Shared Obsession Chapter 66
Castle's eyes fall on Kate's long, capable, but bare fingers. If we're going to pass ourselves off as married, you're going to need a ring."
Kate fingers a chain around her neck. "I-I have my mother's rings but…."
"It wouldn't feel right to use something so precious to you to play pretend?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're not the only one who'll need a ceremonial band. I'm guessing the guardian of the gate at Daily Manna will scrutinize both of us, so I should probably wear one too. I wish I'd known what we'd be doing when we were back in the city. I threw my last one in my safe after my divorce from Gina. But now we'll have to make a stop where surplus baubles can yield cash."
"A jewelry store?"
"I was thinking of a pawn shop. They can be remarkable places, Beckett. Sometimes when I'm stuck for a backstory, I'll wander around one and try to figure out how a trumpet, fancy chess set, or gold heart pendant ended up there. They always have plenty of rings, pawned in anger, desperation, or both. And pawn shops love gold because it's easy to establish its value. So it shouldn't be hard to find a couple of the simple wedding rings patrons of a place like Daily Manna would wear." Castle enters "pawn shop" into his phone's search engine. "Looks like we're in luck. Capital Pawn Brokers is right off the ramp to Harrisburg."
While Castle strides straight for a jewelry display case, Kate is drawn by a wall of guitars. He turns to see her staring up at a '90s Gibson. I thought I saw a guitar in your apartment when we went through your mother's things. Do you play?"
"Not really. I tried for a while in high school when I was dating a guy in a grunge band. And I still pick up my instrument sometimes. But in the crowd I was in for a while, the Gibson was revered as a work of art. I never completely got past that. Did you ever play?"
"Alexis is the one with talent for a stringed instrument, and Mother plays piano, but my guitar artistry is strictly of the air variety."
"Mmm, something the iconic Richard Castle can't do. I suppose in a way, that's comforting."
"Beckett, um, make that Kate. I might as well start practicing. The list of things I can't do would easily fill a book the size of a Manna Bible, if not bigger. But I am passable at picking out rings. At least Meredith and Gina thought so at the time. So shall we?"
"Sure, let's go."
"Good thing we came prepared to stay over," Castle comments, pulling two small suitcases out of the car's trunk. "Showing up at Daily Manna without luggage would be as bad as showing up without rings."
"Castle, uh, Rick, you seem strangely practiced at this," Kate observes.
"Not as much as you'd think. I had a steady girlfriend until not long before Meredith. Until I sold In a Hail of Bullets, we wouldn't have been able to afford a hotel, not even a shady one. But Mother has always been very fond of recounting her adventures and emphasizing the importance of detail in portraying a character. I suppose a lot of that stuck, because I use it in my writing."
"Your characters are very vivid. So what's the backstory of Kate and Rick Castle?"
"You really want me to come up with that now?"
"If Martha is right, it will help us play our roles. And if we're going to uncover anything here, we'll need to be convincing. Come on, bestselling author. Show me what you've got."
"You're on." Rick closes his eyes. "You and I met at a youth conference held at a small liberal arts college. We were randomly assigned to the same study group and tasked with interpreting a book of the Bible. It turned out it was your favorite, the book of – to fit you it should be about a kick-ass woman – let's say, Esther. I was very taken by your dedication to the principle of giving your all for your people, and your looks weren't bad either. At the end of the conference, we promised to keep in touch, but life took us to opposite coasts. Finally, two years ago, we met up again at another conference, this one for adults. It was as if no time had passed. And this time we were both in the same city. We dated. I asked your father for your hand and proposed."
"You asked my father for my hand?"
"Cool your jets, Kate, it's just a story. Anyway, I proposed. You accepted and voila! We're a happy couple, who now owns a proud collection of megillahs."
"The gorilla?"
"You watched the cartoon? Me too. Fun, huh? But no, megillah is a Yiddish word that usually refers to the Book of Esther. We're here to meditate on that story and stories of Christians who spread God's word. That will give us an excuse to ask questions."
Kate presses her fingertips to her lips. "It just might."
Rick offers his arm. "Then, Mrs. Castle, let's go check in."
Castle examines the contents of the small writing desk in the room he and Kate were assigned. He holds up a copy of a Bible from Manna Publishing. "Of course, there's one of these. And I bet this place has to pay for it too." He studies a card listing the retreat's services. "Obviously, they never heard of all-inclusive – or Quistel won't allow it. The meal offerings adhere to the Jesus Diet, at a considerable cost for the privilege. The meditation room has an hourly fee. The gift shop also boasts an impressive array of souvenirs to further your faith. And I'm betting those aren't cheap either."
"I don't suppose they offer room service?"
"No. According to this, dining in their restaurant is family style. Oh, there's a menu for tonight. This isn't bad, kind of like a Mediterranean diet – Meredith tried that on for a week or two – but with the Old Testament prohibitions. And they do offer wine from Carmel – in Israel, not California. Looks like the good stuff, too. We can order a bottle or two to share and steer the conversation toward Manna."
"You really think we'll pick up something over dinner, Castle, um Rick."
"Can't hurt to try. And if I tip well enough, it could loosen the lips of the staff a little. There's no concierge here, but there's bound to be someone who knows all the dirt."
"What if these people really are all true believers like Ben, and Quistel is just using them?"
"I'm sure a lot, if not most of them, are true believers, Kate. But if the love of money is the root of all evil, someone around here has been struck by Cupid's green arrow. We just have to figure out who it is."
The portion is small, but Kate admits to herself that she's enjoying her broiled lamb along with the assorted vegetables and whole grain flatbread. She tried not to react when Castle was handed a bill of fare with the prices on it while hers merely listed the dishes. She's endured other restaurants showing similar male chauvinist tendencies. She hasn't returned to any of them, but she's familiar with the concept. The other women at the table seem to accept male dominance as normal, so Kate concentrates on mimicking their behavior as well as their speech patterns.
To Kate, Castle seems to be fitting in just fine, perhaps with more of Martha's acting talent than he knows. He orders two bottles of the most expensive wine on the list, declaring it in honor of Jesus' first miracle. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a man smiling slightly in approval as the server brings the bottles to the table. One of Castle's "love of money" men, right on cue.