82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

On their first day back at the precinct after Christmas, Castle was making mugs of coffee and tea when Esposito walked in. "How was your Christmas?" he asked.

"Great," Esposito answered, taking down his own mug. "The standard laughing and bickering and eating. Mami always makes enough food for an entire military platoon and sends us all home with leftovers. I know I've still got enough for another day or two."

Castle laughed. "We probably do, too…even after sending everybody there home with Castle leftovers. Did you have any time with Maria?"

"I've been seeing Maria off and on for about five months now, and the last couple of months we've stopped seeing anybody else. She's funny about letting men meet her son, though."

"I understand that. Single parents have to be careful...consider their kids."

"Yeah. I get that. I only met him that one time because the diner was crowded and she let me sit with them. But last week she let me take both of them to breakfast and then to a park for him to have some play time. She wanted him to run off some energy before she took him to see Santa. She did that without me, though."

"You look like you enjoyed it," Castle answered with a knowing smile.

Esposito smiled, in spite of the fact that he looked like he didn't intend to. "I'm happy when I'm with Maria, and he's a great kid…Gabe…Gabriel, all full of talk and questions and energy. It was fun goofing around with him. Besides, if Beckett, of all people, can fall right into being a stepmom, I should be able to handle a kid, too, right? He remembered me from the diner, and I think he likes me."

"You've really thought about it, haven't you?" Castle asked, surprised.

"I'm not ready to commit yet, but, yeah. It felt good being with them. It scares me a little, though. I didn't have a very good example to learn from."

"Me, either. Famously fatherless, remember? But we both lucked out with mothers. You'll rise to the occasion when the time comes."

"You think so?"

"I do. You're not gonna let Beckett outdo you, are you?"

Esposito grinned. "You issuing a challenge on Beckett's behalf, Castle?" he asked.

"Do I look like a fool to you? Beckett issues her own challenges. I stay out of that."

"Maybe you're not as dumb as you look," Esposito teased in response as they returned to the bullpen. "I hear you and your family brought lunch for the Christmas shift again. Don't you people know how to take a day off?" he asked.

As if in answer to his question, Beckett held up a piece of note paper with an address and told them, "We've got one already. Be sure to take the camera, Castle."

Castle put his wife's tea on her desk, plucked the camera from the desk drawer, and he and Esposito took long sips from their own mugs.

"Too bad about the coffee," Ryan teased.

"Yeah, I know," Castle sighed, then he reached for Esposito's mug and took them both to empty them in the break room sink before catching up with the others.

"The case was solved within a couple of days. It was a crime of passion, an argument gone wrong; and when confronted with the questions of what happened, the woman was so wracked with guilt, she simply confessed.

xxxxx

The Castles would have much preferred to stay home for New Year's Eve, but Black Pawn's management had decided early in the year that they would go all out for a New Year's Eve party this year. Since Castle had already informed them of his unavailability for most appearances during the first half of the following year, they insisted on having him there to meet their guests at the party.

Kate found an exquisite white dress that gathered under the breasts and draped nicely over her baby bump, but she wasn't happy.

"You look beautiful," her proud husband assured her.

"I look huge," she complained.

"You look pregnant, which you are. There's a difference. And right now you're the most elegant looking pregnant woman I've ever seen. The dress is gorgeous, and so are you. Even the unpregnant women will be jealous."

"I doubt that, but I'm ready when you are." Watching him for a moment, she asked, "Do you want some help with that tie?"

"Please? It doesn't want to set straight."

She helped him with his bow tie and watched him put on his tux jacket and adjust his shirt cuffs. Standing close in front of him, she ran her hands under the lapels of the jacket and said, "Have I told you that you wear a tuxedo very well, Mr. Castle? I think it's the other men who might be intimidated."

"Why thank you, Mrs. Castle. Shall we go and share our stunning and pulchritudinous selves with the world?"

She laughed. "Along with your modesty?"

"If we can still find it," he joked and helped her with her coat, then he put his on and offered her his arm. She slipped her hand around his elbow, and they walked arm in arm out to the waiting town car.

They arrived very shortly after the festivities began, and a couple of cameras were clicking as people entered the room. The party was well attended, well catered, and was held in a room with a good view for the fireworks later on. Castle had at least a nodding acquaintance with many of the people there; and Kate had met a few, other than the staff at Black Pawn.

Early in the evening, they were approached by a couple of reporters who asked about the baby, and Castle assured them they were both beyond happy about it and mentioned that they would have a son. When asked, Kate assured them that she and the baby were both healthy and doing well.

