The case was finally closed.
The killer had been caught – the man who had paid to borrow the ID card – and he turned out to be a mob enforcer from the victim's native Russia, having only just tracked the man down after searching for almost two years.
The victim had apparently fathered a child with the daughter of a mid-level mobster in Moscow while working as a bouncer at an underground nightclub, then fled the country, fearing for his life. The mobster had since risen through the ranks enough to widen his search for the man who had turned his little girl into a single mother. The NYPD couldn't touch the actual Russian boss, but the hitman would probably never see his home country again.
By the time the paperwork was finished, it was just after 6PM. Beckett handed the file in to Gates's office with relief, and returned to the bullpen. Castle was standing near her desk, jacket draped over his arm, talking to Esposito.
It had been another strained day. She hadn't had time to go to the coffee shop on the way to the precinct because she was called in early by Ryan after they managed to get ATM footage of the mystery man dropping off the ID card after the murder. Instead, she wrestled with the elaborate coffee machine Castle had bought for the break room, and brought him what she hoped was a decent approximation of his preferred cappuccino. He had thanked her, and even given her something that was almost a smile.
The day had been hectic, with lunch eaten on the run. He had disappeared for half an hour in early afternoon, on the phone to his publisher, but he'd just been in a vacant interview room.
They had finally collared the suspect in a flea-bitten hotel after a wild drive across the city, and she was sure that Castle had noticed the Nikki keyring dangling from the ignition of her Crown Vic.
He had been completely professional the whole day, neither avoiding her nor making any effort to speak to her about anything except the case. She had asked how Alexis was doing, and he'd paused for a moment before telling her that the girl was doing really well, and enjoying her classes.
Beckett made a remark about not having had a chance to catch up with his daughter in a while, and he quickly changed the subject.
Once the suspect had been arrested and processed, she caught him looking at her with a vaguely confused expression. She asked him if anything was wrong, and he shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak and her heart rate increased, but then he just excused himself and went to the men's room.
She had felt absolutely exhausted after lunch, but now after the arrested, interrogation, confession and the wind-up of the case, she was very much wired. It was usually like this. Judging from the animated way that Esposito was talking to Castle, and the loud laugh she'd just heard from Ryan, her team mates seemed to be feeling the same way.
She walked over to join the three men, and Ryan smiled at her.
"Another win for the good guys," he said. "That was a nasty one. I can't get over the acid thing."
"Well get over it," Esposito replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "And don't talk about it anymore. I'm hungry, and I don't want to think about the vic ever again."
"Nice attitude, Esposito," she quipped, folding her arms. "But… yeah, I could go for some dinner too."
Castle tensed, shifting his blazer to his other arm.
"You wanna just go? We could eat and then get a couple of drinks. Celebrate putting that guy away." Esposito glanced around at each of them, and Ryan nodded twice.
"Jenny's visiting her sister tonight, so I'm a free agent," he said, causing Esposito to nod in approval.
"What about you, boss?" Esposito asked, looking at Beckett, and she swallowed, purposely not glancing towards Castle.
"Sure, why not?" she said. "Not like I've got anything in the fridge at home."
Her mind served up an image of the shopping list Castle had written for her so long ago, and she pushed it away.
"Boom," Esposito said. "So Castle, you're coming too, right?"
Castle shifted his weight, making a show of glancing at his wristwatch. "I should probably get home," he said.
Ryan frowned. "Isn't Alexis going to that play with Martha? Or did I get the wrong day?"
Esposito glanced at his partner and then raised an eyebrow at Castle, who frowned.
"Uh… oh, yeah. No, it's tonight, you're right. Must have slipped my mind. Well… sure. Yeah. I'm in."
Beckett's stomach twisted in discomfort, knowing that it was her that he was trying to avoid spending the evening with.
"Let's do this," Esposito said, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. Ryan followed suit, and Beckett went back to her desk to fetch her own coat. Less than a minute later, all four of them were in the elevator.
Dinner was a relaxed affair, with burgers and milkshakes at Remy's. They managed to mostly avoid talking about the case, with a few brief exceptions, instead focusing on Ryan and Jenny's continuing home renovations, Esposito's current batch of PlayStation 3 games, and even a few high-society anecdotes from Castle about wild nights out with other famous authors.
