After ordering lunch from this very comfortable, home town café's menu, Castle and Becket are trying to figure out exactly what is going on.
"Smith confirmed that this man's fingerprints were on the copy of Casino Royale that Roger Chandler, or whoever he is, left for me" Castle states matter of fact
Pointing ion the general direction of the kitchen and the man preparing the food, Beckett questions "If this man is THE Roger Chandler, it brings us back to WHO was the stranger in the coffee shop? The man who pushed me into your arms?"
"Smith said these people are like imaginary numbers. They don't exist in the real world. You and I exist in the real world and they do not"
"Castle, are you saying that we cannot locate them?"
"Kate, it seems every time we get close, the path evaporates into a vapor. Each lead goes nowhere. Exactly like Smith said. All the leads go to these 'J Operators'. These imaginary people"
Marsha steps up beside the table with two plates "You had the chicken fried steak" she sets the plate down in front of Castle "and you sweetie, you had the chief salad" as she places the bowl in front of Kate "Enjoy"
The woman's easy conversation style makes Beckett feel like these people are just a down home couple running a family owned business serving the entire community with great food
"So Marsh how long have you lived in the community?" Kate asks the woman when she returns with a coffee pot offering another refill to the couple
"All my life. Roger grew up just down the road and my family had a farm on the other side of town"
"So both of you are from here?" Castle asks the question
"Yeah. Went all the way through school together. He was on the football team. I was a cheerleader. You know the usual. Head cheerleader and captain of the football team. Just here in the country after high school you get married and start having kids, run the family farm." She points around the room "But instead here we are" she smiles "And sweetie we are happy. Just like I bet you two are happy"
Kate takes Castle's hand "Yeah I am"
Rick starts up after the comment "Did Roger go in the service after high school? I would guess the war in Southeast Asia was still going full tilt?"
"NA! Roger blew out his knee during the last game of our senior year. He was rejected for military service."
"OK I see! " Beckett comments
"His family couldn't afford to send him to college without a football scholarship so he went to work at the cafe here. It was owned by his uncle"
"So then you bought it from his uncle?" Rick asks
"Not exactly. It is a kind of weird story" Marsha sits down next to Kate still holding the coffee pot in her hand "Roger was working for his uncle. Learning the business, you know. He really enjoyed the business when his aunt and uncle were killed in a car wreck out on the old highway"
"Tell me more" Kate is intrigued
"I can't always talk about this, it makes Roger jealous" she looks at the kitchen window "Roger's cousin Jerry had a crush on me but me really liked Roger. But anyway Jerry and his twin brother Jimmy were the hooligans of our class. They worked part time at the family cafe here but spent all the rest of their time getting into trouble"
"This was their family's place?" Castle points around the room
"Yeah. It belonged to their mom and dad, Roger's uncle"
"So their name was Chandler also?" Beckett wonders
She lets out a chuckle "Half the town are Chandlers. The great, great grandfather was one of the first settlers"
This story is too intriguing for Kate to stop. The name Marsha was the name Roger gave her for his love and the Chandler name is too common here "So what happened to the twins?"
"That is the town's worst story. The boys were known for hot rod racing on the old highway every Friday night. Then one evening Roger and I were heading home from a date when we topped the hill and saw the race cars on the road ahead. Then we saw another vehicle, a pick up coming from town appear on the road. One of the hot rods was on the wrong side of the highway. The driver was drinking. The car swerved to miss the truck but the pick up lost control and rolled. Both passengers were ejected. Nothing could be done. They were both killed"
"And who was it?" Castle asks
"Roger's aunt and uncle. Jerry and Jimmy's mom and dad"
"Were the boys responsible for the deaths of their parents?" Beckett brings out the question
"Not directly. The drivers of the cars that were racing were drunk. Two guys from the next town over were in the car. Friday nights ended up in school yard brawls with alcohol. Except the twins brought the booze. The looked old enough to get beer so when anyone wanted to drink, the twins did it. Everyone blamed the twins. The two boys were devastated by their actions.
