American Crime Stories
Arc three, Chapter thirty one
Peter answered the door for Jordan and Rick who was carrying a bottle of red wine in one hand and a pastry box in the other. "Come in, dinner is almost ready."
"Great, I'm hungry and tired," Rick said walking over to Elle who was standing by the kitchen. "Hey Elle, thanks for the invite. I'm happy not to sit home alone while the girls are on their trip. To thank you, I brought a good wine and chocolate éclairs," Rick said setting the items on the counter and hugging her.
"Let's see what you brought this time," she said shaking her head. "A 2003 Pine Ridge Cabernet," she said smirking.
"My wine dealer said it was good," Rick said taking off his jacket. "I bought a case."
"This is a $90 bottle of wine. To go with my pot roast. The food is going to taste like dirt," Elle said laughing.
"Like I said, I have a case of it in my trunk if you want the rest. The éclairs were more expensive, but they are the best in the city," Rick said shrugging.
"Rick, I don't know what your salary is as a consultant, but I can tell you now the take home for a full time agent is not good. So, maybe you should be careful at living large," Peter told Rick hesitantly. He knew it wasn't his place to say anything to the other man, but couldn't help worrying. In the short time that he had known the man, he had come to like the writer.
"Don't worry, Peter. I invested in various tech and many other companies. The gaming console and smart phone wars alone have netted me so much money, I'm making money just sitting here, doing nothing. I actually don't need the consultant pay," Rick said not bothered.
"Wow. I wish I would have done something like that," Peter commented.
"You know, I never made a secret about the fact that I like gadgets. So, early on after my first successes, people started to contact me, asking me to invest in their products. I did that with some start-ups, but also some established companies, Rick told them. "The key is to get to know the company heads. They let you buy enough stock to become a shareholder. Once you're in that bracket the payout is ridicules. And that is in addition to the money I have made from my actual job. It's why I know there's a place in New York that makes a $40 éclair that tastes like it was made by the gods," Rick said smirking.
"Hey Elle, can Rick invest our money for us?" Peter asked from the table.
"No honey, we don't have any extra money to play the stock market," Elle replied smiling.
"I think it's better that way. I wouldn't know what to do with that kind of money," Peter said laughing.
"Oh, you would be surprised at how fast your brain comes up with things as soon at the cash is in your hand," Rick commented. "The advance for my first book was $50,000. That money went so fast I didn't even see it. The advance for the last Niki Heat book obviously had a few more siros at the end," Rick told them, watching their reaction. He knew that some people had problems with the kind of money he made and the way he talked about it. He was happy to see that Peter and Elle didn't much care.
"Most people don't talk about money," Peter commented. "Anyway, I would have never known you could get so much for writing a book."
"Oh, that's just the advance. In the end, I make much more."
"I don't know how you can give up that to work as a consultant for the FBI," Elle wondered.
"Easy, Elle. I like doing the work. I like solving murders and putting killers away. I like it so much I'd pay the FBI to let me work cases. It's not much different to Peters reasons, I'd guess," Rick said.
"I guess I can see that but still..." Peter said shrugging.
"Are you guys ready to eat?" Elle asked setting a plate in front of them loaded with meat and vegetables.
"This looks great, Elle," Rick complimented her.
"It tastes even better. Elle's pot roast is the best," Peter boasted as Elle came to the table with her own plate.
"Thank you, honey." Elle said kissing him.
They ate for a while in silence, appreciating the meal. They cleaned up together and sat down again for a coffee.
"Hey Rick, I have a question I was wanted to ask you," Elle began.
"Shoot."
"As you may know, I'm a fully trained artist, but I just never get the time to actually paint. And when I do, I just can't find any inspiration," Elle said smiling sadly. "Although he tries and encourages me, Peter doesn't understand what it's like to sit in front of a blank canvas and have nothing in your mind. No idea where to start, where to go, what to make. So, I was wondering what you do when you have writers block. I imagine that that happens to you?"
"Oh yeah, more often than I like. How I cope with it varies on the problem I have. Sometimes a specific scene doesn't want to be written or the words feel wrong, other times I can't find any words. I think I have reacted in any way you can imagine. I tried to work through the problem, I tried to find inspirations through other things, I worked on other parts of the story or completely different projects. Those are the more productive ways. However, I also procrastinated until it became a real problem, I sat before my computer staring at the blank page and drowning my sorrows. Hell, I killed off Derrick Storm because I had more and more issues coming up with new ideas and writing the stories. Sadly, there is no universal solution."
"Too bad. But while were on topic, when you're writing a book where do you start?" Elle asked.
"My first projects I started with the victim. He or she could an average person, or a rich spoiled brat. I thought about who the victim was, what it looked like, their family, their everyday life, and all that. When I had a good victim in my head, I started to think about the ways to kill it. After a few books, I changed my process, my perspective. I realized that the story flowed easier when I started with the killer and the crime itself. So, I thought about the antagonist, the bad guy. It could be a single murderer or a serial killer. I thought about the kind of person capable of killing somebody and their motives. Then I outlined it step by step until I got the crime scene or scenes in my head. Then I repeated the process with the good guys, the heroes, those responsible for catching my killer," Rick continued his explanation.
