Poison Pen
Chapter 17
Struggling with whether to put out his good Scotch for the poker game, Castle decides that it's worth the sacrifice. He can always get more booze, but he's only got one shot to keep working with Kate. He's not going to blow it.
She said that she's coming over as soon as she finishes her shift, which will give them some time to talk strategy before the other players show up. Castle always plays to win, and Kate confessed to him that she's the same. A head-to-head match would be fascinating, but that's for another day — or night.
Alexis is back, but she'll be up in her room studying, especially if she gets her share of chips and salsa to take with her. Castle picked up both from the neighborhood Mexican restaurant that fries chips fresh and makes its own dip. The stuff has no preservatives and won't keep, but there are never any leftovers anyway.
Mayor Bob Weldon is a good sport, but Kate doubts that Montgomery will be happy walking away empty-handed. Castle trusts her judgment. Markway is more interested in beating Castle on the golf course than at the poker table, and Rick might blow a putt or two during their next game.
The rap on the door signals Kate's arrival. Rick wishes he could give her a key, but it's too soon — way too soon. Hell, they haven't even shared another kiss yet. Maybe… Damn! He can't afford to think about that, at least until after the completion of Operation Beaming Bossman.
When he opens the door, Rick is frozen in place, staring at Kate. She obviously took the time to ditch her work clothes, showing up in a T-shirt and jeans that cling lovingly to her curves. Her hair is up in a pert ponytail, and her feet encased in spike-heeled booties that enhance the length of her perfectly shaped legs.
Kate's eyebrows rise. "Can I come in, Castle?"
"Oh. Yeah. Of course." Stepping back, he waves her inside.
Kate drops the leather bag that serves her as a purse and tote, on a chair. "Montgomery announced today that he's going to have to approve all overtime in advance. That's going to be a pain in the ass if we're in the middle of chasing down a lead, and he knows it. He looked pretty grim. I think money must be even tighter than usual."
"It is almost the end of a quarter, fiscally speaking," Castle points out. "That's usually when pain sets in, just about anywhere. Black Pawn always gets twitchy around this time. But Montgomery's distress just makes things better for us, right? He'll enjoy some of my best pain killer and be looking forward to looser purse strings."
"I hope you're right, Castle. So how are we going to do this? A signal or something?"
"How good a cop is Montgomery? I mean, how good was he as a street cop before he ended up stuck behind a desk?" Castle wonders.
Kate shrugs. "I've only known him as a captain, but I heard he was a good detective. He moved up pretty fast."
"And you detectives read signs, body language, don't you?"
"We have to," Kate agrees. "If we can't figure out when someone is lying to us, we'll go down all sorts of blind alleys, or end up dead. From what I've seen, you're not bad at it either."
"As a writer, I have to describe behavior. I can't do that if I don't know what it looks like. But my point is, if we try to send any signals to each other, Montgomery will pick up on them. Is there anything subtle Montgomery does when he's pleased with himself?"
Kate fingers her lower lip. "The only thing I've seen is that he leans back in his seat."
Castle snaps his fingers. "That's perfect! I'll give him a comfortable enough chair to exaggerate that, so it will be obvious to both of us if he does it. Then, if we have lousy hands, we can play them out, but if we have anything halfway decent, we fold. Maybe you could excuse yourself to go freshen up, and I can offer to get more drinks or something. Markway or Weldon might get the pot, but if we stay with the plan, Montgomery will have the edge."
I don't remember you describing anything like this in your books," Kate notes.
"That's because I didn't. If Storm needed to fix a game, he'd straight-up cheat, with special lenses, marked cards, or a hidden camera. But we'll just be giving Montgomery a nudge to win under his own power. If he doesn't get the cards, there's nothing we can do about it, I mean unless you want to go down and dirty. I know a card mechanic who worked Atlantic City until the casinos threw him out. He helped me sketch out a character once, and can always use an extra buck. I could try to get him over here."
"With two cops and a judge at the table, Castle? I think we'll go with the original plan."
"Roger that."
The last to leave except for Kate, a grinning Roy Montgomery extends his hand to Castle. "It's been a pleasure, Rick, and I look forward to seeing you at the precinct tomorrow."
"Bright and early, Sir," Castle responds.
"Good, you can show me your special tricks with that coffee machine."
"That would be my pleasure, Sir."
Rick and Kate collide in a hug as soon as the door closes behind Montgomery. Kate's eyes flash green. "I think we really got him on board. He didn't even bring up Kimmel or Ellen."
"I had Paula call their bookers anyway. Turns out, Ellen is staging a workshop to help her fans who aspire to be writers. I should fit right in as a presenter. And I can play in Jimmy Kimmel's charity golf tournament. That will get me on camera for the few seconds it will take to plug working with the N.Y.P.D. We've got this knocked, Kate, as long as I can keep from messing up a case."
"You haven't messed up so far, Castle. I had a tête à tête with Alexis, and she suggested that I give you a kick in the shins if you seem to be drifting into trouble."
"That's always worked for her," Castle acknowledges, "but maybe you could just whisper sweet warnings in my ear."
"I could do that. Look, it's getting late. I'll help you clean up before I go."
"Ah, the perfect guest." Rick strokes his knuckle over her cheekbone. "The perfect everything."
Kate brushes her fingertips over his mouth. "Rick, I want …, but Alexis is in the house."
Rick shakes his head. "The timing never seems to be right, does it?"
"No, it doesn't, Kate agrees. "But it's been a good night, Castle. I'm going to catch a cab home. There should still be plenty of them out there."
"The doorman, Eduardo, is an ace at whistling one down," Castle remarks.
"Great. And the next murder case that comes up, we'll knock Montgomery's socks off," Kate declares.
"We can get started on your mother's case too. I'll pass on a copy of her file to one of the best M.E.s in the country. If whoever performed the autopsy missed something, he'll find it."
"Thanks, Castle."
Rick presses a kiss to her forehead. "We're going to make this work, Kate. We're going to make everything work."