80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

"We're meeting with Santa Claus and a roomful of elves," Castle said with a grin as he and Ryan and Esposito walked toward the department store."

"You do realize they won't be in costume, right?" Ryan reminded him with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Bummer." Castle answered good naturedly.

"Beckett could have been right back then. Nine year old on a sugar rush," Esposito said.

"Hey you're the ones who called me in on this. Just providing the entertainment value you expected."

"Just so you rein it in before we get to the meeting," Esposito answered.

Once they entered the store, they were all looking professional.

Esposito, the least elf-like person in the room, was elected to start the meeting. Everyone had been told that something had happened after store hours the night before and that the police needed their help. The store manager, Mr. Warren, had decided that it would be best to deliver the news to everyone at once. He had already announced that the Santa display would be closed for a few days at minimum.

In opening the meeting, Esposito introduced himself, then Ryan and Castle. You may also hear from Lieutenant Beckett on speaker phone if she has questions. She's lead detective for our team.

"I've seen her on the news on TV," one young man commented. "She can handcuff me any time she wants. Why isn't she here?"

Beckett's strong voice came from Castle's speaker phone quickly. "If I have to cuff you, I seriously doubt you'd enjoy it."

The instant teasing response from the others at hearing the put down was exactly what would be expected from a group made up of mostly high school and college students.

"As for why she isn't here," Castle answered, taking only one nonchalant step toward the shorter and much smaller young man who made the comment, "my wife is close to seven months pregnant, and after a dangerous incident a few days ago, she's confined to full desk duty."

The young man looked up at Castle, who would have loomed over him had he been standing, and shrunk quietly into his seat.

Esposito told them, "The subject of this meeting isn't a joke. We're homicide detectives. A young woman was killed here last night after closing, and we need your help." That changed the tone of the responses immediately. "We intend to speak to each of you individually. There are no suspects at the moment; but, aside from the interview questions, you will all be asked your whereabouts at the time of the murder. That helps us eliminate those who couldn't have been here." Shocked looks answered his statement, and the room went silent. "Beverly Coolidge was murdered last night, and we need any information you can give us that might help us identify the killer.

One of the women asked, "Should we have lawyers?"

"That's up to you. These are witness interviews, not interrogations. Getting all of you in one place was an attempt to make it easier for both you and us. Any interviews other than this afternoon will be done elsewhere. If you prefer to have a lawyer present, you don't need to stay. Just leave your contact information with Detective Ryan and we'll schedule a time to meet you and your attorney at the precinct."

When no one left, Esposito explained that the interviews would be conducted separately from the rest of the group so everyone could feel comfortable about offering information. Ryan stayed in the room, and Castle and Esposito conducted the interviews, reminding the interviewee that Beckett was still on speaker and might ask questions, too.

Most of the elves didn't have much information to offer, and had alibis that would be easy to confirm. They seemed to have liked Beverly and mentioned how much she had helped them when they were new. But a couple of the college aged women who were friends of hers had a bit more to add. They said that Ed Ekman was weird. He wasn't exactly creepy, just odd. He never did anything to intimidate them or tried anything that made them uncomfortable, just wasn't the kind of guy they'd want to spend much time with. They said he seemed interested in Beverly and had asked her out several times. She wasn't interested, but she did seem interested in one of the new guys, Nick Baker. She and Nick were both students at NYC, and both women thought they were probably seeing each other outside work.

When asked what exactly made Mr. Ekman odd, one woman couldn't quite formulate an explanation other than what she described as "the elf thing". The other one elaborated a little more, saying it was like he put on the costume and actually thought he was an elf. She had been there for three Christmas seasons; and when he was put into the management position the year before, it got worse. He did a good job, but he began to refer to himself as the head elf, even ordered himself red gloves to set him apart from all the others, who wore green ones, like it was some big deal. But in spite of the odd vibe, no one seemed afraid of him.

No one had anything negative to say about anyone else in management. They all said it was a good place to work.