Castle schmoozed among the guests, introducing Kate to the people she hadn't met, and Kate was doing her best to cooperate. They danced, a bit more separated than usual, and laughed, joking that the baby was already coming between them. Alex Conrad turned up later on and they talked with him for a while. Alex was making more of a name for himself, but Castle was still the star writing attraction for the publisher. Although they would rather be home, it had been a pleasant evening. Paula was happy, Gina was happy, the management was happy…and the Castles were happy. They had handled their duty well and it was almost over. Not long before midnight, Castle and Kate had been separated for a few minutes when Kate saw another woman obviously angling to make a play for Castle while he was alone. She excused herself from the couple she was speaking to and walked confidently toward her husband.

Relieved, he put one arm around Kate's shoulders and said, "There you are." Then he ran his other hand lovingly across her baby bump and asked, "Everybody still okay?"

"Everybody's fine," she answered, and kissed his cheek.

"Connie, is it?" Castle asked, and the woman nodded disappointedly. "This is my wife, Kate…and my son," he said proudly. "We'll meet him face to face in another couple of months."

"Congratulations," Connie answered half-heartedly, and she left to look for another prospect.

"Turning to his wife, he said, "Thank you. She wasn't giving up easily."

"Neither am I. Nobody else gets to kiss my man at midnight."

"I have no problem with that," he answered. "Are you going to have a taste of champagne?"

"Just a taste…a little reward. I'm proud of myself. I've been really good about that."

'I know you have. When a waiter walked toward them with a tray of champagne, Castle took only one. "We'll share," he explained.

Then the countdown began, and their kiss at the end of it went on a little longer than most of those around them. They smiled at one other, each had a sip or two of champagne, and joined others near the windows to watch the fireworks. And then started the process of leaving the party graciously.

xxxxx

The next morning, they found themselves in two small photos on page six of The Ledger. The first picture was the two of them as they arrived at the party, both of them smiling and looking spectacular. The second, attached seamlessly to the first, was the kiss at midnight. The caption read, "Mrs. Castle is obviously pregnant but wears it well; and if the long kiss at midnight is any indication, it's had no effect on the romance."

"Well, look at that. They got it right this time," Castle said with a smile, planting his hands on the edge of the breakfast bar and trapping his wife between his arms. Good pictures, too. I told you that you looked gorgeous. See why I was so proud?"

"I still look huge, but maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought," she admitted. "The dress did wonders."

"It's my opinion that you did wonders for the dress," he said, kissing her head. "Can I offer you a s'morelette?"

"You can offer, but I'm still not eating one of those things."

"Fine. Then I'll make you one with boring old ham and cheese…and start the coffee."

"Definitely coffee. I'll make the toast and get out the fruit salad.

When they arrived at Beckett's desk at the precinct, they were greeted with whoops and a variety of other good natured teasing noises to accompany the well displayed, enlarged pictures from The Ledger. The homicide detectives had become accustomed to seeing one of their own on page six, and Castle and Beckett had become accustomed to the teasing that inevitably followed. It was now approaching standard.

The cases they encountered in January were as routine as that kind of violence against another human being could ever be. Castle saw that as a good thing because he could see that his wife was beginning to tire faster than normal. In early January, she had given in and admitted that the pregnancy pillow he had bought almost as soon as she was showing might be helpful. And allowed him to help her more often with things that required bending over…or seeing her feet. He teased her about that, and she didn't even argue. Those concessions alone let him know the last months of her pregnancy were taking a toll.

At the end of January, they again had a case that involved a robbery, and they spotted Tom Demming coming into the bullpen the morning after they had posted their information on the murder board. By now Castle had no problem with Tom. He was a good man, and with the competition for Beckett long behind them, it was easier for Castle to recognize that.

"We heard you've got a robbery attached to this case, and we think we might have information you could use. And you might find something that could help us. We've been working on a string of break-ins with high end thefts and a similar MO; and whoever it is, they're getting bolder about it. I was sent as liaison," Demming told them. "I brought the files if you want a guided tour."

"Sure. Looks like the conference room is free, Beckett said after checking. "Let's take everything in there where we can spread it all out." Castle rolled the murder board in, and Demming took his stack of files and put them on the table. "I hear you're engaged, Tom," Beckett said as they sat down.

"Yeah, I am," Demming answered, sporting a big smile. "I asked her on New Year's Eve so we could start the new year making plans. It didn't make page six like yours, but we're just as happy about it."

"I'd be just as happy not to be on page six, but it's part of this one's day job," she answered, leaning her head toward Castle.

Tom smiled. "She's an English teacher, and she had an interview at Marlow Prep right before Christmas. In general conversation it came up that she was dating a police detective at the twelfth, and your names came up. Apparently your daughter blazed an impressive trail through there."

"She did, Castle said proudly…valedictorian last year. She's at Columbia now. How did your fiancé's interview go?"

"Valerie," he said with another smile. "Her name is Valerie. It must have gone well, she just replaced a high school teacher who got married and is leaving the area. Who knows? One day she might be teaching your boy."

