Meanwhile in New York
Castle dragged himself into the loft dejectedly. After the taping, he had gone straight to the precinct to come up with a strategy to prevent the interview from airing. But Ryan and Esposito pointed out to him begrudgingly that there wasn't much they could do. Lawson was protected by his right to free speech, and he'd argue he was simply alerting the people of New York to questionable police methods. It would only make things worse and draw more attention to the interview. Since Lawson had included them in his allegations they technically shouldn't even be looking into him. He'd claim they were just trying to protect their own asses by making him the bad guy.
The detectives informed Gates of the storm brewing, who immediately got NYPD lawyers involved. They concluded that there was nothing they could do before the broadcast, except for a cease and desist letter, but things looked good for a defamation lawsuit ex post facto. Great, so his reputation had to be ruined first, before he could do something. Gates expressed the same sentiment about her precinct's reputation and for once in their lifetime, the writer and captain found themselves in agreement over something. They'd both exchanged wide-eyed glances and shuddered. What an odd little bonding experience, Castle mused and wondered if Gates would not only help him hide Lawson's body after he'd killed him but hold the TV host's body for him to land a few punches in.
"Richard?" Martha looked up from behind the kitchen counter surprised.
"Mother," he acknowledged her and bypassed the breakfast bar directly for his liquor cabinet.
"Uh-oh." She frowned and stopped stirring the sauce. "I thought you weren't coming back until Saturday morning. Did you and Katherine have a fight? Did she kick you out?"
Rick just shook his head, while he poured himself a very generous glass of scotch.
Martha cocked her eyebrows at her son, "Darling, you look horrible."
"That's because I feel horrible." Rick sighed and downed half of the glass and immediately refilled it. His mother gaped but knew better than to say anything. Whatever had happened, had shaken her child to the core, and breaking off a fight was not going to help the situation at all. Castle took the glass and walked over to the kitchen counter.
"What's up, kiddo? Why are you back already? Is everything okay with Katherine? Did you knock her up again?"
"What?" Castle sputtered and coughed, his eyes widened horrified and threatened to bulge out. "No! Mother? No! Just no! Again?! Where'd that question even come from?"
She just arched one eyebrow and deadpanned, "Honey, I live here. I've got ears."
Rick closed his eyes. Just when he thought he couldn't feel any more mortified today.
"You have to admit, son, it is not a far-fetched conclusion. You didn't look that much different when you slunk into my house twenty years ago with your tail between your legs – no pun intended – to spring on me that I was going to be a grandmother." She waved at him with the wooden spoon, sending red droplets all over the kitchen counter. Castle grimaced.
"We're not having a baby," he wheezed in between coughs. Castle's eyes had turned red and teary.
"What happened?" She'd come around the counter and was now patting her son's back softly.
"I had to come back to the city early for a TV interview."
"But darling, that's wonderful. You always look so handsome on TV."
Castle smiled briefly and then told his mother what happened at the taping.
"Oh boy!" Martha took the glass from her son's hand and emptied the rest of the scotch.
"So right now, Paula is working with Black Pawn's legal department on preventing the episode form airing with a cease and desist letter." Rick finished.
"Can't your friends from the precinct help you? I mean isn't that jackass spreading lies about the NYPD, too? What ridiculous accusations! As if those horrible days hadn't been hard enough for all of us the first time around without Lawson dredging up the past!"
Castle's phone rang and he reached into his pocket to decline the call. Martha looked at her son confused. "Reporters already?"
Rick shook his head and placed the smartphone on the counter, so he could help himself to another glass of scotch. The device vibrated and a message popped up onto the screen that he had one missed call and a voicemail from Beckett.
Martha raised her eyebrows in question. "Darling, are you avoiding Katherine?"
"No," Rick shook his head a little too quickly, so his mother narrowed her eyes at Castle. "I'm not avoiding her. I just don't think it's a good idea to talk to her right now. She'll hear in my voice that something's up. She's like a Jedi."
