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10:45 A.M.
Detective Bullpen,
Homicide Squad,
4th Floor, 12th Precinct
Captain Victoria Gates has managed to take New York City Councilwoman Regina Taylor and Journalist Larry Brown to take their conversation into the conference room and comes out after a minute.
"Ryan, Esposito, Deming and Renzulli, in there" Gates points to the conference room.
"Sir, are you sure want us in there?" Ryan asks.
"Not particularly Detective," Gates replies, "Then again nothing happening today is what I want. Even when he's not here, he can give me a migraine."
"Do you mean Castle?" Esposito ask before realizing how stupid the question is and luckily the captain doesn't comment on it.
"The Councilwoman," Gates sighs, "Heard you four speaking with Mr. Brown about our new ADC and for some reason, she wants all of us in there."
As they walk in, Taylor is barely suppressing the urge to scratch out Larry Brown's eyes.
"You son of a bitch!" Taylor blasts, "How dare you!"
"As you might remember Regina," Larry Brown replies smugly, "I can be very daring in certain areas where you're concerned.
Taylor wants to scream in frustration. Logically, she knows she needs to end the spectacle but it's not in her to just back down.
"Look on the bright side," Brown continues, "At least I didn't call you a jabbering mental patient like I do with Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson."
"Oh, how can I ever thank you?"
"Come on Regina," Brown chuckles, "They way you're running around spouting conspiracy theories, all you need now is an aluminum foil hat."
"So, maybe," Taylor retorts, "You can explain to me what qualifies Rick Castle to run this precinct other than the fact that he was raised by the Commissioner."
"Who said anything about running it?" Larry rolls his eyes, "Captain Gates remains the commanding officer of the 12th, right Victoria?"
"Yes, he will simply have his office here" Gates admits reluctantly.
"And you're okay with that?" Taylor responds, Victoria, "Frank Reagan giving this amateur this job is unfair and degrading to you. I can help you fight it."
"Councilwoman, this is an internal department matter," Gates replies, "I've conveyed my thoughts, but it's the PC's decision to make.
"How can I demand my people respect the chain of command if I violate it myself by doing as you suggest?"
"I'm asking you to think of the NYPD as a whole," Taylor presses, "They City council is tasked with providing oversight.
"And if Frank Reagan is making decisions that could do irreparable harm to this department, then you all have an obligation to bring this forward."
"Divide and conquer," Brown sneers, "The fallback position of every mediocre politician, which seems to be the vast majority these days.
"It's the reason she wanted all you in here, sow some discord that will bubble through the ranks and if she's lucky, provide some ammunition for her little vendetta."
"I have no vendetta!" Taylor blurts, "Any issues I have with Frank Reagan results from how he does his job."
"He seems fairly competent to me," Larry argues, "There's been a year on year drop in crime since Frank's been PC, but you always seem to forget that missed that.
"Maybe it's because you and the housebroken press you talk to seem to think cops are the only ones committing crimes in New York."
"Like me," Taylor fumes, "Those reporters reflect the people's concern over police brutality and overreach, which are crimes too."
"Funny," Brown counters, "Hasn't there also been a year over year decrease in police involved shootings and brutality cases, reaching record lows.
"Be honest, your only objection to Frank Reagan is that he's white and Irish. At least Rick is of Scottish descent."
"What the difference does that make!" Taylor blurts in exasperation.
"Don't let that to Mike Myers hear you," Brown chuckles, "He's liable to go off screaming."
"Mike Myers?" Demming asks confused.
"You remember," Renzulli pipes in, "Those Saturday Night Live skits where Myers played a Scottish dude in a store called All Things Scottish."
"Yea," Esposito chuckles, "And he'd go off if anyone confused Scotland and Ireland."
"Remember the time he held up a map," Ryan adds then in a fake Scottish accent, "There's Scotland, there's Ireland, there's the bloody sea, they're different."
The killer death stare Taylor shoots the three detectives makes them wince and wipe the smiles off their faces.
