Recollection Rick

Chapter 13

"You're turning in early," Rick notes as Kate gets ready for bed.

"The subway video is supposed to be available first thing in the morning. As soon as I feed Lily, I want to get out of here and get an early start. It's also been a long day."

"But a productive one, at least for you," Rick points out. "Before Lily and I came to observe you in action, I was watching some of the more competitive games from the Recollection archives. I had no idea about a lot of the answers."

"Those weren't celebrity games, were they?" Kate asks.

"No, but being a celebrity doesn't mean being dumb, Kate." He presses his thumb to his chest. "Case in point – I hope. I just found out that Ben Lane, who hosted 'Believe it or Not,' is going to be a contestant on the next episode. I love his show. He comes up with even weirder stuff than I do. Going up against him is going to be tough. And the other contestant, Sonia Braithwaite, has lived all over the world and speaks three languages. She's probably picked up her share of arcane knowledge too. To beat them, I'm going to have to kick it up a notch, maybe two or three notches."

"All of which means you won't be joining me for a while because you want to stay up and cram," Kate surmises.

"Believe me. I would rather be cuddling the love of my life. But I'm earning good money for my charities, and more importantly, keeping them in front of the public. I've got to give it my all."

Kate reaches out to stroke his arm. "I get it, Babe, really. You give me every chance to do what I have to do. This is what you have to do. Snuggle up when you come to bed."

"Count on it," Rick promises.

Although essential to her job, scrubbing video is one of Kate's less favorite activities. She would have asked Ryan for help, but he's busy with another case. She starts with the subway stop nearest to Staying in the Game to catch Clea's arrival. The suspect steps off the R train, which could have brought her from numerous places in Queens and Manhattan. Stop by stop, Kate watches for transfers. After hours, she finally traces Clea to one of the seedier neighborhoods in lower Manhattan. One advantage of the area is that almost all the stores have exterior security cameras. Settling at her desk with a fresh can of root beer, Kate picks up the phone.

"If you went to a casting call for the before in an eyedrops commercial, you'd get the part hands down," Rick judges, as Kate finally joins him at the loft. "Did you find Clea's hideout?"

"Not yet, but I narrowed my search down a lot. I couldn't see which way she turned after the last camera that caught her, and there are a collection of no-questions-asked hotels and SROs in that neighborhood. But I should be able to nail things down tomorrow. How did your day go?"

"Lily was restless. I think she was hoping we could go see Mama again. I ended up taking her to the park to hit all the bumps in the path. She eventually fell asleep, and I got a little more studying in, but not as much as I would have liked."

Kate's lips twitch the beginning of a smile. "You know, you're starting to sound like Alexis about studying."

"I know, right? It's weird, isn't it? But I've always loved research, especially turning up unexpected nuggets of information. So I guess this is no different. I also called around and found out that Ben is shooting his show and Sonia is working on a movie, so they may have even less prep time than I do. That may give me a leg up."

Kate holds up crossed fingers. "I hope it works out for you. Isn't this the night of the mystery dinner you scammed Alexis and Dana into attending?"

"I'm not crazy about it being on a school night, but the event's supposed to be over by ten, so that shouldn't be a problem. It's not like either one of those two would ever walk into a class unprepared. I should be receiving regular texts regarding their behavior."

"I still think that's creepy, Babe."

"No creepier than the umpteen cameras that daily track your suspect and every other citizen of this city," Rick argues.

"Maybe," Kate considers, "but I doubt Alexis would agree."

With an assist from Martha's favorite costume mistress, Alexis is decked out as a flapper, and Dana matches her flash in a 1920s tuxedo complete with a hat, gloves, and a walking stick. A jazz band plays in the corner while the diners dig into chicken à la king and Waldorf salad. A stack of sealed envelopes lies in the center of the room, ready to be distributed and opened after a dessert of pineapple upside-down cake.

"Did you notice the man who set out the clues," Dana asks.

"The one in the herringbone suit?" Alexis queries.

Dana nods. "I could swear he was looking at us – more than everyone else in the room, I mean."

"Maybe he's one of the judges for best costume," Alexis speculates. "These clothes from Gram's friend are terrific."

"They are," Dana agrees. "That could be it, but a lot of people here have great costumes, and I don't think he was watching them the same way. He had a look like my dad sometimes gets when he's thinking about protecting someone. Let's try to keep away from him."

"We can try," Alexis agrees, "but if he's in charge of the clues, he's not going to be far away."

"So, how was the mystery dinner?" Rick asks over a bleary-eyed breakfast.

"Dana and I both guessed right about who the murderer was. It wasn't that much of a challenge. And we got second place for our costumes. The couple who won was born in the twenties and wore clothes that belonged to their parents. It was cool but a little weird. Dana thought the guy handing out the clues was watching us."

Rick stares down at his plate, spearing a scrap of sausage. "Probably just part of the show."

Alexis regards her father. "I know that look, Dad. I can see your tell. You're lying about something. What? Did you hire someone to watch Dana and me?"

"I didn't hire anyone." Rick protests.

Alexis' eyes drill into her father's. But you had something to do with it. That's why you gave me the tickets, so you could have someone spy on Dana."

Rick's fork clatters on his plate. All right. The guy is a friend I asked to watch out for you. Is it a crime for a father to want his daughter to be safe?"

Alexis drops from her stool, shaking her head. "I don't even want to talk to you right now. I'm going to school."

As the door slams behind Alexis, Rick looks at Kate. "Go ahead. Tell me you told me so."

Kate reaches for his hand. "I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know. Alexis has the Castle brains, and you've always encouraged her to use them. She's the daughter you raised. And even if she's mad at you right now, you can be proud of that."

Lily's howls blast from the baby monitor, and Rick rolls his eyes. "Perfect!"