Life Goes On 2

Chapter 21

"Kate, what do we do?" Castle whispered, as the players continued their praise of expanded consciousness.

"We could ask Demming to either send some of his guys, or reach out to the Connecticut State Police to pick up Mr. Headband."

"But if he or other members of this ensemble get picked up either way, that could tip off the rest of the gang," Castle protested. "We don't know who else is involved, just that there are a lot of them."

"Then what are you suggesting, Castle?"

Grooves flanked the bridge of Castle's nose. "I don't know... Wait, I have an idea! There's contact information for the troupe on the program. Let's offer them a job and tell them to bring all of their theatrical friends."

Halloween at the Castle castle was the most spectacular in Castle history. Inside, a party was going on for extended family, with various adults taking turns at supervision of the younger contingent. An adaptation of theater in the park had become theater on the lawn, where a huge group of costumed players performed scenes from spooky plays and musicals, including Dracula, The Little Shop of Horrors, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Castle had a videographer recording it all, ostensibly for the enjoyment of the family, but in fact for Martha to view from inside the house to look for recognizable faces and costumes. From Castle's office, she regarded the feed from the camera on a tablet. "Richard, several of those players are my students and almost all of the costumes were stolen from my school."

Kate laid a hand on Castle's arm. "It's time to call in the cops now, Babe."

"Maybe Demming won't be on duty," Castle hoped.

Castle got his wish. Kate made contact with a Sergeant McNeary who was quite familiar with the case, having been an active participant in the investigation of three more costumed robberies. He urged Kate and Rick to let the performances continue and give nothing away, while he sent units with neither lights flashing nor sirens screaming a warning. It was half an hour before the blue and whites moved in. The actors were rounded up without a shot, with many of the onlookers assuming it was just part of a Castle extravaganza.

After a night in a holding cell, Brian Mosely, formerly of the kosher headband, sat anxiously next to a very young Legal Aid attorney, Tony Colson. Sergeant McNeary sat opposite him at a table in an interrogation room in the Twenty-third Precinct. As a representative of RCI, Castle had been grudgingly permitted to observe through the one way mirror. "Mr Mosely," McNeary began, there is general agreement among your band of bandits the you are the leader. In fact, most of them couldn't wait to claim you were in charge of planning everything."

"Don't say anything," Colson cautioned Mosely.

"Mr. Colson, he doesn't have to say a word," McNeary advised. "Martha Rodgers has identified the costumes Mr. Mosely and his troupe were wearing, as stolen from her school. There is ample photographic evidence to support her claim. They are worth thousands of dollars. That already puts your client on the hook for grand theft. We also have security video of the stolen costumes being used in multiple robberies. That amounts to enough counts to put him away until the only roles he'll be able to play will be very old and very cranky men. However, if he is willing to confess to everything he's done, he'll be saving the D.A. a lot of trouble. That will be worth something toward a deal. The more forthcoming your client is, the better deal he'll get. I would urge you to counsel him to consider coming clean now."

Mosely looked at Colson, who drew himself up in his chair. "I'm going to have a conversation with the A.D.A. first," Colson insisted. "You have no authority to make a deal. My client says nothing until I have something in writing."

McNeary shrugged. "Fine. The longer he waits, the more we get from his partners in this little crime spree, the less your client will have have to bargain with. Your client can cool his heels in a cell until you and the A.D.A. come to an understanding. I'm sure Bubba can keep him company. He's a very friendly guy; just loves young men."

Mosely threw his hands in front of his face, as if to to shield himself. "Wait a minute. Is Bubba the guy in the cell next to the one I was in?"

McNeary nodded and grinned. "All six foot six and two hundred and fifty pounds of him. I'm sure the two of you will have a great time."

"You're threatening my client," Colson objected. "Any confession you get from him under these conditions would be coerced. I could get it excluded. And if any harm comes to him while he's in your custody, I'll have you up on charges."

"That kind of thing used to work a lot better for Ryan and Esposito," Castle muttered to himself, as he observed. "Smart kid. I wonder if Kate knows him."

"Mr Colson. We will return your client to his cell. There is tough metal mesh between him and his neighbor. He will be perfectly safe," McNeary assured the young attorney. "But you will want to hurry. Mr. Mosely's associates are spouting like Old Faithful."

Kate hung up the phone. "So," she reported to Martha and Rick, "Mosely got his deal and confessed. Martha, there were six other actors from your school involved with him, as well as a number of regulars on the unemployment line. Looks like you might have some recruiting to do. From what McNeary told me, Colson's confession was quite dramatic. He gave a stirring speech about how stars get paid millions of dollars, but the average actor barely makes enough to get by, if that.

Martha waved an arm dismissively. "I won't have to do any recruiting. After my recent theatrical triumphs, my school has quite a waiting list. I'll be able to give seven grateful actors the good news that they will be able to seriously develop their craft. But what Mosely said is true. Most actors would make much more money in another profession, or even waiting tables. That is why it is only those with true devotion to their art who can stay the course to achieve greatness. Nothing comes without sacrifice - except in the case of blind luck or woo hoo, couch casting. But neither of those apply to the budding actors I help bring to full bloom."

"I'm sure you're right, Mother," Castle said. He clapped his hands together. "But we have other things to discuss. The twins turn three tomorrow. It's also Alexis' and Sergei's anniversary. We have triple grounds for another family celebration."

"Triple?" Martha repeated. "So you're counting Reese and Jake separately?"

"Mmm, I should," Castle responded. "That makes it quadruple. Two birthdays, an anniversary, and the boys being old enough to attend Latu's Trails with Lily."

Martha nodded knowingly, "Ah. So what is the grand plan you two? Katherine, whatever may be on your mind, I'm sure Richard has something huge on his."

"Actually, I haven't had that much time to put one together," Castle confessed. "I talked to Sergei, and both he and Alexis have been so wrapped up in work, they haven't been able to make firm plans either. And the kids are still on a high from Halloween."

"And I have a meeting with some of the local leaders tomorrow," Kate added. "So we thought, under the circumstances, we might hold a family potluck. We'll just add birthday and anniversary cakes. There's a bakery here in the neighborhood, who can put a rush on them."

Martha's mouth narrowed in distress. "Jim will be tied up most of the day in court and I'm afraid I won't have time to prepare a suitable dish. Would it be all right if we just picked up something from Napolitano's on the way up here?"

Castle suppressed a sigh of relief at the prospect of food from Martha, that would actually be edible. "Mother, that would be outstanding."