"Well, with this one being half me and half Beckett, she might have her work cut out for her. Maybe we should apologize in advance," Castle joked.

"I'm not apologizing for my child yet." Beckett said with a grin. "I've met Alexis's mother…and I know my husband pretty well, and Alexis still turned out just fine. There's still a chance we could pull off another miracle. Now, Let's see what we've got that could correlate these cases,"

Demming had the cases in chronological order, and Beckett and Castle could see the escalation in the chances being taken to accomplish the thefts.

"So you think the thief may have pushed too far this time and maybe killed Mr. Corsi because he caught him in the act?"

"We thought it was worth looking into that."

They showed Demming what they had so far, and the possibility looked good. "Corsi's family here in New York didn't seem involved in the murder. All but one alibi has checked out. The other one should be confirmed this afternoon when we can talk to the man who can corroborate it, and his wife and children should be home this afternoon. They were out of the country. Ryan and Esposito are out interviewing neighbors and co-workers this morning, and Castle and I will be going through Corsi's records when we finish here. We should hear from Lanie sometime today. Maybe she'll find something on the body that could help. We should also have the CSU report sometime today. Why don't you check in late this afternoon? We can compare notes again."

"Sounds good. Thanks," Demming said as he stood to return to Robbery.

As they walked with him toward the elevator, Beckett said, "Congratulations, Tom. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Kate. I'm happy for you, too. You wear contentment well." He lifted his hand in a semblance of a wave as the elevator doors closed.

As Castle and Beckett returned to her desk, Castle seemed to be thinking about something.

"What's on your mind?"

"Demming's comment that his engagement didn't make page six like ours. It's just as important to him as ours was to us. Just wondering what we could do about that. I wonder who else has something important to them that we don't know about."

"Ann Hastings is getting married to her writer next month."

"High time."

"Yeah," she answered with a smile. "I thought they'd be way ahead of us."

"And I ran into Robeson from Vice last week at the coffee shop. His daughter finishes her doctorate this month. She's finishing up a semester earlier than he expected her to. Proud daddy there. They deserve some recognition around here."

"You have a plan hatching, don't you?"

"Not yet, but something's buzzing in here," he said, pointing at his head. "If it turns into a plan, I'll run it past you."

She smiled at him then took a stack of papers from her desk drawer and gave half of them to Castle. "You take financials. I'll start on phone records."

"We'll need to see if any of the other robbery victims' phones or financials have anything that correlates with Mr. Corsi's."

"This afternoon we'll ask Demming what they already have.

After some searching and jotting of notes, Castle asked, "Have you found anything?"

"A few numbers he called often enough to want to know about, mostly his family or his business. I don't know what this one is, though. I'll need to check on it."

Castle looked and said, "It's a gentlemen's club…the old-fashioned kind you used to see in the movies. Somebody I knew was a member and took me to visit a few times, tried to talk me into joining. Men only…smoking room, game room, library, impeccable service staff…rules."

"Let me guess. Too stuffy for you?"

"Yeah. Nice place. A lot of money was represented there, but a lot of the men there were way too impressed with themselves. I guess a lot of important networking went on, business deals and such." He paused for a moment as if contemplating his next comment, but Beckett picked up on it.

"Was this after one of your divorces?"

"It's a little scary how you can do that. It was after Meredith. Alexis was little, and I never took women home. It was my child's home, too. My friend thought I could use a place away from a toddler now and then…but there were no women."

"Is that when you joined the other gentlemen's club, the one where you could take women…discreetly, I think is the word you used?"

He couldn't make himself look at her right then. "Yeah. It feels kind of cheap now, though, after what I have with you. It actually felt a little cheap back then, too, when you realized I was a member. I knew even then that wasn't going to impress you, and I really did want to impress you."

"We both have history, Babe. Different time, different circumstances. It's in the past. Let's just leave it there. Is there anything else you can tell me about this place that might be pertinent?"

"The service staff, they're ignored a lot. A lot of people who are used to being waited on constantly tend to ignore 'the servants' as if they don't have feelings…or ears. I'll bet the service staff there could tell a lot of stories."

"And pick up a lot of information?"

"Probably."

After speaking to Demming at the end of the day, they did find a connection between two of the other robbery victims and the gentlemen's club. Some further checking revealed that the other victims had visited with friends, and all of those men apparently enjoyed bragging about their possessions.

Another day's worth of interviews and investigation, they had narrowed the probable suspects down to four of the younger members of the service staff; and one of them finally broke. Not wanting to be connected to the murder, he told them two of the others had tried to recruit him; but he didn't want any part of it. They threatened to hurt his girlfriend if he said anything, so he didn't.

"How did they know which houses to hit and when? None of the families were home at the time of the thefts," Castle asked.

