113. Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Beckett went to work as soon as she entered the precinct. She spoke to everyone she passed but went straight to her office. One person had stopped her on the way to ask where schedule changes stood, explaining that his son was scheduled for surgery in a couple of days as the result of an injury, and he wanted to be there.

"Don't worry about it, Gilmer. We'll work it out," she assured him. "Just turn in the request."

Once in her office, she located the schedule book with a deep sigh. Looking at it, she grumbled, "And it begins." After taking some time to familiarize herself with the current entries, zeroing in particularly on his team and division, she put it aside until Gilmer's request came in.

As soon as Beckett had let her know she would be taking the captain's exam, Captain Gates had taken advantage of random opportunities to introduce Beckett to the requirements of the job. She discussed the considerations in scheduling…Beckett's least favorite part of the impending job opportunity...and showed her the various forms and reports expected of a captain. On days when it was slow at the precinct, Gates would sometimes have Beckett work with the same forms she was filling out for 1PP and give her lieutenant feedback on the generally small areas she could improve. She would also question Beckett occasionally about how she would handle a situation that had recently developed. Beckett would be expected to defend her decision; and if Gates didn't agree, they would discuss the reasons to handle it differently. In one case, the captain even bowed to Beckett's choice and let her know why. Those things were not everyday occurrences; there wasn't enough free time before the change of precincts happened. But for Beckett, the result of the time spent was that the wealth of paperwork and new duties at the fifty-first was a little less daunting than it could have been.

She spent most of the morning making notes and lists to further organize her priorities. As she worked, a call came in from the desk sergeant, and she absentmindedly answered her phone.

"Beckett."

"Hey Captain…"

"Still just Beckett, Cortez."

"Yes, Ma'am. Somebody just brought in some flyers for a community Halloween party for kids. She'd heard that Bronson was gone and hoped you'd actually have somebody hang them up this year."

"Is she still there?"

"Just leaving."

"See if somebody can catch her and ask if she'd like to come up and talk to me."

"Will do."

"Thanks." Beckett walked out to the bullpen and said, "Griffith, you got a minute?"

"Sure."

"Is something wrong?" Griffith asked as she followed Beckett to the office.

"Just looking for advice," she answered.

"From me?" the detective asked, looking surprised.

"You've done some good outreach in the neighborhood around here. Can you tell me anything about a neighborhood children's Halloween party and the group sponsoring it?"

"The woman who runs the neighborhood center is amazing. She has a shoestring budget, but she still accomplishes wonders. She has a few donors, but she's built enough goodwill that the merchants in the area help her with supplies for the center. It's built around getting kids off the streets and giving them something to do to keep them out of trouble. She runs a tight ship, but the kids love her…the parents, too. She must know about every scholarship and mentoring opportunity in the Bronx, if not the entire city; and Big Brothers/Big Sisters beat a path to her door, but she has background checks done before anybody gets too close to her children. I don't know where she finds her energy, but she takes what she has and makes it work."

"So hanging some flyers and encouraging people here to take their kids to the party wouldn't be a bad idea?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned. You and your husband might have fancier plans for your son; but if not, you might even enjoy it. I went to help out last year, and I had a great time. The parents dress up, too. They have games, and a costume walk, and a trick or treat line for the kids before it ends; so the kids get to fill their plastic pumpkins, and the parents don't need to worry about what the crazies might be handing out in the neighborhood."

"I don't know who delivered the flyers; but if somebody caught her before she left, she may be up here any minute. I was just looking for a little recon before I talked to her."

When Griffith opened the door to leave, a voice outside the door said, "Tammy, it's so good to see you. Will you be at the party this year?" and Griffith was pulled into a big, strong, affectionate hug.

"Miss Ada, this is Lieutenant Beckett. She's acting as captain here until there's a replacement for Captain Bronson." Lieutenant, this is Ada Rossi. She's the biggest ball of energy in the neighborhood…knows everybody."

