The Children's Corner

Chapter 32

"My client has nothing to say," Byron Manning, attorney-at-law announces as Elise Truman sits silently smug beside him.

"Then she can just listen," Esposito retorts. "We found Marvin Taggart."

"And you know what?" Ryan continues. "He couldn't wait to talk to us. He was practically begging to cooperate. He told us all about Elise hiring him to transport cannabis stolen from the warehouse where Evan Seegar was killed."

"Assuming what you're saying is true, it's the word of an accused accomplice," Manning argues. "Any judge will instruct the jury that without supporting evidence, Taggart's testimony is not enough for a conviction."

"That's true, counselor," Ryan responds. "And we know the law about that as well as you do. But in fact, the prosecution won't even need Taggart's testimony." He turns to Esposito. "Show him what else we have, Partner."

Esposito holds up a photo of the envelope Ryan retrieved from Taggart's apartment. "See this? We found it in the accomplice's kitchen, with cash still in it."

"And guess what?" Ryan interjects. "Your client's fingerprints were all over the cash and the envelope. She even stuck in a sheet of instructions. Her prints were on that too."

"Not very smart of Elise," Esposito comments.

"But that's how we catch murderers," Ryan explains. "They make mistakes. And Mr. Manning, your client made a huge one."

"I'm not a murderer!" Elise protests.

"Don't say anything," Manning insists, laying a restraining hand on her arm.

She shakes him off. "No! I'm not going to let them railroad me. All I wanted was the weed. I didn't hit Evan, and I didn't hire anyone to kill him. I just told Doug Simpkins to knock him out. You can find Simpkins at the Richmond apartments. He's your killer, not me!"

Checking his watch, Esposito smirks at Manning. "You should explain to your client about felony murder."

"Elise gave us Doug Simpkins at 10:32 Esposito claims as L.T. leads Elise back to Holding. "You're writing the expense report."

"Your watch is fast," Ryan asserts. "Check the timestamp on the video, Bro. I hit it on the nose."

Esposito whirls back toward Interrogation. "No way!"

Ryan flips up the lid of the video-linked laptop to run the recording. "Right here. She gives up Simpkins at 10:28, exactly the time I guessed."

Esposito's face twists in disgust as flicks the crystal on his timepiece. "Piece of junk."

Ryan shrugs. "Next time we have to buy apology gifts, you can get yourself a new one."

Snorting, Esposito stomps to his desk to start writing.

Kate presses her lips to the nape of Rick's neck as he studies his computer screen. "Any luck tracking down more about the accident in the article you found last night?"

"Not much. That piece only gave the names of the victims, Jane and Declan Thomas. Sadly, they're both deceased, like Stuart's wife and son. Google has almost 30,000,000 hits for a Jane Thomas in New York City. And if she were just listed as J. Thomas, there would be almost twice as many. I'm trying to find a tribute or something, but so far, I'm coming up empty. The accident only happened a few days ago. It may be too soon."

"But you have a date and a name. That will be enough for me to access an official accident report. Or at least I can get Sully to do it for me. He's on today. And he said he wanted to drop by later, anyway. He has hats for Reese and Jake."

"Good deal! He is crafty, on and off the job. And given the absence so far of the usual luxurious Castle hirsutitude, the boys can use the toppers. It's not even officially summer yet, and old Sol's rays are beating on the city."

"Yeah, we could have some scorching months again this year. And when the temperature rises, so does the crime rate."

"Which will put you officially back just in time for the busy season."

"I think it's busy enough already. But Esposito called to inform me that he and Ryan have the Mothership Truck Caper nailed down. Of course, he didn't mention that they wouldn't have gotten anywhere without your theory about the vans."

"He didn't have to. I can have a similar solution come out of Rook's mouth in a future Heat book. But until then, Espo can bask in the glory, such as it is. Still, I'm more concerned with Stuart Wigman's case. I hope Sully comes through with that report."

"Yeah, me too."

"But in the meantime, I need to put in the Storm revisions that Liz and I decided on at our meeting yesterday. That should keep me distracted. Other than filling ravenous mouths, what will you be up to?"

"I got a study guide for the sergeant's exam. There hasn't been one since 2017, so I figure it should be coming up sometime soon. And when it's announced, I'll be ready. If I make sergeant, I can still be on the street but as a supervisor. That will give me more control over the investigations."

"If you get the chance to go for it, you'll make sergeant in a walk. And there isn't much Kate Beckett likes more than control."

Kate wraps her arms around Rick's neck. "I can think of a few things."

The author pulls her into his lap. "Then you'll have to instruct me. How much longer do we have before the twins demand your attention again?"

"I believe we have at least an hour if you can spare it away from your wordsmithing."

"I suspect that, if anything, your demonstration will aid in my efforts."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kate inquires.

"I can't think of a thing."

Smiling, Kate examines the tiny caps Sully brought for the twins. "Navy blue, red, and gray, the Yankees' colors. My dad will love seeing his grandsons in these."

"Actually," Sully explains. "The colors were just luck. Most of the hypoallergenic baby yarn was sold out. Almost everyone uses pastels for the little ones. So the brighter colors and the gray were all that was left of the shipment. But I think they suit Reese and Jake better anyway, especially Jake."

"You've got that right," Rick confirms. "And Lily will love her brothers in them too."

"Great! Oh, and I brought what you asked for too," he adds, his grin fading as he gives Kate a file. "It's terrible that the driver's still at large with those people dying like that, especially the little boy."

Kate scans through the text. "Yeah, it bites. This says that the car was found abandoned. And the vehicle was registered to a Mary Windom."

"Right," Sully jumps in. "But she wasn't driving it. She reported the car stolen, and she was at work at the time of the accident. Plus, the suspect wiped his prints from the wheel, but he forgot the seat adjustment lever. They match a Mitchell Meadows. He showed up at an emergency room with a face beat up by an airbag. But he hasn't been spotted since. Giles Mallory, a detective from the 54th, looked for him at his apartment and his job but couldn't find him. He could be anywhere by now."

"But a man with a bruised up face wouldn't go unnoticed," Kate asserts. "He must have left a trail."

"If he has, Mallory hasn't picked it up. And from what I hear, the 54th is even more swamped than the 12th. So if the trail to Meadows went cold, Mallory is probably working on another case by now."

"Then maybe," Rick offers, nudging his wife, "Detective Giles Mallory could use a helping hand."

"He probably can," Sully agrees.