186. Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Castle knew without a doubt that Kate had always been devoted to their family. Since going back to work after Jamie was born, Kate had been making an effort to stay as involved with her family as possible while still holding a full time job. Some of what she did for family was random, based on what was happening at the precinct, but she did her best to be there for the important things…the first day at school for Jamie, conferences with Jamie's teachers, family birthdays and celebrations, and Castle's social events and book launches…as well as the moments when her children seemed to need their mommy a little more than usual. And she still took random mornings or long lunches to surprise Jamie and be there to walk with them or to pick him up from school. He also knew there were times that it spread her personal resources pretty thin to do that; but especially after the lack of family importance that Meredith exhibited, it filled his heart that it was a priority for Kate. Castle was more than willing to be home with their children, and that wore on him and his work, too; but when Kate came home from work, she was always willing to take care of him when he needed it the same way he took care of her. They were still a good team, he thought to himself as he was pouring coffee for them.

It had been almost three weeks since Gates had dropped her little bombshell, and there had been no word from anyone at all. He could practically see Kate's mind worrying its way around it, wondering when she would know something; and he mentioned it as he handed her a mug of hot coffee.

"I just wish someone would say something one way or the other," she complained in response.

"Do they know that Gates mentioned it to you?"

"I don't know. I had the impression that they don't."

"Then they're probably taking the time to weigh their options, be sure that all the protocols are in place, and make their final decision, all blissfully unaware that you're left hanging. Victoria may be left hanging as well."

"I know you're right," she answered, "but it's still frustrating to feel like it could hit me at any time now…or not."

"I know," he answered, holding her close to console her. "Waiting is tough. Here. I made you a breakfast sandwich. I thought since you're going in late and walking Jamie to school, you might have time to enjoy it. And speaking of our son, he should be down here by now. Eat. I have one for him, too. I'll go check on him."

Kate sat down at the breakfast bar and bit into her sandwich, moaning at how good it was, and Castle soon came back down the stairs saying Jamie would be right behind him. "Everything was ready to go," he explained, "but he picked up a book before he put his shoes and socks on and got lost in it."

"Umph…" she answered after swallowing the second bite of sandwich. "He could have inherited that gene from either one of us."

"Worse things could happen," Castle said with a grin and kissed her head as he passed by to sit down next to her with his own sandwich. "Jo is still asleep. Since you'll have the boy, I might go back to bed and see how long she'll let me sleep."

"You should do that. You've earned it."

Jamie came down the stairs and dropped his backpack next to the door.

"Come on, Munchkin. Daddy made us sandwiches for breakfast, and they're really good."

She helped him up on the bar stool and he started on his breakfast, agreeing with Kate that it was good.

"Why aren't you dressed, Daddy? And where is Jo? You said it's time to leave for school."

"He's not dressed because Mommy is walking you to school this morning." Kate told him. "He's going back to bed and letting Jo sleep."

"You're walking with me…just us?"

"Yep. I'll take a taxi from school to work."

"Okay," he answered with a megawatt smile.

"Mommy mornings are special," Castle told her quietly. "I like my mommy mornings, too," he whispered with a flick of the brows.

"I like daddy mornings, too," she whispered back.

When breakfast was finished, the two school bound members of the family kissed Castle goodbye and went on their way. Kate was holding Jamie's hand; and as they talked about things they saw on their way, Kate discovered Castle had been playing the make-up-stories-about-people-but-don't-let-them-hear-you-do-it game with their son.

"So, what about the guy in the bright blue hat on the other side of the street?" she asked.

The man in question was a tall, well-built man who seemed to be in a hurry. It was hard to miss that bright blue hat, so Jamie caught it right away and had a superhero story ready in no time.

"I'm impressed. That was pretty fast."

"Your turn. She's across the street, too," Jamie said. "The lady in the red coat."

It was an older woman with white hair, a bit on the heavy side; and Kate spun another superhero tale that, without feeling she was giving him free rein to be disrespectful with his stories, still had Jamie laughing uproariously.

After hugging her son, speaking briefly with one of the teachers out front that morning and another mother who was dropping her child off, Kate walked to the corner, hailed a cab, and went to work.

xxxxx

The call she had been waiting for finally came that morning. The chief's secretary told her he wanted to meet with her the following morning at ten. She said she would be there, and then she dialed another number.

In response to the man who answered the phone, she said in her most confident tone of voice, "Captain Kate Beckett. I need to speak to Victoria Gates."

"I'll see if she's in."

Gates answered immediately. "Kate, did you just get a call from the chief's office?"

"I did. Is it what I think it is?"

"I believe so. A meeting at ten tomorrow?"

"How did you know?"

"I just got the same call. Probably finalizing a plan. They've had three weeks to talk it to death."

"Then I won't hold you up any longer. That was the whole purpose for the call. I wanted to be prepared just in case."

"Right now, I don't know any more than you do. I wish I could give you better answers."

"Well, I guess we'll both know tomorrow. Thank you."

"I'll see you in the morning," Gates answered.

The rest of the day went smoothly; but when Kate was back at home, Castle could see that something was on her mind.

