Too Close

Chapter 97

"We have the rap sheet on the vic," Esposito announces. "Cameron Ducane was a suspect as a wheelman in a robbery but was never convicted. He claimed he wasn't doing anything except giving a friend a ride and flipped."

"Who's the next of kin?" Kate asks.

"His wife, Lissa Ducane. She's on her way in now."

Kate's eyes flit to the portable crib set up near her desk. "Then she can pick up her baby, and we won't have to worry about children's services."

"At least knowing that the child is all right should be a comfort to her," Castle adds.

Esposito shakes his head. "Except that here's the thing. Lissa claims they don't have any kids."

Castle whistles through pursed lips. "Whew! This could get messy, and I don't mean Cosmo's diapers."

Castle hands Lissa a box of tissues as she swipes at the moisture on her cheeks. "Cameron and I wanted to have a baby, but we didn't have the money. Cameron's always loved kids. If that baby was in trouble, he would have been trying to help. We were saving up as fast as we could. Roman Valenciaga, that's his boss at the Blue Moon Limousine Service, was giving him extra shifts. The last few nights, I barely saw him."

"When you did see him, did he seem nervous about anything?" Kate asks.

"You know, he did. He put an extra lock on the door to our apartment. He put locks on the windows too. He said he was just trying to keep me safe. Our neighborhood's not that great. If there was something else, he didn't tell me what it was."

"And you have no idea who the baby Cameron brought to the church might be?" Beckett presses.

"None," Lissa insists, dabbing at her eyes.

"Did you buy that?" Castle wonders after Kate details a uniformed officer to take Lissa home. "If Ducane was out all night, he could have been having an affair. That's one way to go broke. Cosmo could be a love child. He's certainly loveable enough."

"I've never been a baby person," Kate admits, "but he is cute."

"What do you have against babies?" Rick demands.

"Nothing," Kate insists. "I guess I've just never had the chance to get to know any. I had a few babysitting jobs when I was in high school, but they were older children — boys who thought it was cool that I was earning money for a motorcycle. Then I was at Stanford, and after that, all I could think about was finding a way to get justice for my mother. I wasn't serious enough about anyone to think about having a kid with him."

"Seemed like you and Sorenson went at it pretty hot and heavy, especially since he wanted to get back with you."

"Babe, that was him, not me. If I'd wanted to be with him that much, I would have followed him to Boston. The truth is, until you, I didn't seriously think about spending my life with anyone, let alone having a baby. And you have Alexis, so I didn't know if you'd want to have another child."

Castle sticks two fingers under Kate's chin, bringing her eyes to meet his gaze. "I'd want to if you were the mother, but only if you want it. With Meredith on the road all the time, I was on my own taking care of Alexis. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it — well most minutes of it — but it wasn't easy. I could fit my writing in during the odd hours when she was asleep, and then when she started school. But things are even more complicated now. If we have a child together, we'd both have to be all in."

Kate wraps her hand around Rick's. " I understand, and I agree. Look, if my promotion comes through, I'll have more control over my hours, but I'll also be on probation for 18 months. After that, we can both see how we feel about it."

"Fair enough," Castle admits, "but Cosmo is already growing on you. I can tell."

"Hey!" Ryan calls across the bullpen. "I found out who Ducane would have been afraid of. The guy who pulled off the robbery that Ducane arrested for, Jimmy Wolfinsky, swore he'd get Ducane. He got out of prison last week." Ryan nods at Esposito. "I got his address from his parole officer. Let's go see him, Bro."

"Castle, we should go see Roman Valenciaga and find out about Ducane's extra shifts," Kate determines.

"What about Cosmo?" Castle questions.

"The captain seems to be enjoying taking care of him, and L.T. is into it too. Anyway, children's services will probably be here to get him any minute, and we may be able to get a clue about where he belongs."

"You have a point," Castle concedes. "Someone must be missing him, and if they aren't, they should be."

"Roman's not here," The dispatcher at the Blue Moon Limousine Service claims. "He said he had a meeting. But if you're interested in where Ducane was the past few nights, I can help you with that. We track all our drivers on GPS, in case they break down or something. I have logs of where he went if you want to have a look at them."

"Thanks," Kate responds, "that would be very helpful."

In Kate's unit, Castle scans through the log pages he's divided with Kate. "This is strange."

"What, Babe?"

The last few nights, Ducane logged a number of trips between Blue Moon and two buildings, but he drove a different route every time. Why would he do that?"

"Castle, he was the getaway driver on Jimmy Wolfinsky's robbery. Getaway drivers time out routes. Hitting lights just right and shaving a second here and there can make the difference between pulling off a job and getting caught. Lissa said they needed money. Maybe he was involved in another robbery, and got shot."

"But where would Cosmo come into it?" Castle wonders. "He's bleeding out, and instead of trying to get help for himself, Ducane delivers Cosmo to safety. That doesn't sound much like what a crook would do, to me. There had to be something else going on."

Kate draws her bottom lip between her teeth. "You're right, but we don't have a clue what. What were those two buildings?"

"This just lists the addresses. I can check now." Castle regards the screen of his phone. "OK, one of them is a factory, and the other one is an office complex. It has a bank in it, and ooh, it's where they draw the balls for the lottery."

Esposito looks up toward a decrepit apartment above a convenience store. "That's where Wolfinsky lives."

"Hold on a second," Ryan requests, pointing at the lotto sign in the store window. "I want to pick up some tickets."

"What do you want to go doing that for?" Esposito snorts. "You've been worrying about money ever since Jenny told you she's pregnant. You shouldn't go wasting it on a one to impossible chance."

"It's still a chance," Ryan insists, "and do you have any idea how much money it takes to raise a kid? Almost a quarter of a million dollars. And that's not counting college. That's going to be tough on a cop's salary, even with moonlighting. And I don't want Jenny to have to go back to work, at least until the kid is ready for pre-school. One win, even if I only get five of the numbers, could take care of it. It's worth dropping a few bucks to try."

"It would be worth more, putting those bucks in the bank," Esposito retorts, "but go and get your tickets. Just have your head on straight when we talk to Wolfinsky."

Ryan grabs for the door handle. "Thanks, Bro. I'll be right back."