A NEW YEAR
A NEW STORY
Number 9 In my "A Murder In…Series"
WOW! How did I get here?
Because of readers like you who have continued to follow these crazy tales of fiction and a fantastic story line created by Andrew Marlow and Terri Miller and is owned by someone else and not me. I do this just to entertain and no other purpose, I wish AM and TM had stayed and we would have had more than 7 GREAT seasons
Yes I know they claim a season 8 but I never saw a "Castle" season 8…only a show claiming to be "Castle" but had nothing in common with the real "Castle"
Enough sadness
NOW
New story.
Kate gets an invitation to her High School reunion. A period of time BEFORE she even knew Rick but did know who he was since her mother was a reader of his work. A time that Rick is mostly ignorant to. I wonder what or who might show up from her past?
AND what could possibly go wrong?
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A quiet Saturday morning at the loft. After finishing breakfast, Kate gets the newspaper from the hall outside the loft door and is sitting on the couch reading and catching up on the gossip stories existing on Page 6
At least, for the last few years, her husband is not the leading headline for the loose lips column. But sometimes when the news is slow, a passing mention might appear referencing him and her being out together. Kate is pleased that the editor has been kind enough to leave their children out of the media
She gets to laugh a lot thinking about what he once was, and how far he came. She knows that man changed just for her and she glances toward the study entry way.
Fortunately, for her, he is mostly unaware of her history. A past that might challenge his opinion of her if he ever got wind of her past, but that will never happen.
Or so the thought
Folding the paper and looking in the direction of her husband who is working on a new book. Just getting it outlined and ready to begin his next tale of Nikki and Rook, she stands and steps into the office opening "Hey babe…I am going down to the lobby to get the mail"
"OK hurry back" he responds without even looking up
She moves to the door, grabs their mailbox keys and heads toward the elevator
Rick has just about finished the outline for the next book. He thinks he will have Rook and Nikki get invited to a wedding in the Rockies and have to solve a murder. He then rereads the outline concept
'Nah. Nobody will read that' Castle says to himself. He then starts a new document. Thinking for a minute…'Maybe I will have Rook invited to teach a journalism class at the local university and there is a murder and Nikki and Rook investigate'
Again he disposes of that thought when he hears the door to the loft open and close "Is that you love?"
"Yeah. Got the mail. How's the outline coming?"
"Stuck at the moment but I am sure I will come up with something the readers will want"
"I'm sure you will" she replies as she drops down on the couch with today's pile of advertisements and other envelopes "I'm going to go over the mail and then we can go out for a lite lunch. Maybe after that you can have an attack of inspiration"
"Hope so" he responds turning his attention back to his computer screen and the irritating blinking curser
While looking at the still blank document he suddenly hears his wife's voice. Starting low almost like a moan "No" Then a louder "NO" Finally topping a very loud crescendo "NO! NO! NO!"
Followed by another string of "NO! NO! NO! NO!"
Castle jumps up from his desk worried about his wife. This is the same voice she has used, in the past, when a murderer is pointing a weapon at a victim getting ready to pull the trigger. Or he is thinking she has hurt herself or had found bad news in the mail. He rushes past the entry from his study into the main room where he finds his wife just sitting on the couch holding a piece of paper.
Seeing no immediate threat on her life he becomes more concerned "Kate! What's wrong" he says louder than he intended, but he is concerned by her loud words from just a moment ago
She is sitting holding an unfolded document and it looks like she actually might be a little freaked out by the words on the paper
She still has not answered but she is shaking her head 'No' and is saying the word "No" over and over
The closer he comes to his wife the more concerned he becomes since she has not yet answered him "Kate! What is it?"
By now, he has reached her and is sitting on the couch. He reaches over to take the paper from her shaking hand
Looking first at his wife then the document, he takes it from her and begins reading
'The 1997 Graduating Class of
Stuyvesant High School Announces Our 20th Class Reunion"
The invitation page goes on to tell the date, time, and location of the event. It is in August and it will be three days at a high-end hotel just few miles outside the city. The first evening begins with a cocktail party, followed on Friday by a visit and tour of their old high school to see what has changed and, finally, tour of the new World Trade Center Complex. Then Saturday morning the women are invited to go shopping and the men either golf or skeet shooting at a nearby country club. Finally there will be formal dinner and dance in the hotel grand ballroom where, according to the invitation, there will be stories from the past and also numerous awards bestowed on their former classmates
"Kate" Castle looks to his wife where she still has a panicked look on her face "This is cool. Your High School reunion. That will be great"
She does not agree but just sits in silent panic
"Anyway, I thought you would be going to the Law and Justice High School and not the science magnet" Castle points out
"I was a rebel and I was not going to become a lawyer like my parents so I picked a different school. After I graduated though, I realized I wanted to follow in their footsteps and enrolled at Stanford as pre-law"
"OK" then he notices another paper in her hand that was included with the invitation.
