This chapter wraps up the episode. Thank you for your feedback and comments. I really do enjoy receiving them.
To the person who mentioned "hire a dress" is incorrect. I was raised with British English – here is my reply:
- the verb, hire, should be used for things which are transportable hence, hire a car, sports equipment, a boat, a bike, clothing etc. Rent is primarily used for property, e.g.; to rent a holiday residence; "office space for rent"; and "We're living in rented accommodation".
The next chapters will be posted fairly regularly, as I've completed most of the next episode which is episode 4.
Chapter 23
It was more of an effort to remain in bed than to get up the next morning because Rick was excited and he wanted to close the murder. He tried to keep himself in bed a little longer but his will was stronger to rise. His instincts were telling him he was going to crack this case wide open so it would be solved. A murderer arrested, Beckett able to clock off for a week, meant he would have her bundled into a sedan on the way to the airport to catch a red eye flight to California that night. They would sleep on the plane and be at the hotel in LA early enough for a nap and a shower to wash off the New York dreariness. He loved LA and sometimes wished he'd moved over there as a young writer. However, in the last five or so years he'd been content in New York City and now he was really happy.
The trip to the Precinct was undertaken in record time with a spring in his step that even he was surprised about. He dumped his bag and coat on his chair to find Beckett's computer was on and she was logged on. No one else was around and the offices were in darkness. He heard the coffee machine gurgling away in the breakroom so he headed that way hoping Kate would be there and not in the gym bashing the crap out of a kick bag. He poked his head around the corner, hanging on to the doorframe, to see she was attempting to make herself a coffee on the new machine. She hadn't stuck around for the lesson so invariably she had no idea how it worked.
"Hi." He greeted.
Beckett jumped in surprise spilling her milky foam and coffee into the spill tray.
Her eyes were like a deer looking into headlights, "Hi."
"Something I need to show you. I found this in the archives from his first run for office." He held the paper out between them, "See, Horn wasn't wealthy but his wife came from money. She tapped in to her family trust to finance his first campaign."
"All this time we thought Horn was hiding his affair from his wife."
"Yeah, but what if she knew about the affair? What if he got the blackmail money from her?"
"We need to look into it." Kate replied and gave him her cup because she could see he was busting his ass to take over the coffee making.
"Get going Detective. I want you on that plane with me tonight," he quietly said so no one else would hear, in case someone had arrived.
Kate stepped a little closer when she replied, "I'll be on it."
"Have you packed?"
"Kind of. I'm stuck on the number of dresses."
"Don't fuss about that. Gina has a contact in LA. Hire the dresses or use the thousand to buy something," he said with a smart ass smirk.
She punched his arm. "Keep your money writer boy. You need to save for a decent diamond." She widened her eyes, turned and walked out the break room listening to him choke. She had a little giggle to herself.
"Coffee, Castle," she called moments later.
"Coming."
...
Within an hour, Esposito and Ryan had arrived at work and the team did a thorough investigation of Laurie Horn's finances. They quickly learned from the administrator of the family trust, that Mrs Horn had marketed about three hundred thousand dollars of stock the previous week.
Bank records indicated the funds were drawn two days before the exchange was proposed to take place.
With this information, Beckett had enough evidence seek a search warrant. She rapidly prepared it and sent Ryan to have it signed and approved. By the time he returned with a valid warrant they had a team ready to dispatch to the Horn's residence. They sent Ryan and Esposito out to find Mrs Horn who wasn't home.
Mid-afternoon, Beckett and Castle sat opposite Laurie Horn at the desk in interrogation room one. Both remained calm but they wanted Mrs Horn to confess to the murder, Beckett had just asked Mrs Horn about the $250,000 she taken from her shares and now she waited.
The response came fast and sharp. "Of course I didn't say a word. It's none of your damn business."
"Despite the fact that it could have had significant bearing on your husband's murder?"
