199. Chapter 199

Chapter 199

A couple of months before her retirement, Beckett was called to 1PP to meet with Chief Dawson, Deputy Chief Alvarez, and Inspector Auerbach about how her work after retirement would be handled.

Pushing her luck one more time, Beckett highly recommended Lieutenant Samuel Cain from the twenty-seventh to replace her. "He came to me saying that he was considering taking the captain's exam because he had seen firsthand the difference a captain could make in a precinct, and he asked if I thought he might have that in him. I assured him that he did, and his record, credentials, exam score, and commendations are impressive. He helped Captain Lautrec keep the twenty-seventh running when things got bad for a while, and the other lieutenants had an unspoken agreement that he represented them. He's good leadership material. I'm only asking you to interview him. I know anyone I recommend has to earn a placement on their own merits, but I always make my recommendations judiciously."

"We have two of your choices running precincts you brought back to life before they took over, and neither of them have missed a beat. You left those precincts in good shape, and they've kept them that way. We'll talk to Cain. You haven't led us astray yet," Chief Dawson answered. "That's why you're here today. We've worked with the Commissioner and his advisors and decided on your new job title. You'll be hired as a training consultant. You'll sit on the interview panel to help in selecting captains from the pool we have after each exam. The ones we decide are the kind of candidates we want will be the short list. We'll choose the best one who hasn't had the advantage of being mentored and working with a highly competent, effective captain, and that person will intern with you in a precinct…where there are…"

"Where there are problems?" she asked dryly.

"You're an asset, Captain Beckett," Auerbach told her. "We certainly have other excellent captains capable of mentoring, or correcting problems, or working with the community; but you have a particular talent for both problem solving and training, community outreach, and creating a good work environment in your precinct. As long as you're willing to work, we can't let those abilities go unused. And what could be better than training a new captain in how to turn around a problem precinct?"

"You've already left a good legacy behind you…pulling precincts back into good working order and leaving people you've trained to continue the good work," Alvarez pointed out. "I know now that Roy Montgomery made some big mistakes when he was a rookie; but I will always respect his abilities, and you're evidence of that. Your two partners are at the top of our list because they benefitted from the same beginnings. You started learning how to be a captain by working with him…seeing his concern for his people and the victims of the crimes…and then Victoria Gates. She was a whole different personality but with the same values for the job. You've made them proud. Now you have people from officers through captains making you proud. If we get six months of that annually, we have to use it wisely."

Beckett sat with her head down for a moment. "Training Consultant. Will that become a new NYPD title from now on?"

"As long as you want it," Chief Dawson answered. "Or as long as we can find someone as competent as you to take it over later on. Maybe one of your present trail of Captains…or future ones…or former partners."

"And you want me on the interview panel?"

"You have to train them, you might as well have a say in whether you think they're trainable," Auerbach answered with a little grin.

"I know there are appointees to captain who are there because of political connections in the department. Will I be training them, too?"

"Not much choice sometimes. You know how that goes." Dawson answered. "Case by case basis. Do we have a deal?"

"I think I can live with that."

"As to financial arrangements, the word consultant is used so we can hire you for specific tasks after retirement. You'll receive your assignments in early December before the six months you're willing to work. You'll need to fill out your retirement papers, including the ones for your pension."

"I've already spoken to HR about all that, and I have everything I need. I was just waiting for this meeting so I'd know how to handle it."

"Then Legal will draw up a contract, and you'll receive a copy to approve...and in January the department will have a new training consultant. Lieutenant Samuel Cain will be interviewed sometime between now and September."

"Thank you, Gentlemen. I appreciate your faith in me, and your willingness to give Cain a chance." Beckett stood and shook each man's hand before she left and then went to meet her husband for lunch. He had arranged for babysitting so Kate could tell him about her meeting and what to expect in January.

xxxxx

For the night of Kate's retirement, Castle gave in and called an older woman who used to babysit Alexis, someone who still lived in their building and the children were familiar with, to stay with Jo and Jamie. He scheduled a private party, closed The Old Haunt, and had an open house for anyone from the precincts where she'd served, as well as some old friends who had moved to other precincts to drop in to say hello and help Beckett celebrate. Chief Dawson and Deputy Chief Alvarez even put in an appearance for a little while, as well as the newly installed Captain Samuel Cain and his wife. There were several large cakes to share, simple hors d'oeuvres, music for dancing, and an open bar. People drifted in and out all evening, and for about half an hour beyond the scheduled party hours, Castle, his staff, and some of the family began to graciously close things down. Then they lowered the shades as if the bar were completely closed and enjoyed some time with their large, extended family, which that night included Jordan Shaw, Shawn Avery, and Evelyn Montgomery and her now grown children; and there was a lot of reminiscing.

