Couples

Chapter 91

Dressed as a penguin, courtesy of Martha's favorite costumer, Lily is trying to tap dance. But at most, her flipper shoes make a soft swoosh against the wood floor. Rick frowns at his daughter's evident frustration. "I should have had taps put on those. Bottlecaps might do the trick."

"If you want to have the refinishers in again," Kate points out.

"That would be rough with at least one toddler running around. Maybe I can find a video of some soft shoe to convince her to modify her efforts. Oh, and did you know that Holly and Mark are bringing Itzhak to the party tonight? Meryl is bringing Belle too. A merry time should be had by young and old, um, more mature, alike."

"Dance!" Lily complains.

"Right," Rick acknowledges scooping her up with one arm. "I'll find you a better one, Baby." He activates the microphone on his cell. "Video of soft shoe."

Rick returns to the great room just as Kate is putting out the bowl of grapes that Rick carefully peeled and christened eyeballs. "Saw-shoo!" Lily exclaims enthusiastically, imitating a more loose-limbed style.

"I found black and white film from the fifties with Ray Bolger singing the appropriate ditty and performing a less percussive routine," Rick explains. "He was even wearing a bow tie, about as penguiny as I could hope for. Anyway, I think Lily has a new crush and terpsichorean genre." He pulls an old-fashioned pocket watch from the pants of his Edgar Allen Poe raiment. "Our guests should start arriving any moment."

The doorbell rings as if on cue. Lorne and Lanie appear in lab coats. "Costumes mandatory," Rick objects. "You look as if you just came from work."

"I wear scrubs at work, and I'll have you know these lab coats are vintage," Lanie argues. "We're portraying two of the most famous scientists in history."

"With a little poetic license," Lorne adds. "I wanted to dress up as a Jedi, but Lanie wanted to come as a forties torch singer. We compromised on Pierre and Marie Curie." He points to the blackened badges clipped to their pockets. "Massive overdoses of radiation."

Rick nods approvingly. "Creatively gruesome."

Lanie pulls Kate aside. "So how's the case going, Girl? Perlmutter isn't big on sharing."

"There's not much to share. The water in the victim's lungs matches the East River. But I have no idea yet what she might have been doing there. No one saw the body being dumped, and even Ryan couldn't find anything helpful on the traffic cams. I'm going through the companies where Calista found unsafe conditions. But so far, I haven't found any connections to her death. Since the threat letters were sent through the mail, the postal inspector has them. The F.B.I. is taking a look too, but they don't have any more than I do."

"What does Rick think?"

"I haven't given him enough to come up with much of a story, and he's been busy with a new restaurant venture and Eli's campaign. He's also working on two new books while he's with Lily."

"At least Rick can work from home. Lorne and I don't know how we could handle having children," Lanie confides.

"It's not easy," Kate admits, "even with Rick being a more or less stay-at-home dad. He's always juggling what he has to do. And I try to spend as much time with Lily as possible, but I don't know what we'd do without Meryl. I didn't know you and Lorne were thinking about having kids."

"Not before we were even married," Lanie admits, "but my parents brought it up when they were here for the wedding. My mother gave me a dreamy-eyed look when she talked about her friends' grandchildren. And in some ways, Lorne is a lot like Rick, still very much in touch with his inner child. I think he'd be a great father."

"But do you want to be a mother?" Kate presses. "If you're going to do it, you need to be all-in."

Lanie jams her hands in the pockets of her lab coat, drawing it around her. "I don't know. I was thinking that I could spend more time with Lily, see what I'd really be getting myself into."

"Auntie Lanie is welcome anytime. And even with Meryl, Rick and I can always use a break." Kate turns as the bell rings again, and Lily bounces over to check out the newly arrived Itzhak. "And if you want to see how you and Lorne do around kids, there will be enough of them here tonight."

Lanie stares at the little boy. "Is he wearing a Beethoven T-shirt?"

"With Holly, it could be Beethoven or Jerry Garcia, but it would be about music. Whatever, let's go over, and you can find out."

Lana attaches a sea flower to her red locks. "We're going to be late."

Eli adjusts the white shirt he wears as Prince Eric to her Ariel. "Collar too open?"

She shakes her head, careful not to dislodge the ornament. "It's fine. We're going to a party, not to court."

"Which means Rick won't bring the gavel down on us if we are late. I want to get there when there's already a crowd, so I don't draw attention."

"All right," Lana agrees, "I understand why you'd want to be out of the spotlight for a little while. But I don't want to miss Rick's dip. It's famous throughout the N.Y.P.D."

Eli offers his arm. "Then let's go."

"Time for a scary story," Rick announces after the last little one is asleep in a portable crib in Lily's room. "This is a group activity. I'll start the story, but anyone who has an idea jumps in with a twist of their own."

"How will we know when we've reached the end?" Meryl inquires.

"We'll have to reach the solution to a mystery, Scooby style, except that it isn't just Scooby and Shaggy who will get the treats. Kate and I have something special for everyone. So, Brad and Janet are driving on a deserted road when their engine dies. Neither of them can get a cell phone signal. Neither of them can see a house or business anywhere close by either, so they just start walking in the direction of a large building in the distance. Lightning flashes across the slate sky and rain begins to pelt them. Holding newspapers over their heads, they attempt to shield themselves from the drops."

Boos sound from throughout the gathering and several pieces of candy corn fly at Rick's head. "Don't tell me that you're doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Castle," one of Black Pawn's up-and-coming author's grouses.

Rick holds up his hand. "No need to attack the host. I have been known to steal from the best, but not tonight. To continue, lights flare in the distance, and the sound of trance music reaches Brad and Janet's ears. 'It's a rave!" Janet exclaims. 'Someone there must have a working phone.'"

As fast as they can, they run toward the building, the rhythm of their steps melding with the insistent beat of the music. Brad puts all his strength into opening a barn-type sliding door. When he finally succeeds, he and Janet see … Who's next?"

I'll continue," Meryl volunteers. "With their eyes accustomed to the dark, the light coming from inside almost blinds them. When they can finally clearly make out images, they see alien shapes. The figures remind Brad of the cantina scene in Star Wars, except that the intense beat replaces the honkytonk music.

"One tall and lanky figure separates itself from the horde, coming toward the door. He moves almost like a wraith, his strangely-formed feet barely touching the floor. 'May I help you?' he inquires in a posh British accent."