8. Sunday Afternoon

Detective Kate Beckett hummed quietly to herself as she switched off the ignition of her patrol car and glanced around the parking lot of the hospital. What false hope she’d been clinging to all morning concerning Randy Bellefonte’s ability to undo his mother’s work was all but gone, having steadily faded as the meeting grew closer.

The parking lot had a decent number of cars filling the closely spaced spots, but she appeared to be the only person in the vicinity. That suited her just fine. Beckett took a deep breath and informed herself that this case was about to be cracked wide open. Her star witness was going to come through in a big way and by this time tomorrow, she’d be laughing with her full-size partners about how silly they’d been for getting so emotional about everything.

“Now, if only I could believe that.” The sound of her own voice seemed to echo forebodingly through the interior of the car. “Pull yourself together, Becks.” Beckett shook her head to clear the negative thoughts. She checked her hair and makeup in the visor mirror, then threw open her car door and stepped into the warm summer sun. Late June could always be counted on for nice days like the current one.

Her heels clicked steadily as she crossed the pavement to the hospital entry. As she passed through the glass storefront, the cool air of the interior took a few seconds to adjust to. By the time she reached the nurse seated at the curved reception desk, the temperature felt comfortable.

“Detective Beckett, NYPD. I’m here to see Nora Bellefonte.” She flashed her badge at the comely woman in scrubs.

“Yes, detective. She’s in room 305. The elevators are right around the corner.” The nurse jabbed her pen in the direction of a wide hallway.

“Does Ms. Bellefonte currently have any other visitors?”

“Both of her sons.”

“Thank you.” Beckett hid her displeasure from the nurse at the news that Rayford was there. It didn’t really surprise her. The middle-aged man seemed a bit obsessed with his mother and would have been hard to keep away from her. Fortunately, it seemed the younger brother was there as well.

The hallway and elevator smelled like hospital. She crinkled her nose in dislike. The smell reminded her of snipers and all the more recently, poisoned lemonade. She decided to invite Randy to join her somewhere less deathly for their interview. Beckett stepped off the elevator on the third floor and found the nurses’ stand immediately. She didn’t need to ask for directions to 305. Raised male voices carried from the room as the Bellefonte sons argued. Beckett made eye contact with the young nurse who silently begged her to do something. Rayford didn’t exactly respect police officers, but Beckett figured she could try to diffuse the situation.

In the end, she didn’t have to. A handsome man with thick dark hair and a cappuccino complexion to match Esposito’s emerged from the room with hunched shoulders and a deep scowl. He looked enough like the two Bellefontes with whom Beckett was already familiar, so she didn’t need help identifying him. Of course, he didn’t recognize her at first, but the pasty man with dyed black hair who followed him out of the room, still cursing colorfully, did.

“You!” Rayford shoved past his brother to march up to Beckett and shove a bony finger in her face. “This is all your fault, bitch!”

“Take a step back, Mr. Bellefonte,” said Beckett evenly. She forced all of her confidence forward, trying to appear intimidating so he would move away. It worked to a degree.

“Detective Beckett?” asked the younger brother. His tired brown eyes were framed with thick lashes and set between well defined cheek bones and a perfectly sculpted brow.

“Yes. Mr. Randy Bellefonte?” He nodded and his posture loosened slightly. Randy ran a hand through his wavy hair as he turned to face his brother.

“Ray, get out of the detective’s way.”

“Shut up. She’s the one who put our precious mother in this hell hole.” Rayford’s eyes glinted in the fluorescent light and Beckett could see the manic in them. She had to consciously resist the urge to step away from him.

“Because she made two police officers sick.”

“How dare you side with these lemmings.” Randy took a step back and wiped his hand across his smoothly shaved face to remove the spittle that had landed there as his older brother spat the last insult. “This is exactly why mother hated you.”

A hospital orderly and two security guards approached the trio then, shadowed by a nervous looking nurse. The larger of the two guards, dressed in his standard black uniform, spoke first. “Excuse me, gentlemen. You’re disrupting the patients and staff here. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I will not.”

“If you don’t go quietly, I’ll arrest you.” The guard retrieved a set of steel handcuffs from his belt. Beckett raised an eyebrow. As far as she knew, this hospital didn’t employee full-time NYPD officers to wait idly for incidents like this to pan out.

“I dare you to try,” hissed Rayford. The large security guard took a threatening step forward, reaching for his baton. Rayford’s bravado abandoned him. He pushed passed Beckett roughly to make the stairwell adjacent to the elevators. With one disturber of the peace gone, the guard turned to Randy.

