Chipping Through the Ice
Chapter 9
"Was the motive love, money, revenge, to cover up another crime, or is Sleazer the Freezer just a raging nutbar?" Castle inquires.
Kate presses two fingers to her chin. "Love, I think, with a little revenge thrown in, but a shrink will have to determine just how much of a nutbar he is. That was the deal. Could be that he'll spend the rest of his life in a prison psych ward, not a cell. Either way, he won't be stabbing an icepick into any more hearts."
Drawing Kate in for a hug, Castle rests his jaw against the top of her head. "Sounds like you did a good day's work. I gave Callie the milk you expressed, but I think she'll still be happy to see Momma."
"I'll be happy to see her too. I could use a little innocence right now - and a long shower."
"She's in her bassinet in my office. We were keeping each other company while I wrote. I hung that mobile Alexis made over her. She seems to be enjoying her big sister's attempt at kinetic art. Custos likes it too. For a minute, I thought he might try to eat it, but he just sat on the floor next to the bassinet and watched it move."
"Eyes are always attracted to the bright and shiny. That's how magicians make misdirection work."
"And on the subject of magicians, how did Lanie's date with Esposito go?"
Kate pulls back. "Babe, that is absolutely none of your business."
"Of course it isn't," Rick agrees, nodding vigorously. "That's exactly why I want to know. Besides, it will give me some direction for their counterparts in my book."
"Actually, neither one of them has said anything about it. Espo had plenty of chance to, today, while Disher was conferring with his lawyer, but he never even mentioned Lanie's name."
"I don't know whether to take that as a good sign or a bad one."
"I don't know either. Maybe I'll find out next time I see Lanie. We're supposed to be hitting the stalls on Canal Street together this Saturday. She wants to have some time with her goddaughter, so I thought I'd take Callie with me. We'll have lunch out too. With Callie in her carrier, I can undo the inner zipper to nurse her, and no one will know the difference. It will give you some time to do whatever manly things you do while I'm gone."
"I think that I do some pretty manly things while you're here, but if you're referring to watching the Lance DeLorca movies you disdain, I may be able to fit one in."
"Nice to know you're planning to immerse yourself in a cultural experience. After I see Callie, I'm going to immerse myself in hot water."
Jake blows his nose into the last tissue of the pack in his pocket. He can't understand why he can be perfectly healthy slogging through the snow in New York or Connecticut and catch a cold the minute there's a day that's damp and a few degrees cooler in California. Or maybe it's the mustiness of old newspapers. Either way, it's blurring his vision enough to make it difficult to read the small print. He almost misses a mention of former mayor Pete Russo. It's the eighth one he's run across so far, all in reference to exerting some kind of influence, whether exemptions to zoning laws to accommodate a business he favors or pushing through appointments of city officials. He even arranged for a section of a park to be closed down for his daughter's sweet sixteen. Why Russo would have anything to do with the murder of Jeremy Bursor, Jake has yet to find a clue, but Russo seems the best fit to Jack Tracy's description of the man he believed to be responsible for the boy's death.
The detective pushes his chair away from the table he's been using to spread out yellowing pages. As soon as he returns the papers to where they belong, he'll take a walk to the nearest place he can buy more tissues. Perhaps inspiration will hit along the way.
As he's traversing the sidewalk between the library and the nearest market, Jake notices the faded outline of a name - Bursor - on a building next to a parking lot. He had no idea that the family had possessed any commercial real estate. He's pretty sure that Jeremy's parents don't own any now. OOTC had taken their case on the sliding scale set by the board, and as far as he knows, for the Bursors, it had slid pretty low. Next stop, the Hall of Records - as soon as he gets his tissues, and maybe some eyedrops.
"Javi, you shouldn't be here," Lanie protests. "I have work to do."
"Yeah, well, so do I," Esposito retorts. "We still have to identify some of Disher's victims. We already ran the prints. I thought I'd check with you about more DNA results or anything else you found."
"No luck yet, but OOTC wangled access to some databases that the N.Y.P.D. isn't hooked into yet. Kate should call you if they get anything. But I think you know that either one of us would do that."
"Yeah. OK, I do," Esposito admits. "But I thought we had a great time together and I wanted to see you. Something wrong with that?"
"That I'm in the middle of an autopsy. But, I'll be free for drinks or dinner later, and I'm in the mood for something French."
Esposito grins. "I could go for that. Pick you up at seven?"
"I'll be ready."
Roy Montgomery studies the resume of a young detective. The woman has been living in Minnesota, so he's never met her, but her record looks good. Her cover letter said that her husband is being transferred to New York, so she's looking for someplace worthwhile to work in the city, and the N.Y.P.D. has a hiring freeze. He swore at that. Budget crunches always hit the force. He had to deal with enough of them in his thirty years. She's moving to New York that weekend. He sends her an email asking her to come in for an interview once she gets settled.
Lisa Anderson smiles when Roy Montgomery's email pops up on the screen of her phone. Come in for an interview. Right. She'll do that, blow the old bastard's socks off, and establish herself with Out of the Cold. She can take her time making her plans, but when she's ready, Montgomery won't know what hit him. She's been waiting a long time to avenge her father.
Perry Watson was sent to prison by Roy Montgomery. Lisa didn't even know it at the time. Her parents had never married and had separated years before. She was away at school and had lost contact with Perry. By the time she concluded that Montgomery had trumped up evidence that her father had committed murder, it was too late to do anything about it. But now she'll have the perfect chance.
Her husband Eric was surprised that she was so enthusiastic about his transfer. She'd never wanted to go back to New York before, even for a vacation. But a short trip would not have given her a chance to accomplish her task. Once she's signed on with OOTC, she'll have all the time and opportunity she needs.
