Couples
Chapter 43
With Kate beside him, pushing Lily's stroller, Rick strides to the desk of a bored-looking receptionist. "I'm Richard Castle. Do you have a package for me?"
The woman shoves a clipboard toward him. "Put in the date and time and sign your name."
As Rick fills in the blanks, Kate pulls out her phone. "I need to get a picture of that." She snaps a photo of the paperwork, and she and Rick leave the building.
"Now what?" Rick asks after they complete the short walk to the parking area.
"I already have a chain of custody form filled out. You hand over the package, and we both sign off on it. I take it to the lab. You take Lily home."
"As the lady commands," Rick agrees. "While Lily gets her laps in, I have what could be an interesting phone call to make. If you stop by the morgue, tell Lanie I said hello."
"La," Lily chimes in.
"Tell her that her godchild says hello too – more or less."
"La," Lily repeats.
Kate nods. "I'll do that."
Alexis is on duty at the evidence sign-in station when Kate arrives. "Dishes," she notes as she completes an inventory of Werkill's samples. Are these evidence in the Garces murder?"
"They could be," Kate allows, "depending on what you find. I want them tested to see if they leach anything toxic."
Alexis smiles. "No problem, but you shouldn't expect any results for more than 24 hours. Just the prep takes that long."
"I can deal with that, but your dad won't be happy. Hey, you're looking happier than you have been the last couple of days. Did things loosen up around here?"
Alexis rolls her eyes. "With Osnitz, never. But I think I resolved a personal issue."
"I'm not going to grill you about that, but your father might," Kate warns.
"When I'm ready, I'll tell him," Alexis replies.
"I don't have one of your bodies, do I?" Lanie wonders when Kate enters her domain.
"Not that I know of. Manuel Garces was put at rest some time ago, and his is the only case I'm investigating. But I have a request to tell Auntie Lanie that her godchild says hello. Oh, and Rick says hello too. The three of us picked up some potential evidence this morning."
Lanie's head wags. "Lily's getting into the family business even faster than Alexis did. You can tell her that Auntie Lanie sends her love. And hello to Rick, too." Lanie smooths the front of her scrub shirt. "Actually, I'm glad you're here. Can I get your advice?"
Kate's eyebrows jump. "Usually, that's my line. What's your problem?"
"Lorne will be in New York for good in a couple of days."
"I was under the impression that you want him here."
"I do," Lanie confirms. "That's the thing. I think I want him here too much. I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything else."
"So, you're in the love haze?" Kate questions.
Lanie shrugs. "I guess you could call it that. But Kate, I've liked guys before. I just never found one…"
"You couldn't live without," Kate fills in. "Welcome to the club. So what are you going to do about it?"
"And that's usually my line," Lanie realizes. "I don't know. But I can't see a life without him."
"Lanie, he's moving to New York to be with you. That's a pretty good sign it goes both ways. But I'm not the one to ask about taking it to the next level. Rick was way ahead of me on getting married. Lorne may already have a wedding on his mind. He might even have a ring stowed away somewhere."
"So how do I find out?" Lanie wonders.
"Other than going through his stuff while you help him unpack? Maybe it's the M.E. to M.E. thing, but you two always seem pretty straightforward with each other. Why not just ask him?"
"Because he might give me the wrong answer."
Kate shakes her head. "When I go into an interrogation, my instincts usually tell me what a suspect is going to say. And on this one, I'm pretty sure you'll get the answer you want."
Cecil regards the I.D. on his cellphone. Richard Castle is calling again. The second-generation agent was afraid that the writer's curiosity wouldn't end with one contact. Whatever Castle wants to know could be harmless enough. But much of what Cecil's father did is still classified. If Castle keeps digging into it, the decision about what to tell him will be above Cecil's paygrade. Cautiously, he accepts the call. "Mr. Castle, how can I help you?"
"I'm still trying to dig up the history of the emerald in the elephant, and I may have a lead. It would help me to know what languages your father spoke."
Rick can hear Cecil suck in a breath. "As you may have gathered, my father wasn't home much. When he was, he spoke English. As a journalist who traveled without a translator, I suspect he was a polyglot. But I honestly don't know what his skills in that area were. I'm sorry I can't help you."
"And I'm sorry you couldn't have more time with your dad," Rick responds. "I understand about growing up with an absent father. One way or another, I'll figure out this mystery. Thanks for taking my call."
"No problem," Cecil insists. "Good luck with your project."
"Absent fathers," Rick mutters as he hangs up the phone. Hell, he doesn't know what languages Jack speaks, either. He suspects it's a long list. He and Cecil Junior have a great deal in common. That may give Rick a way to find out the truth about Cecil Senior. He can put a post on his blog and see what happens.
Jack has a feeling why the director wants to see him. The phrase he and Richard agreed upon as a request for contact appeared on the Castle website. And Cecil reported another query about his father. Jack raps on the door to the director's office and walks in.
"Your son isn't about to let the Cecil Newbridge matter go," the director states without a prologue.
"He doesn't let anything go," Jack reminds the boss. "That's why the company uses him. He has a habit of ferreting out covert information, even when he's not trying."
"He sure as hell did that this time," the director agrees. "He's getting close to our operations with the P.R.K. and what followed."
"That's old news," Jack points out. "The U.S. does a lot of business with that part of the world these days. Hillary had a good time in Phnom Penh. We still prevent the odd execution. I had one of those missions. But most of the time, we're pretty hands off. Our embassy's been secure for years, and The P.R.K. era's a matter for the history books. I'm sure that Richard is going to keep digging. Why not read him in?"
"Talk to him first," the director advises. "Warn him he's intruding on classified territory. If you don't believe he's going to pull back, we can discuss taking it to the next level."
"That conversation will be a damn waste of time," Jack asserts. "But I'll set up a meet."
"Good. As soon as you file your report, I'll consider if any further steps are necessary," the director responds.
Jack shakes his head as he leaves the office. So far, he hasn't been able to convince Richard of much of anything. But if he sets up a face-to-face in the park, there's a chance Richard will bring Lily. Jack's been waiting for an opportunity to see his younger granddaughter for a long time.