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11:30 A.M.
Conference Room,
Homicide Squad,
4th Floor, 12th Precinct
"YOU CALLEDM MY MOTHER!" New York City Councilwoman Regina Taylor screeches as she releases Larry Brown and starts to visible shake.
"Of course not, that would be crossing a line," Larry replies with a bemused look, "Even in ancient times, they might kill your cattle, burn your village, or even stone your family, but they would never tell your mother on you. No, I called your Aunt Sarah for a comment, and she called your mom."
"Aunt Sarah?" Taylor responds, still in shock, "What has she got to do with anything."
"Well, for starters," He smiles mischievously, "She, your mom, and a lot of their friends have a little Castle fan club going at their community center in Brooklyn. He's done a few readings for them, and even donated signed copies. His daughter Alexis visits sometimes too, and they think she's the sweetest thing ever."
"Get to the point!" She huffs, grabbing his lapels again, "Why did you need her a comment from her?"
"Okay, Okay," Brown chuckles as Taylor releases him and she regains some composure, "Do you recall the case that propelled Kings County D.A. Bob Weldon over you to win the special election for Mayor?"
"You're not saying…"
"Widequest Financial in 2008," Brown smiles wickedly, "Their predatory lending scams were about to hurt a lot of people, including your Aunt Sarah and many of her friends. I thought I'd ask Sarah to comment on the little-known fact as to who was the Doc Holliday to Weldon's Wyatt Earp?"
"This can't be happening," All the energy just drains out of Taylor.
"And you know your aunt," He continues, "She's a real Yenta. I mean her church doesn't really need a newsletter when they haver her, so she's been spreading the word, singing Rick's praises. Politically it might get kind of awkward for someone trying position herself the black female Bernie Sanders.
"How would it look if the champion of the little people against big bad corporate greed attack the person responsible for both helping her elderly aunt keep her home back then and also provided her with the victory she's using as the cornerstone of your reelection strategy for this November."
"This can't be happening," She groans again rubbing her temples with both hands.
"Yeah, that'll make time go backwards," The reporter quips, "But there is one more thing."
"What now?
"Consider, your many of your key political allies," Brown explains, "At first consideration it may be reasonable for you to assume they share your feelings about this situation. However, keep in mind that they don't have your same fire to get Frank Reagan or Bob Weldon and it makes them more reasonable.
"So, I spoke with them, just off the record mind you, to get their take. And once I related the same information that I just provided you, they realized how much they've benefited politically and might continue to do so if they took a more cautious the stance. So, they've decided to withhold judgement and give Rick a fair chance to be evaluated on his performance."
"I can't believe they all just rolled over and gave in to that, to that…" Taylor tries to keep control.
"No one rolled over," He counters, "To paraphrase a character from The Hunt for Red October, they're politicians which means they're cheats and liars and when they're not kissing babies, they're stealing their lollipops. But it also means they keep their options open."
"Well, I'll just have to get them to see the light."
"You could try that," He feels a little guilty he's enjoying this so much, "There is one more thing."
"If like using Steve Jobs' catch phrase so much," Regina quips, "Why don't you just go join him."
"Now that's cruel and uncalled for," Brown teases, "Anyway, these individuals all worked to fight JTD, but you got the lion's share of the glory. They may have resented it but were willing to live with it as they thought you figured out what JTD was doing and led the charge.
"But now they know better. You were either an unwilling dupe who was clueless about the whole thing or you could've known from the start that you were just a diversion. Either way, they feel a little deceived that you didn't tell them it was all just dropped in your lap rather than some great investigative effort on your part.
"Then maybe," She responds, "I remind them that since it was all his idea to use me, Rick Castle is the one they should really be mad at for being deceived."
"Why?" He smiles coyly, "They understand the secrecy that was required for the operation and that he needed to pick someone. They also agree you were the right call since you have the biggest mouth with the loudest voice. But once it was over, it was on you to share the truth and the spotlight given your lack of effort."
"Lack of effort!" She blurts, "Do you know my staff was actually afraid for my safety."
"And I know Rick feels guilty about that," He recounts, "But no one forced you to heroically risk your safety for the greater good. You leapt at the chance, and for what it's worth, we both think you played the part excellently, without any need for coaching at all."
"I think you know exactly what I think it's worth," She declares, murder in eyes, "If that stinking sone of a bitch thinks he can just play me like that and get away with it, then he's going to be very sorry!"
"Now don't be like that Regina," He throws an insincere smile, "He didn't choose you out of malice but on your merits. It's not his fault you used the opportunity to be a bigger bully than you already are."
"I am not a bully!"
