Confession Chapter 19

Kate stares at the door separating her room from Castle's. More accurately, it's separating her room from the rest of the suite – except for her bathroom. Aside from the bedrooms and baths, their accommodations feature a sitting room, complete with a rustic couch and fireplace. For a while she and Castle sat with mugs of the lodge lobby's hot cider, staring into the flames. She even let her head fall on his shoulder. But their acute awareness of what they both wanted but couldn't have, brought an awkwardness to what under other circumstances would lead to more.

Finally, Castle was the one to plead exhaustion. It might even have been true. He'd been wide awake since early morning, while she managed to catch a couple of naps while he drove. However he may have really felt, it gave them an excuse to part for the night to the safety of their own quarters. They'll meet in the morning for a quick breakfast before beginning their trip back to the "Big Apple."

Castle stares at the door separating him from Kate. He was telling the truth when he said he was tired but tired and sleepy are far from the same thing. Like the personification of the dwarfs, all the puzzle pieces that join to become Kate Beckett whirl in his brain. She is the grumpiest of the grumpy when questions go unanswered. She is bashfully reluctant to admit pain or fear. She can be totally dopey about the pull she exerts on others, and as Doc, she whips the more junior detectives – along with Castle – into shape. He's hoping the exertion of the trip doesn't make her sneezy, but that she is sleepy enough to fall into dreamland. At least one of them should.

In the city, he can gaze at the reflections of the lights on the ceiling above his bed, letting them lull him into the sandman's arms. But when he turns his light out here, there will be no errant beams, just the darkness and the demons that dwell there, echoes of childhood isolation, abandonment, and fear. Despite the jeers of his boarding school roommates, he preferred to sleep with a light on. Maybe he'll just leave one on tonight.

"Good morning!" A fully-dressed Castle cheerily greets an also fully-dressed Kate Beckett. "Have you been up long?"

"Just long enough to get ready and make sure I was packed."

"I would have ordered breakfast delivered, but the lodge seems to feel that room service would compromise its rustic charm – as if heated floors and fogless mirrors don't. But the restaurant opens at seven-thirty and," he consults his watch, "we can be at the front door waiting to be fed. I think the chef uses the omelets as catch-alls for leftover dinner prep, but the waffles are excellent. And if you smile sweetly, our server might even be able to scare up some fresh strawberries to go along with." He offers his elbow. "Shall we go?"

Kate hooks her arm into his. "Might as well."

"I've been thinking," Castle says, generously filling the wells in his waffle with maple syrup, " about how we might find the third man."

"You mean of Bob Armen's possible killers?" Kate asks, before downing the last of a glass of orange juice.

"Uh-huh. Sergeant Harry directed me to Joe Nepo's, a cop bar with a lot of old-timers. The cop I talked to there, Cleton, gave me a pretty good rundown about what was going on during New York City's unwilling recreation of the Wild West. Among other things, he mentioned staying away from Raglan and McCallister."

"You think he might be able to give us more information?" Kate asks.

"I don't know. At the time he was using the bar as a temporary refuge from family drama. He might not be around. But the place had a whole bunch of pictures up on the wall. Some of them looked pretty vintage. Could be there's a clue up there somewhere that I missed. And we were planning on taking Ryan and Esposito on an outing anyway. How about Nepo's? The clientele will be more comfortable with them – and you – than some writer. We can hang out for a while, and maybe something will pop. If nothing else, the boys can continue their darts competition. Last I heard, Ryan's ahead, which means that supremo marksman Esposito is determined to prove his superior skills. I didn't try the wings at Nepo's, but they looked pretty good."

Kate swallows a mouthful of waffle. "How can you think of wings in the middle of breakfast?"

"Not really a conflict. Have you ever had chicken and waffles at Amy Ruth's in Harlem? It is definitely an experience not to be missed. But anyway, what do you think about taking the boys to Joe Nepo's?"

"I think that I'd like to have a look at those pictures myself."

"And so you shall."

Kate winces slightly as she pulls herself onto a stool at Joe Nepo's bar. Castle puts a hand under her elbow as a boost. "You OK?"

"Fine. The incision just pulls a bit. That's supposed to get better when I start resistance training."

"I think you started resistance training in the womb," Castle says, smiling crookedly. "Weren't the boys supposed to meet us here by now?"

"Espo said they'd come up here as soon as they can, but they have to give Montgomery a progress report on their outstanding cases before they leave."

"What the hell do you think's gotten into the captain, anyway?" Castle wonders. "He didn't use to lean on his people that hard. Pressure from 1PP?"

"There's always been pressure from 1PP, but you're right. I don't remember him acting this way before."

"He's even taken losing at poker pretty gracefully, with which the way he plays, is a good thing. Ooh, I haven't hosted a game since you were shot. Maybe I should have one and invite him. In vino veritas. And it works even better with good scotch. If I can loosen him up a little maybe he'll spill what put the stick up his ass."

"Um, maybe. Oh, there they are!" Kate waves toward the two arriving detectives.

Castle gestures them toward stools as the bartender sidles over. "Whatever you want, guys, it's on me."

Esposito quickly orders tequila while Ryan opts for Irish whiskey. Castle regards the men as they grab the strong spirits. "Tough day?"

"The usual, lately," Ryan responds.

"We did close a case," Esposito says. "A woman was found dead in her apartment. Turns out the uniforms had been called to the place three times when neighbors heard loud arguments. But she always claimed nothing was wrong."

Ryan downs half his drink. "Something was wrong this time."

"Her sonofabitch boyfriend beat her to death," Esposito adds. "We found him at the gym around the corner bragging about how he finally gave his woman what she deserved. Tests aren't back yet, but he has all the signs of being on roids."

Ryan reaches for a bowl of pretzels. "Narcotics already had the owner of the gym under surveillance on suspicion of pushing that sh*t."

"They should have hauled his ass in," Esposito declares. "Anyway, we thought the captain would be happy with a possible twofer, collaring a killer and cutting off a roid supply. But all he wanted to know was what was going on with our other cases."

"Any idea what's bothering him?" Kate asks.

Esposito shakes his head. "No, but it's got to be something big."