"It's good to meet you," Beckett said with a smile and a handshake. "May I call you Miss Ada?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't. It's become my identity over the years, and I'm getting too old for an identity crisis."

Beckett laughed and answered, "Can't have that. Come in and have a seat. I'll be right back." Griffith had waved and was on her way back to her desk, and Beckett peeked around the end of the hall to say, "Thanks, Griffith. That was a big help."

Griffith just smiled as she sat down.

"What was that about?" Washington asked.

"Just asking me about some things in the community. That's all."

"She actually cares about that?"

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Hmmm. I guess it shouldn't. Must have been around Bronson too long."

"Sorry, Miss Ada," Beckett said as she sat down. "I forgot to thank her."

"And you didn't want anybody to think she was in trouble, did you?"

Beckett smiled a small smile and looked down for a moment as a she said, "I have the feeling that not much gets past you. Now, tell me about your party and your center. I want to know what's going on in the community." She managed to make it sound like the honest interest that it was rather than an interrogation, and she and Miss Ada warmed up to each other quickly.

Ada Rossi was a short, Hispanic woman in her early fifties with a skin tone slightly lighter than Esposito's and was a little bit rounder than she had been in her youth. She wasn't beautiful but was attractive, partly because she was possessed of a contagious smile, a sharp mind, a good sense of humor, and a lot of charm. Dressed nicely in flattering clothes that were up to date but not expensive, she looked both business like and comfortable enough for days spent at the center.

She said the building was donated by a local merchant who had retired from a business he had owned. Neither of his children wanted to continue the business, the building was paid for in full, and he had taken notice of Ada's efforts. At that time, she was working out of a room at a church, but the work was beginning to outgrow the space; so he offered the building to her.

"He told me he had his lawyer draw up the papers and I just needed to sign them so he could hand over the deed," Ada told Beckett and chuckled, continuing her story. "I asked him if he didn't want to keep it for his children's inheritance. He told me his children never even wanted to learn about the business, let alone run it when he retired; and therefore they would never need that building. He said they'd have to be happy with his house and whatever he hadn't spent before he died. We call it 'Kids' Place.'" Then she went on to tell Beckett about the work they do. "You should come and visit sometime when you have the chance. We're not far away."

"I might do that."

"Well, I've taken enough of your time," Ada said as she stood. "And I didn't mean to be away from the center as long as I have, either." She shook Beckett's hand and said, "Lieutenant Beckett, it's been a real pleasure."

"A pleasure for me as well. I'll see that those flyers are on every floor. Good luck with your party."

"Word has it that you have a little boy. You're welcome to join us," Ada said on her way out.

"How did you know I have a little boy?" Beckett asked a bit warily.

"I might not really know everybody...but I know a lot of them," she answered with a playful grin.

Beckett smiled to herself after Ada left, and then she went back to her organizing. After lunch with her team, she dropped in on the Narcotics detectives and talked to each team about the cases they were working on, saying that she was there because if someone had questions, she wanted to have answers. She took a few brief notes on the cases in progress, asked a few pertinent questions, and took time to have short conversations with each team. The plan was to move to another division each day until she had covered them all.

xxxxx

As they prepared dinner at home that evening, Kate told her husband about meeting Miss Ada and about the Halloween party her community center was planning.

"Rick, she was like a barely contained bundle of energy and good will. Griffith has done volunteer work for her, and she's obviously impressed." She paused for a smile and added, "Griffith is almost a head taller than Miss Ada, but the woman had her in a major hug practically on sight."

Castle could tell from Kate's smile and expression that she had thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ada Rossi. "We don't have big plans for Halloween. Do you want to go to her party?" he asked. "I know Bronson wasn't inclined to worry about community interaction, and I know you think it's important."

"You wouldn't mind that?"

"We already have the costumes arranged. We're picking them up tomorrow."

"You and Jamie do. I haven't decided on anything yet."

