Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the recognizable characters who appear in this story. Any other names, for characters or businesses, are fictional, uncompensated, or are in the public domain.
Thankful for her habit of leaving an extra change of clothes in her locker at the precinct, Beckett finishes cleaning up down in the locker room before preparing to head up to the fourth floor. She'd intended to stop by her apartment before starting today's shift, but that was before the wonderful distractions Castle offered this morning. To be honest, it's amazing she made it to work at all.
The only blemish on their time together, she thinks as she climbs the stairs, was Castle's parting comment.
"I'll see you soon," she'd said to his as they parted at the hotel elevator.
"You will," he replied, looking unexpectedly nervous. "I just hope you see me the same way."
She'd taken that to mean he's going to let her see more of his investigation and he's worried about how her opinion of him might change. She's worried about that herself, Beckett admits as she rounds the landing on the third floor. Castle's made allusions to behind-the-scenes violence, and the bodies at the machine shop corroborate her concerns. But the sad truth is, she's not nearly as bothered as she should be. She's thought about her mother's case often enough over the years to know that she'd bend or even shatter the rules to find the people responsible for her family's misery.
As she reaches the fourth floor, she realizes that Castle's included when she thinks of her family. When did that happen?
The thought brings a welcome smile to her face as she walks by the boys and directly to Gates' office. She knocks on the doorframe before popping her head in.
"Sir? I'd like to talk to you about the Cambridge case," she explains tersely. "Could we meet in fifteen minutes? I just want to prep with my team for a few moments."
With a nod of assent for the question and curious look for the detective's uncharacteristic smile, Gates sends Beckett on her way.
"Boys," Beckett says with a nod. "Care to join me in the conference room?"
Ryan and Esposito cast each other wary glances, wondering at Beckett's oddly pleasant demeanor. With matching shrugs, they grab their files and start to follow her into a conference room. Ryan's made it a few steps before he snaps his fingers, returns to his desk, and grabs his computer.
"I'm recusing myself from the Cambridge case," Beckett says abruptly as the boys take their seats around the table. "And I'm hoping you'll do the same."
"Because…," Esposito prompts. She'd hoped Ryan would reply.
"Because Castle asked me to," she offers simply.
Ryan and Esposito share another look while Beckett ignores their raised eyebrows.
"Did he say why?" Ryan asks, trying to get more of the story.
Beckett nods, happy to move onto the story after she started by proving her intention to follow Castle's lead. "He said it's a frame-up. The people he's hunting are hitting back, trying to punish those who've provided support. The mayor is an obvious target."
"You sure he's not just protecting his friend?" Espo asks, looking skeptical. "Switching teams will pause the investigation. Maybe he's just buying time for Weldon."
"He's worried that if we work the case, we might make too attractive a target – someone could make a move against all of us," she explains, holding her temper for Espo's continued antagonism about Castle's motives. "And think about it – say we bust Weldon and the frame-up breaks after we arrest him. Then we're sidelined and the mayor's still hurt."
"So, you're gonna walk?" Esposito follows up, though he sounds like he's thinking about her scenario.
"I am," Beckett confirms, acting more confident in her decision than she really feels. "I told Gates I had an update for her. I'm standing down either way, but should I tell her this is a team decision or just my own?"
"I'm out," Ryan answers promptly before Esposito can have his say. "Castle's up to something, but I trust him."
"What do you mean, he's up to something?" Beckett asks before Esposito has a chance.
"Remember when we were looking into his real estate deals?" he asks, harkening back to their first confirmation that something big was going on. "We wondered about whether he really sold the Haunt or of that was just a shell game to provide an alibi."
"Was it?" Esposito asks, looking annoyed that his partner hasn't shared this with him already.
"No, the sale of the Haunt was legit. The new owners tried to modernize," he offers while shaking his head at their folly, "and destroyed the charm of the place. It's already losing money. If Castle wants it back, he can probably get it for a steal."
Noticing both Espo and Beckett are looking at him to get the rest of the story, Ryan remembers how they got started on this topic.