"I have a family, Detective Beckett. Their father is dead. What use is dragging their names through the mud providing fodder for late night comedians?"
Rick asked, "When did you know?"
Mrs Horn looked directly at Rick, "The trust called to confirm the stock sale. My wonderful husband forged my signature on the papers thinking I would be too stupid to notice, and when I confronted him he claimed he needed the money for tax reasons. Reasons that I wouldn't understand. But I understood all, right? Everything that I wanted, everything that I wanted us to be, and he can't keep his fly zipped."
"So, what did you decide to do?" Beckett asked.
"Well, between public humiliation and blackmail, I chose blackmail and I told him to make it go away." Laurie answered.
"So, what do you think happened that night?"
"I don't know, Detective."
Beckett glanced to Rick, processing what Mrs Horn had said. "OK. So that night when he called, what did he actually say?"
"That he had the money and he was going to meet the guy and that was the last thing he said to me. God knows what happened after that."
"And you are sure that he had the money?" Beckett asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"Because we found it at your house."
"My house?"
"The search warrant was served this morning. Your housekeeper was very co-operative." Rick said.
"If your husband had the money when he was killed, how did it get back to your house? You were more than angry, weren't you?" Kate said, "You were outraged. He didn't just betray you. He humiliated you, and everyone was going to know. So you just decided to make it go away."
"You see those wives at the inevitable press conference, standing stone-faced next to their men, and you think 'how do they do that? How do they just stand there? How do they just watch as their whole world melts into a spotlight of shame?'" Laurie stated.
"And so, you killed him." Beckett suggested.
"No." It was hotly objected. Mrs Horn took a deeper breath, calmed and replied, "No. I was home."
"You called your husband at eleven pm. What did you say?"
"I was with my daughters."
"Conspiracy to commit murder is the same as murder whether you were there or not. Are you ready to deal?"
Mrs Horn paused, in resignation, before she answered the Detective. "It was my job to make the call. I was supposed to tell him that the blackmailer had changed the meet. I was supposed to tell him where to go, down by the underpass where no one would see. He had it all arranged, even that rug for his body. All I had to do was make a call. He said he would make everything like it was, he said he would make it look like someone else did it. He said no one would ever know."
"Mrs Horn. Laurie. I need to know who." She encouraged softly.
"It's not supposed to be like this. We were friends and we were going to change the world."
"Who Laurie?"
"Frank Nesbit, murdered my husband."
Kate looked at Rick who simply raised his eyebrow. She then turned back to Mrs Horn, "We have to detain you until we have found Mr Nesbit. I will have a uniformed officer come and collect you and have you charged."
With that Kate stood up and gathered her note book and papers up. She said to Rick. "We have to get the boys rounded up asap." He was already ahead of her and opened the door. She passed through the doorway ahead of him and paused to give the uniform on duty instructions to process Mrs Horn.
...
After Mrs Horn's paperwork was processed she was charged, Castle and Beckett questioned Nesbitt for a quarter hour before she left it to Ryan and Esposito to finish up. They returned to the homicide bullpen, bumping into Captain Montgomery who was leaving for the evening.
"Heard you arrested someone." The Captain addressed the pair who walked with them towards Beckett's desk.
"After we found the weapon in Nesbit's office he made a full confession. He got Horn to call her husband and get him down to the overpass and then he took care of the rest." Beckett informed her Captain.
Castle continued, "Politics was Nesbit's life. He figured if the scandal broke, his career would be over and he'd be damaged goods."
"Sad thing is, he was probably right. So, what happens to the girls?"
"Horn has a sister up State. She's coming down tomorrow to pick them up from social services." Beckett replied.
"Good. And the rug?"
Castle smirked, "A red herring. Nesbit heard they were dumping a bunch of them and figured it would keep us off his trail."
"Nice work." Montgomery commented at Castle, "Very impressive." He kept walking but saw Beckett's expression. "Oh, and ah, you too, Beckett."
