Shattered Lies

Chapter 54

The hum of the blower inflating the portable rooftop shelter defies the threatening skies. The catering staff has efficiently set up tables inside while the florist makes a last minute check of the flowery arch that will surround Kate and Rick. Accompanied by Miniver, Custos stands guard attentively at the edge of the proceedings.

Jackson surveys the scene from the top floor of a nearby building. Damn! He was hoping he'd get to watch the wedding, but the rubberized dome is completely blocking his view. It will take a little doing, but he can still keep eyes on the celebration.

After descending from his vantage point, he observes the activities at the catering vans. Busily transporting platters and chafing dishes, the workers leave their vehicles locked but unattended. With any luck…

Using a scanner to determine the keycode Jackson peers in the back door of a truck. Just what he needs - a stack of extra aprons and matching bow ties. He grabs one of each and enters the building, fingering a device in his pocket.

Miniver scratches Custos behind the ears as the dog yips, expecting to see a member of the Castle family appear. Jackson goes otherwise unnoticed as he plants his tiny video camera on an inner fabric wall. Custos yips again as Hunt slips away.

Jackson checks the screen of his phone. Just the feed he wants. The timing of Richard's nuptials is cutting it close. Hunt leaves for the Ukraine tomorrow, but he'll have his record of the ceremony to take with him for empty moments on his mission.

The single cello Kate requested plays the Pachelbel Canon as Lanie precedes her and Jim Beckett down an aisle covered in white satin and chrysanthemum petals. Flanked by Winston Bergeron, Castle is riveted by her approach. She is wearing Johanna Beckett's wedding dress, but it fits Kate as if it was designed for her. Loose locks of her hair frame her face as a veil sweeps down her back.

Bob Weldon clears his throat as Jim delivers his daughter to stand beside her groom. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of Katherine Houghton Beckett and Richard Edgar Castle. The story of this couple would be longer than a shelf of Castle's books, and pieces of it will no doubt appear in some of them. There is no need for me to recount it here. Just know, that Rick and Kate now stand before you, ready to devote every moment of their lives to each other. They are also celebrating the launch of Kate's dream to bring comfort and peace to those whose prayers for answers have gone unanswered too long. Those of you who know Kate understand that she is too independent to use anyone else's lines in her vows, and Rick's words are always uniquely crafted."

Weldon pauses as the laughter that ripples through the guests fades away. "Kate, now is the time to share your pledge with Rick in full witness of the friends and family present here in love and support."

Kate locks eyes with Castle as she begins. "Rick, your words were my comfort, my lifeline to cling to when my world was falling apart. When we began to work together, I was never sure if I wanted to kick you or kiss you. Sometimes I'm still not. But I know this, beneath the carefree raconteur, is a man who willingly laid down his life for me, and I want nothing more than to spend my life with you. I know too well that everything can change in an instant, but whatever comes next, I want to face it with you. I promise to be your partner, your friend, and to love you with all my heart through whatever the future brings." Kate turns to Lanie who hands her a simple gold band, and she slides it onto Castle's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Weldon nods at Rick, who smiles at his bride, enfolding her hands in his own. "Kate, when you flashed your badge in my face at my book party, you dazzled my eyes and captured my heart." He winks at Weldon. "I would have gladly given a lot more than a case of scotch for the privilege of dogging your footsteps and worming my way into your life. You haunted my every dream and inhabited my every hope and imagining. You inspired me to find words I never thought I'd write and strength I never knew I'd have. I want nothing more than to be at your side, to work, play, and love together, for all the days of our lives. I vow to love you, support you, and hold you in my arms and my heart, through whatever the time ahead brings." To enhance the promise crafted by Callie Lowell, Winston hands Castle a matching band of intertwined gold strands, studded with fiery stones. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Bob Weldon grins at the crowd. "I would tell Rick that he can now kiss the bride, but I see that he's already taken matters in hand. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Beckett-Castle."

At the DJ's touch of a needle to vinyl, Etta James' soulful rendition of "At Last" drifts over the crowd as Winston invites the assemblage to eat drink and be merry.

Jackson wipes the moisture from his eyes, cursing allergies, as the image on his phone blurs.

Epilogue

Kate has been dragging for months. The morning sickness hasn't been that bad, and Castle has been cooking up all sorts of special treats to assure himself that she's getting the proper nutrition, but she's still been tired. At her monthly checkups, her OB-Gyn has pronounced everything normal and counseled that she'll soon feel more energetic. Whether she does or not, Kate is determined to push through.

Requests have come in from all over the country from families who've been waiting years, sometimes over half a century, to find answers to the deaths of their loved ones. She put Montgomery on recruitment duty, picking out the best and the brightest of detectives old and new. The labs are fully staffed, and Clark Murray gleefully approved the chapter Castle wrote introducing the endlessly talented Dr. Pavarotti.

Some of Don Epstein's victims have surfaced, sending grateful letters to Castle and to Out of the Cold for helping them get on with their lives. They are bittersweet for Rick, but he seems glad to receive them. He's also been assembling a collection of every catalog he can find of baby clothes, baby furniture, and baby toys. He proudly invested in a crowdfunding campaign to produce diapers that are not only fully biodegradable but supposedly combat the worst of baby essences. Kate will believe that when she smells it.

At four months, she barely shows. Her favorite jeans are no longer comfortable, but she's not quite ready for maternity clothes - no matter how well designed. She slips into the teddy that Rick swears that she still looks terrific wearing. She suspects that he'd claim that she'd look sexy dressed as Jabba the Hutt. That he might even believe it, is endearing.

Kate climbs between the sheets, appreciating the coolness against her skin, and waiting for Rick to emerge from his office, where he'd hurried in T-shirt and shorts to write down a new murder scenario while it was fresh in his mind. She hears the snap of the lid of his laptop before he traverses the few steps to join her in bed. Kate snuggles against Rick's shoulder. "All done?"

"I got the method of the victim's demise down. This one might even perplex Murray's alter-ego for a while. Now I have to figure out which of my characters is capable of - what's the matter?"

Kate guides his hand toward her still flat belly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just think I felt the baby move."

Finis?

A/N It's Castle Ficathon time again. It started Monday, but I put off getting into it because I wanted to get Rick and Kate to this point. I'll pick up with a new story, starting some months later, in the same universe, as my summer entry. Join me tomorrow for "Chipping Through the Ice." Thanks for hanging around. Love, Sally