"Tell me that's not the same face." Castle challenged, letting the little magnetized mug shot hover over the murder board, before the attraction of the poles pulled it from his fingers and mugshot snapped into place next to the multitude of Bob's sketches.
"It's the same face." Ryan agreed, dropping down on the desk next to Beckett as the entire team focused on the board.
"It's uncanny." Espo piped up.
"That his face looks like his face?" Ryan teased.
"NO," Esposito scoffed, glaring at Ryan "That every single witness saw the faceless man and nailed his description."
"Not so faceless anymore." Castle grinned locking eyes with Beckett, holding out the white board marker when she rose to her feet.
"And we have a name." She stepped up, uncapping the pen and writing underneath one of the less creepy looking sketches."William Ding."
Castle guffawed, much to everyone's confusion. "Seriously?" He pointed at the board, his eyes wide and his smile somewhat frozen in place until he gave in, they clearly weren't going to get it. "Why are you guys so slow today? William Ding," he enunciated. "Bill Ding! We're Bill Ding a case against him...?"
"Looks like you hit the jackpot, Castle," Kate said without looking at him. Her eyebrow was raised, and she had this sly look and he couldn't figure out why...Unless.
His eyes lit up and, though she wasn't looking at him he knew she was keeping tabs on his movements, her nonchalant perusal of the sketches in her hands not fooling him one little bit. He smirked and crossed the small distance between them, fingers trailing her arm as he skirted behind her, his head dipping low so he could and whisper heatedly in her ear, "Ding, ding, ding."
Pulling away quickly, he caught the lift of her cheeks in response, could almost feel the flush of heat ripple under her skin when she shuffled on the edge of the desk.
"He sure fits the Bill." She growled, low and almost under her breath, not looking up from her forms and his stomach flipped over with silly happy feelings, he loved it when she played with him. He loved her fast mind and unquenchable thirst for truth and justice, loved when she matched him wit for wit, tease for tease.
He loved her.
But they were at the murder board, explaining a murder. The quicker this was over, the better for everyone involved. He backed away from her, their eyes lingering on each others, knowing exactly what was being left unspoken. They'd have time to finish it later.
"Would someone care to explain things to me?" Gates said, staring down the duo, interrupting their eyeball smooching session.
"Yes, sir," Beckett replied, instantly putting on her detective face. "William Ding, four years older than our vic, Jed Knight, is also...his half brother. William took his mother's name, but Jed's dad had an affair with a Clara Ding and left her and William to fend for themselves."
"Without a father to raise him, Bill turned to drugs and his mother wasn't the best person to look up to," Castle added with a nod to Kate, jumping in to fill in their back story, doing what they did best.
Kate nodded back, smiling in agreement before she took over, "He found out about his father, David Knight, and by the time he tracked him down, he was already dead, it was too late to confront him. But -" Kate left off.
On cue, Castle continued, "- He found out that his father had a will, that named only one son -"
"The younger brother-"
"- and left the entirety of his estate, in a trust fund, that would open up after Jed here," Castle tapped the murder board, "turned twenty-one."
Ryan pitched in, "Bill obviously had enough time to plan this through. It looks like he was waiting for his brother's birthday to strike."
"Why would the estate go to William if Jed was dead?" Gates queried.
"Because the will states that everything should be given to the next of kin - which would have been Jed-"
Gates began to nod, "Unless he was out of the picture -"
"- in which case everything would have gone William, which was what he wanted all along."
"He wanted every penny."
"They always do," Gates said, shaking her head.
"So William crept into the party, we have five eye witnesses placing him at various points throughout the evening, and he blended into the crowed trying not to attract attention."
"Not too hard to do, given that not everyone knows everyone at these things."
"That's exactly what helped him. He tricked Jed into the bedroom, and used some good old fashioned chloroform, then pumped his system full of drugs, and just to make sure, he asphyxiated him. He came, he saw -"
"But he didn't get away with it." Castle said grinning at Beckett triumphantly. She acknowledged his happiness with a smile and turned at the clearing of her Captains throat.