"A blustering, browbeating person who is cruel, insulting, or threatening to others to hide their own inadequacies," He recites a definition, "And I know that in politics, some of that is necessary to keep loyalty which among most politicians just means their fear of your power is only slightly greater than their odds of getting more of their own.
"But when you abuse the privilege like you did, then it crosses the line into bullying. And if Ricky is good at anything, it's dealing bullies, and the kid is very good at it. It's almost like a calling for him which explains why he's been able to neutralize you so thoroughly."
"In your very objective opinion if you say so yourself, I'm sure," She scoffs, "But I am not neutralized, thoroughly or otherwise, not by a long shot."
"Well, so far," Brown recounts, "He's hobbled your standing on the Council, isolated you politically with barely any effort. If you go after him now, you'll likely fail spectacularly, alienating not only your constituents but members of your immediate family. You might get a cold reception this November at the ballot box and Thanksgiving dinner. Seems pretty thorough to me."
"This whole thing is a nightmare," She rakes her face with her hands, "This can't be happening."
"You keep using that phrase," He responds in a fake Castilian accent, "I don't think it means what you think it means."
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Lincoln MKT Town Car,
FDR Parkway
Ward's Island Bridge
Manhattan, NY
"If you were Dr. Lightman's star pupil," Alexis counters, "How did Henri fool you into trusting him. He did lead you into a set up."
"I never trusted him" Rick clarifies, "He was a mercenary, so I knew a double cross might be possible, but my options were limited because so was time. Every second that passed made it that more likely I wouldn't find you, and if that happened, then my life was over anyway."
Alexis just smiles warmly at her father and squeezes his hand.
"To be fair, though, he didn't to set out to betray me," Rick adds, "I didn't suspect any deception of any kind on his part until after he made contact with Volkov and apparently decided that he was up against a predator just too far up the food chain for him to handle.
"Lucky, neither Henri nor Volkov thought I had a Plan B staffed with my own predators who were also much higher on the food chain. After all I was just silly playboy with more money than brains, desperate to get his daughter back. [Grins] I guess they never heard the story of the Coyote in sheep's clothing."
"Right," She rolls her eyes and smiles her dad's variation of the saying, "But I suppose that trick wouldn't work now that the genius coyote raised by cops is out of the bag."
"Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances," Rick quotes, "Sun Tzu, chapter VI. I would've come up with something else anyway. Although, I'm hoping it never ever becomes necessary again [hugs his daughter tightly].
"I could do without it," Alexis grins, "But I'm curious, how'd you know you could trust your backup any more than you could trust Henri and his men? Or what if they lost track of you, and Volkov got his hands on you?"
"Experience," Rick smiles, "I'd known them for years. I'd trust them with my life, but more important than that, I'd trust them with your life. Besides, I had other back up plans up to Plan N if need be."
"Didn't Derek Storm have a Plan N in Iron Storm," she recalls, "He was surrounded by the bad guys, and he threatened to release a nerve gas he had already taken the antidote beforehand."
"Come on kiddo," Her father smiles mischievously, "I'm good, but do you actually think I could possibly get my hands on nerve gas and that quickly."
"I don't know, after today nothing would surprise me about you," She shakes her head, but presses ahead, "Okay, we're really going to talk about that later. So, how did your father get involved?"
"Yeah, even I didn't see that one coming," Rick chuckles, "Like, I told you, he's been keeping an eye on us for years, so he knew me better than Volkov and figured out my plan, and sort of took off from there. He showed up and convinced my people to let him take point in the forest."
"And they just let him?" She looks at him, now really confused.
"Unbeknownst to me," Rick explains, "He knew two of my guys in the past, even trained one of them. Apparently, the three of them did some very interesting things together in Pakistan…or to Pakistan. I'm not quite sure which."
"Small world," Alexis says sarcastically, "Did your guys know about your connection to him?"
"Oh, yeah," He nods, "Harry, Eliott, and I are going to have a long talk about that one of these days. They took off as soon as it over [Rolls his eyes]. It seems that over the years, dear old dad made sure I met several people in the business he trusted so he could keep a better eye on me in case I ever got in over my head."
"I guess he does really know you," She smirks.
"Anyway," He replies with a sheepish smile and continues, "Since they trusted him and he knew Volkov better than we did, I went with his plan. My guys neutralized Volkov's men on the outside.
"Not exactly the story you told everyone," She teases her father.
"I didn't exactly lie," He tries to sound innocent, "I just left out a couple of details."
"I've seen you send people to jail over a couple of details," Alexis quips, then gets a far-away expression on her face, "Hmmm…"
"I know that look," Rick smiles.
"How many guys did you have?" She asks, "And where did you get them?"
"Why do you ask?" Her father deflects, "Especially when you've made your jinkies face."