"What's this?" He takes this one from her and begins reading
Dear Kate,
The reunion committee is honored to advise that it has chosen you to receive the honor for the most successful woman from our class. We have noted your numerous accomplishments since leaving the hallowed halls at Stuy. We will bestow the award on you at the Saturday night formal dinner
As much as we plan to hear about what went on at school, we look forward to hearing all about your adventures since we last saw you. It will be interesting to see what is more scandalous. The before, or the after high school
Looking forward to seeing you again
Caroline Nady
Chairperson
Reunion Committee
Kate seems to still be in shock about what lies in front of her
Rick speaks, again "Kate, the date is the weekend the kids go to summer camp, so we don't even have to worry about babysitters. We can just go and have fun. You know get out of the city for a little romantic getaway"
Kate is still sitting silently beside her husband
"Kate? Are you OK?"
Looking up, finally "OK? Uh yeah, OK…I'm ok…I think"
"What do you mean…you think? Don't you want to go to your class reunion? See your old classmates. Relive old times? "
He is not totally sure if what he sees in her eyes are the beginning of tears or sheer fear on her face then she finally responds "I don't deserve any awards. I am just a cop doing her job"
What Kate is not telling her husband is not related to the award but more centered about what skeletons from her past might jump out of the closet and affect her life in ways she never considered when the bones were hidden away twenty years before
She finally convinces her husband that she was just embarrassed to be recognized in this way. He is not totally convinced that this is the entire story but for now he will let this slide.
Rick has returned to his outline hoping Kate will let him know what is troubling her in her own time.
Minutes later he hears Kate's voice from the door "Babe, I am going to go have an afternoon cocktail with Maddie. I promised her a while back to get together with her. Will you be ok?"
"Sure, love. I really need to come up with a new outline and I could use the quiet time anyway. Call me if you need anything"
"I will" Kate responds as she grabs her coat and is out the door heading down to Q3
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Maddie is waiting at the hostess counter when Kate enters thru the door "Hey Kate" Maddie starts the conversation "You here for lunch?"
"Kind of" Kate pauses a moment "Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Sure" Maddie turns toward the assistant "We will be in room 3" and her and Kate walk to the back of the restaurant
Once inside the private dining room, the two women sit at a table and Maddie asks Kate what she wants to drink
"Just water actually…" Kate pauses a minute then continues "we need to talk"
"Are you on duty? I promise I did not kill my chef" Maddie laughs trying to add a little levity
Kate lets out a gentle chuckle but it is evident that it was far from the laugh the woman expected
"Maddie, did you get the invitation to the high school reunion?"
The other woman seems to brighten up "OH, Yes! Isn't it wonderful? Seeing our old classmates…catching up on what they have been doing. Exchange old stories"
Kate's voice is shaky "Yeah…old stories. Stories from our past. You know things we did back then? Things we never thought about the consequences back then? Things we never thought would ever see the light of day?"
A look of understanding comes over Maddie "OH…YEAH! THOSE stories"
"Yeah…things we did and never thought about when we were 17 years old but now… Things we did…or rather I did BEFORE I knew Rick"
Maddie sees fear in her friend "You have never told him about your past? What went on in high school?"
"Yes! NO! Well not everything" She seems more panicked than she did when she came in "I gave him little nibbles when we were just partners. You know, teasing and flirting with him. Letting him think I had a WILD past"
"You did have a wild past Kate. Well maybe a little wild"
"THANKS" Kate huffs out
"Oh don't worry. Just avoid talking about what we did back then and all will be ok"
Looking at her old high school friend panic seeping from her skin "I am getting an award and they promise to tell stories from my past, so don't tell me to not worry"
"Kate they don't know everything
"What if they do know?"
"OH!" Maddie responds "You are worried he might get more stories about the wild Beckett?"
"YES…and, Maddie, he can't find out. I was just a kid back then and never thought about the consequences…, if he hears some of the things I did, it might change how feels about me"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
I am trying to get a little more personal in this story.
And since I was a perfect student in high school I am open to ideas of what some you did in school or you think that Kate did.
So, if you are interested, PM me and give me some details from your own sordid past and I will try to incorporate some wicked ideas without giving away your secrets