Martha smiled and patted his hand, "She loves you and she cares about you. Of course, she'll pick up on your tells. I'd be worried about your wedding if she didn't by now. But that's the beauty of it, too, since you don't have to face this travesty alone by yourself."
Castle twisted his mouth. Kate would hate him if she found out. He couldn't let this happen to her. Even if the accusations were wrong, once her reputation was tarnished the image problem she'd create for the AG wouldn't just go away. That would be the last straw. She'd never forgive him for ruining her career. If only he hadn't already used up all his poker chips yesterday when he'd weaseled his way into her current investigation. With Lawson's accusations, it would be much harder to keep his recent arrest secret.
"Richard? What are you not telling me?"
"I screwed up, mom." Castle slumped his shoulders and plopped down onto the bar stool to his right.
"What did you do, kiddo?" Martha sat down next to her son and rubbed his back comfortingly. She could count on one hand the times he'd called her mom in the past fifteen years. That in itself didn't bode well.
"I got arrested yesterday."
"Richard!" Martha exclaimed shocked. "Again?!"
He nodded and quickly recounted the events of leading up to his arrest yesterday.
"Katherine can't have been too pleased about that." Martha concluded.
"She wasn't," Rick admitted. "In fact, she was pretty pissed."
"And rightfully so!" Martha reprimanded Castle. "Seriously, son, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I thought I could help," he reasoned but his mother just shook her head. "And I did! I actually broke a case wide open that Kate and her new team were working on."
"You're not a cop, Richard. You're not even shadowing Katherine anymore."
"I know," he scowled.
"Look, son, I understand that you don't like all the new changes in your life but you made a choice. Together. You can't keep getting into trouble with the law if you're married to a federal agent! If Katherine has to clean up your messes after you, she'll lose all credibility she has at work. You can't expose her to such risks. You need to get your act together, boy."
"I know!" He shouted frustrated and Martha knew they were no longer talking about yesterday. "I'm trying. I'm trying to fix this mess but I don't know how!"
"Is that why you won't take her calls?"
"Hopefully Paula will come through with the cease and desist letter and then this nightmare will be over."
"Richard, darling, you have to tell Katherine. You simply cannot keep this from her. The truth will come out eventually and you better give her a chance to prepare."
"I will," he reassured her, "but I won't subject her to this farce until I've come up with a solution."
Martha glanced at her watch. The clock was nearing 6pm. They were slowly but surely running out of time.
"I just don't want to disappoint her, mother. Not again. Not after what happened yesterday." He shook his head in resignation. "She was really mad at me and upset when she picked me up at the station. And I can't really blame her because you're right, I didn't think how it reflects on her professional reputation when she has to bail me out of trouble."
"But this is not your fault, son. You neither had nor have control over what that charlatan does in the name of journalism. Katherine knows that."
"But it's so much worse. Do you have any idea what Lawson's accusations will do to her career if the interview airs? It doesn't matter that it's all lies; it creates an image problem for the brand new task force. The AG won't risk his new pet project over one measly junior agent. Best-case scenario they pull her off all active cases until this mess is over, worst case they fire her. She doesn't deserve this, mother."
Just at that moment Castle's phone rang again and Kate's picture popped up on the screen.
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
He shook his head no. "I'll call her when we've averted the crisis and then we can laugh about it."
Martha saw right through her son's false optimism, "She's going to start to worry if she doesn't hear from you."
"I'd rather she's worried about me than pissed off with me."
Martha arched her eyebrows to express her disagreement with her son's logic. He just looked at her with that helpless expression and puppy dog eyes that always melted her heart. "Oh, kiddo!" She huffed and pulled him into a tight embrace. "It'll be alright."
A knock at the door interrupted the mother-son moment. With a heavy sigh Castle rose from the bar stool and crossed the floor.
"This can't be good," he muttered when he opened the door and revealed both Gina and Paula on the other side. Without preamble both women strode past Castle, who hung his head in disappointment, into the loft.
