CH. 2 - How Esposito and Ryan (Kinda) Dealt With It
A/N: I apologize if the last chapter was a little confusing or as someone pointed out "presumptuous". There is a method to my madness, so please hang in there. Anyways, as always read, enjoy, review.
Walking toward the Murder Board, Kate made doubly sure her ring was hidden between her folded arms, last thing she wanted/needed was for the boys to have another 'Jonas Brothers' moment with her sudden nuptials.
"So, where are we?"
"We pulled financials and cell phone records to see if anything pops," Esposito stated.
"And we tried to alert next of kin, but it seems Mr. Grayson was unmarried, an only child and his parents both died in a car accident 3 years ago," Ryan picked up.
"Huh. A 49-year-old man with no known relatives, shot point blank in the Village at midnight with no indication of a robbery, sounds like something out of Castles' books," Kate summarized.
"Speaking of, where is he anyway? We didn't see him at the crime scene and and he hasn't come in yet. You guys get into another fight?" Ryan asked.
"Uh no, he's at home writing, Gina's been torturing him for new chapters."
The boys seemed to accept that answer.
"So where do we go from here?" Esposito asked refocusing.
"Try and locate anyone he was close to, a friend, a co-worker, a bar buddy I want to know what he's been up," Kate says as she stares at the victims' mugshot.
"On it," they both reply and they all go their separate ways.
Kate sits down on the edge of her desk facing the Murder Board, unfolds her hands only to clasp them back together in thought. The witnesses there had given vague statements, nothing too substantial. She let out a huff, before going to her desk chair. She might as well start on those phone records, see if she can detect a pattern.
She was half way through the phone records; for a guy with no known associates he sure called a lot, when Castle strolled in.
"Afternoon, Detective."
"Hey Castle," she responded without looking up.
"Tough case?"
"No, just puzzling."
"Ooo goody, I love puzzles," The 9-year-old in him reared its head, which earned him an eye roll.
"The vic is Scott Grayson, 49, he was shot point blank last night in the Village; no money, credit cards or his phone was taken. No immediate family, parents died 3 years ago and he's unmarried," Kate finishes filling him in.
"Hmm, sounds like something from one of my books."
She gave a little smile, remembering she said the exact something.
"Where are Ryan and Esposito?"
"Trying to track down someone we can talk to."
"Do they know?" Castle tips his head toward her ring.
"No, I folded my arms to cover it up."
He smiled, just like her to do something like that.
"So what are you doing?"
"Looking at the guy's phone records, guy makes a ton of calls."
"Really? Give me half."
Kate splits the pile, hands it to her husband, it still feels weird to think of him as that, 48 hours ago they were just "Rick and Kate, boyfriend and girlfriend" now they're "Rick and Kate, married couple". Lost in thought she didn't hear Castle call her until he shook her a little.
"Daydreaming about me?" He says playfully.
"In your dreams, Castle," she says with her best poker face.
"I no longer need to dream," a small grin adorns his face. She gives him one of her own.
"Anyway, I was going to say, looking at the call times from the last two months they're all within a minute except for this one," He points to a call made exactly a month from today, that was two hours long.
She looks at the number and scans her stack and finds that number twice in the last two weeks, both two hours long. Her mouth gapes, she had been sitting here for over two hours with no results he comes in and in ten minutes finds something they can use. It never ceases to amaze her.
Searching the number, she finds it's registered to a Nolan Mitchell. A search of his record, finds that he has priors in racketeering, money laundering and insurance fraud.
"Castle look at this, racketeering, money laundering and insurance fraud."
"Looks like our Mr. Grayson wrote a check his body couldn't cash."
Kate looks at him quizzically, for a best-selling author of 30 books that's the best he could come up with.
Seeing this Castle questions her, "What?"
Her voice hitches before she decides, "You know what, nevermind." And turns and walks away rolling her eyes in the process.
(***)
Twenty minutes later, Ryan and Esposito return, with Esposito hollering, "Yo got one, Joseph Dean," he points to a nervous looking man, in a dress shirt and grey khakis, "Mr. Dean was Grayson's PA at Mitchell & Gray, a private architecture firm in Chelsea."
"How'd you guys find him?" Beckett asks hands in her jeans.
"Checked his last known employer."
"Okay, put him in the waiting room, Castle and I will talk to him, in the meantime see what you can find out about Nolan Mitchell."
"Castle's here?" Ryan perks up. Esposito looks at him.
"Yeah, he's over at the Board," Kate answers, "Call him over and look up Nolan Mitchell won't you?"
"You got it," they reply.
"Yo Castle, Beckett wants you in the waiting room for an interview."
"Thanks," he pats Esposito in the chest and heads over, leaving Esposito standing there.
"What?" Ryan inquires.
"Castle," Esposito looks over his shoulder.
"Yeah, what about him?"
"He was wearing a ring."
