Moment in Time Part 3

Chapter 56

And Justice for All

Part 7

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Esposito completes Caldwell's phrase as he and Ryan conference with Kate in her office. "Maybe the judge dropped a dime to one of Eddie's old enemies in El Salvador."

"But how could Caldwell find out who those would be?" Ryan wonders.

"I don't know," Kate admits. "But Castle said Caldwell told him Eddie was a cop. Why don't you guys see if you can track down his old beefs?"

Not bothering to knock, Napier storms into the meeting. "Captain Beckett, do you have any idea what you've done?"

Kate resists batting her lashes. "Agent Napier, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. You told us that the NYPD should stay away from your investigation, and no member of the NYPD has been near it. What happened?"

"We lost eyes on Judge Caldwell for all of ten minutes, and the next thing we know, he's canceled court and holed up with his lawyer."

"Ryan, shut the door," Kate instructs. "There's a lot of wind in here. I'm sorry, Agent Napier. Who's Judge Caldwell?"

"Knock it off, Captain," Napier retorts. "We know you were on to Caldwell this morning. We pulled the surveillance video from the courthouse. Your civilian consultant, who also happens to be your husband, and his band of immigrant misfits are all over the footage."

"As you said, my husband is a civilian consultant. He isn't paid by the NYPD and isn't subject to my orders. But I am aware that he is very concerned with the wellbeing of the immigrants you mentioned, since your pal Marco Sutton was shaking down their friends. I imagine Rick was trying to help them deal with any problems with their status. But I can ask him why he was there. Anything else?"

"Well, you'd better ask fast," Napier threatens. "Because I plan on hauling in every member of his little gang and having them deported for this."

"Deported for what?" Kate presses. "So far, nothing you've told me indicates any criminal behavior, which, as I understand it, would be required for deportation under the current executive order."

"They interfered with a federal investigation," Napier claims.

"The last time I checked, the courthouse is a public building." Kate returns. "They had every right to be there. Their friend was murdered. They're only seeking justice, which includes the right to live and work in this country without being victimized by power-hungry judges or federal agents. And unless your people identified themselves as agents, no one at the courthouse could know they were interfering with anything. However, if Caldwell solicited Eddie's killer, that would make the judge complicit in a murder. It would be the NYPD's job to bring him in for that. But if you'll help me identify Eddie's killer, you can throw Caldwell in federal prison – as long as he stays there and off my streets for the rest of his life."

Clenching his jaw, Napier nods.

Kate hungrily joins Rick for a quick lunch at Achmed's hotdog cart. "This is delicious!"

"I was well trained on quality control," Achmed replies.

"So," Rick recaps Kate's report, "you managed to lure Agent Napier from the dark side."

"Temporarily, anyway. He's supposed to be back at the precinct in about 20 minutes to share what his team has on Caldwell."

Rick captures an errant strand of sauerkraut. "I'd love to hear that."

"I know. Still, as pissed off as Napier is at you and your Baker Street Irregulars, it's better if you're not there." Kate pops another piece of the fermented cabbage into Rick's mouth. "But I'll give you a complete lowdown later."

Rick thumbs mustard from the corner of Kate's mouth. "I'm looking forward to it."

Napier slaps a photo up on the murder board. "Meet Alonzo Sanchez, footsoldier for the Sinaloa cartel based out of San Miguel."

Kate regards the picture. "What's his connection to your case?"

"Judge Caldwell expedited his visa 48 hours ago. We weren't sure why until you mentioned Eddie Ramirez. It turns out they had history. When he was a cop in El Salvador, Eddie killed Alonzo's brother, Mario."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Esposito recalls. "That must be what Caldwell was talking about."

"Alonzo was out for revenge against Eddie," Kate surmises, "and Caldwell was all too happy to help."

Ryan hangs up his landline. "Thanks." He signals Esposito to join him to update Beckett. "Alonzo Sanchez landed at JFK four hours before our kill zone."

Kate strides out from behind her desk. "Sounds like we have our murderer. Now we just have to track him down before he returns home."

Ryan shakes his head. "I know where he is. Unfortunately, it's on a flight to El Salvador. He boarded 30 minutes ago. He might already be in the air."

Kate picks up her own phone. "Maybe Napier can still be good for something."

"The airline won't give you a refund on your flight, Alonzo," Kate announces, taking a seat opposite the suspect in the box. "But they are going to give you your miles. Not that you'll be needing them. You won't be going anywhere for a long time."

"Unless you count prison," Rick adds, taking a seat beside Kate.

"You've got nothing on me," Sanchez protests. "I have a visa, and I didn't do anything illegal."

