The Push

Chapter 36

Castle closed the door of the loft behind him, much harder than was necessary. "Whew! That was something. Three hours of preaching over dinner and I'm not only half drowned from a theological flood; I'm still hungry. He had to choose that vegan restaurant. I understand that veggies aren't biblically unclean and in a serious vegan place, unlikely to come into contact with anything that is, but somehow Klutz's managed to obey all the rules too and provided us with a delicious and filling lunch. At least now we have our suspect's name and some of his personal history. Who would name a child Creflo?" Castle shook his head. "I don't know about his parents. Maybe a strain of something weird runs in his family. When he said he heard God calling to him in his twenties, do you think he meant an actual voice? That's the age when schizophrenia often manifests itself. I've written about a character like that. Creflo talked a lot about what God has instructed him to do. Maybe in his mind, God did it directly."

"I don't know, Castle; I'll leave that up to the shrinks to figure out. And I actually liked the eggplant," Kate said. "My Aunt Theresa has gone vegan. She cooks some pretty impressive stuff these days."

"Thanks for the warning," Castle replied.

"There should be enough DNA on that napkin that you filched after Creflo wiped his mouth on it. I'm glad we stopped to drop it off for the lab to check against what was at the crime scene. In the morning, I'll put the boys on hunting down everything about Creflo Botts. You want a snack before bed?" Kate asked.

Castle's mouth quirked. "I think I'd rather have one in bed."

"I'm not big on sleeping on crumbs, Castle," Kate teased.

Castle palmed her well-shaped derriere. "I wasn't planning on anything that would leave crumbs."

"Mm. And how would you like your late night meal presented, with a formal setting or laid out casually?"

Castle slipped his hand under her blouse. "I was thinking au naturel."

"That can be arranged," Kate allowed.

Castle's scar was still angry enough looking to serve as a reminder for Kate to proceed with caution, but Rick didn't seem to be showing any signs of pain. Still, Kate was careful not to put any pressure on his chest, straddling his hips while leaning in carefully for a kiss."

Rick was anything but hesitant, pulling her to him as soon as their lips made contact. Plunging his fingers into her hair, he explored the taste of her, his lips blazing a fiery trail down her body. Kate gasped as he flipped her beneath him and supped on her most intimate secrets. She exploded under him, aching as they joined, grappling and rolling over again. She could hear his rapid breathing as she rode. She stroked his face. "You okay, Babe?"

Just don't stop," he panted.

Kate could feel him move within her as a second more devastating explosion rocked them both. She fell weakly beside him, with just enough strength left to pull up the sheet.

Castle opened his eyes just after sunrise, the best kind of ache inhabiting his muscles. Kate lay beside him. Her hair bore the obvious signs of the night's exertions. Her makeup was gone. There was no filmy lingerie to enhance her appearance. She'd never looked more beautiful. He kissed her softly. She rubbed an itch on her nose as her eyes opened. "How are you, Babe?"

Castle caressed her cheek. "Can't think of a time when I've been better." The roar of a juicer vibrated the bedroom wall. Castle sighed and shook his head. "At least until this second. I wonder if Mother is on her wheat grass smoothie kick again or Alexis is trying to make a statement."

Castle eased himself out of bed and wrapped himself in a Darth Vader robe. Kate slipped into a purple kimono and they both padded barefoot into the kitchen. Alexis looked up. "Ashley fell in love with carrot-orange juice at Stanford, but his parents don't have as good a juicer as we do. I'm going to bring him some before I go to class."

"Very thoughtful," Castle offered, "but next time you might try making it the night before. That way we could all get more sleep."

Alexis stared hard-eyed back and forth between her father and Kate. "Dad, you're still supposed to be turning in early - to sleep."

"Alexis, that is enough!" Castle retorted, his face reddening. "Kate and I were out working on trying to clear your boyfriend last night. And if you can't show some gratitude, at least show some respect and consideration. You keep telling me you're the adult. Start acting like one. And clean up the carrot scrapings and orange peels. I'm going to make some much-needed coffee."

"Did you find the real killer?" Alexis grumbled.

"We have another person of interest," Kate explained. "We'll know more when the lab tests come back."

"So, Ashley is still a suspect?" Alexis pressed.

"Look, Alexis, whatever you think, I'm not trying to railroad your boyfriend, or anyone else, I have to follow the evidence, wherever it leads. If it leads to someone, anyone, other than Ashley, no one will be happier about that than me. When we have a suspect in custody, you will be the first call I'll make," Kate promised, sticking out her hand. "Do we have an understanding?"

Alexis grudgingly extended her own hand. "Yeah, I guess."

After Alexis departed, and he and Kate were dressed, Castle poured second cups of coffee into traveling mugs for the short journey to the Twelfth Precinct. "When do think you'll get the DNA results back from CSU?" he asked.

Kate shrugged. "I don't know, Castle. If it's just an exclusion, looking at a few markers, it may be pretty fast. If we're looking at something to be used to convict in court, the lab will be looking at more. And the lab was pretty backed up."

"I could ask Bob Wheldon to get us pushed to the front of the line," Castle said, "But I'm not sure I want to. After the way Alexis has been acting, I think it might be in her best interests to learn a little patience. I've totally lost mine."

"I could see that," Kate said. "I can remember when my father did that a couple of times. One was when I wanted to spend the summer following a grunge band. He blew his top. I'd never seen him that mad before, and it was a real shock to me. But I stayed in New York, got a job, and earned money toward my Harley."

Castle scrubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know whether to rate that as a positive or negative outcome."

"I'd call it positive," Kate responded. "I had to learn some responsibility that summer, to show up where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there, whether I wanted to or not. I think if Alexis knows she can't just twist Daddy around her little finger, it will do her a world of good. I know it did for me. I couldn't have followed the orders from my drill instructor at the police academy or learned what Mike Royce taught me about the streets if it hadn't happened. I probably wouldn't have made it into Stanford either."

"Are you telling me I should lose my temper with my daughter more often?" Castle asked.

Kate laid a hand on his arm. "No, that's not you, and it would lose its effect anyway. But take it from one former teenage girl from Hell, knowing that someone cares enough to lower the boom occasionally, is a good thing."

Castle blew out a deep breath. "Alright, let's go see about lowering it on the bad guys."