Moment in Time

Part 3

Chapter 111

Much Ado About Murder

Part 5

"Captain," Ryan calls from the bullpen, "we've got older video footage from Jake. You should have a look."

"Bring in the laptop," Kate instructs.

Ryan sets the computer on Kate's desk, and Esposito joins him to watch over Kate's shoulder. "That's the same guy Zane bought the burner off," Kate notes.

"The footage is dated four weeks ago, so he and Zane must have had an ongoing arrangement," Ryan surmises.

Esposito leans in toward the screen. "Hold up! He looks older now, but I recognize this guy from when I was a teenager. That's Alejandro Guzman. From what I heard, he became a big shot caller for a gang called Los Maldives – The Damned. They operate out of Spanish Harlem."

"That's the same neighborhood Zane grew up in," Kate realizes. "Maybe they knew each other from back then before Zane got famous doing the Apocalyse Run movies."

"Ryan and I can go up there to see if we can track this guy," Esposito offers. "I've got a pretty good idea where to look. There's a basketball court where Los Maldives like to hang out and do their business."

"Yeah, you guys go ahead," Kate agrees.

As Ryan and Esposito head for the elevator, Kate heads for the breakroom. She was hoping Rick would return by now with her doggy bag, but maybe the snacks in the breakroom vending machine aren't too stale."

Kate's halfway through a pack of giant chocolate chip cookies when her cell buzzes. She checks the caller ID. Why would Martha be calling when she was supposed to be having dinner with Rick? "Hey, Martha. What's going on?"

The diva's voice pours through the speaker. "Kate, do you know where Richard is?"

Kate's stomach clenches from more than the cookies. "No, he told me he was having dinner with you."

"He was supposed to meet me at Ciro's, but he never showed up. And my calls to his cell went to voice mail. I thought he got caught up in the case with you."

"Maybe he lost his phone again. Hold on a second. I'll have Vikram ping it." Kate mutes her cell.

Vikram's fingers fly over the keys on the computer in Tech. "The phone's in the public parking garage on 23rd Street, across from Ciro's. It's not moving."

"Damn! Get their security footage." Kate reactivates her speaker. "Martha, we located his phone. He probably dropped it. But I'm sending a unit to check. I'll let you know what I find out."

"All right," Martha allows. "But I'm worried. Richard never misses a chance at basil lemon-crab linguine."

"I'll call you as soon as I hear anything," Kate promises as her nails dig into her palm. She's never known Rick to miss out on the succulent dish either.

Esposito firmly steers Guzman into a chair in Interrogation. "I know nothing about nothing," the tattoed suspect insists.

Esposito points to a laptop on the table. "Yeah? Well, we've got video of you meeting with Zane on the day he was murdered."

"Have you got video of me killing him?" Guzman smiles triumphantly. "Yeah, that's what I thought. May I go?"

"Not yet," Esposito responds.

"No," Ryan agrees.

"See, we did our homework," Esposito continues.

"We know your little brother Antonio is doing a stretch up at Fishkill," Ryan explains.

"That's a long way for your mama to travel on visiting day, especially with her bad knees," Esposito adds.

"How do you know about my mama?" Guzman demands.

Esposito taps the computer. "I've got an army buddy in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He slipped me your file."

"Hey Javi, I bet your buddy could get Antonio transferred closer to the city, make those visits a little easier on Mama," Ryan offers.

"Yeah, but Alejandro here would have to be willing to talk," Esposito replies.

"I don't make deals with the police," Guzman insists.

"That's fine," Esposito responds as he turns to Ryan. "My buddy also tells me that there's a bunch of openings at the federal penitentiary in Georgia."

"Would that be like a 13 or 14-hour bus ride?" Ryan inquires.

Esposito nods. "At least."

"That would be pretty rough on Mama," Ryan suggests.

Guzman smacks the table. "All right! I'll talk about Zane. But I'm not giving you names. I'm not ratting out anyone on my crew. I knew Zane back in the day. He was just a neighborhood punk. A month ago, he shows up out of the blue asking to get in touch with the boss."

"Who is?" Ryan prompts.

Guzman smirks.

Esposito's mouth gapes in sudden realization. "Hold up! Are you telling us it's 'The Boss,' El Oso?"

"I said no names," Guzman reminds him.

Ryan leans across the table. "Wait! El Oso? Head of the cartel? The Mexican government, the DEA, the FBI, they're all looking for that guy. He escaped from prison in Mexico three months ago. Are you saying you know where he's hiding?"

Guzman guffaws. "Of course not."

"Then why would Zane come to see you?" Esposito prods.

"Because I've got a little bird. And I put out my little bird to the right people until the message gets to you know who."

"And how much do you charge for this little bird service?" Ryan inquires.

"Ten grand for a burner. If the boss wants to talk, you get a phone call."

"And a month ago, Zane wanted to talk to the boss. Why?" Ryan questions.

"Some kind of business proposition. Zane even got himself a face-to-face with the boss because he's a movie star and all. Only from what I hear, it didn't go so good."

"So why did Zane buy another burner from you on the day he died?" Ryan wonders.

Guzman shrugs. "I don't know. But if he pissed off the boss a second time, it's not on me that he's dead."

Slumping in her desk chair, Kate runs her fingers over the evidence bag holding Rick's phone. The uniforms found it in the garage, but there was no sign of Rick. She sent the fingerprints off to the lab but doesn't hope to get much from them.

Vikram walks softly into Kate's office. "Captain, I've got the security video from the parking structure. You need to see it."

Kate follows Vikram back to Tech, where the video is paused on the big screen. Her gut twists at the image. "That's Rick's car!" Vikram rewinds, showing two men rendering Castle unconscious and loading him into an SUV. Kate moves closer to the display as the car peals out. "Can we ID the plate?"

Vikram shakes his head. "The image isn't clear enough on the video, and the only time the system captures a plate at an exit is when the driver stiffs the machine. Apparently, the kidnappers paid."

"How about traffic cams that would show which way they went?" Kate presses.

"I requested the footage, but Captain, even when we get it, without a plate, it will be almost impossible to track that SUV. There must be hundreds of them in that part of the city. And they could have headed for the highway."

"Wait!" Kate exclaims. "Rick's phone was left behind, but his wallet wasn't. Every toll booth automatically reads his YOLO card and charges it. Can you track him that way?"

"Does he have the upgraded RFID?"

"All the bells and whistles," Kate confirms. "Can we find him?"

"I think we've got a pretty good chance. He's been gone long enough for those charges to register," Vikram's hands return to his keyboard. "Give me a few minutes to get on the system."

Kate winces. "With an abduction, every second counts."

"I know, Kate. I'll do it as fast as I can."