"It's the Hamptons place," Ryan explains quickly. "I've been looking into the corporate investment group that bought it. I haven't followed all the tax registrations yet, but I'm starting to think that Castle's behind it all. He told us that he sold or hid everything to eliminate any targets. But I'm starting to wonder if he didn't try to hang on to the Hamptons place for when this is all over."
"No," Beckett disagrees immediately. "He wasn't planning on surviving this case," she offers to their obvious surprise. "I'll bet he was saving it for Alexis." Castle never mentioned anything about this, but Beckett's sure she's right. He's been trying to protect his daughter and her future. Setting the beach house aside for her later use sounds exactly like something he would've done.
"The way you say that," Esposito replies with a raised brow, "makes it sound like his plan might've changed."
"Maybe," she agrees, offering no reason for her partner's change of heart. "So," she segues abruptly, "are you staying on the Cambridge case or are you going to join us?" she asks, employing positive peer pressure to get him on board.
"Sure," Esposito replies with resigned flippancy. "Since I'm outvoted. What're we gonna do after Gates threatens to bust us down to traffic patrol?"
"I'll take care of Gates," Beckett offers with a grim smile. In the worst case, she'll appeal to Castle for his intervention with his good friend 'Victoria.' As she rises, she notices Ryan giving her an odd look before turning again to his partner.
"Anything else?" she asks, trying to prompt him. Instead, he shrugs, looking down.
"Honeymilk was gonna ask why you're in such a good mood," Esposito cackles, enjoying his bluntness and Ryan's subsequent blush.
"I'm in a good mood," Beckett replies with a small smile. "Because I saw my partner last night."
Then, after waiting a beat, she adds: "And this morning."
"Yeah," Ryan replies uncomfortably while his partner looks down at his desktop. "We figured. Hey, Beckett, you, uh…"
"By the way, Espo," she offers as she rises and steps towards the conference room door, "you owe Castle fifty bucks."
The smile she wears as she steps towards the break room is beatific. It's more than enough to stay any further comments from the boys, though they clearly feel guilty.
"You think we should've said something about the…?" Ryan asks his partner while gesturing.
"Hell no," Espo replies gruffly. "Trust me, I'm not getting' anywhere near that."
Beckett's still chortling about Espo's shocked reaction as she steps into her Captain's office after a quick stop in the break room for coffee. Clearly, Castle had lied when he tried to shift the focus to Lanie. Based on Espo's shocked reaction, he knew exactly what bet Beckett was talking about. And she didn't lie – she had thanked Castle this morning. Several times, to her hazy recollection. And all well deserved, especially since he was also properly appreciative.
Beckett lowers herself into the guest chair, aware that her demeanor has her boss slightly on edge. It's a bit insulting that people consider her smiling happiness as such a divergence from her usual disposition.
"You said you had an update on the Cambridge case?" Gates prompts after Beckett remained quiet after sitting.
"Of a type," Beckett replies. "I'm recusing myself and my team from the investigation."
Gates stares at her for several long moments. Beckett, used to this interrogation technique, is perfectly content to remain sitting quiet and impassive while awaiting her boss' reaction.
"I see," Gates finally offers, though clearly she doesn't mean the words literally. "Care to explain?"
"Do you want the official reason," Beckett asks with a small smile, feeling rather like she's winding her captain up the same way Castle might, "or the real reason?"
"Yes."
Beckett nods, accepting Gates' terse reply as a request for both explanations. She takes a few moments to frame her response before wading in.
"Castle joined my team three years ago due to the Mayor's intervention," she prefaces, knowing full well that Gates knows this history. "Would you let me investigate someone who had a deep connection to Esposito or Ryan? Even if I could remain objective, the public perception is horrible. I should never have been anywhere near this case. As I'm sure someone from IA would know."
Gates had been nodding along until that last comment, at which point she froze in place and leveled a scathing glare at the detective.
"You have some issue with my staffing decisions, detective?" Gates asks in a low voice.
