- I think it's here," Beckett slowed down, and gently pulled up to the curb. - Castle, could you check the address, please?
- Right away! - Rick readily responded, pulling out his phone. - I just need to find the block.
For several minutes he poked his fingers across the screen, sniffing and frowning incomprehensibly, then grimaced:
- There can be no mistake! This is the only place near the harbor industrial zone, where someone else lives. Namely, our potential witness, Château La'Boothe! All the others have long since been evicted! - Castle tugged his lip thoughtfully, flicking it lightly with his fingernail. "I wonder if it's a man or a woman.
- What's the difference, Castle? Or are you going to get married? - Beckett snapped at him with pleasure. Stretching her neck over the steering wheel, she tried to determine the safest place to go down the autobahn to the river. Judging by the multiple potholes and asphalt debris, they hadn't taken the standard American country lane, but a bombed-out World War II road that dived steeply, with a curve, under a cliff. From where their car stood in the blinding sun, it was hard to see the ginger-green-brown roofs of the abandoned village.
With a gentle squeeze of the clutch, Beckett habitually shifted into gear, and the car slowly rolled downhill. Concentrating solely on the difficulties of the road, Kate did not even look at Castle, who, after a brief moment of reflection, stared at the phone menu. Why argue with Beckett, so barbarically weaned from bagels and coffee, when there were far more pleasant things to do? And Rick started up some kind of shooter. At first the Oriental music sounded melodically from the speaker, but then, to the accompaniment of happy and not so happy sighs and huffs, the car really turned into a game room: there were so many loud shots, explosions, inarticulate grunts and animal growls. And it could have gone on indefinitely, were it not for Kate's openly expressed displeasure. The game had to be stopped and the phone put away in my pocket with an exasperated look. Of course, a man as tough as Detective Beckett could never appreciate a real game buzz. While the car was sneaking along the coastal serpentine, he, Castle, could easily take down a couple or two dinotrons and five opponents, but most importantly - wrested from the clutches of the hated Noah Van'Claffen long-awaited seven-level bonus! And their chances would finally be even! But now, "thanks" to someone on the left hand, everything had turned to ashes! And the Eclipse cheat, hard fought by Sektaya, would no longer open the cave of Clastophorus with the purple armor of Tendzodu and the emerald Lugerheart, which he, Castle, had been reaching for for a long time! This is a fiasco, an irreparable fiasco, and nothing and no one can stop Noah now!
"Aggrah!" - with indescribable annoyance Castle nearly choked on his fist, and only Beckett's business-like voice involuntarily distracted the writer from his uneasy thoughts:
- Here we are, Castle! We're walking from here!
Having dried his scuffed wrist on his jeans, Castle grinned in amazement: the car rolled up to a huge pile of garbage, most likely - a city dump, and there was so much garbage, that only a mega-bulldozer together with a mega-dump truck could have managed here. And if any evil creature got into those stinking piles, God forbid they should get in its way...
- The Freemen aren't exactly environmentally friendly! And what would happen to us if a sandworm gnawed through a gas line? - Castle muttered sourly, clearly dreaming of Frank Herbert's worlds. - We'll be stuck here for a long time! And it's hotter than the Dune Light and the place is doomed to sink in the sands!
Kate said nothing, but she got out of the car first. The settlement was low and the golden sands were really impassive and hot, and they came right up to the town. There was not a breeze around, only the heated air shivered over the ground, and the sun's rays scorched everything around so mercilessly that even after a couple of minutes outside one's mind began to melt.
- Whew! Stuffy! - a light, well-prepared kerchief immediately softly covered Kate's head, and Castle settled for a crumpled baseball cap from the backseat. Rick, for some reason, remained silent, only in some inimitable twist and wrinkle of his nose. And there was a reason for that: that trashy Jomolungma reeked of both rotten and sour, and something else, too, that was indefinitely pungent.
- The Atreides' janitors probably gave up on that a long time ago! - Castle said with disgust in his voice. - I don't know what they were counting on, but a revival of the "spot" of spice is unlikely!
- Hypothetically, there's absolutely nowhere for worms to go, Castle! And the harvesters have already been scrapped! - Beckett was a lightning-quick retort. - Come on, we don't have all day.