"Well. That's a wrap." Gates shuffled the papers in her hands unnecessarily, "Good work, people. I want to see this written up and on my desk by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, sir," came the chorus from Ryan and Esposito, and they were off in a flash before Gates could even finished her sentence. Beckett took the opportunity to dump the rest of her coffee in the break room sink. She didn't want to be more wired than she already was.
Castle started pulling down the sketches on the murder board, and leaving the rest of it for Beckett to erase, as was their routine. Another case solved, another person brought to justice. As he turned around to put the stack in the cardboard box, he noticed Gates still standing there, her eyes focusing on an area much too South to be comfortable.
When he squirmed, Gates met his eyes. She just nodded, turned around, and stalked off, passing Kate as she made her way back to her partner's side.
"What was that about?" Kate asked, catching his expression.
"I think Gates finally approves of having my ass on this team."
"Well, she'd better keep her eyes off your ass if she knows what's good for her."
"Detective Beckett! I never!"
Kate pursed her lips.
"Okay, I always. You know I'd rather have your eyes - among other things - on my ass."
"Speaking of which, we need to get rid of your boxers."
Castle choked on his own tongue, and stared at her, wide-eyed. But on board whip crack fast, "Well if you insist, Kate. " he enthused, shoving his hands down the front of his pants and grasping tight to the end of his leather belt.
Her eyes widened, huge almost comical orbs of shock and Becket smacked the back of his hand, "Jeeze, keep it in your pants, Castle."
"You're sending me mixed signals here," he said, looking adorably confused, with half his shirt sticking out.
"I didn't mean now. Hands off, Ricky."
"Me Ricky or -" His eyes dropped, "The other Ricky?"
She glared, answering and Castle sighed. Tucking his shirt back in, he made to follow Beckett as she headed towards the elevator.
"At least till we reach the car," she said, as she stepped inside.
He trotted in after her, delighted. "Wait. Why are we getting rid of my boxers? Not that I mind..."
"Might be cursed. So far, it's the only part of your clothing that hasn't gotten damaged through the day. Stands to reason they're evil."
"My boxers are evil?"
"Mmhmm."
"I thought you didn't believe I was cursed."
"I don't." She grinned, watching the elevator close before she rounded on him.
"Then why the sudden worry ommf-"
Her hand captured the words before he could speak them, her body coiling around his like a toasty warm python and she grinned, her eyes wide and staring into his, "Are you really questioning me wanting to remove your clothing?"
He shook his head furiously, her hand slipping from his mouth and stealing round his neck. With a firm tug he pulled her in by the waist, her coat falling to the floor and her arms wrapping around him, "No, never. Nope. Cursed boxers, and pants and shirt and I think your bra was tainted too." His lips opened against her collarbone, sliding up to the smooth skin behind her ear, he walked her backwards until they met the wall of the carriage and he inhaled along the column of her throat.
"From where I'm standing, things seem to be looking up for you, Castle."
He growled and lifted her off her feet, making her gasp as she felt the taut muscles of his biceps holding on to her, making her airborne in more ways than one. She lifted her leg, dragging her foot along his muscular thigh, up, up and up, till she was wrapped firmly around him.
He bit into the soft skin at the junction where her neck met her shoulder, causing her to close her eyes; she turned, gave him more space, and he spoke against her skin. "What can I say, detective Beckett, you make me feel ... lucky."
"I can tell just how lucky you're feeling," she said, her voice low and dangerous, her body twisting against his suggestively. "Don't press your luck just yet." She teased, enunciating the words, hard and deliberate making him gulp, until his eyes flooded with mischief.
"Don't you have to rub things to make them lucky?" He grinned, his mouth hot and wet against her throat, teeth and tongue chasing each other over her skin.
Kate laughed, shivered and fell back, pulling Castle with her. "There's some joke here about hard luck," her fingers squeezed, emphasizing her point, "but I have more pressing matters at...hand-" he hummed when she did it again "-to think of it."