"In psychology class," she responds, "The professor told us how traumatic experiences, and Paris definitely qualifies, can alter your recall. Things you notice and think odd are just filed away until something trigger a memory."
"Okay," Rick responds unsure of what to make of that, "And what minor details have been triggered."
"I'm remembering what happened at the embassy after we got away," Alexis begins, "After a couple of hours, a bunch of men from the French National Police came around to talk to us about what happened, but the embassy staff wouldn't let them and just gave them the cover story until they left."
"Their persistence was annoying if understandable," Rick shrugs, "I imagine an explosion and firefight in the middle of Paris on their watch would put them out a bit."
"I would imagine so," Alexis agrees, "But there was one French officer army officer who you did talk to after the others were gone. Why was he so special?"
"Oh him, he's an old friend," Rick says with very insincere innocence, "Heard about our predicament and wanted to see if we were okay."
"So, he had no connection to the others?" she asks coyly, "I guess that would explain he was dressed in the uniform of a French Foreign Legion paratrooper and not in plain clothes like the others."
"An expert on French uniforms and rolls now?" Rick smirks, "Didn't know your French classes were that thorough."
"They didn't need to be," Alexis replies, "I noticed he was wearing jump wings, and in Storm of Lights, you were very detailed in your description of various French uniforms. Specifically, you wrote that regular French army paratroopers wear red berets while Legion paras were green."
"Correct on all counts," He looks at his daughter, impressed at how much of his observational talent she's inherited, "Is there a point to this."
"It's the darndest thing," She answers coyly, "As we were running into the embassy, I could've sworn I saw your friend there, long before the cops showed."
"It is the American Embassy in Paris," Her father shrugs, "I imagine there are all sorts of reasons for a French officer to have business there just as everything went down."
"So, just a coincidence, huh?"
"Something like that," He just grins.
"You know," His daughter presses, "Uncle Frank reminded me this morning about a saying you have about them, something about taking a lot of planning."
"They often do don't they," He smiles even wider, indicating that is all he will say on that, "Honestly pumpkin, I think you're reading too much into an innocent conversation between two old friends."
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Author's Note:
Someone mentioned that I didn't include these in the last chapter, so I'll do them for both, this time.
Neal Caffrey, Supervisory Special Agent Peter Burk and his boss, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Reese Hughes, just like Special Agent Diana Berrigan, are characters from the TV Show "White Collar" (2009 - 20014). Caffrey is a former master con artist who was eventually caught by Burke and assists the FBI on White-Collar cases. I guess it was inspired by the film "Catch Me if You Can" (2002).
Cal Lightman is a character from the TV Show "Lie to Me" (2009 – 2011), played brilliantly by Tim Roth. It was a show that should have gone longer with a better supporting case especially Keli Williams (of "Boston Law" fame) who played Dr. Gillian Foster. She is a total wet blanket that ruins anything she's in.
Still, come to think of it, 2009 was a great year for quirky crime procedural shows. Castle came out the same year.
The thing about Caffeine and people with ADD/ADHD is true for many who have the condition. The lower of intelligence is a bit of stretch on my part I must admit, but if your mind is tired, you really can't think as fast. And as smart as Rick might be, he is still susceptible to the same human fallacies as the rest of at times, such as denial.
For this chapter -
For those that don't know the New York Borough of Brooklynn is coextensive (has the same borders) Kings County of the State of New York. So, the DA's jurisdiction for Kings County is Brooklynn.
The word Yenta originated as a given name for women in Yiddish, derived from the Italian word gentile, meaning 'noble' or 'refined'. However, the name has entered Yinglish—i.e., become a Yiddish loanword in Jewish varieties of English—as a word referring to a woman who is a gossip or a busybody.
In the early part of the 20th Century, Jewish immigrants had a thriving Yiddish theater culture, and the use of yenta as a word for 'busybody' originated in the age of Yiddish theatre. And New York, being the cultural melting pot that it is, the word didn't remain confined just to Jewish communities.
The late great Steve Jobs passed away 2 years before this story is set. He was famous at Apple Expos for unveiling new products like the iPhone with the introduction "There is one more thing".
Fine, I couldn't resist using the line from The Princess Bride (1987). I think it's my favorite one from that movie.
Jinkies is the catch phrase of the character Velma from the Scooby Doo cartoons. She says it whenever she realizes something odd has happened or finds a clue. Don't forget, all of life's great leassons can be learned from watching Scooby Doo. Okay, maybe not, but humor me.
If you have guesses to where I'm borrowing Elliot and Harry from, please message me.
And I appreciate please feel free to review if you like, especially the new followers. If you don't like, well sent those too, but try to be civil about it.
Also, a belated Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas (for those across the pond), Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Winter Solstice, and Happy anything to you and yours that inspires Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.