With their feet up high, so they wouldn't get into anything, and with their noses pressed tightly together, the partners barely made it through the makeshift barricade. And immediately they found themselves in the city limits. Beckett strode resolutely first, Castle followed. He already knew there was only one street in the village, and it led directly to the old docks. It was a narrow, winding street, laid out according to an unknown canon, cluttered and dusty, and it was built chaotically: some houses came right up to the wayfarers, while others were lurching at a distance. Their shabby facades stared out at their partners through broken windows; wide, gnarled boards crossed their front doors; and trees decimated by drought and sun-deprived shrubs instead of neat flower beds gave a clear indication of the world's desolation. People had once lived here, too, but the port, now under construction, had no use for them, and they had been discarded like the same pile of junk at the front door. While Beckett scrutinized the faded numbering on the rusty plaques, Castle fell slightly behind, and Kate turned to her partner only when he breathed noisily and wetly right into her ear:
- Well, I'm quite prepared, and no surprises will catch us off guard!
- And what surprises are we talking about? - Beckett played with her eyes in bewilderment. - Are we going to run into a bunch of angry inquisitors, or a UFO, with its paralyzing beam, will suddenly capture us?
- Neither! - Castle puffed out his cheeks. He held a large branch like a flintlock in his hand, which surprised Kate a little, but she didn't let on. How does he find everything? Probably because Castle is almost always on the subject. And it was his own familiarity that drove him to spill his guts.
- I don't know why you haven't noticed, Beckett, but we've actually seen a glimpse of Wild West-era Dune in reality! Even its author wouldn't have dreamed of that! - Castle ranted with an unknown enthusiasm. - Some of the two-story houses look exactly the same! There are long balconies all along the second-floor facade and through verandas (the only thing missing are the swinging doors!). And there could have been a saloon!
And with the tip of a branch Castle poked at the dilapidated cottage to their right. A thick network of decayed ivy encircled the front and a dusty gray metal bracket with a wooden plaque that bore an unmarked inscription.
- And there might have been a sheriff across the street! - poked Rick in the other direction, where there was a red-brick one-story house with a collapsed roof and bars on the windows.
- Okay, but then that building over there is either a brothel or a funeral home," Kate mocked her friend grudgingly, a little tired from walking in the heat, "can't you just look for what you need, huh?
- And you think it's that easy? - Castle lifted his cap, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the same hand and with exaggerated exhaustion. - I just don't know why the hell the house numbering follows the classic canons of chaos, and the only footprints I see of all sorts are those of a dog. Maybe there is no witness here, but a secret, inexplicable conspiracy of dark forces. What if they set a trap and wait for someone to break in?
- And then what? Torture us for a few archival cases? Or recruit us into their alien ranks? Oh, no, Castle! No, no, no, no! For the love of God! Don't tell me about the X-files and crazy mediums and men in black for the hundredth time! - Beckett pleaded. - Look at everything soberly, and it'll be a lot easier!
- I am looking. And I even act!" grinned Castle, and with his boot he kicked the crumpled tin can. From a strong, scathing blow the tin soared in the air and plunged into the luxurious wormwood bush, awkwardly sprawled in all directions near the half-destroyed stone fence on the other side of the street. From there came a loud, pitiful, heart-scratching squeal: A small, shaggy ball of hair rolled out of the dense gray-green scrub to meet the people, and it was an amusing, ash-black lop-eared dog. It rested on the right foreleg, and whimpered pitifully incessantly.
- Oh, my God! Castle! It's that stupid "cowboy" thing again! Look what you have done! - Beckett was furious.
With his stick at the ready, Rick, himself, did not seem to have expected this turn of events, for his face grew pitiful and weepy, his eyes blinked frequently, and his mouth opened and closed silently.
- Forgive me, dear doggie... - Castle squeezed out a sorrowful look at the poor pup, sitting in the middle of the road, not far from his partners, and diligently licking a pink tongue bruised limb. - I could send an ambulance for him if I had to!
- Don't panic before you know it, Castle. Just let me handle this in peace.
With small steps Kate cautiously approached the puppy. It raised its head questioningly: dark beady eyes watchfully followed every movement of Beckett. When Kate, crouching down, gently reached out her hand, the dog huddled to the ground in fright. Its heart fluttered wildly with unknown terror, its body shook with a small tremor, but when Beckett's thin fingers gently dipped into the lumpy, stiff fur, the puppy immediately became bold. He licked Kate's thin wrist gently with his rough tongue, and then again and again, and Beckett nodded contentedly. There seemed to be a fragile bridge of trust between her and the animal. And the paw seemed to be all right, too.
