Castle couldn't wait to get into his car after walking out of the Twelfth Precinct, heading straight to Abraham's antique shop. He needed to check with Henry if he'd given anything away to Martinez and to discuss with Abraham when to finally deal with Adam. Little did he notice that he was being tailed.
Beckett had always felt that Castle wasn't being entirely honest about this case. She let him leave to see what he was really up to.
Despite being a cop, Beckett didn't subconsciously treat Castle as a suspect. So, after following him for just two blocks, her blue police car, which blended in with the traffic, was spotted by Castle, who had the driving skills of Vanissa.
"Knew you wouldn't give up that easily..."
Driving ahead, Castle smiled. Given his knowledge of the plot and Beckett, he had anticipated her covertly following him. "Luckily, I'm just going to see Henry. Our interactions are still above board."
Beckett followed Castle's car to Abraham's antique shop in the Upper East Side.
"Didn't he say he was going home to write? Why is he at Dr. Morgan's place again? Is this his secret? Did he hit it off with Dr. Morgan?"
Seeing Castle get out and greet Abraham warmly before walking into the antique shop like it was his own home, Beckett felt puzzled. Having worked with Castle for over a month, she had come to understand that he was a man of intense curiosity and diverse interests. His friendship with Dr. Morgan didn't surprise her.
"Could his odd behavior these past few days be because he became good friends with Dr. Morgan?"
Castle's established persona worked in his favor. To Beckett, he was like a child who would dive headfirst into anything or anyone he found intriguing. So, seeing Castle visit Abraham's antique shop, she naturally assumed his strange behavior was due to his new friendship with Dr. Morgan.
Beckett, baffled after stealthily following Castle only to find him at a friend's place, decided not to waste more time. She had a case to investigate back at the precinct. Now that she believed Castle's mysterious behavior was due to his friendship with Dr. Morgan, she didn't want to meddle in his personal life.
Feeling she might have been overly sensitive due to the stress of the case, Beckett shook her head and decided to return to the precinct to review the case. She didn't notice that Castle was watching her leave from the second-floor window of the antique shop.
"Rick, why are you standing by the window? I called Henry's office; he'll be back soon. What are you looking at?"
Abraham locked the front door and handed Castle a cup of coffee.
"Abraham, you wouldn't believe it, but that car belongs to the Twelfth Precinct. The detective who was following me is Captain Beckett. I must have slipped up these past few days, arousing her suspicion.
But fortunately, Henry and I managed to mislead the police's investigation. For our final action, we must be very careful!
Both Beckett and Detective Martinez are sharp. If they catch on to any more of our actions, Henry and I will lose their trust and won't be able to pull off any more tricks."
Abraham, familiar with Detective Joe Martinez, raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You're working with another female detective at the Twelfth Precinct? Is she as beautiful as Henry's detective? How is she?"
Castle took a sip of his coffee, a knowing smile on his face, "Of course. If she weren't beautiful, would I stick around her so persistently?"
The two shared a mischievous grin.
To be honest, Henry in daily life was an old-fashioned British gentleman, always composed and courteous. Interacting with him was pleasant, but he kept a certain distance, much like the Chinese saying, 'The friendship of a gentleman is as light as water.'
Abraham, however, was very different from his ever-graceful foster father Henry. Growing up post-WWII, Abraham's youth coincided with the era of 'sexual liberation,' rock 'n' roll, and other counterculture movements of the 60s and 70s. Despite nearing seventy, his mindset was remarkably in sync with Castle's, even more so than Henry, who had lived with him for almost seventy years.
When it came to resolving the aftermath of the Adam incident, Castle and Abraham shared the same stance, agreeing to use the dagger to kill Adam and eliminate future trouble. Henry hadn't objected but wasn't fully on board either.
Castle had initially hoped to pull Henry into his team but ended up forming a closer bond with Abraham, whose thinking aligned more with his own. While Henry would certainly help if asked, Castle felt more at ease with Abraham.
With Henry not yet back, Castle and Abraham began to boast about their past romantic exploits.
"So, Abraham, you're okay with Henry pursuing Detective Martinez?"
Castle, engrossed in the conversation, casually asked after learning Abraham's views on Henry and Joe Martinez.
Henry, who had just walked in, felt his good mood vanish at Castle's question.
"Rick, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Henry, realizing the need to speak up, interrupted.
"Hey, Henry, you're back! Abraham and I were just talking about you. So, did you manage to fool Detective Martinez?"
Caught in the act of gossiping, Castle nonchalantly greeted Henry, while Abraham gave a sheepish smile without saying anything.
Henry, exasperated by Castle's lack of decorum, felt a vein throb on his forehead. "What about you? Did you manage to pacify Beckett?"
"Of course, who do you think I am?" Castle boasted.
"She was following you just now..." Abraham remarked, unable to stand Castle's self-aggrandizement.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter