Poison Pen
Chapter 22
From a spot on a small hill in Forest Park, Castle stares through binoculars at a little girl in a toddler-sized swing. "I've got Angela."
"Are you sure it's her?" Sorenson demands.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Castle retorts. "Aside from recognizing her face, she's holding a stuffed blue bunny. That bunny was in half the pictures of her in the Candelas' apartment. If Estelle sits for her regularly, she would know better than to try to take it away from her."
"If you're going to tell us a story about your daughter and some toy, save it," Sorenson orders, spotting the child through a scope. "But you're right, that's Angela."
"And that's Estelle pushing her," Kate adds. "Her face is a match to her DMV photo, as much as anyone's face matches their DMV photo."
"So, now what?" Castle questions. "You have a small army, but you can't go in there with guns drawn, not around a baby."
Kate shoves her badge in her pocket and makes sure her gun is out of sight. "Come on, Castle, it's been a long time since I've been on a seesaw. And there are some swings next to the little ones, that will hold adults. Let's play a bit."
"Kate Beckett suggesting we play. I must have been out in the sun too long," Castle declares.
Kate holds out her hand for him to grab. "I'm in the mood for a frolic. Smile and laugh, Castle," Kate whispers with a wide grin as she leads the way to the playground. "Can you skip?"
"I can do you one better," Castle claims, catching on to Kate's act. Scooping the detective up in his arms, he runs to the playground with her. "You'll have to scoot way back, and I'll have to sit forward if we're going to balance," he remarks loudly, setting Kate on one end of a seesaw.
"We'll balance OK, Baby," she purrs, sliding back as far as she can while he climbs on the other end in front of the hand-hold." Kate forces all her weight downward, giggling. "See, we're perfect, but I want to fly. Let's try the swings."
"All right, Sweetie," Castle agrees, pushing upward with his legs to allow Kate to dismount.
Continuing to giggle, Kate runs toward the swings, with Castle at her heels.
Kate drops into a swing before glancing toward Angela and popping out again. "Ooh, she's so cute!" she gushes to Estelle as Angela's lip trembles at the intrusion of an unknown person into her space.
"She doesn't like strangers," Estelle protests as Kate edges sideways, reaching behind her for her gun.
Moving out of Angela's field of vision, Kate points her weapon at Estelle. "You're not going to like me much either. Estelle Rivera, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud. Castle take Angela." Sorenson's team pounds on to the scene as Kate cuffs Estelle.
Castle bounces Angela in his arms and starts to sing as she clings to her bunny and wails. "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its way; bringing every girl and boy, baskets full of Easter joy; things to make your Easter bright and gay."
Quieting, Angela snuggles into Rick's chest. "You've got the magic touch, Castle," Kate marvels.
"Lots of practice, and not just with Alexis but all the kids in her mommy and me classes which I turned into mommy and daddy and me classes. And given her affinity for rabbits, I took a guess. But I feel like I should buy her an Easter basket or something," Rick worries. "Without Theresa, Alfred, or Estelle, she's not going to be a happy camper."
"Well, maybe Children's Protective Services can find a family member like Alejandro who isn't involved in the plot, that she can be comfortable with," Kate hopes. "We have a social worker on standby, but for the moment, Angela seems to be happy with you."
"She knows a Daddy when she sees one." Castle decides.
"Kate," Sorenson calls, as Estelle is loaded into a black SUV.
Kate lays her hand on Rick's arm as he continues to bounce Angela while the social worker is on her way. "I'll be right back."
"You and Castle were having fun in the playground," Will declares.
"Castle was helping me get close to Estelle so that I could arrest her without endangering Angela." Kate points out.
"So, the hand holding and flirtatious laughter was an act?"
Kate shrugs. "I didn't say that."
"Are you saying that you and Castle are together?"
"We work together. We enjoy each other's company. We haven't had the chance to find out about anything else yet."
"But you're planning on finding out," Will assumes.
"We are," Kate confirms. "Will, I don't know what you were expecting when you asked for me to be on this case. If it was that I'd help you get Angela back, then you got what you wanted, but you can forget about anything else."
"I think you're making a mistake, Kate," Will argues. "Castle's going to get in your way. He might even get you killed. And who could understand you better than another cop?"
"Castle can," Kate declares. "He already does. And as for getting in my way, if it weren't for Castle, Angela would still be missing, and you'd believe that the Candelas were innocent victims." Kate turns away before looking back over her shoulder. "We're done, Will. We've been done since before you went to Boston."
"You OK?" Castle asks as Kate returns to him.
"Yeah, more OK than I've been in a long time."
Badcock can think of things that he would rather read than The Ledger, shelves full of them, but the newspaper is what's available at that moment. He turns to his favorite part, the arts section. "F**k! Castle is still working with Detective Beckett at the N.Y.P.D. Not only is he working with her, he has hinted that he's using his time with the police as research and writing about her. The hack shouldn't be writing about anything. He should be dead.
Well, Badcock has his own story, and it's far from over. He'll have a trial. He'll have a chance to make his case. New York, the country, the world, will hear what he has to say. Abusers of the written word like Castle and all his co-conspirators in the Poe Society will no longer find their works accepted by their readers. They will be in literary prisons of their own making.
As he's writing in his office, Castle is half-listening to the conversation in the great room. He doesn't expect anything worse from Alexis' study group than significantly depleting the stores in his larder, but with teenagers, you never know. Still, he's not seriously worried about some burgeoning Romeo trying to ravish Alexis. She's firmly infatuated with Owen, who, as a junior, isn't part of the gathering. Rick's more concerned with his own possible romantic adventures. Tomorrow night he and Kate have a date, a real date, not work-related in the least.
He managed to wrangle a reservation at Your Own Corner. Each table in the restaurant is in its own little curtained alcove, allowing every couple privacy, even in an establishment filled with other diners. The food is cooked to order, and the wine list excellent. Kate will love the dessert tray, too. After dinner, he doesn't know. That will be up to Kate, but he's hoping that she'll be ready to move their relationship forward. He's already written a love scene between Nikki and Rook that practically set his screen on fire. He hopes that he can be half as lucky as his avatar.