Author's Notes:
Okay, serious note here. After the last chapter I got a few messages from people who were kind enough to point out that in military/police hierarchy "L.T." stands for Lieutenant. HOWEVER in this case it does not. The actor "L.T. Tolliver", plays a character, on the show Castle, named "L.T."! I've never paid enough attention to see if his name-tag (on the show) says Tolliver or not but I went with it. :)
"Gift from Beyond"
Chapter 37
Black Market Beagles
Chapter Posted: 8/17/14 ; WC: ~9.3k
Chapter Notes:
I know, "Not more firefly references." :)
I kinda had to. And they fit.
"I have seen a lot of press conferences but I don't think I'd seen one where the boss looked so uncomfortable." Rick says as Kate leans back against him as they sit together in the secluded garden.
"Yeah but don't forget this isn't over for her. She's going to have the deputy chief crawling up her butt for the mess in robbery." she says taking a sip of her coffee.
"I forgot about that. Why is she getting heat for it? I don't understand, is there a reason why even though she's implemented fixes she's getting crap for it not being perfect?" He asks tugging her closer to share the warmth.
"Dunno. I'd assume so but the brass has their own logic. She took apart that organization and rebuilt it catching a bunch of lazy and lackluster cops as well as a couple of corrupt ones so, who knows." She says tucking herself into him and closing her eyes to drink in the feeling.
"Hey you two." Ryan says stepping out to the garden with them. "Beautiful out here." he says to no one in particular.
"Hmmmm..." Kate hums relishing the few moments of normalcy the break provides to her. "How's it going down there?" she asks absently.
"Slow. There is a lot of crap in this place. Espo found one of the minibar 'fridges in one of the non-storage rooms had some stuff hidden in it so now all the rooms have to be rechecked." Ryan says with a groan as he takes a seat nearby and pulls out his phone. In a quick and practiced move he swipes the phone open and hits the speed-dial command, puts it to his ear and almost immediately smiles saying "Hiya hunny bunny."
Kate nudges Castle and looks up at the same time he's leaning down and they whisper to each other "Let's give him some space." Causing them to both smile before they get up from the bench they're on.
"Brrrr..." Kate says pulling her coat tighter. "It's getting cool out." she complains as they go inside to the enclosed rooftop lounge which is buzzing with activity. Because of the number of tables and seats and inaccessibility by the public, it has been turned into an operations center for the burglary teams doing all the inventory and logistics of the contraband.
"I don't give a damn! Someone must have some idea!" They hear Reenberg snap at someone. She sees them and walks over to where they are. "Hey you two." the detective says full of resignation.
"What's goin' on, what's the problem?" Kate asks concerned. As one of the leads on the whole case/raid she shares a portion of the responsibility to help make sure it continues to progress smoothly.
"I'm getting conflicting stories about what's in the minibars and I'm having trouble getting the teams to identify things that don't usually belong but no one seems to know what the inventory should be." she gripes while looking over the room.
Castle's the first one to pipe up about this. "It's usually housekeeping's responsibility to identify when they think the bar's been used, then there's someone in housekeeping, usually someone senior, who's responsible for confirming it by checking against an inventory form and refilling it from a locked stock supply on a cart. That's where you'll find what you need."
"Thank god someone around here knows how it works." Reenberg says smiling.
"Ahh... Sorry to possibly make it worse. Have you been checking the safes in each room?" Castle tells her.
"Yup, already got it on the list." Reenberg starts explaining "When the manager was singing like a canary-"
"Thank you!" Castle says enthusiastically. "Finally, someone who appreciates the classics and respects the form." Castle interjects smiling earning him a light elbow in the gut from Kate.
"You should have seen him when I first talked to him to get the videos." Kate says.
"Why? Was he chatty then too?" the other Detective asks.
"No, he was sweating like... I don't know, the guy was in a full-blown panic. When I told him we wanted four weeks of videos instead of the one week we'd originally asked for, he just gave me a whole box of disks going back months. That's partially why we broke this case." Kate explains.
"Well, he's cool and calm and collected now." this Detective says as she scans the room looking at their operation. "He probably figures everything he was terrified about is over. The owner's gone and the business is closed and he's no longer getting squeezed. The proverbial other shoe has dropped. In the beginning he was guarded and careful. When we told him that the guy who was his desk manager, was secretly on the owner's payroll to keep tabs on him he kicked it into overdrive. He was talking so fast and telling so much I had to get a second tape recorder to make sure we caught it all. The guy almost wouldn't shut up."
"That's good. I'm glad. It should make it easier to mop this mess up." Beckett muses. "How's it going with your teams?"
Reenberg gives her a sideways glance with a crooked grin. "Just freakin' ducky." She says sardonically. "Short handed isn't even the word for it. All the experienced hands are gone thanks to that cleanup from Gates."
"Oh? I thought it was good what she did." Castle says obviously unawares of the particulars of what's been going on in the other department.
Quickly Reenberg corrects "It is, it really is. The problem isn't what she did, it's what everyone else did that caused it. I came in as a transfer and was pretty junior to a lot of the folks there and I got squat for encouragement and guidance from the donkeys in the group. I wrote a complaint to the chief of 'D's and kept trying to transfer out and then the cleanup happens and I'm now one of the senior people. Gates is working on restocking the pond but she's getting grief from on-high about it." then suddenly "Oh! And did you hear about the team from Customs that arrived a little while ago?" She asks animatedly.
