Castle's Chords

Chapter 3

Being brought to the 12th precinct was an unpleasant surprise for Burt Ringerman. Seeing Kate and Castle again was an even more unpleasant surprise. Kate stared across the table. "You lied to us Mr. Ringerman. You knew the Lexis was stolen and you never said a word. Now why was that?"

"I reported it stolen for that putz Sheldon," Ringerman protested. "Otherwise the insurance company wouldn't have touched it. I can't help it if the NYPD doesn't keep track."

"We saw your report," Kate challenged. "It was filed after we talked to you and after we talked to Drake Sheldon. You were just covering your butt."

"I'm not answering no more questions," Ringerman declared sullenly. "I want a lawyer."

"Fine," Kate told him, getting up from the table. "Maybe Legal Aide can get someone in sometime today." Castle followed her out of the room.

"Yo Beckett," Esposito called, "we got another lead. We found a report filed by John Becksworth about an employee he caught stealing, a guy named Brock Morland. Morland got fired and arrested, but he's out now."

Kate regarded the picture in the file Esposito handed her. The mugshot showed an angry looking African American. Although un-hooded for the picture, it was clear that he was wearing a sweatshirt. "Have him brought in," she ordered. "Castle, this may take a while, you might want to go home. You look beat," she said turning to Castle who had sunk wearily into his usual chair at the side of her desk.

"I might take you up on that," Castle wrote. "but call me if anything exciting happens."

Alexis met Castle at the door her eyes blazing. "Dad! Do you think I'm stupid?"

Castle looked at her in confusion, shaking his head while he pulled out his pad. "No, Alexis. Course not. Probably smartest person I know."

"Then why the story about researching the book? Alexis demanded.

"What do you mean?" Castle penned guiltily.

Alexis held up a pharmacy bag. "Antibiotics!" she shouted. "You don't take antibiotics for a research project."

Castle closed his eyes for a moment before writing again. "This reaction is exactly why I didn't tell you. Tired. Enough!"

Castle retreated to his bedroom, closing the door tightly behind him. Not even pausing to take off his shoes, he flopped on the bed. His next awareness was of Kate's voice above him. "How are you Castle? You didn't answer the phone and Alexis told me, very hostilely, that you were resting." She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I think your fever's back."

Castle reached for the pad he laid on the night table before lying down. "The doctor said it might come and go for a while."

Kate pulled his shoes off. "I think I've calmed Alexis down a little. Go back to sleep."

Castle kept his pad. "Morland?"

"We couldn't find him. The forwarding address he gave the was phony. Ryan and Esposito are talking to his family and associates trying to trace his whereabouts."

"Ringerman?" Castle queried further.

"Still in holding," Kate replied, "but he'll probably get sprung, especially since there's a suspect that actually fits the description. There's nothing else to work on right now."

Castle nodded and put down the pad. Kate smoothed back his hair and kissed the top of his head. "I'll be in later to check on you."

Castle picked the pad up again and looked at Kate with an appeal in his eyes. "STAY!"

Kicking off her own shoes she lay beside him, head against his shoulder. They drifted off together.

Castle opened his eyes to find an empty space beside him. He wandered into the kitchen to find Kate fixing a late supper. "Hungry?" she asked as Castle approached.

He pointed to the food and shook his head, then pointing to her, nuzzled her neck.

I'll feed one need at a time, Castle," she teased. "I'm starved. You want to keep me company?"

Castle nodded.

"I've been thinking about the case," Kate explained as she turned an omelet onto her plate and put some grapes from the bowl on the counter beside it. "Something is off. I still think the car is involved somehow."

Castle raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"I think there may be something in the video of the parking lot of the big box store or the traffic cams. I want Ryan to take another look."

Castle shook his head, pointing to himself.

"You want to look at the footage?" Kate asked.

Castle pointed to his throat and gave an exaggerated shrug.

"I think you're trying to tell me that you don't need to talk to look at video," Kate guessed.

Castle pointedly touched his nose.

"Okay, Castle," Kate agreed, enjoying, yet uncomfortable with the silence. "You can check it out at the precinct in the morning if you're up to it, or I can have it emailed to you."

Castle returned to his office to pick up a pad. "I want to go in. I owe Espo."

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled.

Castle bent over a computer screen at the 12th an excited look on his face. "What's happenin', Castle," Esposito taunted, "lack of voice giving you super sight?"

Castle shook his head with a smirk, tapped the screen and texted Kate, who was several desks down the bullpen. Kate arrived to look over his shoulder as he pointed to an arm belonging to a hooded man, sticking out of the window of a large Lexis. The arm was brown except for a jagged smear of white. "Castle, what the heck?" Beckett exclaimed.

Castle opened a tab and typed "make-up."

Kate wrapped her arms around Castle's neck and planted a kiss on his temple. "You found it Castle! I'll get a warrant to search Ringerman and Sheldon's places and see what we find."

"There's more," Castle typed, switching to a video from another camera. A partial license plate was visible.

"L,e,c," Kate read. "That's a match to Ringerman's plate, 'Lec King.' Looks like Morland may have nothing to do with this."

Castle grinned triumphantly at Esposito.

"Yeah, we'll see what the search turns up, bro," Esposito told him, not yet willing to let Castle claim victory.

"Make it interesting?" Castle typed and reached into his pocket for a hundred dollar bill.

"Guys," Kate warned, "you don't want Gates seeing you betting on cases." Kate looked toward the firmly closed door of Captain Gates' office. "I'm in," she whispered conspiratorially."