"I meant," Taylor says to Brown through gritted teeth, "I don't care about his ethnicity, this is about his lack of qualifications and suitability."
"What is it you used to say, Larry," Sargant Renzulli pipes up, "That Rick's a natural at detective work like Sandy Koufax was at pitching?"
"Good point Tony."
"What are you talking about Sargant?" Taylor says completely confused.
"Sandy Koufax," Brown recounts, "Born Sandford Braun, Legendary southpaw pitcher for the Dodgers in Brooklynn and Los Angles, 1955 to 1966."
"I was born and raised in New York, Larry," Taylor retorts, "I know who he was. Why are we talking about Him?"
"He born with a cannon for an arm," Brown continues, "So, he was drafted directly to the Dodgers after one year of college ball, no going through the minors."
"So, what are you saying?" Taylor scoffs, "That Rick Castle is a natural at being a detective?"
"Kind of hard not to be with a 197 IQ." Renzulli shrugs.
"197?" Detectives Demming, Esposito, and Ryan say deadpan in unison.
"If that's true, which I doubt," Taylor scoffs, "Why didn't you mention it in your column."
"To be honest," Larry shrugs, "I thought it would be too much for some people to believe."
"You got that right," Taylor sneers, "And, even with a cannon for an arm, I recall Koufax struggled because he was inexperienced and was moved up too quickly."
"Good point," Brown concedes, "It took about five years for him to learn to properly harness his talents. Tony, how long as Rick been working cases at the 12th?"
"About 5 ½ years," Renzulli answers, "But I have a feeling that Rick's detective skill isn't what Councilwoman Taylor should be worried about, do you?"
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Near Belvedere Castle,
Central Park,
New York, New York.
A man sits on a park bench reading the day's issue of The New York Ledger as a slight breeze blows through his thick, neat jet-black hair.
Oh Ricky, the man thinks to himself, Looks like there's no turning back now.
Wearing dark sunglasses, he is dressed in an expensive black suit with a white shirt, black tie, and black racing gloves.
He pays no attention to the female joggers and a couple of male ones slowing down hoping to catch his attention when his appointment arrives.
"Mr. Smith," an equally impeccably dressed man of Chinese descent addresses him an a friendly, but business-like voice.
"Please," The man in black rises with a smile, "Call me Rodger."
"Certainly Rodger," the other man says after they shake hands, "Please, call me Bruce…yes I know, I've heard all the jokes."
"Fair enough," Rodger Smith replies chuckling slightly.
"Shall we take a walk?" Bruce suggests, "And discuss your proposal?"
"Not my proposal, Bruce," Roger corrects, "I'm simply a negotiator."
"Of course," Bruce says with a knowing smile, "Yet, from what I understand, that description seems to be an understatement."
"Thank you," Rodger smiles.
"This leads me a question, if I may," Bruce states, "It won't change the situation, but just to satisfy my own curiosity."
"Feel free."
"Why go through such lengths for such a simple task?" Bruce asks.
"Jiè dāo shā rén," Roger replies in Chinese, "Kill with a borrowed knife as Wáng Jìngzé advised."
"Understood," Bruce smiles, "My employer is very impressed the initial show of good faith and will follow the steps you laid out."
"Excellent, then we have come to terms."
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Lincoln MKT Town Car,
Hutchinson River Pkwy South
"I think you haven't told me the whole story," Alexis Castle says looking out the window from her seat in the back of the car.
"What makes you say that?" Rick Castle asks.
He and his daughter had ridden in silence for a few minutes. He knew his daughter would break the quiet when she was ready.
"You didn't say who tipped you off to Beckett's interview," the redhead answers, "If it had been Diana, you would've said so."
"Fine, you got me," Rick gives a smile of fatherly pride, "But sorry, I promised not to name names. Still, not bad Pumpkin."
"Maybe some of your 197 I.Q. filtered down to me," Alexis retorts.
