Moment in Time Part 3

Chapter 38

Dead Red

Part 1

Grigory Mishkin's chest tightens as he slowly walks through the deserted hall. In a way, it reminds him of many parts of his country – dark and poorly maintained. Still, for all its faults, Russia is his homeland, one his family has always served. Behind him, a door slams shut. His breath whooshing from his lungs, he rushes to open it. A figure looms in front of him, the dim light flashing on the metal blade coming at Grigory's throat. Realizing the wielder's identity paralyzes him just long enough for the knife to find its target. Blood gushes from the fatal wound in Grigory's throat.

With both hands full of shopping bags, Rick prances into Richard Castle Investigations and drops his burden on the reception desk. "Dad, what are all of those?" Alexis asks.

"Gifts for Jenny and Kevin's baby shower, but I need to figure out which is the perfect one. I may have gone overboard a little."

Glancing over her mug of coffee, Martha regards the cornucopia of baby items. "My son going overboard? When was the last time that happened?"

"Last week, when I let you use my credit card for three different faux furs, Mother. But wait, that was you going overboard. So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"I was on my way to supervise some young actors who've been rehabbing a deserted factory into an experimental theater, and I thought I'd stop in to see Alexis. Of course, I didn't expect you to be here. Alexis and Hayley more than cover your caseload. And why didn't you ask Kate about the gift?"

"She got an early start this morning for some meeting with the brass at 1PP. And she's never been a big fan of baby clothes. She prefers outfits she can coordinate with heels. Still, when we took care of Bennie, she seemed to appreciate the baby stuff for a little while. She learned to put up with the Thanksgiving outfit I got him. And she says when we have children of our own, she's sure she'll get into it."

"So you and Kate have been talking about having children?" Martha queries.

"Not for right now!" Rick hurriedly inserts. "She needs to firmly establish herself as a captain first. And we have a long-term investigation we need to settle. However, it's not out of the question. But, so, anyway, what do you think? How about a baby-sized bullet-proof vest?"

"Completely inappropriate," Martha declares.

Rick reaches for another bag. "Don't tell me there's a baby-sized lightsaber in there," Alexis warns.

Rick pulls his hand back. "Maybe not."

"And you'd better not have that creepy robot that sings Leonard Cohen's lullaby," Alexis adds.

"What's wrong with the Leonard Cohen lullaby?" Rick protests.

"'If your heart is torn, I don't wonder why. If the night is long, here's my lullaby?' Come on, Dad, the man is depressing."

"He's Canadian. Those long winters can do things to a person. That's why Canadian actors move to LA. Look, as a writer, I hate to say this, but I'm about out of ideas."

"Don't worry, Darling," Martha comforts. "Alexis has already picked out the perfect shower gift."

Rick leans over to kiss his daughter's forehead. "What would I do without you?"

"Have a money pit instead of a PI office and serially embarrass yourself," Alexis replies, holding up a gift basket. "Here, go to the 12th and give this to Kevin."

"I'll drop it by a little later," Rick decides. "Maybe Kate will be back by the time I get there."

Kate wanders into the murder scene. "I just got out of my meeting, but the commissioner thought this one could get political. As I understand it, the vic is Grigory Mishkin, a Russian national. He's the son of a consulate officer."

Ryan rolls his eyes. "Oh, great!"

Kate shifts her attention to the body. "Lanie, what have we got?"

"Throat slashed. Liver temperature puts the TOD between 2 and 4 a.m."

Kate turns back to Ryan. "Any idea what Grigory was doing in an abandoned building in the middle of the night?"

"None. His pockets were turned out. But the officer who secured the scene found his wallet and cellphone in the alley. His emergency number was in his wallet. The uni turned it over to his sergeant. That must be how the consulate was notified and the commissioner found out. The killer must have searched him, but I can't tell if anything was taken. Lanie thought he might have been hiding something in his shirt."

Crouching beside Lanie, Kate surveys the body. "Lanie, what do you make of these marks?"

"Must be ink that transferred from whatever he was hiding."

"See if the lab can reconstruct the characters," Kate instructs. "He might have been killed for whatever it was."

Esposito strolls onto the scene. "Howdy!"

"Howdy?" Kate repeats.

"Yeah. Yo's getting a little played out, so I thought I'd try something new."

"Well, unless you're planning on wearing a Stetson or a flowered hat with a price tag on it, look for another phrase," Kate suggests.

"Yeah, I'll think about it. Or maybe Castle will have an idea. And by the way, there's a homeless guy that was camped out down the street. He heard an engine roar and a car burn rubber around 2 a.m., so I'm pulling the traffic cam footage."

Kate nods. "All right. Keep me in the loop. I'm going to head off to Russia to talk to the next of kin."

"Wait. You're getting on a plane?" Esposito questions.

Ryan sighs. "No, a consulate is legally Russian territory. That's where Grigory's father is."

"Yeah. Right. I knew that about consulates," Esposito claims. "Good luck, Captain."

"Thanks. See you later."

A man with military posture approaches Kate in the waiting area of the Russian Consulate. He extends his hand. "I'm Counsel General Pavel Oborin."

Kate gives him a firm but not too firm handshake. "I'm Captain Kate Beckett of the New York Police Department. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Oborin, even if the situation is unfortunate."

"Yes, it is," Oborin agrees. "As you can imagine, Grigory Mishkin's father, Sergei, is quite distraught. He hopes for a quick resolution and to see justice served."

"That's my goal and that of the NYPD as well, Mr. Oborin. However, is it possible that Mr. Mishkin's work at the consulate put his son's life in danger in some way?"

Oborin shakes his head. "No. Sergei writes economic forecasts for commodities. That's hardly a thing worth killing for."

"And did you know Grigory?"

"I watched him grow up. He was quite dear to my heart. So I'm hoping you will understand why I've requested to have a Russian diplomatic officer assigned to the case."

Kate can't help wondering what "Russian diplomatic officer" might be code for. "Mr. Oborin, I appreciate the offer, but my detectives are the best in the city."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Oborin assures her, "but I believe that a spirit of cooperation will be in everyone's best interests. And your police commissioner has already agreed."

"I'm sure he has," Kate acknowledges.

"I'll take you to Sergei now."

Kate follows, planning to seize the first available moment to bounce the situation off Rick. As steeped as he is in spycraft, he should have a better idea just who the Russians will actually send. And at least for now, her hosts don't need to know that she speaks Russian. She'll keep her ears open for more than whatever Sergei's official statement might be.