American Crime Stories
Arc three, Chapter twenty six
A few weeks before the new school year at Marlowe Prep started, Rick and Jordan attended a PTA meeting for parents. He had decided to accompany Jordan as this would be her first meeting at Lacey's new school. The point of the meeting was to introduce the new parents to the school and talk about what their kids were learning, and what the school needed to do to make their child's education even better. Before he had left the house, Alexis handed him a stack of index cards, and told him that she wanted him to advocate for the two new classes, Modern American Literature and American Civics and Law. She told him that she would have liked those classes and that she had spoken to younger years who had shown interest in them, too. As she had more or less surprised him, she also handed him a speech she had prepared and told him that all he needed to do, was read from the cards. To stress the point, Lacey handed her mother a set of cards, too, telling her more or less the same. Both parents chuckled, put the cards away and promised them that they would advocate for the classes.
Jordan and Rick walked into the school gym and found their name tags. Then they found the bar. Jordan pointed out that it was too early to have a drink, but Rick assured her that at the end of the day she would be thankful for any alcohol she could get. As they were serving champagne, Jordan decided against arguing too much. After they got a glass each, they started circulating through the crowd. Castle introduced Jordan to some parents he knew, fend off some very obnoxious fans and even some desperate housewives who didn't care that Jordan was next to him.
After a few minutes, the dean stood up. "I would like to welcome you all to the summer meeting of the Marlowe Prep. Parents and Teachers Association. Before we start, I have a few announcements to make. The first announcement I would like to make is to thank one of our parents, best-selling author Richard Castle, who has just donated $500,000 to expand the library. In fact, this donation is ear-marked to expand our foreign literature section even further. Thanks to Mr. Castle's continuing generosity, our library is on the way to become one of the best in the state." People around him started to applause. Rick stood up, thanked them for the applause and sat down. Jordan had seen the look of shock on Rick's face when the dean had told them about the donation.
"You're a very charitable man, Rick," Jordan said, holding back a smile.
"That I am," Rick simply stated.
"You had no idea, did you?" Jordan asked.
"Not a clue. I'm going to have to 'Talk' to Alexis later," he said still shocked.
"Oh please, don't act like you're not proud of her for out smarting you like this," Jordan said with a laugh.
"You're damn right I am. It shows that she's inherited my deviousness," he said proudly.
The dean talked a few minutes longer, before he opened the floor up to the parents. Rick waited until the first issues had been talked about before he took his index cards and walked up to the podium. "Good afternoon, my name is Richard Castle, and I'm the proud father of the valedictorian of the class 2012. My daughter asked me to come here today to advocate for the addition of Modern American Literature and American Civics and Law to the already impressive Advanced Placement lineup. The two classes are offered at both Redding and Chilton, but not here, and I think they should be. In AP Modern Lit., students are taught that just because something wasn't written hundreds of years ago, doesn't mean that it is not a classic. The course should move through the great works of the last fifty years. I'm proud to say that two of my books are on that list?…" Rick trailed off. He couldn't believe what he had just said. His books were on the list of modern classics? How cool was that?!
"Um, it also shows students that they can read something that holds their attention and is still a classic. The next course I would like to advocate for is AP American Civics and Law. The class shows students the rights they have under the Constitution, the rights and responsibilities of the government and how the system can be used for justice for all. I think that is something that all children should be taught. In addition, the course counts as a prerequisite to law and justice studies classes in college. I have no doubt that adding these two classes to the line-up will cement Marlowe Prep. as the number one school in the state. Thank you for your time." Rick took his cards and went back to his seat.
"That wasn't a bad speech, was it?" Jordan asked.
"No, it wasn't. 'Though I must say the fact that my books are on the list of modern classics threw me off my flow up there," Rick confessed.
"You didn't know?"
"No. I have to thank Alexis for letting me know that fact."
"I may be wrong, but I think she wanted to let you publicly know that she is proud of you. And maybe take the sting out of her donation," she said with a smile.
Castle chuckled. "Yeah."
"Anyway, I think it's my turn," Jordan said as she stood up.
"Good luck," he said as she passed him.
"You did all the heavy lifting."
