Moment in Time Part 3

Chapter 17

The Nose

Part 1

Mia Lazlo hates being in a car, even her own. Five mechanics swear that all the seals are perfect and nothing can leak anywhere. Still, the nauseating odor of gasoline penetrates her senses, along with oil, transmission fluid, and wiper fluid. She just wants to get back to her hermetically sealed apartment. But first, she has to get out of the underground garage, suffocating her with its own tsunami of offensive vapors.

Mia considers wearing her nose blocker to at least partially shut out the olfactory barrage. But she needs it more for when she's around other people, the worst odor generators of all. She sees a guy with a silver attache case running across the concrete floor. There's a man with a ski mask chasing him, and even before she gets a whiff of sulfur and potassium nitrate, she knows he has a gun. The first man falls, and the second man grabs the case.

Too far from an exit to escape, Mia drives for the elevator. She pulls into a handicapped spot, but she doesn't care. Right now, her life is at risk, and even enduring the stench of human occupation in an elevator is better than getting shot.

For a second, Mia feels safe as the elevator doors close, and she slips her nose clip into place. But the doors open again, and the shooter charges in. Even with her clip, she detects curing oil paint within the case. She fully expects that to be the last of the assaults on her senses before a bullet ends her life. But the shooter gets off at ground level, leaving her to sink to her knees in relief.

As soon as Mia can get off the elevator, she takes the stairwell back to her car. She made it through her weekly visit to report her progress to her employer. So she's free to drive to an entrance to Central Park, where she can open her windows to bearable air and call 911 to report the shooting. Refusing to give her name, she believes she's finished with the petrifying incident. Her enhanced sense provides more than enough terror in her life.

Mia's downing a shot of 200 proof alcohol when she hears the buzzing of her doorbell. She ignores it. Usually, whoever tries to invade her sanctuary gives up and leaves. Typically, though it's safe to drink, she only uses the pure ethanol in her work. But she needs something to calm her nerves, and of all types of booze, it's the least obnoxious.

The buzzing continues with loud rapping added into the mix. Finally, Mia slides open her glass-covered peep window to have a look. As two badges fill her visual field, she activates her intercom. "What do you want?"

"Ms. Lazlo," Esposito informs her, "you reported a murder. We need to talk to you down at the 12th precinct."

"I reported anonymously for a reason. I don't want anything more to do with it. And I'm not going anywhere with you. How did you know it was me, anyway?"

"Dispatch recorded your number," Ryan replies. "We traced it."

"And you have no choice about talking to us," Esposito adds. "If you don't, we can charge you with obstruction."

Mia's stomach roils at the thought of the odors in a prison cell. "All right, I'll come with you. But I need to be alone in the back seat, and all the windows have to be open."

Ryan shrugs. " Why not? We control the locks. So you can't get out unless we let you, anyway."

"Captain," Ryan calls to Kate, "can you and Castle handle questioning the witness? She claims she can't stand being near me because I reek of dirty diapers and baby puke. And she thinks Esposito's cologne smells like butt sweat."

"It is a little strong," Kate agrees.

"Maybe she'll be better with you," Ryan suggests. "You always smell so pretty."

"Hey!" Castle yells on his way back from making Kate's latte. "Sweet talk your own wife. But I do love the scent of cherries."

"Guys, it's just my shampoo." She bumps lightly against Castle. "You know that, Babe. All right, Ryan. Rick and I will handle it. Maybe you and Esposito should go catch showers."

"I took one before I left the house," Ryan complains. "That lady is nuts."

"Ms. Lazlo, I'm Captain Beckett, and this is Mr. Castle," Kate explains as she and Rick take seats opposite Mia in Interrogation.

"So being captain allows you to keep your lover-boy at your elbow," Mia accuses. "You two ought to get a room. The pheromones in here are overpowering. You should have done it this morning before you came."

"He's not my lover-boy. He's my husband," Kate argues. "And he's a consultant for the N.Y.P.D."

"And how did you know we didn't – wait! You're hyperosmotic!" Rick realizes.

Mia rolls her eyes. "Well, duh!"

Kate raises a questioning eyebrow. "Ms. Lazlo has a highly developed sense of smell," Rick explains. "People like her often work as 'noses" for perfume companies."

"One point for the consultant. I work from my apartment, Mr. Castle, where I have some control over what I'm forced to breathe. So, let's get this over as fast as possible so I can get back there."

"We'll do this as quickly as we can, Ms. Lazlo," Kate assures her.

"Just one thing," Castle interjects. "How do you feel about the cherry smell of Captain Beckett's shampoo?"

"It's mostly benzaldehyde. If you want something that's actually from cherries, a new one just came on the market. I think it's being marketed as 'Cherry Clean.' But it isn't cheap."

Rick grins, writing on his tablet. "No problem."

"There's a big problem if I have to keep sitting in here," Mia retorts. "Can we get this over with?"

"Fine, "Kate allows. "Just tell us exactly what you saw."

"I saw a man in a ski mask shoot a guy with a silver attache case. The killer took the case. I went to hide in the elevator. He got on, pointed a gun at me, and then got off on the ground floor. That's all I saw."

"What can you tell me about how the man looked?" Kate asks.

"Big and scary. Mostly I saw the gun."

"Maybe we should go at this another way," Castle suggests. "What did you smell?"

"The killer used cheap deodorant and toothpaste, and the case had an oil painting in it, probably a forgery. And I smelled freon. The air conditioning was leaking."

"Why a forgery?" Kate presses.

"Because most paintings worth stealing are old. Oil paintings dry at different rates. I can smell that. Sometimes museums hire me to help authenticate art. That painting was done two months ago. Hardly an old master."

"Why would someone kill for a forgery?" Castle wonders. "You know, Alexis said Hayley is using our office as a base while tracking down a painting. Maybe the two cases are related. It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Ask on your own time. I need to get out of here," Mia demands.

Kate nods. "I'll have Ryan and Esposito take you home."

"I'd rather travel with a herd of goats."

"I can have uniformed cops do it."

"In the back of a car with pee and vomit? No thanks!"

"I'll take her," Rick volunteers. "I have the Ferrari downstairs. It's all open, no trapped odors. And there's no better ventilation than fresh air."

"In New York City?" Mia mocks. "The car exhaust alone will kill our brain cells. Still, it's probably the best offer I'll get."

"Done, then," Castle agrees. "And I can check in with Hayley on my way back."