Very Castle Celebrations
Chapter 39
Kate rests her chin on the top of Castle's head. "What are you reading about?"
Castle points to a picture on the screen of his computer. "Sumatran tigers. They're endangered, but they're poached, especially by farmers. The wildlife groups estimate that there are only a few hundred left. I'd hate to think that any of them ended up as bags for some mindless fashionista."
Kate regards the image. "They are beautiful. They look darker, with more stripes than most of the tigers I've seen pictures of."
Castle agrees. "Exactly why I thought bags made out of their fur would be valuable. They wouldn't look like any of the glorious fakes Mother loves so much. If some crazy clotheshorse was searching for something none of her friends in the Hamptons had, she might be willing to pay big bucks for it - or some jerk who wants to entice her into the sack might shell out too."
Kate's forehead takes on the skeptical grooves Castle knows so well. "But Babe, even if your theory is right, how could you find out? If the bags or the pelts to make them were smuggled, there wouldn't be any records."
Castle nods. "Not official ones, but if someone had something like that, could they resist showing it off? Between the blogs, the tweets and the postings on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, it would be bound to make an appearance. I know a lot of those links - they're very popular with Gina. They gave me good hints on how to calm troubled waters - and our marriage and reboot both had plenty of those."
Kate's front teeth dig into her bottom lip. "Yeah, I remember what popped up on "Page 6." Listen, I need to go to City Hall for a while. The Task Force is officially off until after the new year, but I have some strategizing I want to do with some of the women. We plan to look into old murders that might have originated with domestic complaints that were not properly handled or ignored entirely because the cops involved didn't want to put their asses on the line over what they thought was just some marital squabble."
Castle reaches for her hand and presses a kiss into the center of her palm. "Sounds like a more than worthwhile endeavor. Jackson and I will find something to do with ourselves."
Kate winks. "Yeah. I'm sure you will. See you later."
Castle brings his computer into the living room where he can watch and if necessary, chase, after Jackson. His son is intent on his baby laptop, giving Castle some time to scan some sites and set a few alerts, but soon is on his small but swift feet, pushing his car, complete with his racer teddy bear as a driver, around the loft. Castle knows better than to let his son out of his sight and regrets that he hasn't strapped on his Fit Bit. He'd be willing to bet that Jackson can give him as good a workout as any paid trainer.
It's too cold for much in the way of outdoor play for a toddler, but Castle is beginning to think about what it would be like to have a backyard - especially one with a fence. It's true that he has the house in the Hamptons where Jackson can run around on the weekends when it gets warmer. He can certainly have some safety fencing put in. He'll have to around the pool, in any case. But he'd love to have a place in addition to the park, where Jackson can play during the week, and that isn't too much of a commute for Kate.
He loves the loft, and he's glad he raised Alexis there, but he can already see that Jackson is going to be a lot more active than his daughter was as a child. He's already picturing the elaborate setups of playhouses and climbing gyms he'd seen displayed in the pages of Sky Mall. He and Jackson could even have a clubhouse together. He can see the two of them eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and flying model helicopters.
It's not as if he couldn't afford a house in the city, it's just that he'd never pictured himself living in one before. He'd grown up in apartments and become aware of summer homes when he'd spent holidays with classmates from boarding school. Even during Mother's more prosperous years, she'd always wanted to be as close to the theater as possible, and a Manhattan apartment was the most convenient and practical place to live. He'll have to talk with Kate, of course, but he's wondering if it might soon be time for a change.
He sniffs the air and mutters to himself. "On the subject of changes…"
Castle has just finished washing his hands when an alert goes off on his laptop. He brings up a site called "Out There, Accessories." There is a posting about a tiger fur bag, complete with a picture of one being worn by an up and coming socialite named Bitsy Mortimer. The pixelation of the photograph is high enough that he can zoom in without losing too much definition. He sends the resulting image to his printer so he can use his favorite lighted magnifier to examine the details further. He carefully compares the fur to multiple shots of Sumatran tigers. There is one dead giveaway. Near the tail of some Sumatran tigers, the stripes become spots. There is a similar pattern at the edge of the bag. There is no doubt that an endangered animal died so that Bitsy could make a fashion statement. Well, she's going to have to make a few more statements, and they won't end up on some trendy blog.
Kate examines the pictures Castle hands her. "You're right Castle, if Bitsy's bag is real, it is from a Sumatran Tiger."
Castle snorts. "It's real, all right. I know about Out There, Accessories. Its readers have no interest in faux furs or anything else they regard as strictly for fashion-challenged masses. Whoever posted the story might not be aware that the fur came from an endangered animal but would make sure that it was attached to a skin, not a fabric backing."
Kate puts her hand on his arm and nods. "Castle, if you're sure of that, I think U.S. customs, and possibly the detectives investigating Celia Leder's murder would love to have a chat with Bitsy Mortimer. With any luck, the lead on the homicide case may let me sit in. I shouldn't have much trouble finding out who that is - not with all the rumors that have been flying about the case. As soon as I get an in, I'll let you know."
Castle wraps his arms around her. "Have I told you recently how much I adore you?"
She shoves her hands into his back pockets. "Not since we were immersed in bubbles last night."
Castle pulls her against him. "An appalling omission to be sure. I am madly, hopelessly and irretrievably in love with you, Katherine Beckett." Jackson bumps his push car against their legs. Castle laughs and shakes his head. "We'll have to continue this conversation later."
Kate gives his behind a quick squeeze. "I'm counting on it."