The same man had played Santa for the store for years, and he and Ms. Buchanan, who managed the Santa operation, said similar things when asked about Mr. Ekman, agreeing that he was overzealous about the elf job. But they said responses from other employees were more in the form of eye-rolling behind his back than making complaints to management. His work in the men's department didn't show the same kind of obsession, but he did both jobs well, and the customers loved him.

When they got to Nick Baker, the young man Beverly was probably dating, Castle asked him about that; and Nick seemed genuinely devastated at her death.

"Yeah, we were dating." he admitted. "I'm a drama student and figured there would be a little acting involved in this job. Bev and I were both at the same school, but we hadn't met until we came in to apply for this job about a month ago. We just clicked, you know. It was already getting serious. I can't imagine never seeing her again."

"Did she have any enemies? Was there anybody who made her uncomfortable, gave her any trouble…"

"No. She was one of those people who got along with everybody. The people here at the store are friendly and helpful. Even Ed, the head elf, as he calls himself. He's a little pompous about it, but he keeps things running well. We've had a few training sessions here, costume fittings and stuff. Santa's House opened on Monday.

"Did Beverly have anything to say about Ekman?"

"Pretty much the same thing. He did ask her out. The first time she told him she had tests and had a lot of studying to do. The second time, she told him she had a boyfriend. Last time he seemed to have figured out it might be me and told her she shouldn't be dating me. That's about it."

"And where were you at seven the night of the murder?"

"I was waiting for Beverly at the coffee shop on the next corner. I got a text from her about seven-twenty saying she had an emergency and was catching a cab from the store. I sent one back to see if she needed any help, and she answered 'No. I'll talk to you later.' That's the last I heard from her."

They asked a few more questions and let the young man go before talking to Mr. Ekman. The description the others had given seemed accurate, and he also seemed distraught by Beverly's death.

"Were you dating or anything?" Esposito asked.

"No, but she had worked holidays here for four years. I liked her a lot."

"Several people said you had asked her out more than once."

"Turns out she had a boyfriend I didn't know about, so I stopped asking."

"I hear you really like your job," Castle mentioned, fishing for impressions.

"It's great. The kids love the elves, and the parents love it when the kids are happy, so they keep coming back. I've been here long enough I've begun to recognize some of them, and they remember me from before, sometimes even ask for me. I'm head elf now. The other elves are good with the families, too."

"And where were you at seven on Sunday night?" Esposito asked.

"Long gone from there. The store closed at five-thirty, I made sure things were ready for the next day, and went home."

"Can anyone vouch for that?"

"No. I live alone and didn't see anyone I know on the way in. No doorman where I live."

After a few more questions, they thanked Mr. Ekman and let him leave.

"Wonder why he lives alone," Esposito muttered sarcastically when Ekman was out of earshot.

"Definitely odd," Beckett chimed in. She had done that during several of the interviews, but it surprised both men every time."

"Definitely, Castle agreed. "Not so much what he said as much as the delivery. That was the last one, Beckett. We should be heading back pretty soon,"

"I'll call Lanie and see if she has anything that warrants a trip to the morgue yet," she answered. After speaking to Lanie, she went to the captain's office. "Dr. Parish has information for us, Sir. I'd like to go to the morgue and see for myself. She wouldn't allow it if there were anything of concern there."

"There and back. No side trips that could turn into something else dangerous. I've been a part of all the decisions I intend to that might put you in a bad position."

"There and back. Understood."

"Your car is in for repair. How do you intend to get there?"

"Castle drove us in this morning, and he left his keys with me. I'll wait until he's back."

"Short trip, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir."

When Castle returned, Beckett turned him around and pointed him toward the elevator. "Lanie has something for us. We won't be gone long."

"Not even a cup of coffee first?" Castle protested.

"Elficide, Castle. Don't you want to know? Short trip. Captain's orders."

"Fine." He took out several bills, put them on Ryan's desk, and told him, "Order our usual Chinese for all of us. We won't be too long."

"Thanks, man," Esposito answered as Beckett pulled Castle toward the elevator.

When they entered the morgue, Lanie stopped what she was doing and peeled off her gloves.

