Page 8 of Castle

I was scared, but I also didn't want to call Devin because I desperately needed to keep this job!

He might think I wasn’t cut out for it.

There was a knock at the door.

I wasn’t going to answer that!

After that, I heard nothing for a while, so I thought he left and almost jumped out of my skin when there was another soft knock.

I was having my doubts about the story that Devin had spun regarding the previous caregivers being fired because they hadn’t treated Castle well. I could bet that they had left after being harassed by him, and not the other way round.

I counted to five and answered the door to ask him what his problem was, but when I opened it, all I saw was darkness on either side of the hallway, save for the light streaming from the large windows.

“What do you want?” I asked.

There was no sign of him.

I started closing the door when a little toy pickup truck rolled forward and stopped in front of me.

At a distance, I saw the silhouette of a tall figure.

Waiting. Watching.

The truck was radio-controlled and kept bumping against my toe. I looked closely at it and saw a little folded note inside.

I picked the note up and quickly walked inside my room

With shaky hands, I opened it.

The words were scrawled in red crayon.

Hi Millie.

THREE

The incidentthat happened last night completely freaked me out and I couldn’t sleep the entire night as I kept checking for footsteps outside of my bedroom. It was during dawn that I could finally get a few hours of sleep.

When I went downstairs for breakfast, I noticed there was a file left on the table and then I remembered that Devin and Dayana were supposed to go for some conference meeting early in the morning, and Theo and Chandler had already left for school.

That meant I was home alone with Castle.

I tried not to dwell on the fact that being alone with Castle might be a little nerve-wracking since I had to look over my shoulder constantly.

The kitchen was slick and modern, still had a vintage oven, and it seemed like their parents had loved and cherished the old designs and restored it before their death. I poured myself a glass of OJ and grabbed two slices of toast, settling down onto the stool near the kitchen island to read through the file.

There were pages of Do’s and Don’ts, Castle’s likes and dislikes, and what they expected of me as his caregiver. A few highlighted lines caught my eye. The document stated Castlecouldn't roam freely outside the house without supervision. He also could not have his meals unsupervised, and from what I could collect from this document was the fact that I was supposed to be his guard-dog.

Castle’s life seemed gloomy. I made a mental note to get to know him better, regardless of how broody and creepy he was. I wanted to be his friend; someone he could confide in if nothing else. His brother was paying me well. It was only natural I took this job very seriously.

“Good Morning, Miss. Millicent. I see that you’re up early.” Susan, the cook, walked into the kitchen, a bright smile plastered over her face.

“Morning, Susan, please call me Millie, as everyone else in this house does. And yes, I love waking up early. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“That makes the two of us. I hope you had a good night’s sleep.”

I wondered if this was some kind of trick question, if she knew about Castle prowling around late at night and wanted to see if I would spill anything, but the more I tried to analyze her, the more I realized I was imagining it. The question was casual.

Susan was a plump woman with a lovely smile; she had a warm, motherly vibe about her.

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