"Customs? What for? Are they trying to get in on the press or is it because of the thing with Johnson?" Kate suggests.
"Nope. Perfectly legitimate reason. Someone said that Customs got ticked off because we have stepped on their toes twice in one week. The thing with Johnson was being spun in their favor. This is a separate issue. One of our guys found a bunch of small sealed glass jars hidden in some equipment. Y'know those rope things they use in lobbies with the post about so high?" Vita asks holding her hand out at waist height "One of our guys picked one up and heard a little rattle. He says that if he was in a busy room he'd never have heard it. It was in a crate of about twenty five of them, all brand new. He pulls it out and pries the cover off to reveal these little jars. Each one is sealed with a thick hard plastic and they have these oriental symbols on them. They're put together like sausages in a thin plastic netting. All strung together with knots between each one. Lee sent a picture of the symbols to his mother for confirmation, it's freakin' powdered rhinoceros horn from China!"
"Holy crap!" Castle say to a humorous glance from Kate and Vita. "I'll bet we'll be having more press conferences later on once they've figured out all the crap these people were handling."
"It's a nightmare." she says resignedly then perking up "Oh and Esposito said something to... I don't even remember to who at this point." she says smiling "He made a comment about seeing if they'd done any construction here and if they did to check the walls. So, now we have a group coming in with some special radar for looking into the walls. I swear, I am sure that we're going to find more stuff too. I just know it." she says with a weary edge to her voice.
"Speak of the devil." Kate says as she sees Esposito walking across the room towards them.
"Esposito, please don't tell me you came up with another good idea." Reenberg says to him laughing and patting him on the shoulder.
"No, sorry senorita. I'm fresh out at this point." the seasoned detective says brightly.
"Hey, how come you look refreshed?" Castle asks.
"I am. I grabbed a key to a room on the second floor and took a quick nap then did a quick wash-up in the sink. I think I got about an hour in and I feel like a new man. I suggested to Gates that since the floor's mostly empty to let people use them for breaks and rest so we don't have to leave. She liked the idea." Javi tells them.
"Great idea." Castle congratulates him by feeding the birds to a confused look from Reenberg.
"Vita, don't ask." Kate says smiling and rolling her eyes.
"Oh, hey Beckett, did you hear what the Mayor did?" Javi asks almost in passing.
"No, sorry, been out of the loop for a couple of hours." Kate tells him.
"He sent a State Police helicopter out to Columbia University to get a couple of their professors in hotel management in here to take over for a few days. This way we can handle the place without destroying evidence and we can get the residents out." Javi says just as Ryan comes in from the roof to join them.
"Yo m'man Ryan. How are you holding up? You going to go take your break now?" Javi says cheerily.
"Yeah, my turn. I'm exhausted. Jenny's happy that we're not in danger and now she's going to go to bed herself and get some rest." he says looking like he's run a marathon.
"Go Kevin." Vita says "You've more than earned it. Thank you for everything you've done in this case."
Smiling a weak smile, obviously unable to even argue with her, he says "Beckett, can you call me in an hour?" and without even waiting for an answer he turns and heads for the elevators with Javi walking with him. Half way there, he turns and looks at them again and says "I didn't even remember what I came up here for. Sorry. Gates said that the Commissioner has asked the kitchen staff to cook up some food and put it in one of the big halls on the first floor for everyone to eat. The head chef said that it's better than letting everything go to waste. So, food on the first floor. See ya." and he turns and resumes his zombie like walk to get some rest.
"Reenberg," Castle says softly. "Do you think that the crap Gates is getting is because the Chief of Detectives didn't act on your letter?"
"Honestly guys. I don't know." she says with a sigh.
"Okay Vita." Beckett says. "Do you need anything from us?" she asks.
Looking around the room Reenberg thinks for a minute. "At this moment no. Yes on second thought. I think I'm going to need to get a log sheet up here and keep track of hours spent so we don't get anyone turning into another Ryan." she says lightly.
"Tell you what. We're heading downstairs to check in at the command post, I'll see what we can get sent up for you. I think one of the crime-scene sign-in sheets should do it." Kate says pushing Castle along.
"Thanks Kate!" she calls after them as she goes to visit another one of her teams at a table.
"She seems to be holding up pretty good." Castle observes while they wait for the elevator.
"Hmmm... I'm actually impressed, she seems to be handling herself and the teams pretty well." Beckett tells him while they get into the car.
As the doors are closing Castle gently says "Kate, don't do it." surprising her.
Without turning to face him, confused, she asks "What?"
"I had the urge to grab you and kiss you to see if I can make your toes curl when I remembered that there's cameras in the elevators and if I was thinking it..." he trails off.
"Damn, it was a great idea too. But I was going to see if I could make you beg for mercy." she says with a wink before staring up to watch the numbers change.
"We'll have to take this up later. I think it's only fair that I let you get some rest before we revisit this." he says smirking as the doors open.
The two start through the doors together and Beckett gives him a gentle but firm hip check forcing him into the doorjamb of the elevator. "Ha. Gotcha." she says childishly.
Just as he's picking up steam to do something to get her back she calls out "Captain Gates!" to her boss across the room causing Castle to almost trip over himself as he tries to return to a business-like manner.
"Detective. Mister Castle." she says pleasantly then turning to the writer "I have to say Mister Castle, your idea of controlling Mister Shatner's exposure to the situation was well conceived and implemented. Thank you. He's already called the Mayor and praised our teams for their good work."