"I see you've been speaking with your Godfather, the Police Commissioner," Rick says knowingly.
"What makes you think Uncle Frank told me?" Alexis huffs, "Maybe it was Grams."
"She had a date last night," Rick points out, "It would be hours between you likely saw the column in The Ledger and her doing the walk of shame.
"And to be honest pumpkin, you can be a bit impatient. You knew you could start with Frank, Bob, or Larry then circle back to your grandmother if need be."
"It still could've been Larry or Uncle Bob," Alexis counters.
"Possibly, but not likely," Rick smirks, "Once you saw Larry's column, I knew you'd be on the warpath looking for answers."
"And let me guess," Alexis interrupts, "You suggested that they all make themselves scarce this morning."
"Just so I could take your full wrath," Rick explains, "But Frank is stubborn. He would be the one least likely to listen, and he could never say no to you."
"Are you mad at him?" Alexis asks with a concerned look, "Because he told me?"
"Of course not," Rick replies, "I was kind of hoping for it, saves me a lot of explaining."
"Wait a second," Alexis scowls, "You manipulated Uncle Frank into doing your dirty work for you?"
"What manipulation," Rick fakes being offended, "I was completely honest with him. Not my fault I had a good idea of how he'd act given the situation."
"Uncle Frank was right I guess," Alexis says shaking her head.
"About?
"Something about you being like a sailor being able to read the currents or a surfer reading the waves," Alexis recounts.
"Always, loved those analogies," Rick chuckles.
"Weird considering you don't surf or sail?" Alexis says then thinks, "Or do you?"
"Come on pumpkin," Rick smiles impishly, "I did have a good many Spring Breaks and Summer vacations before you were born."
"We'll get back to that later," Alexis responds, "But what if Uncle Frank didn't act the way you thought?"
"I always have a backup plan," Rick answers, "That's why I sent the car for you. It'd be a chance to tell you everything myself.
"And since you wouldn't believe me right off, the length of the drive would give me a better chance to convince you."
"What makes you think that I wouldn't believe you?"
"Well," Rick says hesitantly, "You can be kind of stubborn when you get an idea fixed in your head, especially if you think I'm wrong.
"And though you eventually might relent, it sometimes requires confirmation by outside sources or passing out from your breath."
"Not the candy bar again," Alexis huffs.
"I told you," Rick remembers warmly, "That you'd had too much sugar already and it wasn't good for you. But you knew better."
"I was three years old," Alexis rolls her eyes, "It's not like logic would work on me."
"But even today," Rick continues, "You can sometimes be a bit dismissive and condescending when I say something you don't want to hear."
"How could you think something like that!" Alexis responds angry and insulted, "You know how much I love you."
"I've never doubted that for an instant," Rick takes her hand, "But this isn't about love."
"So, what is it about," Alexis says incensed, "You've gotten it in your head that I don't respect you."
"No," Rick shakes his head, "But you have to admit our little dynamic does make it easier for you to treat what I say that way."
"Now you're being ridiculous," Alexis huffs, "What dynamic?"
"The one where most days are like Freaky Friday," Rick recounts, "Where we act like you're the one raising me, that you're the parent and I'm the child.
"And if I'm being honest, I kind of liked it. It's part of what allowed me to be the cool dad. It worked for us until it didn't like with your vlog."
"Look I know Volkov used it to track me?" Alex argues, "But he was ex-KGB. He would've found me even without that posting."
"What about someone who wasn't Volkov?" Rick asks, "What about some unbalanced person who decides to fixate on you but doesn't Volkov's resources."
"I thought you were just overreacting," Alexis replies, "Being overprotective as usual."
"I told you my concerns over the vlog," Rick counters, "About risking your safety by posting too much information, but you dismissed them."
"And for you, that automatically means I don't respect you opinion?"
"Alexis," Rick says calmly, "You've tried to make good choices your entire life, always careful not to do anything to hurt anyone or God forbid yourself.