When the bill arrived, everyone reached for their wallets, and Beckett dumped her keys on the table while digging through her purse. Esposito glanced over at the sound, then raised an eyebrow and reached over to snatch up the bunch of keys.
"Seriously?" he asked, smirking as he held up the neon orange Nikki keyring. All eyes were on him. Beckett was sitting on Castle's right, with Ryan and Esposito across the table.
Beckett glared at him for a moment, then she shrugged. "Castle gave it to me," she said, in a tone that made it seem like that explained everything.
Esposito looked at her, then at Castle, then back at her again. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ryan snatched the keys from him and pushed them across the table to Beckett, giving his partner a meaningful look.
"What?" Esposito said, and Ryan shook his head in exasperation, throwing a a twenty into the pile in the middle of the table.
"I could use a beer," Ryan said, and Esposito nodded in approval.
"Now you're talking," he said. "Castle? Nikki Heat?"
Beckett rolled her eyes, but she nodded. "I'm in."
Castle shrugged, which Ryan took as confirmation.
"I know a place not far from here I've been meaning to check out," Ryan said. "Or we can get a cab to the Haunt?"
"Let's try the new place," Castle said, and Ryan nodded.
By the time they had gathered their jackets to leave, Beckett was feeling more upbeat than she had in a while. She stole a quick glance at Castle who was standing near their table, and saw that he was looking relaxed and at ease, with one hand jammed into his pocket and a small, absent-minded smile on his face as he tapped away at something on his phone.
He followed on as Ryan and Esposito walked by, and Beckett fell into step beside him. He was still tapping away on his phone, but he automatically held the door for her on their way out.
They walked in silence, listening to Ryan and Esposito bickering – something about the greatest cop movie ever made – and within a few minutes they arrived at a friendly-looking Irish bar called Mulligan's.
They managed to get a table easily. Ryan and Esposito disappeared to the bar, leaving Castle and Beckett with their jackets.
She took a deep, calming breath and slid into the booth. He again chose to sit next to her, and with a flash of insight she knew it was because it would be easier to avoid eye contact there. She felt her heart sink, and she was surprised when he suddenly spoke.
"I didn't think you still had that thing." His voice was quiet, almost like he was talking to himself.
He pressed the Power button on his phone to put the device to sleep and started fiddling with a beer mat, not looking around at her. It was clear what he was referring to.
She reached into her purse and took the keyring out again, flexing the orange rubber between her thumb and forefinger.
"I keep everything you give me," she said, equally quietly.
This time, he did glance around at her, and his expression was one of mild puzzlement.
"That surprises you?" she asked, and he tilted his head – A little.
She looked him in the eye, willing him to understand. "It shouldn't," she said.
His gaze moved to her hands resting on the table, still holding the keyring. He was silent for several seconds.
Danger, his mind whispered. He'd been here before, many times. She would give him what he thought could be a sign, then she'd back off again. That's what had brought him to this point in the first place. It was a dance that never led anywhere – a holding pattern, as they endlessly circled each other.
I'm done with it, he thought.
"Original artwork by Richard Castle, only on eBay," he said at last, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He kept his eyes fixed on the table top.
"Or a yellow elephant from a Christmas cracker," she said, and his eyes snapped up to meet hers again. She was giving him the same look she had a moment ago.
"You kept…?" he asked, his brow creased. His gaze was suddenly intense, and unmasked.
She waited a moment before replying, not breaking eye contact. When she spoke, she did so slowly, as if explaining something to a child.
"I keep everything you give me," she said.
He slid very slightly away, giving himself room to half-turn towards her. She saw that he was scrutinising her face, and his eyes flashed as his mind tried to process her words.
She watched him wrestle with his own thoughts for several seconds. His face was pinched, and she could see confusion, suspicion, and a host of other emotions. Each one appeared for just a moment before being chased away by yet another. At last, he opened his mouth and took a breath.
"But–" he began, then he froze as a beer clinked onto the table in front of him.
Ryan and Esposito slid into the opposite side of the booth, distributing drinks as they went. Esposito shrugged off his jacket, then noticed the odd expression on Castle's face, and raised an eyebrow.
"We interrupting anything?" he asked cautiously, causing Ryan to glance first at him and then across at Castle and Beckett.
Yes, she thought.
"Nope," Castle said after a moment, then he picked up the cold bottle and took a long swallow from it.