Flu

Chapter 13

"Was Dragon Garden out of moo shu pork?" Kate asks.

Rick plops a bag of food containers on the table. "No. I got the moo shu plus spareribs, shrimp with lobster sauce, and rice. The bigger news is that I found something that will add a lot more charges to the case against Leo DeNuncio, but also widen its reach beyond his dealings with the Scarpellas."

Kate lays out plates and serving spoons. "Don't keep me in suspense, Babe. What did you find?"

"A big explosion and fire. It not only took out a store, it killed six people and injured several others. But Kate, the thing is, it happened in Cardano, not Scarpella territory. The Old Man would have been running operations at the time. My guess is the Scarpellas were sending him a message, a deadly one."

"Do you know if there were reprisals?" Kate wonders.

Reaching for a sparerib, Rick shakes his head. "There wasn't anything about that in the case box. If there was an uptick in interfamily warfare, wouldn't that have been in The Organized Crime Unit's wheelhouse?"

"It would," Kate confirms. "And its rising star, Riley O'Connell, owes us a few hundred favors for cutting the head off the Cardano family. I'll give him a call and find out if the unit saw more Cardano versus Scarpella incidents after the store went up. Any more news on DeNuncio?"

"The word flashed along the grapevine that Forrester went to see him a couple of times at Belleview. After that, the lid went on."

Kate spreads plum sauce on a thin pancake and tops it with pork filling. "That probably means Forrester is setting up a negotiation with the D.A. The office would plug leaks on any discussions like that," she adds frowning.

"If Forrester gets DeNuncio to spill his guts to the D.A., that's a good thing, isn't it?" Castle asks. "If anyone can nail the Scarpellas, Leo can."

"Yeah. But anything DeNuncio says after a stint in Belleview would be suspect. Any halfway decent attorney would question his competency."

Using two fingers to raise Kate's chin, Rick gazes down into her eyes. "But that's not all that's bothering you."

Kate's spoon rattles to her plate. "No. Damn flu! I wanted to be the one to grill DeNuncio."

Rick kisses the tip of her nose. "Yeah, I figured."

While taking copious notes, Lee carefully evaluates each word of the recording he made of his conversation with Leo DeNuncio. If it had taken place anywhere but Belleview, the D.A. would be salivating to get his hands on Leo's disclosure. Unfortunately, given the state in which Leo was admitted to the facility, his testimony will be questionable at best and may be entirely discounted. Much of that will depend on how Leo presents himself at his interview with A.D.A. Eli Douglas. Lee hasn't had many dealings with Douglas, but in the ones he has, found him fair but tough. Getting any consideration for Leo won't be an easy sell.

A call from Eli Douglas brings a cautious smile to Roy Montgomery's lips. Before his wife started uncovering her origins, Roy had a passing awareness of Eli's existence in the D.A.'s office. When Evelyn found out that she and Eli are cousins, it put a new spin on things, especially given their plan for a family road trip at the end of the summer. Relative or not, it's always good to have a friend in the D.A.'s office. Right now the department can use all the friends it can get.

"Roy, your people are handling the Leo DeNuncio case, aren't they?" Eli asks.

"Uh-hmm. Detective Beckett and her husband Richard Castle – Castle's daughter did the genealogy search for Evelyn – are working on it. Beckett is officially out with the flu, but that hasn't stopped her. She and Castle go over everything he digs up, together. My detectives Ryan and Esposito are involved as well, along with a special team led by a retired officer, Jerry Macy."

"So, the information is rock solid?" Eli presses.

"As solid as it can be. Kate Beckett digs her teeth into a case like a dog worries a bone, and Castle is brilliant at uncovering missed details. Macy did a great job bringing DeNuncio in. You can count on everything you get from my people."

"That's good because chances are I'll need a lot more. DeNuncio's lawyer is promising his client will come clean with every detail of his work for the Scarpella family, but his testimony can't stand on its own in court. As I understand it, Scarpella's consigliere has already come up with a psychiatrist who'll swear DeNuncio is nuttier than a Snickers bar. Anything the man tells us will have to be backstopped by another source. Almost half our investigators are out, and the rest are stretched as thin as they can go. I tried to get some support from the S.D.N.Y., but they're no better off than we are, so your people are my best bet at making anything against the Scarpellas stick. I'll take any help you can send me."

"You'll have Castle and Beckett. He's already looking deeper into DeNuncio, and she should be up to full speed in a few days. They'll be able to pull in anyone available, but my cops still have to keep the peace around here."

"I understand, Roy. I look forward to hearing from Castle and Beckett – and tell Evelyn I said hello."

"I'll do that," Roy promises.

Rick's eyebrows rise at the I.D. at the incoming call on his cell. "It's Montgomery."

Kate's face darkens in a scowl. "Why isn't he calling me?"

Rick thumbs his acceptance and the speaker icon, "We'll find out."

"Congratulations, Castle," Montgomery announces.

"Are you going to let me carry a gun?" Rick asks excitedly.

"Sorry, still can't let you do that. But as an N.Y.P.D. consultant, you are officially assigned, along with Beckett, as much as she is able, to put together anything and everything you can find about Leo DeNuncio and his connection to the Scarpella family. You'll be preparing reports directly for A.D.A. Douglas to use in the case."

"A.D.A. Douglas? Evelyn's cousin? Is this a family affair, Captain?" Castle quips.

"Only as far as how pissed off I'll be if you fall down on the job of delivering what Douglas needs," Montgomery responds. "So enjoy the rest of the evening and be ready to hit the ground running, first thing in the morning. I expect a full shift out of you Castle, under Beckett's remote supervision."

"I don't suppose I'm getting paid for this?" Castle asks.

"You'll get paid in the satisfaction of knowing you'll put major criminals out of business, Castle," Montgomery retorts.

"Good thing I'm rich," Castle grumbles, ending the call.

"The captain's putting a lot of pressure on you. Did you finish sending off everything Black Pawn wanted?" Kate queries.

"For now. I'll have to get the rest of the chapters written within the next month or so, but I'll work on them when I can. Pursuing this investigation may even help. And it looks like I have tonight to craft my prose – unless you need me for something."

Kate's index finger traces a path up his arm. "I always need you for something, Babe. But I know what's going to happen if you put your writing off. You'll be struggling to finish in – how did Alexis put it? – a caffeine-induced haze. Go be Castle, the bestselling author. You can play Castle the N.Y.P.D. consultant in the morning.