After everyone started leaving for home, Castle left his staff to clean up and promised them a bonus in their weekly checks for the good work they had done that night.

He and Kate were the last ones out, and they went home, paid Mrs. Rollins, and checked on their children. Then they had their own private celebration in honor of their next four months of freedom. Kate would be there for their children's first day of school that fall and would be walking to school with them often. She could help with school activities and field trips, and they could go anywhere they had time for on weekends and holidays. They could wake up on a weekend morning and decide it was an adventure day. The possibilities were endless. Their only limits were the children's school schedules. They could work theirs out any way they chose, and they were both a little giddy with it. And there were, of course, the hours when both children were in school…until mid-afternoon, since Jo would be in kindergarten that year. Time when they would be left to their own devices.

But Labor Day weekend was coming up; so there was no school yet, and the car was already packed. All the family had to do the next morning was get up and dress for the beach. The entire family would be there, Jim and Meagan had driven down the night before, and Jim finally made good on his earlier promise. He and Meagan took off their sandals and ran into the ocean with them when they arrived at the beach house that morning. For the grandchildren, Jim made a big show of his clothes being icky and wet; and Kate watched, and laughed as they all walked along the beach. The dad she grew up was finding his old self to be there for her children.

The rest of the family came in as they could during the weekdays, spent the weekend; and everybody was back in the city by Monday afternoon. Kate walked to school with the rest of the family on Tuesday morning and was in on all the excitement of the first day of school. Then she and Castle took the long way home, just walking and enjoying the lack of deadlines. Before they walked back to meet their children after school, though, they took full advantage of their time alone.

At first, Castle's writing time suffered from the new freedom of the ready togetherness alone, then they gradually tempered, not eliminated, the alone activities to allow the writing to progress again.

xxxxx

Bentley and his two brothers and their families were in New York two weeks before the wedding. His family hadn't been to New York before and wanted to plan some extra time for sight-seeing. He suggested that while Gina was at work during the first week they were there, Castle's family meet them at Central Park after he picked the children up after school. That would give all the children…and their father's and uncle…time get to know each other…and to play. It seemed that Bentley and his brothers were very much alike, and Castle insisted the families should get together with the rest of the Castle clan. After Kate let them know that the men in the Castle family may not all have the same DNA, but they all had Castle-like personalities, their wives joked that they weren't sure about the wisdom of that idea.

Gina was working hard to finish everything she needed to finish before a wedding and honeymoon and a move to London afterward. That meant she was working late through that week and would work through part of the weekend so she had the following full week free for wedding preparations. Since Gina was working late, Castle suggested dinner the next day at a restaurant where Castle's family and Bentley's family could have a room to themselves so their numbers, and possibly noise, wouldn't bother other diners. He knew a few restaurant guys and found one who had space for them, and they all enjoyed the visit. The children got along well and looked forward to their promised Saturday zoo trip.

On Saturday, Bentley and the three families with children descended enthusiastically on the Bronx zoo, and the Castle children led the Keane children to their favorite exhibits, with their parents enjoying one another as well. Gina conveniently had scheduled a final New York Black Pawn meeting that morning and would meet Bentley's family for dinner. And Kate was conveniently free from police work until the end of the year, so she was there for all the fun.

The wedding was on the following Saturday afternoon, and the Castles had their children dressed well and operating under the rules for gentlemanly behavior in a suit and princess behavior when dressed like one. As they arrived at the venue and were about to go inside, the children watched as Castle offered Kate his arm. She smiled at him and put her hand at his elbow. Then Castle looked at Jamie, nodded toward his sister, and his son took the hint. He held his elbow out and Jo asked, "Like Mommy and Daddy?"