"However, that process changed over time again, especially after I started my Storm series and then Heat. When I wrote my first book with Storm as a main character, I hadn't planned to make it into a series, as I had written stand-alone novels only until then. However, it was received so well that I just had to continue the series. As I didn't have any plans for more novels, I had to adapt my writing process. It wasn't about the victim anymore, but rather the character Derrick Storm. So, I started to develop that character, his background, possible supporting characters and so on. I also took my time to develop possible antagonists, their background etc. As time went on, it became more about a specific topic or adventure I wanted Derrick to have."
Castle chuckled before he continued. "To be honest, each one of my books represents or reflects real-life experience of some kind. More often than not, I used my books as an excuse for learning new skills or doing crazy things, like sky-diving. You know, to understand what my characters are going through. However, doing and learning those things, helped me grow as a writer," Rick said.
He paused for a moment. "And coming back to the Heat series. It is no secret that Nikki Heat was inspired by Beckett. There was just something about her that spoke to my muse. Those series have been influenced by real life a lot, for good and for bad," Rick said. "Something like that happens all the time. I read, hear or see something that inspires me and I write it down. Over time, I have thought about hundreds, maybe thousands of ways to kill somebody. I have even written down many of those scenes. Some I deleted, some I saved for a possible later use. One such scene was what Tyson used to frame me for Gina's murder."
They were silent for a moment.
"That's sounds fascinating, Rick. I have another question, if you don't mind."
"No, please, ask your question."
"I wondered how a real murder investigation compares to those you see on TV or even read in a book," Elle asked looking interested.
"Well, let's start with books, 'cause obviously I have more experience with that. As I said, I do a lot of research for each book and try to be as realistic as possible. Most of the successful authors do, some more, some less. However, there is always a creative license involved. Some things would, or better should, not happen in a real life investigation, but they do in books. I'm sure, Peter here often comments on something a character does in a movie," Rick said and Peter and Elle nodded.
"Yeah, he did it more often when we started to date, but he still does it from time to time," Elle said. She found Peters comments charming and amusing.
"I can't help it," Peter said.
"I know, honey. Please, continue Rick."
"There are some things that would never make it in my books because nobody wants to read it. For example, the amount of paperwork that is involved in police work, from warrants to reports. I know there is a reason for it, but I think cops spent way too much time on paperwork." He turned to Peter. "It's the same with your job, right?"
Peter chuckled. "Yeah, we have a lot of paperwork, too. And the amount has risen since Neal started working with us."
"I can imagine," Rick said and turned back to Elle. "The same goes for a TV show or a movie. As far as I can see, a real life investigation is almost nothing like you see on TV. CSU almost never finds that one small spec of blood that will lead the cops directly to a killer in a matter of hours. Finding good physical evidence at the crime scene is very hard. A body could be sitting for days. Skin cells die and turn to dust, hair blows away in the smallest of breezes. Rain washes away blood and finger prints. Through and through gunshot wounds leave holes, but finding the slug could be difficult for various reasons. For example, shiny bass shell casings attract animals that like to pick things up and run away with them. Then, after you have a suspect, you need evidence to get them to talk, or you really need to know how to play a guilty person. And you only get to talk to them until they lawyer up. As soon as their lawyer arrives, they clam up and become less helpful. The cops have to make the evidence stick." Rick told Elle, thinking about all the cases he had worked in the last years.
"Wow. I would have never thought about any of that stuff. Peter usually deals with a lot of evidence, and things like that," Elle said.
"Well, White Collar crime is a lot different than Homicide, I'd imagine. While I have some experience in that area, I'm no expert. However, I think that the mind of a person that robs a jewelry store and the mind of a killer are two very different things. Sure, there are similarities. The other day Peter told me about a case where a woman robbed the jewelry store she worked in because she was blackmailed into paying money to keep her adopted son or something like that."
Peter nodded and Rick continued with his explanation. "The woman was obviously desperate. Sometimes you get people who kill somebody in affect. Then you have thieves who enjoy the feelings they get when robbing something. For them, it's not about the object or the money, it's about the thrill. From what Peter told me about his consultant, I think that he might be like that. It seems to me that Neal likes the rush of his con or theft. It's not only about the act itself, committing the crime. It's the planning and then getting away with it. The rush of outsmarting the owners and their security. I might be wrong, but I also think that that's a reason why he seems to enjoy working the cases. He gets to play a con and outsmart people who are in the same line of work that he had been in. Competitors and even former partners alike," Rick said and turned to Peter. "If I may make a suggestion, Peter?"
Peter thought about Rick's words. Yes, more often than not he had his own agenda. But he genuinely seemed to like closing the cases. Peter nodded.
"I'd suggest you try to feed that emotion and reward him for his work."