"So what have you got, Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"Well, hello to you, too," Lanie sassed.

"Sorry. Stir crazy, and the captain told me to make it a short trip. I think she's afraid I'll get into trouble before I get back."

"Yeah, well she's got reason. Did you see your OB yet?"

She found time for me Wednesday afternoon. Baby Castle and I are both fine."

How's Lupinski doing? Bruised ribs aren't fun." Lanie asked as she picked up the clipboard with her report.

"He's soldiering through. He came in the first day, and the captain sent him home. She gave him Friday off, put him on desk duty through tomorrow and limited for another week. She said she didn't want anybody depending on him for backup when he couldn't move normally. We've been commiserating."

"So what about our elf?" Castle said, leaning over toward the left ear.

I had to remove it. Makeup, Castle, remember? Not a real elf." Lanie looked amused.

"Yeah, I know. So what did you find about our non-elf?"

"Well, for starters, she was definitely strangled. Bare hands. A full two hands' worth of fingermarks on her neck. There hasn't been time yet to see if we can raise any prints, but I'll let you know as soon as I can. And…our elf here did the deed right before she died. There were two DNA samples on the sleigh seat. One was hers, and the other matched what was found in her body. No sign intercourse was forced. I did, however, find green velvet fibers that match her fingerless elf gloves, but she wasn't likely to be reaching some of the places I found fibers."

"So this could be elf on elf violence?" Castle said, looking shocked.

"More like elf on elf action. Looks like when it was happening, they were wearing at least part of the elf costume, apparently including the ears. Those green fibers were all over her body…and I'm talking all over her body."

"Hmph!" Castle answered with a little shudder. "So not the elf picture you want to share with the kids."

"I don't know what it means, but there were other velvet fibers on her neck, too. Same kind of fibers…along with more green ones. But those were red. None of the red ones were anywhere but her neck and the front shoulders of her costume, though."

"We need to talk to Nick Baker and Ed Ekman again," Beckett stated.

"Yep." Castle agreed.

"Who are they? Lanie asked.

"Boyfriend," Beckett answered, "Also part of the elf troop."

"And the head elf," Castle added, "Who insisted he have red gloves to set him apart as more important."

"Then you're welcome. You owe me a girls' night, Kate Beckett Castle. Looks like I just made your job easier."

"You're on. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lanie," Castle called back as they left.

On their way to the car, Beckett handed Castle the keys.

"Really?" he teased. "I get to drive my own car?"

"To pay you back for dragging you here without stopping for coffee," she answered. "Besides, I need to call the boys."

Castle suggested, "Let's start with Baker. Find out why they were there…other than the obvious of course, and how he got out of the building without setting off the alarm."

"That's what I was thinking, too. Let's wait on Ekman. Let him think he's in the clear until Lanie lets us know about the prints." When her phone line opened, she said, "Hey, Ryan. You've got all the information on the elves from this morning. How about send a couple of uniforms to pick up Nick Baker and bring him in for questioning."

"I'm on it. You on your way back?"

"Yeah."

"The food just got here. If you hurry, it might still be warm."

"Okay. Maybe we'll even have time to eat it before we have to meet with Baker."

When they were back at the precinct, both Castle and Beckett were hungry enough they practically inhaled their food and were just finishing it when officers brought Baker in. He was taken to an interrogation room and they joined him there.

Beckett sat down across from him, and Castle sat down beside her and let her begin the questioning.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Looking down at the table, he asked, "You know, don't you?"

"Do we need to ask for a DNA swab?" Castle questioned.

Nick Baker just shook his head. "I didn't want to give you a bad impression of Bev. Her roommate's boyfriend was getting back home last night and the roommate asked to have the apartment to themselves for a while. I live in the dorm. Not the best place to take somebody you really care about. I talked her into…there. It wasn't her style, but she got into it while we waited for the alarm to set so we'd know everybody was gone. We got our regular clothes from our lockers like we were going to the restrooms to change, then we hid in a little storeroom for a while, locked the door, and got kind of…worked up."

