It was almost 9 p.m. when Jack returned to the apartment. He had simply grilled a steak and sat at the dining table, recounting his experiences of the day to Hannah.
The sweet girl had already whetted her appetite with the messages he'd sent before returning home, and as he listened to his story, she regretted not going out shopping today.
She had little interest in the bridesmaid murder case, but she was very interested in gossip. After all, Castle had always given off the impression of a somewhat unreliable love life, just like his two exes, whose marriages and divorces were as casual as eating and drinking.
"So it seems you've discovered the reason Castle has become a playboy?" Hannah's eyes gleamed with gossip, her hands moving non-stop.
Jack leaned over to take a look and saw her texting with Lanny, the female medical examiner he'd met today. Tsk, he'd witnessed firsthand how quickly gossip spread.
"Not necessarily, but it's at least one of the reasons. I really didn't expect someone like Cassel to have only one girlfriend in college, and it looked like they were on the verge of marriage. Life's encounters are truly remarkable. If they had..."
Jack's eyes suddenly lit up at this point, and he and Hannah said in unison.
"John Nolan!"
"Old rookie John! Haha."
Not only did the two guys look alike (duh), but their first half of life seemed somewhat similar: single-parent families, good students, and a childhood sweetheart they'd spent their entire lives with in college.
"So, if Kayla hadn't been so resistant to marriage, or had gotten pregnant unexpectedly, Cassel might have been a consistent, good family man now." Hannah tilted her head in thought, looking adorable.
"Then New York City might have lost a beloved, bestselling author."
Jack chuckled, turning back to find Hannah staring at him, unblinking, with an inexplicable look in her eyes.
A thought struck him, and he reached out to pinch her chubby cheek. "Don't worry, even if this was just a dream, I'll try my best to find you when I wake up."
Hannah snorted dismissively, pressing her smooth cheek against his warm palm. "I'll definitely find you first, leaving no one else a chance."
"Hahaha," someone forced a forced laugh to mask their embarrassment.
The next morning, after clocking in at the Federal Building as usual, Jack, under Hannah's impatient urging, took her out. They didn't have any new cases on the job, and Jubal had taken leave.
After the results of his eldest daughter's bone marrow biopsy came back, he felt relieved after the false alarm and took two days off to spend more time with his two children.
They first went out of town to visit the new office. The renovations were actually progressing well; plumbing and electrical connections were almost complete. The reason they'd stopped by to keep an eye on it was because they planned to use the office not only for work, but also for possible dormitories.
When Jiejie officially reports for duty, Jack will definitely have to move out of the luxurious penthouse. He hasn't decided whether to buy a house on Long Island or, like Danny's family, on Staten Island, so he'll probably have to move into the dorm for now.
The building is quite large, more than enough space for a small or medium-sized supermarket. Jack plans to give each team member a room, both as a perk and as a place to rest when things get busy.
Of course, setting up a kitchen for personal use is also a must. He hasn't cooked in ages, so he needs a range hood, a high-fire stove, and a large refrigerator.
It was almost noon when the two arrived at the NYPD's 12th Precinct. They happened to run into Beckett at the elevator, having just returned from the medical examiner's office. The two girls greeted each other warmly, but their smiles were fake. It wasn't that they were just fake best friends, but rather that one knew the other was there to see her, and the other knew the other knew she was there.
Anyway, Jack could feel that Beckett was trying very hard to restrain the urge to roll her eyes. After all, she couldn't do anything about these two idle FBI agents.
Stepping out of the elevator and into the detective's office, the two clowns were leaning side by side against an evidence board, clutching a novel and whispering to each other about something like "The sex scene was too detailed.
" Beckett was feeling frustrated and had nowhere to vent. The question she'd asked Castle in the elevator yesterday wasn't just gossip. According to Jack and Hannah's analysis from last night, the older woman was currently experiencing a dilemma. It had been over six months since Castle, wearing a bulletproof vest emblazoned with "WRITER," became her partner. They'd solved numerous cases together, and it was impossible not to say there wasn't some chemistry between them.
However, their personalities were quite different. Castle's playful, spontaneous attitude was particularly jarring for Beckett, who was used to following the rules, making the bond between them seem unbreakable.
While Beckett couldn't be said to have no romantic experience, she was certainly a relatively conservative person. This was a stark contrast to the New Yorker approach of dating for drinks, then having sex, and then waking up the next day to be completely unfamiliar with each other.
Beckett longed for the traditional kind of love—marriage, children, and a life together—but Castle lacked precisely that sense of security.
So, according to Jack, while yesterday's events had subconsciously left her feeling a bit jealous, they had also indirectly opened her eyes to a new world. The appearance of the bride, Keira, at least proved that someone wasn't inherently cynical.
By then, the female inspector, with a stern face, had strode over to the clown duo and said unhappily, "Aren't you two supposed to be doing background checks?"
"Of course, we're checking the bride's background." Kevin was startled and quickly closed the book, revealing the title, which made Beckett frown even more.
"All day yesterday, I kept thinking the name Kayla Bryan sounded familiar, and then it suddenly occurred to me that Cassel's second bestseller, 'The Eternal Rose,' was dedicated to her."
Before he could finish, Esposito snatched the novel from his hands, flipped to the title page, and read the inscription, "This is dedicated to Kayla Bryan. The stars and moon are dim because of you."
They both turned to Beckett, grinning.
Beckett resisted the urge to roll her eyes, trying to maintain the last shred of dignity she held as her icy boss. "When I'm gone, do you two braid each other's hair and discuss which of the Jonas Brothers is the cutest?"
The Jonas Brothers were the American equivalent of the "Fraudsters," an idol band beloved by countless teenage girls.
Jack called them the "Crazy Duo" for a reason, and they immediately started acting out the act.
"Of course not, but since you mentioned it, it must be Nick."
"Kevin is the most talented."
"Yes, Nick is the cutest."
"So what about Joe?"
Jack speechlessly took the copy of "The Eternal Rose" from Esposito's hand, flipped through it, and handed it to the curious Hannah beside him, saying to her with a hint of meaning.
"So, when Cassel's first best-selling novel came out, he and Kayla were probably still together, so the reason for their breakup was probably not due to vulgar reasons like disdain for the rich."
His voice was not loud, but it was enough for Beckett, who walked over to the evidence board and pretended to be busy, to hear it.
(End of this chapter)