Jordan walked up to the podium. She had looked through her notes earlier. Although they were good, she had decided not to use them, but to wing it. "Good afternoon, my name is Jordan Shaw and I am the proud parent of a new, in-coming Marlowe Prep. student. I was sent here today by my daughter to advocate for the same AP classes as the previous speaker. So I guess I am the first parent to second the motion for the two classes. As an FBI Special Agent I always pushed my daughter to know her rights and follow the letter of the law. With the Civics and Law course added to the curriculum, she and the other students would get the opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of both. Therefore I'd be very happy if Marlowe Prep. would add the class to the AP line-up. As for the Modern Lit. class, I would like to put forth a thought: did the people of his day hold William Shakespeare in the same regard as we hold him today? Yes, he was a popular poet and playwright in his day, but did the people of his time regard him as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist as he seen today? I have read some of Mr. Castle's books, and share his obvious surprise that there are regarded as classics, 'cause I find them unreadable…" Jordan took a dramatic pause. Enough people had seen them together to know that they knew each other, and other people had seen the press coverage about them to know that, too. While people laughed, Rick stood up and mock glared at Jordan. Jordan smiled and let the applause simmer down, before she continued. "Anyway, who's to say that our grand-children won't hold his works up to a similar regard than we Shakespeare today? Thank you." Jordan concluded her speech and walked back to her seat. When she reached it, Rick made a show of being hurt. She took one look at him and fell in to a fit of giggles. "Did I hurt the famous author's feelings?" She asked in baby talk.
"Maybe," Rick pouted.
"Well I'm sorry, but I was told to always say the truth." She kissed him on the cheek. "There, all better now?" Rick couldn't hold it together anymore and laughed as well. As did the people around them.
They sat through the next hour of parents coming up to the podium to talk about things like the use of green technology, healthier foods and things like making a dance class. "This is boring," Jordan whispered to Rick as yet another mother walked up to the podium.
"Yeah, I told you that at the end of this day you'd be happy for all the alcohol. I learned early on that that's the only way to get through those meetings." Jordan chuckled, sat back and listened to the woman that had come up to the podium. She was asking for volunteers for the scouts. "What the hell is a scout?" Jordan asked Rick.
"It's like the boy/girl scouts for the concrete jungle," Rick replied before explaining more. "Parents sign up to take a group of boys or girls to work with them and teach them some of the things they know. It's like a 'bring-your-kids-to-work-days', except it's your kid and twenty of their friends. I never did it, but mother took a troop of girls out shopping and showed them around the theater she was working at the time." Hearing those words, Jordan remembered Rick's words when he had told her that Lacey had been accepted to Marlowe. "I'm sure the organizers will be happy for your regular and frequent participation and volunteering for any parent-teacher days, bring-your-kids-to-work-days or any other activities and field trips," he had told her. Jordan sighed and stood up. "I'd like to volunteer for the scouts. It would be my pleasure to take a troop of to the FBI office, and maybe show them self-defense techniques." Jordan sat down again.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. Any more volunteers?"
"That was brave of you. You do know that you'll be stuck with twenty teenaged girls, right?" Rick asked.
"No. I may not be part of Major Case anymore, but I'm sure that some of my former Trainees or even the young Special Agents will be happy to spend time with twenty teenaged boys and girls. And I'm going to be sitting back and enjoying the show," Jordan said smiling.
"That's just plane mean. I like it." When they left the building, Jordan checked her watch. "That took a lot longer than I thought it would. Let's go home, it's time for dinner."
"Yeah, and then I'm going to speak with my beloved daughter about a certain donation."
Since their first meeting with Bailey, they had regular planning sessions with the Deputy Director. As Bailey had promised, Shaw and to some part even Castle were deeply involved in the setting up of office and selection of the members. They had gone back and forth about some choices, but in the end they had agreed on a list of people they would talk to.
One group of people was sitting across from them, a bottle of beer in their hands. "So, guys, tell me about the 12th precinct. How are the new Captain and your new partner doing?"
"Well, Castle, Captain Eames has only been at the precinct for a few months, but you can already feel the effect. Although she is a no-nonsense Captain, she is much more pragmatic and approachable than Gates. And unlike Gates who had worked in IA for years, Eames had worked in Major Crimes. She has years of experience in investigating murders," Ryan told them.