"Was the sex consensual?" Beckett asked.

"What? Yes! I'd never force her…or anybody."

"We have to ask these questions."

"I know. It's just embarrassing…having somebody else know. She'd have quit her job…wouldn't have been able to look anybody in the eye if they found out. I hate that's how she might be remembered. I can't tell you how much I wish I hadn't…"

"You said you were waiting at the coffee shop…and the barista did confirm that you were there. You also said the alarm had set. How did you get out without tripping it?" Beckett asked.

"For some reason, Bev had the alarm code. She wouldn't tell me why she had it or where she got it, and I didn't really care. It meant we had time together. There was a camera trained on the sleigh, and there was a stepladder in the storage room, so I grabbed a jacket from one of the displays, and put the ladder up where the camera wouldn't catch me, and covered the camera with the jacket. We were both laughing. Well, she was kind of giggling. Then we…you know the rest. But I swear she was alive and smiling when I left. I put my clothes on over my costume, and she pulled her clothes back into place, then we went to the closest place to turn off the alarm and I kissed her. She turned off the alarm, gave me a few minutes to get out, I texted when I was outside, and she turned it on again. I heard it beep. She was going to change clothes and let herself out, and I said I'd have hot chocolate waiting for her when she met me. Then I got the text. I don't know anything about what happened after I left."

"So she had her phone when you left?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah. It was in her hand."

"Thank you for being honest with us," Castle said. He felt bad for the young man; and he understood the idea of trying to protect his girlfriend's reputation, even though Nick had to know it was futile. And he didn't think Nick Baker had killed her. His money was on Ekman, the head elf.

"Thanks for not making me feel like more of a sleaze than I already do," Nick answered. "I wish I could do last night over, but there's nothing I can do now to make it up to her. She's gone."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Castle said, and Nick nodded and reached to shake his hand.

"Same here," Beckett said, and Nick reached for her hand, too. "The officer outside will take you back home."

Then he opened the door and left with the officer who brought him in.

"You don't think he had anything to do with the murder, do you?" Beckett asked as she stood.

"No. And I don't think you do either," Castle answered, joining her.

"No. The sleigh incident…"

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" he asked mischievously.

She bumped him with her shoulder and grinned at him flirtatiously. "Shut up, Castle."

He pulled her head gently toward him and kissed it, then let her go before he opened the door.

"The fact that it happened may or may not have had something to do with the murder, but I don't get the impression he would have killed her," she confirmed.

Ryan and Esposito met them as they left observation. "I kind of feel sorry for the kid," Ryan said, and Castle nodded as they walked back to their desks.

"We ran some of the surveillance in the Santa area of the store starting at closing time," Ryan told them. "There wasn't anything worth seeing except maybe in one place. There was some movement like somebody else might have been there, but the camera angle was wrong. We couldn't be sure."

"We thought we'd listen to what Baker had to say before we check video from a different camera. For what it's worth, I don't think he did it either." Esposito said.

"I don't, either." Ryan copied Beckett's move and bumped Esposito with his shoulder then batted his eyelashes. "You gonna kiss my head now?" he asked.

Everybody laughed when Esposito smacked him on the back of his head and strode away from them across the bullpen. As they approached Esposito's desk, Ryan was telling Beckett he and Esposito would start on the next video.

"No. Castle and I can do that. I already talked to the captain. Both of you go home and get some sleep. Just leave the surveillance videos for us, and give us the time when you caught the movement. Ekman looks good for this, but we're going to hold off on talking to him until tomorrow morning to give Lanie a little more time on the prints. I don't know if we can get a warrant for his home and his locker at the store based on red fibers alone."

"It looked like his 'elf-esteem' was high enough he'll probably think he's in the clear," Castle said.

They all groaned, and Beckett asked, "Really, Castle? Are you going to pull out every bad elf joke you've ever heard before this is over?"

"Ummmmm… Maybe?" Beckett rolled her eyes and sat down while Castle set up for the video.

"You sure you want us to leave you alone with him, Beckett?" Esposito asked.