- Good doggie... ow, how nice and sweet," Kate said in an affectionate, homely tone, and a friendly, open smile bloomed on her lips. - It's all right, baby, it'll be all right! And you're lucky there's no blood, it's just a bruise! - It was clear to whom the clumsy one was addressed by this sternness. And Rick was even more embarrassed.
- Can I apologize to him? - mumbled Castle guiltily. He obviously didn't know where to put himself.
- You can do anything," Beckett ingeniously scratched the puppy under his jaw, and the dog closed his eyes peacefully, "except make me angry and hurt anyone else.
- You have my word as Guardian of Canine Tranquility! - Castle put the stick on his shoulder like a guard soldier's rifle, and innocently inquired, "Can I pet this Winnie? Or Maxie? Or Bressy?
- Gently, Castle, gently," Beckett smirked indulgently, scratching the puppy between the ears, "and you don't have to apologize on purpose.
- I think we'll get along just fine. Good doggy, good doggy! - Castle whistled kindly. He moved sideways toward his partner, surveying his surroundings thoughtfully. - Beckett! I have an idea! If the dog belonged to our potential witness, it might have the owner's initials, address, and phone number on its collar!
- Tell me she had a tracker implanted under her skin! - Beckett rolled her eyes laughingly. - While we're fondling, though, try to make up your own mind.
- I can do anything! - Castle cheered loudly. Leaning on a branch like a ski pole, he took a hasty, wide step, and then...
- Crash-h! Crunch-crunch-crunch! - The dusty plastic under his heel "shot out" so hard and so loudly that Kate immediately turned around unhappily, and the little dog instantly jumped up on three legs and, disgustingly, yapping, galloped away. To their right, where the dead twigs of wormwood surrounded the lifeless trunks of acacia trees, where the oppression of time crumbled into a pile of the wall of some building, unimaginably shapeless pile of crumpled cardboard boxes piled up. And the puppy ducked right under them. A moment later they heard a shrill, terrified squeal.
- Hmmm! - Beckett straightened sharply, eyes peering reproachfully into the pale face of Castle, whose head immediately bucked shyly into her shoulders. - And what's the fashion these days, eh, "Ruthlessly ruin it all!"?
- No, no! And it's not hopeless at all! I can and do want to apologize to him! Well, at least I'll just pet him! - Castle blinked in a frightened way. He carried his stick, looking like a battered mongrel, and trotted over to where the puppy was supposedly hiding.
- Doggy, doggy, come here! - With benevolent intentions, Rick whistled. Considering, apparently, a branch in his hands a very reliable support, Castle fearlessly, but rather recklessly climbed into the bushes. The dried wood crunched mercilessly underfoot, crackling in the ears, and a cloud of whipped dust immediately covered Castle up to the top of his head, causing coughing and loud sneezing. His eyes, too, were watery, and, ineffectually putting his sleeve to his face, Rick slowed his pace, choosing the "right" way. Too bad he couldn't be praised for his courage, and the puppy, scooting farther and farther away, with its subtle whimpering, seemed to be pitying him.
"Have dogs learned how to be bullied, too? Or is this just a scare?" - Rick finally made his way to the acacia tree. Its dry knotty roots had penetrated so deeply through the foundation that cracks were spreading in a fine grid through the masonry. And the shadow from the remains of the wall was also kind of dusty.
- Pfft," Rick brushed the moisture from his dirty cheek and ducked slightly, his gaze fixed on the base of the heap. Even if he had to dig through everything in the world, it would be impossible not to apologize to the doggie in terms of "earning Kate's approval. Because an apology in itself is a very, very noble thing, another plus to his reputation. And Beckett is not likely to forget him then. Because no man is more comfortable in conversation and exuberant in thought and action than he is.
- Leave her alone, Castle! Let's go! - Kate carefully shook off the dusty bottom of her pants, pulled up her blouse, adjusted her bangs that had slid down over her eyes. - As I see it, the dog doesn't need our attention at all, and it needs our sympathy even less! If he bites you on the nose, you'll know!
- I have to see for myself that there has been no damage. And even if without a portable X-ray, that's hardly an excuse. With a broken bone," Castle shook his head.