Jamie nodded and Jo smiled, looking both charmed and charming, and took his arm. An usher was there but didn't try to escort anyone. He simply smiled at the sight, also looking charmed, and said, "Follow me, Ladies and Gentlemen." And he let the children lead their parents as they followed him to their seats.

The rooms for both the wedding and the reception were decorated in softened fall colors that complimented the champagne color of Gina's dress, and there were flowers everywhere. In both places, Jo looked around like all her princess stories were happening right before her eyes.

Bentley's niece was the flower girl, and his youngest nephew was the ring bearer.

When his niece walked down the aisle dropping flower petals, Jo whispered, "Bethany looks so pretty."

Jamie leaned toward his father and said quietly, "Harry has a tuxedo." It sounded a little bit like a hint. The boy did like dressing up on occasion.

Both children held on to their gentleman and princess manners through the wedding and well into the reception. All six children were fascinated by the size of the wedding cake, enjoyed the refreshments, danced now and then however the music moved them, and somehow managed to have fun without being rowdy. They were getting bored after a while, so Kate pulled three decks of cards from her purse and found them a table out of the way where they could sit and entertain themselves for a while. The older boys had two decks of cards and were playing War, and their younger siblings were all old enough to manage Go Fish on their own. By the time they had exhausted that entertainment, their parents were ready to take them home, or back to their hotel.

The Castles all went to congratulate the newly married couple, and Jo looked at Gina with wide, sincere eyes and said, "Miss Gina, you look beautiful."

Gina actually seemed to melt a little bit and stooped down to her level to say "Thank you, Jo. You look really pretty today, too." Jo beamed at the compliment. "Thank you for coming to our wedding."

"I liked it."

"Jamie, you look like such a grown-up gentleman in your suit…very handsome."

"He let me hold his arm when we came in…just like Mommy and Daddy," Jo told her.

Gina smiled as she stood and looked at the parents. "I kind of wish I'd seen that," she said uncharacteristically, and Bentley gave Jamie a dignified little fist bump. He and Jamie both grinned. Then he bowed and kissed Jo's hand and she looked charmed again and gave him a big smile.

"Castle said, "We're going to leave now, while they're still making a good impression."

On the way to the town car, both parents commented on how proud they were of their well-behaved children.

"Do we get ice cream?" Jo asked, wearing her mischievous smile.

"We'll see," Castle answered.

Jamie gave Jo his own mischievous smile and told Jo, "That means yes."

By then, they had reached the car and Darrell had the door open. Castle stopped, put his hands on his hips, and asked, "What was that, Young Man?" Kate stopped beside him, looking thoroughly amused. Then both children turned and looked up at their father, and their parents were hit with carbon copies of Castle's charming, twinkly blue eyed smile and Kate's appealing, playful hazel eyed one.

"Get in the car," Castle ordered, not quite as sternly as he imagined he should have; and the children got in giggling with each other. "We are in such deep doo-doo," he muttered to Kate as she got in.

Darrell closed the door and chuckled all the way back to the driver's seat, from whence he pulled out into traffic and took them to the ice cream shop before taking them home.

xxxxx

Castle and his three children had almost finished another Girl With Red Hair mystery, and all of them, as well as Kate and JD, were eagerly awaiting the "Daddy wrote it" portion of the story they had agreed on at their last planning session. Jo was especially excited. She had been included in the last book as a baby in the story, but this was her first collaboration. The last of the six books that were written for Alexis had been published for the holiday season the year before, and the one Castle and Jamie and Alexis had had worked on together would be in the bookstores for the holidays that year. So they were working to complete this book for the following holiday season. In five year old terms, Jo let them know she wanted Elephant and Bear to solve the mystery, so that's what they were presently working on. They were all discussing how it could happen, and obviously enjoying it. Castle threw in an alien just for fun and was shot down after some laughing.

"How did the collaboration go today?" Kate asked her husband. "I try to stay out of it, but you guys sound like you're having so much fun..."

"You don't have to, you know."