"I'm very glad Captain." Rick says simply. He knows he has to keep on her good side by not being his usual self.
"He made a point of complementing Detective Karpowski on her work and the two officers assigned with her. Even the Chief of Detectives heard about it." After a moment's pause, she continues. "The D-A has said that he's already gotten word that there's a whole bunch of high-profile divorce cases that are being reopened because of this case." She tells the two.
"Is that good or bad?" Castle asks not knowing if the Captain sees it differently than he does.
"Neither here-nor-there for us or him at the moment, just a comment. He said the courts are going to be extra busy for a few months. I suspect that after that there'll be lots of cases levied against the parties who tried to smuggle their assets out. As for the other side of this case, the Commissioner said that he's already been contacted by the F-B-I over this and they want him to help put together a joint task-force to investigate. It seems that they knew there was a smuggling ring doing business here but they didn't have specifics. They also said that it seemed that it's only one of about a half dozen that this guy was running around the country. They had narrowed down a list of who the ring leader was but they didn't have the evidence to connect him until he skipped the country. The truck driver who was injured? He was the florist shop owner. He said his business was circling the drain until this guy stepped in."
"Wow, this is a hell of a win for us." Kate says looking around at all the activity.
"It is Detective. It's also a win for your team. Detectives Ryan and Esposito have shown exceptional growth and professionalism in their handling of this case. Speaking of which, do you know where they are?" Gates asks.
"A few minutes ago Ryan said he was going to take a break on the second floor. I don't think he's slept in a couple of days. Esposito was walking him out of the lounge on the top floor. Didn't see him after that. Anything I can do for you?" Beckett offers.
"Thank you, no. Not at the moment. However, Mister Castle," she say turning more towards him "the public relations department has been trying to reach your agent and they're having trouble. Could you call her and ask that she contact them?" Gates says sounding uncharacteristically friendly.
"Yes, right away. Any indication of why they want to talk to her?" he asks and discretely glancing at Kate to watch her response too.
"As I understand it they are getting a lot of requests for interviews with you regarding this operation and your part in it." she says with just the slightest hint of something in her voice. Castle assumes it is distaste that the press is seeking to give him recognition instead of her and her teams.
"Okay Captain, I'll let them contact her but I want you to be clearly aware. I'm not going to be a focus for the press on this or any other case. I never have and I never will. My agent knows where I stand on this and it's non-negotiable. She will defend my position on this tenaciously. I may play the fool at times because its easier for people to believe and there's times I am willing to be the brunt of a joke if it is advantageous to these people who allow me to work with them. However, there will never be an interview or story that is Rick Castle and some cops. It will always be the cops first. I'm..." he stops to take a breath and collect his words "I'm a minor part of their team. Your team. Her team." he emphasizes the point by cocking his head towards Kate "Never the other way around." He says ending his diatribe breathlessly then looking at her and finally saying "Captain." with a small smile but a firm and determined posture.
Looking at him quizzically she smiles just a little and without that usual sharp edge in her voice she says "Mister Castle. In the past two days I've come to see a different man than the one who always seems to be getting underfoot and appearing on page six. Which reminds me. I owe you an apology for my snapping at you in front of all those people. That was-"
"Understandable." he cuts in quickly with a smile to let her off the hook.
"Thank you. However, no it wasn't. I didn't give you a chance. I still do not like having my precinct viewed as a playboy's playground but I'm beginning to see that I might need to temper that view somewhat. You were kind enough to pull me out of my own way, more than once and if for nothing else, then for that I need to rethink my opinions about you and my feelings about having you around here." the Captain says with an unusually open expression on her face. "Oh, and before you take that the wrong way, no, I'm not starting to like you." she says firmly and when Castle glances at Kate, almost disbelieving what he's heard, Gates winks at Beckett letting her in on the secret.
"Thank you Captain." Castle says earnestly.
"Captain," Beckett interjects to help divert attention, "on another subject, we just talked to Reenberg up in the lounge and she wants to get a sign in sheet up there to limit people's time on shifts. May I respectfully suggest that she might be in need of relief too. She seems to be handling everything by herself and pretty well considering her experience but I suspect she's feeling a little out of her depth and in need of a breather."
"Good to know, thank you Detective." Gates says scanning the room as she always does, watching for problems before they get out of hand. "I'll get her someone from the C-S-U to bring a sign in board up there and an officer to run the gate for her. I'll check on her shortly myself and see how it's going and make arrangements for someone to take over for her."
"May I add, from the view of an impartial third party, Vita seems to have stepped up to the proverbial plate and shown a lot of maturity, control and leadership for someone who was so junior and had the others around her stripped off leaving her as a more senior Detective than anyone expected."
"Thank you for your assessment Detective. I was going to ask what you thought. I'm pleased with the opinions I'm hearing. I'm hoping that after all this she might consider staying where she is and not requesting another transfer." the Captain says, sounding absent but obviously not while also running a million tasks through her head all at once.
"Reenberg told us that people from Customs have shown up." Castle says evenly. "How are they behaving? Do they even understand the idea of cooperation?" he asks.
