Guardian Angel
Chapter 16
"Ah, that's better," Rick sighs, dropping back down next to Kate on McCallister's couch. "While I was gone, I was thinking. How would the cop who's obsessed with the baseball murder interact with the other cops? What would happen if he had a partner who wasn't on board? How long were you on the job, McCallister?"
"Thirty years."
"And did you have a partner you were close to, who might have disagreed with you at some point?" Castle queries.
"Yeah, Raglan, John Raglan. And we had our beefs."
"Was there a big one?" Castle presses.
McCallister's chair creaks slightly under the shifting of his body. "I suppose you might say that. We were in an organization, sort of. I didn't like what the head guy was doing and wanted to leave. John didn't. But we got past it. We're still in touch. We go to games together sometimes, or we did."
"Why did? What happened?" Kate asks as casually as she can.
"Raglan's got health problems. Pretty bad, I guess. I should call him soon."
"So, McCallister, partners would stay close, but you don't think a high official would be involved in putting out a contract on a lady lawyer?" Castle sums up, interrupting the ex-cop's reverie.
McCallister's foot jitters against the floor. "I said I never knew about anything like that."
"OK," Castle acquiesces, "I suppose I'll have to think of another plotline. What would you think about someone importing counterfeit baseballs that dip or swerve or something when pitched? Wouldn't that completely throw off the stats?"
"What?" McCallister stares numbly at Rick. "Oh, yeah, I guess it might. Um, could you two excuse me now? I really need to call John."
"Partner's instinct. Right," Castle agrees. "Of course. We'll leave you to it. I really appreciate your help, Mr. McCallister."
"Thank you for your time," Kate adds, as McCallister ushers them to the door.
Castle slaps his palm against the hood of his car in McCallister's driveway. "Did you see how he reacted when I mentioned the murder of a lady lawyer? He looked like he was going to hurl. He knows what happened, Kate, and he knows who was behind it."
"But how do we get him to tell us, Castle?"
"He won't, but he might talk about it with Raglan."
"Castle, you didn't bug McCallister's house, did you?"
"If I'd thought about it in time, it would have been fun to try, but we might be able to bug Raglan."
"Castle, cops can't just bug someone, we need a court order."
"I'm not a cop, Kate. And for this week, neither are you. From what McCallister said, Raglan's sick, right? Maybe very sick. So we're nice. We send him a plant to cheer his day. And we put an extra gift in it."
Kate shakes her head. "I'm almost afraid to ask, Castle, where are you going to get a bug?"
"I know a guy, another consultant on my Storm books. Remember I told you I picked up some stuff from the CIA? I know a few things about how surveillance works, more than I put in my books, at least so far. We'll be able to pick up Raglan's side of the conversation as he talks to McCallister on the phone. If McCallister gets it in mind to visit his old friend, we'll hear the whole thing. But we better hurry."
"Castle, I don't know."
"Get on the stick, Kate," Johanna urges. "If you miss this chance, only The Father knows if you'll get another one, and he's not telling me."
"All right, Castle," Kate agrees, "let's get your bug."
Izzy Seymour hits the last keystroke on his computer. "OK, Rick, I programmed your bug to send its feed to your phone. It's sound-activated, so it will only send when there's something to hear. If your target is watching TV or listening to music, you'll hear that too, but that's the best I can do. I hope it helps you catch your killer, Kate."
"I hope so too, Izzy."
"How long is the bug good for?" Castle asks.
"The battery is photo rechargeable like a calculator. As long as the guy you're listening in on turns on a light now and then, you shouldn't run out of juice. If you're hiding it in a plant, don't bury it in the dirt or stick it on the bottom of the pot."
"Nothing like a challenge," Castle quips. "Thanks, Izzy, we'll figure it out."
Kate studies the array of plants at Flowerpalooza. "Hey, Castle, look at the leaves on this one. Our little gift would blend right in with the markings. We could stick it on the top leaf, and Raglan would never know the difference."
"Kate, that's brilliant! Let's get it on there, and I'll have this thing sent off to the address we found for Raglan. I've used the delivery service before, for emergency apologies. With enough of an upcharge, our leafy friend here can find its new home within a couple of hours."
"All right, but then I want to do something for you for a change."
Rick's eyebrows rise. "Really?"
"Sure. Once the plant's on its way, we should go to my apartment. I'll make lunch. I have a great recipe for meat sauce. Actually, I have great recipes for a lot of things. My Nonna left them to me with the apartment. I just don't get much chance to use them."
Castle pulls in a deep breath as he banishes visions of more strenuous activities from his mind. "Sure. We can't have your Nonna's legacy going to waste, can we? I would love to try your rendition of her meat sauce or any of her other creations you wish to share."
Castle's cellphone lets out a shriek as he follows Kate into her apartment. "What the hell?"
"What the hell?" the phone echoes.
"What's going on, Castle?" Kate asks as the sound continues to assault their ears.
Rick quickly thumbs down the volume to a bearable level and whispers. "Wow, it's like feedback or something that happens when you get a mike too close to a speaker — or a receiver too close to a bug. Kate, I think while we were on our mission, someone was bugging you. Count or sing or something. I'm going to try to track it."
Kate begins to belt out Sinatra's "New York, New York," as Rick uses his phone to scan for the source of the feedback.
"Kate, I found it!" Castle points to a tiny device almost invisible in the corner of a windowpane.
Using her fingernail, Kate scrapes it free and presses the tip of her finger to her lips. Pulling the ever-present notepad and pen from Rick's pocket, she writes, "Don't say anything! I want to take it to CSU, so they can figure out where it came from. They won't know I'm on suspension."
Castle nods silently and points toward the door. Keeping his lips pressed together, Rick drives the short distance to the CSU lab, where Kate explains in a note to the chief criminalist what happened.
Rick exhales as he and Kate leave CSU. "Now what?"
"Now, hopefully, the techs can trace that bug and give us a clue to who planted it. But I still owe you a lunch. And we should be able to listen in on Raglan soon. Feel like going back to my apartment?"
"Can't think of any place I'd rather be."
