Couples

Chapter 31

Glancing up, Kate spots Rick with Lily in her stroller, in the doorway of the conference room. "What are you doing here?"

"We were on our way back to the loft," Rick explains, "and I thought we'd stop in to see if you got your teeth into something juicy. Meryl's finishing up an assignment and said she'd have some time in the afternoon if I wanted to join you in grilling a witness."

"Her timing is perfect," Kate announces. "We might want to get into some grilling, but not in Interrogation. What do you know about M.G.?"

"The restaurant in the East Village?" Rick queries. Kate nods. "That eatery was a showcase for the exceptional culinary skills of Manual Garces. I used to watch him on 'Allez Cuisine!' He was great. I haven't heard much about him since his murder. Is that your new case?"

"It is," Kate declares. "Care to join me?"

"I'd go along for a chance to see the menu. It will be interesting, but hopefully not tragic, to find out what's happening in the M.G.'s kitchen since the chef's passing."

"I thought you might feel that way. Give me a call when Meryl and Belle are with Lily, and I'll swing by to get you. Oh, and how was your visit to the junk shop? Was your Funko still there?"

"Unk," Lily echoes.

Rick points to the bag in Lily's carriage basket. "It was. We had a very successful trip."

"Ma ooh," Lily continues.

"And I may have a little surprise for you later," Rick adds, puzzling over how to present the elephant. "But first things first. While I'm waiting, I'll review clips of Garces' greatest kitchen hits. You never know what secret ingredient might pop up."


Alexis catches herself bouncing on the balls of her feet a little too much like her father when he's uncovered a vital clue. Three components in the lotion scream at her, castor oil, ginger, and ginseng. Holtzstein must have used the lotion before asphyxiating the Jane Doe. He's already confessed, but her results will contradict him if he tries to back away from his testimony.

Her analysis will also be evidence against the clients swept up in the raid on the Gaetz mansion. Eli Douglas won't need it to get convictions, but analytical results will give him leverage against party guests who plead ignorance of the true nature of Gaetz's gatherings. She grabs her printouts and goes to find the chief.


While waiting for Meryl to show up, Rick positions his space cowboy in a place of honor on the shelf of his favorite action figures. Satisfied with the display, he checks the images from the camera he has on Lily in the corral before taking a seat at his desk. Legs in full gear, she's rapidly making up for the time she was reasonably still during their outing.

The newly purchased elephant's green eyes stare up at Rick, but he's more interested in the almost imperceptible lines between sections of the wood. He's worked plenty of carved Chinese puzzles. The elephant, however, probably isn't Chinese. Thailand is the most likely country of origin. He's seen similar artifacts from that part of the world.

Rick's tempted to try to pry a seam open, but force isn't the way to operate that type of mechanism. Somewhere there's a key piece he can push or pull to release the other interlocking parts. He's beginning to work his fingertips over the wood's surface when the doorbell rings. That has to be Meryl. He hides the elephant in a drawer.

Lily's "Be, be!" fills the great room as Rick goes to open the door.

Meryl can barely hold onto an equally excited Belle before putting her in the enclosure with her friend. After a lively exchange of baby babbles, the two girls head for the opposite end of their territory.

Rick grins at Meryl. "Sometimes I'd swear they have a secret language, and they're only putting us on about learning to talk."

"I've had the same thought," Meryl admits. "One way or another, they communicate with each other. So, is Kate on the way?"

"She wants me to text her when I'm ready to go. You know where everything is. I'll call you when I have an idea how long I'll be, and you have my number if anything happens."

"I have your number, and Kate's and Alexis's and Martha's," Meryl assures him as she has every time since she started sitting for Lily. "Text Kate and go detect."


Fiona Garces doesn't appear to have lost many steps since the death of her husband. Every table at M.G. is occupied, and the waiting area is full. Rick inhales the spicy aromas drifting both from the plates of diners and the direction of the kitchen. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, I confess I was afraid the N.Y.P.D. had given up on investigating my husband's murder," Fiona admits. "We can talk in Manny's office. I use it now. But I don't know what I can tell you that I didn't tell the other detective."

The widow invites Rick and Kate to take seats in solid wooden chairs near Manual Garces' former desk. Rick surveys the contents of the nearby shelves. He's not surprised at the many volumes on the culinary arts, in three languages he can identify. He expected the military memorabilia as well. What he didn't anticipate is a collection of fragile porcelain cups. "Did those belong to your husband?" Rick inquires, pointing.

"They did," Fiona confirms. "They've always surprised people who see them for the first time. My husband's recipes were mostly hearty and rustic. The food critics said he elevated peasant dishes. But the truth is that he also liked delicate things. My Mother adores formal teas, and he put them together for her. He even made those tiny sandwiches. And he always loved serving things on fine china when he could. He thought it brought out subtler flavors. His work in the kitchen was a lot more complicated than it looked on T.V."

"How about the other aspects of his life?" Kate asks. "Were they complicated as well?"

Fiona twists her fingers. "What do you mean? Complicated how?"

"Money can be a complication," Kate explains.

"Many chefs who own popular restaurants decide to expand their reach and open others," Castle adds. "The financing for that can be challenging. Was your husband looking for investors?"

"He talked about having another place," Fiona confides. "But the way he described it seemed more like a dream than a business venture. His vision was actually connected to the collection you noted. Manual wanted a throwback to more elegant times, but accessible and affordable for customers who otherwise wouldn't experience anything like that. He pictured a gentle retreat where people could enjoy a fine meal away from the pressures of the modern world. He even talked about banning cell phones."

"In New York? That does sound like a dream," Rick remarks.

"Do you know if he did more than talk about it?" Kate asks.

"He had a couple of meetings with men who looked like banker types. I was taking care of the front of the house then, so I greeted them. I checked that Manny expected them, but otherwise, I don't know why they were here. Manny made sure they had coffee, but they didn't stay to eat."

"Do you remember their names?" Kate asks.

"No, but there would have been notations to send them back to see Manny, on the schedule I kept at the podium. If you think it's important, I can dig out the records from those days."

"I don't know if they will be important or not," Kate admits. "But the names of those visitors will be clues I didn't have before."

"Then I will find them for you," Fiona declares.