Chapter 198: Brazil

In accordance with his promise to Vincent Adler, Castle handed over the coveted music box directly to Vincent's elated henchmen from Argentina. Shortly after, Vincent, who was now obsessively enamored with the music box, personally confirmed its receipt. During a subsequent phone call, they reaffirmed their agreement to remain uninvolved with each other's affairs. Thus, Castle's tumultuous days of stirring up trouble across New York seemed to finally settle down.

As time flew by, the sweltering summer transitioned into the chilly breezes of autumn. New York, perched on the Atlantic coast, started losing its summer heat. More importantly, Alexis's summer vacation had come to an end, and today was the first day of school. Alexis was about to start high school.

"Dad, I've told you, you don't need to come with me to school. I'm not a little kid anymore. Why do you have to personally take me there?"

Alexis complained as her father dawdled around the house.

"I just want to see how your new private high school compares to when I was there. Don't forget, who knows New York's private high schools better than me?"

Castle was busy stuffing various items into a large bag, like a camera and a water bottle, looking more prepared for a field trip than for dropping his daughter off at school.

Alexis rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, but not everyone has the experience of being expelled from all of New York's private high schools once!"

"Nonsense! I wasn't expelled from all of them just once. I was expelled from the one you're about to attend twice."

Alexis's curiosity piqued at this shameless revelation. "Wow, Dad, how did you manage to get expelled from the same high school twice?"

"Well, let me tell you, I had a friend who was an expert at making fake IDs. After the principal expelled me, I used a fake ID to get back in the very next week. Then, you know, I became famous for one of my greatest pranks—I used a crane to place a cow on the dormitory roof. Two days later, I was expelled again!"

"In college, when all my classmates were too young to get into bars, they all relied on my fake IDs to buy booze. I tell you, my reputation in the college fraternity was all thanks to my friend who made fake IDs. That's why I was so popular in my fraternity."

"Rick, don't you think it's inappropriate to discuss these topics with a fifteen-year-old Alexis?"

Martha, who had been quietly observing, finally interjected.

"It's okay, Grandma. Dad has told these stories many times."

Alexis tried to comfort her grandmother while delivering a verbal jab at her father. "Oh, and by the way, Dad, I heard the principal of my new high school, Mr. Morris, is the same one who was there when you were expelled."

Castle, in the midst of packing his bag, paused and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "What? Morris is still the principal? He must be pushing seventy by now. Hmm, maybe I should reconsider going with you. If Mr. Morris sees me and gets upset, that wouldn't be good."

Alexis couldn't help but laugh at her unpredictable father. He was the one who insisted on dropping her off to reminisce about his school days, and now he was hesitating because of the old principal. With a sigh, she resigned herself to her quirky father's whims.

Castle ultimately decided not to accompany Alexis to school. The thought of facing the principal who had expelled him twice was too daunting. So, while Castle remained lost in his memories, Martha and Alexis quietly slipped out of the house, leaving Castle alone in the living room, chuckling nostalgically to himself.

When Castle finally emerged from his reverie, he realized he was alone. For the past few weeks, even the most notorious criminals had been scarce in the Twelfth Precinct's jurisdiction. It had been nearly two weeks since he last received a call from Beckett, indicating that there were no challenging cases for her to handle.

Since helping Beckett and Captain Montgomery resolve the Welsley family case twenty days ago and receiving a random skill reward from the System, which he left unused, Castle had been mostly homebound. His new book had been released and, according to Gina, was selling well. His agent, Paula, had suggested a nationwide book tour, but Castle had postponed it with the excuse of not wanting to travel.

With his mother and daughter out of the house, Castle felt restless. He debated whether to visit Beckett at the precinct, drop by Abraham's shop to hang out with the quirky old man, or check on Mozzie's progress with Neal. Or perhaps he should call the young hacker to see if he had returned from his trip to Brazil.

Deciding on the latter, Castle opened his laptop and sent an email from a highly secure account. Within minutes, a call from an unknown number came through. The young hacker's enthusiastic yet weary voice greeted him. "Hey, Uncle Rick, did you miss me?"

Castle chuckled at the fatigue in the young hacker's voice. "Don't tell me you've been lounging on the beaches of Brazil the whole time?"

"Oh, Uncle Rick, I owe you big time. Who knew Brazilian girls could be so warm and welcoming? It's been amazing. And you wouldn't believe it—I've lost fifteen pounds in just two weeks!"

Castle nearly burst out laughing. Fifteen pounds in two weeks? The kid must have been immersed in non-stop partying.

Before Castle could respond, the hacker continued, "Uncle Rick, you're wondering when I'll be back in New York, right? Sorry, but something came up. My friend Tej asked me to help him with a favor here. Apparently, he needs to settle a score for a friend. He's flying to Brazil as we speak. So, I have to stay a bit longer. If you need anything, can it wait until I'm back?"

"Tej?" Castle's mind clicked. Wasn't Tej the tech guy from Fast & Furious 5? Could it be that Dominic Toretto and his crew were planning to rob the Brazilian crime lord Hernan Reyes?

Eager to confirm his suspicion, Castle asked, "Your friend is a Black guy, right? Always hanging out with a bunch of street racers?"

The young hacker was taken aback by Castle's seemingly supernatural knowledge. How did he know about Tej? Still, he confirmed, "Yes, that's right. Tej is coming here to help his friends who love street racing. Since I mentioned I'm in Rio de Janeiro, he asked if I could lend a hand. You know, Uncle Rick, I don't have many friends, so I couldn't refuse."

"Haha, I know exactly how to spend my time now!" Castle thought, thrilled by the confirmation.

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