"We know. But it's something for you and your children. JD and I play cards or something and have some time together. It's okay for you to do something with just you and your children. Besides, that's how the books have been advertised…a collaboration between you and your children. That's how it should be. Nobody feels insulted or unloved. Did you work out the end of the story?"

"Yeah. Jo wanted Elephant and Bear to close the case, so we figured out how to do that. Between now and the next meeting, I'll finish writing it, and Jo and Jamie will do the last illustrations. Then our son can tell me what he thinks 'doesn't sound right', and I'll do the edits before the next time we meet with Brad." After a little pause, he put his arms around her waist, and she wrapped her arms around him, too. "I'm excited to see the response to the book Jamie and I worked on. Alexis helped a little bit, but her class schedule kept her pretty busy. It's the first of the new collaborations…with the new little Castle babies." After a long moment, he said, "I love doing this with them. And Brad at Black Pawn seems beyond happy that we'll write more new children's books after the original six. I think he enjoys having me take Jamie with me for the meetings, to give opinions from a child's perspective. I think it's time to start involving Jo, too; she's already a little older than Jamie was when he went along for the first time. The planning sessions are part of Daddy's job, and it wouldn't hurt for both of them to realize there's more to getting a book published than just writing it. Besides, they're collaborators. It's their book, too.

"I love that you think that way. No wonder Alexis turned out so well." After planting a little peck on his lips, she asked, "And how are Nikki and Rook faring? Are you still finding ideas?"

"There's at least one more book. Part of it is outlined already. I'll have to see if it sparks another adventure to follow it. You could help me put together a long term plot like the one around her mother's death so we could spread it over several books. It might be fun to let them solve a long, convoluted case and then decide it's time to retire. They can consult," he said with a grin and kissed the tip of her nose.

She returned with a kiss under his jaw. "Sooner or later, they're going to have to get old and retire. It's inevitable," she answered.

"We'll put that off as long as possible," he promised, and held her a little longer.

xxxxx

A few weeks after school started, Jo discovered that some of her classmates were in dance classes together, and she was interested, so while they were at the open house in early October, the Castles asked the other parents about the dance school. All of them seemed happy with it; so with their new found free time, they went and talked to the school's director. After discussing the options available, observing a little bit of a toddler class taught during normal school hours, and leaving with all the printed information about schedules, costs, required gear, etc. they talked to Jo about it. She was thrilled. Jamie had already expressed an interest in soccer, and they had found a team that practiced not far from home. Kate reminded Castle that she didn't know how far from home she would be in January and they should probably limit activities after these ended in the fall to see what worked with their schedule in January. But Jo soon discovered that there were children her age playing soccer on a field close to Jamie's team, so that was added, too. The parents divided responsibility, and traded off watching each child practice. Castle listened to everything the coaches told both groups and tried to put it to use when he had the chance. He chalked it up to research.

The soccer teams led to some family soccer activity in the park while the weather still allowed it. Castle was catching on and holding his own, and he was feeling proud of himself. The children were still young enough to just expect that Daddy always knew what he was doing. He was certain Kate knew how much effort he'd put in, though; and it warmed his heart that she let him know she noticed and knew how much it meant to him. Every time he thought he couldn't love her more than he already did, he found he was wrong. She also noticed that he was spending time in their gym again, was going easier on the ice cream…and she seemed to appreciate what she was seeing. He was feeling manly…and loved.

When soccer season was over, their time was more abundant again. For Thanksgiving, they had the family feast on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, they left on Tuesday after school and took the children on their first skiing trip. It was a family oriented resort where there were a lot of kid oriented activities other than the bunny slope lessons, which both children enjoyed. Alexis and JD met them at the resort. The older siblings stayed with them now and then to give their parents time to make at least a couple of runs down the mountain. The second time Kate and Castle had their chance, Alexis and JD took the little ones to watch their parents coming in at the end of their downhill run, and both of them were suitably impressed.

"I want to learn to do that," Jamie told them.

"Me. too," Jo agreed.

"You have to start on the little hill and learn how to use your skis first. Then you can try some bigger ones until you work up to one like that one," Castle answered, pointing to the much steeper trail they had just finished.

"Can we keep coming back so we can practice?" their son asked.

"You sound like I did when I was your age," Alexis told him

"Can you go fast like that now?" Jo asked.

