Out of the Keep
Chapter One
Trying desperately to find refuge in sleep, Lady Katherine of Beckett struggled against the unyielding hardness of the dungeon floor of Rodgers Keep. A voice fell on her, almost as a whisper of the wind. "I grieve that they captured you."
Katherine raised her head, searching for the source of the sound. There was no one there. Perhaps she had finally drifted off and the voice had been merely a dream. She closed her eyes, hoping to return to slumber, but the voice came to her again, this time in a caressing richness. "It tries my soul to see anyone consigned to this place, especially one as beautiful as you."
Katherine's eyes flew open. Golden sparks shimmered in the air, slowly forming the outline of a man. She watched as the image took on more substance until the fully formed figure stood before her. He was tall, his shoulders wide above arms rippling with muscle more than sufficient to easily swing a broadsword. His brown hair was restrained from falling into his eyes by a single golden cord. She was riveted by eyes, a depth of blue she had never before beheld. They drew and held her as he spoke. "Distressed as I am to see you thus confined, it has been years since I had one with whom I wished to speak. I dared not hope for a personage as glorious as as you."
"Who are you?" Katherine asked.
"I am Richard Alexander Rodgers, the rightful holder of this keep. Years ago my cousin Rupert employed the wizard Cray to steal the Rodgers legacy from me. He cast a spell consigning my shade to this dungeon during the hours of darkness."
"Where do you abide during the hours of daylight?" Katherine asked.
"That is a strangeness I can still barely comprehend," Richard explained. "I travel to another world and become the shadow of one who is, but is yet not me."
"How can that be?" Katherine marveled.
"I know not," Richard replied. "The other Richard looks like me, but with garments not seen in our realms. I perceive he sounds like unto me as well. There is no magic in his world, but there are unimaginable devices, and a woman, much like you, who is his wife."
"I wish I could breach these wall and go with you," Katherine sighed.
"Alas, that is not possible," Richard answered mournfully. "But perhaps I can transport you beyond these walls by another course. Each night, when I return, I can bring you stories of my journeys. If you wish. I could begin now."
"Please," Katherine urged.
"The other Richard calls himself Rick," the shade began. "He uses Castle as a surname."
"How peculiar," Katherine commented.
"Not in his world," the shade responded. "He pursues an occupation called private investigator, although it is not the source of his wealth. He writes books that sell in great numbers and has amassed quite a fortune from his tales."
"What is a private investigator and why would he wish to be one?" Katherine inquired puzzled.
"A private investigator finds hidden knowledge, such as whether servants are stealing or whether a husband or wife is having a misadventure in another bed. Sometimes they solve crimes or prevent them from being committed. It appears to me that Rick enjoys following clues and solving mysteries. He also writes about them his books. His strange pursuit also lets him work with his wife, one much liken to you, whom he calls Kate."
"He is rich and his wife wishes toil? That is very strange," Katherine observed, even more confused. "Why does she join him in his quests?"
"Before she was a private investigator, she was a member of the local constabulary. That's how they met," Richard explained. "When he became a private investigator, he most often calls himself P.I., a shortening of the title, she wanted to be at his side."
Katherine smiled. "They sound much in love."
Richard couldn't help smiling back. "They appear to be. It is very agreeable to see. Would you like me to tell you of their current quest, what they call a case?"
"Please do so," Katherine responded.
"Rick loves to name his cases. He call this one 'The Buddha's Bug-out.' The Buddha is a gold statue with emeralds for eyes. It had a large round stomach and smiles as if it is always laughing. I saw Rick looking at images of it Rick called photographs. The Buddha was stolen and Rick and Kate are trying to find it for what is called an insurance company. That is some sort of enterprise that contracts to pay recompense if something of value is stolen or destroyed. If Rick and Kate can find it, the insurance company will reward them with a smaller sum than they would have to pay the owner of the Buddha for the loss.
The Buddha belongs to a man named Ma Man. For some reason Rick seems to find the name amusing, making jokes saying 'Ma Man' this and 'Ma Man' that. I'm afraid I don't understand the humor. The Buddha was housed in a small shrine in Ma Man's home. The home was locked and only Ma Man's family and his servants had access to the room. Rick and Kate sought to question possible thieves, whom they called suspects.
The first to draw their attention was servant named James who drives a mechanical conveyance called a car. It is like a coach, except there are no horses. I have no idea how such a thing works, but in Rick's world, they are as common as horses are in ours. They can be unpleasant, producing a cacophony of sound and spewing smoke of a foul odor. As the questioning began, Rick and Kate sat across a table from James. Strangely Kate made most of the queries. She stared boldly into the James' eyes and he wilted under her gaze. First she asked him where he was on a particular day and over a span of hours. He replied that he had been driving Ma Man's wife doing what he called shopping, which I understand to be visiting a group of merchants. Kate asked for the names of all the merchants and scribed a record.
When Kate finished asking James questions, she told him he could go. He lost no time leaving the chamber. Then Kate and Rick used truly wondrous devices they called 'phones' to talk from a distance to the merchants, to find the truth or lie of what James had declared. All the merchants seemed to agree with the story James told. Kate and Rick looked greatly disappointed with James' innocence but agreed to continue questioning other suspects in the morning."
"What!" Katherine exclaimed. "Why did they stop? Who stole the Buddha?"
"I know not who stole the Buddha." Richard confessed. "Kate and Rick commenced the case just this day. At the end of their labors, they went to their abode, a place they refer to as 'the loft,' to take a meal together and enjoy each other as husbands and wives do."
"Certainly you didn't behold that," Katherine blurted out.
"Lady, you wound me!" Richard rejoined. "I am a gentleman, I would certainly never put eyes on the relations of another. As evening fell, I was pulled back here, to have my eyes blessed by the vision of you."
"I beg your pardon Richard. I meant no offense," Katherine apologized as fatigue overtook her. "I believe I can finally take some rest now. Do you sleep?"
"Alas no," Richard told her, "but I will watch over you as you as you find respite from this world. Would you give me leave to tell you more of Rick and Kate when I am allowed to return tomorrow evening?"
"Kind sir," Katherine affirmed, "I will anxiously await your appearance."
