Chapter 107

A beeline was made by Castle to the New York History Museum via one beat up yellow cab with an enthusiastic Indian chap behind the wheel, who had a bright personality and plenty to talk about. He also had heavy feet. Heavy on the gas, quick to accelerate, and heavier on the brakes, almost stomping on the pedal. His driving had Castle urgently secure the seatbelt. He clung to the 'Oh God' handle like his life depended upon it, somewhere wishing he'd signed that will at the time he'd collected it from his lawyer's office forever ago. Being under the spell of a curse, Castle suffered a nail-biting ride along the narrow streets. The cab ducked and weaved through the traffic. Oblivious to the writer's current stake on life, the jolly driver powered along in record breaking speed like it was second nature, also much of the time ignorant of the road rules.

Any other day, Castle would have embraced the experienced, tracked it into his memory bank for a future story scene but today his imagination was pounding on the big red panic button.

His phone rang distracting him from his current death threat. The driver's conversation about his recent trip to California quietened. Castle picked up the call. It was the Precinct, a landline.

"Castle," he greeted, hearing the stress in his tone.

"It's me." That was Kate.

"Hey."

"Are you okay? You sound worried."

"I am in a somewhat high level of concern."

"Oh. You really are taking the curse seriously, Castle. Where are you? Its loud."

"In a taxi and I think its gonna break the sound barrier any second." He said watching the buildings fly by through the side window. "Kate does your father do Wills?"

"Yup. If he has to. He does them for family and friends and that. Feeling vulnerable after the bull, I mean the dog?"

"Ha ha." He heard the laughter of the guys in the background. "You're being a smartass in front of the boys."

"Maybe."

"Do I fit into friends and that?"

"Of course. Call him. You should call him soon. You need a Will."

"You're having so much fun with this."

"Terrific fun. See you soon." There was a clunk of her desk phone as she hung up.

For a second or two he stared at his phone questioning why Kate called, then tucked it away in his jacket pocket. Through the front windscreen, he could see the entrance to the museum of natural history barrelling down. If the driver managed to safely deliver him to his destination, he would be there, on the sidewalk, inside a minute. He'd also be relieved. Alive and relieved. Twenty bucks lighter too.

And then he'd be able to locate Rupert Bentley who would definitely know how to clear him of the curse.

About twenty minutes later….

"No, I'm afraid there's nothing in the literature about reversing the curse." Rupert Bentley repeated marginally impatient.

"There has to be something." Castle insisted, a grimace forming. This was his last resort to cure the curse.

"I'm sorry, Mr Castle," Rupert impressed, "I really am, but I don't even have a remedy from word of mouth."

Castle sighed his acceptance, just as he spotted Beckett enter the room with her sidekicks bumping her shoulders. They followed Dr Raynes who appeared to be annoyed and Castle guessed it was related to why the NYPD were present. As she approached, Beckett threw him a questioning look. He was momentarily distracted by how bloody tall she seemed between Espo and Ryan. When they realised Castle was already at the museum and talking to the guy they clearly wanted to see, they gave each other a glance.

"Hey." Castle solemnly greeted Beckett.

"Castle. What are you doing here?" Beckett was surprised by his presence. She hadn't shared with him where she was going and if he recalled correctly, she hadn't asked him where he was going during their last phone call.

"Oh, nothing. Just waiting for you."

"Oh. How did you know I-?" She stopped when he shrugged his shoulders, then tapped his temple.

"Clearly we're in sync." He stated.

Her brow furrowed momentarily. "Maybe. Did you get hold of my dad?"

"Not yet." He gestured to his watch. "I ran outa time."

"Detectives, are you here to talk about reversing the curse as well?" Rupert Bentley inquired impatiently.

Beckett looked at Bentley in confusion, "No." She shot a glance at Rick realising why he'd turned up here at his own volition. "No, I'm here to see a man about a mummy." She kind of gave a quirky smile, amused by her reply.

Behind her, Ryan nudged Castle, then asked in hushed tones. "So, no luck with the curse, huh?"

Esposito said. "Look on the bright side, Castle. You die, your book sales skyrocket."