"I can. So can JD. If Mom and Dad want to bring you to watch, we can show you later."

"Right now how does hot chocolate sound?" Kate asked. "There's a restaurant over there."

"Yum!" Jo answered.

"Sounds good to me, too," Kate agreed. "It's cold out here."

The children couldn't wait to get to the lessons each day and were learning quickly. Jo surprised them by almost keeping up with her brother's progress.

"I think our little Beckett clone has her mother's athletic genes," Castle said as they watched for a while. "And she was good with soccer."

"Jamie is doing well, too. And I think you have more athletic genes than you think. The fact that you were never excited about using them for sports doesn't mean they were never there. You're a good dancer. That takes more of those genes than most people think about, but the thought process is different when you're using them. Look at you. You're in good shape, you're fifty-two, you ski well, and you've picked up some respectable soccer skills in the past year." After a perfectly timed pause, she added, flirtatiously, "You've been known to beat up on a hit man to protect your woman, and you have admirable stamina for other pleasant activities, too."

His answer was an appropriate-for-a-probable-audience kiss that both of them understood as a promise of more of the recently mentioned pleasant activity later on.

By the time they left the resort, both children were asking when they could do it again.

During the time the children were in school, Rick and Kate enjoyed unrushed Christmas shopping for family and friends and having time to wrap things to have them ready to go under the tree on Christmas Eve Night. They had time to hunt through small, out of the way places they had passed by without noticing before and find little treasures for stocking stuffers. The well hidden shelves they had built to hide information connected to the Bracken case earlier in their marriage were put to good use. They were still the home of the emergency escape money and documents Castle insisted they would keep, now updated to include the younger children, whether they ever needed them or not; but the rest of the shelves had temporarily become Santa's hiding space.

xxxxx

In early December, Kate received a contract for her first training consultant assignment and a letter requesting that she spend a day the following week sitting in on her first interview panel to choose promising new captain material. She had Castle and her father look over the contract with her before she signed and returned it with confirmation that she would be there for the interviews.

Sandwiched in between the freedom of shopping time with her husband, Kate had the day of interviews ahead of her. The panel was made up of the chief, the deputy chief, Inspector Auerbach, and two other higher ups Beckett hadn't met before. When she went in to take her place on the interview panel, she was given a list with two unexpected names. Kaufman from the eighty-fifth had called to let her know he had done well on the exam; and based on what she knew of his qualifications, his name there would surprise no one. Ryan and Esposito, though, had neither told her that they took the captains' exam, nor that they had passed it with excellent scores.

"I hate to be a problem on my first day on the panel, but there are two names here I didn't expect to see. Neither of them mentioned this to me. And I mentored one of the interviewees."

"Your former partners?"

"Yes. I don't know why they didn't tell me, but I'll admit I'd recommend either of them to take over a precinct tomorrow with no forewarning and expect excellent results. And I mentored Lieutenant Kaufman. You may want me to recuse myself."

"Can you be objective if something else you didn't expect comes up and looks negative?"

"I think so. I just don't want anything to look less than kosher."

"What do you think?"

"I think I should leave and allow you to interview Ryan, Esposito, and Kaufman without me," Beckett insisted.

"Gentlemen?"

"I think you should sit in. You don't have to vote if it makes you uncomfortable," Auerbach suggested. "But we asked you here because we wanted your opinions. I'd like you to do that much."

Beckett nodded at that. "If you change your minds, I'm still willing to leave the interviews that might look like bias on my part."

"Fair enough?" the chief asked, looking around the room. When all the others agreed, he said, "Then let's get started."

The committee had chosen from the best test scores combined with several other qualifying considerations, and there were two candidates who were there because they were pet projects of someone who had political clout within the department.

They took Beckett on a quick tour of the rules of the road, so to speak, and then called in the first interviewee.

The panel was seated beside one another on one side of the table, and the subject of the interview was seated in the middle on the other side.

No one who was on the interview panel pointed out who the politically favored ones were, but Beckett was no slouch at reading a situation. She didn't comment, but she made notations next to her evaluations.