"Of course you do. I have one for you, too."

"And what is it?" she asked suspiciously, leaning toward him as she finished chopping veggies. "Will I be willing to wear it in public?"

"It's a surprise," he answered with a mischievous smirk. And he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"That evasive answer tells me I probably won't."

"Quickly changing the subject back to the party, he asked, "So, do you want to go to the party? Do some community outreach?"

"Yeah. If you're okay with that. It might be fun."

"Sure. We didn't have any big plans anyway. I was thinking we'd just take Jamie around our building and introduce him to trick-or-treating…remind everybody how cute he is." He grinned mischievously again. "Couldn't pass up that chance, could we? This building is a safe place for that. We know what to expect from everybody. Then I thought we could take him for a walk. This area is full of a lot of creative folks, which usually means there are people wandering around in good costumes on the way to Halloween parties. I thought we all might enjoy it. And we could turn it into an ice cream trip."

"Ice cream on top of trick or treat candy?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "How late are you willing to stay up that night until he finally crashes?" she teased.

"Okay. the idea of sugar and costumes might have affected my thinking," he admitted with a grin.

"Jamie might enjoy the party more. There would be a lot of other children there. And like the rest of his father's side of the family, our boy isn't usually shy about making new friends."

"Then we're going to a party."

"Best husband in the world."

"And the most ruggedly handsome?"

"Part of what makes you the best, Stud," she whispered.

"It's good you whispered that," he whispered back mischievously. "We wouldn't want Jamie to have that as his newest favorite word to show off at the party."

"I'd never be able to show my face in the precinct again," she answered with a giggle, looking over to where her son was playing with his cars on the other side of the room.

The oven timer sounded then, and Rick said, "Speaking of the boy, I'll get things on the table. You get the hand washing and the high chair wrangling."

xxxxx

On Wednesday, Beckett again worked on her self-directed, extended orientation to the new job. She went to lunch with several of the homicide detectives, including the three on her team, and mentioned that she and Castle were taking Jamie to Miss Ada's Halloween party. When she mentioned it and Griffith described the party from last year, Esposito looked interested.

"We've talked about whether to let Gabe go trick-or-treating this year. There was an incident in Maria's neighborhood last year, and she doesn't feel safe about it. This is a good solution. I'll talk to her tonight."

"We know Castle's gonna have some kind of fancy costume. What's he doing this year?" Ryan asked.

"He decided he and Jamie will be Batman and Robin."

"What about you?"

"I haven't decided yet. He said he bought me something, but it's a surprise. Knowing him, I'm not sure I'll wear it."

The group laughed, and Griffith said, "I assume Jamie will be Robin."

"Yeah, but when I mention that you asked, Castle will probably be sorry he didn't think of taking it the other way."

"That would have been hilarious," Ryan agreed.

"Well, I'll be there to help again this year," Griffith said to Beckett. "So I'll also be there to see that tall, good looking man of yours in spandex and a cape."

"Castle in tights?" Washington answered with a grin. "Yeah, I might drop in for a few minutes just to give him some trouble over that."

The other men agreed; and Beckett laughed, saying that she'd relay the message.

xxxxx

Kate got home just in time to catch her men in full regalia, testing their costumes. She looked thoroughly distracted by Castle in that form fitting outfit until a tiny little Robin wrapped himself around her leg shouting, "Mommy! Costume!"

She picked him up, cape and all, and pointed at Castle. "Who's that?" she asked.

Castle, of course, responded, "Batman." And he stood tall with his hands on his hips, the full cape hanging from his broad shoulders.

Jamie looked at his mother and said with a giggle, "It's Daddy."

"Where is Robin's mask?" she asked Castle.

"Mother is getting face paint to draw one. That way we won't have to worry that he might fall because he can't see around the mask."

"Good thinking." Then she wiggled her brows suggestively. "Looking good there, Batman," she added. "So where is my surprise costume?"

