Couples
Chapter 40
Rick's shout of Eureka easily reaches the kitchen from his office. "What was that about?" Kate asks as Rick joins her at the counter to refill his coffee mug.
"Finally getting someone from Haverburge Estate Sales on the phone. I arranged to talk to Ruth Jones, the person who set up the sale where Willow bought your emerald-bearing elephant. I have a call with her scheduled later."
"And you think Ms. Jones will know more about where it came from?" Kate questions.
"No," Rick admits, "but she would have had to talk to a family member or the family lawyer, to contract for disposal of the items. I'm hoping she can point me to someone who would know some of the elephant's history."
"Good luck with that, Babe. It's more interesting than what I'll be doing. While we're waiting for something to pop from Werkill, Montgomery has me on paperwork patrol. I have to go over a month's worth of reports from the bullpen and make sure no one omitted any salient facts."
"A month's worth," Rick repeats. "Ouch. I would offer to help, but Meryl got a plum assignment, so I'm on Lily patrol. I might even take Belle for a while if Meryl hits a rough patch."
"Sounds like we'll both be busy," Kate observes. "Alexis too. She left with a determined look on her face while you were on the phone."
"A determined look on Alexis's face is pretty much situation normal. But from what she's told me, she's settling into a routine right now at C.S.U., so I wonder what else is on her mind."
"Maybe you can ask her later," Kate suggests.
"Maybe, but most days, she's been going straight from the lab to see Dana. We don't get a lot of father-daughter discussion time."
"When I was her age, I picked time with my boyfriend over time with my father too," Kate recalls. "That is until my mother was murdered."
Rick's grip on his coffee tightens. "What boyfriend was that?"
"There were a few, including one who turned out to be a pathological liar. But the one who was the most fun was another Nebula Nine fan."
Rick's jaw clenches. "He must have loved your Lieutenant Chloe outfit."
"He did, but I've had a better time wearing it for you."
"Good to know. Speaking of Lieutenant Chloe, do you want a science officer's omelet before you leave?"
Kate eyes him suspiciously. "I thought I knew all of your breakfast creations. What is a science officer's omelet?"
"I'm just coming up with it for Werkill. It has unidentified bits in it. You try to determine what kind of life they are."
"I think I'll pass, but I'll take one of your lattes to go."
"Coming right up."
"I remember that sale, Mr. Castle, although I don't recall the object you described. When we dispose of an estate, we tag hundreds, sometimes thousands of pieces," Ruth Jones explains. "The family or executor is supposed to remove high-value items before we begin, either to pass them on to relatives or put them up for auction."
"Who engaged your services?" Rick inquires.
"The son of the departed. He's his father's executor but apparently travels quite a bit for work and needed help settling the estate. His name is Cecil Newbridge Junior. The elephant belonged to Cecil Senior. Like father like son. I was told he traveled a lot as well. You can contact Junior through LinkedIn. That's how he found our company."
"Thank you, Ms. Jones, that's very helpful," Rick replies.
"No problem, Mr. Castle. I love your books, especially Heat Wave."
"I'll see that you get a personally autographed copy, Ms. Jones," Castle promises.
Bypassing social media for the moment, Rick enters "Cecil Newbridge" into his subscription background search system. Both father and son come up, with the senior marked as deceased. The list of known addresses fills several pages. "Traveled a lot is an understatement," Rick mutters. "Anyone who gets around that much should have a Wikipedia page." A few keystrokes reveal Rick to be correct. Cecil Newbridge was an adventurer who apparently supported his habit by working as a travel writer. At least that's the official story. Rick is familiar enough with the C.I.A.'s workings to suspect that someone with that profile would invite recruitment.
Studying some of Newbridge's articles, he becomes more convinced that the man was an intelligence asset. His writing isn't bad but leaves out certain details the agency might have preferred to keep under wraps. None of the essays, however, mention wooden puzzles, elephants, or otherwise. They don't mention emeralds either, except as profitable exports. Could he not have known what was in the elephant? Obviously, the son was unaware, allowing it to be sold the way it was.
Rick needs to talk to Cecil Jr. Perhaps he heard an illuminating story from his father. He sends a message through LinkedIn but also checks for current contact information. From listings on Google, Cecil Newbridge Jr. works for a corporate travel coordinating company. According to the website, he's part of a team that scopes out locations for corporate events, gatherings, and retreats. Booyah! His email is on the contact page. Rick puts together what he hopes is an intriguing missive and sends it off. Optimistically, he sets an alert on his phone for a reply.
"Jack, your son just emailed an agent at one of our cover operations," Analyst Chin reports. "He says he wants information about a wooden elephant. That's not official code."
"It probably isn't code at all," Jack suggests. "If Richard says he wants to know about a wooden elephant, it's probably got some weird mystery attached to it. Who was he trying to reach?"
"Cecil Newbridge. He's in New York. He took a furlough to address some family matters and hasn't been assigned elsewhere yet."
"Right. Cecil Junior," Jack recalls. "His father and I crossed paths on several operations over the years. No one ever broke his cover. I heard he passed on, and Junior picked up the torch. No harm in having him talk to Richard. If the conversation does concern the company, we can deal with it."
An email signal draws Rick's eyes to the screen of his phone. He has a reply from Cecil Newbridge. That was fast. Cecil included a phone number Rick can call and suggested four P.M. That's right in Lily's naptime if she takes one. He'll call Meryl to bring Belle for a play date. If they wear each other out enough, Rick can make his call in peace, and Meryl can give full attention to her article.
Lanie makes her patient cozy in his drawer while she waits on results from the lab. It's her last autopsy of the day. If she gets through the paperwork fast enough, she'll be free to meet Lorne in New Jersey at their midway dinner spot. It could be the last time they have to cross state lines to see each other. He's taking terminal leave to speed up his move. If it goes off as scheduled, the van should be pulling into New York next week, and she can use a couple of vacation days to help him set up his place. She envies him his walk-in closet. Even with an armoire, she can barely accommodate her clothes, and she has to stow her shoes in a hanging storage bag. Despite all the winnowing they did, finding a place for everything will take some creativity. Rick Castle offered the contractor he uses to build shelves and additional rooms in his loft. Lorne may have to take him up on his offer.