"It looks like the producers are taking their chances in court." Paula announced.
"Martha!" Gina nodded towards her ex-mother in law and walked over to the kitchen, where the redhead was wiping the counter clean.
"Gina." Castle's mom greeted her. "Did Paula call you in for reinforcements?"
"Richard told you?" They hugged quickly.
Martha nodded, just as Rick and Paula trailed behind Gina into the living room.
"We're gonna sit down and figure out how to fight this together." Rick's ex-wife promised.
"Right," Castle's mom nodded. "This reminds me I need to call my acting class and tell them tonight's meeting here is cancelled." She glanced at the huge pot of chili she'd made. "I hope you and Paula brought some appetite!" Martha threw over her shoulder, as she disappeared with the landline phone up the stairs.
Paula was about to reply but Gina and Rick just shook their heads vigorously no at her, making cutthroat signs.
"Thank you, Martha, but we've already eaten," Gina shouted and then muttered to Paula, "You can thank me later."
"One disaster for a day is enough," Rick agreed. It would be considerably harder to fight this mess from the hospital with food poisoning.
0~0~0~0~0
"The first thing we need to do is draft a statement, so we can release it to the press immediately after the broadcast, in case we really can't prevent it from airing." Paula explained as she pulled out her iPad from her purse.
"Right," Gina nodded, "we need to focus on damage control. They've already started promoting tonight's show with clips of you."
Castle's nostrils flared, wondering how they'd edited his words to make the interview appear even more scandalous to attract more viewers.
"Gina and I sat down and went over the press releases from last year after your arrest and manhunt." She explained as she waited for her device to connect to the loft's wifi in order to use his printer.
Castle's ex-wife beat her to it and produced a crisp sheet from her purse. He took it from her and skimmed the statement. "I like it, especially the part where you highlight how I've portrayed Jameson Rook's character with the utmost respect for the field of journalism and how ironic it is to now be falsely accused by a journalist."
"As you can see, we address specifically all the fabricated evidence Lawson used against you." Paula pointed out.
"How do we prove that I didn't hire someone to plant the evidence at the abandoned building for me? Or that Kate and I didn't stage the shooting on the bridge?" Castle sighed.
"Well, the way I see it, all we have to do is poke enough holes into his little story and make it fall down like a house of cards. The rest will be up to the lawyers in the defamation suit." Gina explained. "If we can prove that his evidence is biased and his work is sloppy, we can easily argue that all his accusations are wildly speculative and don't merit anyone's attention."
"She's right. We've been through these motions once already last year when we had to clean up the mess after your jail break." Paula glared at Castle for good measure. "The fact that Lawson carefully selected specific evidence to use against you and ignored other evidence that would exonerate you like the witness statement…"
"What was his name again?" Gina butted in.
"We're not dragging another innocent man into this mess." Rick shook his head.
Paula argued, "Ricky, while I appreciate your moral integrity, now's not the time for it."
"If not now, when?" Castle countered. "We're not sinking down to Jeffrey Lawson's level." Paula was about to protest but he plowed right on, "It doesn't matter anyway. If we name him, they'll just think I paid him off, too."
"The veracity of Jeffrey Lawson's arguments is the least of our problems in this PR nightmare." Gina pointed out. Even if there was a second investigation to clear Castle and the NYPD of any wrong doing, a lot of people were easily influenced by the media.
Castle nodded, "Perception."
Gina nodded, too. "We all know you didn't kill anyone, Jeffrey Lawson included. That's not what this is about. The murder accusations aren't your weak spot, and Lawson knows that, too, otherwise he wouldn't have felt the need to pick the evidence to fit his theory. No matter how many investigations they'll launch, they'll always clear you. Because you are innocent. None of that will stick because there's no real evidence. No, your undoing is that you had the files sealed and that you had been secretly dating Detective Beckett while you were the prime suspect of her investigation. Neither of which will make you look good and suggests that you've got something to hide."
