"You know, Montgomery is gonna kill us if he finds out what we we're doing."
Kevin Ryan kept his voice low, his jaws clenched as he leaned into Castle's space, feeling painfully out of place in the large ballroom full of people he usually only saw in newspaper articles.
New York's Rich and Famous had gathered to celebrate a man who was promising to put New Yorkers first, put the iconic metropolis back on the map for economic growth and a slew of other pledges that lasted about as long as the final ballot count.
"Just smile and wave, Ryan, smile and wave.", Castle nudged, his well-practiced Cheshire cat grin causing several of the attendees to interrupt their lighthearted conversation to nod at him, recognizing the successful writer as he sauntered through the room.
"I start doing that and these people are gonna think we're a couple.", the detective hissed, his eyes scanning the large group for their prime suspects, just to hear Castle chuckle.
"Don't kid yourself. You're not my type."
Ryan scoffed in return, then resumed to watch Castle, mirroring his every move in hopes of blending in.
Suddenly, the writer's genuine smile turned into an unreadable professional façade when none other than Rick Steward approached them from the far corner, carelessly pushing past several people on his way over.
"Richard Castle! Well, I'll be damned. I have to admit, you are one of the last people I expected to see here tonight. My last speech about the oil embargos finally made you reconsider your political affiliations?"
"Richard Steward, what a pleasure.", Castle spouted, his fake smile growing wider by the second as he shook hands with their murder suspect, "I've heard so much about your campaign, I thought I'd swing by and see how things are going. You're still going with the "Rick gets it done" slogan or have you changed it to Big Dick Rick?"
Puzzled, Steward paused for a second, blinking at his latest visitors, before shaking off the peculiar remark altogether.
"My wife Pamela is over there, the gorgeous lady with the bright red dress.", the politician continued, running a hand through his receding hairline where little beads of sweat were appearing along the edges, "Pamela loves your books. I haven't had much time to read fiction of course. If you are in my business, you gotta deal with the real facts, not make-believe."
"Make-believe?", Castle gasped theatrically, trying hard to hide his obvious misgivings, "I prefer to call it an alternate reality. A what-if scenario, so to speak. For example, what if two New York City Homicide Detectives came up missing during an investigation that involves you and we would really like them back. I am talking about Beckett and Esposito here. What's it going to take to negotiate their safe return?"
Steward's loud chuckle disrupted some of the nearby conversations, as the short man symbolically held his oversize stomach, then shook his head.
"That's fantastic. I always loved your imagination, Castle. Sounds like you have a lot of material for a new book there. Well, thanks so much for the support, it means the world. The ehm…the fundraiser table is up front. Be sure to make the check out to my campaign. I appreciate your vote."
Then, without ever acknowledging Ryan, the pompous man walked by, finding a new group of people to do small talk with.
They watched him for several long moments, wandering the room like he owned the place, kissing ladies on the cheeks and shaking hands with some of the richest business owners New York City had to offer, all to the tunes of a jazz band playing in the back.
The scene was driving Ryan insane, knowing that the truth was right there, right in front of them, and yet painfully out of reach.
"You think he's putting us on?", the detective asked when Castle turned away and headed toward the huge bowl of punch.
"No. I think he knows we're onto him. That's why he never acknowledged you even though you guys interviewed him before.", the writer answered, casually pouring a glass for both of them, "He's always been a horrible liar. Gets that twitch in his eye when he makes up stuff."
"A twitch? I didn't see a twitch."
"That's because you were too busy staring him down. You gotta learn to make casual small talk, my friend. You look at people like you're about to arrest them."
"I am a cop, that's what I do."
"I know, that's the problem.", Castle fired back and took a sip, then glanced around the room, "Let's…let's use this opportunity and talk to some of the other guests, see what else we can find out about Steward, make him a little more uncomfortable. The security detail at the entrance is no coincidence. He's expecting trouble. And he knows that we know. So, let's watch our backs. The last thing we want to do is join Beckett and Esposito."