"Depends on your viewpoint Mister Castle. From their viewpoint they understand cooperation, if you don't do what they said you're not cooperating and they take what they want." Gates says with a sigh. "I swear their recruiting policy must say 'Find children who don't play well with others.' Then they make them worse and give them badges." Then after a beat "But I didn't say that." she finishes with a crooked smile. "Between that raid that Johnson ran on the smugglers and this operation, I assume I'm going to have them in my hair for a while."
"There are a lot of times that even Castle here couldn't pay me enough to try and do your job and this is one of them." Beckett says while stretching her arms with her fingers interlocked. "How you can put up with those different groups and their egotistical views of us peons is a skill I've yet to acquire."
"You probably already have that skill Detective. You just don't know it yet because you've not been put in a situation where you have to use your self control to prevent yourself from pepper spraying someone who's getting on your nerves." She says with an uncharacteristic smile.
"That's where you're wrong Sir." Kate says with a sly look on her face. "I have proof that I can keep that urge under control." and when the Captain looks at her she's tossing her thumb at Castle earning a little laugh from the usually stoic Captain.
Regaining most of her composure Gates tells them "One of the things I find amusing, probably in a way that a psychiatrist would find telling, is that when things are approaching loggerheads with groups like this, I tend to exercise skills and tricks that causes the annoying group run into themselves repeatedly. It's juvenile and unproductive but there are times that it helps by giving me a little more time to think about the problem before they run off half-cocked about it."
After a moment of contemplative silence, the Captain straightens up again and switches back into her boss mode. "Detective, I'd like it if you'd make sure that Karpowski and her team wrap it up and then send them home for the night." Gates says again scanning the crowd and running through her mental checklist. "Tomorrow we're going to be short-handed in homicide with some of our team handling things here and at the florist's shop too. I'd like to get you and Detectives Bruce and Karpowski back on normal rotation to keep things from falling apart there."
"Very good Sir." Kate says simply.
"Oh, and when you send Karpowski home, I expect you and your partner to do the same. I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring for Mister Castle but we all need to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed and on our best behavior." She says before walking away from them towards a small crowd across the lobby.
"Y'know, I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that phone call with Paula." Beckett muses as they turn and head back to the elevators.
"Why?... Oh. You mean when she talks to the public relations people?" Castle says finally making the connection. "Yeah, there are some things that man was never meant to witness, raw nuclear fusion, sausages being made or people trying to get their own way against Paula."
"Wasn't it Morbius who said 'Man does not behold the face of the Gorgon and live.'?" Kate asks as she presses the button in the elevator.
"Gawd woman! What you do to me!" Castle crows with a wide glowing grin.
"You like that eh stud?" she purrs at him.
"A woman that can quote 'Forbidden Planet' as well as 'Babylon-5' might just be proof of a divine and loving god." he says proudly as if this has 'sealed the deal' for him as he settles into the elevator.
With a proud and slightly saucy look on her face, she turns to the front in the elevator and she quietly says "Thank you dear. Too bad there's cameras here."
Then very quietly he says, almost like he's just thinking out-loud, "Every so often there are moments where I think that I couldn't love you more then I do at that very second. Then you say something like that and I realize that it isn't that I couldn't love you more. It's that my feelings for you are so great that all conventional means of measuring or describing them fail. I consider myself a master of words but I cannot wrangle this vocabulary well enough to express these feelings accurately. It's as if I was trying to measure the solar system in inches. My feelings for you are skyscraper high in a world of grass huts." he explains flatly, while still staring ahead without seeing, his eyes fixed afar.
"Hmmm." she hums ever so slightly without looking at him and blinking to hide the tears welling in her eyes. After a moment's pause Kate says "I wonder what would have happened if I'd said", now speaking with a loose rural affectation "The only thing we ain't found in this here place was gorram Black Market Beagles." just as the elevator doors shut.
Smiling at her own cute parry, she notices he's not even made a sound. His sudden silence surprises her. When she looks over at him, panic strikes. "Rick? Oh my god, what's the matter? Why are you crying?" she asks stepping right in front of him. "Rick? Come on, talk to me." she pleads.
Without saying a word he reaches behind her and begins to press one of the elevator buttons furiously to stop at the next floor. His only answer is him smiling gently and shaking his head, biting his lip so hard it's white and staring intently through tear filled eyes at the elevator numbers and glancing at the small dome containing the security camera.
Roselyn Karpowski is standing on the balcony when she hears her name as Kate announces herself as they enter the suite.
"Over here Beckett." they hear from off to one side. "Whatcha doin' back here?" she asks casually as she's coming in from the balcony. "Kate!" she says sharply and raising her eyebrows at her fellow detective.
"What?" Beckett asks unsure of the unspoken message being sent to her as she's walking towards the other detective.
Roselyn, holding the front of her blouse with her finger and thumb just where it is tucked into her pants, wiggles her hand as a message while staring wide-eyed at Kate.
"Huh?" Kate asks quizzically and automatically reaching up with her hand to feel her own shirt tail sticking out of her belt. Awkwardly and blushing a little she begins to discretely tuck the tail back into her pants when she sees the other shake her head.
Quietly and mouthing the words clearly, Karpowski says "You're off a button!"
The realization hits like a bolt of lightning as Kate's hand rises to feel the three button holes on once side of the blouse and the two buttons on the other side and her eyes go wide while Karpowski gives her one of those knowing smiles, a wink and a thumbs-up sign.
"Ohmigod." Kate says under her breath then more loudly "Excuse me for a moment." as Roz, still smiling, is already pointing towards the suite's bathroom.
