Too Close

Chapter 92

Ken Bruderlin walks the perimeter of the roof, where the ceremony and reception will take place. He had to do some fancy maneuvering to snag the Castle-Beckett assignment from his new employer, but the credentials the company created for him won the day. As far as he can tell, there are no available nests in nearby buildings for snipers, but he could take a shot from a half-mile away. He's not discounting that another skilled marksman could do the same.

He has little worry that anyone will be shooting at him. His identity is too new to be breached if anyone was even trying, and his present duty is unknown to anyone except his boss. Richard, Kate, and celebrity attendees are more problematical. There are always crazies out there.

Fortunately, he's studied the plans for the setup, and with the arch at the center rather than the edge of the festivities, lining up on any target will be difficult at best. Of course, he'll stay alert just the same.

He double-checked the backgrounds of all the cooking and serving personnel and didn't turn up any red flags. Some of the maintenance staff have questionable records, but they're not getting anywhere near the roof until after all the guests have departed.

Ken takes a breath. His plan for meeting Richard again is straightforward. When his son comes up to the roof to take his place awaiting his bride, Ken will introduce himself as Bruderlin, dropping the pitch of his voice. Richard may recognize it anyway. If he does, so be it. If not, revelations can take place at a later time.

Running his damp palms over his pants, Ken reflects that he has only been nervous before a mission once before: when he engineered his granddaughter's rescue. Achieving his goal today should be easier, much easier, but as vital to his future with his family.

Tables pushed together by the serving staff of the Four Seasons take up most of the small ballroom where the Descoines and Theresa's out of town relatives are helping themselves to a sumptuous buffet. Castle and Alexis have taken posts at the Descoine end of the gathering with Kate and Jim Beckett at the other.

Both clans survey the offerings, with the Descoines gravitating toward the smoked salmon and Aunt Theresa leading the way to the ham and scalloped potatoes. The butterflies in Kate's stomach refuse to put up with more than a small serving of fruit compote and a croissant. Rick is also uncommonly unenthusiastic about food, sticking with a bagel, juice, and coffee.

Jim Beckett takes a stab at breaking the ice. "I've attended several seminars in Cambridge. I also took Katie with me when she was a little girl. We discovered a wonderful ice cream parlor with unusual sundaes. The scoops of ice cream were placed in a seemingly random way in the dishes with fudge and syrups applied so generously they flowed over the edge. Is it still there?"

A Descoine cousin grins. "It is, and it's still amazing."

"We have some great ice cream in Chicago, too," one of Theresa's nieces declares. "But of course, our pride is the pizza. There's nothing like deep-dish."

"New York has restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world," Alexis jumps in. "A group of students I'm part of at Columbia likes to try a different one every couple of weeks. We've done Indian, Greek, Nigerian, Middle Eastern, and lots of Chinese. Chinatown has wonderful little tearooms tucked away between the tourist traps. If you have time while you're in the city, I could take anyone who wants to go on a sampling tour."

"Sounds like fun," Marie replies. "We were planning to stay over two more days to look around a little. I like to find out of the way gems."

"You're like Dad," Alexis muses. "He loves to go off the beaten path."

Rick smiles across the table. "Kate and I will be following a path of our own after the wedding, but I can make you a list of eye-opening explorations."

"I know a few as well," Theresa adds.

Marie savors a sip of rich coffee. "Thank you, all of you. I look forward to new adventures."

Kate takes a deep breath as the guests return to their rooms. "That went more smoothly than I thought it would."

"I was expecting more inter-family family fencing," Castle agrees, offering his elbow, "but now that the official get-acquainted breakfast over, I'm actually starting to get hungry. Care to join me for a private bite?"

Kate takes his arm. "I have some time before Lanie's coming to fuss over me. I'd love one."

Lanie takes a few steps back after unnecessarily smoothing the fabric of Kate's gown. "Girl, you look incredible. No bride could be more beautiful. Castle's eyes are going to pop right out of his head."

"I'm more worried about popping out of this bodice. I know that Trudy said it fits perfectly, but I've been a bridesmaid six times and once the bride's dress…"

"Kate, I'm sure that bride didn't have her gown fitted by a costume mistress with Martha Rodgers' personal stamp of approval. I'll double-check that you're secure, but this dress couldn't hug your curves better. Where is Martha, anyway?"

"She said she wanted to meditate to prepare for the event. She does that a lot, especially when she has a new role. She says it centers her."

"You could use some centering yourself, girlfriend. If you start breathing any faster, you're going to hyperventilate. You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"No way! Rick and I have come too far and gone through too much coming to this moment. I'm not about to let him go now."

"I don't think you could if you tried, Kate. That man would follow you to the ends of the earth. He's as stubborn as you are."

"He is," Kate agrees, "but if he weren't, I never would have found justice for my mother. And who else would be willing to dive into a case with me, no matter how hopeless nailing the killer seems to be?"

You have a point," Lanie agrees. "And from the glow you picked up after the two of you finally got together, that's not his only talent."

A rush of blood warms Kate's face. "Lanie, you have no idea."

Martha raps on the door of the improvised dressing room. "Katherine," the diva proclaims as Lanie lets her in, "there's something you should have before you walk down the aisle." Martha fishes a small box from her purse and flips it open, revealing sapphire earrings. "These have been worn by the women of substance in my family. I never thought Richard's previous choices worthy of them, but I want you to have them. I've never seen Richard happier than he is with you, and I'll be forever grateful to you for that. Growing up with a single mother who was on the road a good deal of the time wasn't easy for him, and he fought hard for his success. But he never fought as hard for anything as he did to be with you. The jewelry is a symbol of my faith that you and Rick were destined to share your lives."

Kate struggles against tears that would ruin Lanie's expert makeup job. "Thank you, Martha, I'm honored."

Martha glances at the delicate watch on her slim wrist. "Well, there is a wedding about to get underway, and it can't proceed without the bride."

"Ready, Kate?" Lanie asks.

"Lifting her full skirt slightly, Kate heads for the door. "Let's do it."