IV
"Every time we look at this case, the lives of these people just keep getting more convoluted," Castle proclaimed. "Why do you think the Simmons' lied to us?" Beckett countered. "Blackmail is out since the Pulaskis are dead. Maybe their memories were erased by flashing red lights?" he suggested. "Doubtful. They've been keeping this hidden for a long time and I've got a feeling that it's connected with our victims," Kate explained. "Yes, but which one? Alright, let's suppose that Paul was left out of the loop on this as well. Some time in the past, he and Cora are together. She gets pregnant, but Paul doesn't know he's the father. Whenever Cora learns that she's going to have twins, there's a problem. There isn't enough money to support them both. That's why the Simmons' were willing to trust the Pulaskis with Rachel. Cora felt it was only fitting for Paul to raise his own child. But what if he found out?" Richard suggested.
"Why would he even suspect such a thing? We know that the two families hadn't seen one another in years," she objected. "Maybe Cora started to feel guilty. Or Damian realized that the timing of the birth was off. One thing leads to another and suddenly the two couples find themselves in the midst of a scandal that could lead to two costly divorces. Only Paul and Leslie die, then his body is stolen. Now the only proof Damian has is the fact that Marsha isn't his daughter. Without the Pulaskis, he'd never be able to reach a settlement with Cora that was to his advantage," Castle maintained. "And naturally, they wouldn't want to open old wounds. But that still doesn't tell us who might have wanted to eliminate Paul," Beckett remarked. "Whenever I'm writing, I often have my characters look to see who would benefit from the deaths. In this case, the only living person I can see who might have a reason to get rid of Paul is Cora," he told her.
"It's still a stretch. Esposito, any luck turning up information on the Pulaskis?" Kate called out. "Still dry," Javier said. "Alright, let's start looking into Damian and Cora Simmons. See if anything in their records shows just when and where they crossed paths with Paul and Leslie. With some hard work, we might be able to find out what they're trying so hard to hide," the Detective decided. At that moment, her phone rang and she picked it up and said, "Beckett. Okay, we'll be right down." "I'm guessing that the tox screen on Paul Pulaski came back," Richard remarked. "I don't know, she wouldn't say. I guess you'll just have to tag along and learn the hard way," his partner shot back. "Do you get some kind of pleasure out of making me suffer?" the writer wondered.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," she told him as they stepped into the elevator. "I intend to. And I'm going to make another prediction. When we get there, not only will Paul have died as the result of some insidious toxin but that will also lead us to his killer and the person who murdered his daughter," Castle maintained. "I'll take that bet. Fifty to the winner?" Beckett suggested. "Why, Detective; I was under the impression that you disapproved of this sort of behavior. And what would Captain Gates think?" he remarked. "I'm willing to wager that she'd put money down on my side," Kate asserted.
"He died of a heart attack," Lanie reported. "I thought you said his arteries were clean," Castle pointed out. "They were. According to the tox screen, he was injected with a high dose of epinephrine. He was on Beta-blockers at the time. The interaction of the two drugs sent his blood pressure thru the roof. That's what killed him," the coroner stated. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but not everyone would know something like that about him. It's a pretty clever way to commit murder, if you think about it. Give somebody a drug that's available to anyone with a severe allergy, knowing that the only way it will ever be found is if an autopsy is performed; then steal his remains," Richard asserted.
"What are the odds that Marsha found out the truth and went looking for her father?" Kate wondered. "But if that's the case, why didn't her killer move Paul's body?" the writer objected. "We're missing something here. Whoever killed Paul had to be close to him. A friend, neighbor or someone he worked with. Perhaps after Leslie died, he went looking for another wife," she suggested. "And so the aging Mister Pulaski finds comfort in the arms of another woman. Only to find she's in fact a black widow, out to kill him and collect his fortune. There's only one problem with that. Rachel inherited everything," Castle noted. "Unless she was the one who killed her father," Beckett countered. "What's her motive?" he shot back. "I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. In the meantime, we need to run down everything that happened in Paul Pulaski's life before he died. Someone might've noticed something strange. If we can pin down what was going on in his life, then maybe that will put us one step closer to the answers," Kate proclaimed.
"Poisoned? With some off-the-counter drug sold in about every store in this city?" Gates exclaimed. "Yes, sir. We believe that whoever killed Paul Pulaski is also responsible for the theft of his body and probably the murder of Marsha Simmons," Beckett told her. "I suppose you have some solids leads in her case then," the Captain stated. "Well, we know that she'd learned about the lies her parents had been telling her. That's why she was in the city to begin with. It's possible her investigation is what caused her to cross paths with our killer," Castle declared. "Who then leaves the body in the house where his other victim is hidden?" Gates observed. "I'll admit that our theory has some holes…" Kate began. "That's putting it mildly," the Captain interjected. "…but we're working to fill them in. Our killer may not have known the house was going to be demolished, since that was Marsha's idea," the Detective concluded.