“He’s with me,” said Beckett.

“And you are?” The security guard looked down his nose at her with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Detective Beckett of the 12th,” she answered, showing him her badge. The guard dropped his arms and smiled sheepishly at her.

“Of course, ma’am.” He casually returned the handcuffs to his utility belt. “Let me know if that rat comes back.”

“Thank you.” She winked at him as he and his fellow guard turned to leave. She wasn’t above pretending herself to have more authority than she really did to get unruly witnesses or suspects to cooperate.

“Detective Beckett, I’m very sorry for this,” said Randy. “I usually try to behave with a little more class, but my family has a way of bringing out the worst in me.”

“I’ve dealt with your family myself. I understand.” Beckett had enough practice hiding bruises under carefully applied makeup that she was confident the evidence of her interaction with the older Bellefonte remained hidden. “How is your mother doing?”

Randy sighed and shifted his weight uncomfortably as he glanced down the hall towards room 305. “Honestly, it doesn’t look that good. She hasn’t woken up yet and one of the doctors worries that she’ll slip into a coma before nightfall.”

“I’m sorry.” Beckett was surprised that she honestly did feel bad for the man before her. He carried himself like someone who’d been through years of struggle and what little triumph he’d found in escaping his past was quickly fleeting as it all caught back up with him.

“That’s kind of you to say,” said Randy. “After what they did… well, you’re a bigger person than I might be in your shoes.”

“How long have you been here, Dr. Bellefonte?”

“Please, call me Randy.” He flashed a timid smile of straight, pearly white teeth. “I’ve been here long enough to get into it with my brother, so about… five minutes?”

“Now that he’s temporarily scared away, did you want to go back in?” Randy nodded after a moment of hesitation. Together they re-entered room 305.

Nora Bellefonte was the only patient in the room, though a bored looking prison guard sat in the uncomfortable corner chair. The old woman looked deathly pale in the narrow bed, but the heart rate monitor beeped steadily beside her, assuring Beckett that the witch still lived. Beckett approached the bed slowly so she could get a closer look. Randy waited a short distance away. She couldn’t tell if it was too difficult for him to see his mother looking so ill or if he truly despised her too much to get close.

The deep wrinkles and creases that Beckett remembered seemed smoother now as Ms. Bellefonte slept. She hardly looked like the type to curse two innocent strangers, nor to be involved in the murder of a drug addict. Beckett knew better than to let appearances fool her but this was testing her reason. Even now she found herself doubting that Ms. Bellefonte was involved in her current mess.

Beckett took a step away from the bed and tore her eyes away from the old woman’s face. She took a deep breath and sought out Randy. He looked a bit worried at her reaction. The detective decided that she needed some air. There was no doubt that the witch had turned Ryan and Esposito into little kids. No. Doubt. “Can I buy you a coffee, Randy?”

“Sure.” He didn’t comment on her strange behavior as they made their way out of the hospital. They reached the visitor’s lot in silence, which Randy finally broke as they stood on the wide sidewalk and Beckett took a couple deep, cleansing breaths. “I’d offer to drive, but you probably know this part of the city better than I do. Let me grab something out of my car.” Beckett nodded. She walked over to her cruiser and waited patiently for Randy to pop the trunk of his BMW and pull out a worn leather-bound journal. He tucked the book under his arm and joined her in the unmarked police car.

“Do you mind if I make a quick phone call, doctor?”

“Please,” he replied, gesturing towards the smart phone she held aloft. He turned to look out the passenger side window as Beckett skillfully navigated towards a local café. Even if he was trying to give her privacy, Beckett knew that he would be privy to her entire side of the conversation, so she promised herself to keep it short. She just needed to hear Castle’s voice for one minute.

He answered just before the call went to voicemail. “Hello? You all right, Kate?”

“Hey Castle. I’m just leaving the hospital. Dr. Bellefonte and I are going to get coffee and talk about the case.”

“Is he a whack-a-doodle like his mom and bro?”

Beckett laughed briefly. “No.” She grew more somber. “Ms. Bellefonte is still unconscious.”

“That’s not good. Bellefonte the Younger manage to give you any sort of cure yet?”

“We haven’t spoken about that, yet.”

“Please, take your time. My sanity is only partially shredded at this point.” Beckett smiled again.

“Thank you, Castle.”

“I’m not sure what for, but you’re welcome.” She could feel the warmth in his tone through the phone. The axis of her world straightened slightly and it became a little easier to breathe.

“I’ll call you again in a couple hours.”

“Good-bye.” Beckett ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket.

“’Castle’ wouldn’t happen to be Richard Castle, mystery-writer, would it?” asked Randy.