"Dude, a lot of guys wear rings," Ryan points to his.
"See that's it, it looked just like yours, a wedding ring. You don't think he and Beckett..." Esposito's voice trails.
Ryan looks over at Castle and Beckett, then at his partner, "Maybe but they would've told us."
Esposito is silent for a minute, "Yeah you're right, let's get started on that Mitchell file."
(***)
Dean sits on the couch opposite him are Beckett and Castle.
"Mr. Dean, I'm Detective Kate Beckett, this is Richard Castle," she introduces, "We like to talk to you about Scott Grayson."
"Why? Did something happen to him? The other detectives said they needed me, but didn't go into details." He questions, his voice shaky.
"Mr. Grayson was found dead this morning in Greenwich Village," she simply supplied.
Dean covers his face and runs through his hair. "Oh God no," voice still shaky but now with a dreading tone.
"How long were you his personal assistant?"
"A year, he hired me after his old PA quit to have a family."
"Did you notice anything unusual about him these past few days?"
"No, he was in and out of the office checking up on permits for a new remodel set for construction in a few weeks. Nothing out of the norm."
"Where was this new remodel?" Castle finally jumped in.
"Midtown, 60th and Park."
"That's quite a ways from the Village," Castle says aside to Beckett.
"Do you know why he would be in the Village so early or all?" Beckett asks.
"No, all of our projects are in Midtown, we had a falling out with some shop owners in the Village a few years back I was told."
Perhaps location wasn't the important thing here, so Beckett decided on another route.
"Do you know a Nolan Mitchell?"
Dean looked straight at them, "Why did he have something to do with it?"
"So I take it you do know him," Castle states.
"Yeah, he's the son of Frank Mitchell of Mitchell and Gray."
"So he has ties to the firm?" Beckett questions.
"Yeah, he used to be a partner, in fact it was Mitchell and Mitchell a few years ago, until his dad found out he was laundering money to construction crews."
"So how did it become Mitchell and Gray?" Castle took over.
"When Nolan was ousted six months before I was hired, his father promoted Grayson who'd been with the company since the beginning."
"Sounds like motive," Castle says to Beckett, she nods.
"Mr. Dean thank you," Kate stood up, "If you remember anything else please let me know," she hands him her card.
He nods as he is escorted out by a uniform.
When Beckett and Castle emerge (Beckett with her hands again in her jeans), Ryan and Esposito call to them.
"What did you find?"
"Nolan Mitchell did 6 months in federal prison for money laundering and insurance fraud. He's out on parole."
"Yeah, I read that from his record."
"Well according to prison records, he shared a cell with Carl Quimby, former enforcer of the O'Reilly family," Ryan picks up.
"Let me guess he is also out on parole?"
"Bingo, and check out his rap sheet," Ryan hands it to her. She takes it with her right hand and glances over it. Assault with a deadly weapon, assaulting a police officer, Murder One, and manslaughter. All within the past 15 years.
"Okay bring him in and Nolan Mitchell."
Kate phone beeped then. "It's Lanie, Castle you coming?" Kate says as she walks toward the elevator.
"Uh, you go I'm going to get some coffee first."
"Okay," she said nonchalantly not even turning her head.
Watching Castle and Beckett go in opposite directions, Ryan and Esposito stood confused.
"Bro, did you see that?"
"Yeah, and did you notice that Beckett is keeping her hands in her jeans?"
"Something is definitely up. We better find out what."
"How?"
"Follow my lead."
Esposito and Ryan head over to break room.
(***)
Castle true to his word is making an espresso.
"Hey bro," Esposito calls to him.
"What's up?"
"We heard from Beckett you've been writing." Esposito and Ryan bookend him.
"Yeah, Gina's on me for a few new chapters."
"Is that all?"
"Yep, pretty much."
"Have you noticed anything unusual with Beckett?"
"No. Why, what have you noticed?" Castle asked wary.
"Nothing, except she's been hiding her hands all day," Esposito stressed the last bit.
"Maybe she's cold?"
"Or...," Esposito goes in for the kill, "She hiding something, something small obviously."
"A ring, maybe?" Ryan speaks up, glancing down.
"Guys, come on this is Beckett you know she's a very private person she'll show us whatever it is when she's ready," Castle says backing up. They were his friends, but whenever anything touched Beckett's personal life and he was involved, it was like he had to go through her two big brothers.
Thankfully his phone chimed, it was a text from Beckett.
Please get down here, Lanie is killing me!
Castle quickly ducks away, "Sorry guys Beckett needs to see me," he rushes toward the elevator, coffee forgotten.
The two detectives stand in the break room both with crossed arms, staring at the elevator.
Esposito finally speaks up, "Twenty bucks says Lanie gets him to spill."
"Fifty says she not only gets him to to spill, but also makes him announce it to the precinct," Ryan counters.
"You're on."
The bump fists in agreement before heading out to round-up the suspects.