"Yeah, bro, she also seems less ambitious and more focused on actually catching the criminals. You know, like Montgomery was," Esposito added.
Castle nodded. "And how is it working with your new partner? Martinez, right?"
"Yeah, Jo Martinez. She is one smart, tough cookie. Sure, it's been only a few weeks since she transferred in from the 11th Precinct, but I like her so far," Ryan told him.
"Her style is different from Beckett, less confrontational," Esposito added.
Hearing those words told Castle a lot. He knew that Esposito and Beckett had been close - well as close as Beckett would let someone get to her. They had worked together for years and Esposito had always protected Beckett, often finding excuses for her behavior. Hearing him criticizing her openly told him a lot about their current relationship.
"Have you spoken to her? Beckett, I mean?" Castle asked tentatively.
Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. "Not really," Esposito replied. "She left angry messages on our phones after Bracken was arrested, but nothing more. I know that she has spoken to Lanie once or twice after her suspension, but that's it. Lanie has been trying to get in contact with her, but Beckett hasn't responded so far. As you can imagine, Lanie is worried and angry at the same time."
Castle looked to Jordan who has been quite so far. She just nodded. "Well, you can tell Lanie that, as far as we know, Beckett is fine. It seems that she has been transferred to another Precinct, I think it was the 22nd."
They talked for a while about personal things. After dinner, Shaw and Castle decided to talk about the main reason they had invited Castle's friends and former partners, the VCTF.
"Look guys, as you probably have guessed, we had a specific reason to invite you. Not that it is not great to see you again."
"Yeah bro, we guessed. So what is it?"
"Well, a few weeks ago, Deputy Director Malone came to us, informing us that he had the approval to restart the Violent Crimes Task Force."
"I remember them. They investigated some gruesome murders and caught some crazy wackos back in the day," Esposito said.
"Exactly. I am very proud to introduce to you the new Special Agent in Charge, Jordan Shaw." Both Esposito and Ryan congratulated her, embarrassing her a bit.
"Not only will Jordan be in charge, I will also join her."
"What! How?" Esposito asked.
"Obviously, I won't be a full agent. Instead I'm joining the VCTF as an official FBI consultant with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that," Castle said and then happily added. "This time I'll be allowed to carry a gun."
"That's great bro!" "This is awesome." His friends replied. Castle was very glad to see that his friends were really happy for him. He had been a bit apprehensive as how they would react. He thanked them and then returned to the topic at hand.
"As SAC, Jordan here has some say in personnel choices. After talking it over with Bailey, we would like you to join us at the VCTF."
That statement was received with a short silence, then they simultaneously asked, "What?" "Why?"
"Oh, come on guys, we have worked together for years. You don't think that I wouldn't at least try to get to work with you again?"
"Thanks man, but I don't know what to say."
"Yeah bro, thanks."
"Look, I just suggested you. It was Jordan and then Bailey who approved," Rick said and Jordan nodded.
"He's right. And I didn't select you because Rick asked me to. Sure, it helped that he spoke highly of you and your skills, but I also checked your records. In addition, I have first-hand working experience with you. I think that you and you're expertise could be a huge benefit for the team."
"Thanks, Jordan. Tell us more about the work," Ryan said.
For the next 20 minutes, Castle and Shaw explained the plans for the VCTF.
"That's sounds very interesting and would be a good career opportunity for us. One I have never thought about. Before I make a decision, I have to talk to Jenny about it," Ryan said.
"Yeah, and I should probably talk to Lanie about it," Esposito added sheepishly.
"You don't have to decide today or tomorrow, but we'll need an answer at the end of the week. We have to talk to a few other people, and should you decide not to join us, we have to talk to the others on our list. Bailey told us that he wanted to VCTF to start working next month. Before that, the team will need some time to get to know each other and train together. We will go after some vicious and violent offenders, therefore we will have to trust each other to our backs."
Esposito turned to Castle. "Talking about that, do you think you're up for the work? No offence, bro."