"In that box on the kitchen counter."

Batman took Robin from her and Kate went to look in the box. When what was inside was revealed, she said, "Not a chance. Did you really think I'd wear this, even for just the neighbors, let alone to the ice cream store? "

"A man can always dream."

"I think I can put together something to be Vicky Vale, reporter."

"First, it's so cool that you know these things, but…"

"I can include that pencil skirt you bought me to play…"

"Okay. I can work with that."

"And maybe I can warm up to the Catwoman thing for you another time…when we're alone"

"I can work with that, too," he answered with a hint of a leer while Jamie wasn't looking.

"I thought so." She responded with a grin. "Why don't you get dressed and we can go out and get Italian for dinner? I'll change into jeans and get Jamie dressed.

As she took out her change of clothes and stripped down to her underwear, Jamie was running around and playing with his cape, obviously enjoying his new costume. "So, how long did it take you to get into that outfit, Mr. Superhero?"

"A lot less time than it will to get out of it with you doing that. Have I ever mentioned that you can be extremely distracting?"

"Maybe a time or two. You can distract me while I get Jamie dressed. I want to see how you escape from that thing. It all looks like one piece."

"Hidden zipper under the utility belt and a little Velcro." He answered, looking for the zipper pull.

By then, Kate had pulled on socks and jeans and stood to help him find the zipper.

"This may or may not be helpful," he said, removing the headgear with the cape and giving her a lingering kiss as her hand moved under the newly freed fabric and across his bare back. "Mmmm. The only thing between this and entirely forgoing dinner is Robin over there."

"The joys of parenthood," she sighed.

"Oh, your dad and Meagan wanted to come over tonight. "Want me to call and tell him to meet us at the restaurant?"

"Good idea," she answered. "I know he's going to want to have some time with Jamie; and by the time we get back, it's going to be close to his bedtime."

Castle peeled himself out of his bat shirt and threw it on the bed while Kate pulled a sweater on and went to get their son. When she said he needed to change clothes, there was a resounding "No!" and he backed away from her.

"You can play in your costume again tomorrow, but we're going to a restaurant for dinner. I need to help you change into your clothes."

"No. Want costume, he wailed." When his mother picked him up anyway, he started to cry; and the harder she worked to get him out of his costume, the louder and less cooperative he became."

When he had his jeans on, Castle called Jim and gave him the name of the restaurant, and that was when the rebellion sounded in the background. "Your grandson apparently doesn't want to change out of his Halloween costume to go to dinner."

"Well, it looks like we're seeing what he got from his mother's genes. I remember a few similar skirmishes. Would he talk to me?"

"It's worth a try." Holding up the phone, Castle told Jamie, "Granddaddy wants to talk to you, Bud."

He gave his father a skeptical look but calmed a little bit, still sniffling and pouting, and Castle held the phone to Jamie's ear.

"Hey, Jamie. It's Granddaddy," Jim said calmly. "What's wrong?"

"Wanna play Robin."

"Do you want to come and see Granddaddy?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then let Mommy change your clothes, and she and Daddy will bring you to meet us for dinner. Meagan wants a Jamie hug, too." There was another sniffle but no response. "Granddaddy loves you. I'll see you in a little while."

"Thanks Jim. See you in half an hour," Castle said, putting down his phone.

"Go see Granddaddy?" Jamie asked with a pouty sound.

"Right after you change clothes," Kate assured her son. Jamie drooped in her arms, looking defeated. "Granddaddy is excited about seeing you…Meagan, too. Let's go up to your room. We might even have time for a book before we go. You can have a story in your costume and then change your clothes to see Grandaddy." He snuggled his forehead into her neck as she took him upstairs.

When they returned fifteen minutes later, Castle was waiting near the door with the stroller and their jackets, ready to lock up and leave.

Jim and Meagan were waiting just inside the door of the little family restaurant, and Jim and Jamie were both reaching for one another immediately. "How did it go?" Jim asked playfully.