As the door snicks shut behind Kate, Roz turns to Castle and still wearing that knowing smile quietly tells him "Now I know why you two look so relaxed. I'd suggest you wipe that cat-that-ate-the-canary look off your face but I suspect you couldn't if you tried."
His only answer is to shake his head 'no' in agreement and shrug his shoulders. "Roz..." he says with a sigh unable to find the words to finish the sentence but it is clear from the smile he's wearing what he can't put into words.
"Esposito's right." She whispers shaking her head and smiling at him "You're such a girl." she says with a wink patting him on the arm.
"Yeah but still not as bad as Ryan." he says feeling proud of his quick recovery.
"Castle, you knocked him off that pedestal a long time ago." Karpowski says ending that conversation. "So, as I asked, what are you doing back here?"
"Beckett ran into Gates downstairs, Kate can give you the official notice but Gates wants you to to get relief and get home to get some rest. She said she wants you, Beckett and Bruce back at the precinct house tomorrow to handle things while the rest of homicide and burglary is sifting through this mess."
"It's going to be a long job I guess." Karpowski says to Castle while looking around the room just as Beckett comes back to join them.
"Thanks Roz." Kate says quietly still a bit embarrassed.
"You're welcome." Then as an afterthought she says "I hope you two remember that the elevators have-"
"Yes. Yes we're aware." Kate says with an awkward tone in her voice.
"Okay. I'm just sayin' that-"
"Yes. Thank you Roz." the sound of mortification becoming more pronounced in Beckett's voice.
"Y'know, you can never be too-" Karpowski says still absently without looking at them.
"We got it Karpowski." Kate says firmly with a bright blush in an effort to end the embarrassment but not noticing the grin Roz is fighting and the smirk on Castle's face.
Looking around the room Karpowski concludes "I'm guessing that it's about time to wrap this part of the party up. Hey, how did Gates seem? She's been getting her nose tweaked by the Deputy Chief of D's all day." the detective says as she grabs a bottle of water off a table of food in the suite.
Grabbing a cookie for herself, Beckett tells her "She's stressed, it shows pretty heavily."
"What gives? Why's the Deputy Chief doing this?" Castle asks just as he grabs Kate's hand and takes a bite out of her cookie earning him one of her unamused glares.
"I dunno. How about you Beckett. Rumor has it that she's your new B-F-F." Karpowski says just before taking a drink to hide her amusement.
"Oh yeah, we're goin' double dating soon." Beckett snarks. "I don't know any more than you do."
"Well that's not a whole lot." Karpowski says as she pulls the band off of her hair to loosen it up.
"Hey Rick!" They hear Shatner call from across the suite then "Kate!" as he approaches.
"Hey Bill. How's it going here?" Castle asks as he walks over to meet him half-way.
"It's going great thanks. Thank your Captain again for the protection. We just got booked into another hotel and got everything cleared up. They're sending a car for us in a few minutes." the elder man says as they walk over to where the two women are.
Seeming genuinely happy, the writer says "That's good. I'm glad. I hope this doesn't screw up your plans."
"Naa. Nothing we can't deal with. I called the sponsor I work for and they arranged another reservation quickly. Worked out fine. I assume there's no problem if we get going right?"
"I'd assume that it's alright. Let's ask." he says turning towards the two detectives "Detective Karpowski, can he and his party leave to go to another hotel?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, that's good timing. We're just getting ready to wrap up our side of this party. There's just me here doing paperwork and it's nothing I can't do back at the precinct. All the rest of the guys have been relieved." she says the formal mantle of officer in charge of the protectee evaporating as she says it.
"There ya go Bill." Castle says happily.
"Okay, I'll call... Oh." Shatner says suddenly stopping in his verbal tracks.
"Whatsamatter?" Rick asks before saying "Oh! Yeah, that might be an issue." then turning to the two detectives, "Anyone want to guess if the bell staff will be allowed to continue helping the guests?"
"Let me call down to the command center." Karpowski says pulling the radio off of her belt and walking away from the other three.
"Kate, it's been great to see you again." Shatner says to her, standing a little too close and getting a good grip on her hand and elbow.
"Bill?" Castle says quietly before Kate can utter a word.
"Yeah Rick?" he asks turning slightly.
"Ahem..." Castle says raising his eyebrows and looking pointedly at his and Kate's hands.
"Oh! I'm sorry. Yes." Shatner says quickly letting go of Kate's hand and stepping back over the figurative boundary that Rick was calling him on.
"Well, that was fun." Karpowski says as she rejoins the group to a covert chortle from Kate. "It seems Mister Shatner that you're going to have to join the working class and carry your own baggage." Roz says smiling. "The staff is under orders from their respective unions to not perform any work until those management professionals the Mayor is flying in arrive and agree that all business agreements will be honored and everyone will be paid for today as well as this week." she says lightly. "The good news is that I'll help you. I've got to pack up my stuff and I'll give you and you team a hand getting to the lobby."
"That's wonderful!" the corpulent actor declares happily.
"Mister Shatner?" Marcie asks approaching the group with her phone and notebook in hand.
"Yes Marcie?" he answers the approaching girl.
"I have Mister De Niro on hold, he wants to know if you're still okay with the meeting tomorrow?" she asks before suddenly staring at Kate. "Oh my..." she says a little aghast "You're Detective Beckett."
"Ahh... Yes. Hi." she says hesitantly holding out her hand greeting the young woman.
