For the People Chapter 67
Dropping into a chair at the table, Kate cradles her face in her hands. "Rough one?" Rick asks.
Kate looks up. "It was pretty much what I expected. Jason Jordan doesn't vary much from his MO. But it tore me up to watch his victim have to relive what happened as she told me her story. The only upside is that she may be able to provide some physical evidence. But I'll have to dig it up."
"You mean get a warrant?"
"No, get a shovel. She buried it. She's going to show me where tomorrow when she knows her parents won't be around. And then I'll have to see what the lab can get off it. But if they find Jason's DNA, I'll be a lot closer to nailing his ass."
"Does Jason have a rap sheet? Is his DNA already in the system?"
"A rap sheet would make this case easier to pursue. But no, he doesn't have a record. However, he gave us his DNA voluntarily for his case against Thomas Milcham. He had a mark on his face from Thomas's class ring. When the lab checked the ring, Jason let us take his DNA to prove Thomas hit him."
"And now you may be able to hang Jason with it instead." Rick sticks his hand up for a high five. "The irony is delicious."
"Only if the lab can find a match. And it will be at least a couple of days before I know that. But I've got other cases to work on. So what have you and Lily been up to since you were at my office?"
"I found a circus video for Lily. She seems very taken with clowns. So she was in her swing in front of the screen until she got hungry. Then I gave her a bottle and put her down for her nap. The circus and nap time gave me a chance to work some more on my book. I'm using what I learned about Neighspec to explore the disappearance of affordable housing from cities like New York. The lion's share of workers can't afford to live anywhere near their jobs. So they have to spend hours commuting, which takes them away from their families. It also raises the cost of childcare. It's a mess, Kate. And it isn't fair. New York City used to support rent control and rent stabilization. Now it's disappearing. And most other places never had it to start with. The developers launder foreign investment to turn traditional neighborhoods into sanctuaries for the rich. And an ordinary worker can hold down three jobs and still not make the rent."
"It sounds like your crusade is expanding from helping the victims of Neighspec and Brown Rock."
"I guess. The more research I do, the more widespread the problem seems to be. But New York is still a major epicenter. And I know more about what arms need twisting here than anywhere else. Your father also knows a lot about that, and I'm guessing these days you do too. But I'm not going to make what's in the book that narrow. Affordable housing is a problem in many areas across the country. The overly comfortable can use a few pins stuck in their well-stuffed behinds."
Kate leans across the table for a kiss. "And the Rook-channeling Castle is just the person to do it."
"Ma-ma-da-da," bubbles out from the baby monitor.
"Sounds like Lily's up." Kate pushes out of her chair. "I'll go get her."
"I just opened a new case of diapers with baby elephants on them. In keeping with the images, Lily's moved up a size. A box is on the shelf of the changing table. I have chicken breasts marinating in the fridge. You want me to put them on now or wait until you get back?"
"Wait. Lily and I can use some cuddle time."
"Then cuddle time you shall have."
Ryan throws down his printout of restaurant tabs in disgust. "How could there have been so many diners named Martinez at Casa Maria the night Geraldo was killed?"
"Same way there could have been so many Lees at a Chinese restaurant," Esposito points out. "It's a common name. And Casa Maria makes decent fajitas and great flan. There might even have been more Martinezes that paid cash. But we'll have to check out each one we have until we find a connection to Geraldo. You want to order pizza or something?"
"What I want is Jenny's shepherd's pie. She's making her grandmother's recipe for dinner. There's no way we're going to finish tonight anyway. Why not knock off and start fresh in the morning?"
"You go ahead and go home," Esposito urges. "I'm going to stay around a while. Maybe I can find someone else who wants the other half of a pizza."
"Like Detective Fernito?"
"You never know when a hard-working cop might get hungry," Esposito declares.
Ryan pushes out of his chair. "Ri-i-ght. Good luck, Bro. And if I were you, I'd go easy on the jalapeƱos."
Tzippi points to a spot near a chain link fence. "This is where I buried my clothes."
Kate has one of the detectives with her take a picture of the spot while the other produces a small spade. "I hit something, Ms. Beckett," he announces after a moment. "With gloved hands, he carefully clears away dirt while the other detective takes more pictures. Then he lifts a plastic bag for Kate to see. "They look in pretty good shape."
Kate nods. "All right. Document them and get them to the lab. I'll call to put a rush on them."
"Do you think the lab will be able to find what you need, Ms. Beckett?" Tzippi asks.
"There's a good chance," Kate replies. "But I probably won't hear for a couple of days. You want me to let you know when I find out?"
"Please," Tzippi urges. "But email me. I don't want my parents to hear my phone."
"All right," Kate agrees, "but if this goes to court, sooner or later they're going to know."
Tzippi stares at the ground. "I know. But I'm not ready now."
"Javi, I've got something!" Ryan calls across the bullpen. The wheels on his chair squeal as he propels it toward Esposito's desk. "Here, look at this. There's a receipt for a Yesenia Martinez. She must have paid for a full table because the check was over $400. That also means she has money. And from the time stamp, she paid just about the time the mariachi players started playing. So she might have been able to tamper with Geraldo's trumpet before then."
"Did you get an address on her?" Esposito asks.
"She lives in Flatbush, same neighborhood as Geraldo."
"Makes sense. There's a big Mexican enclave there," Esposito notes. "And I checked on the offices of Martinez Imports. They're in Flatbush too. So if we can't find Yesenia at home, she might be there."
"Along with employees who might know if there was trouble in import paradise," Ryan points out.
Esposito pushes away from his desk. "Then let's get moving."
"You never told me how your pizza with the fulsome Fernito went," Ryan reminds his partner as they wait for the elevator.
"Fulsome Fernito? What, are you going to pick up where Castle left off?"
"No, I write like that in my blog. But you're ducking the question. Did you share a pizza?"
"Yeah. But I don't know, Man. She likes peas on her pizza. Who likes peas on their pizza?"
"Maybe she likes green," Ryan offers.
"Still, I think I'll back off for a while."
Ryan flaps imaginary wings. "Bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk!"
"I'm not chicken!" Esposito insists. "I'm just selective."
"Uh-huh, like you selected Trixie, Bambi, and Krystal. Fernito could be the right woman for you, but you'll never know if you're scared off by what she likes on her pizza."
Esposito re-punches an already lit button. "Just stick with the case, Bro. Just stick with the case."