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you have those files sealed?" Gina asked him bluntly.
Castle sighed. If he revealed the real reason, namely, his conviction that Jerry Tyson was still alive and didn't die on that bridge, this whole scandal would blow up into the NYPD's face. He couldn't do that to Ryan and Esposito, not even Gates. And especially not to Kate who had initially been lead investigator on the case. Sealing the files was his way to compromise. It was the only thing he could think of to avoid details of the case being leaked. Details of the case that might come in handy at a later point when 3XK returned or if a copycat popped up. Of course, he had thought that if the files were sealed, greedy journalist hands would not get a hold on the case details. So Rick offered a different reason, "I was afraid that if someone scrutinized phone records they might deduce that Beckett and I were having an affair; and at the time we were still trying to fly underneath the radar." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's an ethics violation if NYPD partners date each other."
"You're not NYPD." Paula pointed out quickly.
"Same difference," Castle made a dismissive gesture. "Captain Gates would have used it as an excuse to give me the boot. Probably literally." He smirked.
"Which wouldn't be the worst thing happening to you if you had more time to focus on your writing instead of gallivanting all over town with Detective Beckett." Gina muttered.
"Well, it's good to know the reason but we can't use it. We'd be playing right into Lawson's conspiracy theory that you and Beckett are hiding something." Paula scratched her head. She and Gina tried to exchange surreptitious glances but Castle caught them.
"What?"
Paula looked at Gina for help but Castle's ex-wife was not going to touch the conversation they were about to have with a ten-foot pole. Paula huffed and braced herself for the confrontation with Rick. "Since you're no longer shadowing Detective Beckett, I mean Kate, and you no longer have reasons to visit the precinct, we think it's best for you if you severed your ties with the NYPD."
"Excuse me?"
"At least until this storm blows over." Paula added quickly.
Castle narrowed his eyes and studied his book agent's face carefully. He glanced towards his ex-wife who made every effort to look anywhere but him. It dawned on Rick what this was really about. "No. No. Way. I know where this is going and the answer's just no. We're not throwing anyone under the bus. Aside from the fact that Ryan and Esposito are my friends, I will not break up with Kate. We're getting married."
"No, no, no that's not what we're saying at all, Ricky. We're just not sure if it's a good idea for you two to be seen together in public at the moment." Paula clarified.
"No," Castle leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms like a petulant, little boy.
"Richard, be sensible." Gina appealed to his common sense. "As long as Lawson's accusations that you two were in cahoots covering up a crime are out there, it's best if you kept your distance from Kate. At least until this news cycle has run its course and something more interesting catches the media's eye."
"Right, Ricky. We've already cancelled all further public appearances. You have a tendency to get sarcastic and a little bit snarky when you're on the defensive and we want no further miscommunication."
"What about the book launch? Are we still going to go ahead with that?" Castle wanted to know.
"Yes. Obviously the press conference is cancelled but the party is still on. Black Pawn is throwing their full support behind you and have promised not to pull Deadly Heat from their fall schedule."
"At least that's something." Paula was relieved.
"I think from their marketing perspective there's no bad publicity. Period. I spoke to the new head and he thinks a scandal could even raise sales numbers if we played our cards right." Gina explained.
"What about the book tour?" Martha waltzed into the office and sat down on the armrest of the chair her son occupied. She'd caught the tail end of the conversation.
"We'll play that by ear. We obviously don't want to expose Rick to any situations where he has to deal with the accusations and could be misquoted. I am leaning towards postponing the tour." Paula explained. "It'll also be easier to deal with the lawyers if we stay in the city for another couple of days."
"However, we're under contractual obligations with book stores across the country, so we'll have to figure out a way around that. Black Pawn made it clear they will not pay any penalties resulting from cancelled appearances."
"Worst case scenario you'll get sick and produce a doctor's note." Paula tried to bring in some humor.
"Don't worry, kiddo," Martha nudged Castle's shoulder softly, "you know I've always written the best excuses."
