Grinning, Beckett willingly withdraws, noting then that he'd gone and refreshed both their beers. She reaches for the one that appears untouched, swigging casually while Castle flips open his phone.

It suddenly occurs to her that while Castle is as intelligent as he is playful, his daughter possesses nearly three times the amount of know-how. Two evenings spent together in as many weeks is definitely enough for her to connect the dots.

Instead of saying anything, she merely observes the one-sided conversation, her forehead developing a small wrinkle.