"How much do you want to bet that he's going to run?"

Beside him, Beckett rolled her eyes, but never slowed her pace. "Not much of a bet, Castle. We didn't see him last night on the way back from the pool; he was probably gone already."

Rick shook his head, expanding his lungs on a deep inhale. "We didn't have anything yesterday. And as Rauf said, they were still waiting on labs then, so neither did the cops. He's there."

"And if he's not?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow in challenge. "What do I win?"

"The world's greatest backrub from the world's sexiest husband?"

Kate laughed, pitching sideways to catch his jaw with her lips. "I get those already. Clooney's so talented."

"You wound me," he said, pressing his palm to his chest, grateful now that they could joke about something like that. "But I love you, so I forgive you."

His wife grinned, pressing her smile against his cheek for another moment before she stepped back and continued their walk across the resort compound.

"Plus," he continued, "since I'm going to win, it won't even matter."

"Uh huh. Okay, hotshot, what do you want in the unlikely event of you winning?"

Castle palmed her back, somehow managing not to trip them both up as he crowded into her space. "Although I already have everything I could ever ask for-" He waited for her snicker to conclude. "-I wouldn't mind one of your amazing neck rubs."

That made her cheeks darken and her smile grow wider.

"Okay," she agreed, sealing the bargain with a hard peck on his lips. "You're on. Now let's go get our killer."

He grinned, falling in step with her as they rounded the final corner to the open-air lobby.

Detective Rauf and two uniformed officers were waiting for them, just out of visibility of the desk. The detective nodded to them both in greeting, looking almost pleased to see them. Or as pleased as Castle suspected he could look when they had pretty much solved his case for him. Less chagrined, at least.

"We sent someone in to make sure he was still there."

"Was he?" Beckett asked, glancing toward the desk.

The detective nodded. "At his desk still. In the back office."

Rick did his best to contain his triumph, but the snort his wife released told him Kate wasn't fooled.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

Rauf gestured to the other officers. "We'll go in the back to avoid making a scene and walk him out the same way."

"You don't think he'll run?" Castle asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No." Rauf's lips pursed in annoyance at being questioned. "He'll come pretty quietly, I think. But," he added, "you're welcome to wait out front just in case."

"No thanks," he said quickly. "I'll come with you."

The detective nodded, looking at both of his guys. "All right then. Let's go."

Without another word, the five of them made their way around back to the employee entrance, Castle and Beckett trailing behind the cops while they located Davis Keon's office. No sooner had they stepped inside than Davis came running out, knocking his shoulder into the doorframe before practically mowing Castle down.

Without bothering to look back, Davis made a break for the front desk. Castle took off, hot on his heels, trusting Beckett and the other cops to follow him.

"Told you he would run!" he called, knowing without looking over his shoulder that his wife was rolling her eyes.

"Stop gloating and just catch him, Castle!"

Davis darted around a corner, barreling over anyone in his path. Rick followed, steadying one of the shaken employees before slipping around the desk and spilling out into the lobby area.

The night manager was already headed toward the parking lot, shoving new guests out of his way without a second thought. Absurdly glad he had chosen to wear regular loafers instead of the slip on sandals he'd been sporting for most of his vacation, Castle scrambled across the tile, using one last burst of speed to get him within lunging distance.

He hit Keon's back, bracketing his arms around the man to keep him from swinging as they landed in a heap on the floor with a dull thud.

"Ow, damn it," Davis grumbled from the tile. "I was just going to talk to the valet! I do have a hotel to run, you know."

Rick pretended to think about the excuse. "I'm really not sure the valet provides getaway cars, Davis. Which is too bad for you, really. But, you know, a detail like that would make a great addition to my next book."

Castle got to his feet, making sure Davis wouldn't take off if his grip slackened at all. Thankfully, the other man didn't argue, instead hunching his shoulders and lowering his head to avoid the stares from the crowd of onlookers.

Twisting, Rick found himself face-to-face with Beckett and the trio from the local police department.

"Hey guys," he greeted. "Thought you said he wasn't going to run?"

Although she rolled her eyes at his dig, Beckett offered him a proud smile before stepping back to allow Detective Rauf to take over.

"Davis Keon, you are under arrest for the murder of Susan Murphy," Rauf announced, slapping the cuffs around his wrists and nudging him to start walking. "You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to waive this right, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney at any point during questioning. If you cannot afford one, you will be provided with counsel at no expense to you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yes. But wait, just… just wait. You have to understand."

