Flu
Chapter 72
The office assistant sticks her head in the door of Eli's office. Hugh Heitner is trying to get you again. He says to tell you that he knows where the bodies are buried. He claims he can show you where Frees put his victims."
"Tell him I'll consider calling him back," Eli instructs. "If there are bodies, I doubt they're far from Clae Bakker's cabin. That was Frees' home base. There's a good chance we can locate them on our own without giving Heitner anything. Get the K-9 unit on the phone. I want cadaver dogs."
Francie Goodwin guides Kate and Rick to a table in the break room in the building where she works. "I get ten minutes to kick back in the morning. If we need more time, I'll take the ten minutes I'd get this afternoon. By the way, the coffee here isn't half bad, if you want some, but the doughnuts are from yesterday."
Kate demurs, preferring to get started with her questions. Rick gazes longingly at the pot of dark brew but goes along with his wife.
Kate pulls out her notebook. "Mr. Vincenzo told us that you'd be able to fill us in on Dina's activities before she disappeared."
Francie props her elbows on the table. "I'll tell you what I can. Vic's been kicking himself ever since it happened about not talking to her that day. Dina was big into cooking, and she loved trying out new herbs. Some guy told her about a little bodega that sold types she hadn't used before. She said she was going to have a look. If they were OK, she was supposed to try out whatever she made on me, and maybe on Vic if he wasn't schmoozing with the press or something. She promised that she'd give me a call about getting together. She never did."
"Do you know which bodega?" Kate asks.
Dina's friend shakes her head. "No. New York has so many of them, and they sell a lot of weird stuff. When I talked to the police back then, they didn't think it was much of a clue. When Dina didn't call me, and I couldn't reach her, I called Vic. He said he hadn't heard from her either. We thought maybe she was doing a thing with the guy she talked about and turned off her phone, but she never got back to either of us."
"Vic said you and Dina were longtime friends. Do you know what type of man that appealed to her?" Kate asks.
"Look, I wouldn't normally tell anyone this, because it was private, but maybe it will help you to know. Dina went for cool leather the way she did unusual herbs. She was attracted to men who wore leather, too. Could that be important?"
"Very important," Kate assures Francie. "You may have given us a direct link to a killer. Do you know if Dina ever bought something like a handmade leather messenger bag?"
"She had one the last time I saw her, but I don't know how or when she got it. Sometimes she liked to keep finds like that to herself. They were like her cooking. They made her feel unique."
"That's one find she could have done without," Rick mutters.
"Time for the missing person files?" Rick inquires as he and Kate leave the office complex where they met Francie.
"I guess," Kate replies," but I get the feeling we'll keep hearing similar things about the victims. They were pretty young women who visited the bodega, liked leather, or both. Frees essentially killed the same person over and over. Even with Heitner running interference, how could nobody pick up on it until now?"
"Maybe normal humans just hate to believe a monster like that is out there," Castle suggests. "I know I…"
Kate's cell dings. "It's a text from Eli Douglas. Heitner spilled that Frees has a burial ground. Eli's arranged a search near the cabin where we found Frees. He's inviting us along."
"That's gruesome, but these guys have never been anything else. So, more cold cases or cold ground?"
"If we're going for closure for the families, we'll probably find it in the ground."
The dogs' barking grows louder as they approach a field of wildflowers, mostly killed by Autumn frost. Kate points to a nearby shack. "Let's check that out."
Rick trails her as she approaches the padlocked door. "Don't you need a search warrant?"
"Eli got one for the whole area." Kate pulls a set of lockpicks out of her pocket.
Rick grins. "I love a woman who comes prepared."
A chemically tinged stench of decay hits their noses as Kate pulls open the door. "Eww. This must be Frees' workshop."
Rick points to a shelf full of leather cords. "Frees' murder weapons?"
"They could be. We'll need the lab to match them to the residue on Bridget McCready's neck. We probably shouldn't disturb anything until they've had a chance to go over the place." An excited yip cuts the air. "Sounds like one of the dogs made a find."
"I'm not sure I want to see what it is," Rick admits.
Eli puts a hold on the hunt at dusk and ensures the area was secured until the team returns in the morning. So far, searchers uncovered what appears to be the remains of eight women. Not much was left of the victims, but with any luck, the lab can recover DNA from the teeth and bones. Eight families and possibly more may find a mournful peace when the burial site is fully excavated.
Christmas music fills the loft when Rick and Kate return home. For the couple, the cheerful tune is a jolting if welcome lift after a gut-wrenching afternoon. Alexis looks up from behind the kitchen counter. "I put out everything we'll need to bake, after Dad called to say you were on your way. I ordered pizza. I thought that would be easier than trying to cook dinner. It should be here any minute."
Rick kisses his daughter on the head. "That's great, Pumpkin."
"I got out most of the cookie cutters," Alexis continues, "but I couldn't find Goofy Star."
"Oh, right," Castle recalls. "I took it over to the Pumpkin Palace for the chef to see. I thought he might want to make cookies like that for a little whimsey. But I brought it back here. I think it's in my office. I'll get it."
Curling his fingers around the edges of the off-kilter cookie shaper, Rick sinks into his desk chair. He doesn't want to bring Alexis down, but the transition from graveyard gloom to holiday joy is a little fast for him to handle. Kate slips in behind Rick's seat and wraps her arms around his neck. "You OK, Babe?"
"Alexis is so excited about tonight. I want to share her enthusiasm, but my brain is still stuck on images of what was left of those poor women. I can't help thinking about Christmases their loved ones spent wondering what happened to them."
Kate rests her chin on top of his head. "At least we found them. Maybe this Christmas, the healing can begin."
Rick reaches for her hand. "I hope so."
"Come on," she urges, tugging him up, "We have Goofy Star cookies to bake."
Rick's lips find a smile. "That we do."
"I call dibs on the silver ball sprinkles," Kate proclaims.
He nuzzles her cheek. "Why not? To me, you and Alexis are the shine on the Christmas stars."
