Chapter 20 – Sunday Morning Part 2
Traffic was relatively light and they were able to get to the little herbal shop quickly. Walking in they found Rowena stocking up.
"Just a minute." She called from the ladder. They took a little look around the shop, noting the remedies and mixtures were all natural and home-made. "Detective Beckett, Mr Castle. What can I do for you today?" Rowena asked cheerily.
"After our talk yesterday we received some more evidence in our case and we were hoping you could help us." Beckett told her.
"Okay, I'll try, but I don't know how much more I can tell you."
"You remember we asked you about a drug called Thallowflovoine?" When she nodded, Kate continued. "We received the analysis of it and it's chemical breakdown. Could you take a look at it and see if any of it is familiar in any way to you?" She handed the page over to the young woman, watching her reaction closely to see if there was any subterfuge on her part.
Taking the paper, Rowena read the list of ingredients and the effects, wanting to help them out. "The components are all easily accessible. We sell them here, but they can all be found in any health store. As for the effects, I think-." She stepped around the counter, grabbing a pen and some paper and started writing. Castle and Beckett waited anxiously for her to finish. Putting the pen down Rowena rejoined them. "If you break down the combination you come up with two 'recipes'. One enhances lust by increasing the flow of testosterone in the body and the other increases dopamine and oxytocin in the body, the 'love chemicals'. Both together would theoretically cause a surge of love and lust between two people."
"We found a book which was open to a page with this list on it. The drug was called Thallowflovoine." Her eyes widened and she turned around, bending over the page again. "What?"
Picking up the paper she had written on she showed them the word 'Thallowflovoine'. Beckett threw her a 'get on with it' look. "It's an anagram. Change the letters around and you get 'How to-"
"Fall in love." Castle concluded and the girl nodded. "How did I not see that?" He cursed himself for not discovering that earlier.
Kate felt a bit disconcerted at this new information. Someone had mixed together a drug to make people fall in love. She looked at Castle, who was silently berating himself, and felt sadness. None of it was true, what she felt for Castle was because of the drug.
"But that name, the sentence, how to fall in love, is misleading. It doesn't work that way. You can't make someone fall in love with you. These 'drugs' only work when the feelings are already there." Rowena added, startling them both from their reveries.
"So they merely enhance what a person is feeling. They don't create them." Beckett asked, seeking clarification on the matter. She looked at Castle and found him listening intently for the answer.
"Yes. There is nothing out there, real or magic, that can make a person love someone when the feelings aren't there."
Beckett nodded, absorbing it until she realised what Rowena had said. "I'm sorry. Did you say magic?"
"Yes, Detective." The young woman smiled. "Magic is very real. I'm a wiccan."
Beckett was skeptical, but Castle was practically bursting with excitement. His theory was sounding more and more like it was true. "So you can do spells and make potions and such?" He asked, eager to learn more.
"Yes. I don't know much right now, as I'm still learning, but my boss is a fully-fledged witch. She's brilliant and she's teaching me everything she knows about witchcraft."
Hearing that there was another woman out there who had the means to practice magic caught Beckett's attention. "And who is your boss?" She asked, getting an idea.
"Elizabeth Rivers. She goes by the name Aurora."
"Is she here today?"
"No, it's her day off today."
"Has she been acting strangely lately"
Rowena thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Now that you mention it, yes. She's been more upset and annoyed recently. I thought it was because I failed to master spell-making."
"Would Aurora know how to do something like this?"
"Yes, she would." Rowena said, starting to feel nervous. "She can do pretty much anything."
"Do you know if she has a van?" Castle asked, catching on quickly.
She nodded, "A black van, yes."
"Does it have any added extras?"
"Pink and green flashing lights on the undercarriage." She looked between the detective and the writer, seeing that she was confirming things they already knew.
"Do you know the licence plate?" Castle asked, hoping that she did.
"Yes, it's SPN 2981." Rowena told them.
"Do you have a picture of Ms Rivers?" Beckett asked, wanting to get back out there and find her.
"Yes, in the back room. I'll get it of you want?"
"Please." The young woman hurried out back and left Castle and Beckett feeling energised. They now had a woman who ticked a lot of boxes in the suspect column. Before they could even move Rowena was back with a small colour photo.
"Here we are Detective. This was taken two weeks ago at a coven meeting." She showed Beckett a photo of a tall woman with long black hair, wearing a long blue coat with a grey fur neckline. She showed the picture to Castle who gasped and nodded, confirming that he recognised the coat too.
"Thank you Rowena, you've been a big help."
"Not at all. I just can't believe Lizzie would kill anyone. She's not that type of person." She felt saddened and dejected.
"Everyone has limits Rowena. Something happened to her that caused her to snap and lash out at those she felt had wronged her. There is nothing wrong with that." Beckett said, giving the girl a new perspective. "But she took it a step too far and killed three people. She can't get away with that." When Rowena nodded in understanding, Kate squeezed her arm in reassurance and headed out. She wanted to get back to the Precinct quickly and get a warrant out for Elizabeth Rivers.
Now their getting somewhere with the case. I know nothing about licence plates in America, so any errors are mine alone. Please R&R.