Castle rolled his eyes, released a sigh. "Great." He suddenly brightened as he inquired. "What did Beckett mean when she said she's here to see a man about a mummy? Which mummy?"

Esposito stepped closer to Rick, encouraged him to gather in then quietly shared information. "The one Grimes said Medina was trying to sell."

"Fill me in. Spare no details." Castle urged.

Ryan said, "Well, in some ancient cultures, instead of burying-"

"Fast-forward a little bit," Castle requested.

"You're about to find out, Castle," Esposito stated, "Beckett here, has a warrant. We advanced our investigation while you were off bandaging your butt."

"I didn't do that-" He stopped and turned about the second Bentley's voice boomed out.

"Detective, this is a significant archaeological find! You can't just walk in here and open up the sarcophagus to access the mummy."

Standing her ground, Beckett held up a folded sheet of paper and flapped it in the air a little, strictly for show. "I've got a warrant that says otherwise." Her voice was deep, strong. Castle really enjoyed the times she braved up and used her authority. He found it arousing.

"This is preposterous!" Dr Raynes flamboyantly threw his arms about in the air, full of showmanship to an audience that didn't buy it. His expression pompous. Esposito wore the best expression of bemusement that Castle tried his best to memorise to later transfer to words for future reference.

"Tell that to the drug dealer in my lockup who was doing business with your associate curator," Beckett firmly replied then took a breath before she added, sounding as though she wanted to be fair. "Look, we understand how fragile the mummies are, Dr Raynes. It's just a simple swab test. I promise. I won't damage anything."

"So long as it's done by our procedures."

"Sure. Dr Raynes."

She handed the warrant to Bentley who gave it a momentary inspection before he discarded it on a bench. Beckett quietly retreated to a place she felt was out of the way of the curator and his team who commenced to set about opening up the sarcophagus. The boys retreated with her and together they stood, quietly observing the group of four who worked together. The team geared up with rubber gloves, and cloaks to protect their clothing and prevent cross contamination. Castle figured they didn't want to risk new skin cells to be mixed with the mummies' cells.

When the lid of the sarcophagus eventually began to rise with the aid of the hydraulic machine, Castle leaned in, keen to learn, but keener to be removed of the so-called curse that had befallen him. It didn't look the same as last time. He glanced to his right at Beckett and noticed she was thinking the same.

The sarcophagus was empty.

"Oh, my God." Dr Raynes exclaimed, "It's gone."

"I'm still gonna get the samples," Beckett replied with determination.

"I'm sure you will," Castle commented fully aware of how determined she generally was.

She turned to the guys. "Ryan, can you please ensure they take the samples from what they have here and get them to the lab asap?"

"Will do, Beckett. We'll see you back at the Precinct."

She gave a nod to both the men then indicated to Castle they were on their way.

As they walked out of the museum, Beckett asked, "Were you here to find a cure to the curse?"

"Maybe. You'll ridicule me if I say too much."

"No, I won't. You know the curse is not real right?" She said with empathy and pointed ahead to where her unit was parked nearby the museum car park entrance. The boys car was parked behind hers.

"Feels it. You weren't in the fucking cab with me. Nice guy, but a fucking lunatic behind the wheel."

She gave him a look of confusion, mixed with a scalding look for his cursing.

"The driver who brought me here …. Oh, never mind." He dismissed it with a wave of his arm. "I apologise for me language."

"Curse is getting to you." She couldn't help the smile of amusement.

"Maybe. You're loving this."

They continued to walk.

"Did you have one of those cab drivers?" Beckett inquired.

"Speedy Gonzale type yes. Madman behind the wheel."

Kate smiled, particularly hearing his fearful tone. He could be quite dramatic at times.

"Did you have lunch when you went home?" She asked. "You seem a little edgy."

"Yes. I did. Mother and I shared your leftovers from the other night."

"Oh. So, you're not hungry."

"I didn't say that. What you got in mind?"

"I really feel like cheeseburgers, Castle." She softly said and he instantly perked up.

"I'm in. Good choice, Babe."

"Great." She smiled happy she'd lightened his mood. He loved cheeseburgers. They always seemed to make him happy.

"Where?"

"Your choice. Do you want to drive while I make a couple of calls?"