"Understand what, Mr. Keon?" Beckett asked, ignoring the detective's look. Davis was talking and he hadn't asked for an attorney; they were going to keep him talking, even if they had to do it as they walked to the squad car.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was a menace. Our staff were leaving left and right, our guests were starting to go, too. The only people who liked her were the bartenders and the tennis instructors she was sleeping with."

Castle shared a glance with his wife. "You know, I'm no expert, but I distinctly remember being thrown out of a hotel before; I'm not sure murder is necessary."

Keon shook his head. "She knew the owner. There was no asking her to leave. None. We've tried. The woman who had Anthony's job before him? That's why she's gone."

Beckett's eyebrows jumped. "So instead you decided to poison a guest?"

The other man's chest heaved. "I thought if… I thought if she looked like she had died in her sleep… that would be that. So I mixed the digitalis in her nightly smoothie, I took it to her like always, and I left." He cleared his throat. "I should've known she wouldn't just go quietly. When Rosie found her body… I panicked."

"I'll say," Castle jumped in, nodding to the detectives. "Well, Detective Rauf, I think Mr. Keon is ready to check into holding."

Beside him, Beckett groaned, but he saw the amused smile flirting at her lips anyway. Yeah, she loved the one-liners, whether she admitted it or not.

Rauf, on the other hand, did not seem to appreciate his humor as much. But he still shook their hands and - astoundingly - thanked them for their help while his officers loaded Davis into the back of the squad car.

"Nice tackle back there," Beckett murmured as they watched the cops pull away.

Pride warmed his chest. "I try."

Kate grinned, slipping her arm through his before lifting onto her toes to brush a kiss over his cheek. "You succeed. Now," she added, tugging him onto the path to their building. "I think I owe you a neck rub."

Usually after getting a confession, Esposito's phone went pretty quiet. Not so much today. So far he had fielded three calls from the ADA about the case they had just closed, and two more from defense attorneys for other clients in other cases.

Plus there was Lanie. He knew she had called Ryan, too, but neither of them had been able to call her back yet. He would, of course, but he would also tell her he had no idea what went into planning a baby shower. Ryan knew better than he did, but even the low-key thing they had thrown for Jenny last spring had been planned largely by someone other than his partner.

"Yo, what're you going to tell Lanie?" he asked, tossing a paper clip across his desk to get Ryan's attention.

His partner looked up from his paperwork, brow furrowed a bit. "What do you mean what am I gonna tell her? We're gonna help."

"Uh huh. But you know that I don't know the first thing about actually planning this stuff." Music he could do. Dancing? Yeah, he'd got that, too. But diaper changing games? Maybe not.

Kevin lifted a shoulder. "So? It's Beckett. We just make it nice. Nothing crazy. Jenny will help, Lanie will help-"

"I'll help."

Both men turned to find Marisa Aragon beside their desks, a file in her hand. Esposito didn't have to ask how she'd known what they were talking about; he remembered her ability to read lips.

Still, their stares must have made her self-conscious, because she lifted a shoulder. "What? I have a kid. I know what happens at baby showers. Besides, the captain and Castle have been great since I've been here. It'd be nice to say thanks."

A smile worked its way onto Esposito's lips. "Yeah, you're right."

"Yeah, I know I am." She grinned, passing the file along. "My patrol report. I'm heading out."

Esposito took it with a quiet thanks.

"Anyway, call Lanie back. Tell her the three of us are in, and I can keep you two in line if I need to."

Ryan laughed. "You might need to keep this guy in line."

"Nah uh," Esposito argued. "This guy right here was told to stop helping for his own kid's shower because he had too many ideas."

Aragon's laugh said more than a reply ever could. "Well, either way, I'm here to help. Just let me know."

They both nodded, but it was Ryan who answered, "Okay, we will. Thanks."

She offered them a lopsided smile. "Sure. Good night."

"Night," they echoed.

Esposito watched as she made her way toward the back staircase, turning back to find his partner studying him.

"What?" he asked, tossing Aragon's report onto the pile at one end of his desk. He would glance through them before he left, then leave them on Beckett's desk for her to see when she got back.

Ryan nodded toward the stairs. "You should go after her."

"What? Why?"

"Javi," he chided. "I've been watching you two since she started here. I remember you talking about her after you and Lanie broke up. Ask her out already."