“It is,” admitted Beckett. “He’s been consulting with the precinct for a few years now.”

“Right. The Nikki Heat novels.”

“Have you read them?” asked Beckett. She glanced over at her passenger.

“No, but I see the displays every time I go into a bookstore and I know that his main character is based off a real homicide detective,” said Randy. “I’m not much of a mystery person - I tend to stick to medical journals or biographies.”

They reached the café and Beckett thanked the traffic gods that she was able to find a spot easily. Apparently this part of town was less popular during the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday. They walked inside together. Randy still had the journal tucked under his arm. Beckett selected a booth in the corner which should offer them some degree of privacy while they spoke. The waitress brought Beckett a mug of the house coffee while Randy opted for a glass of iced tea and a small salad. He admitted to skipping lunch.

“I have a bunch of questions for you about your ex-wife, Serafina Valduerez, but I’d prefer to talk about that downtown,” said Beckett.

“I understand. Being the ex-husband automatically makes me a suspect, right?”

“Not necessarily.” Beckett smiled uncomfortably. Ex-husbands did make good candidates for murder, considering most divorces turned pretty ugly by the end, especially when a lot of money was involved. “Dotting all my I’s and crossing all the T’s will ensure that Ms. Valduerez gets the justice she deserves.”

“Of course. But you have another case, one that you’re trying to solve off the record.” Randy smiled supportively at her. Beckett felt a small weight lift off her chest. She could tell that the doctor wanted to help her. Beckett nodded eagerly at him.

“Okay, detective, you have to keep a lot of things in mind. First, I’ve been away from all this hocus-pocus for a long time and I’m a little rusty. Secondly, by the time I was ‘excommunicated’ my mother hadn’t been working such dangerous magic. She’s become a lot more daring recently. Thirdly, I’m not going to do anything that could potentially cause more harm than good.”

The weight slammed back down, joined by a few of its heavier friends. The fear that Randy Bellefonte wouldn’t be able or willing to help them weaseled back into her heart. She suddenly wished that Castle was with her.

“I take it you found something?” Beckett was proud of her voice for sounded steady and strong despite the frantic flutter of her heart.

Randy nodded. He opened the journal to a marked page and turned it to be right-side up to Beckett. She reached forward and pulled the book towards herself. The cream colored page was filled with blue and black ink. Nora Bellefonte’s handwriting made her think of someone who’d been exposed to the careful calligraphy standards of the older generation but hadn’t quite put in the effort in to master it. Not only that, the shorthand was not in English.

“This appears to be the spell that Mother used to turn Serafina into a child,” said Randy. He tapped on the top of the page. “Do you read Spanish, Detective?”

“Not as well as I would like,” she admitted. Esposito probably could have made sense of the mess of words.

“Well, what you’re looking at is a brief summary of the spell’s potion and the ingredients that go into it,” explained Randy. “Mother took her magic seriously and she kept good record of her work. In the margin are some of the negative side effects that she noted in Serafina.”

“There aren’t that many,” said Beckett. She made eye contact with the doctor. “That’s good.”

“For Serafina,” said Randy. His brow furrowed as he flipped forward a few pages. “It seems that Mother was trying to make the spell last longer. At first, Sera stayed small for about three weeks. Both the transformation and the return to normalcy sound pretty brutal. Nausea, stomach bleeding, migraines, etcetera.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Despite that, Sera wanted to be small and she was willing to go through the sickness. Mother notes that each time she returned to adult-size, the illness grew worse and lasted longer. In the long run, the spell would kill her.” Randy cleared his throat. “A moral person would have stopped there, but Mother and Rayford long ago abandoned any kind of personal responsibility to their fellow humans. So, she kept researching and trying new ratios of the active ingredients to make the spell last longer.” He stopped on a page dated about two weeks earlier. “Apparently, the recent go around should have kept Sera small for eight weeks.”

“Do you think this is what your mother gave to my detectives?”

“Ah, no,” said the doctor. “Of course, I haven’t seen them for myself, so I don’t know what exactly she did to them. But based on what she was researching since Sera’s last transformation, I think she may have found a stabilizing ingredient to make the spell last much longer.”

“How much longer?”

“Detective, I haven’t had time to study the spell myself and reason out how long I think the effects would last. All I know is what she was hoping to achieve. Magic is a lot of theoretical work and until you actually cast the spell, it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen. It’s a lot like medicine in that way.”

Beckett recognized hedging when she saw it. He wouldn’t answer her question directly because he thought she wasn’t going to like the answer. Unfortunately, any time frame longer than ten more seconds was going to make her unhappy, so he might as well just tell her. “How long, Dr. Bellefonte?”

