442. Chapter 442

After Fool Me Once

Episode 2.04

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Hey, pal. Wanna buy a Castle? It fell off the back of a truck. I can let you have it cheap. Rating: K Time: See above.

Detective Kate Beckett was mad enough to chew nails. For once, the object of her anger wasn't Richard Castle. Castle stood beside her as they looked into the unfamiliar interrogation room of the 31st Precinct.

"Her lawyers aren't letting her say a thing." She said in a whisper, as if the suspect might hear her.

"That's what lawyers are for." Castle whispered back.

"You'd know all about that." She said acidly.

Castle, wisely, said nothing.

The two detectives doing the interrogation finally gave up. Ms. Stansfield and her lawyers left the room, smiling.

Beckett and Castle met with the two detectives back at their desks. "She has an alibi for the murder, Detective. And we're miles away from being able to charge her with fraud. We may never be able to make a case against her."

"Her alibi is her boyfriend. He was an unsuccessful actor before he met her. He'd tell any lie to stay on the gravy train, plus he's up to his ears in her con." Castle spoke.

Detective Ortiz, a grey haired, grizzled older man looked up at Castle from his chair. He had never made any secret of his dislike of the writer. "It's still an alibi. And we can't break it. If we could get him on the con, we could pressure him into telling the truth. That's the way the real world works."

Detective Blum nodded. "She works for a group of charities that do work in war torn areas all over the world. All of them are legit, but even they admit that a lot of the aid they provide is stolen by local warlords or the so called governments. Because of that, they have lousy records and we can't prove that she's skimming from the charities she represents."

"And she murdered Jonas Brun when he found something that proved she's a thief." Kate said.

"Which we can't prove." Ortiz said, earning a glare from Kate that he ignored.

"If we could just get close enough to her to find out something." She said angrily.

Blum shook his head. "She's off to San Francisco tomorrow to raise more money. And once she leaves our jurisdiction…" He left the rest unsaid.

Suddenly Castle smiled. "Have you ever been to San Francisco, Beckett?"

"Of course I have." She snapped. "I went to Stanford."

"Me too. We should go back."

"We?" Kate said, glaring at Castle. "Why would I go to San Francisco with you?"

"So that you can be around when millionaire Richard Castle drops by Ms. Stansfield's little parties with the intent of helping those less fortunate than himself. Or just helping herself."

"Montgomery will never go for it." Kate snapped.

Castle just smiled.

Two days later Rick and Kate landed at San Francisco International. Castle had a stretch limo waiting for them. "I rented a condo on Nob Hill for a month." He said.

"A month! I can't be away from the job for a month, and I'm certainly not staying with you for a month. I'm not staying with you at all. I'll get a place of my own."

"Oh, that won't make Stansfield at all suspicious. You're supposed to be my girlfriend. The girlfriends of millionaires do not stay in the sort of places in San Francisco that a NYPD detective can afford. Besides, they don't rent condos around here for less than a month."

"If you think that I'm going to be sleeping with you, Castle, you're out of your mind."

"It's a three bedroom, two bath condo. Your suite has its own bath and a locked door. Your virtue will be safe, Detective." Not that I wouldn't like to sleep with you, but Kate Beckett requires more than just sex from me. And I want more than just sex from her. Which is rather odd for me, but true.

Kate grumped, but had to agree Castle was right. If Stansfield found they weren't staying together, she'd smell a rat. A big NYPD rat.

Kate was a bit awed by the condo. She had no idea how much such a large place rented for, but she was sure it was far beyond her means. When she opened her closet to put her things away, she got another surprise. "Castle! What the hell is this?" She demanded.

Castle walked into her bedroom and looked in her closet. "Clothes?" He said, as if unsure of the answer. Then he added. "And shoes?"

"And why did you buy me a closet full of clothes?"

"Your wardrobe is perfect for a homicide detective, but a bit lacking for a woman of the world who's Rick Castle's girlfriend. And before you get mad at me, we're here because a man is dead and we need to fit into Stansfield's world to catch her. You need to look the part. Okay?"