After a moment's hesitation, he began carefully dismantling the rumbling, plywood-like cardboard right off the edge. Some sheets were torn off entirely, others were crumbling, and then Castle, sticking a stick in the pile, picked up a whole layer on it. Having moved it carefully to the full length of the "spade", enthusiastically picked up the next one.
- Castle! Well, soon you? - waiting with her hands at her sides, Kate was already burning with a wild desire to get hold of the trouser belt of her overly merciful partner and, having bent her knee in the groin, a good and tasteful "spanking". - I warn you, if I smell even the slightest stench from you, you are likely to spend the rest of the way back in the trunk!
- The main thing is that you did not lose the keys from it, or else the cabin hatch does not fit my dimensions! - Rick was not at all embarrassed by the ghostly threats of his partner.
He'd already dug a hole in the cardboard shavings down to the wall, when he caught a whirling sound that looked like a puppy. Having apparently recovered from fright and painful shock, he stopped whimpering, and only breathed heavily.
- Doggy, doggy, yuck! - Castle strained his eyes as hard as he could: here was garbage in the intricate tangle of wormwood stalks, here was a pile of fallen bricks from masonry, and here was some strange dark brown stain. The shapeless stain, whose borders were obscured by a backing of soiled cardboard, looked involuntarily like an imposing roll of moth-eaten fur drape. Next to the stain, with its tongue outstretched in a relaxed position, lay the puppy. Clearly feeling safe, he lounged freely on his side, but as soon as Castle took a short step, the dog alertly raised his head.
- Doggie! Cute doggie! So there you are! - Rick was unspeakably delighted. It was as if the dog was in its most at home environment, and the calmness of the animal passed on to the man. Smiling dreamily, Castle even imagined that he would caress her long unwashed and unbrushed side, and if the dog didn't mind, he would even take her in his arms. And then he would pet him again, so that he could get back to his business. To THEIR business.
Slowly, leaning on the stick, Castle squatted down and reached for the puppy with his right hand. He shook his dishevelled head, and suddenly gave a disgruntled, cautionary growl.
- Oops! Do not be angry so, baby! I'm a good, very good guy! I'm just a good-looking guy with a good upbringing, too! - Rick jerked his hand away just in case, and suddenly felt a chilling sweat trickle down between his shoulder blades: it was two eyes, two big, yellow and unkind eyes, staring at him point-blank and unblinking.
"What the...!" - Realizing he was in deep trouble, Castle was instantly covered in nervous, coarse ripples, and when the grunting turned into an eerie, gruff growl, Rick nearly choked on his own tongue. Oh, my God.
...Castle stared up at his face in a slow-motion horror movie, his hands quivering wildly, his jaw clenched in a deadly spasm. Unmoving eye, however, caught how the "spot" lazily separated from the ugly, shaggy head, how slowly his fleshy lips moved, framed by oblique icicles of hair, and how eerily, showing powerful fangs, glow beastly mouth. Clearly displeased by its presence, the monster yawned loudly and longingly, and the stinky, hot stench hit the man's nose.
"Eeek...eek...eek..." Castle gulped convulsively, sweating.
"Ka-ap...ka-ap..." his ragged breathing was accompanied by sparse spurts of slurping saliva.
"B...jeez! C...I don't want to go crazy in here!"
A queasy lump rolled up to Castle's throat, and his heart was pounding away almost to the very temples. Gasping with excitement and fright, on half-bent, shaky legs, Rick straightened slowly, very slowly nevertheless, and, holding the stick horizontally in front of him, took the first step to retreat. He tried to keep the fearsome beast in sight as it lay, spreading its clawed arms wide apart, seemingly preparing to jump. Now the most important thing was not to let the dog smell his, Castle, fear, because there was no way to get out of this "paradise" easily.
"Stay down! Stay where you are, you beast! Let me go!" - shifting his legs more deftly than a venerable hunter, the drenched Castle slowly but steadily moved away from the dangerous place. At the same time the stick was still at the level of his throat, and the dog was still watching him warily and angrily. Finally, he slowly got up on all four paws, shook himself off, whipping dust from his pelt, and growled meaningfully, softly.
"Lord, don't let it fall! - Castle begged God mercilessly and shuddered with his whole body as the heels of his boots began to stick. - And what the devil had I climbed up here, huh? I wanted to pet a dog... You idiot! Serves me right, serves me right, but... but what about Beckett?"