"It depends. Were they your staffing decisions?" Beckett replies rhetorically. Noting Gates' flinch she presses. "Or was my placement on this case a way to further isolate Castle and make his return to the precinct more difficult?"
"One more accusation and you'll work weekends for the next five years," Gates replies in a pique. "I thought you were a detective. Not that I should dignify your behavior with an explanation," Gates continues, looking disappointed, "but you drew the case because I wanted my best team to handle the hot potato."
"Thank you," Beckett replies easily, unfazed by the threat from her boss and happy to receive the compliment. "Nonetheless, you and I both know I shouldn't be on this case."
"You didn't seem to have any objections when I assigned it to you."
"True," Beckett admits. "But as someone's pointed out to me, I tend to charge in full bore without necessarily considering the bigger picture. Now that I have, it's time for me to step away."
"I see," Gates repeats, again demonstrating this is a stock phrase she employs when she's struggling for answers. "So, I'm supposed to reassign the duty roster to suit your whims?"
"No," Beckett replies quickly, "you're supposed to assign cases based on the best, objective team for the job. That's not us."
"And that's your official position?" Gates asks, eying up her best detective.
"It is," Beckett agrees with a nod. "And Detectives Esposito and Ryan agree with me, though you're welcome to discuss this with them yourself."
"I suspect that's not worth my time," Gates replies, knowing full well this team sticks together. "Instead, I think I'd rather hear the unofficial reason you want off the case."
Beckett stares at her boss for a few long moments while she considers stepping off of this ledge. With a deep breath and a thought of her partner, she takes the leap.
"The people involved in the Cambridge case are also involved in my shooting."
Her simple sentence prompts several minutes of silence as Gates' thinks madly about the implications. Finally, after serious thought, she zeroes in on the question Beckett's been dreading.
"How do you know?"
Beckett nods, if only to buy herself a little time. She knew this question was coming, knew she'd have to offer some source. Castle freed her to identify him as the source of information, but Beckett fears the Captain will consider him too close to be a reliable source. So, she opts to describe him rather than identify him.
"I'm not the only one who's been targeted by these people," she offers. "Another target reached out to me. I was warned that the case is a pretext to get me and my team in close proximity to Weldon so we could all be taken out at once."
"Taken out," Gates repeats. "Are you telling me that you'd be killed if you continued on the case?" she asks, the tone of bewildered incredulity readily apparent.
"Yes," Beckett answers. When she sees Gates' look of disbelief, she gets a little angry. "It's not as if they haven't tried already. Are you really surprised?"
Gates sits back at this comment, taking time to assess her detective. It's much more than an assessing stare' Gates is clearly trying to get into Beckett's head.
"I don't understand," she finally admits, looking at Beckett. "Granted, I don't know you well. But, based on what I've seen so far, I would've thought that a connection to your case would've made you more eager, not less, to push the Cambridge case."
"I'm not the only one involved," Beckett answers, thinking about Castle to remind herself that other people are affected in this whole mess. "I'm not the only one at risk."
"I don't remember other people entering into your past decisions," Gates offers. She might be a new supervisor, but her comment still hurts. Rather than answer and risk dignifying Gates' comment, she remains quiet.
"You're off the case," Gates offers after several quiet minutes. "I expect you to pass your notes along to Zuponsic's team. Is there anything I need to worry about?"
"Just make sure Zuponsic has the support he needs," Beckett replies. "I'm not looking to hamstring the case, just to keep my team safe. The risks to others shouldn't differ from any other highly political, headline-grabbing case against the person who could have us all replaced."
Gates tries but can't stop a slight huff of amusement at Beckett's description. Then, sobering, she tries to regain control of the conversation. "As for your team, you'll all be plenty safe working cold cases until I figure out what to do about this," Gates replies. She'd clearly been aiming to hit Beckett where it hurts, but this step was anticipated. It still hurts, Beckett notes, but she can control her reaction.
"Understood," Beckett replies with resolve. She's pushed her boss farther than she thought she might, but not only does she still have her job, but she holds the same rank as when the discussion started. Not bad, all things considered.
