733. Chapter 733

After Montreal

Episode 7.02

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Sometimes I toy with the idea that I own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above

"Kate, trust me. I know a guy."

She didn't look convinced. "It's two weeks to Christmas, and you did promise it to her. Shouldn't you call now? Look at how fast they're selling?"

Rick hated to give his wife, the love of his life, the look he reserved for people who didn't believe that Rick Castle did indeed know a guy, no matter what was needed. So, he just smiled. "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll call right now."

He pulled out his phone, looked up the number and called.

"Fifth Avenue Toy Town. Mike speaking. What do you need, Rick?"

"I need one of the new Luke Skywalker light sabers. The one from the latest episode. I promised our daughter Johanna one for Christmas. Or maybe I should get a matched pair."

"Sorry. Can't help you, Rick. We're all out."

Rick laughed. "Come on, Mike. This is me. You're my go to guy for toys, right? Now can I have two of them? I'll pay top dollar."

"Rick, didn't you hear the news? The factory in New Jersey burned to the ground last night. Three months' worth of light sabers, seventeen boxcars full went up in smoke. The factory won't be back in production until about March, if then."

"But you must have some in the store, right?" Castle was starting to panic.

"When I opened at eight AM I had twenty four of them. By five after, they were all gone. Sorry, Rick. I really can't help you. How about some Jedi Jammies?"

"I promised her the light sabers." Rick said as he hung up

"Problem, babe?" Kate asked.

Rick stood on the far side of the yellow police tape, trying to talk sense into the New Jersey cop who was keeping him from the shattered remains of the toy factory. "Look, I just want to make sure that there isn't a light saber or two that survived. All you need to do is let me walk past the tape, which I do all of the time, by the way, and I'll just walk over and…."

"Sir, I've explained to you, this is an active fire investigation site. I can't let anyone inside the perimeter without the fire marshal's okay. And you don't have his okay. Now do I have to call someone to have you forcibly removed?"

Castle smiled as he saw a familiar Crown Vic pull up. "I believe you're about to be over ruled." He turned and waved to Kate. "Over here, Captain Beckett."

Kate walked over and took Castle's arm. "Come one, Castle. Let's go home." She turned to the cop, showing her badge. "He's my husband. He won't cause any trouble."

"Any more trouble." The cop said.

"Kate!" Rick cried as she led him back to her car. "I had the guy on the ropes. He was that far from letting me in. If you'd have gone along with me, we'd have found…."

"Nothing."

Rick stopped. "Nothing?"

"I talked to the police who were first on the scene and to one of the arson investigation team."

"Wait! They think this was arson? That means a conspiracy! Someone is holding a stash of light sabers, just waiting for the price to skyrocket. It's fiendish. Demented. It's worthy of some super villain. It's…."

"Not arson." Kate finished for him.

"But you said…"

"With fires this size and costing this much money, there's always an arson investigation, just in case. But there's no arson. It was an accident. Human error. And there are no surviving light sabers. They were all destroyed."

"Or that's just what the super villain behind this wants us to think."

"Really, Castle?"

"Okay. The factory burned down with all of the light sabers. But I still know guys."

Sal Tenor made sure that Rick Castle had the very best Scotch the bar had to offer, and it was very good indeed, having recently fallen off of the back of a truck coming from Scotland. But Sal was very sad.

"Rick, I'm devastated. You know that you and Kate are like Family, in spite of Kate's unfortunate choice of occupation. And Johanna is like my own flesh and blood. I mean Johanna's sainted grandmother, "Sal paused and crossed himself, "Johanna Beckett eventually helped out all of the Five Families by getting the evidence to put that rat Bracken away after how him and his cop pals kidnapped our people. We don't forget these things. But light sabers? Could you get the little tyke an absolutely clean Tokarev pistol? The Russians didn't put any serial numbers on these babies. Impossible to trace."

"Sal, I promised her a light saber, not a pistol."

Sal shrugged. "I will ask around, but I do not have high hopes."

Captain Kate Beckett was talking to a captain from the Forty Fourth Precinct who seemed to have little interest in Kate's questions.

"Look, Captain Gregory, I heard that the McGarry's had all of their Christmas presents stolen while they were out caroling. One of the items stolen was a brand new Luke Skywalker light saber. The one from the latest episode. I just was interested in whether it had been recovered, and if so whether the McGarry's might be interested in selling…." Kate stopped as the other captain spoke. "Yes, I realize you have other crimes. Yes, I do know you have murders. I'm not asking you to forget about…Hello? Hello?" Kate put her phone back down. "See if you get any Christmas cards from me this year." She snarled.

Rick knew many people, not all of whom Kate would want to know about. "Jimmy?" He called, looking into a deserted storefront in the Bronx.

"Over here, Castle." Called a familiar voice.

"Do you have it?"

Jimmy laughed. "Of course. A little B and E and here I am." He held out a light saber to Rick.

"Jimmy, thank god. You have no idea…Aieee!"

"What is it?"

"I got an electric shock from this." Rick examined the light saber. "The handle isn't wrapped in leather, this is rubber. And the plastic is so thin that….Where did you get this? This is a fake."

"Do I still get the grand you promised?"

Rick and Kate met outside the door to their loft. "Any luck?" He asked, hopefully.

Kate shook her head. "Not a bit. You?"

"Nothing."

They walked inside to find little Johanna using a cardboard tube from some Christmas wrapping paper as a light saber. "I'm Johanna Skywalker and you Sith Lords are toast." She ran through the loft, slaying imaginary enemies and finally ran upstairs to her room.

They walked over to where Alexis and Martha were starting dinner.

"You'll never guess what happened, Dad."

"What?" Castle asked, disinterestedly.

"Grams and I both got the same thing for Johanna's Christmas present."

"What?" Kate asked.

"We each got her a Luke Skywalker light saber. From the latest episode."

Rick turned to Kate and smiled. "See? I told you I always know a guy. Or in this case, two women."

Martha and Alexis exchanged glances.

"We'll explain later." Kate said, resting her head on Rick's shoulder.