He swallowed thickly and sat back in the booth. Nervously, he ran his hand through his tousled hair again. “I’m really sorry, detective.” She leveled one of her more dangerous glares at him. He turned to the last written page of the journal and pointed to a hastily scrawled word in Nora Bellefonte’s now familiar handwriting. “This translates literally to ‘forever.’ I think Mother thought she had found a way to make the spell permanent.”

Para siempre.

Forever.

xXx

“What do you have in mind?” asked Javier.

“Serafina Valduerez was on her way to Radiant Pines. Now, that’s an expensive little elementary school set in the heart of one of New York’s more affluent neighborhoods. How would a poor, drug-addled girl from upstate get into that school?”

“Maybe she was sneaking in?”

“No, Beckett looked into that, remember? The school had Valduerez listed as a student there.”

“I was the one who checked out the school,” said Kevin. “All I did was confirm that she was listed in their directory. We never got as far as actually talking to anyone there before… this.” He motioned vaguely to himself and Javier.

“So, let’s go do some investigating.” Castle grinned. “I can pretend to be a new homeowner who needs to locate a school for his young relations and you two can play the part of the young relations.”

“On a cloudy day, you might be able to pass Kevin off as one of your ‘relations’ but not me,” said Javier.

“We’ll say that my sister married a prominent Hispanic lawyer and you take after your father. So I don’t look like a total creeper, we’ll hope that the admissions officer hasn’t had her prescription upgraded in a while and believes that Kevin is my kid.” Castle took another bite of his lasagna.

“Why don’t we just repel off the side of the building with an acrobat from YouTube?”

“Very funny, Javi. Besides, that’s my plan for breaking into the British Consulate, not a hoity-toity elementary school.”

“I’m up for doing a little sleuthing,” said Javier. The writer had thought the older detective would be easy to convince. Javier, who had graciously forgiven him and re-instated first name privileges, had seemed on the verge of cabin fever since waking from their impromptu nap.

“Kevin?”

“Beckett will say no.”

“Bro, you need to relax a little,” complained Javier. “Where’s the Kevin who went against both Beckett and Captain Gates to track down Ben Lee?” Castle grinned to himself at the memory. He still had the picture of the boys in their ‘college’ getups, which he looked at when he needed a quick pick-me-up.

Kevin frowned at Javier. “I’m not saying no. All I’m saying is that Beckett won’t like it.”

“So? If she gets mad, she’ll take it out on Castle anyway.”

“I’m sitting right here,” said Castle. He waved his fork threateningly at Javier. The Cuban just smiled innocently at him. As a six-year-old, he did innocent fairly convincingly. It wasn’t fair. “What do you say, Kevin?”

“Fresh air sounds good to me.” The blond pushed his plate away and settled back on his heels.

“Nuh uh.” Castle reached over and pushed the plate back towards the younger detective. “If you don’t eat at least six more bites, our next stop after the school is going to be the pediatrician for advice on toddler nutrition.”

Kevin looked a little green but he obediently picked up his fork again. Castle watched him critically as he lifted the first bite to his mouth and eventually swallowed it. Javier apparently found a little more of his appetite as well. He returned to eating with renewed energy.

Three small forkfuls later, Castle relented and picked up Kevin’s plate. He also collected his own and Javier’s, which he deposited in the sink to be cleaned later. “Go find something nice to wear,” he instructed the boys. “I know Martha got you each a pair of dress pants and collared shirts.”

“Too bad she didn’t find a sweater vest in size 4T,” said Javier as he slipped out of his seat.

“Shut up.” Kevin chased his partner down the hall towards the guest room. Castle shook his head and decided to tend to the dishes immediately. He scraped the Italian into the garbage disposal and loaded all of the dirtied dishes and cookware into the dishwasher. After a brief wipe down with a damp rag, he declared the kitchen good enough and went to find his own undercover outfit.

An hour later, the three males stood in front of the thick oak doors of Radiant Pines Primary School. Castle could see his reflection in the dark glass of the door lite, beyond which stretched a posh hallway, lit only by the sunlight streaming in from the tall windows along the north wall.

“Good job, Castle,” said Javier sarcastically.

The writer squeezed the little hand clasped in his own larger left hand. “I don’t recall either of you geniuses mentioning that the school is probably closed on Sunday, either.”

“So now what?” asked Kevin from Castle’s other side.

Castle looked around hopefully for anything that would make their trip down there worthwhile. All he could see was a semi-public playground across the street where a few families from the neighborhood were spending the sunny afternoon. “Let’s go over there. I always think better on a swing.” His mind traveled briefly to Kate. He knew that she was fond of the idle movement of a swing while she mused on her latest case or various personal problems.

Between the school and the playground was a pretty busy street. Actually, the park was located in the middle of a very wide roundabout. The protected crosswalk over to the central island was on the far side of the traffic circle. Castle decided that traffic wasn’t so bad. He and Javier could probably dart across without too much trouble. “Think we can make it, Javi?”

“Castle…” Kevin eyed the writer distrustfully. The cars zipped past them regularly.

“Come on,” said Castle as he lifted the smaller boy up onto his hip. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of your Irish luck left.” A gap in the cars opened up just then and Castle made his move. He grabbed Javier’s hand and dragged the detective into the street.

“Going to kill you,” Kevin promised as Castle jogged across the pavement. He wrapped his arms around Castle's neck tightly, nearly choking the writer. Javier had to practically sprint to keep up, but they made it without incident. Once they were safely on the grass, Castle shared an adrenaline fueled grin with Javier as the detective panted briefly to catch his breath. Kevin squirmed to be put down, which Castle allowed, practically dropping the toddler the short distance to the ground.

“Come on, I see some open swings over there,” said the writer. He led the way across the grassy area and into the woodchips that surrounded the various play structures. A couple of the nannies, watching their own charges dart about the area, smiled faintly at the handsome gentleman as he passed them. He returned their looks with a charming smile of his own. A second later, pain shot up his leg from his knee where one of his devil-spawned charges had hit him.

“Stop flirting,” ordered Javier. His no-nonsense scowl reminded Castle of Beckett and the reason he shouldn’t be flirting in the first place. Still… ouch!

“Go push your cousin on the swings,” hissed Castle. He shoved Javier towards the set, where Kevin was already inspecting one of the wood seats and plastic covered chains. The boy jogged over to his partner while Castle limped exaggeratedly towards the closest bench. His phone started belting out Beckett’s ringtone. He struggled to pull it from his pocket but managed to hit Talk before he missed the call.

It was good to hear her voice. Unfortunately, she was still with Bellefonte the Younger, so he couldn’t tell her how horrible her junior partner was and how badly his knee ached. Actually, he couldn’t even really feel it anymore, but no one else knew that.

Kate sounded upset. He instantly grew concerned and his gaze snapped to the two shrunken detectives who appeared to be in the midst of setting up a competition of sorts. However, whatever had bothered the female detective didn’t sound like it related to her boys. Castle made a mental note to ask her about it when they had some privacy. For now, he tried to cheer her up. It seemed to work and she hung up with him sounding more like herself. He slid the phone into his pocket and returned to watching the boys try to pump themselves to higher heights.

Someone who smelled very nicely of vanilla and lavender sat next to him. Castle looked over at the woman who appeared to be in her early thirties and was quite comely. Her carefully styled dark blonde hair was a little disheveled from the wind but the look suited her. Castle hoped that motherhood looked as good on Kate as it did this stranger. “Hi, I’m Ellen Rath,” she said, holding out her hand. Castle shook it.

“Rick Rodgers,” he offered, deciding to keep up the ruse they would have used had the school been open.

“Yours?” she asked, looking towards the swing set where the detectives had managed to get themselves quite high.

“The blond. The other one belongs to my sister.”

“I don’t mean to question your parenting techniques, but isn’t your son a little small to not use a bucket seat?”

“Um… He’s fine,” stuttered Castle. “He’s practically grown up on swings. He’d be a pro by now if there was such a thing… or if little kids could be professionals at anything.” He could have smacked himself for sounding like an idiot who didn’t know what he was doing. Ellen simply chuckled quietly.

“Let me guess, you don’t get the kids much? Does your ex have custody most of the time?”

“My ex?”

“I, ah, noticed you’re not wearing a ring,” she admitted. “Sorry, I’m awful about butting into other people’s personal business.”

“It’s okay. You’d make a good detective.” She smiled thankfully at him and he couldn’t help but return the look. “Where are your offspring?”

“My daughter Mia is over on the slide,” said Ellen. “It’s her favorite.”

“Is she as good at the slide as my boy is at the swings?”

“Possibly. She is serious about that slide.” Ellen tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear that was fluttering in her face. “You don’t look familiar to me. Are you new to the neighborhood?”

“Yes, actually. Moved in a few days ago. My, um, sister and her husband have been helping me get adjusted. Gina, my ex-wife, had a last minute board meeting and the nanny is sick so I am in charge of Kevin today. Lanie kicked me out of my own house, telling me to go exploring with the kids so she could actually get some work done.”