"Too late. For better or for worse and all that. Go home."

"Sleep does sound good."

"I'll drop you off at your place," Ryan told him.

As they walked out, Esposito shoved Ryan away from him, muttering, "You stay over there. You make me ashamed of you."

Ryan was laughing, obviously pleased with himself.

Beckett and Castle smiled as they watched them leave and then settled into surveillance mode. Checking the time the boys mentioned, they found Ed Ekman, still in full costume, on two different cameras. He was standing in the shadows at the corner of the house as if he were surveying the area, then he stood watching something intensely and looking angry. After about twenty minutes, he left.

"I'll bet we know what he was watching, and that's an angry look there."

"You think this and the red fibers might get us a warrant?" Castle asked.

"Maybe. I'll talk to the captain. Whatever she says, though, it's almost six, and we can't do anything else until morning. Would you get me a bottle of water? I'll fill out the forms and we can go home."

"Be right back." Castle opened the bottle and put it on Beckett's desk, then he sat down and opened one for himself.

After taking the paperwork to Captain Gates, the two of them left the precinct.

xxxxx

Those velvet gloves probably felt nice, Castle said suggestively on the way home.

"Must have, judging from how many of the fibers Lanie found…"

"And in how many places," Castle interrupted. "But after this case, velvet gloves aren't likely to find their way into our toy box. Too many bad thoughts."

"Nope," she agreed. "The 'head elf' probably got quite a show."

"I keep thinking of how family centered what we saw on Friday was," Castle said, sounding a little sad. "And then seeing this… I really do love Christmas and seeing kids enjoy it, and this case kind of creeps me out if I don't keep joking about it."

"I know," Beckett answered, placing her hand comfortingly on his thigh as they drove. "Why don't we talk about something else?"

Castle suggested something they could give Alexis for Christmas, and asked Kate's opinion. Then they branched out to others they intended to buy for, and that got them home on a happier note.

Martha had an incident at school that day that made a delightfully funny story over dinner, and it was an excellent distraction from elves.

xxxxx

The following morning when they returned to the precinct, Beckett barely had time to start her computer before Gates came to let them know they had their warrant. Uniforms were sent to pick up Ekman, then Ryan and Esposito were sent to execute the warrant.

When Ekman was brought in, Beckett and Castle met him in an interrogation room; and he seemed to think they had called him in to help them.

"Would you like something to drink before we get started?" Castle asked. When Ekman answered in the affirmative, Castle asked an officer to bring a soft drink, then they closed the door and sat down, Castle across from Ekman and Beckett beside Castle.

"Mr. Ekman, would you tell us again what time you went home on Sunday?" Beckett asked.

"I left between six and six-fifteen. I told you that before."

"Do you generally leave for home wearing your elf costume?"

"Of course not. My elf clothes are strictly for the store."

"Then how do you account for this picture on Sunday night's surveillance video? The time stamp reads six-twenty, and you're still in full costume and make-up."

"Well…um…I guess I was mistaken about how long I worked before I left. Sometimes I go and sit in Santa's chair or on the sleigh while I check the reports and schedules. It's peaceful there, easy to lose track of time."

"You do understand that, in order for you to have time to remove the make-up and change clothes after that time, it would put you at the store suspiciously close to the time of the murder," Castle mentioned.

"But I was gone before then."

"Tell us again about your relationship with Beverly Coolidge."

"There was no relationship. I asked her out, then stopped asking. That's all."

"But you wanted it to be more?"

"I would have liked that, yes."

"Do you have any idea why she had the alarm code for the store?"

He sighed. "The first time I asked her out, she said she had to study. I thought it might be an excuse, that she might be intimidated by my status as head elf. Being head elf is kind of like being king; so before I asked her again, I tried to make her more comfortable with that. I told her she had been an elf longer than anyone else other than me, so she would be next in line for the red gloves if something happened to me. I told her if I was sick or something she would need to take my place, and I thought she should have the code in case she needed it. I told her not to mention it and not to use it unless I wasn't available. I let her know she was the second elf in command. She was important, too.