Castle couldn't help but laugh, remembering some of his mother's best notes while he was still in school. "Remember gastrohemoglobulitis?" He grinned at her.
"How could I forget?" Martha exclaimed dramatically, "I was called into the principal's office!"
"You made it up, Mother, what did you expect?" Castle shook his head. "You just strung together a couple of Latin words."
"And that's different from medical jargon how?" She looked at Paula and Gina who'd been watching the exchange amused. It had brought some much needed levity to an otherwise draining evening. "Honestly, it was quite embarrassing. There I was Martha Rodgers, fresh off my first Tony nomination, getting lectured by the principal on school morals and work ethics like a fifteen-year-old ingénue."
"Oh poor you," Castle narrowed his eyes, "I had to change schools after that!"
"Psh, you were always too good for them anyway," Martha ran her fingers gently through his hair. "You'll get through this, Richard."
Castle's phone went off again and his mother saw her future daughter-in-law's face on the screen. She shot her son a disapproving look, when he declined the call again. "You're running out of time, kiddo. You need to tell her before she finds out watching the interview."
"You haven't told Kate yet?" Paula looked at Rick shocked.
"Richard!" Gina chided him. "Call the girl and give her a heads up! She has absolutely no clue what kind of hell will break loose after the interview airs!"
"Not if we can stop it from airing!" Castle replied.
Paula glanced at her watch. "It's past eight, Ricky. I hate to break it to you but it looks like they'd rather fork over the fine the court will order them to pay in a defamation lawsuit than forego the money from a ratings increase."
"So call her," Gina implored him again. "Martha is right. You can't let her get blindsided by this!"
"And tell her what? Honey, I'm sorry that a complete stranger is about to unleash a shitstorm on your professional career that might just get you fired? And don't bother coming home this weekend because my publisher and book agent think that being seen with you will hurt my image?" Castle scrubbed his face exhausted. An awkward silence permeated the room, while the women watched him deliberating. Nobody had a practical solution to the problem, so everyone chose to remain quiet.
"You know, maybe you're right. Maybe it would be better for all of them if I cut my ties with Kate and the twelfth. They're only caught in this nightmare because of me. For whatever reason, Lawson's got it out for me and there's no reason for me to drag the others down with me. They'll just end up hating me for what I let happen to them."
"Don't be ridiculous, son." Martha suddenly had the strong desire to slap her son's head. "They're not idiots. They know this isn't your fault. You've got no more control over the garbage Jeffrey Lawson produces than you have over the rising moon."
"Taking the blame for everything is not going to solve anything, Richard." Gina butted in. "Just call Kate. Tell her what happened. Give her a chance to work something out with her supervisor, so they'll be ready to fire back when the reporters start calling her at work."
"I can call her and explain everything to her if you want." Paula offered.
"She's been only working there for a few weeks. They won't miss her and just fire her, if she hurts the public image of the AG. She won't be able to work active cases because any defense lawyer worth his brain would contest her arrests, referring to Lawson's accusations that she's a corrupt cop. And if NYPD launches another investigation into the case, she certainly can't work any open cases." Castle shouted. "So no. No one is calling Kate until we have come up with a solution!"
The call came shortly before 9.00pm. The lawyers had failed to prevent the interview from airing but thought they had an ironclad case for a defamation lawsuit. They scheduled a meeting Monday morning with Castle, Paula and Gina and the NYPD's legal department to discuss the next steps. Paula had barely hung up, when he phone started ringing again. Within a few seconds, Gina's and Castle's cells went off as well as the landline. Martha raised her eyebrows in surprise and went to answer the landline but the other three people in the room shook their head rigorously no.
"Reporters." Gina mouthed before she took her call. Castle declined his cell phone call and walked over to the charging station of the loft's phone. He lifted the device from the cradle and set it down next to the charger, which he unplugged quickly. Knowing that, if needed, Alexis, Beckett and everyone else he cared about could reach him on his cell phone, he turned down the volume for the ringtone. That would help with the incessant phone calls from reporters who somehow got a hold of his private number until the battery of the landline device drained completely.