"Sure, but you know I'm cursed, right?"

She gave him a momentary concerned look then smiled and dangled the keys in front of him. "I trust you."

He frowned, took the keys. "We take the car back to the Precinct and then go to the usual place?"

She shrugged, "Sure."

In the elevator of the NYPD building Castle was involved in a deep conversation with his mother. When he and Beckett had returned from their lunch of delicious cheeseburgers, he had waited outside to briefly meet with Alexis who had finally declared her desire to call a truce to their disagreements. With matters somewhat sorted and on his way back inside the Precinct his mother happened to call. As it also happened, she wasn't aware Alexis had arranged to meet with him and she was more interested in knowing of his progress to rid himself of the curse.

"No. He didn't know anything about how to reverse the curse. But I've decided, it's okay. I've just been overreacting. It's like you said, the chances of there actually being a curse are," he felt the hitch in elevator which unnerved him a little, "Are virtually non-existent." The elevator was ancient but it was maintained frequently and generally provided a smooth ride.

The elevator jerked to a sudden stop.

Castle checked the floor indicator. The box was between floors, half a floor off homicide. "That was weird. The elevator just stopped," he said to his mother.

His cell beeped indicating lost connection.

"Mother?" He looked at the screen. Disconnected call. "Okay. No reason to panic." He continued to look about.

The electricity powered down.

"Small reason to panic." He mumbled and put a hand to the back wall just as the emergency light brightened. The box was dim, but he could see about him.

Castle yelled out fully worried, "Hello?"

With the side of a closed fist, he banged on the doors a half dozen times.

"There is no curse. There is no curse. There is no curse," he chanted trying to sell it to himself.

The elevator moved a little.

"Fuck." Castle hissed. He spun about then backed to the rear of the box. "What do I do? What do I do if the elevator falls?" He held the railing tightly. "Okay. I, um, I think I'm supposed to jump in the air? No! Lay on the floor."

He threw himself down on the floor of the box, prone with limbs splayed out, eyes squeezed shut. The carpet smelt of dirt, soil, of years of having been trodden on. Dust. His nose itched. The elevator doors opened seconds later. He sneezed.

Eyes closed, he didn't see Beckett standing in the foyer, but he heard her say in a confused high tone, "Castle? What are you doing?"

Castle opened his eyes and looked up to see Beckett, Esposito and Ryan peering down at him, clearly amused by his actions. Maybe there was a slight hint of concerned in Beckett's eyes. As he got up, he nervously rattled off, "That was, that whole thing, then the light, the light, and then the whole thing went, I thought, I thought the elevator was gonna fall." He brushed his clothes off. "That carpet should also be changed."

"What happened?" Beckett asked.

Castle rapidly expelled himself from the elevator and turned about to inspect where he had just come from. He then glared at his three friends, nostrils flared. He had finally struck pissed off stage. "That wasn't you, was it? Because that wasn't funny." He focused on Beckett: the chair and coffee machine manipulator.

Beckett briefly inspected the interior of the elevator. "No, no. Castle. I'm not that cruel." Kate replied calmly returning her focus to her partner. "It's an old elevator, Castle. You know what?" She looked at Ryan, "Let's get maintenance up here and tell them not to let anyone it the box until it's fixed."

Ryan gave a nod then reassuringly said to Castle. "It'll be okay, Castle. We'll get it fixed."

"Are you okay, Castle?" Beckett asked with true concern, her hand reaching to his forearm.

"Yeah. No. Yeah. I'm- I'm- I'm gonna splash some w-water on my face and then." He pointed in the direction of the men's rooms. "Perhaps, throw up a little bit too."

"I think this curse has gone too far," she murmured.

"Ya' think? I'm starting to fucking believe I am doomed," he hissed.

Beckett looked suspiciously from his worried face to the elevator and cautiously tapped her foot in it, bewildered by Castle's reaction. Nothing happened. He rushed off to the men's room. She glanced at Esposito who gave her a look that said he didn't understand either. Other staff who had been watching what happened, returned to their business. Curious as to what happened, she watched Castle make a dash to the men's room.

"Something scared the shit out of him," she commented, trying hard not to laugh even though she also knew it was time to quit the teasing.

