Evelyn
Chapter 17
"What are you reading?" Kate inquires, regarding Rick's scowl at the screen of his laptop.
"Articles about Harlem around the time Evelyn was found, and a few years before that. It was a mess, Kate."
"That's not breaking news," she observes.
"I know, but there was also a thing about a huge conflict over a gym Columbia wanted to build in Morningside Heights. The building plan was seen as segregated and an affront to the black community. There was even a musical written about it. It was a takeoff on Marat-Sade called "The Persecution and Near Assassination of Mark Rudd," the leader of a group of radicals called the Weathermen. And there was a lot of friction between the generations for whom Harlem was a ghetto. The immigrants who came and originally set up stores and owned buildings moved up and out to the suburbs but often kept control as landlords. More than one side was violent, with groups springing up who believed they were defending themselves."
"Why this research now?" Kate wonders. "You would have been a baby during some of that time, and I wasn't even born."
"But Evelyn Montgomery was. And I was wondering if her parents got caught up in the fighting somehow. Maybe they were innocent victims," Rick speculates.
"There are still plenty of those," Kate points out. "And, you're going to drive yourself crazy with conjecture."
"Maybe," Rick concedes, "but if I were writing a book about this case, catching Ralph Johnson would only be part of it, and maybe not the most important part."
"We're supposed to see Montgomery as soon as he gets into the precinct this morning, and we'll find out if there's anything other than scythe DNA left to the case or not. I don't know about you," Kate adds, "but I want another cup of coffee before we go."
"With you there," Rick agrees.
"Close the door and sit down," Montgomery instructs. "I may have your next cold case for you. You're already involved with it, but it's personal to me, and you can say no."
Kate's gaze searches the captain's face. "I don't follow you, Sir."
"Since you talked to Evelyn about what she saw, we've been doing some detective work, and she's been starting to remember. She knows now who her birth parents were."
"Were, Sir?" Castle queries.
"Yes," Montgomery confirms. "The little we dug up has them killed in a car accident, but we have no details about that, nothing really. And the way things went down back then, something happening to a black couple around Harlem might have gone without any real investigation. Anyway, if you would look into it while you're handling the deaths of Johnson's victims, I'd appreciate it. So would Evelyn."
Kate and Rick exchange quick glances of agreement. "Of course, Sir," Kate responds, "anything we can do to help."
"With all this coming down on her, how is Evelyn doing?" Rick asks.
"She's going through a lot, but she wants to know everything she can, so she'll be glad you two are in on this."
The moment he and Kate leave Montgomery's office, Rick spots Alexis waiting at Kate's desk. "What are you doing here, Pumpkin? Did I forget to sign something again?"
Alexis' eyes flash exasperation. "No, Dad, I'm here as part of the CSU staff. Chief Osnitz sent me over to give Kate the report on the DNA pulled from Ralph Johnson's scythe. And he thought I could explain anything you don't understand."
"Explain anything I don't understand!" Rick sputters.
"Your dad and I will go through it," Kate jumps in, "but can you give us the broad strokes?"
"The lab was able to isolate DNA from 20 different victims, but we only found matches for five of them, and two of those were familial matches. You'll have to talk to those people to figure out who Johnson killed."
"Uh-huh, I got that," Castle grumbles.
"We'll give you a call if we need anything else," Kate assures her stepdaughter.
"Great!" Alexis agrees. "I want to get back. I've got a sample processing. See you guys later."
Rick palms his face as Alexis disappears behind closing elevator doors. "She's been with Carl a little more than a day, and he's already convinced her that her father's an idiot."
Kate reaches for his hand. "Babe, you remember that age. Maybe Carl is feeding Alexis' impression a little, but it's normal for teenagers to think of their parents as idiots. It'll pass – eventually."
"I hope so," Rick grumbles. "Daddy can always use a little adoration."
Kate stretches up for a quick kiss. "He has it. Now let's go through this report and see how we can keep the balls of talking to the victim's relatives in the air while we're investigating the death of Evelyn's parents."
Rick wiggles his eyebrows. "I don't know anyone better at handling balls than you."
Anger hardens Vivien Harlow's expression when she answers Kate's knock. "Hey, I served my time, OK? I'm not on parole or nothing. I don't need no cops in my face."
"Ms. Harlow," Kate explains, pressing her hand against the shabby wooden door to keep Vivien from closing it, "we're not here about anything you did. We're here about your brother."
"You're a little late then. I haven't heard from Phillip in five years. Asshole pawned everything he could grab out of my place and disappeared. He can drop dead for all I care."
"He might be dead," Kate replies softly. "You're a sibling match to male DNA found on a murder weapon of someone we believe is a serial killer. Is Phillip your only brother? Is his name Phillip Harlow?"
"Yeah. Hey, listen, I need some water or something, and you can come in." Vivian grabs a bottle from an aging refrigerator. "I didn't mean that sh*t, you know? Phillip wasn't that bad. He kept my father off my ass and took the hits for it. But he had a problem with the cards, you know? He'd go to Atlantic City, and everything would go to hell."
"So, he was a compulsive gambler," Kate assumes.
"I guess. Some of my friends said that about him. Sometimes he'd steal to keep betting. He couldn't help it, you know? He always said he was going to pay everyone back when he hit the big one." Vivien sinks into a chair. "I guess he never will. Is there a body or something I could see? Something that belonged to him?"
"I'm sorry, no," Kate admits. "Just what we found on the weapon. The man we think killed him had ways of making bodies disappear."
"I want to talk to that dickhead," Vivien demands. "I need him to tell me what he did with my brother."
"We'll be asking him," Kate promises. "He hasn't been formally charged yet, but if you like, we'll keep you updated about visiting him and anything about a trial."
"You do that," Vivien retorts. "And I want your name and badge number because if you don't get back to me, I'll be all over your ass."
Kate writes her badge number on the back of her card and hands it to Vivien. "You can call me whenever you need to, but I will be in touch."
"A compulsive gambler who stole to support his habit. That makes sense," Rick considers as he and Kate return to her unit. "If Ralph thought Phillip Harlow was a criminal, he might have believed God told him to take his soul. But as tough as Vivien comes on, she's grieving for him."
"Yes, she is," Kate agrees. "I'll call her whether I have more information for her or not. She'll need to talk."