“I thought so. You know, there is a crosswalk over there, so you don’t have to play Frogger with traffic to get here.” Ellen pointed towards the stripped walk on the far side of the island.

“So you saw that exemplary example of parenting, too.” Castle felt a blush creep up his neck. He wasn’t sure why having all his mistakes pointed out to him was embarrassing. After all, the boys weren’t really kids.

“You’ll learn,” she said. She patted his arm encouragingly. “How old are they?”

“Um, four and six. They’re pretty good kids, usually… What the fuck?!” He shot up off the bench and didn’t even register if Ellen was offended by his slip as he sprinted towards the swing set. His two charges had just shot off their respective swings at the top of their forward arcs and gone flying across the mulch to land in crumpled heaps near the edge of the grass. He could already imagine the gasping sobs as the pain of multiple broken bones registered with the two idiots who were… arguing about who had landed further from the play piece.

“Bro, I totally beat you by like a foot,” said Javier.

“You’re taller than me, so what should count is how close your feet are to the swings, not your head,” argued Kevin. “I obviously won.”

“There is no way you jumped further than me.”

“There’s only one way to settle this. Again?” Javier nodded resolutely. Both were airborne before they could push themselves off the ground, hoisted into the air by the backs of their shirts and shaken roughly by an enraged writer.

“What in the hell were you two thinking?” demanded Castle.

“What?” asked Javier.

“Why would you jump off a perfectly good swing and give me a heart attack?”

“What?”

“Shut up, Javi. That is not cute.” Castle put them back on the ground so he could take each of their hands and march them towards his bench where Ellen still sat, her eyes glistening with tears of laughter as she tried to hide her amusement. “Sit,” he ordered, pointing Javier to the far end of the bench. He picked Kevin up and settled the blond on his lap, since the bench wasn’t really big enough for all four of them.

“Hi,” said Ellen, smiling warmly at the captive detective. “Kevin, right? My name is Ellen. Your daddy told me that he just bought a house in the neighborhood.”

Castle held his breath as Kevin stared at the woman with wide blue eyes that acutely portrayed his confusion. To Castle’s immense relief, the detective recalled their cover story for the school admission officer and his round face smoothed out as he slipped into his role. “I jumped further than Javi.”

Ellen broke out into musical laughter as Javier exclaimed, “You did not!” from the other side of Castle. “It doesn’t matter who jumped further,” said Castle. “You’re both in so much trouble. I’m going to tell Beckett about this and you’ll never be allowed to leave the loft again.”

The evil duo did not seem fazed by his threat. Instead, Javier leaned over so he could have a clear view of his partner’s face, as well as the charming mother who had made a point to critique his parenting. “Why, who is Beckett, Kev?”

Kevin grinned widely. “Daddy’s girlfriend.”

Castle hated them so much. Really, they lived to make his life impossible. What had he ever done to the two of them to deserve this?

Ellen, predictably, sat up a little straighter and smoothed down her linen slacks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone.” She looked towards the slide, responsibly making sure that her daughter was still safe.

“How could you have known?” Castle tried to pull back on his charming façade. These two hooligans were completely cramping his style. “Yes, her name is Katherine, but she still lives and works up north.”

“I see. What do you think of Miss Katherine, sweetie?” She looked expectantly at Kevin.

“She’s too good for him.”

“Ouch,” said Castle. “You’re supposed to be on my side, son.” He discretely dug his fingertips into the toddler’s side. Kevin bore the discomfort stoically, unwilling to give up his game.

“Sorry, Daddy.”

“Can we go home now?” asked Javier. He tugged on Castle’s sleeve. The writer looked down at him. He knew that Javier didn’t like pretending to be a little kid, nor Castle having any kind of social life outside of the 12th.

“No.” Take that, brat. “Your mother made it very clear I’m not allowed to bring you two back until two hours have passed. It’s only been forty-five minutes.” Javier scowled in a way that six-year-olds probably didn’t learn for another five to ten years.

“My mother also said not to talk to strangers.”

“Well, that’s because you’re about four feet tall, midget. I can talk to whomever I want.”

“They’re very precocious,” said Ellen.

“I read to them a lot. I dabble in writing in my free time.” He bounced his knee when Kevin pretended to yawn widely, jarring the detective back ‘awake.’

“What do you write?”

“Mysteries,” said Castle at the same time Javier offered, “Explicit adult content.”

“Oh my.”