"You couldn't have all done that by not listening to reason, if you acted on impulse, petulance, selfishness, or even peer pressure."
"I sense a but coming," Alexis rolls her eyes.
"However," Rick smiles, "I think I made some pretty good, reasonable points about the vlog, didn't I?"
"Yes," Alexis admits meekly.
"So, look at it from my perspective," Rick continues, "Maybe it wasn't so much that you were dismissing the message as much as you were dismissing the messenger."
"Dad…" Alexis says in sad voice, upset because she might have actually hurt her father by ever making him think that.
"Hey, none of it is your fault," Rick insists, "It's all on me. Intelligence aside and given my own very unusual childhood, I was winging it as a parent."
"I took the best lessons I could from my mother, Betty, Henry, Frank, and Mary to somehow come up with a way to raise you."
"And you did a great job," Alexis smiles warmly, eyes getting misty, "For winging it, but I still think using Uncle Frank like that wasn't fair."
"Fair enough, pumpkin," Rick replies but thinks to himself, but someone had to be the borrowed knife.
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Conference Room,
Homicide Squad,
4th Floor, 12th Precinct
"Is that supposed to be some kind of threat, Sargant?" Taylor glares.
"Hardly, Regina," Brown responds instead, "You seem hell bent on still using Rick as a weapon against the mayor and the PC.
"And I think Tony was just reminding me that with all of the cats out of the bag, Rick is likely no longer to show the restraint he has in the past."
"Don't worry about me," Taylor sneers, "I've taken on men with far more power and fame than him."
"Do you really think," Renzulli smirks, "It was just bad luck that it blew up in your face every time you tried to use him to get at the mayor and PC?"
"Even if he was an unknown without a dime," Brown adds, "It wouldn't matter because he'll be at least seven steps ahead of you.
"And just when you think you got him where you want him, he'll be right behind you, and you'll always be exactly where he wants you to be."
"One thing about the kid," Renzulli adds, "The closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see."
"If he decides enough is enough," Brown signs, "He'll end your career without breaking a single law, rule, or regulation, and you'll never see it coming."
"Thanks guys," Taylor says sarcastically, "But I think I can handle Rick Castle."
"Don't say we didn't try," Renzulli shrugs, "Hey, Larry What was that little poem Rick would say as a kid?"
"A presence dark invades the air," Larry quotes, "Giving the people all great scare, for chaos reigns and panic numbs when something wicked this way comes."
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Author's Notes:
If you know where I borrowed the character of Roger Smith from, send me an private message and I'll tell you if you're correct or not. 😊
Kill with a borrowed knife (借刀殺人, Jiè dāo shā rén) is from the 36 Stratagems, by Wáng Jìngzé (則傳) which I mentioned in an earlier chapter.
It is the third stratagem in the first chapter, so it's third overall.
It means to use the strength of another to take down an enemy when you're not in a good position to do it.
The idea is to cause damage to the enemy via a third party, or to deal with something via a third party.
Freaky Friday (1972) is a children's novel about a mother and daughter switching bodies for one day.
It's a modern telling of Vice Versa: A Lesson to Fathers, the 1882 novel by F. Anstey in which the protagonists are a father and son.
Disney turned the story into four movies in 1976 (Tuesday Weld and Jodie Foster), 1995 (Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffmann), 2003 (Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan) and 2018 (Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Noelle Zuehlsdorff).
The 1972 and 2003 ones are the most well know, and the 2018 was a musical in yet another attempt to milk the High School Musical fad.
Yes, I paraphrased the "seven steps" line from "Now you see me" (2013).
The poem Larry quotes is actually from an early Lexus commercial back in the 1980's. I always thought it was cool, so I used it.
Don't ask me how I remembered it, I just do.
And yes, I believe that Don Lemon, Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, Anderson cooper and every other talking head who think we have right to take their opinion as actual news should be fired.
Go on the air, report what happened, do an interview with serious fact checking, and don't insert yourself into the stories.
News, not entertainment.