Guardian Angel

Chapter 33

"Darnell Brown is from Washington Heights," Castle announces, "or at least that's where he grew up. A few articles predicted that he'd win a basketball scholarship, but that crashed and burned. I found a couple of lines in the New York Patch about the promising athlete being arrested for dealing drugs."

Johanna's eyes flash. "Vulcan Simmons must have gotten his hooks into him."

"Vulcan Simmons," Kate repeats.

"The blurb doesn't mention him, but it would make sense," Castle agrees. "Simmons probably tagged Darnell to act as his messenger to Bracken."

"The sh*t didn't want to take the heat himself." Johanna spits out.

"Then if we tie Darnell to Simmons, that ties Simmons to Bracken," Kate realizes.

Castle bobs his head enthusiastically. "Right! Which will provide further backup to anything Coonan gives up. The noose is tightening, Kate."

"Let's just hope no one cuts the rope, Babe."


"In the vain hope of not waking Evelyn, Roy Montgomery fumbles for his buzzing phone in the dim light of early morning. "What?"

"Sorry I woke you, Captain," Carl apologizes, "but I have some results on the Coonan case. They're not complete, but I thought you'd want to hear them."

Roy throws his feet over the side of the bed and strides barefoot into a corner of the room. "I'm listening."

"So far, we have matches on DNA from three different sources. One is a maternal match to your detective, Kate Beckett."

"That would be Johanna Beckett," Montgomery concludes. "Who else?"

"Familial matches to two other victims on the list we got from Clark Murray: Diane Cavanaugh and Jennifer Stewart. Their DNA was deepest under the hilt and best protected from oxidation. We'll continue working on the rest."

"That's great, Carl, Thank you."

"Just make sure the D.A. nails the bastard, Montgomery." Carl urges.

"I intend to, Chief," Montgomery declares.

Roy considers calling Kate with the news but decides it will be better to give it to her face-to-face. She might also have an easier time if Castle is with her. The vibes between those two were picking up big-time before Roy sent Beckett home."


Ryan intercepts Kate and Castle on their way to Montgomery's office. "Beckett, I heard back from the guys in Narcotics. They suspect Darnell Brown is a high line dealer, but they've never been able to bust him. They think he streets the lower downs and lets them take the heat whenever there's a sweep. His stuff flows out of Washington Heights, which would connect him to Vulcan Simmons."

"Thanks, Ryan. That confirms some things Castle and I came up with, but Montgomery wanted to see Castle and me as soon as we could get here."

"It has to be something big," Ryan offers. "I don't think he's sat down since he got in this morning. He's just been wearing a track in his office."

Castle takes a deep breath. "We're about to find out."

Montgomery gestures toward the couch. "Sit down, Beckett. You too, Castle. Look, Kate, what I'm going to tell you won't come as a surprise, but it's still going to hurt. The knife CSU found under Coonan's pillow, killed your mother and two of the others Murray identified."

Castle reaches for Kate's hand, not flinching beneath the desperate grasp of her slim fingers. "So, what now, Sir?" Kate asks, trying to suppress the tremor in her voice.

"I'll be calling Karnacki, to set up the meet with Coonan and Adelson. I wanted to give you the heads up first, and Lou will just be getting into his office about now. I'll let you know the details as soon as we have them set. You and Castle can go get a cup of that great coffee we have now, and I'll let you know when everything is lined up."

"Sir, is it possible I could sit in on the call?" Kate queries.

"Not a good idea, Beckett. You're too emotionally involved."

"Come on, Kate," Castle urges.

"Go with Rick, Katie-girl," Johanna adds.

"I'll get Karnacki down here as fast as I can," Montgomery promises.


Nausea rises in Kate's throat at Coonan's triumphant smirk as he's led into the room where Adelson and Karnacki wait. Karnacki's watery blue eyes capture Adelson's gaze. "All right, Counselor, I'm here to receive your proffer, and it better be damn good."

"It is," Adelson assures him. "Mr. Coonan's crimes were committed at the behest of a high government official, and he has the documentation to back it up."

"I've seen the case file. There was nothing implicating anyone but your client found at either his office or his apartment."

"That's because it's in the cloud, with a backup on a drive in a location known only to me," Coonan retorts.

"And does this 'high government official,' have a name?" Karnacki questions.

"An extremely well-known one," Adelson replies, "which my client will give you once we have a deal."

"You realize that any deal will hinge on every iota of what your client reveals, proving to be the truth. If he lies about anything, any detail at all, no breaks of any kind," Karnacki warns. "He'll spend the rest of his life in Attica — if you can call that a life."

"I won't have to lie, I have the goods," Coonan insists.

"This deal will make your career, Karnacki. You could use it as a springboard to the governorship," Adelson asserts.

Karnacki snorts. "I don't need a boost from a serial killer. But I will put together an offer that will hinge on your client delivering what you say he will. And I'll have him transferred to the Tombs, so however this works out, he'll be ready for arraignment."

"Anyone could get to him at the Tombs," Adelson protests.

"Which would be no loss to this world," Karnacki returns. "I'll have a deal ready to sign by 5 p.m. Your client better be ready to come clean."

Castle watches Kate as her eyes follow Coonan being led back to his cell. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know. There's still a long way to go. I hope Karnacki puts together something that doesn't let Coonan completely off the hook. Whether he killed my mother and the others for Bracken or not, he still killed them. He should pay for that."

Castle draws Kate against his side. "I know."


Maddox feels a frisson of arousal as he watches a vehicle pull up to the 12th Precinct. He's seen it before, picking up prisoners for transfer. If they're coming for Coonan, this could be his chance. He knows the route the transport will take and has everything in place. When the vehicle halts at the stop sign six blocks after it exits the precinct lot, all Maddox will have to do is touch an icon on his phone to activate a bomb.

With any luck, Coonan may take a few minutes to bleed out from blown off limbs. If Cole gets close enough, he can record the screams of pain. When he gets back to his quarters, he'll enjoy the inevitable release they'll bring. That will be almost as good as collecting his fee. If Coonan is coming out, it won't be long now. Maddox watches as the tall shackled figure emerges from the building between two uniformed officers, with two more trailing behind. Finally, Cole's prey is in sight. He follows the official vehicle closely, but not too closely. The blast will be massive enough to throw off shrapnel. Maddox can feel himself getting hard. Two more blocks. Almost there.