"Call her," Martha implored her son again. She'd startled him slightly since she had managed to sneak up on him. "Maybe give Jim a call, too. He's a lawyer after all and he can look out for Katherine in this mess. Black Pawn's lawyers might just throw her and the other detectives under the bus if it serves their interest better."
Castle nodded numbly and stared at his phone. His home screen was a selfie of him and Kate he'd taken of them shortly after they started dating. Martha gave him one more encouraging nod before she returned to the office to give him some privacy to make the phone call. Castle swiped his thumb across the screen and entered his pin code. What was he going to tell her? Sorry, just didn't cut it this time. His thumb hovered over the phone icon indecisively. As if on clue, his cell started ringing and vibrating in his hands. The caller ID showed it was Kate. Castle took a deep breath and his finger now hovered over the accept button.
How could he possibly make this right for her? She was the innocent victim in all of it. After a few rings the phone went silent again until a text from Beckett popped up on his screen: "I hope you're not ignoring me because you're on a hot date with Jeffrey. ;oP" Castle closed his eyes and smiled briefly. He loved this woman and her off-beat sense of humor. She was obviously referencing his "date" with Kristina Koterra. Normally he would have come up with a witty reply but tonight he felt simply defeated and exhausted. He knew he should warn her but he was afraid she'd be mad at him. Not because she'd blame him but because she'd be mad at any bearer of bad news. She'd had a couple of rough days and instead of the little retreat he'd hoped their weekend together in New York would be, it had turned into a fighting bad PR boot camp.
His phone rang again. He didn't recognize the number but it was a local one. He declined the call quickly, assuming it was a journalist. Apparently word about his interview had started to leak and everyone was trying to get a quick statement from him for the eleven o-clock news.
He strode back into the office with renewed determination. "Would it look suspicious if we released the press statement now?"
"Huh?" Gina looked at him confused and Paula tried to divide her attention between Rick and giving a reporter directions to hell on the phone.
"If we turned the tables on Lawson?" Rick asked. "What if we give the vultures what they want? What if we finish this draft now in time for the eleven o'clock news instead of waiting after it airs? I mean we know it will air certainly, so we're not giving away any information. It'll be his version against mine, almost back to back."
"That deadline's passed." Paula joined the conversation.
"Obviously they're interested enough to call to get the scoop on the story still." Castle reminded her. As if to proof his comment, everyone's phone except Martha's went off. He cocked his eyebrows.
"We're not ready," Gina protested.
"Let's go over the press release real quick and polish it. Mother, can you field the calls from reporters and tell them we'll have a statement in about fifteen minutes if they want to wait?" He checked his watch quickly, "9.30 at the latest?"
"No problem, kiddo!" Martha was all too happy to help and do something useful for a change.
"If they ask questions, Martha, you say no comment except that there'll be a press release shortly. They'll know what to do." Paula instructed Castle's mother.
"Okay, Gina. Run it by my." Rick looked at his ex-wife expectantly. Gina and Paula tossed their phones to Martha who caught them rather expertly, surprising both women.
"What?" The older woman challenged them before she retreated into a corner.
"Nothing." Paula smirked while she quickly typed an e-mail to her assistant and Gina's to let them know they'd have a statement ready for the late news if reporters contacted either of them at work. Meanwhile Gina began reading out loud what they've composed so far. Occasionally Paula or Rick interrupted her to change the wording for clarity. Once she finished, Rick nodded satisfied while both women pursed their lips.
"Print out copies, please." Castle reminded her, already on the way to the printer.
"What are we going to do about Detective Beckett?" Paula finally addressed the elephant in the room.
"We're not throwing her under the bus. Nor Ryan. Nor Esposito. Not even Captain Gates." Castle asserted once again, as he retrieved the copies from the tray.