"This is so cool! Hi, I'm Marcie. I used to work for Natalie Rhodes, she had your photo on her wall of power." the girl says shaking Kate's hand.
Wearing a thoroughly confused look on her face Kate glances to Rick hoping he has some insight into what this means.
"Sorry Detective." Marcie apologizes. "Miss Rhodes had a collection of photos she keeps on the wall of her trailers and dressing rooms wherever she goes. She said they are all powerful and strong women whom she aspires to be like and learn from."
"Marcie?" Quickly Rick steps in sensing that Kate could use a moment to collect herself. "Who else was on that wall that you can remember?"
"I'm not sure I can remember them all Mister Castle." the young woman says to him pensively. Looking back to Kate who's still wide-eyed she addresses her directly "She had photos of her mother... and her grandmother, who was an airplane ferry pilot during world war two. Ummmm... there were photos of Anne Lindbergh, Catherine the Great, Rosa Parks, Rachel Carson, umm... lessee, Audrey Hepburn, Madeleine Albright, You, like I said. There was Harriet Tubman, Marie Curie, Sally Ride, Goldie Hawn, Oh there's so many. Those are just the ones she kept pointing out to us. Oh! One of my favorites, Hedy Lamarr-"
"Hedwig Kiesler was her real name." Castle interjects smiling "Aside from being a rocking hot actress she was a brilliant and tireless inventor with a number of patents who's contributions significantly helped the war effort during world war two and laid the groundwork for modern cell phones."
"Exactly Mister Castle!" Marcie says happily to him while still holding onto Kate's hand. Turning back to the detective, "I'm so pleased to get to meet you." she says just as her phone beeps. "I'm sorry, Detective, I need to finish this call, for some reason it is considered poor form to keep Robert De Niro on hold." she says with a smile then turning "Mister Shatner?" she asks him.
"Yes Marcie, tell him I'll be there and thank him for his patience." her boss says as she drops Kate's hand and returns to her phone call walking away from the four.
Rick, sensing Kate's surprise and possible embarrassment at this revelation he steps up next to her, puts his hand on her shoulder and addresses Shatner directly. "Bill, do you need any help getting your stuff downstairs? Kate and Roz have been ordered to pack it in for the night and report back to work early tomorrow at the precinct."
"Ah yeah. Um... Right. Gates said you and I" Beckett says snapping back into business mode and looking at the other detective "are to report tomorrow to the precinct with Bruce and take care of things while she's dealing with this case and the publicity and political fallout."
"Right." Karpowski says "I could use a hot soak, a strong drink, and a full night's sleep."
"Okay, why don't we leave you folks." Castle says reaching out to shake Shatner's hand. "Bill, always a pleasure and thank you for your understanding and cooperation today."
"Rick, this is possibly the first time that I can say I had fun during a project development trip, so thank you and please thank the Captain again, she was very kind to offer us such protection." now turning to Kate "Kate, again, thanks for everything and, I think I can safely say, you made Marcie's day." he says happily.
"Bill, nice seeing you again." Beckett says still a little off-balance.
"Mister Shatner," Karpowski chimes in "quite frankly, it's now or never, I'm ready to drop." she tells him smiling.
"Roz, do you think you can call me Bill?" he asks her as he takes her arm and leads her across the room to meet with the rest of his entourage.
"Hey Babe." Rick and Kate softly say to each other at the same time resulting in a bright smile from each.
"You first." Rick says smiling.
"I was going to suggest we get going." she says giving a head toss towards the door.
"I agree. Let's get while the gettin' is good." Rick answers putting his hand on her back to satisfy his need to touch her without publicly putting his arm around her here as they walk out of the suite.
"Gawd I haven't been this worn out in a while." Kate groans as she opens the door to the loft.
"Well, it's not for a lack of trying on my part." he says with a leer, coming in after her and locking the door behind them. "Let me have your coat." he says as he reaches up and helps her slip it off.
Leaning down to undo her shoes she continues the conversation "I heard what's-his-face interviewing the desk clerk-"
"What's-his-face? You must really be tired to not remember names. You put your stuff away and I'll get us a little wine. I think we both deserve to finish off that bottle from last weekend." he smiles.
"I am tired. I think it's the after effects of all the stress and planning for the day." she says closing the gun safe in the closet then walking over to the couch and plopping down to relax.
Rick brings her a glass of wine with his and lies down on the couch so her feet are resting on his stomach and his leg is next to her with one on the floor. He pulls her so she's lying down more and starts to massage her feet.
"I know what you're thinking Castle." she says with her eyes closed while he works the knots in her feet and legs.
"What's that?" he smirks knowing she's right.
"Yes I still think Natalie Rhodes is creepy." she says sighing as she relaxes fully.
"So what were you going to say about the desk clerk?" he asks knowing she's too distracted and too tired to keep track.
"I have no idea anymore... Oh yeah, he was singing too. They were trying to get information about the hotel and guests and such and he kept telling them more stuff about his boss. They had to keep telling him to stay on track."
After only a few moments of Rick's ministrations Kate succumbs and gets fully distracted, "Oooohhhh gawd Castle that feels soooo good. Deeper! Yes, right there! Push!" she moans as he hits all the right spots on her feet.
Just then they hear Martha say "Oh my! Dear me! I'm so sorry! I'll leave you two alone!" from the direction of the stairs.