"So, there's an elfin pecking order?" Castle interrupted, eyebrows raised.

"Well, of course there is," Ekman answered. "There's a pecking order in every community."

"And how did she respond the second time?"

"She said she had a boyfriend. I was hoping she might reconsider; but the third time, I realized there was something between Beverly and that…beginner." He nearly spat the last word. "I told her she shouldn't date him, that he was beneath her status."

"And that made you angry, didn't it?" Beckett put another picture down in front of him. "You're facing the sleigh here. We caught you on two of the cameras. You were watching something for about twenty minutes and looking angrier as you watched. The time stamp on that has you leaving the corner of the house at six forty-five. Keep in mind that Mr. Baker has already told us what was happening on the sleigh just prior to when you left. Where you were standing, you couldn't have missed that. In my opinion, watching a couple having sex for that long is a little depraved."

"Me? Depraved? What about them?"

"They believed they were alone, and you didn't bother to let them know they weren't. I stand by depraved. And the medical examiner also found red velvet fibers on Beverly's neck, probably from your signature 'head elf' gloves."

For the first time, Ed Ekman seemed to understand they had figured it out. "Santa's house is sacred…not to be disrespected. They were both elves. He was a beginner, but Beverly had been an elf for four years. She knew better. I left when they stopped and then had to endure all the giggling and...other sounds afterward until he left. She even used the code I gave her to let him out." He leaned back in his chair in a huff.

Then there was a knock at the door, and LT handed Castle a folder. Castle read it and showed it to Beckett, and she nodded.

"Stand up," Beckett ordered the head elf. She handed Castle her cuffs and opened the door to bring an officer in with Castle. From a safe distance, she said, "Ed Ekman, you're under arrest for the murder of Beverly Coolidge."

"You can't do this," he shouted as the cuffs clicked around his wrists. You have no proof."

"We have your fingerprints…"

"Well, of course you'd have my fingerprints. I'm all over the Santa House area all day."

"These prints were on Beverly's neck…all ten fingers where you choked her to death with your bare hands. What was it that made you that angry? She was in your peaceful space when you wanted it? She was obviously attracted to somebody you thought was inferior to both of you? She turned you down and had to be punished?"

"I went to sit and work in Santa's chair and found them doing…that," he said in disgust. "I thought she was so perfect. I confronted her after he left and told her I saw them. I said she should be ashamed, that she wasn't worthy of being an elf…that I was his superior and he had no right to her…that I watched them desecrate the sleigh and the house. And she got angry with me. She was angry with me. She said I should have told them I was there. She said my job might be superior but he was by far a more superior man. Then she said she enjoyed desecrating the sleigh, air quotes and everything. I was so angry I pushed her shoulders. Then she said she was sick of having to refuse me and of me telling her who she shouldn't see. Then she said she quit. What was I supposed to do? You can't stop being an elf. We argued and I grabbed her around the neck. I only intended to shake some sense into her, but then she went limp and wasn't breathing."

"What were you supposed to do?" Castle asked caustically. "Oh, I don't know. For starters, you could have let them know you were there instead of watching for twenty minutes. You could have stopped at reprimanding her, given her a warning, reported both of them to management, fired her. Doesn't murder seem a bit extreme?"

"It wasn't murder. I didn't mean it," Ekman insisted angrily.

"Does that make her any less dead?" Beckett asked him.

"But they were elves, and they…"

"No, Mr. Ekman, they weren't elves," Beckett corrected. "None of you are elves. They were college students who used some bad judgment. If you'd handled it better, nobody but the three of you had to know, and the Santa House could have hosted children the rest of the season. You, on the other hand desecrated your space by murdering one of your employees. You caused the whole operation to close, maybe for the rest of the season. You cost your employees their pay checks and took the visits to Santa away from all the children who had been looking forward to it. But the worst thing is the publicity that's going to happen when the newspapers report that the head elf killed another elf in front of Santa's house just a few weeks before Christmas. Little kids will see you on TV and their parents will have to figure out how to explain why. Nobody is going to love the egotistical elf who ruined Christmas. We're sending you to holding now, and you'll have plenty of time to think about that." Read him his rights, LT." She walked back toward her desk before they took him out of the room.

