Evelyn
Chapter 16
It takes every ounce of spring Kate has in her legs to connect with Johnson, but she downs him as the uniformed cops and Castle converge around her. Tourists stare, but New York City natives in their usual nonchalant manner continue on their bargain hunting ways. Kate snaps the cuffs on Johnson as the surrounding police aim their guns at him. He struggles to free himself. "You don't understand! I'm God's messenger. I must fulfill his call."
"If God wants something done, I'm sure he can find a way," Kate retorts, her mother's image snapping into her mind.
"Omnipotent," Castle adds.
"Ralph Johnson, you are under arrest for murder," Kate announces and completes mirandizing the suspect as the backup cops lead him to a marked unit.
"Does Sizemore get his khopesh back?" Castle queries, pointing to the weapon one of the responding officers is bagging.
"He'll get it back eventually, but for now, it's evidence," Kate replies. "Until we get all the lab work back and finish putting the homicide charges together, we've got Johnson on theft."
"I was going to pay for it," Johnson protests. "Seventh commandment; I don't steal."
"Sounds like you kind of skipped over the ones before it," Castle points out. "But, I expect that you'll have plenty of time to pray for forgiveness."
"So, now what?" Castle asks after Johnson is booked and locked in a holding cell.
"I'm going to call in Dr. Holloway to have a look at him," Kate answers. "He'll probably tell us to send him to Bellevue for a psych eval. And we'll have to go talk to Montgomery. He's going to want to tell Evelyn that we got our suspect. When we find out if it's worth questioning Johnson and the lab results come back, we'll see where we go from there.
Evelyn's limitedly useful workday is almost over when she sees Roy's I.D. appear on her phone. He doesn't usually call her at work, or from work unless something important comes up. Her hand trembles as she accepts the call."
Roy's voice is even but direct. "Beckett and Castle did it. The man you saw dressed as the angel of death is in custody."
Evelyn presses her hand to her face. "Thank God. And after all this time, I'll finally know what happened, or at least part of it. Are you coming home on time tonight? Maybe the software will have finished running by then."
"They'd have to lock me in a cell to stop me."
"You want to catch a shower while I throw dinner together?" Rick asks, flicking on the lights in the loft. "You did spend time in the dirt of millions of New York City feet."
"You have a point," Kate agrees. "I think I will wash off. Mmm. I thought Alexis would be home by now, but she would have turned the lights on."
"She scored the top grade on her test to get a place working with the techs at the CSU lab, and was supposed to have her orientation today. She might not be finished, or she could have stopped for a triple fudge sundae to celebrate. Norm's Frozen Nirvana would be right on her way home."
"I wonder how she got along with Carl?" Kate muses.
"At a guess, Rick ventures, "they probably clicked like lock and key. They're both completely into forensics, and neither one of them believes that I think straight."
"I, for one, am glad you don't, at least not by Carl's definition. "The leaps you take to fill in your narratives, solve our cases."
"Thanks, I think," Rick responds. "So what will be your post-water-immersion pleasure? I can put omelets together pretty fast. Peppers and mushrooms? Grapes on the side for sweetness?"
"Sounds terrific."
Returning from the 12th Precinct, Roy Montgomery finds the house dead quiet and Evelyn sitting stock still in front of her laptop. The images have ceased flying across the screen, with one left to display, a memoriam with a photo of a man and a woman resembling Evelyn's computerized sketch. The names beneath the images read Mara and Paul Stoot. "I remember," Evelyn whispers. "The kids at school used to tease me with 'toot' jokes. My name was supposed to be pronounced 'Stew-et, but they wouldn't listen."
Roy drops into a chair beside her, his arm around her shoulders. "So, you remember your parents?"
"My memories are all in little bits and pieces. They were teachers in Detroit, but it was summer, and we went on a trip to New York. I don't remember where we were supposed to be going except that my mother mentioned something about history. Maybe that's why we were in Harlem. The article says they died in an accident, but I don't remember one. Maybe I wasn't with them. Maybe I wandered away. But according to this, there was a daughter and no other next of kin. No one knew to come looking for me. Their bodies were identified by tracing the car."
Roy slowly nods. "I see. It doesn't say how long it took, but for a black couple in Harlem back then, I doubt the staff of the M.E.s office was moving their asses. You would have been a complete Jane Doe if your name hadn't been sewn into your dress."
"Uh-hm. I think Mama might have done that because I took it to camp once. I have a bunch of vague jumbled images of a lake and kids in t-shirts. None of it is coming together."
"Maybe Dr. Burke can help you make sense of it," Roy suggests. "When are you supposed to see him again?"
"Thursday."
"That's not for two days. We should call him. Maybe he can see you tonight."
Rick pops a grape into Kate's mouth. "Did you get the news to the safe house, that it's safe for Latimer and Maisie to leave?"
"I did," Kate replies, "but I got the feeling that Latimer wasn't that happy about it. Apparently, the safe house was the first place he could be sure the parents of those children who were killed didn't have an eye on him. From what the cop playing guardian told me, Latimer and Maisie made a reconciliation of sorts over the idea of reaching out to the parents to start an organization to protect children from similar accidents in the future."
"That's great!" Castle acknowledges. "God may not have sent Johnson after Latimer's soul, but he seems to have touched it somehow. Look, I know we're going to have a bunch of loose ends to tie up about Ralph when the lab sorts out all the DNA results from his scythe. We'll probably end up closing more cases, but do you think it's time to go after another one?"
"I want to check with Montgomery, but probably. We'll see what he says."
Dr. Burke ushers Roy and Evelyn into his office. Roy reaches for Evelyn's hand as they take chairs next to each other. "I appreciate you seeing us together."
"It's all about how Evelyn can feel the most comfortable," Burke explains. "If she wants you here for support, I'm all for it. So, tell me, Evelyn, how much have you remembered?"
She grips her husband's hand. "Things keep coming at me. I saw more images on the way over here, Mostly of times with my parents."
"All right, let's start there," Burke proposes. "What is the first time you remember seeing them?"
Evelyn closes her eyes as her memories flow.