"Sir?" She squeaked and Rick smirked.
"Just yanking your chain, Detective, just yanking your chain." He called back as he continued to the elevator.
Castle mobile phone was ringing with his daughter's ring tone. He picked up. "Hello?"
"Hey, Dad, where are you?"
"Where am I supposed to be?" He asked watching Kate walk to her desk. She had a very nice sway to her hips and he didn't tire of seeing it.
"Fire ants, eyeballs?"
"Right. Stall for me. I'm on my way. Oh, sorry, sorry." He waved Kate farewell, rushing out of the bullpen towards the elevator.
...
It was a last minute, spontaneous decision, but well worth the effort Kate made to attend the private reading. Castle had invited her to it a week or so ago and she'd told him yesterday she would most likely use the time to pack to LA. As luck would have it she'd packed most of her stuff last night.
She almost followed Rick out the door from work tonight, making the decision to go see his reading and to interrupt him and work. She rushed home to get changed and then cut across town to the bookstore, Rick was about half way through the question and answer time. For quite a while she stood in the background observing the writer's composure, his ease to stand up in front of a room full of strangers and calmly deliver a show. He was funny, delightful with the crowd and comfortable being in front of a group. She had arrived towards the end of the question and answer time. Mostly present was a bunch of middle aged women, all holding hard back copies of his latest novel in their laps. There was a handful of men. The area allocated to Rick was full and he held everyone's attention. He captivated people wherever he was. He did it with her. She didn't have that ability with crowds nor did she like public speaking. He did it very well, a little like Goofy but he kept the crown captivated.
As he was finishing up his reading she decided it was time to let him know she was present. There was an opening in the crowd so she walked in her pink high heels towards him, shrugging off her coat.
"She stood there in stunned disbelief as the light in his eyes dimmed." He read with compassion. "He reached out for her and she took his hand, squeezing it for the very last time. She felt her heart stop a beat and in that moment, she knew he was gone. Darkness fell across the face of the city and across her face as well. 'Good ,' she thought, as the wind gathered up her hair, 'no one will see my tears.' "
Kate didn't look in Rick's direction but she heard him stumble over a few words and momentarily lose track of his prose. She stopped, placing her left leg out. She was in a short dress and he'd noticed her. He recovered and continued to read as she glared at him.
The reading was soon over and a bunch of crying women applauded. Kate gave several claps, frowning at him as the women flocked about him to have their copies of his novel signed. She saw he was a very generous person with his time. He spoke to the people, took interest in them, each of them, asking about their personal experiences, which novels they liked the most. He spent a good quarter hour signing while Kate mingled. A guy had started up a conversation with her and was trying hard to maintain her interest. She gave her attention until she felt the presence of Castle gain on her.
"Detective Beckett, to what do I owe this very unexpected pleasure?" Rick asked stepping in close, aware she'd decided she wasn't going to come.
Beckett smiled at the guy, "Excuse me, thank you." She turned to face Rick, stepping in as close as she could in public. "I just figured if you're going to bother me at my work I should bother you at yours. That was quite a reading, very moving." She stirred and stared into his eyes in the way that always seemed to turn his brain into mash.
He stepped a little closer looking down at her, "Are you making fun of me?"
"Good, she thought as the wind gathered up her hair, no one will see my tears." She mimed, then asked, "How does wind gather up hair? I'm just curious."
"Oh, you're telling me how to do my job."
"Irritating, isn't it?"
Martha made her way to her son, gazing at Detective a hot pink sleeveless dress, "Oh oh oh, oh look at you." She said to Beckett then spoke to her son, "Denise from The Ledger says you are going to be number one this week, and look, everyone is buying your book. Now don't you feel silly for believing all of those reviews?"
Rick rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes I do." He dropped his arm around his daughter.
"Well, let's just hope Nikki Heat does as well."
Kate glared at Rick, "Nikki Heat?"