Castle looked at Esposito. He had known that the question would be asked, he also knew that he would have to answer that same questions multiple times in the future.
"Non taken, Javier. I knew that the question would be coming. You know that I've been involved with SSI."
The others nodded. "What you don't know is that I've been working and training with them for years," Castle told them. He could see their surprise.
"Also, speaking of things you don't know. I may not have a fancy certificate that states it, but I am a trained profiler." Castle went on to give the same explanation to them that he had to Bailey and Jordan.
Esposito and Ryan looked stunned. They had known that Castle was more than a simple writer, but it seemed they hadn't any idea about the extent of it.
"That's, ah, I don't know what to say. Impressive?" Ryan stated unsure.
"We've known each other for years now, Castle. Why haven't you told us anything about that before, bro?" Esposito said a bit angry.
Castle sighed. He had known that his confession would garner some angry emotions. "Look Espo, I have told very few people about my work with SSI over the years. I have my reasons for not advertising the fact that I work with them. To be honest, I am not very comfortable telling it to so many people now, but I know that it is important for you to know some things," Castle said and sighed. "Unlike the time I started to shadow Beckett and you guys, I don't have to uphold the image as an immature spoiled writer. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You guys know me, you have seen me work and you know some of what I'm capable of. However, I will have to prove myself to any other agent who I will work with. I have to prove that I am not some celebrity writer who got his job thanks to his connection or his girlfriend. So, I know I have to be upfront with it." The others nodded.
"Anyway, when I started at the 12th Precinct, nobody would have believed me if I had told them that I'm more qualified than to amuse you or get you coffee. I was the untrained tag-along. So I played the role anybody expected. However, if you're honest with yourself, I started to challenge you with my theories, even if some of them were obviously outlandish. Not that anybody offered to teach me anything or even train me. Even when time went on, and it became clear that I would not leave the precinct anytime soon." Castle told them softly, taking out the challenge of his words. Esposito and Ryan looked sheepishly. They knew that Castle was right, they hadn't offered to train with him. An oversight they came to realize just now.
"By the way, Beckett knew that I was very good shooter, as I outshot her few days after I started working with you guys." That shocked them, as Beckett had it made clear to all that Castle would be a liability with a gun. She would only hand him her back-up gun in dire situations, and even then reluctantly.
"Anyway, please don't misunderstand the next words for arrogance or anything like that. There was a reason why I was allowed to stay at the 12th Precinct for all that time. Let's leave the good press and politics aside for a moment. The simple fact is that statistically speaking the team was better with me."
"What do you mean, Castle?" Ryan asked, as he, Esposito and even Shaw looked at him surprised.
"It's simple Kevin. When I started, Beckett and you had a closure rate of 69 percent, a little below city average. When I left a few months ago, the team had a clearance rate from 86 percent as a whole. However, looking only at the cases that I have worked with you, we even reached a closure rate from 92 percent." The others looked stunned.
"Wow, Castle, those are impressive numbers," Shaw said.
"They are, but there is more. As the teams' closure rate rose, the average time we spent on a case until closure sank significantly. And even better, the teams' conviction rate rose from 82 percent in 2009 to 91 percent, respectively considering only cases with my involvement, to 96 percent. In summary, you closed more cases in shorter time. That also meant that you got to work more cases than other teams, and therefore got even more convictions. As arrogant as it may sound, my involvement improved the team." The others stared at him, Shaw impressed, the others with a mixed bag of feelings.
"Don't feel bad about it, the whole precinct profited from my presence," Castle told them bluntly.
"In what way?" Ryan asked.
"The ComStats data for the 12th Precinct show similar rise, from the homicide clearance from 62 percent in 2009 to 81 percent when I left. That is the highest clearance rate in all five boroughs. A similar rise can be seen for the whole precinct."
"Homicide I understand, but why the other departments?" Shaw asked.
"Well, as the two knuckleheads here know, I would wander around the precinct all the time. Especially when they were doing their paperwork. It started with me walking around the homicide floor. First, the other teams didn't like my present, some even looked suspicious at me. People knew that I was friends with the Mayor, so some of them thought that I was there to spy on them. But as time went by, people started to open up to me. They've seen me work with Beckett and the guys here, and realized that I may be able to offer an outside view or opinion on their cases. Word spread that I actually could help. It was helped along as we worked more and more with other departments such as robbery."