Gates observes her detective for several more long moments. Then, with a nod, she reaches into the pocket of her blazer and extracts her keys. Bending at the waist, she unlocks the bottom drawer of her desk and flips through some hanging file folders. When she straightens, she's got two files in hand.
"Here are the cases on which I'd like you to start," Gates offers, sliding the files across her desk. Beckett's hand freezes midway to the desktop as her mind makes note of the file number on the folder. She'd know that number in her sleep. It's the case she's worked on since she became an officer. She suspects the second file, while more recent, is no less personal to her.
"Thank you, sir," she utters. She wants to say more but she's fearful of saying the wrong thing or making Gates reconsider her decision. Besides, this is an official sanction to work on her case and coordinate with Castle.
"I don't know how long I can leave you pointed in that direction," Gates warns. "But, if you're right, you might crack the Cambridge case from a different direction."
"Trust me, sir, there's nothing I'd like better."
"Then get to it," Gates replies, nodding toward the door.
Beckett rises quickly, anxious both to get started and to escape the office before Gates changes her mind or extracts any concessions. She can feel her shoulders slump as Gates speaks again when Beckett's two short steps from freedom.
"Two last things, Detective," Gates calls out, waiting for Beckett to turn back to face her. "First, take a quick break to run out to the store. I think you need a scarf or a turtleneck," she explains with a straight face as she takes in the blemishes on Beckett's neck that become much more obvious as the detective flushes in embarrassment. "Second, say hello to Rick for me."
Three days after her time with Castle and two days after last hearing from him after he left to "track someone down," Beckett's feeling out of sorts. They're getting nowhere on the cold cases, though she still appreciates Gates' decisions to let them try. The main problem is the 22nd precinct – even if her team can work the cold cases, they still can't get access to the files on Bader or Sands. Castle's provided the names of the other two bodies from the machine shop, but that search has been a dry hole, too. Thankfully, if the leads they chased had to yield no new information, at least they offered no new gray envelopes, either. While he's not being entirely forthcoming with what he's doing, at least Castle isn't playing coy anymore, either.
Sighing, Beckett shuts down her laptop. With a brief explanation to her teammates, she heads out of the precinct, striding for two blocks before treating herself to a walking lunch courtesy of the comfort food truck. Two blocks later, she's bolted her lunch, pitched the trash, and walked down to the subway.
Indigestion strikes just as she arrives at her destination. Perfect, she thinks, noting that she now has a new dimension to her discomfort. Chastising herself for the melodrama, she takes a deep breath before opening the door. Millie waves her through with a guilty smile, unable to talk as she finishes her own lunch while sitting at the reception desk.
"Kate," Dr. Burke greets her as she steps into his office and heads toward the chair she usually occupies during their sessions. "I'm glad you could make it."
Odd, Beckett thinks. This isn't their regular appointment, so of course she'd make it to something she scheduled about three hours ago. She's been feeling down – her quiet time with Castle, while critical for them both, has thrown other aspects of her life into sharp contrast. Theirs isn't a typical relationship yet, which seems oddly appropriate, but it sheds enough light to expose some other deficiencies in her life. It's also provided a new goal: for the first time in memory, she's invested in making a relationship work. Their years together provide a more solid foundation that she suspects either of them has enjoyed in the past, but other baggage still provide challenges.
So, rather than fret, Beckett decided to address her concerns head-on. She'd pat herself on the back if she weren't so concerned about how things might go.
"Glad to be here," she replies to Burke, still looking curious about his greeting. "I think I'd benefit from a conversation."
"Certainly," Burke replies with a smile that looks a bit forced. "My door's always open. Why don't you tell me how you'd like to start today?"
"Well," Beckett temporizes, feeling less confident now that they're actually about to address her concerns, "I'm… that is…," Finally growing frustrated at the wincing uncertainty she hears from herself, she shakes her head, takes a breath, and just spits out her concern. "I'm having trouble letting go."
"Of you mother's case," Burke nods along, unsurprised.