"The character he's basing on you." Martha said sounding surprised that Kate didn't know.
"Nikki Heat." She looked pissed.
"Uh oh." Martha murmured.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" She grabbed Rick by his arm.
"Of course." Rick was dragged off by Kate.
Martha held Back Alexis who went to follow them. "Let them be…"
"I want to hear."
They stopped where they were out of everyone's hearing range. Beckett got up in Rick's face, "What kind of a name is Nikki Heat?"
"A cop name," he stated holding her stare.
"It's a stripper name." She spat out.
"Well, I told you she was kinda slutty."
"Change it, Castle."
"What? Hang on a sec. Think of the titles. Summer Heat, Heat Wave, In Heat."
"Change the name." She clenched her jaw.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Change it."
"No."
"Castle."
"Sorry."
"I'm not speaking about this…"
"I have artistic integrity, Beckett."
"Artistic integrity?"
"Yes If I, if I…"
"Change the name, Castle, today."
He gently took hold of her elbow urging her away from the people, "If I do it now, what next? What more demands would you demand…"
"Are we done?" She asked.
"Not changing her name." He leaned in close and whispered, "We need to leave soon. My bags are in the sedan, the plane leaves at midnight, and with you wearing that dress-" He cast his eyes down her body, "Well, I'm gonna fuck your brains out before we leave your place. So, turn yourself about and get that gorgeous piece of ass outside to the black sedan."
A wicked smile crept over her face as she put her hand up to his chest she briefly touched. She whispered matter of fact close to his right ear, "You're not gonna fuck me till you change the name and," she paused, "till you give me your pen name." She shifted back biting her lip.
Rick smirked, looked about the room of dispersing fans, then leaned in and whispered, "I will have you begging me for it."
"Not a chance." She replied, "Car? I thought we'd get a cab."
"Sam is outside and waiting for you." He held up his hand showing her the screen that had the text from his driver. He was aware Kate wouldn't walk outside and get in a car with a stranger. "I will say goodbye to Alexis, wrap this up."
"Ok. You ready?"
He nodded. "Hit me with it."
Beckett gave the writer a stern look as she said loud enough, "Don't bother coming into the Precinct until you have changed her name. It's my integrity."
She turned and walked off not giving him a chance to reply. She deliberately swayed her hips. She never looked back, but weaved her way through the dispersing crowd to the entrance of the bookstore.
As soon as she was on the pavement, a man in his fifties she recognized as Rick's driver approached her.
"Miss Beckett. Follow me. I'm your driver, Sam. Do you remember me?"
"Yes. How are you?" She asked as she fell in beside him.
"Well, thank you. You look lovely as always." He commented.
"Thank you." Kate followed him comfortable to, because he was the guy who had picked her up on her first date with Castle. She knew he was Castle's regular driver and she recognized the vehicle. Sam held out his arm to provide her with support if she required it in her heels when they crossed the road. She accepted not wanting to hurt herself before they left. She wanted to get away for a few days and nothing was going to stop her. The driver opened the back door and she slipped into the seat of the town car. She threw her coat onto the seat then waited for Rick. The privacy window was up. Kate crossed her legs and checked her phone. Within five minutes, the opposite door opened and Rick climbed inside the car.
He grinned, "Hello there. I've shaken myself loose." He fell onto seat closing the door behind him. He tapped three times on the glass to let Sam know they were right to go. "My daughter was very intrigued about our conversation." The car started and seconds later was crawling into traffic.
"Does she know I'm going with you to LA?"
"No. They think I'm travelling alone."
"Mm." She took a deep breath. "So, Nikki Heat." Kate said.
He grinned, his hair falling over his forehead. He was adorable. His hand to her bare thigh he replied, "Yeah. The name Is staying." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, "You are a beautiful woman, Kate. You put me off my job tonight, showing off those legs of yours." He breathed in, paused, then added, "And you smell bloody divine."