"Ricky. You know us better than that." Paula shot him a look, taking one copy from Castle. "I'm just not sure whether it's a good idea to make your relationship with Kate public at the same time when you're accused of covering up a crime together – even if it's not true."
"Paula is right. I'm not saying Kate's a problem, it's just… dicey." Gina agreed. "An unnecessary risk. The fact that you've kept your relationship secret for so long doesn't help matters, people will think you have something to hide and wonder why you're going public right now. I say keep your engagement under wraps for a little while longer, living in different cities will help minimize the gossip."
"Yes, we don't want to inadvertently feed Lawson's speculations. Distance yourself a little bit from Beckett publicly. Right now he cannot prove that you and Kate were dating when you were the suspect of her investigation. It's all about perception."
"But Beckett would never betray her badge like that. The AG would have never hired her, if they didn't think she was above and beyond reproach. In fact, when Ryan and Esposito approached her about the evidence leading to me, she did not interfere with the investigation. I know they checked my phone and bank records. She even accompanied Esposito to the loft when they showed up with the warrant and arrested me."
"Did she cuff you?" Gina interjected.
"No Espo did."
"That's good." Paula said.
"But she didn't recluse herself from the case, did she?" Gina clarified.
"No." Castle shook his head. "But I'm sure the police reports reflect that she took a step back and let Ryan and Esposito take lead once I became the prime suspect."
"Which still leaves us with the problem that she was seen with you while you were technically a fugitive. How are we going to spin that?"
"I don't know. You'd think it was noble of her to believe in the innocence of her partner and set out to prove it." Castle sneered.
"Use the difficulty." Martha butted in, taking advantage of the quiet lull in phone calls from the media. The other occupants in the room looked at her curiously. "That's what Michael Caine told me once when we worked together in this odd little indie movie way back when. Never made it to the screen, oh well. He was supposed to enter a scene through a door but a chair blocked it. He complained about it and his scene partner yelled at him to use the difficulty. If it's a comedy stumble over it, if it's a tragedy smash it. You see? Make Katherine Jeffrey Lawson's problem not yours. Use the difficulty."
"Mother, Kate is not a prop." Castle was still not following her.
"If you had truly been having an affair with that young girl who was the victim in your case, would Katherine have helped you cover up such a cold-blooded crime?" Martha arched her eyebrows, "Because let's be real, this is exactly what that charlatan is accusing you of! He says you killed that girl just for fun, just because you could and to prove that you could get away with it. That's the most hideous, heinous allegation someone could possible come up with."
"Hell hath no fury," Paula caught on and grinned, "like a woman scorned."
"Kate would rather let you rot in jail than join you on the run if you'd betrayed her like that." Gina agreed. "So instead of going on the defensive, we go on the offensive. We'll use it to point out the kind of flawed logic behind Lawson's speculation."
Paula began scribbling on her copy furiously. "We'll lead with that. It's symptomatic of the flawed logic that plagues all of Lawson's wild speculations. We'll just point out how it makes no sense that your secret girlfriend helped you cover up the murder of your secret mistress and ask everyone to deduce for themselves how much of Lawson's accusations is actually true. Zero, that is. And then we'll lead into the fabricated evidence."
"And it all collapses like a house of card!" Martha grinned triumphantly.
"Mother!" Castle exclaimed impressed. "That's brilliant." He was particularly satisfied that Kate was essentially pulling the thread that would unravel the maze of Jeffrey Lawson's lies.
"Thank you, I do have my moments." Martha smiled and raised her glass of wine to salute her son. As if on command Gina's phone started ringing and Castle's mother quickly accept the call, explaining to the reporter on the other line that the finishing touches were being made to the press release as she was speaking.
"And we don't even have to address the issue of your relationship with Kate." Gina noted. "I still think it's a mistake to announce your engagement right now but this will give you time to talk about it with Kate at least."
"Gina!"
"You said it yourself. It may even be in Kate's own best interest professionally to play down your relationship with you."
