Recollection Rick

Chapter 43

"So you're playing a character based on Dr. Lee?" Dana recaps.

"Loosely based," Craig replies. "From what I've read of the real Dr. Lee, he's an immigrant. The studio bigwigs want the character to be a second-generation American. I'm not sure I buy their reasoning. They believe that a Chinese hero won't be relatable to moviegoers unless he's a Jackie Chan clone, and martial arts fans are only a niche audience. They also cited some research that speakers with a foreign accent are perceived as less truthful, and might not be as convincing to a jury."

"Dr. Lee has an accent, but it isn't much," Alexis notes.

"Juries seem to believe him fine," Dana adds.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Craig agrees. "According to what I've learned so far, he's been a key witness on many high profile trials. But the money men want what they want. I need to use it and do the best portrayal I can. That's where you and Alexis come in. I'm not going to just memorize a lot of technobabble. For what I say to ring true, I need to understand every word of it. And if something is bad science, I can exert some pressure on the director to get it changed, as long as it doesn't bother the bean counters. And in return, the two of you will get a special thank you in the movie's credits. I can mention you when I do the P.R. blitz too. No promises on this one, but with some luck, a feature on Stop the Poison could be part of the added content when the DVD comes out. How does that sound?"

"OK," Dana allows. "Although, by the time the movie comes out, I'll have graduated, and Stop the Poison should have been going for a couple of years. I don't know if the connection to the movie would do much at that point."

"But it couldn't hurt," Alexis suggests.

"That's true," Dana agrees. "In any case, the science in movies is usually such a joke. It would be amazing to see something accurate for a change. I'd be happy to help you get it straight."

"So would I," Alexis agrees.

Kate lights a fat candle on a cheerfully set table as a wide-eyed Lily looks on from a safe distance in her high chair. "All set?" Castle asks.

"Ready to go," Kate replies. "You?"

"Carbonara at a state of perfection." Rick breathes deeply from the diaphragm to project his voice as Martha has endlessly instructed him. "Dinner is served," he announces.

Martha reaches for Craig's hand as she leads the way.


"What the hell!" Rick exclaims, his furious gaze almost burning through a below-the-fold Ledger story.

Kate looks up from a plate of breakfast eggs scrambled with smoked salmon. "What's wrong, Babe?"

"This headline: 'Hudson University Students Create Poisoning Scare.' Listen to this crap, Kate. 'Hudson University has had its problems lately, with several fraternities charged as part of a major drug ring. It looks like some teens have cooked up a distraction. Dana Wygard and Alexis Castle, the latter still a high-schooler, have engaged in a publicity campaign calculated to convince the public that every-day beauty products are poisoning students. Apparently, they are working under the tutelage of Professor Frances Gilly, who is known to have a questionable record. Former students have accused her of favoritism and even verbal abuse. Dana Wygard is a recipient of the Lee Award for student achievement in forensics. Perhaps the committee should have looked more closely at its choice. Alexis Castle is the daughter of pulp author Richard Castle. From all appearances, she's inherited her father's flair for crime fiction.'

"Who writes this sh*t? There's no byline. We both know that Professor Gilly was absolutely blameless with that whole steroid thing. And not only did the Lee Foundation Committee examine everything Dana ever did, the paper he and Alexis put together with Gilly is under peer review for a respected journal. This asshole, as much as called Alexis a liar. And the jerk called me a pulp author! I'm going to call the publisher of the Ledger and give her a piece of my mind. Hell! It was bad enough accusing me of writing pulp fiction, but to attack my daughter is over the line. I'm calling my lawyer."


Palmer Chase smiles as he studies the hits on Google. Papers and bloggers all over the country picked up the article he had his P.R. director plant and ran with it. And his P.R. department won't let the story die. They can't go too heavy on the kids, especially the Castle girl. Her pale face and guileless eyes look way too innocent on the screen. Hitting her too hard could backfire. But the professor is a perfect target. Everyone has an old biddy teacher they hated. His people can paint her as a ball-busting battleax.

Chase's quality contingent should start inspecting the factories in China in a few hours. By the time they swallow the load of bull that his contact's hand-picked translator feeds them, they'll be ready to issue a glowing report. A steady stream of press releases can quote it as gospel while the careful placement of posts against Gilly continues. By the time it's finished, instead of the consumers who bought tainted products, his company will be painted as the real victim. The sympathy factor might even boost sales. Palmer reaches for a whiskey carafe and a glass from a nearby credenza and settles back in his chair. Those kids may have done him a favor.


Lee Anne Petrie rarely tells anyone that she's the daughter of missionaries. Most people would immediately assume she's a brainless Bible thumper ready to come down on them for their sins while ignoring her own. Fortunately, no one who reads her resume is interested in anything further back than college, and she attended Hudson University. She seldom mentions that she understands Mandarin either. In her current job, no one needs to know. And it would raise too many questions she isn't willing to answer.

She occasionally notes when prices on the Chinese version of a menu vary wildly from those provided to English-speaking customers. And she'll watch Chinese movies undubbed without subtitles, just to keep in practice. But for the most part, knowing the language hasn't made much difference to her – until today.

Lee Anne is part of the quality team sent to China to uncover any irregularities. According to what their translator claims the workers on the line are saying, the production facilities couldn't be kept more immaculate. But the translator is a liar. The workers are actually saying that they aren't given the time to ensure that no contamination occurs. They are rarely even given time to eat or use the toilet. The products are rushed through with no quality controls except for the attachment of labels. Those have to be applied absolutely straight. The bottles of shampoo must look perfect, but no one cares much about what's in them.

The question plaguing Lee Anne is what to do with what she knows. The company might really want to find out what's happening in the factory, or the translator could be part of a coverup. The sick feeling in Lee Anne's stomach suggests the latter. She has to figure out her next step, but carefully. She has almost no savings and really needs to keep her job.

A/N For those of you who are also 'The Rookie" fans, tonight is the night the show comes back with a new episode, at least in the US. I'll be finishing the AU "The Rookie" story I've been putting out for over a year and posting the final chapter tomorrow. Then I can start with the show's new direction. My work for Castle won't change, however. I'll still be bothering you every day. 😊