Another Chance

Chapter 5

The space looks different without half drunken revelers pulling open their blouses so the famous Richard Castle can sign their chests. Still, he can picture the moment when Kate flashed her badge at him; the instant when everything changed. This room was the site of new beginnings for both his writing and his life. Now it could host the next and best chapter, his marriage to Kate. With a little work it should be perfect.

The ballroom is too big for the smallish number of guests that he and Kate envision, but if it is divided, about a third for the ceremony and the two-thirds to accommodate the tables for the reception, it will work just fine. The hotel can handle the catering. He'll have to choose the menu, with as much input as he can get from Kate. It will be the same for the color of the linens. As soon as he signs on the bottom line, he can get back to the printer as to a time and place to put on the save the date cards and invitations. He'll want to book a florist way in advance too. The flowers may have to be reserved and shipped in. He'll need Kate's OK on those also, but he has a very good idea of what she'll like. He nods at the hotel's events coordinator and pulls his favorite pen and his checkbook from his pocket.

Kate is sitting in a car outside the Macromart where Tanya Wilson's best friend Janet Modisher works as a manager. She just has a hunch but it's a strong one. She believes that if anyone knows where Tanya is, it's Janet. The day shift at the store is almost over, and Kate is planning to tail Janet when she leaves. It will take some luck, but she's hoping that Janet will lead her to Tanya.

She's missing Castle again. His crazy jokes and wild speculations made her time on stakeouts fly. Now the minutes are dragging, but it will be worth it if her theory pans out. She checks the bulky man's watch on her wrist. Maybe 10 more minutes. She has no idea what the procedure is at Macromart to pass the baton to the next shift and clock out. There might be enough time to call Rick, but she doesn't want to risk the distraction.

She spots the yellow coat she saw Janet wearing when approaching the employees' entrance that morning and turns the key in the ignition. Damn! The woman is heading straight for the IRT Subway. Kate will have to follow her on foot through the commuter crowds.

Hanging back as far as she can, Kate keeps Janet in sight. Janet picks the platform for a train that will take her uptown, but she lives downtown. So far, so good. She's not going home.

Janet enters an apartment building in the Bronx, with a key. There's no doorman. Kate wouldn't have expected one in that neighborhood. She uses her phone to check the ownership of the building. It's listed under the name of "Refuge." Kate's never heard of that organization, but dba's are perfectly legal as long as no fraud is intended. The word implies a lot, and Kate can check it out later. Janet leaves after about an hour, returning to the subway. She boards a train bound for downtown and Kate does the same, texting Castle on the way to let him know she's coming home. A transfer will bring her within a few blocks of the loft, and for now, she has what she needs. She can pick up her car in the morning.

Castle pulls the chicken Parmesan out of the oven. He's already loaded a stack of photos of the ballroom and the facilities at the hotel onto his tablet, ready for Kate to peruse. Of course, she's been there before at least once that he knows of, but he doubts that she was paying much attention to the interior design of the establishment.

In any case, it's changed. The hotel now features an updated lobby, complete with a Starbucks. The color scheme has been redone as well, to something a bit less garish than what was the backdrop for his book party. If Kate objects to the place, he has 24 hours to cancel without losing his deposit, but he doubts that she will. Their meeting was as significant to her as it was to him, even if she did initially regard him as a suspect.

She looks tired but pleased with herself as she drops her coat and her purse on the chair beside the door, and smiles as she sniffs the savory aroma drifting from the kitchen. "Babe that smells fantastic! I haven't had anything to eat since that cronut you shoved at me when I was leaving this morning."

"Kate, I'm sure it isn't Frank Kelly's intention that his operatives starve to death. A skeleton tailing someone down the sidewalk would be noticed even in New York. I can always pack you a lunch. I used to make some great ones for Alexis. You would not believe my peanut butter and banana sandwiches."

She sinks with relief into a seat at the table, where Castle has stuck a candle into a straw-covered Chianti bottle. She's hungry enough so that a peanut butter and banana sandwich actually sounds delicious. Castle shoves a salad in front of her. "The parm has to rest for a couple of minutes, or it will leave second-degree burns on the roof of your mouth, but you can start with this. It's your favorite, with the black olives and red pepper vinaigrette.

Kate sighs as she tastes the spicy tang on her tongue. "You know, Castle, if you ever decide to stop writing, you could open up a restaurant."

"I thought about it, until two of the other writers I know made a small fortune out of a large one when they embarked on just such projects. Besides, I have the Old Haunt. If I want to display my culinary prowess, I can always introduce a new appetizer or two. My mystery sauce for the wings was a hit."

"Yeah, I never did figure out what that was."

Castle fills her glass with red wine. "You'll have to torture it out of me. In fact, I'm looking forward to it. First, tell me how your case is going."

"I think I have a lead, I'll know more after I check out some details. How was the venue?"

Castle hands her the tablet he's prepared. "I think you may recognize it."

Kate can feel her eyes moisten as she flicks through the images. "This was where we met for the second time."

The wine almost slops over the rim of Castle's glass. "The second time? Kate, I think if I'd met you before that night, I'd remember."

"Only if you recall washed out looking 19 year-olds who want you to sign their books. You were very kind. You saw how wobbly I was after waiting in line for an hour and offered me a chair, but you were too busy with your other fans to talk to me while I sat in it."

"Obviously my loss. But I'm hoping to spend at least the next 40 years or so, making up for it. May I take it that you approve my choice of location to seal our wedded bliss?"

Kate leans in for a kiss. "Approval granted."