She was still standing in one place, arms crossed over her chest, nervously licking her parched lips. Exhausted by the heat, the last thing Kate needed was the idle persuasion of a cheerful child. And she would have been long gone by now had it not been for Castle's persistent silence and strange pose with a stick in his hands.
- Castle? - logically alerted Kate: wondering what kind of "Loch Ness monster" her fantasy partner had met. - Are you okay?
- Ru... Ru... Ru... Ru..." stuttered Castle, clumsily making his way to a clear spot. He stared for some more time where he had just climbed out, and finally turned to Beckett with a face as dead as paper, wheezed weakly: - Ru... Run!
- Run!" "Yeah, you're as good as ever, Castle," Beckett said, and before she could throw a caustic jibe at him, Rick tossed the stick back and sprang right out of the gate. The hat tumbled under his feet, his cell phone buried itself in the dust, and just then, to the merciless rattle of the bushes, the big dog wiggled out from behind Castle. At about three feet at the withers, and seemingly enraged beyond belief, it grinned carnivorously. Long-combed hair hung down from its black-and-painted sides in gnarly icicles, and its strong, clay-black hair was tangled in disorderly tangles on its claycolored mane. The dog, hunching its forelegs down a little, barked loudly, tossing its shaggy ass to follow the runner.
They were running toward the nearest place of refuge, the fence posts across the street, with sweat eating their eyes as they raced like the wind toward the nearest place of refuge, while the dog stalked after them in heavy, sweeping strides. His lungs spewed bassy, strangled wheezes, and his powerful paws, the size of a good man's fist, pounded the roadside dust mercilessly. It was probably the most organic embodiment of the vengeance of all dogs against this lowlife, this unceremonious, insolent fellow who had so cavalierly and inconsiderately intruded on the sweet afternoon's sleep. Beckett was considerably lighter on her feet and so outpaced Castle, at whose gleaming heels the beast aimed mercilessly. She hopped to a safer spot than a squirrel, but Kate grated her lower lip and watched the panting, sniffing Castle, who had made it to the post and was now scrambling to climb it, fingernails torn to ribbons. Until one of the bricks treacherously fell out from under his hand and Rick slid down, right into the sharp, merciless fangs that clamped so tightly on the dapper back of his fashionable boot.
- Get off me! Get off, you bastard! - Castle shrieked wildly, frantically trying to break free, but the dog had more power. His forelegs were bent over, head thrown from side to side, and he kept pulling at him, pulling him back to an empty seat. And no one would have doubted the unfortunate writer's fate: holding on to the support with the last of his strength, he first shrieked something unintelligible, and then screamed in vicious curse, ruthlessly cursing the coincidence and the thin, durable laces of the sports boots that fit his feet like a seamless fit. A tug, another tug, and Beckett was about to reach for the "glock," when something suddenly burst resiliently, and a joyous squealing Rick climbed with indescribable rapidity to a height beyond the enemy's reach. His heel, torn from his body, was left in the dog's mouth, and his pant leg was sprawled along the leg to the knee by the sharp fangs. Now, in this unpresentable appearance, Castle resembled not a prosperous "macho", but a life-sick loser. To whom, for some reason, fortune favored.
"Just as long as that decrepit post doesn't fail!"
Panting as thirstily as he could, Rick glanced sideways at Beckett. Unflinching anxiety was what was written on her face, but Kate instantly covered her arm.
- Are you all right? No blood? - she asked muffledly.
- The shoe's bitten, of course, but my kevlar sock played its part! - Castle grinned inexpressibly, not wanting to talk about the two scratches. - The only thing I'm worried about is, who's going to outlast who now?
Rick grudgingly looked at his mangled heel, which lay at the base of the pole, and expressed his state of mind with a loud, tragic sigh.
- What breed do you think it is? - Beckett inquired, and was relieved. She adored dogs, and would hardly dare shoot an animal. Truth be told, Castle had asked for trouble of his own accord, and it was only because of his stubbornness and disobedience that they now had to roast in the sun.
- This is nothing short of a Tibetan mastiff from the Devil's own sheepfold! - Castle looked with despair at the dog lying down nearby. - And frankly, I am disgusted with his unfriendly company!
- I told you, Castle! - Beckett complained in a tone of moralizing. - You should be doing business, not fooling around! And you shouldn't have done that about the dog. Look how handsome he is! His paws are broad and strong, and his body structure and muscles could certainly fit any carriage. And the coat is so thick that even the fierce winter is not terrible!
