Moment in Time Part 3

Chapter 15

What Lies Beneath

Part 3

"Yes. Right." Rick clears his throat. "Well, actually, there were two reasons. First, I want my characters to surprise me, take me places I never expected to go. Derrick Storm was no longer doing that. I knew what he would do in every situation. He wasn't fun anymore."

"And the other reason?" Cicero presses.

"It really pissed off my ex-wife, who is also my publisher. She made my life hell, and I wanted to give her some of her own back."

Cicero slaps Castle on the back. "I figured it had to be something like that. It's always about a woman, isn't it? And I can see why the new books have 'heat,' so to speak. So, Castle, tit for tat. What do you want to know?"

Kate shows Cicero the image of the murder victim. "Did you ever meet this guy?"

"I met him all right. Real phony. He tried to pass himself off as Two Guns O'Malley. Said he was in WITSEC, and they changed his face. But I knew O'Malley, the real one. I had enough trouble keeping a lid on him when his boss Bobby D got upset. This guy not only had the wrong face; I don't think he'd ever fired a gun in his life. He had no callouses on his hands where I'd expect a hitter to have them."

"What did he want from you?" Kate asks.

"He said he discovered a slush fund in the mayor's office that was used against unions. He wanted me to do something about it. But even if I believed him, that's not my area. So I told him he should go to Dino Scarpella. His people are involved with the trades. But it's all legit, of course."

Kate resists rolling her eyes. "Of course it is. So when did pretend O'Malley talk to you?"

"Two nights ago."

Kate nods. "That would have been right before he was killed. And where were you around midnight that night?"

"Sleeping. Early to bed, early to rise. You can check with my people, And if anyone from here left, it would be on the security footage. I don't know who killed your boy. Maybe some idiot thought he was the real Two Guns O'Malley. Jimmy O'Malley made more than a few enemies."

Kate starts backing toward the door. "Thank you, Mr. Cicero. That's all we need."

"It's not all I need," Cicero protests. "I have a stack of Castle's books I need to have signed."

Rick makes a sweeping bow. "That will be my pleasure."

"Was that true?" Kate asks as she starts her unit. "What you said about pissing off Gina, was that true?"

"It was true at the time," Rick admits. "Ever since Alexis was born, it was the two of us against the world. Mother would come and go depending on her employment situation, But mostly it was Alexis and me. Gina tried to horn in on that. She'd get things for Alexis without asking me first. And often, it was something I'd already thought of and put away for a special occasion."

"You wanted to play the hero, and Gina got in the way," Kate concludes.

"That was part of it, but it was more like Gina was making it a competition rather than a partnership. I didn't want to compete for my own daughter. And then, as my publisher, Gina was mandating what I'd do with Derrick Storm, too. That was part of the reason there were no surprises left. It was as if I had no power over my own life. And after the way I was shuttled from place to place as a kid, I needed that control. So I divorced Gina and killed Derrick."

"But you got back with her for a while."

"Only because you pushed me away, Kate. And even then, I couldn't stay with Gina when I was in love with you."

"And I couldn't make it work with Demming or Josh when I was in love with you," Kate admits.

Rick shakes his head. "We were both pretty slow, weren't we?"

"But we finally got it together. Damn! I wish the pieces of this case would come together. Our vic never stopped lying. I could understand that if he was a grifter. But he never got anything out of it. He just lied."

"That's what pathological liars do, Kate. I studied up on them when I was thinking of using one as a character. They lie against their own interests. They even lie when it's clear they'll be found out. But, hey, you know, there's a support group for them."

"There's a support group for everything, isn't there?"

"Pretty much. But I was thinking that someone in the group might know Dwayne Johnson or whoever he was. They might have some insight into what lie got him killed."

"That's not a bad idea, Babe."

Rick quickly thumbs his phone. "There's a meeting tonight. And it's in the basement of St. Mark's church. We should bring brownies."

"What was that text, Bro?" Esposito asks Ryan.

Ryan shoves his phone into his pocket. "Nothing. Jenny just wanted me to pick up some stuff on the way home."

Esposito's eyes narrow. "Now that's funny because the heading said 'Sergeants Exam.' And you told me all the slots were gone."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Bro. They only had one left, and I had to take it. I really need the money."

"You could have just told me the truth. Partners aren't supposed to lie to each other. How can I trust you to have my back if you lie to me?"

"I said I was sorry," Ryan protests. "What else can I do?"

"I don't know. I'll have to think about it. But right now, I'm going to the Old Haunt to get a beer."

"Great! I'll go with you."

"No. You need the money for your family? Fine, go home to them. See you in the morning."

The support group's facilitator looks up as Rick lays a pan of brownies on the refreshments table. "I see we have some new members."

Kate holds up her badge. "We're here investigating the murder of Dwayne Johnson, or maybe you knew him as P.J. Moffat or Jimmy O'Malley."

A group member picks up a brownie and tastes it. "These are awful!"

The facilitator gives him a skeptical look. "Arlo?"

"All right, they're terrific," the snacker admits. "But I can never say anyone's food except my mother's is good. It makes her feel bad."

"Except that your mother's been dead for ten years," another participant interjects before turning toward Kate and Rick. "I can tell you about Dwayne. I took the pledge."

"What pledge?" Rick asks.

"To tell the truth, no matter how much it hurts. For example, you haven't stopped looking at the ass of the hot detective since you came in here."

"That hot detective is my wife," Rick retorts. "So I doubt she'll mind. "

"So tell us about Dwayne Johnson," Kate prods.

"He wanted to take the pledge too, but he was afraid. He said he had some business he had to finish up first."

"What kind of business?"

"I don't know," the pledge taker offers. "But it had something to do with City Hall and money."

"Maybe Cicero was right about the slush fund," Rick considers as he and Kate leave the meeting.

"You're pals with Mayor Weldon. Who at City Hall could have something like that without anyone catching on?"

"Bob's never mentioned anything like that. But I spent four months looking into city finances for what would have been the most boring book ever – if I'd been stupid enough to write it. Only four people, Kate."

"Well, four suspects is better than none."