Kate's eyebrows rise. "Really? The laws in El Salvador must be different. In this country, murder is illegal."

"And putting a body in a snake pit is animal abuse," Rick quips.

Alonzo's jaw drops. "What?"

Kate rolls her eyes. "Come on, Alonzo. We know you came here for Eddie Ramirez. He killed your brother, and Judge Caldwell greased the wheels to help you take care of business."

"Judge who? I don't know what you're talking about."

Kate sighs, opening a folder. "We tracked down the cab driver who picked you up at JFK and drove you to the zoo. We know you killed Eddie."

"You can't know it because I didn't do it," Alonzo argues. "If someone killed him, it wasn't me. All right, I admit the judge reached out to me. And I went to the zoo to see Eddie. But I didn't kill him."

"Then why did you go to see him?" Rick asks.

"Because I had revenge in my heart. I thought Eddie killed my brother. But he convinced me that he was working with Mario in secret. He was protecting him."

"Eddie would have said anything if he thought you were going to kill him. What convinced you he was telling the truth?" Kate questions.

"He knew things about Mario only someone close to my brother would know. And he didn't act like a man trying to save his life."

"How did he act?" Rick queries

"Sorry. Eddie told me he hated the man he was back in El Salvador. What he did to shield my brother weighed heavily on him. He despised my family and everything we stand for – what he used to stand for. That's why he came to America to build a new life."

"And he did," Rick replies. "Until someone took it away from him."

"Hey," Kate greets Castle in the break room. "That smells wonderful."

Rick hands her a mug of coffee. "It's for you. You know, I was thinking. What Eddie told Alonzo, it's like what I told faux Jenkins about Hollander's Woods. I confessed a painful secret. So did Eddie. And I think we've been going down the wrong track to find Eddie's killer, just like we did with that investigation. The real murderer, Holtzman, was masquerading as one of the good guys. He pretended he was trying to help Noah, our suspect."

"What are you getting at, Babe?" Kate asks.

"There's one guy who knows all about a steady stream of immigrants, a man they think is helping them. But he could easily turn them into Caldwell for a piece of the pie."

"Are you talking about John Emerson?" Kate asks.

"I am. Look, Eddie confronted Caldwell, and the next day he was killed. But we know Caldwell had an alibi. He was under FBI surveillance. And besides, he thought Alonzo was going to take care of his problem. So how did he know about Alonzo in the first place? Someone close to Eddie, someone Eddie would confide in, must have told him. And it wouldn't have been one of the other students. The last person they'd play footsie with is a federal judge."

"Babe, you could be right. But so far, all we have is conjecture. We need evidence."

"Then we'll have to get some. I bet Emerson's financials will be enlightening."

"In today's lesson, we're going to focus on verbs," Emerson announces. He turns as Castle walks into the room. "You're late, Jean-Luc."

"Oui, oui, Monsieur. Pardonne-moi," Rick apologizes.

"And remember to speak English," Emerson cautions. "Take your seat."

"Actually. Monsieur, uh Mr. Emerson, if I could have a word with you in private, please."

"All right," Emerson agrees, inclining his head toward the door. He regards Ryan and Esposito waiting in the hall. "Jean-Luc, these men are police detectives. Did you bring them here?"

Grinning, Rick sheds his accent. "Oh yeah. They're here to arrest you for the murder of Eddie Ramirez."

Nervous laughter forces itself from Emerson's lips. "What?"

"We know you were working with Judge Caldwell, funneling him the names of immigrants in exchange for bounties. You knew all of your students' pressure points, especially those who were undocumented. And Caldwell paid well. But you would have been better off putting your blood money under your mattress than in the bank where it could be tracked," Rick suggests.

"That's absurd," Emerson insists. "You can't prove those payments were illegal."

"No?" Rick presses. "Then why are so many of your students, too many to be a coincidence, in private detention centers. And a little bird told us that to save his own neck, Judge Caldwell will be singing like, um, a stool pigeon."

"And all that bird crap will be falling on you," Ryan proclaims.

Esposito snaps the cuffs on Emerson. "Let's go."

"I reserved the nearest VIP suite I could find to Korea Town," Rick announces. "We can use it as a base for our investigation."

Kate wraps her arms around his waist. "Are you sure you want to do this, Babe? If Jenkins told you the truth, you had a reason for wanting to forget."

"Or I could have told him about Hollander's Woods under the influence of the same drugs that wiped out two months of my life. He lied about other stuff, like trying to convince you I was camping on the beach. He could have lied about how he got that memory out of me too. Either way, I need to know."

Kate lays her head against his chest. "Then I'm with you, all the way."