Couples

Chapter 38

The caller I.D., M.L. Saelim, flashes on the screen of Rick's phone as he watches Lily push her activity walker around the corral. Enthusiastically, he accepts the call. "Professor, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"The young man you sent with your maps was waiting in the hall outside my office when I arrived this morning," Saelim explains. "An inscription referring to an ancient legend immediately caught my eye."

"What legend?" Rick asks.

"It is a story about a king of Siam, one with a household of many wives and children."

"Like in the King and I?" Rick asks.

"Something like that," Saelim agrees, "but somewhat earlier in Siam's history. Unlike the one who hired Anna Leonowens to give his children a modern education, this king believed strongly in the supernatural. In particular, he believed that an emerald could enable him to tell which of his wives were faithful and also predict the future. He sent a trusted retainer to Cambodia to obtain the finest stone he could and gave him a method to conceal it from bandits. Supposedly it was the favorite toy of his eldest son."

Rick leans into his phone. "A wooden puzzle with a hidden compartment?"

"The legend isn't precise on that point, just that it wouldn't appear to belong to a king or a highly placed official. According to the story, after procuring the emerald, the king's man was waylaid by bandits, who took everything he carried, including his food, and stripped him down to one thin cloth wrapping. By the time he dragged himself back to the palace, he was near death from starvation and exposure. He managed to tell the king his story before he died, and the royal scribe recorded it. Not long after that, the king himself passed on, without ever possessing the emerald he desired."

"So what happened to the jewel?" Rick demands.

"That was the end of the tale, Mr. Castle. If it actually happened, the bandits would have kept what they wanted and sold the rest. The puzzle could have gone to one of the thieves' children or anyone willing to buy it. The maps give no clue as to how it made its way across the ocean."

"One mystery leads to another," Rick murmurs. "I'm more fascinated than ever, Professor. Thank you for your impressive efforts."

"I enjoyed this little bit of adventure," Saelim confesses. "Thank you. The university, however, will invite you to show your appreciation with a donation."

Smiling, Rick shakes his head. "I wouldn't doubt that for a moment."

"Aren't you going to call Castle?" Fishkill asks.

Werner smirks. "I thought I'd give him time to stew for a few hours, afraid we're not interested. He made sure we had his number. He'll be grateful to get the call." Werner consults his watch. "He's had most of the morning to worry about it. Now's as good a time as any."

After repeatedly and unsuccessfully trying to get someone from Haverburge Estate Sales on the phone, Rick's voice grates when he picks up Werner's call. "Werner here, Mr. Castle. You sound as if you could use some good news."

"What good news?" Rick questions.

"My partner and I have decided to help you get your venture off the ground. Would you be available for a meeting later today, say three?"

Rick hadn't scheduled any time from Meryl, but she might be available if she finishes her current article. Lily is always ecstatic to see Belle. "I'll have to check on that, Mr. Werner. I'll get back to you in a few minutes."

"Don't take too long, Castle," Werner warns. "Our schedule fills up quickly."

"I understand," Castle acknowledges.

Victor Barron imagines that the slimy grin he aims at the T.V. camera is charming. To political anchor Paula Cahill, it's nauseating. Despite a 3.9 G.P.A., she made it through college on scholarships from beauty pageants. She was never in Victor Barron's freak show, but she heard stories from other women on the circuit. The accusations against him don't surprise her at all. That he would use gold plated handcuffs fits him to a T – an ostentatious asshole with a lust for control.

"Mr. Barron," Paula begins, "On The Morning Show Today, you told Holly Scarelli that you were framed. The police have pictures of you, unclothed. They also have pictures of the woman you allegedly restrained for sexual purposes and her testimony. How exactly were you framed?"

"It's all fake news, Paula," Barron claims. "The pictures were probably photoshopped. The girl is lying."

"And all the other women found in the Gaetz Mansion were also lying?" Paula presses. "How about the police? N.Y.P.D. Detective Purvis is a respected veteran on the force. Is he lying as well?"

"Yes, he is, Paula," Barron insists. "It's all part of a plot to smear a great man, Governor Burrell, and embarrass and defame me. And I can tell you that I'm not about to take it. Governor Burrell is not about to take it either, and neither are his supporters. He's been an honorable public servant, and everyone knows it. We intend to fight these false charges with every weapon at our disposal and expose the conspiracy pervading the government of this city and this state."

"So, that's your story, and you're sticking to it?" Paula questions.

"It's not a story, Paula; it's the truth," Barron declares.

Paula turns to the camera. "There you have Mr. Barron's assertions. After the break, we'll have a short interview with the assistant district attorney responsible, pending federal involvement, for spearheading the investigation of events at the Gaetz Mansion. Stay with us."

It's hardly the first time Eli's been interviewed on T.V. While running for D.A., it won't be the last. He hasn't been in front of the camera with Paula Cahill before, but of the work he's seen from her, she's honest, fair, and well informed.

Paula watches the producer's countdown as Eli settles into his seat. "And we're back. Eli Douglas is the A.D.A. bringing charges associated with the raid on the Gaetz Mansion. Mr. Douglas has an impressive record of bringing down crime figures and substantially limiting the extent of racketeering in New York City. Eli Douglas, has Victor Barron been framed? Has Governor Burrell been framed?"

"That is for a jury to decide, Ms. Cahill. However, I will say that Detective Charlie Purvis, who conducted the raid, has a spotless record. Mr. Barron does not. He has been found guilty and fined by the city for a number of offenses, including falsification of tax documents. Those cases are a matter of public record open for anyone to explore. As to Governor Burrell, we have at least 20 witnesses that he was at the Gaetz Mansion. In addition to their testimony, we have both photographic and documentary evidence. While Burrell and Barron dispute the facts, I am not aware of any reporting that I would consider 'fake news.'"

"Governor Burrell has known political ambitions, as do you," Paula points out. "What effects do you feel those will have on your prosecution?"

"On my part, my political interests don't enter into it. If anything, Burrell's presidential aspirations would work in my favor. I have no prejudice against him or any personal reasons to seek his conviction. The charges we are discussing are purely a matter of law. We will present our evidence in court. Counsels for Mr. Barron and Governor Burrell will do the same."

"Thank you, Mr. Douglas. For more, I urge our viewers to go to our website for a special report on the history of sex trafficking in this country. I'll be right back." As the light on the camera goes out, Paula extends her hand. "Good interview, Eli. Good luck."