Ian 2

Chapter 46

Castle gazed curiously at the ID on his phone. He couldn't imagine why Roger Clary might be calling him, especially in the middle of the workday. From what he'd observed and picked up from Fleur, the man was a workaholic. He thumbed his acceptance of the call. "Rick, it is Roger Clary. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I wonder if we might meet somewhere for a coffee, or perhaps something stronger."

Castle couldn't help wondering if Ian and Fleur had somehow found a way to become more physically involved than they appeared, and Fleur was pregnant, But Roger's voice didn't hold the edge of anger that he would have expected if that was the urgent matter Fleur's father was referring to. If anything, the man sounded scared, even frantic. "Of course," Castle agreed. "You sound like you could use a drink. There is a pub, Mulavey's, not far from the Bank of Martinique. Do you know it?"

"I don't," Roger admitted. "I have yet to become well acquainted with the area. But I can locate it. My phone is adept at giving directions. Can you be there at 17:30?"

Rick did a quick time correction in his head. "I'll see you then."

"Do you think it's about the kids?" Kate queried when Castle relayed what Roger had said.

Castle shook his head. "I don't think so. He didn't even mention them. But whatever it is, it's important. He didn't say anything about the bank either, but from the remark he made about reliable help, at our celebration dinner for the kids' graduation, I am wondering if it might be about something - something sketchy - going down there. Can you use your contacts to see if there are any rumors about misdoings at the Bank of Martinique?"

"I can try," Kate replied.

Castle pressed his lips to hers. "Good. Thanks. I don't know how long my meeting with Roger will take, but I'll call you if it goes too long. And I'll let you know whatever I find out."


Castle joined Roger in the booth he had chosen in the darkest corner of the pub. He could detect the smell of rum from the drink Roger already had in front of him. Castle signaled a server for a scotch. "What's going on, Roger?"

"Rick, I'm not entirely sure anything is going on, but there are some transactions at our bank that I find suspect."

"If that's the case you should call the police, or better still the U.S. Attorney. Her office looks into financial misdeeds. I can give you a contact if you like. I've used some of her people as consultants from time to time."

Roger took a swallow, half draining his glass. "I can't do that. As I said, I'm not entirely sure, and if I'm wrong, it could be the end of my career with my bank or any bank. I have Jacqueline and Fleur to consider. I can't risk the welfare of my family."

"I get that," Castle agreed. "Things can be investigated quietly. I know people."

"I suspected that you do," Roger confided. "No one writes what you do without some involvement with those in that world, and of course there is your work with your wife and the police."

"I'll need to tell whomever I call what they'd be investigating. You need to tell me everything you can."

Roger took another sip of his drink. "Oui. There have been a number of transactions that have proceeded too quickly."

What kind of transactions?" Castle pressed.

"Real estate, mostly. Condominiums, even large estates being bought and immediately sold, often at a loss. There have been shares of businesses as well, that have made a quick turnaround, even in the midst of improvements and expansions that would have yielded a much better return if the investors had waited. Sometimes sales such as these occur because an investor has an emergency or is even just foolish. There have been too many, and they have been too consistent for me to believe that is the case, but they have fallen short of the automatic triggers for notifying the U.S. Treasury."

"So, you suspect money laundering?" Castle asked.

"Or perhaps a quid pro quo," Roger responded, "A form of payment for favors done, that could not be acknowledged."

"I think I understand," Castle said. "With your permission, I would like to discuss this with Kate, before I proceed any further. I promise you; we won't allow a word of what you've told me to get back to your colleagues at the bank."

"Bien sûr. At this moment you and your wife are my best hope."


"What you've told me jibes with what I heard from Anil, a guy I know who works with the racketeering investigators in the Attorney General's office," Kate told Castle when he returned. "The mobs, especially the ones with international connections, have been getting smarter. Straight cash transactions have been getting easier to trace, even when they've involved offshore accounts in Switzerland, Syria, or the Caymans. So, they began a tit for tat system. You do me a favor, then you sell me something at a huge profit, or I sell you something you can turn over for one. Since both the real estate and securities markets can fluctuate, and form bubbles, the strategy has been working for a while. Investigators are just starting to get a handle on it now, but they have a long way to go. As far as Anil knows, if the Bank of Martinique is a player in that game, it is a newcomer. That would account for why Roger may just be stumbling on this now. Anil hasn't heard of any investigation into its activities."

"Seems like it's time there was one," Castle said. "I know someone who can do that kind of work under the radar. I'll have Izzy get into it and see what he finds."

"I'll ask Anil to try to get some action from his end, too," Kate said.

Castle nodded. "Just so long as nothing leads back to Roger."


Ian bent over his drawing board. His supervisor at Dark Force had liked the evil fighting dorlis, whom he and Fleur had named Raphael. Ian had given full credit to Fleur for the authenticity and the details and been complimented on developing a good source. Ian couldn't think of Fleur that way. She was no more just a source to him than Kate was to his dad. Fleur was everything. When his dad had talked about Kate being his muse, long before they'd been a real couple, Ian hadn't fully understood what he was saying. Now he did. Ian could think up characters and stories on his own. He had for years before Fleur came into his life. But she gave him new energy and new ways of looking at things. He was spending more and more time imagining how he could be with her, the way his Dad was with Kate. He didn't know how he could make that happen, but he knew he'd find a way. He had to. If he didn't, nothing else in his life would make sense. Stories about Raphael were a good start, but there would have to be more.