Kate glared at him and turned to look at the clothes in her closet. When she was sure he was out of her room, she whispered, "Thank you."

Castle checked his watch. "It's getting to be about dinner time. Where would you like to eat? Fisherman's Wharf? North Beach? There are loads of great Italian places there, although these days most are owned by Vietnamese and the chefs are Mexican. The Tadich Grill is quite good, it's been here since forever. And they have excellent Asian food in the City by the Bay. Or would you prefer more plebian fare? We could try Red's Java House."

Kate was uncertain of what to suggest. "You pick one."

When Castle just smiled she wondered what she was getting into.

Castle called the limo back and they set off to have dinner. Beckett asked where they were going, but Castle insisted on keeping it a secret.

Castle held out his hand to help her out of the car. She looked up at the restaurant in front of them. "John's Grill?" She said, and couldn't help smiling.

"Exactly. The place where Humphrey Bogart, as private eye Sam Spade, ate dinner in the Maltese Falcon. Where else would we eat?"

Kate nodded and smiled at Castle. "Where else indeed." Castle took her arm and they walked into the restaurant. Castle regretted immeasurably that he had neither a trench coat nor a fedora.

After dinner, they were driven to the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Castle assisted Beckett out. "Ms. Stansfield is holding her little get together in the Six Continents Room. I was able to score an invitation, of course."

"Just one?" Kate said, suddenly worried.

"For Richard Castle and party. In case I wanted to bring a lot of wealthy mystery writers along."

"Or a harem." Beckett muttered.

Once inside, Castle and Beckett mingled with the crowd. "Drink, sweetie?" Castle asked, wrapping his arm around her waist and whispering in her ear.

He got a glare from Beckett. "Don't you ever…"

"Try to stay in character." Castle whispered at her. Then in a normal voice, "Vodka?"

Kate nodded and Rick went off to the bar. He returned just as Regina Stansfield and her boyfriend, Karl Emmett, walked up to them. "Mr. Castle. How nice to see you. I'm Regina Stansfield and we're raising funds for Doctors International tonight. I do hope we can expect a donation from you?" She was a very petite woman, blonde with fake tan and a fake smile. Karl was tall, good looking, well built, well dressed, and apparently bored.

"Certainly." Castle said with a smile. "I heard all about you from Diana Mueller back in New York. You raised money for famine victims in Africa, I believe?"

Regina launched into a well practiced spiel about the great work she was doing among the hungry children in Africa and elsewhere. After she was done she rushed off to deliver the same speech to another potential donor.

"Kate, I think Karl was stoned."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "What gave him away? The blank look? The dilated eyes? The sniffling?"

"Okay, okay." Castle muttered. "I've seen only one person I know here, Walt Pell. He's a partner in a law firm that does a lot of work with companies doing business in Asia. Do you recognized anyone?"

"Are you kidding me? How would I know the movers and shakers of San Francisco?"

"Do you know anyone professionally? Cops or robbers?"

Kate looked around guiltily. She hadn't thought of that. "No one I know. And no cop could afford to come here." Kate realized as soon as she said that that she was here.

Castle said nothing.

"Hey!" Beckett said. "Stansfield is dragging her boyfriend out by his ear, and she looks mad."

"Sure. Tall, dark and stoned isn't making the right impression on her marks." Castle smiled at his joke until they heard a scream and a gunshot. Beckett rushed out into the lobby where she found Karl Emmett standing over Stansfield's corpse with a gun in his hand.

"Dump me, you bitch!" He yelled. "After two years of putting up with you? Want a try a little sadistic sex with me now? Not likely, bitch. Not damned likely."

Beckett easily took the gun from his hand while Castle dialed 911.

After dealing with the San Francisco Police Department, Castle and Beckett finally got back to their condo.

"Not the ending we hoped for." Castle said.

"Not at all. That wasn't justice. She may have been a con woman and a killer, but she deserved a fair trial."

Castle took off his coat and headed for his bedroom. "Tomorrow, Detective."

"Tomorrow, Castle." She replied with a smile.