"Wait, no," Beckett objects. "That's not… well, yeah, that's an issue," she admits while running a hand through her hair. "But I was talking about something else. I'm having trouble letting go of…"
"Your leadership position on your team," Burke interrupts, nodding again while looking intensely at Beckett. "We've talked about this before – how Detective Esposito chafes under your command. I take it the issue is flaring up again?"
What?! Beckett thinks. They've never talked about anything like that. Espo's never been anything like that, at least not with her. So, what's Burke…
Oh, shit, Beckett thinks, her mind scrabbling madly for purchase. Burke doesn't interrupt, he doesn't invent issues, and he doesn't forget what they've previously discussed. If he's going off-script, he must have good reason. And one that he can't articulate aloud.
"Yeah," Beckett says slowly, wondering about how to pitch this. "We've been benched after things got out of hand on our last case," she invents on the fly, all while watching her therapist's eyes closely for a reaction. "We're on cold cases until the Captain's convinced we're working well together again."
"That's unfortunate," Burke offers sympathetically. "The city certainly needs your team working a peak efficiency."
"That's what Gates said," she replies, cautiously optimistic that their discussion is building a plausible cover. Even better, it might provide an alibi for her team's sudden removal from the Cambridge case.
"So, tell me," Beckett continues, trying to figure out exactly what she's dealing with here and suddenly gaining a new appreciation for Burke's chosen diversionary topic. "Do you think Espo's acting this way because of his military background?"
Please, she thinks as Burke considers her question, get the reference. Esposito isn't the only ex-military guy around. Her shooter – the man found in the machine shop – had military training. So did Coonan. If Burke's under duress, perhaps there's another player with a similar background involved.
"Perhaps," Burke ruminates, leaning back in his chair and tenting his hands in front of him as if lost in thought. "It's possible, but improbable I think. After all, his background hasn't changed since the day he joined the NYPD."
"Neither has anything else," Beckett grouses, hamming it up a bit.
"Yes and no," Burke replies. "Sometimes, we're willing to make pragmatic concessions, to accept something we'd otherwise reject as a way of making things work. But such arrangements fail when the weight of the compromise becomes too great," Burke suggests, "or until there's a counterexample that obviates the needs for compromise."
"So, you think Esposito was willing to accept my leadership initially but it's… what, just become too difficult to accept?" Clearly, Burke is trying to explain something with the subtext to his comments but she's having trouble understanding his point.
"Mister Castle left your team, correct?" Burke asks, watching as Beckett nods. "And you've neither heard from him nor expect his return?"
Clever boy, Beckett thinks while she hides her smile. Her therapist is constructing quite the story for whoever is listening, making the case that Castle's long gone. He knows it's not true, that Beckett has met with him several times. Hell, he probably even suspects the recent developments in their relationship.
"That's right," Beckett answers in a clipped tone, contributing to the story. "He just bailed out. So much for the years we invested in him."
"And that's my point," Burke nods sagely. "Mister Castle was a part of your team for years. In that time, Detective Esposito saw him enter as a civilian but still find a place. In his time at the precinct he participated as a full member of your team."
"Almost full member," Beckett snarks, keeping the conversation plausibly based in reality. "We never managed to get him to carry his weight with the paperwork."
"Be that as it may," Burke replies with a roll of the eyes, "Mister Castle finally left. Tell me, when he departed, did he have any more responsibilities, any more control, than when he arrived?"
She knows the answer she needs to give for their cover, but it's still an interesting question. In truth, Castle had made some inroads. She'd come to trust his judgment, especially after she started to see past the veneer to the man beneath the humor and bravado. Unbelievably, Burke's managed to insert some actual therapeutic relevance to this harrowing farce of a session.
"No," she offers, getting a thankful look from Burke. "He ran out the same way as he stumbled in."
"So, in other words," Burke summarizes, "Detective Esposito saw someone arrive, spend years with the team, and depart. Throughout that cycle, nothing changed. For someone accustomed to control and career advancement, how could such a reminder not make him chafe?"
