My Bloody Valentine
Chapter 11
Kate slipped an ornate garter up under the sparkly abbreviated skirt of her gown, while Castle looked on in admiration. "It's going to be a long night while I'm waiting to get that off you."
"I wish I had a gun to stick into it," Kate brooded. "I've felt naked without one."
"But you are magnificent when you are naked, and the only crimes here are staged, the one we solved, and the ones presented to other teams. You'll be warming cold steel with your hotness soon enough when we return to New York."
Kate shook her head, rattling the bright beads on the band that encircled her hair. "I don't know, Babe. I have a feeling that something is off. Maybe it's because I haven't seen your Lily Veil yet, since she didn't show up for lunch."
"Lots of people didn't show up for lunch, Kate. She'll probably be at the celebration of the great reveals. I don't see how someone that devoted to cosplay would miss it."
The grand auditorium had been decorated to resemble a speakeasy. Waiters circulated with trays of buttered bread, egg sandwiches and lobster canapes. Castle was fascinated by the bar. He'd studied drinks of the period as research before he'd decided to buy The Old Haunt, and he was interested to see how an experienced mixologist crafted sidecars, old fashioneds, south sides and especially the Champagne laden French 75.
Kate eased through the room, hoping to spot Castle's mystery woman. She located her at a table, slowly sipping what appeared to be nothing stronger than water, with her eyes glued to Castle. Kate's teeth worried her lip as she joined Rick. She's here, Babe. And she's watching you."
Castle glanced in the mirror above the bar. "Now she's watching us. Oh! She's getting up. Looks like she's heading this way. I guess I'll have occasion to make introductions."
Kyrsten wove her way through the crowd of revelers and leaned her elbows on the antiqued wood surface next to Rick. Her voice rose from deep in her throat. "Remember me?"
Castle forced a smile. "Of course, how could I forget a character as intriguing as Lily Veil? Any plans to finally unmask?"
"And spoil the illusion?" Kyrsten responded. "No, in this world, I am Lily Veil, and she would love to invite the intrepid mystery writer and his beautiful companion to her table for a drink."
Rick caught Kate's eye and her subtle look of assent, and they followed the woman through the masses of partiers. A waiter brought three brightly colored sweet cocktails. A bell sounded, and the inhabitants of the dance floor parted to make way for the professional hoofers, who gave a spirited demonstration of the Charleston.
While Kate and Rick were watching the lively antics, Kyrsten saw her chance, slipping powder she'd emptied from her sleeping and motion sickness capsules into their drinks. Kate saw the motion out of the corner of her eye and touched Castle under the table. When he turned to her, Kate's eyes darted to the drinks, with a warning look.
When the display of raucous footwork had ended, Castle gazed around the table. "Do either of you lovely ladies care to give it a try?"
"I think I'll sit this one out," Kate demurred, "but take Lily. Have some fun."
Castle led Kyrsten into the crowd that was reforming, making sure that his partner's view of the table would be obscured while they executed the vintage maneuvers. As soon as she was sure she'd remain unseen, Kate poured the doctored drinks into a nearby potted palm and signaled the waiter for two new ones, before Kyrsten and Rick returned.
The music stopped and on a raised dais, the captain took the microphone. "I hope that everyone is enjoying themselves." Applause and a few whistles filled the room. "You gals and gents are the bees' knees! On behalf of Mystery Cruises, I would like to thank all of you for joining us on this adventure. Now it is my great pleasure to announce the master sleuths this voyage. First, Blooming Gently, for solving the case of the purloining purser."
There was more applause as a slight, gray-haired woman that Castle had pegged as one of his Marples approached the podium. Captain Stuber inclined his head in acknowledgment and handed her a gilded envelope. Eyes shining behind wire-rimmed glasses, and proudly holding her prize aloft, Blooming made her way back into the assemblage.
"Next," Stuber announced, "Sam Speed, for unraveling the mystery of the purposeless pastor."
A man with slicked back hair and an intricately curled mustache claimed his reward.
"And finally," the captain continued, "to Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, the grand prize for unmasking the murderous Scarlett Smuggler."
Hand in hand Kate and Rick climbed the two steps to the dais. Stuber bowed to Kate, shook hands with Rick and handed them another envelope and a glittering trophy. They returned amid their ovation, to their table with Kyrsten. Kate wobbled, then steadied herself on the back of a chair. Babe, I'd love to stay and celebrate, but I'm feeling a little woozy."
"So am I. The staff must have put some extra prohibition-era oomf into those drinks," Castle speculated. He turned to Kyrsten. "I hope you'll excuse us. My wife and I will have to cut this evening short."
"I understand," Kyrsten responded, glad that her veil obscured the glow of victory on her face. Beneath the table, she fingered a passkey she'd pickpocketed from a steward.
"Castle," Kate said, as soon as they were away from the hubbub, "I think Lily Veil is Kyrsten Dodgeson. When you took her to the dancefloor, I saw marks on her ankle, the kind she would get from one of those electronic monitors, and it all fell into place. She's the same size as Kyrsten. Her coloring is different, but that could be the makeup you noticed. Her family has more than enough money to finance an escape. They would only have had to put up 10 percent of the bail. To them, $500,000 is pocket change. Even $5 million wouldn't be that big a hit. Kyrsten must have traced us here."
"If you're right, she probably thinks she's drugged us and will be coming after us."
"Now I really wish I had my gun, but we can improvise. We'll be ready for her," Kate declared.
Minus only their shoes and Kate's headband, Kate and Rick slipped into bed and pulled the covers up to their chins. Hands tightly clasped, they waited. A half-hour later they heard the lock turn.
Kyrsten gazed at the unconscious figures and caressed her knife. "I hope you wake up enough to feel the pain before you go to hell," she exclaimed.
Kate sprang out of bed, her stunning blow knocking the blade from Kyrsten's numbed fingers. Before Kyrsten recovered, Castle grabbed her and used the weight of his body to pin her down, while Kate employed a sash to secure their would-be attacker's hands and a belt to bind her feet. Castle stared down at their prisoner. "I think this time the judge is going to give you more than bail and bondage."
After Kyrsten had been turned over to the authorities in Nassau to await extradition, Rick and Kate boarded a plane for home. Kate settled into the roomy first-class window seat while Castle sat on the aisle beside her. "You know Castle," she said. "We were concentrating so much on capturing Kyrsten that we never even looked inside the envelope Captain Stuber gave us. Besides the trophy, what do you think we won?"
"Easy enough to find out," Castle replied, drawing the object in question from an inner pocket of his jacket. He handed it to her. "Care to do the honors?"
Kate broke the seal and drew out the paper inside. "It's a voucher for another cruise. Any one we want."
"All things considered," Castle proposed, "maybe next time around we should take the soap opera excursion." He grinned and stroked her cheek. "More sex but less stabbing - except for the metaphorical kind."
Smiling, Kate snuggled into her husband's shoulder.
Finis
A/N My next story will be AU. In "Finding Her Hero," taking off from Knockdown, Castle breaks his hand beating Hal Lockwood senseless. With Alexis busy with a school project and Martha working on a play, Kate decides to stay with Rick until he can function better.