Thirty-Six:
January 15:
It had been two weeks since Rick started 'shadowing' members of the IA division. His initial meting with captain Robinson had been awkward. He was less than pleased to have someone foisted upon him and his people and made it clear to Castle that he would not tolerate any 'shenanigans'. What Robinson deemed constituted shenanigans was never explained. Rick just smiled and nodded his head. He'd heard this speech before, almost verbatim from Gates. He fought the urge to laugh thinking that maybe this is something they taught in this unit. Castle couldn't help but notice a picture proudly displayed on his credenza of the captain, Gates, and William Bracken. The picture looked fairly recent.
Robinson sees Castle looking at the picture and comments. "Yes, that's Vicky and senator Bracken. Did you know that he was an assistant DA? We all worked together years ago. That picture was taken at a fund raiser last year."
"It's a nice picture. Are you still close?" Rick was more than a little surprised that the captain would be so open about his relationship with the senator. Either he wasn't part of this or he didn't know about Rick's knowledge of the senator's illegal activities.
"Not really. We stay in touch, but not like the old days.." Robinson replies. "I'll have you start with a couple of our younger investigators. Let you get a birds-eye view of what really goes on. I warn you now, this is a very non-glamorous job. These people are all despised by their fellow police officers. It may take some time before they open up to you.."
"That's fine. I want my story to paint an authentic picture of what life is like for the people who serve in the IA division. That's why I'm here."
The captain picked up his phone and made a quick call. A minute later there was a knock on his office door and he summoned the two investigators that Rick would be working with into the office. Ramone Estevez and Sandra Johnson were introduced to Castle. Both looked like they were fresh from the academy. Pleasantries were exchanged and the trio left the captain's office.
Unlike the bullpen in the 12th, the IA investigators worked in cubicles. Estevez and Johnson shared a large cubicle that had individual workstations and a circular table in the center that they could work together at. The far wall of the shared area contained a whiteboard that they used to create timelines and post theories, much like they did with homicide.
Their first order of business was to find Castle a chair. Johnson 'borrowed' one from an investigator that was on vacation for the next week. Rick would use their table as a makeshift desk while he was there. The next order of business was to take Castle around to meet the other investigators. As they made their way from one person to the next, it became apparent that the longer you worked in this division, the more suspicious you were of anyone or anything that was out of the norm. And Castle's presence was definitely out of the norm.
Introductions completed, the trio returned to their cubicle. The pair explained to Rick what their job entailed, reviewing citizen complaints to determine if there was sufficient evidence to merit an actual investigation. Given the size of the city and its police force, the number of complaints was staggering. While 99 percent of the complaints were without merit, each one was noted and a form letter response was returned to the person who lodged the complaint. Rick almost felt sorry for the pair, but figured this was how you paid your dues before you got the real investigative work.
Most of the complaints were by friends or lovers complaining that the police used excessive force when arresting someone. The pair would compare the complaint to the arrest report to see if there was any merit. Rick started to gain a small level of appreciation for how meticulous Beckett and her team was regarding paperwork. A poorly written report could be enough to merit an unwarranted investigation by IA.
Keeping with his cover, Rick took notes and made observations on a yellow legal pad as he wasn't allowed to bring his laptop into the building for security reasons. While he understood the logic, the advent of thumb drives capable of storing enough data for anything someone might desire taking made it a moot point. He went along with the ruse, while carrying two such drives stored away in the heels of his shoes.
It was incredibly boring and tedious work that the young investigators did with no complaints. They understood the pecking order there and that complaining would only prolong their time doing this form of grunt work. The first day he simply observed the two doing their jobs and they started giving him complaints to review. They sat Rick up at the terminal used by the vacationing investigator and arranged for limited access to police records so he could work complaints with them.
Castle had to admit that he liked the two young investigators. They were respectful to him in spite of some of the things that they had heard from some of the senior detectives. Johnson seemed to be more interested in Castle's relationship with Beckett and asked several questions that he had a hard time truthfully answering. As neither had any real experience on the streets, both were curious about what it was like working murder investigations. Everyone in IA knew the closure rate for the team that Castle was part of.
