A Different Shade of Pale

Chapter 54

Castle couldn't help grinning as he gazed at the joy on Kate's face while he drove back to the loft from Dr. Gale's office. "This has got to be the happiest I've seen you in months."

"Well of course Castle. M.G.'s okay, at least for now, I'm okay and I can go back to the precinct tomorrow."

"You do remember you're still behind a desk, right? And that Donovan's storm troopers are still making periodic rounds?"

Kate's smile continued at full wattage. "I do, Castle, but with the phone and computer chatter Tanu is picking up, I know we're going to have our breakthrough any day. And I just can't wait to throw it in Donovan's face."

"Definitely something to look forward to," Castle agreed, "and here's something else. Maddie called while Dr. Gale was checking your lady parts. She has some cake samples she wants us to taste. She thought we could do that late this afternoon and then have an early dinner at Q3."

"Sounds great!"


Kate closed her eyes, savoring the exquisite tang on her tongue. "Oh Maddie, these are incredible. I don't think I've ever tasted strawberries this intense before. And they're so tiny, like juicy jewels. Where did they come from?"

"They're wild. There's a strawberry farm in California that grows the ones like they have in the supermarket, big and red and bland. But there are fields around it where the birds just drop the seeds and the plants grow however. These are from there. It's a long season. With any luck we'll still be able to get them in May for your cake. But hey, I have other things for you to taste." Maddie handed Kate a small plate with a square of cake streaked in brown and white. This is vanilla latte, vanilla and coffee."

"How did you...? Of course, Castle."

"I know what pleasures my lady," Castle offered, flicking an eyebrow suggestively.

Kate sampled the tender confection approvingly before Maddie handed her another plate with cake so dark brown it was almost black. Kate nibbled from the tip of her fork before extending it to Castle. "This is so you, Babe."

Castle tasted, giving a Snuffles sigh of ecstasy. "Oh yes!"

Maddie cleared her throat. She could almost smell the pheromones drifting between the couple. "I was thinking, if the strawberry supply holds up, we could do a riff on cosmopolitan ice cream. We'd do a layer of vanilla latte, one of strawberry and one of midnight chocolate. We'd have three different icings too, a coffee, a strawberry, and an extreme blackout."

Castle unconsciously licked his lips. "Maddie you are a true genius."

"Wait 'til you taste your dinner," Maddie responded. "Jennifer has a whole new chef's choice offering. Her favorite appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Pure heaven."

Kate leaned contentedly against Castle's shoulder as they walked to the car. "Maddie was right. That may be the best dinner I ever ate, or maybe it just matches my mood."

"Maybe we can see what else we can do to keep you happy," Castle suggested. "Unless I'm mistaken, and I rarely am, Dr. Gale said it would be all right."

"You are definitely not mistaken, Castle, at least not this time. And as nerve-wracking as things have been lately, I didn't realize just how much I missed... well, you know."

"Oh, I know. I really, really, know. Right now I wish you had a gumball to put on the car."

Kate held out her hand for the keys. "I'll drive, Castle. If we get stopped, I'll flash my badge."

Castle pressed the keys into her palm. "Good abuse of power."

Kate wove expertly in and out of traffic, reaching the loft in less than ten minutes. Castle kicked the door of the loft shut. "You think Alexis and Martha are here?" Kate asked.

"I know they're not. Alexis and some of her friends are preparing a skit for the charity talent show at school and Mother insisted on supervising. But just in case they get back early, I'm locking both the office and bedroom doors."


Kate groaned. With eyes struggling to open, she pulled free of Castle's arms and grabbed her rudely insistent phone. "Espo, this better be important."

"It is, Beckett. I know you're not due back for - uh, five hours, but I was pretty sure you'd want to know. We had a body drop. It's Donovan."

Kate was immediately wide awake. "I'll be right in."

Beckett perched on the desk in front of the murder board. Castle returned from the break room with three cups of coffee and an orange juice. He handed the juice to Kate, and Ryan and Esposito each got a coffee. Ryan inhaled appreciatively. "Castle it is good to have you back here."

"So what have we got?" Kate demanded.

"Donovan was shot, but not where he was found," Esposito reported. "He was shoved in a dumpster in an alley. We probably wouldn't have known about it, but there were some homeless guys dumpster diving and one of them got really spooked and started to scream. Somebody heard him and called the cops to complain about the noise. We have unis canvassing, but so far no one saw anyone near the dumpster around the time Lanie puts the murder."

"The traffic footage should be here soon," Ryan added. "I'll scrub it, but there weren't any cameras in the alley. I'll be looking at a three block radius."

Castle stared at the photos of the crime scene. "I know this area. It's a few blocks from Car Stars. That would be a heck of a coincidence. Ryan can you go for a five block radius instead of three?"

Ryan looked questioningly at Beckett. "Do it Ryan."

Beckett continued looking at Castle as Ryan and Esposito retreated to their desks, sipping at their coffee as they went. "Kate, what?" Castle asked.

"Tanu and his people have been monitoring Car Stars along with all the other Bracken drug businesses, right?"

"Yeah, Tanu's also been keeping me updated on the progress of my Knight Rider 2015. The guys at Car Stars haven't been working very hard on it. Seems they have other things on their agenda."

"Things like killing Donovan?"

Castle nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."

"So maybe Tanu has some evidence in Donovan's murder?" Kate wondered. "He might not even know it if he hasn't checked the transmissions he's been monitoring yet."

"Considering that the sun isn't even up, that's quite possible," Castle conceded. "You know there's a surcharge for waking him up, right? Still it's probably only another Strawberry Shortcake figure. Ooh! Maybe we could get Maddie to give him the real thing with those little miracles that she showed us for our wedding cake."

Kate pressed her lips together to avoid the guffaw threatening to burst from her lungs. "Whatever it takes, Castle. I think we better call him, but not in the middle of the bullpen."

"Break room?" Castle asked. "You've still got most of your juice and I've still got most of my coffee."

"I think I know a more private place." Beckett led the way to a small room near the back stairs. "Opening the door, she re-propped a mop that had fallen forward at her entrance. She closed the door and locked it. "Our own private phone booth."

Castle pulled out his cell. "Except for Grand Central Station, probably the only one left in the city."

Tanu answered answered on the first ring. "I was going to call you, Rick. There was a murder you'll be interested in last night."

Castle smiled at Kate over his phone. "Tell me all about it."

A/N I don't live in California, although I did for 25 years. Wild strawberries grow in my present yard, descendants of less interesting strawberry plants I bought. They are very tiny, slightly tart, super intense, and like nothing in a store. For those unfamiliar with American cartoons, Snuffles is a dog in Quick Draw McGraw who has close to an orgasmic response when given a treat, hugging himself and floating down on air. He's on YouTube.