"All of these men have had money for a long time. They've been waited on hand and foot for most, maybe all of their lives, and they don't even realize that 'the servants' are there," he said bitterly. "We're like part of the woodwork, so they talk as if we don't exist. They only acknowledge our presence if they want something, and the guys who wanted me to help them took advantage of that. They kept track of what possessions these men mentioned and when the family vacations were going to happen. Mr. Corsi was supposed to be at a resort in the Caribbean with his family. I don't know why he was home."

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor. We appreciate your help."

"Am I going to be in trouble over this? I need my job. My girlfriend is about to have a baby, too."

"I can't make promises, but we'll check into your statement, and into your two co-workers. Management won't be contacted further until we've had time to do that. Best I can do at the moment," Beckett told him, and he nodded his acknowledgment.

Mrs. Corsi and her children were back at home, and she was working on an accounting of what was missing, being certain the housekeeper hadn't missed reporting anything. When Beckett had called her with the notification of her husband's death, she said she and her husband had a fight right before leaving for the resort, and he had decided to stay home. She had taken the children with her, and they had a few days to enjoy the resort before needing to return home. Mr. Corsi's death didn't seem to upset her badly.

When Castle and Beckett left the Corsi home, he said, "Looks like that marriage was entirely because of the money. Now I'm even happier now that I found you."

After coordinating information with Demming, Gates was given a full accounting of the situation, complete with evidence of large sums of money in the accounts of the men Mr. Taylor told them about. Reports were written up from both Robbery and Homicide, and all the cases were closed and ready for the DA's office.

xxxxx

The rest of January ran smoothly, but Beckett was actually admitting to being tired more easily…only to Castle and her family, though. For about a month, her workouts with Meagan had gradually reduced in intensity, but she was still giving it her best efforts.

At the end of the month, Castle announced that they had reservations for dinner on Valentine's Day. Kate started to protest, but Castle interrupted.

"Think about it, Kate. The day after that is your last day at the precinct before you begin your maternity leave. From then until when the baby is born is the kind of time we won't have much of for a while, time we can decide to go somewhere, get dressed appropriately, and leave. But after the end of February, we won't be able to do that without an infant and all his paraphernalia or arranging for a babysitter. And don't misunderstand. I'm beyond happy about that, but our lives will be different…good different, but very different. Please let me take you out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner before we have to wrap our heads around having this little one out here where he needs us to take care of him twenty-four hours a day."

Kate had tried to say something a couple of time, but her husband had simply plowed ahead. She finally managed to say "Castle," before he caught his breath and started again.

"You can back out at the last minute if you don't feel up to it. I'm sure that someone who didn't start planning months ahead would be happy to take our reservations. But I want us to get dressed up and enjoy one fancy night out, just the two of us. You can wear the white dress you wore on New Year's Eve, and I'll wear my best suit…or a tux if you want, and we'll make everybody jealous again."

She finally put her hand over his mouth and asked, "Where are we going go?"

He gave her the name of a high end restaurant where she actually felt relaxed and comfortable.

"The last couple of years they've encouraged formal attire for Valentine's Day, and they provide quirky little extras to add to visit."

"I do like that place, she answered with a smile.

"Then it's a date?"

"You've got yourself a date, Mr. Castle." She turned toward the kitchen to start dinner, then she turned and looked over her shoulder flirtatiously and said, "Wear the tux."

"Does that mean I might get lucky on Valentine's Day?" he asked following her into the kitchen to help with their meal.

She laughed and lifted her chin to reach up and kiss him when he came close. "Babe, as big as I am now, if you still want this, it's all yours."

"I'll always want that. Besides, it's temporary, and we've found fun ways to work around it."

"And maybe if we start thinking about it hard between now and Valentine's Day…"

"Did you hear that, Peanut? You have to stay where you are until at least the day after Valentine's Day." Then his eyes went wide with obvious mischievous intent, and he put one hand on each side of Kate's belly as if covering the baby's ears and said, "Oh wait. He's not supposed to hear that."

Kate laughed. "You're such a dufus sometimes. And don't you think it's a little late to cover his ears?"

"Oh, yeah. Probably. Sorry Little Guy. Daddy didn't mean to take a chance on having you enter the world already traumatized. He just loves your mommy a lot." He leaned over and kissed Kate's protruding stomach, and she slid her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "I love you, goofball."

"I love you, too, pregnant lady." Then he stood up to kiss her lips before they went to work on dinner, laughing and bantering their way through the preparations.

AN: If you don't see new chapters right away, please don't assume I've given up on the story. I've just had to take a break for a while. My mother has been in the hospital and is okay but not recovering as well as we'd hoped. Several chapters were already written a week ago, but there hasn't been time for revisions or editing before I send them to someone else for a final look.

Thanks for understanding. I hope all of you enjoy the holidays.