"Reward him how?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I'm pretty sure you can't give him money or something like that. But you should find a way to pay him for his work. As I understand your deal, he could just stay in the office and look at the evidence there. But more often than not, he is out there, doing mostly the same things like your agents, or even putting himself in danger while going undercover or playing a con with criminals. As I said, I don't have any answers on how you could reward him, but I think letting him know that you and your team appreciate his efforts would be a start. Maybe involve him more in the planning, show him that he is a value member of the team, not just the criminal who belongs to the department. Maybe you should encourage him to think about what he'll do after his time is served. Maybe if he starts to feel more like an asset, he'll think about staying on as a consultant. Or maybe he could be an asset for SSI?" The last part Castle said more to himself. There was a short silence while Elle and Peter thought about Rick's words.
"Do you really think so?" Elle asked looking hopeful, while Peter was still in thoughts.
"I have never met Neal and only know what Peter and Jordan told me about him. His situation is somewhat similar to mine. Although, I didn't start as criminal, I started working at the 12th precinct as a way to pass the time and get close to a female detective. Although, I tried my best to be helpful, I goofed off a lot. Obviously, that didn't endear me to her or her team. In turn, they didn't take my contribution very serious at first. It wasn't pretty. Anyway, after a few weeks we caught a case of a prep school kid who was shot in the park. He was 15 years old, nearly the same age as my own daughter. He went to one of the best schools in the city, he got good grades. Again like my daughter. He had two parents that loved him. He was friends with a clique of rich kids. For days we chased leads that went nowhere. Then a video was shown to us of one of the kids shooting their friend. A day later we found that same kid that had pulled the trigger dead. It looked like suicide. The thing is, the kid was loaded beyond being able to even move. He also had a bruised finger. Obviously, someone helped him end it all. Our evidence pointed to the leader of their little group. He was a real piece of work. A smart ass rich kid who had seen way too many cop shows. He probably got more pocket money than the cops made as salary. What could they probably do to him? He thought himself smarter than anybody, especially some punk ass cop who probably sat around all day eating donuts. He thought himself safe, even when we brought him to the precinct to interrogate him. He didn't even ask for a lawyer, instead he had the audacity to flirt with Beckett."
Rick shook his head as he thought back to that day in the interrogation room.
"While the investigation went one, it was clear that Beckett wasn't getting anywhere, and it showed. The kid enjoyed riling her up. I was so angry that this punk killed two of his friends and he was going to get away with it. I started talking without thinking. I laid out the story like one of my plots and I could see I was getting to him. When I explained to him how he planned it all he just smirked. I really wanted to grab him by his shirt and slam him through a wall. But instead I kept talking, telling him that he was so smart, that arranging everything had been very impressive and some other stuff to bolster his ego. And then suddenly he said 'exactly'. That one word that sealed his fate. One simple word that showed he was the mastermind behind the whole thing.I got him to confess with something that I'd done thousands of times, by telling a story. From that day on I was really hooked. I stopped goofing off as much while still maintaining my role as spoiled writer to some degree. And it showed. As the cases kept coming, the team listened more and more to my became a well-oiled machine, closing case after case. And everybody contributed to that, even me, the writer," Castle recalled.
There was a moment of silence as Peter and Elle digested Rick's story.
"You really know how to tell a story Rick," Elle said shaking her head.
"It's what I was paid to do for a long time," Rick said smiling.
"Long story short, you really should start to make Neal like an asset. I think that he wants to fit in, he wants a family. He needs friends that don't have to be guarded about what they say to whom. Give him a place to fit in and there is a high probability that he could turn around and leave his days as con-man behind."
"Yes well, I think about what you said. It would be great if he started to trust me and stop doing things behind my back," Peter said.
"Alright," Rick said and checked his watch. "Oh, I think it's time for me to go. However, before I forget, what do you think about heading out to my house in the Hamptons for a weekend sometime? The house is huge enough for everyone, has a private beach and most importantly a fully stocked bar. If you have time, we could go to the Governor's Ball next month? What do you guys say?" Rick asked hopefully. He really liked the two of them and thought that they were starting to become good friends.
Peter checked with Elle who nodded. "We're in," he said happily. A weekend in the Hamptons sounded like fun.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to add Ryan, Esposito and their respective partners. If they don't want to tag along, we find somebody. Maybe the Steel's."
"It will give me a reason to go shopping. I'm going to need something new to wear," Elle said happily.
"Good point. You women should all go dress shopping, make a day out of it. I'm sure Jordan doesn't have anything to wear," Rick said. "In fact, I'll pick up the tab because you guys have to go super high end. A lot of very wealthy and powerful people will be there," Rick said.
"You don't have to…"
"I know that. But it's no problem, it's short notice."
Peter looked at Rick and could see that the other man wouldn't budge. He would find some way to pay.
"Alright."
"Great. While the women are out having fun shopping, we menfolk should find something interesting to do, too? Maybe a game of poker? Well, we can talk about it later."
A few minutes later, Rick was on his way home, having enjoyed a great meal with his new friends.