Ryan and Esposito met Castle as he left the room to walk back with him. "How come you're back already? Castle stopped and asked.

"It took no time to find all the evidence we needed. The red gloves were on his dresser, and Beverly's cell phone was on his coffee table. He probably sent the texts to Nick Baker after he killed Beverly."

"Oh, wait. We have his prints, but we don't have his prints. Chain of custody," Castle said suddenly. When the boys looked at him as if he were speaking another language, he explained, "We have Ekman's prints on Beverly, but he wasn't in the system. We need the soft drink can from interrogation to match them to Ekman." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, went back to get the can, and returned to Ryan and Esposito.

"When we looked around the place, the guy had three elf costumes in the closet and at least one more in the hamper." Ryan mentioned. "It looked like he wears them at home."

As they reached Beckett's desk, Esposito said, "That is one seriously disturbed dude. Head elf is like being king? Really?"

"Yep. King. He must think he's Elfis," Castle answered, and Esposito and Ryan both smacked him on the back of the head, rapid fire, one behind the other.

Castle sat down in his chair with a little smirk, looking pleased with himself, and Beckett smacked the back of his head, too. "Richard Edgar Castle, if I hear another bad elf joke, I guarantee you there's no possibility this child I'm carrying will ever have another sibling."

"What if it's a good elf joke?" he asked, knowing he was pushing his luck.

"Bro', I'd quit now if I were you. She already whole named you and threatened no more…"

"Not that we really want to know," Ryan reminded them.

"I'm going to tell the captain we got a confession," Beckett told them, then warned, "You guys get this out of your systems while I'm gone. We have paperwork to do, remember?" Later in the morning, she announced, "My reports are all finished, and we're going to get some lunch."

"Where are you going?" Ryan asked.

"The sub shop on the next block?" Castle asked his wife.

"Sounds good to me," she agreed.

"I'm almost done," Esposito answered. "Meet you there?"

"Sure. We'll find seats for four," Beckett told them. "Want us to order for you?"

Ryan looked at Esposito, who nodded. "Yeah. The usual," he mumbled, as he made a correction in his report.

Castle and Beckett found a booth in the little sub shop and sat down across from one another.

"Have you finally told enough bad jokes to get rid of the creepy feeling?"

"It's nice to have a wife who understands me," he answered. "Are you still mad?"

"No. I was just frustrated right then and took it out on you. Sorry."

"So, I'm forgiven?"

"Nothing to forgive. Well…maybe being a little annoying, but it's been worse."

"Does that mean I can sit over there with you?"

The smile she gave him let Castle know things were good again, so he stood and slid into the booth next to her, scooting in close.

"Feeling a little snuggly, Castle?" she asked.

"Always," he answered, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

"I'm glad this case is over."

"If only to get rid of the elf jokes?"

That, too. But you were right. It was a little creepy. Most Santa places are filled with normal people, don't you think?"

"I do." After a little sigh, he asked "Is there any way to bury the entire truth about Nick and Beverly and the sleigh? Just say they were fooling around or making out or something?" Being murdered should be enough punishment for bad judgment."

"I don't know, Castle. I wish we could, but if it comes up in court at the trial and we left anything out, it could come back to bite us. Maybe the DA will make a deal with him or something. We could at least float the idea."

"I love, you Mrs. Castle," he said, then leaned and dropped a little kiss on her head and nuzzled her hair briefly. "I noticed you said something about our son having another sibling," he mentioned softly. "

Beckett started to answer; but, of course, at that moment, Ryan and Esposito came and sat down with them, Ryan saying to Esposito, "Awwww. Mom and Dad kissed and made up."

"Shut up," Beckett told Ryan, but she was smiling and leaning into her husband.

The case was done, the pressure was off, and the elf insanity was behind them; so they all relaxed and enjoyed the familiar feeling of simply being partners and friends sharing lunch and conversation.