned back with a sigh. "Tell us this brilliant, obvious theory of yours."
"It was the brother." he told them proudly and stood back to await their response.
"The brother? He was in Aruba when the vic was killed." Espo told him with a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned back to the murder board.
"No, the other brother."
"The vic only has one brother." Ryan said, joining Espo.
"When we were at the mother's house, I noticed a photo on the fireplace." Castle focussed on Beckett who was the only one still paying attention to him. "In it were three boys. One was the victim, another was his brother. But the third looked familiar so I asked his mother who it was and she said he was just an old family friend."
"I remember." Kate nodded, cautiously urging him to continue.
"Well, the resemblance between the three boys was just too close so I knew they had to be related somehow. But what reason would their mother have to hide the relation?"
"Maybe it was just a coincidence, like a doppelganger or something." Ryan shrugged but his attention returned to Castle.
"I might have thought that, too, if not for one thing. When she refused to answer anymore questions and kicked us out, she said a mother had the right to protect all of her sons. Not both, all."
"What reason would she have to conceal a third son?" Espo asked, sitting on the edge of Becket's desk.
"Mrs. Prescott comes from a very wealthy, very influential family. She attended the best schools, networked with the right people. But suppose she fell in love with someone from the wrong side of the tracks when she was young and got pregnant. The scandal would have been horrible so her parents did the only thing they could in such a situation. They hid their daughter's condition and made her give the child up for adoption. She goes on to lead the life she'd always been expected to live but never forgot the child she was forced to give up. Years later, she somehow comes into contact with his adoptive family. She doesn't tell him the truth but treats him as a son. The boy becomes suspicious about the resemblance and does some digging into his past. He discovers just who his mother is but chooses not to confront her with the knowledge just yet. He keeps it to himself for years but eventually the secret eats away at him and he becomes bitter and angry. He finally decides to tell his brother, our vic, but his story is met with disbelief. The brother simply writes him off as some sort of gold-digger and the confrontation becomes physical. Sometime during the fight, he finds a knife and stabs our vic. Once he realises what he's done, he is ashamed and tries to make the murder look like a burglary gone wrong. Then he takes off, hoping no one discovers his connection to the family." Castle finishes his statement with a smug grin.
"Wow, Castle, that was..." Beckett started but trailed off.
"Brilliant." Ryan grudgingly finishes for her.
"See, and you all thought I was just another ruggedly handsome face." He heard Kate snort and turned to glare at her.
"Well, let's just see if this theory of yours has any basis in reality before you start entering any beauty contests."
The three detectives turned back to the murder board and quickly got to work, effectively ignoring him again. But Castle didn't care, he'd just solve the case whether Beckett wanted to admit it or not.
The End