- Do you want me to tell you that I'm jealous of him now? Oh, yes!" Castle glanced at the dog again and with undisguised distaste: as if mocking the prisoners, it was lying on its side, hidden in the shadow of the nearest house, and only occasionally lifted his elbowed head, glancing at the so inappropriately slipped away victims. Then she lowered it back into the dust. - But what good would that do us? We should probably go to someone, but who?
Beckett shrugged her shoulders indefinitely. She had no answers yet, and the questions made no sense either.
And in this way they sat for an hour. The dog responded to all timid attempts to escape with a horrible growl, and then Castle falsely howled for help, like Tarzan the sufferer in a trap-hole, though his throat clenched more and more with thirst. And even the sun slanting over the horizon would do nothing to alleviate their anguish: as they knew, Castle was without a telephone, and Kate's old cell phone flatly refused to pick up the net. Even with the battery jammed and repeatedly reset.
- You shouldn't have done that, Beckett! - Rick watched her efforts skeptically. - I think that with the eviction of the settlement, the base stations were dismantled, too. What's the point of having communication where no one lives?
- How is no one? And the witness we're looking for? You're gonna have to do better than that, Castle. Or funnier! - Beckett snapped back angrily, but she did put the phone in her pocket. - Or find a tool to communicate with that "cute" dog, so we can get back to work!
- Uh... and frankly, I don't have any options yet. Or do you want me to "feed him"? Is it me? - Castle was seriously confused. - And you're not even gonna feel sorry for him? Wouldn't it be easier to just "Piff-Paff!"?
Mimicking pistols with his thumbs and forefingers, Castle took aim at the dog and clicked his tongue expressively. And when he looked at Beckett, he noticed her emphatic wave of the hand.
- Oh, no, Castle! No, no, and no! - Kate at once rejected both her partner's pleading gaze and his joined hands in a begging gesture. - I love dogs so much that I would never cheat on myself! After my parents, dogs are the closest thing I have to a dog! They are loyal, selfless and will never betray the one they serve! Unlike people.
- And this beast, too? - With wistful hopelessness Castle threw up his hands. - He certainly has no patience!
- He is the same as all their tribe of dogs! - Beckett threw up her head proudly. - And you have something against it?
- I..." - hesitated on the letter Castle, "n-no, but if it weren't for circumstances...
- What do you gentlemen want here? - suddenly someone muttered behind them.
From surprise the partners simultaneously flinched and also synchronously, sharply turned to the voice, only the larger Castle, slightly losing his balance, almost fell down again. He grabbed as much as he could by the bristling top, and then exhaled with relief: in front of them, leaning on a shabby plastic stick, stood a slightly hunched woman. On her feet were tight gray breeches, piled with pleats over her shabby sneakers. Around her thin waist was a long, indeterminate-colored shawl that came down below her knees. The narrow shoulders were covered by a sizeless washed-out windbreaker, and incidentally, also gray; a deep hood, thrown over a straight Lilliputian head, left visible only sun-dried lips, and a hooked, red-brick nose.
- What are you doing here, gentlemen? - The lady's falsetto was unpleasant and ear-piercing. - There's only one road that leads here, and I'll never believe that someone got lost here on purpose.
- Oh, no, no, ma'am! It's not what it looks like! I'm detective Beckett! - Kate gestured with her badge. This is Mr. Castle. We're just looking for someone.
- His name is Chateau La'Boothe! - Rick cut in hastily. The author's keen intuition and his thirsty and uncomfortable body told him that deliverance from the fierce plague would come very soon. - Do you happen to know where to find him?
- There are no other people here! - The old woman declared with confidence as she threw back her hood, her bald head gleaming with sweat under the sinking sun. - The fact is that I am Château La Bouffe!
- You? - Castle was enormously delighted, and again almost fell victim to his own fidgeting. - And this dog, by any chance, is not yours?
The old man just nodded silently. With a short whistle, he lightly slapped himself on the right thigh, and until recently the terrible dog obediently laid down at his feet. The puppy, by the way, had disappeared.
- I live near here! We'll discuss it here! - La'Booth put his hood back on, grabbed his stick, and waddled recklessly into the back of the village. The dog obediently followed him.