"Come here. You look like you need a hug," he said, holding his arms out to make said hug easier for her.

"Oh, yeah. This helps," she answered, stepping into his arms and wrapping her arms around him, too.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked.

"I have a meeting with the chief tomorrow morning at ten. So does Victoria. I guess I'll know something by the time I get home tomorrow night."

"Good. Whether it's an outcome you're looking forward to or not, you'll at least know what it is; and then you can go from worrying about it…or not…to planning for it…or not. I'm kind of anxious to know something, too. It's worrying my wife."

They just stood for a long moment, enjoying the calming feeling of the easy time together, then Kate said, "You didn't tell me you had been playing the people watching game with Jamie."

"Yeah. He loves it. He's pretty good at it, too."

"I think it's obvious that he's inherited your storytelling gene. He whipped out a superhero story in no time this morning. What his super power was, where he was going in such a hurry, and what he did when he got there."

"He told me about your little old lady superhero this afternoon…. and laughed his way through it. I wish I'd been there." Leaning back to look at her, he asked excitedly, "Oh, did you think of a name for her?" Going into Martha mode, he stepped back slightly and said, "I can see it on the title screen. 'The Adventures of" (He sang a little fanfare and moved his hands dramatically as if unveiling the title.) "Geezer Girl."

Kate laughed and swatted his chest. "You're incorrigible."

"Guilty."

"Where are the kids?"

Playing in Jamie's room. I put the gate at the top of the stairs for Jo.

"Want to take the kids to the park and order something for dinner on the way home?"

"I'll go get them. I doubt they'll take too much convincing."

"Let me change clothes first so I don't slow them down and then I'll go get them. I haven't seen Jo all day. Did she let you have a little nap this morning?"

"A little over half an hour. I'm ready to go when you are."

Kate went up the stairs, dressed for a trip to the park with two children, and leaned against the door casing to watch when she reached Jamie's room. Both her children were sitting together in Jamie's beanbag chair, and he was reading Jo a Dr. Seuss book, complete with a Castle like presentation; and she was snuggled against him giving him her rapt attention. Kate waited until he finished reading and applauded from where she stood.

"Mommy!" Jo said excitedly, scrambling out of the chair and running to her. "Jamie read a book."

"I know. I heard him," she answered, picking up her daughter for hugs and kisses. Looking down to where Jamie was hugging her, she ruffled his hair and rubbed his shoulder as she said, "You're almost as good at that as your daddy. Have you read to Jo before?"

He shook his head. "No. That was the first time."

"I think she liked it. You were good at it," she told him as she squeezed his shoulder lovingly. After a little pause, she asked, "Anybody interested in spending some time at the park?"

Jo smiled and bounced in Kate's arms, saying, "Slide? Swings?"

Jamie picked up their shoes and handed Jo's to Kate, plopping down on the floor with his own. "I'll be ready in a minute," was his answer.

She sat down in the rocking chair and put Jo's shoes on her and they all went to meet Daddy.

"Looks like they like the idea," she said as Castle watched them coming down the stairs.

"Are you ready, Daddy?" Jamie asked as he bounded toward the door.

Both parents laughed, and went off to enjoy a late afternoon at the neighborhood park with their children.

xxxxx

The following morning, Kate went in to the precinct a little early to get a few things done before she had to be at her meeting. She let Malicot know she might be gone for a few hours and left the same information with Sergeant McDonald before leaving for Chief Dawson's office.

The meeting with the chief included Chief Dawson, Deputy Chief Alvarez, Deputy Inspector Gates, Inspector Auerbach, who she reports to, and Beckett. They were taken to a small conference room, and Chief Dawson greeted each of them, offering coffee and what he called the doughnut cliché before they started their meeting.

"Captain Beckett, it's good to see you again. I suppose you're wondering why you're here."

"Yes, Sir. I admit that it's crossed my mind."

"Well, let's settle into this meeting with some stereotypical police sustenance and we'll tell you."

Once everyone was at the table, notepads at the ready, the chief began. "Deputy Inspector Gates, we have read your previous reports and have noted the erratic solve rate at the twenty-seventh. We have also noted the gradual but steady decline over the past six months in spite of your discussions with Captain Lautrec. We agree with the additional concern about the drop in the conviction rates as well. It seems there have been several cases lately that the DA's office refused to take to court, citing inadequate information. Those reports should never have reached the District Attorney's office. In the past month, we've also had two complaints that officers handled situations on the street with too much force. That's also a major concern. We have discussed your recommendation of an offer of early retirement, and based on the recent, more rapid decline in quality of results from this precinct, we have reluctantly decided to make Captain Lautrec that offer." Turning to Kate, he continued. "Captain Beckett, that's why you're here. The captain's retirement is scheduled for the end of October, but we're concerned about the future state of the precinct if the decline we're seeing continues at this rate for five more months. We intend to transfer you to the twenty-seventh. We believe you have the necessary skills to return the precinct to the productive operation it used to be."

"When would this transfer take place, Sir?" Beckett asked.

"Probably the end of June. It's almost May. We can make the offer and have plenty of time to take care of any other arrangements that need to be made by then. Victoria has suggested the possibility of using the exchange program we piloted a few years ago when you were at the fifty-first. Is that something you might be interested in?"

