Flu

Chapter 68

No matter how many times Kate has to notify a family member of the death of a loved one, the burn in her stomach and tightness in her throat never get better. Rick's arm around her shoulders as she traverses the walk to the entrance to the Icelo home is a comfort, but she can't afford that crutch when the door opens. Her finger finds the doorbell and pushes it just hard enough to produce a sound inside.

The hair of the woman answering the summons is heavily streaked with gray, and the lines around her mouth and eyes are deep. What color she has, leaves her face as she sees the badge hanging from Kate's belt. "C-can I help you?"

"Ms. Eleanor Icelo?" Kate inquires. Eleanor nods. "We're here about Karrie."

Silently, Eleanor waves Kate and Rick inside. "She's dead, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Icelo. I'm sorry for your loss. Karrie's body was found some time ago in Pennsylvania, but the medical examiner there was unable to make an identification. Her killer recently revealed her name, enabling us to find you," Kate explains. "Again, I'm so sorry to have to bring you this news."

Eleanor sinks into a chair. "From the time Karrie disappeared, I think I knew. She wasn't the type to run off. When she wasn't in school, she spent most of her time in her room. The only place she liked to go was Bambiland. She loved to feed the deer. That's where she told me she was going the day she disappeared. But you said she was found in Pennsylvania."

"That's right," Kate confirms. "The killer left her there."

Eleanor's eyes gleam with moisture. "Did they, um, bury her? How can I…?"

With parental empathy, Rick takes up the thread. "When Detective Beckett and I talked to the medical examiner, he told us that Lehigh County picked up the cost of a burial. Your daughter was treated with respect, Ms. Icelo."

"Do you want contact information for the person who can give you details of her internment?" Kate asks, digging in her pocket for a card.

Eleanor's fingertips swipe moisture from her cheeks. "Please."

Kate jots down a name and number Lorne Faulkner gave her, and Eleanor takes the card with a trembling hand. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Ms. Icelo, my number is there too. If you need to know anything else," Kate offers, "call me, day or night."

"All right, Detective," Eleanor acknowledges, "I will."


"She never asked how her daughter died," Castle notes, taking his seat beside Kate in her unit.

"She may be afraid to find out, at least right now," Kate speculates. "But that's why I made sure she knows she can call me, especially if the demons come out of the dark. She shouldn't have to hear it from a faceless official."

Rick leans over the console, his lips meeting Kate's in a deep kiss. "I never thought I could fall for you any harder, but I just did."

Kate reaches for his hand, closing her eyes as she slowly traces her thumb over the lines in his palm. "This could be just the beginning. C.S.U. should be sending us any matches they get from Frees' trophies, any time now. Given the age of women we know he watched, anything from CODIS will probably be a familial match. There may be more Mr. or Mrs. Icelos."

"You know," Rick considers, "I'm glad the bastard didn't die of the flu, or at least not yet. He deserves to suffer for every one of those deaths. And the families have the right to know he's rotting behind bars. Burning in hell is way too abstract a concept."

"You have a point," Kate agrees. "And I look forward to forcing him to admit what a monster he is. But right now, I get to sit down with Eli and squeeze Heitner."

"You think Eli will cut him any kind of a break?" Castle wonders.

"I think Eli will make sure he gets in the segregated population, so he lives long enough to go to trial. But in the end, it's up to a judge and jury. I hope they send him to Attica for life."

"Attica's the worst prison in New York. But he'd still be doing better than Karrie Icelo," Rick notes grimly.

"Yeah," Kate agrees, "he would."


"Gather round, people," Montgomery announces in the bullpen the next morning. "According to the models from the National Weather Service, in a couple of weeks, there's a strong chance that a storm will make New York City look like a snow globe, and not the kind with ice skaters and cute snowmen. We all know that a few inches of the white stuff can bring this city to a halt. We could be looking at a lot more than that. As you're also aware, these forecasts don't always pan out, but from the way things stand at this moment, much of the Eastern Seaboard can expect to be buried a few days after Christmas. That means having our plans solidly in place now.

"We'll be stocking up on emergency supplies here, and it would be wise for you to do so in your own homes as well. For those of you lucky enough to have a day or two off around the holiday, don't plan on traveling. Even if you can get where you're going, you may not be able to get back. If the situation develops as predicted, we may need every hand on deck. Some of you may find this disappointing, but the department will do its best to accommodate any vacation plans at a later date. So put your heads down, and let's get as much as we can done while we have the chance. Dismissed."

Kate turns to Rick. "With Alexis working with Osnitz, and you keeping your hand in at the Pumpkin Palace, we weren't planning to go anywhere anyway."

"That's true. But the captain's going to press our noses to the grindstone extra hard in the meantime."

Kate shrugs. "So, what else is new?" The email signal sounds from her desktop. "That's probably the report from C.S.U. on Frees' trophies." Kate quickly brings up the text. "Only four matches and they're parental. We'll have to get I.D.s for the rest of the victims somehow."

"Considered waterboarding the sonofabitch?" Rick asks.

"It's a thought. But aside from getting me fired, Frees would probably lie anyway. We already know about Bridget and how he watched the girls from her school. Maybe we'll dig up another connection to figure out who the rest are. We can work that out later. Doing what we have to do right now is going to be hard enough. I'll need locations on these people."

"You want to split the list?" Rick offers.

"Yeah, that would be great."

A chill creeps over Rick's skin as he stares at the address in front of him. "Kate, This building is next door to ours. I thought Bridget McCready was a coincidence, but we could be living in Frees' killing field."

"The one I found is within two blocks of the loft," Kate realizes.

Acid burns its way up Rick's throat. "That bastard could have come after Alexis or one of her friends. He was prowling around our home all this time, and I didn't know!"

"Hey, Babe, we know now. We've got him, and Alexis and her friends are fine. Let's get addresses for the other two. If they're in the same zone, we may have the clue we need to identify Frees' other kills."