"How did we never notice that?" Esposito asked exasperated.
"I don't know what to tell you, Espo. I guess some of it had to do with Beckett, and later with Gates."
"What do you mean, Castle?" Ryan asked.
"I mean, you must have known that the other detectives had some problems with Beckett?"
Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Well, remember how she was when I started. She was reserved and as Esposito had said earlier, confrontational. Sure, the other detectives respected her tenacity and skills, but she wasn't well liked. In addition, it was obvious that she was Roy's golden detective which didn't endear her to them. Although, she may have opened up to us and the other homicide detectives over time, she remained distant to most others, especially the simple officers. So, people remained reserved with you guys, especially when Beckett was near. Then Roy was killed and Beckett shot. People didn't know what to think, people were spreading rumors. It got worse when Gates became Captain. It was obvious from the start that she had a problem with me, so people didn't want to be seen with me. However, that didn't stop them from contacting me privately."
"Yeah, Gates was a piece of work," Ryan said.
"Just out of curiosity, how did the stats develop since Gates took over?" Esposito asked.
"That's a good question, Espo. The numbers for homicide didn't change much since the day she took over. Some teams did better, some worse. But you could explain the fluctuation with the kind of cases, some are more difficult than others. However, the other departments did suffer. Their numbers dropped all a few points. Not surprising, really."
"Why not?" Esposito asked.
"It's not surprising because the numbers reflect Gates' ambition. She concentrated her work on specific departments such as homicide, robbery and narcotics. You know firsthand how involved she was with our cases, sometimes even micromanaging them." Ryan and Esposito nodded.
"Those departments garner attention when you close cases. In turn, she seemed to neglect the other departments. Although Montgomery liked to keep up-to-date with our investigations and involved himself a couple of times, especially in high profile cases, he had a more hands-off policy. However, unlike Gates, he hadn't let the other departments out of focus. In fact, he kept in touch with the various lieutenants." The others shook their heads.
"Speaking of the lieutenants and other personal, there were a lot of staff changes since Gates took over. Some she initiated, however, most people of them decided to leave after a few months. We all learned firsthand that Gates had a difficult character, it showed with other people too. Whereas people liked to transfer in during Montgomery's reign, there were a lot of voluntary transfers out since Gates took over."
"How do you now all that, Castle? To be honest, I didn't realize most of what you said on a conscious level," Ryan said.
"Some of that has to do with my friendship with Bob, others has to do with my outgoing personality. As I said before, I connected with a lot of people in the 12th since I started."
They talked more for a little while. When they were getting ready to go home, Jordan she pulled two books from her big purse and handed them to Ryan and Esposito. "This book is for you, I want you to study it."
"What is it?" Ryan asked as he picked it up.
"It's the book I wrote on profiling, I'm using it for the class I'm teaching."
"Yo, why didn't writer-boy here get one, too?"
"Because he studied profiling on his own."
"Besides, I've read it already. But the cover looks different." Castle said.
"It's a new printing," Jordan said.
"So you've read it, bro? What did you think about it?"
Castle looked at Shaw and while she looked like she was indifferent to his answer, Castle could see that she wanted to know what he thought about it.
"I read it when it first came out like six years ago, and I thought it was total shit," Rick stated simply, shocking everybody in the room with his statement, especially the use of vulgar language.
"What?!" Jordan yelled. "I will have you know that this is the best book…," she trailed off when she saw that Rick was laughing at her.
"Bro, that was not funny. Not funny at all," Esposito said while unsuccessfully trying to hide his amusement. Meanwhile, Rick had Jordan pulled back down next to him and hugged her.
"I'm sorry, but I owed you for calling my books unreadable at the PTA meeting." Jordan tried to look hurt, but couldn't really do it.
"Actually, I thought that while it was very informative on a factual basis, it was a little hard to read. It reads like a post-grad school textbook. Full of information, you know? I think it works as a training guide for agents and cops, if the reader has the necessary background in criminology or profiling, otherwise it could feel like it was written in another language."