He sputtered, feeling his cheeks heat at the reminder. "I don't know what you're talking about. I - and besides, it's against regs anyway."

Kevin snorted. "You think the captain's gonna care about that, provided you two don't screw it up and make life miserable for each other and everyone else? Ask Aragon out."

"I-"

"Probably have another two minutes before she's out of the building. Go."

He was on his feet and pocketing his phone before it really registered what he was about to do. "Fine. But if she says no-"

"-Which she won't," Ryan answered. Already he looked smug.

"But if she does, I'm putting this on you."

"That's fine," his partner said, lifting his phone. "I'll be here calling Lanie."

Narrowing his eyes, Esposito turned on his heel, moving toward the staircase in hopes of catching Aragon before she made it too far.

"So," Castle started, pulling her attention away from the tablet in her hands. Her husband smiled, lowering a tray with two bowls of elaborately topped vanilla ice cream - personally retrieved from one of the hotel restaurants before they closed, because they were swearing off room service for a little while - to the table adjacent to her chair before taking his spot beside her. "Tomorrow night we head home; is there anything else you wanted to do before we leave?"

Though she had to think for a moment, in the end she shook her head. "I would say we've had a fairly eventful couple of days, wouldn't you?"

Rick chuckled, reaching over her for his bowl. "You are more than correct."

"Mhmm," she drawled, handing him a spoon as she lifted her own ice cream from the tray. "So I think tomorrow should be a lazy day. Packing, another swim or two."

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him nod his agreement. "Perfect."

Kate smiled, digging into her treat, making sure to catch both a gummy bear and a chocolate chip on the spoon. Beside her, Castle did the same.

"What were you reading when I came in?" her husband asked a few minutes later, nodding to the now-dark tablet resting against her belly.

"Oh," she said, bringing it back to life to show him. "I was looking at this stuff."

"Furniture for the nursery?" he asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything else. She wouldn't be contemplating decorating any other room in the house with baby furniture and brightly patterned crib bumpers.

"Yeah," Kate breathed. "I know Lanie and your mom and Alexis are probably all planning some sort of shower or something, but I thought maybe we should pick at least a few things ourselves. Or a color scheme, if nothing else. But I don't really think it's fair to ask anyone else to buy our furniture."

Her husband nodded, scrolling through the page. "I agree. We should get the big stuff. Then we can ask the others to buy some of the decorations. Plus the clothes and the toys. Though nobody will be able to top the mini-Kevlar I saved from last year."

Beckett grinned, unable to stop herself from teasing him. "Re-gifting to your own child, tsk tsk."

"Hey," he defended. "I think it suits us perfectly, don't you?"

Well, he had her there. Not that she was ever going to dress her daughter in that thing, but it was still a gift that felt uniquely 'them.' "Yeah, yeah."

Castle grinned, pressing his cold lips against hers quickly.

"Kay," she exhaled once they parted, taking another bite. "I like this." She pointed to one of the cribs. "In the soft gray."

"Me too," Rick agreed, looking over the specs. "It's convertible, too. I think it's perfect for her."

Joy bubbled in her chest. "I do, too. And it's part of a set. See the changing table and the dresser?"

"Uh huh. We'll get it all," he promised, adding everything to their cart, palming her belly when he was done. Their daughter kicked at his hand in response.

Kate turned a grin into his arm. "I think she approves. Now we just have to pick colors, patterns."

"We will," he promised, dotting a kiss to her forehead. "Pick out a few you like, and I'll do the same, and we can compare."

She nodded, swapping pages on the tablet.

"Hey, Rick?" she murmured after a moment, looking up at him.

"Hmm?" he asked around his spoon.

Beckett felt her lips lift even as her cheeks heated. It was probably a little bit silly, but she needed to say it anyway. "Thanks for this. Even though we found a murder on our vacation, thanks for the last two weeks."

Her husband laughed, low and soft. "Any time, Kate. You know that."

She did. Still, she cupped his cheek in her hand and pressed her mouth to his, savoring the taste of love and ice cream on his tongue, and basking in the rush of contentment in her veins.

Episode beta work by the Castle Season 9 beta team: acertainzest, amtepe, and ivyandtwine.

Castle Season 9 is produced by Team Planet and the writing team of Castle Season 9. Executive Producer is acertainzest.

For a full list of season 9 authors, please look at our ffnet profile.

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