“I hope you like soap because that’s what you’re having for dinner, Javi.” He wiped the glare from his face as he turned to look at Ellen again. “Sorry, kids. What can I say?”

“Don’t worry, Mia says some pretty funny things, too.” Speaking of, the little girl abandoned her slide and came running over to her mother’s side. She was a pretty thing, with blonde hair halfway between Kevin’s pale locks and her mother’s darker hue. When she started to talk hurriedly to her mother, Castle could see that her two front teeth were missing. He guessed that she was about seven, given that she was a little bigger than Javi.

Ellen interrupted Mia’s rapid story-telling to introduce her to Rick Rodgers and his charges. Mia obediently said hello to the three males before resuming her story about what the other children had just done. Ellen assured her that the others were just being typical children and Mia should let them be. The girl didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she returned to the playground nonetheless, seeking out her playmates once more.

“Javi, do you and Kevin want to join Mia? That is, of course, if time out is over?” She looked expectantly at Castle.

“Um, sure.” The writer looked down at the two detectives. “Go play. But do not, under any circumstances, challenge anyone else to more hare-brained circus stunts.”

“Don’t want to,” argued Kevin. He dropped his head against Castle’s sternum.

“Don’t be shy,” said Ellen. “They’re all very nice children. Mia goes to school with most of them. In fact, they go to that school right over there.” She pointed towards Radiant Pines.

“Your daughter attends Radiant Pines?” Castle sat up a little straighter. He could sense the two detectives perk up as well.

“Yes, she loves it there.”

“That’s good to hear. Javier will probably transfer down here in the fall. My sister is going to stay with me for a while as I get back on my feet from the divorce. She knows another family whose daughter attends Radiant Pines. Maybe you know her? Serafina Valduerez?”

“Oh.” Ellen pursed her lips as if she had something not very nice to say, but didn’t want to speak ill of anyone’s friends. “Mia played with a girl named Serafina for a short time. I felt bad for the child, but she wasn’t the sort I wanted playing with my daughter.”

“How so? Don’t worry, Lanie didn’t say she was friends with the family.”

“Excuse me,” said Javier, looking up suspiciously at Castle. “Your sister’s name is ‘Lanie’?” In his lap, Kevin snickered.

“Yes, well, you might call her ‘mama’ but she has a grown up name, too.” Castle cleared his throat and turned away from the invisible daggers shooting out of Javier’s eyes. “You were saying about Serafina Valduerez?”

“My understanding is that she was adopted,” said Ellen. “A nice older couple had taken her in a couple months ago and she started attending Radiant Pines not long after that. It sounds like Serafina came from a troubled background, which probably explains her poor behavior.”

“Like jumping off swings and purposely trying to embarrass people?”

“Not quite. Mainly she stole things.” Ellen frowned. “She even stole a bracelet from Mia once. Granted, it wasn’t anything special - just a circle of cubic zirconium that you can get at the mall for about ten dollars. One time she stole a set of real pearl earrings out of her teacher’s desk. They were recovered and Serafina was allowed to stay, given her circumstances. Still, most of the parents won’t let her come play at their houses.”

“Wow, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Did she ever steal anything besides jewelry?” asked Kevin. Castle guessed that the mini detective was desperately missing his little notepad and pen. He imagined the toddler taking notes during an investigation and had to bite his lip to keep from smiling.

“Trinkets, food, minor stuff I guess,” said Ellen. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a kleptomaniac at some point.” If she was waiting expectantly for the typical ‘what’s a klep… klepto… what’s that?’ from either of his kids, she was doomed to be disappointed. If they were going to have to maintain this charade for any extended period of time, Castle would ask his mother to give to boys acting lessons on how to portray convincing little kids.

“Did she ever steal anything from Mia besides the bracelet?” asked Javier.

“I don’t believe so,” said Ellen. “After that, Mia didn’t want to spend time with her anymore.”

Castle’s cell phone started to ring again. Both boys would recognize Kate’s special ringtone, so they looked at him expectantly when the familiar notes slipped out of his pocket. He offered an apologetic look to Ellen as he fished out the vibrating device. It slipped from his fingers when Kevin shifted unexpectedly, upsetting his balance briefly. The phone landed in Javier’s lap. The Cuban detective deftly slid off the bench and answered the call, dodging out of Castle’s reach.

“Hi, Beckett!”

“Give me the phone, Javier!” Castle dumped Kevin in Javier’s vacated spot and launched himself across the park for the second time in less than thirty minutes, giving chase as the six-year-old held his phone captive.

“We’re at the park near Radiant Pines Primary School,” Javier told the senior detective. “Castle is flirting with the single moms.”

“You are going to regret this,” promised Castle. The tips of his fingers brushed the cotton of Javier’s shirt as the detective evaded capture.

“Investigating Serafina Valduerez. Yes, yes, we’re being safe. The school isn’t even open, but we met a lady in the park whose daughter was playmates with mini-Sera until the vic went klepto and starting stealing stuff.”

“Stop running from me.” Really, how hard should it be to catch one little kid? Javier was slipperier than an eel. His military training was obviously being put to bad use.

“What’s wrong, Beckett?” Javier stopped running, giving Castle the chance to scoop him up. Castle immediately noted the concern on the younger man’s face as he listened closely to whatever Kate was telling him. He didn’t even struggle as Castle carried him back towards the bench where Kevin waited nicely with Ellen. Halfway back, Javier frowned at the phone but held it up to Castle’s ear.

“Kate, you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need a minute,” she replied. “What’s going on over there?”

“Chasing down my phone,” said Castle. “Your boys are terrorists, for your information. You might want to let Homeland Security know.”

“Javi mentioned you’re down near Valduerez’s school. Can I meet you somewhere nearby in fifteen?”

“Sure. Are you really all right, Kate?”

“I just need to see you, Castle. Isn’t there an ice cream parlor a couple blocks from the school?”

“That bad? Yeah, I know what shop you mean.” The call waiting started beeping in Castle’s ear. “Kate, hold on, I have another call coming in. One second. Javier, switch the lines.” The detective did as requested. By then, Castle had reached the bench and was able to set Javier down and take the phone for himself. “Mother, how nice of you to call.”

“Richard, someone broke into the loft! The whole place has been torn apart.” Castle could hear the genuine fear in his mother’s voice. He felt his own panic flutter in his chest. He was so glad that Alexis had headed back to Columbia shortly before he and the boys had started out for the south side.

“Get out of there and call the police,” he instructed.

“I am calling the police.”

“As flattering as that is, I’m not actually the police and no, the boys don’t count at the minute.” He ignored Ellen’s confused look at his strange comments. Kevin and Javier stared at him in concern. “Go wait in the lobby and call 9-1-1. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay, Ricky. Please hurry.”

“I will, Mother. I’m hanging up with you now so you can call the police.”

“Bye, darling.” Castle switched back to Kate’s line.

“What’s going on, Castle?” She sounded a little better than before. Going into cop mode had a way of helping Kate put aside her own worries to focus on the task at hand.

“Someone tossed the loft,” he said briefly. He motioned for Kevin and Javier to get up and start walking towards the crosswalk. On one of the side streets he could see a few idling taxis. He held the phone to his shoulder so he could give Ellen a brief explanation for his sudden departure. “My mother’s apartment was robbed. It was nice to meet you, but I have to run.”

“Of course. I hope everything’s all right.”

“Thanks.” Castle followed the boys, prodding them to move a little faster. “You still there, Kate?”

“Yes. Was that the lady Javi told me about?”

“Yes and no. I’ll explain later. Change of plans? Can you meet me at the lobby of my building?”

“Of course. Are Alexis and Martha okay?”

“Yes, they’re fine.”

“I’ll see you there as soon as possible.” Castle ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. With both hands now free, he grabbed the boys by the hand and started a brisk pace that little Kevin could barely keep up with. Still, he managed to stay on his feet and bravely didn’t complain as Castle practically dragged them towards the line of taxis. He wrenched open the door of the first one and pushed Javier inside. He gave the driver the address to his building as he climbed in himself and pulled Kevin in last.

“I have a car seat in the trunk,” said the cab driver as he watched Castle hastily pull the belt around Kevin.

“It’s fine, I’ll hold onto him,” said Castle. “Please hurry. My mother is in trouble.”

“Did you call the police?”

“Yes, they’re already on their way.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the car seat? You really shouldn’t let small children ride without one.”

“Just go!” Castle ripped out his wallet and waved a Benjamin at the driver. “We’re fine back here.”

“Okay, man, but don’t say I didn’t tell you.” The driver finally pulled away from the curb, one hundred dollars happier. Kevin wrapped his little arms around Castle’s forearm, which was braced across his body as Castle gripped the door handle tensely.

“Hey, Castle, calm down,” said Javier, pressing against the writer’s other side. “You said Mrs. R was safe. The cops will do their job and figure this out.”

“I’d feel better if it were my cops working the case,” said Castle in a low voice.

“Unless someone was murdered in there, you wouldn’t get us, anyway,” said Javier. “But hey, maybe you’ll get Demming.”

“Not. Helping.”

to be continued...