What happened to them?" Castle wonders
"Since they did not intend to hurt anyone, police charged them with involuntary manslaughter and the judge sentenced them to either 10 years in jail or military service. They both joined the army instead of going to jail"
Kate and Rick look at each other both with pain in their eyes "That's terrible" Kate states
"Yeah it was. But one of the last things the twins did before shipping out was to sign over the business to Roger, the cousin who had worked here for so many years"
"Has anyone heard from them since?" Rick asks
"That is also a sad story. We got word about a year later that they were both killed in action. We thought that sole surviving sons were not supposed to be in combat at the same time but the detail that came to make the notification reported that they were both killed in the same action"
"Marsha, do you have a picture of the boys? The twins?" Kate questions
Marsha looks at the bulletin board beside the pay phone on the wall "Yeah! I think we do" and she stands and walks to the wall where there are a lot of photographs. After a minute she takes a photo from the board and steps back to the table "Here you go. Jimmy is on the left and Jerry on the right. They were twins but not identical. What is the word? OH Yeah! Fraternal twins"
Both Castle and Beckett are caught with a loss of air. Kate whispers to Rick "I don't recognize either one of them"
Castle responds "Neither do I"
Castle and Beckett thank their server as they return to the food before them
"Babe, this make no sense" Kate starts up after just a couple of bites "I thought we had a lead. A solid lead. But now. Nothing!"
"Just like Smith said. 'Dead Ends' everywhere we turn" Rick reaches over to Kate and takes her hand
"At least the food is good" Castle comments as he takes a bite of his meal
"I know" she states as she finally picks up her fork and takes a bite of her dinner "We now have more than two restaurants we get to go to"
"This one is a little more out of the way than Remy's and that Chinese food take out near the station" He says
"True"
Castle and Beckett finish the absolutely delicious meal and after a few cheery comments exchanged between them and the couple in the diner they couple head back to the city.
After about an hour of driving Kate suddenly sits upright "Castle! How did the fingerprint of Roger Chandler, the real Roger Chandler get on that book?"
"He must have touched the book at some time recently" Rick responds "He would remember an event like that. We need to ask him"
"I'll look up the café and call them" Beckett pulls out her cell phone and starts an internet search. After several minutes of web browsing "I don't find the café's number listed anywhere" She says with a question in her voice "Castle, I can't find a number for the place. Only the address"
"I saw a phone on the wall while we were there"
"A pay phone. Maybe it didn't even work"
"A small town place like that didn't need for you to call, just drop by. You know No Reservations" He chuckles
"Very true"
Richard Castle takes the first chance to make a safe turn around and heads back up the road toward the small café. In just under an hour Rick pulls his BMW into the empty parking lot. The pair get out of the sedan and walk up to the door.
To find the door locked. They peer inside and see nothing. Nothing as in no customers, no dishes, no silverware, no pie shelves or coffee makers. Nothing to indicate that there is a real restaurant here. It look like an empty building.
They walk back to the parking lot and look at the awning and realize where the sign was before is now empty
"Castle! Where is the café? It WAS right here?"
"Or was it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Another lead evaporates into the ether"
They get back into Rick's car and drive to the local sheriff's office.
"Castle please don't make some CIA comments. I am sure the local authorities do not share your love of conspiracy theories" Kate comments as she waits for Rick to open the door for her
They step up to the counter where Beckett pull out her ID "Hi, I'm detective Kate Beckett NYPD. We are following up on a case from the city and I wonder if you could help me with something"
The officer just behind the counter calls back over her shoulder to the office behind her and loudly speaks "Sheriff! There's a New York cop out here to see you"
A minute later a large man steps up to the counter "Howdy ma'am. What can I do for you?" His last words rise in tone as his eyes travel up Kate's body from floor to head "This is what they mean by New York's finest?"
I am Detective Beckett NYPD and this is my husband Richard Castle"
Castle is positive he hears a groan from the large man across the counter
"We are following up on a case from the city and were wondering if you could tell us about the small cafe just outside town"
"What café? The last eating place in town closed down about five years ago. The only things we have now are the ones on the interstate. If we want lunch we have to go there"
Castle and Beckett look at each other before Rick asks "We drove by earlier and there was a sign over a building just off the square, it said Chandler's Café"
The sheriff lets out a light chuckle "OH! That place?"
"Yeah"
"That was a movie set"
"A what?" Becket seems shocked
"That was a movie set. A movie company came in just a couple of days ago and remodeled an old seed store and made it look like a restaurant. It looked real" the sheriff comments
"Yeah it did" Rick says quietly "So where did they go?"
"They packed up earlier today and moved out. You probably just missed them"
Beckett is visibly upset by the situation "What was the name of the film?" Beckett questions
The sheriff looks over to another desk "UM…A Stranger in a Coffee Shop"