To Castle's surprise, when he arrived at the 12th Precinct, he found his pregnant fiancée Beckett overwhelmed in her office, buried under a mountain of paperwork. However, the two people he had come to see—Esposito and Ryan—were nowhere to be found.
Castle, who no longer brought Beckett decaf lattes due to her pregnancy, instead held a cup containing only skim milk. This was part of the reason why Beckett didn't want Castle constantly hovering around her. For reasons she couldn't fathom, Castle had been obsessively following a traditional Chinese pregnancy guide. It detailed all sorts of instructions, such as taking folic acid during the early stages of pregnancy, eating an apple every day, and adhering to other precise guidelines for each trimester. As a straightforward American woman, Beckett found it all incredibly annoying.
The worst part came last month when Castle forbade her from drinking coffee altogether, replacing it with skim milk. That had been the last straw. Unable to tolerate Castle's incessant deliveries of bizarre health supplements, she banned him from hanging around the coffee shop near the precinct.
When Castle entered her office, Beckett sighed with exasperation.
"I thought you said you were taking Alexis to school today? Why are you here?"
Castle casually placed the cup of milk on her desk and shrugged.
"She told me to leave after drop-off. She'll head back home after orientation. I didn't have anything to do there, so I came here. Alexis thinks she's all grown up now. She's not the little girl who cried on her first day of kindergarten. So now, I have to pour all my fatherly affection into the little one in your belly. Sigh, daughters grow up so fast!
"Oh, by the way, where are Esposito and Ryan? I was hoping to hang out with them."
Beckett shook her head in mild frustration at her boyfriend's perpetual focus on fun.
"They're working on a tough murder case. It's been dragging on for weeks with no progress. They finally got a lead today and went out to investigate."
Castle raised an eyebrow.
"I thought your precinct's case clearance rate skyrocketed after you started using 'God's Eye.' How are you still running into dead ends?"
Beckett rolled her eyes playfully.
"Castle, you think 'God's Eye' is some magical solution? Esposito and Ryan have been stuck on this case for over two weeks. There's no useful footage from any surveillance cameras around the crime scene. We couldn't even identify the victim. It's like the guy dropped out of the sky. We still have no idea who he is.
"How do you expect us to investigate without that basic information?"
Castle leaned forward, intrigued.
"Why don't you trace the victim's movements before he died?"
Beckett glared at him, tempted to whack him over the head with a file.
"You think we didn't try that? We've already followed every lead and still have nothing. Without knowing who the victim is or why someone might have wanted him dead, we're stuck."
Castle waved a hand dismissively.
"Then bring in outside help."
Beckett snorted.
"And who exactly should I call for 'outside help'? You? Aren't you busy with that new toy you've been tinkering with? Oh wait, isn't that the same project that's been eating up all your time and driving you crazy lately?"
Castle gave a sheepish grin.
"Everyone needs a break now and then. So, do you want me to help with Esposito's case or not?"
Beckett shook her head firmly.
"No need. They got the victim's ID from the FBI this morning and headed to see Joe. They'll handle it."
Castle's curiosity was piqued.
"Joe? As in Joe Martinez? Why is the FBI involved? This murder happened in your jurisdiction."
Beckett sighed, knowing there was no way Castle would drop the subject.
"I sent photos of the unidentified victim to various law enforcement agencies. Joe called this morning with the victim's ID. You do realize that Joe's joint command center includes not just the FBI, but also Homeland Security and several other federal agencies, right?
"They found out who the victim was, so I sent Esposito and Ryan to 26 Federal Plaza to meet with Joe. Once we confirm the victim's identity, we can follow the leads to the killer. We don't need your help."
Castle, ever persistent, smirked.
"But if I helped, Jarvis could track down the killer in no time. Besides, I am technically the 12th Precinct's consultant. It's perfectly legitimate for me to get involved."
Beckett gave him a pointed look.
"Right. What you really want is a convenient excuse to avoid going back to your lab. We can't rely on Jarvis, outside consultants, or fancy tech every time we hit a roadblock."
Castle, who hadn't personally investigated a case since Beckett became captain, defended himself indignantly.
"That's not it at all! I'm just curious about this case. If the victim's identity is linked to Joe's command center, this isn't an ordinary murder."
Beckett, unimpressed, crossed her arms.
"Fine. If it turns out this case involves national security, I'll hand it over to Joe."
Castle's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're just going to hand over an NYPD case to the feds? Isn't that against protocol? What if people criticize you?"
Beckett smirked, unfazed by his dramatics.
"Please. Joe used to work for the NYPD. Handing the case to her won't ruffle any feathers around here."
Castle huffed in frustration.
"But this is supposed to be our case…"
Beckett had already made up her mind. The phone call with Joe had revealed that the victim might be connected to a foreign intelligence agency, giving the FBI every reason to take over. Esposito and Ryan were merely heading to confirm the victim's identity. Once verified, the FBI would likely take full control of the investigation.
Incidentally, the current head of the FBI's New York office was no longer the stern Director Hughes. Instead, Peter Burke—Neal Caffrey's former partner—had taken over after Hughes retired. With Neal's behind-the-scenes lobbying through Mozzie, who now worked as a national security advisor to the president, Peter had seamlessly ascended to this critical position.
Under Peter's leadership, the joint command center had expanded its collaboration with other agencies, including the CIA. The center's mission was to reduce inter-agency conflicts and maintain stability in New York City.
Given Joe's expertise and her history with the NYPD, Beckett saw no issue in letting her handle the case. It was, after all, a matter of national security.
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