"Yeah, unfortunately I don't have the skills to screw with the elevator," Espo replied as they returned to their desks.

"I think we've contributed enough towards breaking his nerves." She bit her bottom lip.

"C'mon Beckett, this here, getting Castle all wound up." Esposito laughed. "It's fun."

"Maybe. But he's really freaking out." She went to her desk, distracted from doing her work by Castle's behaviour. When he returned, he was completely normal, acting as though nothing had happened.

"We need to go see a guy and on the way, inspect the apartment," she said with a lowered voice so only he heard.

"Alright. Taking the car?"

"Yep. I'll drive."

"Great idea, Beckett."

"The CSU said that field tests showed there was no drug residue inside the sarcophagus. All the other mummies are accounted for and no drugs in them either," Beckett said to update Castle, as she drove the car towards the garage exit. "So, if it wasn't the drugs, then what's so special about the missing mummy?" She stopped to show her id to the security guy at the garage gate, then waited for the gate to rise.

"You always have to do that when he knows you?" Castle asked as he fidgeted due to the pain coming from his backside where the dog had bit him.

"Mm. Protocol," she replied.

"Common sense? He must know your badge number by now."

"He probably does. Protocol." She repeated, glancing at him.

"Okay. Protocol it is. You know, Kate, maybe Grimes was telling the truth about the mummy." The brightness of daylight had him blink as the vehicle exited the garage to the street.

Beckett lowered sunglasses from her head. "That Medina was trying to sell it?"

"Yeah, and then when Grimes wouldn't buy it, he decided to sell it to someone else?"

"Could have," she agreed. "Esposito said one of the researchers swears it was in its sarcophagus the day after Medina was killed."

"Well, that could only mean one thing, Beckett."

"Please don't say that it's walking among us seeking revenge."

Castle smiled. "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"The museum is gigantic. They have over 30 million specimens down in storage, so the boys organised a canine unit to help the CSU team, but finding this mummy might be like finding the lost ark."

"They'll find it if it's there." Castle looked out the car window, at the pedestrians, lights. "This apartment we're looking at, it's close to my place?"

"Yes. We could walk."

"Good," he quietly said, although he wished Kate would settle in to living at his loft. "It's a big expense. Money we could put it to something else, for our future," he offered up as tactfully as he could. "I could sell the Ferrari and we could invest in a family type car."

"What?"

She sounded horrified.

"An apartment is a big ticket item between us and you're gawking at a car?"

"I know," she said, "But an apartment is an investment and could also be a place for Martha or Alexis in the future."

"True. We'll see." He stared ahead, deep in thought about them, what her actions now perhaps were indicative of their future.

"I can't believe you'd sell your sports car." She commented.

"It's just a car. What if I bought a sedan. A BMW?"

"I like your car. Can't you keep it until I succumb to being domesticated? In Daddy's words?" She asked as she turned the car right on a corner, careful not to hit any pedestrians who insisted on of cutting in front of the car.

"Could I please put on the siren? Just the once." He asked surprised by the people.

She laughed. "No. Though its bloody tempting to," She replied as she gently pushed forward, now restricting the walkers.

They continued on.

"Kate?"

"Mm?"

"Before we get to the apartment, I spoke with my Mom earlier."

Kate sighed, clenched her jaw. "Is there anything we have that is kept private between us?"

"Hang on. She said she heard rumblings between us during the night and asked if we were okay."

"What did you say?" She braked for a set of red lights, looked at him.

"I told her you had a nightmare that had us up and then we argued about stuff." He rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index. He really was exhausted with this discussion. "My point is, I'm sorry I let that happen."

"Castle-" She smirked nervously, unable to process fast enough. "I woke upset with the nightmare and then it rapidly transitioned into you saying you were done with us."

He looked at her as she drove the car on in silence. She was stressed to the maximum again. "I should have taken you back to bed, held you tight and let you fall back to sleep. Instead of providing you with comfort and allowing you to feel safe at home, I drove you away. I frightened and destabilised you. For that I apologise."

She remained quiet and drove on. He noticed the scar on her chin dimple a couple of times, a sign she was thinking and anxious, so he let it go, let her think it through.