Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Dos Quatros
Part Title: You're on the Darker Side of Town
Author: Jmaria
Rating: FR-15
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, ABC owns Castle
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take four.
Part Summary: Speculation about a tutor.
Words: 626
Series A/N: Yeah, I dont know Spanish. I took French in school - I lifted the Quatros from Psych
A/N: New World Order: Mystery Spot subset within a subset. It ate my brain, what can I say?
31 Nights of Frights, Dos Quatros
"Who's the woman with Alexis?" Detective Kate Beckett asked, glancing at the two girls heading toward Ryan and Esposito. She slid her gaze to meet Richard Castle's. "She your new chippie?"
"Who uses that word, and God, no!" Castle shuddered at the very thought. "She's Alexis's tutor."
"Why is Alexis's tutor at your party?" Beckett frowned, glancing back over at the woman who looked pained and twitchy.
"Alexis is determined to play matchmaker," Castle frowned. "At least, that's what my mother told me."
"And she's your daughter's tutor?"
"Yes," Castle's frown deepened. "Alexis is sure, in her limited dealings with our co-workers -"
"Whose co-workers?" Beckett cocked her head at him, her gaze narrowing.
"Your distinguished colleagues, but you're arguing semantics," Castle snorted.
"I don't remember you being on the city's payroll, Castle," Beckett cocked her head to the side.
"But I do assist you."
"For your benefit, Castle. Heat Wave, remember?"
"Whatever," Castle looked confused. "What were we talking about?"
"Alexis thinking her unnamed tutor is perfect for Ryan or Esposito."
"Right."
Beckett waited for him to continue, but Castle was actually silent for several minutes. She narrowed her eyes at him in frustration, but he still didn't get the prompting.
"And?"
"And what? That was the end of the conversation."
"Then why does she keep glancing your way?" Beckett asked.
"What now?" Castle's head jerked around to spot the woman looking away. "No. No."
"How well do you know her, Castle?" Beckett bit back a grin. She loved yanking his chain.
"She's been Alexis's tutor for almost two years. I had her vetted. She's never even heard of my books," Castle looked a little put out by that fact.
"And you don't think Alexis maybe used Ryan and Esposito as an excuse to bring you two into more intimate and familiar contact?" a hint of a smile crept up her lips. "Even, dare I suggest, romantic contact?"
"Gah! Now I'm having flashes of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, thank you very much!" Castle glared at her, but the frown was back in a flash. "Except, she never speaks to me. . ."
"You sound almost sad about that, Castle."
"No, I'm just thinking that I know nothing about her," he shifted his gaze back to the tutor. "Except her name."
"Castle, I was only -"
"But she's been working with Alexis for almost two years. I should know more than her name!"
"Castle, you're jumping to conclusions. She just looks uncomfortable because you're her employer and she's making time with -"
"I didn't."
"Huh?"
"I didn't hire her, and I don't pay her. So technically, I'm not her employer."
"Then who arranged the tutoring? And why does Alexis need tutoring?" Beckett frowned, glancing back over at the woman.
"I don't know!" Castle stared at the woman and the two detectives who were looking at him like he was crazy.
"But you said you vetted her, Castle. How can you have vetted her and not know anything about her?"
"It's complicated. And starting to sound like a Lynsay Sands novel."
"A who novel?"
"Lynsay Sands, she's an, er, romance writer," Castle actually blushed a little.
"A romance novelist?"
"Yeah, I might have read one of her books by accident."
"All the way through?"
"It's not like I could put it down without solving the mystery of who was trying to kill the heroine!" Castle cried defensively.
"And how does this relate to Alexis's tutor?"
"Well, she tends to make the murderous fiend a long time female friend or companion, someone whos been innocuous throughout the rest of the novel and even helpful at times."
"Tends to?"
"It was more then one, okay? Can we get back to the woman who wants to make a stew out of my beloved pet rabbit?" Castle cried.
"You don't have a pet rabbit, and that didn't happen in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Castle. That was Fatal Attraction."
"I could!"
"What's her name, Castle?"
"Who's name?"
"Alexis's tutor?"
"Oh, uh, Dawn Summers."