Two days after the expiration date of the application deadline, Kate and Kevin were reviewing less than ten applications. As Gates predicted, no one from the Twelfth including LT bothered to apply. Apparently purgatory with her peers was still in vogue. Two were known to HR for applying for everything and apparently never interviewing well. The other four had good records and respectable references from recent superiors. Both put Lara Ringer at the top of their first cut list.
Chief Gates wasn't surprised by the Senator's call about Lara Ringer. Another favor for the Senator was certainly OK with her. He would be a powerful ally when the right promotional opportunity came along. As her best detective, she had made a point of studying Beckett and was well aware of what would get Beckett's attention. When she read Lara's cover letter, she was pleased to see her suggestions skillfully incorporated by someone who had lots of practice. She guessed one of the Bracken's speechwriters probably wrote it.
They interviewed three, and Karpowski was added to the mix to provide an outsider's perspective. She tried to decline and insisted on meeting with each candidate privately. She was adamant that anyone joining Beckett's team had to understand her history including her recent kerfuffle with Ann. It would be unusual for a peer to be so frank, but Gates liked the idea of having someone else laying out the dirty laundry so she wouldn't have to.
The first two were all about keeping the closure rate up so they got noticed. Both saw this opportunity as a necessary step to a staff job with regular hours. Answers about their dedication to the victims didn't wash with Kevin or Kate. The last was Lara. Both were impressed her record, enthusiasm, and dedication. Karpowski was perfunctory with the first two because her experience with Beckett told her neither would get any serious consideration from Beckett. Besides her mother's case, she was all about the victims, and none of their paperwork suggested that even crossed their minds.
The paperwork Lara submitted was tailor made to check all the boxes for Beckett, and Karpowski doubted Beckett, with her blind arrogance, even saw it. It was suspicious though why remained a mystery. Normally, she would be the first to communicate her unease, but if there was a nefarious plan afoot, why not let it play out and see if she and her team could profit from it.
During her last week in records, Tracy was almost nice to her. Usually conversations were short and centered on the task at hand. He was not a man to engage in idle chatter or precinct gossip. Now he was kind of complimenting her for accepting and towing the line in her very humble role without complaint. What he didn't say, that was perfectly obvious to Kate, was that she had little choice if she ever wanted to regain the confidence of her coworkers.
Mornings were all about the care and feeding of the system. It was repetitive, but there was a sense of accomplishment when the system reported no errors. Afternoons at the window were hectic, and she had learned to tune out the numerous slights and dirty looks she often got. Engaging anyone so inclined would just fuel their resentment and possibly lead to a written complaint. Tracy would not like that, and she was sure Gates would use it to delay her return to the bullpen.
Remaining passive with her coworkers was hard, and many nights she would come home to Castle on fire about some callous bit of attitude. He poured her favorite wine, held her, and let those rants dissipate as he focused her attention on the dwindling days left of her penance. Most nights it worked, but there were a few where her anger was more than he could soothe.
On weekends they often retreated to the Hamptons to recharge and strengthen their connection without the two redheads in Castle's life constantly distracting them. It was like a forty-eight hour date, and it was working far better than either expected. Castle thought their usual banter would disguise the prying he so much wanted to do. His need for subterfuge, though, was unnecessary. On walks on the beach, she often volunteered to splay the Beckett onion into many palatable bites. They even invited her dad out for more family lore where he brought along a couple family albums that documented parts of her 'Rebel BECS' period before everything changed.
That first day back in homicide came with an early morning meeting with Gates. Castle dropped her off with fresh coffee in her hand knowing the next hour would be about Gates setting clear parameters. The meeting unfolded just as he thought. "Detective, today you and Lara have something in common. You are both starting a new relationship with me and whatever indulgences you are used to from the past will no longer be tolerated. You, Castle, Kevin, and Lara will now follow procedure period. I want timely updates on all your cases, and I don't want to be surprised. Lastly any attempt to go near your mother's case is strictly off limits, and your union rep and I are in full agreement about next steps should you disregard this last warning. Are we clear?"
Kate nodded. There really was no other choice. "OK, you need to re-qualify on the range, get your manual up to date, and orient Lara this week. If you have extra time, I would suggest you and Lara offer to help any of your bullpen mates who might need it. You have a lot to make up for out there, Kate. Next week your team will be up like normal."
Lara came in about an hour later and was immediately ushered into Gate's office. "Lara, I want to welcome you and caution you at the sametime. We are a procedure based precinct, and any derivation will not be tolerated. As you know Beckett and her team have had problems with that in the past particularly regarding her mother's case. This afternoon I want you in records reading that entire file. If you catch wind of anything that might involve that case, you need to inform me immediately."
Lara nodded like it was new to her when it really wasn't. When the Senator called, he had suggested meeting to discuss her next promotion. She liked the sound of that and told her husband she would be working late that night. While her husband assumed she would be sitting in a patrol car, she was actually naked and in a very comfortable bed indulging in a wonderful array of room service treats. His spiel and her ascent to the plan took but a few minutes. The lovemaking was better than she expected. Her experience made her more demanding, and he took it as a challenge. She guessed rightly that modern medicine played a part. He was hoping to make this a regular diversion and wanted to put his best appendage forward. When she left, he was a happy man.