"Done!" Paula interrupted them. She'd finished typing up the new version, "Check the printer."
"Okay." Gina reached over to the tray for the copies and handed them out.
"I like it." Castle stated, once he finished reading, and Gina agreed. With both their consent, Paula released the statement to the media a half hour before Lawson's show was scheduled to air, adding a clarifying note that this would be the only comment on this situation until further notice and no phone inquiries would be answered. They continued to field calls from reporters until 10pm when they silenced their phones to watch the interview.
Castle felt his iPhone vibrate in his hand and saw the message from Kate. "You're a sight for sore eyes. The TV in the break room looked never better."
Rick felt a vice-like grip around his heart. He still hadn't told her. In fifteen minutes all hell would be leashed upon her and she had no freaking clue.
"Watch out for McCord, she could just eat you up. She thinks you're 'just scrumptious.' xoxo Kate." Another text from Kate appeared on his phone screen. He quickly swiped his screen to access her number and tapped her name. And then he quickly pressed his thumb on the red button to end the call before it even had a chance to fully connect. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Ashamed of himself, he couldn't find the courage to face Kate. So he chose the easier option and turned off his phone completely.
Suddenly all his previous reasons seemed stupid. No matter how mad he had previously thought she'd be about this travesty, it was nothing compared to how pissed she was going to be that he was only now telling her about it. His mother, Gina and Paula had been right. He should have called her earlier, much earlier, so they could have talked about it calmly. Maybe she would have hung up at him at first and stewed quietly but eventually they would have found a way to talk to each other. Like they always did.
Telling her now as it was unfolding in front of her eyes on TV felt like a betrayal. At least he would feel betrayed if he were in her shoes. How many times had he accused her of going solo and shutting him out when it had come to her mother's case? And now he'd done exactly the same thing to her. She'd think he didn't trust her enough, didn't believe in her unconditional love for him, which would hurt much more than the sting of betrayal. He wished he could turn back the clock but instead he was forced to relive every agonizing minute of the taping as he watched himself walk into the trap Jeffrey Lawson had so carefully set up for him the minute he'd walked on stage.
"Trap!" Castle's head shot up and he muted the TV in his office. "The whole thing, it was all a set up. How could he possible have prepared such an elaborate piece in the short time since yesterday?"
"I don't know?" Paula shrugged her shoulders, "I swear I had nothing to do with this. You know I would never let you walk into a trap like this."
"Of course, Paula, but something's foul about this. This has been carefully planned long ago. Do we know who cancelled last minute so the spot opened up for me?" Castle inquired.
"I'm sorry, again I don't know. My assistant took the call. I simply confirmed the booking with the associate producer."
"Well, find out, ok? Maybe it's a co-incidence. Maybe Lawson planned to have me on his show later all along but do this to me after the book launch. He certainly must have 'investigated' this story long before he booked me."
"You don't go to such great lengths over a last minute sub." Gina followed his line of thinking. "Has he tried to book Richard before?"
"Not that I can remember," Paula shook her head.
"Why would he do this, Richard? Do the two of you have a history I don't know about?" Gina was curious.
"Not that I know of. I'd never even met the man in person until today."
"Let me call my assistant and see if she can shed more light on this." Paula took her phone back from Martha.
Paula's assistant, Beth, was not much of a help, either. She explained that she got a call out of the blue from Lawson's assistant, Jeremy something, asking if Richard Castle would be interested in filling in for a guest who'd cancelled at the last minute. Apparently Lawson was a huge fan of the Nikki Heat series and dying to meet the author. Beth had related the request to Paula and that was the end of it.
It was well after midnight, when Paula and Gina finally left because there was nothing left to do for now. His mother had excused herself a little while ago but Castle was too wired to fall asleep. He sat in his office, nursing a glass of scotch and doodling. Exhausted and a little depressed by the day's events, Castle finally tumbled into his bed without even taking off his clothes. Maybe if he closed his eyes for only a minute, he'd wake up and find out it had all been a bad dream.
