Shattered Lies
Chapter 38
Rick pulls Kate close as they lay enrobed in the aftermath of lovemaking, her confession echoing in his brain. "Did you mean that or was it just in the heat of - the heat?"
Kate presses herself into his side. "I meant it, but I'm not sure where it will lead."
Rick tucks her head beneath his chin. "When two people love each other and are as good together as we are the next step is usually getting married. Is that what you want?"
"Rick, are you proposing?"
"I guess I am. I can get down on one knee if you want me too, but you'll have to wait until we get back to the city for a ring - that is if you accept."
"Rick, I do love you, but you know I'm still trying to work out what I want to do with my life now. I may not stay the detective you follow around at the precinct and to murder scenes."
"Kate, I don't care if you're a mall cop - and you'd look adorable on a Segway – or decide to join the Salvation Army. I love Kate Beckett, all of her, not just the badge. Whatever you decide to do, I'll be your most enthusiastic cheerleader."
Kate pushes herself up to frame his face in her hands. "Well, in that case, Richard Castle, I will marry you - but I want to pick out the ring."
Rick pulls her down for another kiss. "I wouldn't have expected anything else."
The path of the stream provides enough of an opening in the leafy canopy to allow the sunlight to stream through, reflecting off the water and warming the banks. Castle sits cross-legged against a tree with Kate's head in his lap and Custos lying nearby, eyes alert. "I think we must have walked at least a good two miles. Any ordering of the maelstrom in your mind?"
Kate twists a blade of grass in her fingers. "Maybe. Castle, since my mother's murder, I've always been searching for a way to bring peace, even more than justice, to others when I couldn't find it myself. Solving homicides accomplished that – sometimes. But there are so many grieving daughters, sons, husbands, wives, best friends, out there who have never received answers because the trail turned cold and cases became bankers boxes in the basement. Those people have been suffering for years, sometimes almost a lifetime. I found my answers, and I want to bring the same to them."
Rick smooths her hair. "You're doing that with the families of the victims in Bracken's book."
"But there are so many more."
"You could ask Montgomery to assign you to cold cases."
"That would just cover New York City - and not even all of the city. There are people stuck, unable to move on, like I was, throughout the country, even all over the world. They need help."
"That's a big job for one sleuth, even one as talented as you. Reaching out that far would take a whole organization, possibly with an international network. There may be agencies you could join with those kinds of connections. We can check it out." Castle stares down at her face. "But that's not what you want, is it? Kate Beckett always needs to be out front, kicking in doors and taking down names. You want to be in charge."
Kate sits up, turning to Rick. "It sounds like a fantasy; something in an Angela Jolie movie, doesn't it? But instead of raiding tombs, I'd be digging up old evidence."
"It doesn't have to be a fantasy, Kate. It would be a service with a mission many people could understand and support, with me as your first patron. But you might have to start small and branch out as you build your operation and reputation. That could take time."
"As long as I'm accomplishing something meaningful while it does, I don't care. I waited twelve years to find Bracken."
"All right then, when we get back to the city, we'll find people who'll know how to get the ball rolling. But first things first. You need your ring."
Kate rubs her thumb over the bare spot on her ring finger. "Yes – I do."
Kate wants no part of the diamond district. She doesn't need some flashy rock that a starlet would display on engagement, only to pawn two years later when the excitement fades, and the jewelry is all that remains. Her ring should be a symbol of the love as well as the friendship and partnership she and Rick share. She's not sure exactly what the design should be, but she'll know it when she sees it. She leads the way to Commune; a place tucked away in an old building on Canal Street, where artists and craftspeople display and sell their unique creations. In the past, she's bought several gifts there for friends; never anything hugely expensive, but personal and expressive.
The artisan Kate is searching for is in a back corner, her wares laid out on a table covered in blue cotton, with a hand-lettered sign declaring "Callie's Creations." Hand in hand with Castle, Kate studies the delicately fashioned rings. In those with gems, the stones are mostly semi-precious, with chips of more expensive jewels here and there. Her eyes catch on one band wrought with two fine strands of gold interwoven with amethysts and tiny bits of ruby and emerald. That's it. That's us. Two streams of thought wrapped intertwined, with bright sparks of love."
Castle gazes at her choice. "You're right. You were meant to find it. It's a sign that everything was leading to the is point; that we are supposed to be together." He feathers a kiss on her lips before turning his eyes to Callie. "How much?"
When she names a figure, Castle resists his usual urge to haggle and pulls out his wallet. He won't be going another step until the sign of his and Kate's commitments to each other are on her finger for the world to see.
"What are you going to tell Montgomery and Murphy?" Castle asks as he and Kate ride the elevator to the bullpen, Monday morning.
"Nothing yet. I'm going to finish out my work with Bracken's list and whatever else comes up while I start putting things together for Out of the Dark."
"We start putting things together," Castle corrects. "But a good name, by the way. I've already sent off a few emails, to my lawyer and some of my other contacts who've started businesses or non-profits from the ground up. We should be hearing something by the end of the day."
Ryan strides up as the doors to the lift open. "Beckett, Castle, good you're here. We just got a fresh one - down on Canal Street. A jewelry-maker named Callie Lowell was packing up her stuff from selling over the weekend, but she never made it out of the building. Lanie is already on her way."
Fingering her ring, Kate stares up at Castle, her heart twisting in her chest. Of all the deaths she's investigated, this one tears at her like a knife to the gut. Her eyes harden in determination. "Let's go."