For the People Chapter 55

"I'm here at the Brown Rock protest with bestselling author Richard Castle and his daughter Lily," J'net Smith announces. "Mr. Castle, why did you come to join the protesters?"

"The involvement of Brown Rock piqued my interest," Rick explains. "The company was implicated in another cause in Olivia Jefferson's neighborhood. A property owned by Neighspec was contaminated with hazardous waste, endangering the residents, particularly the children. Brown Rock is now Neighspec's agent for their properties."

"I remember the story. Didn't Neighspec pay for the cleanup of that property?" J'net inquires.

"They did, after receiving considerable bad PR, spearheaded by the Ledger. I played a small part in that as well. However, I believe that cleanup paved the way for what may be a bigger plan, ousting longtime residents of affordable housing to replace it with high-income generating units which the ordinary worker or retiree could never afford. Many tenants, such as Olivia Jefferson and Granville Chester, could be forced to bid goodbye to their homes, friends, and neighborhood where they've lived for decades, so the rich can get richer."

"Mr. Castle, you're not exactly down on your luck," J'net notes. "Why do you have such a strong interest in the plight of Olivia Jefferson and her neighbors?"

"Part of my interest is selfish," Rick admits. "I'm writing a book about how the little guy gets," Rick makes a show of covering Lily's ears, "screwed. But I also understand a little of what these people may be going through. I grew up with a single mother whose income was, to put it mildly, undependable. And before I had the good fortune to sell a book, I competed with the roaches for space in one of New York's danker hovels. Now that I can provide well for myself and my family, I believe I should do my best to pay it forward. So if Olivia and her fellow tenants are willing to wage battle, I'm happy to lend them whatever support I can. And my family may also be stepping into the fray."

As J'net smiles down at Lily, the pitch of her on-air voice rises an octave. "And what is your part in the Castle family project?"

Lily's eyes widen. "Ah!"

Rick grins at his daughter. "She says she's our mascot. Every team should have one, don't you think, J'net?"

J'net can't resist smiling back. "Why not? Well, that's the update from the Brown Rock protest. This is J'net Smith for Channel 25 News."


Thomas Milcham looks up as Kate accompanies public defender, Lyle Douglas, into the 12th Precinct's interrogation room. "Mr. Milcham, I'm Kate Beckett. I'm in charge of prosecuting the case against you. That you committed assault is a slam dunk for me. There were multiple witnesses and you were caught on video. So I can come at you with the full force of the law, or I can cut you a break, depending on what you tell me now. Your counsel can caution you against making any statements that might work against you. But the more I can understand why you did what you did, the more I can help you. Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Thomas Milcham glances at Douglas, who nods. "Ms. Beckett, I have a little sister, Amelia. Our parents were killed in a train derailment two years ago, so I look after her. She's very smart in the book kind of way. She got all As in school. She even got into Stuyvesant."

I'm a Stuy alum myself," Kate confides.

"So you know how much it takes to get in there and do the work," Thomas responds. "Amelia could do all that, but she doesn't understand anything about how the world outside school works. She has friends she does sci-fi stuff with, but guys have never been interested in her for anything else. She never even had a date. So when the guy I hit…."

"Jason Jordan," Kate puts in.

"Yes, Jason Jordan, seemed interested in Amelia, she was overwhelmed. She didn't know what to do. She didn't understand what guys want. And when he asked her to go to some sci-fi double feature at the Angelika, she was so happy she was jumping up and down. She bought a new dress and everything. I don't know exactly what happened on her date. She wouldn't tell me. But when she came home, her dress was ripped, and her eyes were red from crying. I took her to the hospital to see, you know. But she wouldn't let the doctor look. And since she's over 18, I couldn't force her to. And she refused to talk to the police too. She just wanted to stay in her room and watch old Star Treks.

"I didn't know what to do, but one of her friends who dresses up like Spock a lot told me about a pizzeria, Giovani's, where Jason Jordan hangs out. So I went looking for him, to make him tell me what he'd done to Amelia. But he just started laughing about the stupid nerd girl."

"And that's when you hit him?" Kate asks.

Thomas looks at Douglas. "She has the evidence anyway. It could help you to answer," the counselor advises.

"That's when I hit him," Thomas confirms.

Kate leans back in her chair, tapping her fingertips on the table. "Thomas, if what you've told me is true, then there were mitigating circumstances. But I can't knock down an assault charge without some kind of proof. The DA's office has a psychologist we use that's very good with this kind of thing. A lot of victims have opened up to her who wouldn't talk to anyone else. Do you think you could take your sister to see her?"

"Maybe, but won't I be in jail?" Thomas asks.

"You're a first-time offender who has very obvious roots in the community. If Mr. Douglas requests that your release after arraignment be the least restrictive the law allows, I won't oppose it," Kate promises.


"Hey, Beckett," Ryan yells, as Kate starts toward the elevator, "check out the TV."

Kate turns to regard Rick smiling from the large screen mounted on the wall over the bullpen. "On the human interest front, ZNN picked up a story from New York City independent station, Channel 25," daytime anchor Jack Tepper explains. "Bestselling author Richard Castle joined a group of tenants protesting unsafe living conditions with a sit-in at a management office of Brown Rock Inc. You're watching his interview with reporter, J'net Smith. Castle was previously involved with a protest against hazardous waste dumping. It would seem that Castle and his wife, high-profile ADA Kate Beckett, are quite the crusading couple. But Castle fans will note that their team-up against injustice is nothing new. Castle was a consultant that aided in investigations when Beckett was an NYPD homicide cop with the top record for closing cases. His readers can keep a watch on how he fares in his new arena."

"Did you know about this, Beckett?" Ryan asks.

"I knew Rick and my dad were predicting that more trouble would pop up in the neighborhood around the hazardous waste thing. It appears they may have been right. But the Brooks trial has connections to Brown Rock. Until the jury comes back, I shouldn't get into what Rick's doing."

Ryan gazes at the screen and then back to Kate. "But I'm guessing he won't be able to wait to tell you anyway."

"No, he probably won't."