He had been there about a week when one of the excessive force complaints he was reviewing caught his attention. He had seen this detective's name in another complaint only a few days earlier – Louis Hansen. Rick read Hansen's report of the arrest and found that there were several discrepancies that made it worthy of further investigation. Taking the complaint to Sandra, he explained what he found.
She looked at the complaint and offered a grim smile. "Hansen, what a surprise. This guy seems to get more complaints than any detective in narcotics. I'll forward this to Betty.."
"I thought any complaints went into a queue for the next available investigator?" Castle inquires.
"Betty's been trying to put something together against Hansen since I came here. I forward her any complaints against him that may be worthy of investigating."
"Are there others that you forward to her?"
"A couple. Betty's responsible for the long term investigations like this." Johnson replies. "Come, you can take it to her yourself." She pointed in the general direction of her office.
Rick walked out of the area filled with the cubicles of the junior investigators and staff towards the far wall where the offices were for the senior investigators. Betty Wilson had the office nearest the captain. Rick knocked at the door frame. Wilson looked up from a report she was reading and gestured for him to enter. Castle confidently strode in front of her desk and extended his hand. "Good morning agent Wilson."
Betty cast him a wary look and offered a half-hearted shake. "Please sit down Mr Castle."
Rick was used to being regarded as an outsider since his arrival in IA. After all he was one. These people had formed a tight knit group as they were pretty much disliked by the other cops and the higher ups saw them as nothing more than a necessary evil. Betty Wilson was a career employee, with nearly thirty years in IA. She was an attractive woman for her age and looked every bit the part of a professional. The credenza behind her desk was lined with mementos of her career in IA with commendations for her service. He noticed of the few pictures she had on display, none showed any family or significant other.
"So what brings you to my office today?" Wilson was direct and to the point.
Rick hands her the folder with the complaint. "I was told to bring this to you. That you handled all complaints against detective Hansen."
"Yes, good old Louis. I've been following complaints against him for a couple of years. A real slippery character. Every time we start to investigate, the complaints are either dropped or the witness recants their statement." She pauses for a few seconds to see how Castle reacts to her statement before continuing. "So, I hear that you used to tag along with the homicide detectives in the 12th precinct?"
Something about the condescending way she referred to his time at the 12th as tagging along raised his ire, but he suppressed his desire to return some equally harsh comment. "I'd like to think that it was more than tagging along. We had the highest closure rate in the city when I was with them." The calm manner he responded did little to quell the contempt that he was starting to feel for her and the smug way she looked at him. "I'm sure that you've already talked to captain Gates about my time there.."
Deciding that a confrontation wasn't in her best interest, she softened her tone. "Yes, I did. Vicky and I go back over twenty years. She told me that you were a royal pain in the ass, but that you got the job done.."
"I only helped. It was a team effort."
"So why did you leave then? Vicky mentioned something about the lead detective getting a job with the Feds, but didn't know why you left."
Rick knew she was being coy with him. Wilson knew exactly why he left the 12th, but wanted him to tell her. "I had some other business commitments that had to be taken care of.."
"Well, if you have no more questions, I really need to prepare for a meeting with the assistant DA in a couple of minutes.."
Rick couldn't shake the feeling that he was being dismissed by the woman. He rose up from his seat and walked out of her office stopping by the door. "I'm sure that we'll talk again." He calmly replies with a smirk as he walks away.
Castle was a good enough judge of character to know a liar when he met one and everything about Wilson screamed lie. He walked back to his cubicle and the 'Wonder Twins' as he referred to the two young investigators he was paired with. Sandra smirked seeing the angry look on Castle's face as he sat down at his makeshift desk. "Judging by the happy look on your face, I gather you met the dragon lady?" Johnson asks sarcastically.
Estevez places a comforting hand on his shoulder and laughs. "Welcome to IA. You haven't arrived until Wilson says or does something that pisses you off."
"That's ok. I spent two years working with her wicked step sister." Rick replies with a small laugh. "Victoria Gates, ever hear of her?"
"No shit? You know that she and Betty were tight." Estevez comments.
"Did you two ever work with her?"
"No. She was gone just before we arrived." Johnson replies then lowers her voice to a near whisper, afraid someone might overhear them. "The three of them were tight. Really tight."
