Shattered Lies
Chapter 45
Kate has sat around a lot of conference tables but not one like this in the posh meeting room of the Four Seasons hotel. The leather upholstered chairs actually have lumbar support, and she suspects that the massive writing surface would be stable in an earthquake. If she and Castle were in California, she might even have spotted it as a place of refuge.
The company is no less intimidating than the room. She recognizes one of Castle's fellow authors - the one who could buy and sell her millionaire fiancé with his petty cash account. Rick had given her names in advance of the meeting, but the other faces are unfamiliar to her. If they had Facebook accounts or LinkedIn pages, she didn't find them, just some obscure listings on various boards of directors.
The water in front of her would have cost 10 dollars in a mini-bar, and she can't even speculate about the price of the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mints. A credenza holds air pots of coffee and hot water for tea with an assortment of bags both caffeinated and decaffeinated. A platter of pastries next to them would put most New York bakeries to shame. OK, she gets it, these folks are rich, and somehow Castle has cajoled them into coming to listen to her presentation about Out of the Dark. Rick helped her write it, and she practiced on Alexis and her father, both of whom declared it convincing, but now her stomach is threatening to jump out of her mouth if she parts her lips.
Rick makes introductions and each attendee except the author, Bergeron, hands Kate a tastefully embossed business card. She arranges them to make sure she doesn't forget anyone's name. Right now she's not sure she remembers her own.
Castle smilingly hands over the floor, squeezing her hand in encouragement before she begins. "Over twelve years ago, while investigating the corrupt actions of William Bracken my mother was stabbed and left to bleed out in a trash-filled alley." Castle presses a control that projects the crime scene photo of Johanna Beckett on a screen. "A police officer named John Raglan," Kate continues, "under instructions from Bracken, chalked her death up to random gang violence, declaring the case unsolvable. It was not." Castle replaces the photo of Johanna with a mug shot of Bracken before Kate continues. "William Bracken is now behind bars, and the man he hired to murder my mother is dead. The loss of my mother can never be forgotten by anyone who knew her, but uncovering and punishing those behind it has afforded me some measure of peace. It is that peace I would like to give to so many others who have never received closure for the murders of those dear to them." The screen fills with images of grieving families, as Kate girds herself to go on.
"Unfortunately, the time and resources afforded to law enforcement are limited. Even when investigated, if perpetrators are not caught within the first 48 hours, a trail can quickly go cold. Evidence is loaded into boxes shoved on crowded basement shelves, often never to be examined again. For the sake of so many out there who have never received the answers they desperately need, I want to change that. I'm proposing an institution with national and possibly international reach, staffed with well trained and dedicated investigators and scientists and housing the most advanced forensics equipment possible."
Castle puts up an artist's rendering of the lab facilities planned for Out of the Cold as Kate waves at the projection. "Our services would be available on a sliding scale, according to our clients' ability to pay, with the difference being made up by grants and contributions. If you have ever shouted your anguish into a dark night, you can understand just how heart-wrenching it can be for your pleas to go unanswered. What I'm asking is that you help provide the means to answer those desolate calls."
The room remains in silence as Kate sinks back in her chair. Bergeron is the first to speak. "Many years ago, on report card day, my mother told my older sister and me that she was so proud of us that she was going out to get cake and ice cream to celebrate. She never returned. I remember the police coming to our door that night, telling us that her body was found at the edge of the supermarket parking lot. She had been stabbed and raped. To this day, her killer has never been identified. My sister woke in the middle of the night screaming for years. I coped by writing stories of detectives who could always uncover the truth no matter how mysterious or heinous the crime. It has never filled the gaping hole left by the failure of justice. So let me be the first to pledge my support to Out of the Cold - financially and otherwise." He gazes around the table. "And for the sake of all the others suffering as Detective Beckett did and my sister and I still do, I urge you to pledge yours as well."
Cuddled with Rick on the couch in the loft, Kate sips slowly on a glass of white wine. "I never expected Bergeron to write that large a check - or the others either. It was your words, Babe. Just like with your books, you plugged into their hearts."
"They may have been my words, but I was only helping you to express what was in your own heart. You were the real power in that room, Kate. I just helped craft a speech. You conceived Out of the Cold, and you're birthing it." Rick shifts to face her. "And since that the bun is in the oven now, so to speak, there's something else we need to talk about - setting a date to get married. With so much hanging over your head, it didn't feel right to bring it up before, but Kate, I want to be your husband. I want to take the vows and make it clear to the whole world that whatever happens, we're together for life, and if there is an afterlife, there too."
Kate rakes her fingers through her hair. "Wow, Babe, that came out of the blue."
"Not really, it's been at the edge of my mind ever since I slipped the ring Callie made, on your finger. It's just that you were so immersed in other matters of murder and mayhem that I didn't want to push you. There's never a perfect time, but this is the first chance in a while we've had to breathe without some wire wielding would-be strangler coming after you. So Kate, what do you think? Private ceremony or huge bash and when?"
"The two questions kind of go together don't they? I mean if we decided to go to City Hall or run off to Vegas, we could do it in a couple of days, but a formal wedding takes time and planning. I know. I've been a bridesmaid six times."
"Well now you're going to be the bride, and I'll go along with whatever you want, as long as we end up married. So what will it be?"
Kate takes his hands in hers, rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles. Marrying you and launching Out of the Cold will be the two most important events in my life. I think we should combine them. Let's get married at the facility after we solve the first case."
Castle pulls her close for a kiss. "That sounds perfect."