Chapter 25 – Appearance is Everything

Martha took a hesitant peek around the corner of the study door. Her son sat there banging away on his old Apple IIc. "Richard, I didn't even know you still had that thing. I sent you off to college with it."

He quickly looked up and flashed a grimace. "Only pc I own that doesn't hook up to a network or have internet capabilities. I took all my notes on Beckett's mother's murder off of anything that could be hacked into electronically."

"So, you're still working on the case? Is that a good idea Richard?"

"No, just keeping my notes up to date. Recording what I told Beckett. I still left a few pieces out.."

The hairs on the back of Martha's neck came to life at the use of 'Beckett', for the past week she had been exclusively 'Kate.' "Do you think that's wise? Not telling her everything? I have to assume things didn't go well. To state the obvious, she isn't here and the visit by Dr. Parrish was rather unexpected."

He continued to type "Beckett said good-bye."

Martha perched on the edge of his desk, "Oh kiddo, I'm sorry."

"I have bigger problems."

"Bigger?"

"If who or whatever is orchestrating her protection, find out I'm not at the station any more…." His voice drifted off, he couldn't say it.

She said it for him "…they may kill her." "No way to patch it up with Detective Beckett?"

He hit save on the computer, turned it off, ejected the floppy, pushed back his chair and began rubbing his hands through his hair. "Doubtful, you should have seen her – so calm, so unlike herself. I braced myself for her reaction and then there wasn't one. She gave me a kiss and said 'good-bye.' How am I supposed to take that, other than it's the end?"

He thought to himself, the end before there was ever a real beginning. "Every day that passes that I'm not at the 12th increases the chances of someone figuring out that Beckett's life insurance policy has been terminated. I won't lose her again, not to death anyways."

No mother enjoys seeing their child suffer, Martha was no different. "I have an idea, you may not like it."

Somehow he knew he probably wouldn't like her idea, seeing how he didn't have any of his own, he would listen. "Hold that thought."

Castle went to his bedroom, shoved his bed back and flipped up the area rug. He fiddled with what looked like an outdated floor vent, pulled it up and felt around until he located the knob to the safe. He twirled the lock and dropped the floppy in for safe keeping. He had taught himself to open the safe, by sound and feel. It was nearly impossible to see inside the dark hole.

Castle stopped at his night stand, picking up his phone, willing a message to appear. Nothing.

Martha had moved to one of the two easy chairs, she was struggling with how to sell her idea to her son. He wasn't going to like it.

Castle interrupted her mental plotting "How can you help?" He slid into the seat beside her and waited.

Martha took an overly dramatic deep breath "PR."

"Not following you."

"Paula has been begging you to do the talk show circuit, a few more signings to help build up for the opening of the first Nikki Heat movie. Book yourself out for the next week or two. Make yourself very visible and mention your relationship with the NYPD and Detective Beckett in every interview. It might just buy you enough time to come up with plan B or win her back."

"Right, an acceptable absence, it will take whoever is watching a bit of time to catch on and by then, by then…." He desperately wanted to say by then he would be back at the 12th, back with Kate.

The flaw in Martha's plan was obvious "Beckett won't be too happy if I start talking about her on TV or her photo shows up attached to some article."

Martha gave him a steely blued stare "You let me handle Detective Beckett."