She smiled. "It was my intention to distract you." She said with a softer tone, liking the way he was pressing his soft lips to her skin. So delicate, it was sending shivers down her spine.
His hand caressed her shin, up, then down to her foot, and he lifted her leg to uncross it. "Gonna pay for your naughtiness in the book store," he grumbled. "So gonna pay."
"No." She closed her legs at the knees, laughing when he nibbled at her neck. His hand slipped to her inner thigh. He growled close to her ear. She squirmed because he was making her nerves tingle like crazy. Her fingers caressed his jaw as she shyly said, "Castle."
As soon as she'd said his name she felt the intensity of his affection increase, then he paused, pressing his forehead to the side of her. "God you smell beautiful." He whispered which caused Kate's heart rate to increase, and the muscle of her being flexed. The ache for him was strong.
"You smell pretty good too." She whispered.
He smirked.
"What, Castle?"
"What was that I heard about saving for a diamond?" He asked his mouth against the side of her neck.
"Diamond?" She laughed, "Nothing. I was joking."
With a finger to her jaw he gently turned her head so she faced him and looked right into her eyes. "I don't think so, Baby." He replied his voice lower, then kissed her lips. She responded her knees parting for him. He slipped his fingers beneath her panties. Their kiss ended with a groan of lust from Rick who bit his lip and raised his left eyebrow. "Mm." He gave her another kiss, "Who gets off teasing the writer, huh?"
Kate held back a giggle. He hit the spot that caused her pelvis to jerk and her legs fell apart. "Castle." She whispered.
He smiled, "Oh, there we go," he watched the beginning of her end, then he nipped at her jaw, her neck, while his fingers circled her tender bump. Her body had certainly take a fair amount of punishment since they'd start dating and she was far more sensitive to his touch each day.
"The driver," she huffed out, her body stiffening.
"He can't hear or see us." He answered but glanced to the window to ensure it was closed. "It's okay. Relax." He continued, "And you're not getting what you want."
"I don't want it." She replied staring into his eyes.
He chuckled in amusement, "Your body is telling me differently." He kissed her tenderly, tasting her, feeling her. The signs she was thoroughly enjoying this were all there. Her eyes were dilated, her lips were fuller than when she'd been in the bookshop and the fabric of her panties between her thighs was wet. She gasped when he slid his finger inside her. She was useless at refusing his advances. Making love with Beckett was one of the most exciting things he'd done in his life and it was mostly due to the way she responded, the way she came on to him all bloody day. She was sex on long legs and in the book store she'd been having verbal sex with him. Her hands went for the zip of his pants but he beat her to it and held her away. She wasn't having it. He was going to have her begging him for sex by the time she walked into her apartment. Inside she was wet, tight and extremely hot. She tried to throw him back in the seat so she could straddle his hips but he pressed his body against her, using his weight to restrain.
She released a groan of frustration. His fingers finding her G-spot had her collapse back into the seat. She was his for the taking. She didn't have the urge any longer to fight for dominance and her hips came to life responding to the gentle strokes he applied.
Using his story telling tones he began talking close to her ear, "You're going to be on the edge of cumming, so close, but not there."
"No."
"By the time this car arrives at its destination-"
"My home."
He smiled. She was so into his story telling and her body was responding to his touch, "Your home. You want to cum, the ache is driving you crazy. Your bad side wants me to take you in the street."
"Mm. No. Police."
"Bad Police woman." He growled.
"We make out in the elevator. The moment the door to your home is closed, I grab you by your arms, lift and carry you to the wall."
"Arrhh.." She smiled and laughed, "Like wall sex with you."
"We're good at it." He agreed, kissing her shoulder, "Your back makes a clump on the wood and your pink heels clunk as they fall to the floorboards. These long legs clamp around my body and your hands are tugging at the button of my pants.
"Castle, make him drive faster."
He grinned in amusement, "Funny girl."
"I'm gonna cum."