"No Martha! Come back! Rick's doing my feet. We just got in." Kate says with a giggle holding up her glass of wine as an indicator of where she is on the couch to which Rick does the same from the other end.
"I'm sorry." Martha says coming over to where the two are on the couch, the embarrassed blush still showing clearly. "I heard the door and suspected you were home but I didn't want to intrude when..."
"You're not mother. I'm sorry I wasn't able to call you back. Today has been exciting and very full." Rick says while still tending to Kate's feet.
"Yes, I'm sure it was! I saw the news conference, that was quite the impressive show you kids put on." Martha tells them. "Richard, why was Javier pushing you like that?" she asks reproachfully as she sits down on the arm of the couch next to her son's head so she can see Kate.
"Don't bother Rick. She'll know you're not telling her the truth." she says to him then looking back to his mother "Martha, everyone involved was supposed to be in that shot and Rick refused to participate again. Rick found the clue that lead the teams down this road. He was keenly involved and he was stubborn about admitting it. Finally Javi went over and grabbed him by the back of the neck like we do for suspects and pushed him into the picture."
In one of his unusually serious voices he explains "I'll say it again, I don't want or deserve the recognition. It takes away from you folks who did the real work. I'm more than happy and quite satisfied to just be there and participate."
"See what I mean Martha, he's a pain in the butt about it. Everyone, including Gates wanted him to get in on it and Javi just said enough was enough."
"Richard, I know why you did that but you shouldn't offend your friends. They wanted you in the picture, you should acquiesce for them." his mother chides.
"Yes mother." Rick says with a happy smirk.
"I have to ask, was there anyone who didn't get in on those photos?"
"I'm not sure Martha. Quite frankly, I don't think so." Kate says cheerily. "I had to call the D-A about how to handle the hotel and guests and what we might run into involving liabilities. As soon as I explained to him what was going on, he told me he'd come right down to assess the situation himself. I didn't even get a chance to respond, he just hung up. I swear the guy must have flown across town to get there so fast." Kate explains with a light sound to her voice finally. "I had talked to him before the raid when we were still planning things and he couldn't have been less interested until he found out how big a news story this turned into."
"Well, it was very nice to see everyone getting something out of it. What was Bill doing there Richard?" the redhead asks taking his glass of wine from him and having a sip.
"Hey! That's..." He starts to complain before realizing the futility of it so he just goes on. "Bill was having meetings about a project he's developing, I didn't get many details obviously, you know how people get when they're doing that sort of thing."
"Yes I do indeed." She agrees before giving back the wine glass.
"Martha. This is not something I would expect to be saying to you and I'm fairly sure that you'll never hear it again from me so fasten your seat-belt for this one." Kate says smiling at the actress. "Your son did good today. I mean really really good. Good enough to get a complement, of a sorts, from Captain Gates who's definitely not a fan of Richard Castle.-"
"Hey, she said she read one of my books and liked it!-"
"You were saying my dear?" his mother prompts as if he never spoke.
"Thank you Martha. As I was saying, she is not a fan. She, in front of a lot of people, blew up at him today but then later apologized and complimented him about his plan to keep Shatner out of the limelight." Kate explains while wiggling the toes of her foot on Rick's chest to remind him of his duties. "Shatner called the Mayor and complimented the Captain and her people for the good work they did on this case."
"That was nice of him. The Mayor seemed very happy in his photo-op du jour." the redhead says getting up and sitting in a chair opposite from the couch.
"It was and he was. Here again Martha, for only the second time, something you may never hear from my mouth again-" Kate starts to say with a smirk.
"Hey!" Rick protests only to have Kate shush him and wiggle her feet again.
"I don't like admitting this but you deserve to know the whole story, your little boy showed some serious maturity today. Even the boys said that as recently as a year ago he'd have made a mess of it in Gates' eyes. When she blew up at him, he kept his cool and didn't revert to the Rickey Castle we all expected. I was proud of my partner for the way he handled himself." Kate says putting her glass of wine down.
"Well Richard, it does seem that this bears out what we've all been saying to each other, she's bringing out the best in you. Thank you Katherine."
"You're welcome Martha. I'd like to say that it's been my pleasu- OUCH! Castle! Not so hard!"
"Oh! I'm sorry dear. Is that a sensitive spot?" he smirks to her frosty glare.
"Aaaannnyway Martha." Kate says continuing to glare at him. "I think the only person who wasn't impressed with Rick was the Deputy Chief of Detectives." the usually commanding detective says more quietly as his efforts melt away her stress. "He saw me, Rick and Gates talking to the Mayor and Chief of Detectives when Bob asked who the Detective from Robbery was and when I told him her name was Vina Reenberg, Rick added that she was doing a good job in his opinion which is when the Deputy Chief stormed in like Schwarzkopf taking a beachhead snapping 'No one cares about your opinion Mister Castle.' Only to be taken by aback to see that we were actually chatting with the Mayor and Chief both of whom he couldn't see because they were on the opposite side of a column in the room. Bob looks at him and calmly says 'It just so happens that I care about Mister Castle's opinion.' Then he looks at Rick and sweetly says 'Please continue Rick, what were you saying?' Martha, I'll tell you, I whole-heartedly expected Rickey to say something stupid but he didn't."
"I really wanted to. That guy's a virtuecrat and was begging for his karma to beat him senseless. This turned out to be one of those places where just stating the facts did more damage to him." Rick says absently while he distracts himself while playing with Kate's toes.