Maybe that's it, Beckett realizes. That's why Espo's been so pissy about Castle. Not because of what Burke just said, but because of the opposite. In a few short years, Castle's arrived and carved out a place at the precinct. Not only did he lack Esposito's military training, but he was a reputational joke upon arrival, a mantle he seemed to wear with misplaced pride. And then he leaves the precinct and proves that he's even more adept than they'd realized when he was there.
If that's what's going on with Espo, maybe things are even worse. Maybe he's irritated by the prospect of Castle returning to the precinct when this is over. After all, from that perspective, things have gotten worse following Castle's departure – he's not only shown himself capable of some of the more rough-and-tumble aspects of their job, but he also seems to have made inroads with the icy new captain of the 12th.
Well, if that's the case, then Esposito can just pound sand, Beckett decides. Regardless of background, he should be happy to have any capable assistance on their cases. His concern should be on the bottom line and whether they function effectively at catching murderers.
Smirking slightly, she finds herself wondering if she can talk Burke into a group session if they all survive the mess they're in now.
"I think you're probably right," Beckett replies with a sigh, shooting a soft smile at Burke in an effort to let him know she's realized some things thanks to his guidance. Then, with a quick glance at Castle's watch on her wrist, she gauges how much more time they need to fill for any listeners to accept this as a full, regular therapy session. "So," she asks while lightly tapping on the watch to encourage Burke to fill the time, "what recommendations do you have for how we can address this going forward?"
Her easy question provides a platform on which Burke expounds for the next twenty minutes. It's an easy, theoretical discussion, one that uses elementary psychological concepts he can probably sing in his sleep. The discussion effectively fills the time, leaving them making their farewells a half-hour after Beckett arrived.
"Thank you, Doctor," Beckett enthuses at the end of their session, casting him a serious look. "You've given me a lot to think about. I promise I'll act on it soon."
He nods, leaving Beckett with the impression that he understands her comment about imminent action.
It's torturous to walk casually out of his building as if nothing is wrong. She walks a few blocks, figuring that a cab caught right there might not be safe. The subway would be faster, but she needs some private time and she needs it quickly.
After shamelessly flashing her badge to cut the taxi line at a hotel a few blocks away (how did that work? Why would a cop need to take a cab?), she piles in. Even while she directs the cabbie to the 12th she's extracting the device that allows her to contact Castle.
I need help. My therapist is compromised. Call me.
Her text is terse, like the ones she's sent before, but more confident. No more asking for him to reach out. After their time together, she's confident he'll contact her as soon as possible.
Even though it's mid-afternoon, traffic is already snarled. It takes nearly an hour to return to the precinct, leaving Beckett with the mundane realization that she's getting low on sick time. She laughs as she realizes how much she longs for pedestrian thoughts like this to be her primary concern.
As she finally exits the cab and walks into the precinct, she prepares herself for what has to happen next. She's not going to do anything about Esposito quite yet, but she'll take the time she needs to watch him and see if her theory seems plausible. In the meantime, she needs to think about Burke and how to protect him.
She's assuming Burke's under duress, not that he's sold out or complicit. His careful words wouldn't make sense otherwise. So, that leaves the usual choices. Blackmail is possible, but it's more likely that his family is under threat. Approaching that situation will be difficult, especially since she doesn't see how she can do it without letting Ryan and Esposito know that she's still in therapy.
She smiles as her pocket vibrates on the elevator ride up to Homicide. Extracting the communication device, she punches in her code to see how Castle's responded. The first two words leave her cold.
I know.
She closes her eyes briefly and reminds herself not to assume the worst. Castle's following his own agenda, but he's opening up to her. Read the whole message, she reminds herself, then figure out how they can go forward.
I know. Remember the enforcer I mentioned? We just tracked him down and were surprised to find a hostage. Don't say anything to your doctor, but know that his wife is safe. He'll find out soon. As for the enforcer, do you have plans tonight? It might not be romantic, but I know how we could spend some time together.
A/N: Happy Easter! I'd hoped to do a little more writing this week, but bright sun and soft sand made it difficult to pick up the laptop!