When Esposito was called in, he appeared as surprised to see Beckett as she had seemed to find his name on the interview list. He knew she would be hired as a consultant, but neither he nor Ryan knew she would be on the panel. The chief introduced everyone in the room, adding at the end, "And I believe you know Captain Beckett."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sit down, Lieutenant. And relax," Chief Dawson told him.

"I'm going to sit this one out, Esposito," Beckett explained. "And I won't have a vote. Trying to keep everything above board."

"I understand."

Ryan had been forewarned before he arrived… Esposito called him as soon as his interview ended. And Kaufman received the same short speech as Beckett's partners.

At the end of the all day session, Beckett laid out a page with two names. "Are these the ones we have to consider for political purposes?"

"You don't miss much, do you?" Auerbach asked.

"That's why she's here," Alvarez answered matter-of-factly.

"We had fourteen candidates. Look at your notes, put them in order of your preference, and we'll discuss it from there," Chief Dawson instructed. "Beckett, you should be fully involved in this."

The top five on everyone's list included Ryan, Esposito, and Kaufman, based solely on their own merits. The political appointees were low on the lists; but politics would be around as long as bureaucracy existed, so they discussed their way through that, too. They decided one now and the other later. Lieutenant Schroder, the arrogant son of an equally arrogant, recently retired captain, a friend of the commissioner, was deemed the lesser of the evils and would be assigned to intern with Beckett to try to lessen that. After discussion all around, Ryan, Esposito and Kaufman were still in the top five, and Lieutenant Schroder, to satisfy one political appointment, was also there, along with a female lieutenant from a precinct in Queens, who would have been Beckett's chosen intern if they didn't feel the need to see if Beckett could take some of the sharp edges off their political appointee. Others were placed in order of the most promise, and the other political hopeful was left at the bottom of the list until he could no longer be ignored. The members on the panel were happy with their work. As openings happened, they were ready to fill them.

"We'll be in touch before January, Beckett. Enjoy the holidays," Chief Dawson said in parting. Similar exchanges happened among all the others, and Beckett was free again until January.

xxxxx

Their family again provided babysitting for the weekend of their anniversary, and the entire family enjoyed Christmas together. While The Gates family had daughters at home for the holidays, they were invited for dinner along with all the Castle family members who could be there.

While Gates was there, Esposito called to let Kate know what precinct he would be taking over in the Bronx in January. The current captain had a heart attack, and enough years in to retire; and he decided that was a sign that he should retire and enjoy what life had to offer after he recovered.

"Congratulations, Captain Esposito." Castle started a round of cheering and applause in the background. "I'm so excited for you. Can you tell that everybody else is, too? Hang on just a minute. Somebody else wants to talk to you."

"Captain Esposito, congratulations."

"Captain Gates?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, I used to be Captain Gates," she answered mischievously. "I'll follow your progress, Captain. I have no doubt you'll do well."

"Thank you, Sir." The smile could be heard in his voice.

When Gates handed the phone back, Kate said, "I'm glad you called when you did."

"Me, too. That was a surprise."

"I'll bet your family is proud."

"Everybody but Ana. She's not old enough to have a clue other than everybody looks happy. The extra pay will help, too. We're going to have another baby…just found out. I wanted to tell you all my good news."

"Well, congratulations again. I'll tell the others. It's been a good Christmas, huh?"

"One of the best. I'm hanging up now. You obviously have company. I just wanted you to know. I already called Ryan."

"Thanks, Javi."

"On top of being captain of a precinct closer to home, he and Maria are going to have another baby."

"Then I'm sure the raise to captain's pay will be welcome. The retiring captain at that precinct was military before he joined NYPD, too," Gates mentioned. "Esposito should be a good fit there. How do you feel about going back to work, Kate? Does it still feel like a good idea?"

"It pulls me in two directions. The challenge and the training draws me in when I think about it; but especially after the last precinct, not knowing what kind of problems will turn up…not so much of a draw. It does feel good to work a situation out and then leave knowing the place in better shape. But I'll admit that six months of freedom is a pretty good draw, too."

The Castle family enjoyed their company, and then enjoyed the rest of their free days before Kate had to return to work…this time at a precinct in Queens.

And Castle's mind was already at work thinking of what they could do during their free half of the year.