"Karma can be the great equalizer." Martha muses to Kate with a smile.
"It's true." Kate smiles taking a sip of her wine. "The Deputy Chief stood there fuming at having to listen to Rick's opinion on things. At one point Rick mentions that he hopes Vina will choose to stay in the twelfth instead of requesting another transfer. The Chief looks confused and asks Gates what the story was. She tells him how frustrated Vina was before Gates' cleanup of the division and he looks at his Deputy and you could see the muscles in his jaw flexing. He asks 'Were you aware of this?' with that tone in his voice telling him that he screwed up."
"The Deputy started to respond with the words 'Yeah but.' and didn't get to finish." Kate continues grinning. "The Chief just looks at Gates and says 'Would you please convey my thanks to her for the good work she's done today?' and then glancing sideways with just his eyes at his Deputy he says 'Victoria, you and I should meet this week to review the situation. You've done a lot in that division and I want to make sure everything is going smoothly and as expected.'" Kate relates to Martha. "You can see it in his countenance, the Deputy knew he's screwed up and the cat was out of the bag and he was going to pay for it. Gates who can keep a granite face through anything had a little twitch to the corners of her mouth going and couldn't stop it. She knew this guy had just stuck his finger into a hornet's nest and was about to get stung very badly. After the Captain spent the day getting reproachful crap from him through-out this entire operation, he was about to get his."
"That's wonderful. It's nice to see the scales get balanced like that. I hope it gives him a chance to learn from it." Martha says happily.
"On another subject Martha," Kate says returning her attention to the other woman "we saw Jess this morning and she asked us to thank you for the tickets you gave her. She and Erin had a great time." Kate tells her as she closes her eyes while he rubs her calves.
"I'm glad although its against my better judgement to be so nice to her. That girl's put ten pounds on me. Her and those damn delicious sandwiches of her's." Martha answers lightly.
"And those muffins." Kate mumbles lazily resting her arm over her eyes while Rick continues to rub her feet and she smiles happily. "She's got this new lemon thing that just melts in your mouth."
"Don't forget the strawberry chocolate thing she makes." Rick adds.
"Hmmm..." Kate hums in agreement.
"Oh Richard, I'm sorry, I almost forgot." the actress says quickly. "Gina sent a box over by messenger and he also brought a large envelope from Paula. I had him put them in your office on the floor."
"Thank you mother. Gina wants me to sign some books for her. She sent a list of preferred phrases and names for them. She's trying to butter someone up I guess."
Mumbling again, in a soft voice, the two hear Kate very lightly let out "Paula probably sent over what's left of the guy who argued with her." halfheartedly trying to smile through the veil of sleep beginning to overtake her as the stress evaporates.
"Someone argued with her?" Martha asks quietly now looking at him.
Smirking now he tells his mother what went on with Gates. "It seems the NYPD P-R department wants to use me as a focus for this raid. I told the Captain my feelings on it and that I'd let them talk to Paula but assured Gates it wasn't going to happen. I'm sure the person who called Paula had no idea of the holy-terror he was about to encounter when he was expecting easy publicity."
"Oh gracious. I'd hate to have been the designated cannon-fodder chosen for that job." the redhead happily says.
Just then they realize that Kate's breathing has hollowed out and the two smile at each other. Rick extricates himself from under her legs while Martha opens a blanket from the back of the chair she's on and Rick drapes it over his slumbering partner.
Whispering he offers "Good Night" to his mother as they walk across the living room and he goes into his office to see what was delivered.
Opening the box from Gina he sees her hurriedly scrawled note where she orders him to sign books a certain way to certain people specifically. He smirks to himself at how she views their relationship.
He turns his attention to the package from Paula. Opening it he finds her note to him along with a stack of documents including a special paperback for Kate's Aunt Theresa. He puts the book aside to sign it with Kate later and looks at the sheave of pages Paula has sent him and smiles knowing what they are and the change that it means for his and Kate's future in the public eye when she's taken on her new role.
"Rickey, as you requested, here's the stuff your lawyer will need. Make sure Kate reads it all. This will establish the groundwork we'll need to produce a formal contract. Remember, the name will be much more difficult to change later. Good luck and I hope she doesn't shoot you too many times. Protect your hands."
Smiling he leaves the documents behind while he takes the book and heads back into the living room where Kate is.
Squatting down next to her he whispers to her sleeping form "Hey princess."
Gently nudging her she begins to stir while he whispers in her ear, "Hey you. Come on. You need real sleep. Come to bed."
Sleepily her eyes flutter open. "Hey. I think I fell asleep." Then looking around "Martha leave? How long was I out for?"
Extending his hands to help her up he smiles. "I'd like to say you've been out for a few hours but it's only been a few minutes."
"What's the book?"
"Oh, it's for your Aunt Theresa." he explains as he puts it down on the coffee table. "When your dad mentioned that she was going on a cruise, I asked Paula to send over one of the test paperbacks of both Heat Wave and Naked Heat so you and I can sign it to her so that she can take it on her cruise and do her bragging. I'll leave it out here for you. Come on, we need some real sleep." he says giving her a light tug towards the bedroom.
"Okay but you promised to properly scrub my back for me." she sleepily demands as she pulls him towards the bedroom.
"Oh the toils I must endure to earn my keep." he sighs skyward as if it were a real burden as they enter their sanctuary together.