Couples

Chapter 36

An off-key high G screeches from Rick's cellphone as he and Kate exit the elevator. Rick grimaces. "That's my new ringtone for Mother, from her performance as Eulalie. I wonder what she wants in the middle of the day." He gingerly thumbs acceptance.

"Darling," Martha's voice sweeps through the speaker, "I need you to come down to the City Clerk's office around noon and bring Kate if you can. I called Alexis, and she'll be coming then on her break from the lab. Craig's sister is in town. She's coming too. Craig and I are tying the knot, and we want family as witnesses."

"And when did you decide this, Mother?" Rick inquires, pulling his jaw up from his chest.

"When Craig got a couple of days off while his double shoots stunts. My show is dark tonight. We obtained the license yesterday, so we can take our vows today."

"Uh-huh. I see," Rick responds. He glances questioningly at Kate, who shrugs and nods.

"All right, Mother. Kate and I will be there. Do you need anything? Flowers? Champagne?"

"I have flowers, Richard. Props made the bouquet for me last night. But we can have some of your lovely Châteauneuf-du-pape when we celebrate later," Martha allows. "Craig and I are securing our place in line. When you and Kate get here, you can join us."

"Yes, Mother," Rick agrees as a beep ends the call. He turns to Kate. "Not how I was expecting to spend the day. We have Meryl for the next few hours, and I was hoping to take you to lunch, or at least split one in the bullpen. But best-laid plans… And it could be worse. At least she's not tied up with another con artist like her second husband."

"Was he ever arrested?" Kate asks.

"According to my lawyer, he technically didn't break any laws," Rick explains. "He and mother co-mingled their finances. They had a joint bank account. He emptied it."

"Couldn't she go after the money in the divorce settlement?" Kate wonders.

"By the time my lawyer got Mother to court, there wasn't any money left." Rick grits his teeth. "Her ex blew it all in Vegas. At least, as far as I know, the only occasions on which Craig spends any time in casinos are when he's shooting movies in them."

"He does look great at a baccarat table in a tux." Kate offers.

Rick raises an eyebrow. "Do I have competition?"

Kate snuggles into his shoulder. "Not at all. And if I even thought about it, Martha would scratch my eyes out."

Rick kisses the top of her head. "I don't think it's your eyes she'd go after, but you have a point."


Osnitz was surprised when Alexis told him she'd be out of the building for a while. She doesn't usually go any further from the CSU lab than the M.E. complex's small lunchroom. Even then, she normally downs a quick salad or roll-up and hurries back to work. But she announced her plans with a joyful sparkle in her eye.

After what Gram's been through, Alexis believes the older woman deserves some happiness. Much as Alexis loves her father, she can't imagine it was easy for her grandmother to raise him on her own. And for the accomplished actress to have to depend on her son for support couldn't have felt good. Dependency doesn't feel wonderful to Alexis either. Her dad is grudgingly cutting her the slack he promised, but she's still under his roof, and his money provided her college fund.

The teen hates to admit it, but she envies Gram her freedom to marry the man she loves. She and Dana sensibly agreed to wait until they're both settled in their careers before worrying about marriage. But those years stretch ahead like forever.

Alexis shakes her head. It's Gram's day and not the time to think about her own frustrations. A subway train would take her part of the way to the clerk's office, but she'd still have a walk. The last thing she wants is to be late. She'll splurge on a cab.


Martha and Craig, accompanied by Craig's sister Finley, are third in line when Alexis shows up. They're second when Rick and Kate make it. When they take their place in front of the podium, the clerk, with a heavy Bronx accent, is enthusiastic but swift with his task. In 56 seconds, including vows, he pronounces Craig and Martha husband and wife.

"I noticed a hotdog and falafel vendor outside. We could have a quick celebration now and something more extravagant at the loft later," Rick suggests.

Craig looks at Martha, who nods. "Sounds good."

"Can I invite Dana? For tonight, I mean," Alexis asks.

Martha squeezes her granddaughter's hand. "I'll have my love there. So will your father. You should have yours there as well."


"What have you found out about Richard Castle?" Fishkill asks Werner.

"There was more than I wanted to know on his fan sites," Werner reports, "assuming any of it is true. The man celebrates his birthday on April Fool's day, and it seems to fit him. But he's been damn fortunate with restaurants. His pop-up, Pumpkin Palace, wasn't much of a risk, but it became Imagination Patch, a hang-out for writers. By the numbers, it shouldn't be successful, but apparently, it is. Auchincloss works for him, but from the sound of it, he doesn't take his boss seriously. Castle also hired himself a top-notch manager, but he's on paternity leave now. Can you believe it? Who agrees to that? From what I can tell, as a restaurant owner, Castle is the way we first tagged him – clueless but lucky. He managed to stumble into staff who get the job done."

"How about his wife, the cop?" Fishkill questions.

"A model for his new main character. But as far as I can tell, she doesn't have anything to do with the restaurant. Just playing supportive spouse or guarding her territory, I guess. How many cops manage to marry best-selling authors?"

"What about what we did to Garces?" Fishkill presses. "She is a homicide detective, isn't she? Could she have been here to check us out?"

"I think her showing up with Castle was a coincidence," Werner opines. "Hey! She didn't even ask us about his death. She didn't ask us about anything. And I believe Castle might be just the frontman we need to promote those fantasy plates we're bringing in from Jalisco. He can use them in his new place, and if the operation crashes and burns, we offer to take over and make the operation workable. The minute we get it squeaking by, we can sell it. But in the meantime, we get better P.R. than we would have gotten from Garces."

"But what if the wife starts asking questions about Garces?" Fishkill persists.

"Then we take care of it." Werner presses his hand to his heart. "Terrible tragedy! Our thoughts and prayers are with Richard Castle in his grief. But police sadly fall in the line of duty, don't they? The publicity might even boost our sales. We could put out commemorative editions of fallen heroes."

Fishkill stares at his partner. "You know, you really are a sonofabitch."

"Nice guys finish last. Garces was a loser. You and I are winners. And if things work out with Castle, we'll win even bigger," Werner asserts.

Fishkill sinks into a chair. "I hope you're right. But targeting a mark married to a cop burns holes in my stomach."

"Like I said. If she's a problem, we'll take care of it," Werner promises.