"I would need more information than I have presently, but it's certainly a good possibility. I thought it worked well before. Has there been a big turnover of personnel at the twenty-seventh since the time you were happy with the performance of that precinct?"

"No, but we're beginning to see requests for transfers out."

"Then, if the twenty-seventh used to be a good, productive precinct, chances are that most of the officers and detectives know how to work effectively. They just need to remember how that felt. A month or two of exchanges with another precinct might be the shot in the arm that would do it."

"Then we'll consider that as an option. The rest of us have either worked with you or seen the results of your work first hand. I believe Inspector Auerbach has a few questions for you, and then we're open to any of your questions."

Auerbach asked his questions and seemed satisfied with the answers, and Kate asked a few of her own. After that, Chief Dawson said, "Then we'll plan on the change of command on July first.

"Have you decided who will replace me at the twelfth?" Beckett asked.

"We have several options in mind."

"May I make a suggestion to add to those in consideration?"

"We can't promise anything more than considering it right now."

"Captain O'Conner at the fifty-first. His approach to things is very similar to mine. And I don't know where Lieutenant Malicot is on the candidate list for captain, but his credentials are excellent, his test score is impressive, and he and Lieutenant Lorins have both shown good judgment in handling things for me when I'm out of the precinct. If the possibility is there, I'd give him my highest recommendation for the fifty-first."

"Having worked with lieutenants Malicot and Lorins, I would concur with Captain Beckett's high opinion of either of them," Gates contributed.

"We'll take it under advisement, Captain. And we'll look forward to having you return the twenty-seventh to its former competence." Chief Dawson stood and shook Beckett's hand. "I know the situation isn't ideal, but I have every confidence that you can turn it around. Thank you for your willing cooperation."

"Yes Sir," Beckett answered.

"One of us will be in touch as things progress," the chief promised.

"Captain Beckett, it was a pleasure to meet you," Inspector Auerbach said on his way out. "I'll look forward to seeing you work."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Sir." She shook his hand and joined Gates, who was also ready to leave.

"Do you have time for an early lunch?" Beckett asked her. "Not knowing how long this meeting would take, I gave myself time."

"There's a new place on the next block. I hear they have a pretty eclectic menu. Word is the food is good. Shall we see for ourselves?"

"Lead the way."

As they talked during lunch, Beckett noted, "It looks like you slipped the exchange program into your recommendations pretty effectively."

Gates smiled conspiratorially. "And your follow up was well done. I thought we handled that rather well." Then Gates told Beckett, "I've seen Auerbach's responses in enough meetings to know his tells. He was impressed when you were answering his questions. You can count on some visits. I'm sure he meant what he said about looking forward to seeing you work. After I turned in my last report and recommendations, he made a precinct observation visit of his own; so he knows where you're starting there."

"Well, since this transfer is definitely going to happen, I'm glad I know now. Jamie's school is out a little before the public schools. That will give us some time for a trip to the beach before I have to dive into the new job."

"How did Richard Castle take the news? I assume you've told him."

"Philosophically. I haven't mentioned this to anyone else other than Rick and didn't intend to for a while, so…"

"Whatever it is, no one will hear it from me."

"We've talked about how long I'd work full time, and we agreed on five years. I'll have my twenty by then, by fall of 2021. Rick can afford to do whatever he wants, and he likes to travel; but my job holds us back. So he regards anything between now and then as part of the countdown to more family time in the long run."

"In spite of my initial opinion, which I can now admit was colored by having a civilian forced into my precinct against my will, I do respect your husband. He's a good man.

"He is. I'm not sure how I was lucky enough that he chose me, in spite of the emotional mess I was when we met; but I plan to spend the rest of our lives letting him know we're in this together." Kate chuckled. "Castle has made a standing sugar daddy offer available as long as we've together, even knowing I wouldn't take it." Gates smiled at that. "He respects strong women. He and his mother throw insults back and forth, but they're completely devoted to one another. He knows how hard it was for her to be on her own and have both her son and her career. And he raised his daughter to enjoy the princess fantasies but taught her to be the princess who could save herself. He's already slipping girl power cartoons into Jo's purview. He's willing and capable of stepping in to save me, physically, emotionally, however I need it; but I think he's proud that I don't always have to hold back and wait for him. He understands what I do and why I do it and gives me unconditional support." She stopped and took a sip of her coffee, looking a bit self-conscious. "Well, that was probably more than you wanted to hear."

"You sound happy with your life. That's always good to hear," Gates answered with a smile. "Will you retire completely? You've been doing this for so long, and you're so good at the work. Can you just give it up cold turkey?"

I'd like to think there are smaller things I can do…something in the line of temporary assignments, consulting, teaching… I'll need to look into it more as it gets closer. Castle is on board with that idea, too. But I don't know if it would be considered."

Gates answered. "They're going to do everything they can think of to change your mind about retirement in general, let alone full retirement."

"I promised Castle to at least cut way back. They don't have enough to offer to make me renege on that promise. But…until then, I'll accept whatever they throw at me and do my best to make it work."