"Apparently Granddaddy has some clout," Kate answered, smiling as her dad looked pleased. Then she turned to hug Meagan. "It's been too long. How is the wedding planning?"

"Great. We love Bradford. I'd forgotten how many things have to happen for even a little wedding, and he's thought of all of them. We're checking them off at a pretty good pace."

"Good thing. The wedding is only a couple of weeks away."

They were seated; and during the meal, they talked about the new job, wedding plans, and progress on the new book. While Jim read Jamie the book he'd brought for him and the two of them enjoyed some good grandaddy/grandson time, Castle and Kate talked to Meagan; and much to his parents' pleasure, Jamie left a lot happier than he'd arrived.

xxxxx

Things at the precinct were beginning to feel a bit more comfortable. During the rest of the week, Beckett checked her lists and reminders to be certain she would get everything done on time, and she made visits to Vice and Robbery, familiarizing herself with those cases. More to the point, she was also familiarizing herself with the detectives and the way they approached their work and their colleagues. Each visit provided more insight into the overall workings of the precinct.

"Hey, boss, you want to head out with us for lunch?" Esposito asked from her doorway. He was still on desk duty until he saw the doctor on Monday, but he was using lunch as an excuse to get out of the precinct.

"I can't right now. Would you bring me something?" She reached to get money from her purse as she asked where they were going. After handing him money for her order, she got back to work when he left.

"How's it going with Egan's team?" she asked him when he returned with her lunch and her change.

"Good," he answered, plopping down in the chair near her desk. "Kind of soon to tell, but they seem like good people. It must have been miserable working with somebody like Egan."

"They sounded like they wanted to get rid of the Egan stigma. They sounded like they wanted to learn to work more efficiently."

"Yeah. We'll get there. Hey, what was your surprise costume?"

"A lot of black spandex and a headpiece with feline accessories."

"Catwoman? For real?" Laughter ensued. "Any chance you'll wear it?"

"Snowball in hell."

There was more laughter as she took a bite of her salad.

"Maria liked the idea of the Halloween party, so we'll be there, too." Esposito stood to get back to work.

"Catwoman will not be mentioned again, understand?"

"Got it," he answered and snickered his way out of the office.

Alvarez came back in on Friday to see how things were going. The precinct exchange programs were in effect for another month and a half, so his visits and Chief Dawson's were still necessary. That morning, he had already conducted random interviews from each division of the precinct and had only positive feedback from them. Then he went to speak to Beckett for her perspective.

"It seems that you have the support of your staff, Lieutenant. That's impressive so soon."

"It's too early to know if it will last or not, but it's good to know."

"I hear you've personally spoken to nearly everyone in the building this week."

"I needed to see what they're working on and how they go about it, and I needed an impression of personalities and dynamics within the teams. It seemed a reasonable thing to do."

"It was. I was just surprised that you've already done so much of it."

"I won't be here that long. There's a lot to learn and limited time to learn it. Not much time for procrastination."

"How do you see it going so far, Lieutenant?"

"It's a little overwhelming, but I've spent a few days organizing, and I think I'll be fine. Although, I've told Captain Gates she might get the occasional SOS call. Egan's team came to me the first day, concerned about their association with Egan." She told him about the meetings with all of the affected teams. "They needed to know where they stood, and I needed see to their concerns right away. It wasn't something that should be left to chance."

"I just interviewed someone who was there. That was an excellent beginning." Changing the subject, he asked, "Are you on track with the weekly reports that are due today?"

"I think so." Beckett reached for her notebook, found the list, and read it to the deputy chief. "Have I missed anything?" she asked.

Alvarez huffed a little laugh and shook his head. "Not that I've noticed. I think your assessment was right. You'll be fine." He stood and shook her hand before making his exit. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll accomplish before you leave here." He stopped at the door and turned back as he was leaving. "Good work, Beckett."