"Who?"
"Robinson, Gates and Wilson." Estevez answers. "Or at least what we've heard. Now it seems like the assistant DA Bartholomew has taken her place in their little clique."
"Bartholomew? As in Bartholomew, Smith and Dennison, the most prestigious law firm in the city?" Castle asks.
"One and the same. Young Kip is the son of Bernard the founder. It appears that daddy is grooming the son for a political career." Johnson replies. "Everyone steers clear of him."
The remainder of the week was spent with the same routine. The vast majority of the complaints were easily dismissed. He was, and wasn't surprised to see a complaint filed against Esposito for excessive force while making an arrest. The suspect thought that Javi's tackle of him after chasing him for two blocks was unnecessary. Rick laughed as he read Espo's report of the incident. He could see Javi taking the guy down and then making some smart-assed remark like he was Dirty Harry.
He missed working with the guys. He missed working with 'her'. Five years is a long time to be together. Hell, he never had any relationship last as long as the one he had with them. Deciding that it was time for a get-together, he hastily typed a text message to Ryan, Espo, and Parish, inviting them for drinks at the Old Haunt the next night. He extended a similar offer to Johnson and Estevez, who were thrilled to be invited. They had both heard stories about the team and their closure rate.
Lanie was the first to respond asking if it was ok to bring a date. He was a bit surprised that she wasn't coming with Esposito, but quickly responded to all to bring their dates. He extended the same offer to the Wonder Twins. The rest of the day was spent reviewing complaints and preparing responses. It was tedious and boring, but necessary for his cover. He watched the two young agents work together sharing a sort of verbal shorthand with each other. He could tell by the way that Johnson looked at her partner, she had another one of those 'specials' that Wilson personally looked after. He manged to sneak a quick glance at the name on the report, detective Ronald Piper from 23rd precinct narcotics division. Rick made a quick note of this name and went back to his work.
The only saving grace of this job is the hours. Unlike homicide, this was a nine to five job with every weekend off. He sent encrypted messages to Smith daily with the names and possible ties to the case. Smith was using his resources to gather evidence that they can use – hopefully. Rick glanced at his watch hoping for five o'clock to come. He could always beg off citing a business meeting or some other excuse, but wanted to show his partners that he was with them.
Castle had made arrangements to reserve several booths adjacent to his own for the night with Larry. He would provide dinner and appetizers for Rick and his guests from one of the restaurants nearby. Castle left 1PP and drove back to his loft. He'd meet Mindy there and they'd have a car take them to his bar.
Mindy had been able to secure a job as an IT tech through the agency that supported the Our America First PAC. So far she had been able to install back doors on several of the systems so that Smith's people could access the systems undetected. For some reason the email servers were isolated from the other systems and were closely guarded by the only full time IT employee of the PAC. That alone was enough to raise flags with Mindy and Rick. They trust their financial transactions to contract employees, yet they keep their emails under lock and key?
It is strangely quiet as he enters the loft. He is still getting used to the fact that it's just Mindy and him living there now. As luck would have it, Alexis came to him and asked if she could transfer to Stanford for the winter semester, citing her need to go with her original choice of schools. Rick could only smile as they both understood why she wanted to transfer. After everything that his daughter had been through in the last year, she deserved her shot at happiness. If Ashley made her happy, then Rick was all for it. It didn't stop him from missing her and she tried to call him daily. It also served as a way to get her as far away from New York as possible without arousing undue suspicions.
Getting Martha out of town took a little more work. A couple of calls to Barry, his producer friend and Martha was offered a small role in an independent movie being shot in Vancouver. Rick's mother hedged a little at first, citing her acting studio, but he assured her that one of her students could run it for her while she was away. He just hoped he could keep her away until all this was over.
Mindy arrived a few minutes after him. She greeted him with a hug and a soft kiss as she slipped out of her heels, sighing in relief. They made small talk about their days at work like an old married couple. There was an ease between them that Rick appreciated and enjoyed. Castle now knew that it was no longer a question of if they would 'seal the deal' only a question of when. He wanted to be sure that she was the only woman that he was thinking of before he ever took things to the next level. She deserved nothing less.
The old saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' was a lie.