"Do you even know how she found the place to begin with?" Gates inquired. "Not yet. But we do know she hadn't lived there for long. That makes me think that Miss Simmons somehow knew where her late father had been laid to rest, at least in general. She might not have discovered its precise location at the time of her death," the writer asserted. "What about the construction company? Do you think they're involved somehow?" the Captain asked. "We haven't eliminated them yet, but it seems unlikely that they would've gone thru with the demolition considering what's happened as a result," Beckett insisted. "And we already know that Rachel was at work at the time. If she had anything to do with her father's death, there's no way Miss Pulaski would have let them proceed with the operation," Richard added.
"Well, it sounds like you've spent the last two days chasing your own tails. First you run one way and then the other. Can't you two settle on one line of investigation and stick with it? I have enough headaches as it is," Gates told them. "We're looking into people associated with Paul Pulaski. Hopefully, we'll come up with something," Kate replied. "And if you don't? Detective, that body has been laying there for five years. Any bread crumbs that might've been left behind by the person responsible have almost certainly been blown away by now," the Captain warned. "One of the principles I work into my stories is that there is no such thing as a perfect murder. In every case, the killer has overlooked some detail which when it is uncovered; reveals their identity to my characters. The trick is knowing that what you're examining is important rather than superficial," Castle put in. "Well, so far everything I've seen doesn't appear to have been productive. The next time we talk; I expect some news on at least one of these cases, Detective," Gates declared. "We'll do our best, sir," his partner promised. "See that you do," the Captain declared, gesturing for them to leave.
As they walked out, Richard said, "That went well." "Compared to what? Roasting over an open fire?' Kate retorted as they sat down. Just then, Esposito came up and reported, "Beckett, I've got the background check on the Simmons' family. You were right. There was something missing on their side too. Only this time, it was the wife." "Popped out of nowhere just before the twins were born," the writer said. "Hit it right on the nose. Based on the report we got from Mister Lutz we were able to get the adoption papers. Apparently, Leslie was Paul's second wife. Cora was his first," Javier went on. "Does the file say why they got divorced?" Beckett wondered. "It might have, but the lawyer had portions of it removed. I spent half the morning on the phone with him, but he refuses to come down here and threatened to sue if we tried to bring him in," Esposito responded. "Sounds like a cheerful type. Do you suppose he was born with a heart three sizes too small?" Richard inquired. "I was under the impression that was a job requirement. Did you get an address?" Kate asked.
Javier nodded and passed over a slip of paper. "Ryan, where are we on financials?" his partner wondered. "Just got them in. Both Rachel and Marsha are clean, at least for the past three years. Before that, Rachel was a little more creative with her finances. She was investigated for taking money under the table five times, but never convicted. I get the impression that she cleaned up her act either because she didn't want her sister to get in trouble or thought it wouldn't be possible to hide the truth about her shady practices from Marsha," Kevin told them. "What about Roquefort Construction? Have we verified their alibis?" she demanded. "Down to the last man. And the Simmons' were at a party near their house with at least two dozen other people on the day of our latest murder. I ran the employees of Twining Realty as well. Nothing there either," Ryan stated.
"Okay, start going thru her clients. And get some background on that house she was in. Find out who's owned it over the past five years. One of those people might be our killer," Beckett proclaimed. "Maybe Captain Gates was right. Instead of trying to find all the facts in both cases, we should focus on one," Castle suggested. "Marsha is more recent. The evidence is her case is still warm. But I get the impression that wasn't what you had in mind," Kate observed. "I think we both agree that Paul Pulaski is the key to this whole investigation. Five years ago, someone gave him a lethal injection. The real question is, why would they think it was necessary to dispose of the body?" Richard inquired. "Alright, I'll bite. What's your theory?" she asked. He paused, then declared, "I was hoping you had one."
"Hey, you're the writer. Normally, you'd be blaming organ harvesters and space aliens or something. If we don't have any leads to follow, then we might as well let Paul rest in peace," his partner told him. "Are you sure you could live with that? Knowing that the perpetrator is getting off scot-free? Especially since we might never be able to track down whoever bumped off Marsha if we back down?" Castle demanded. "I guess not, but it's like the Captain said. Paul has waited for justice this long. A few more days won't hurt," Beckett observed. "If you knew who was behind the death of your mother, how long would you wait before pursuing the man responsible?" he shot back. Kate rose to her feet, leaning forward to glare at him as she snapped, "I thought you wanted me to leave that alone, Castle." "You're right, I'm sorry… but you have to admit that I have a point. For the people who are close to Paul, like Rachel; his death has dramatically altered their lives. And his killer is almost certainly connected with Marsha's death. We can't let it rest, not if it brings them to justice," Richard proclaimed and his partner nodded in agreement. One way or another, neither of them was about to give up on these cases without a fight.