He ceased arousing her. "No. You're not."
"Cas-." She was cut short by his mouth over hers, his tongue pushing against hers.
...
"You refuse to give over your FF name." Kate hissed at Rick who was busy opening a bag of Australian sweets he'd found in a store a few days earlier. He had saved them for their flight. She watched him tackle the red and green bag which had his full attention.
"It shouldn't put a stop to a quickie." He said once the Allens bag was opened.
"It didn't stop the quickie," she replied.
"Not a chance in hell," he said. He peered inside the bag, "Oh, smell the sweetness."
"Big kid."
"Try em before you say that?" He offered the bag to her and she caught a waft of the sweets.
"What are they?"
"Snakes Alive. Bag of snakes. A change to gummies." He reached inside the bag and pulled out a red snake. He dangled it in front of Kate, teasing her.
"Snakes Alive? I've already had my fill of snakes alive tonight." Kate said glancing down to his lap. When his eyes followed, she snatched the red snake from his fingers, hung it above her head and lowered it into her mouth, closing her lips around it.
"Haha." He commented, "My ears are popping."
"Mmm. Same."
They both yawned, at 12 thousand feet and rising above the earth in a commercial plane. They were in business class.
Rick keenly watched on. "What's it like?"
"Try one, a life experience," she encouraged.
"You sound like my mother. Did I tell you she's become a life coach?"
"Your mother?"
"Mm." He slipped a yellow snake into his mouth. "Pineapple."
"Strawberry. These are good, Castle." She turned the packet over to read the back.
"I agree, Beckett. Aussies like their lollies."
"Lollies?"
"They call them lollies." He stated taking another from the bag. "Red." He mumbled to himself.
"Not candy?"
"Nope." He took two more snakes from the bag then fished around in his laptop case until he pulled out a second bag.
Kate said, "Says on the back you can stretch or twist them or tie them in knots. Perfect for a nine year old boy on a sugar rush."
"I think his little girlfriend will like these ones."
"What are they?" She asked.
"Jelly Babies, and," he produced a third bag, "Strawberries and Creams." He smiled, "I thought we could compare the Jelly Babies to the Gummy Bears and the strawberry creams made me think of you."
"Sweet, Castle."
"Yes, I'm certain they are."
"Castle, if you eat these on this plane, all that sugar-"
"Yeah, I'll be insane." He laughed and reached for more snakes, "And these are pretty good."
"Snakes are great. Why don't we have sweets like these?"
"No idea." He remained silent a minute or so, experimenting with the tastes of the coloured snakes.
"Wanna join the mile high club?" He asked casually.
Kate put the bag down to her lap. "Castle. I can't believe you asked me…"
"Well, do you?" He glanced about them. Business class was almost empty and back in economy everyone was either sleeping or staring at screens. "Long haul flight. Everyone will be sleeping soon." The seatbelt sign went off.
"Are you kidding me right now?" She whispered glancing about to ensure no one had heard him.
Rick smirked, starting up is iPad, "Jerking your chain, baby. Enjoy the lollies." He tossed the bags in his case and lifted up the arm between their seats. He already knew her well enough to know she would soon curl up against him to sleep. She never strayed far from him.
"I wanna read your manuscript."
"Its more notes, at the moment. Bits of storyline." He glanced to her eyes, saw the locked. He nodded. "Okay. Sure. But not right now."
Rick waited for her response but she only gave him a nod. Her cheeks had paled off, the blush from their making love long gone. She pulled his jacket up over her shoulders and settled into her chair for a sleep.
"I am so looking forward to this holiday, Castle."
He smiled and ran his hand up her thigh. "Same. Where the snakes?"
She pushed the bag to his hand that was on her thigh. He brought the back out from under the jacket and took a few more. He then left the bag on the side of the chair between them. He once again looked at her.
"Have a nap, Honey. You look buggared."
"I am."
"Sleep. We have a big day."