Castle gave the pair a wary look and followed the example of Beckett, who had already lowered her feet to the ground.
- Whew! - At last the partners were relieved to be down on the ground, and Beckett did it faster than Castle could have helped her. All Rick had to do was to spread his arms. He struggled to pull on his mangled shoe and, cursing quietly, wandered to the spot where he'd dropped the stuff. The glass of the smartphone cracked, his own sole was imprinted on the cap, and, banging the hat on his knee, Castle shook his head sadly. And when he turned to Beckett, all she could see was a forced smile.
- Are you okay? - Kate's intonation indicated that the question was not a formality. - Can you walk?
- I'm still the best runner," Castle gruffly chortled. - Especially when the trand is a turtle move...
The old man's shack was as decrepit and unsightly as the owner himself. It had a creaky, low porch under a lop-sided awning, a dried-out boardwalk, with bits of rusty iron chipped off in places, and a tiled roof that was noticeably missing elements. Inside, everything was thickly covered with a layer of dust: creaking stools, a light plastic table, and an unusually elegant floor clock, the work of an old master. And they were ticking, by the way, very quietly. Almost inaudible.
- It seems that we have got to the lair of the Time Keeper! - Castle said in all seriousness. - Only I do not know how to tie him to our investigation! There was no such character in the worlds of Dune?
- Does it really matter? Relax, Castle. - Kate's lips touched an ironic, understanding smile. - And first try to at least just talk!
- Just talk?
- Yes... and a minimum of fantasy!
- Not really my thing, but... secret dialogue, or else! - And Rick fixed the lapel of his shirt in an important manner.
Avoiding the strings of cobwebs that hung chaotically from the ceiling, Castle leisurely followed into the next room. On the way, he listened avidly to the unpretentious interior, already trying on a description for a future book.
"I wonder what's keeping him here?" - Rick froze on the threshold of the kitchen, mentally praising his host for the relative cleanliness. A microscopic polished table without a tablecloth and a huge bag of dry dog food caught his eye. The old man had his back to Rick at the stove, stirring something in the pot.
- Uh, sir," said Castle cautiously. - Could you answer some secret questions for us?
- Yes, I can, three of them," La'Booth never ceased to speak, "but what is so secret about what I just saw?
There was a touch of sarcasm in his tone, but it didn't faze Castle.
- I'll explain! - Castle was instantly elated. La Booth turned to face him.
- Not until after the feast," the curve of his dry lips was hard to match with a smile, but Castle turned on his imagination.
- Is that spice coffee? - Castle suspiciously squinted his eyes at the earthy slurry, which La'Boothe evenly poured over the cups: the liquid did not even remotely resemble their favorite beverage. Neither did Beckett, not a word in edgewise.
- Dream on, Castle. I, too, am aware of Gerber's plot "tricks"! - and politely took a tiny sip. I held the cup to my mouth a little longer than I should, watching Castle, whose Adam's apple twitched nervously, shoving those bitter-sour rinses down his throat.
Next came the usual interrogation, and for some reason Rick didn't say a word. He only pursed his lips and licked them frequently, and swallowed frequently. He only perked up when Beckett thanked her host.
...they stepped out onto the porch. The dog, who had startled them, was blocking the exit, lying on the last step. The puppy nestled beside them. Nipping his nose somewhere under the groove of his buddy's left paw, he was peacefully snoozing.
- Oops! - Castle exhaled sharply, freezing with a raised leg and not daring to put it down. - And I don't have hooks designed for worms either! What am I supposed to do now? Beckett, promise me immediately that at least once a day you'll send me burgers from Remy's! I'll take care of the rest!
Rick was deadly serious, and Kate's eyes turned to the sky. But the old man, who had stepped unnoticed onto the porch after his partners, answered for her
- Don't be afraid, Hughes won't hurt you," the old man snapped his fingers, and the dog lowered his head peacefully. "And if his friend Pappy hadn't come running to me and called after him, you'd be on the poles until morning dawn. Because my dogs are always together, like partners or best friends.
- Yes," said Castle, his eyes rounded at the unflattering remembrance. - You'd be speechless!
- I'm perfectly capable of making you talk. - Rick suddenly felt with surprise as he was gently but forcefully led under the arm. - I even know a place where you can enjoy a long, long coffee while reading a fascinating book, or just do nothing. From the word "at all." Are you coming, Castle?