Flu

Chapter 44

"Finding anything on Gohmert?" Kate asks as she drives down Interstate 95 back toward the city.

"I think so. Wikipedia has an article on bodybuilding. There's a Jefferson (Jeffy) Gohmert listed as a former competitor. He won a couple of titles within a few years of Lisa Wernick's murder. There's nothing about him after that. Now that I have a first name, I'm going to do one of my handy-dandy background searches."

"Maybe he cashed in on his PR and opened a gym or something," Kate suggests.

"Good thought. Looking for proprietors of fitness establishments will be a good way to winnow the entries, but there aren't that many Gohmerts in the U.S. to start with. Unfortunately, about 25% of them seem to be named Jefferson. You think Calis was straight with us?"

"I don't know," Kate confides. "I don't think he made up what his wife said about Gohmert, but he seemed to be working hard to put the best face on his business."

"He probably is. It's a guy thing, Kate. Even without a father figure, I fell into it," Rick admits. "We want to think of ourselves as the conquering hero. If Calis' business ran a little too lean during the recession, he might just be getting back on his feet. The flu epidemic probably didn't help either. But unless Calis is Lisa's killer, it's Gohmert who matters. Funny thing is I don't recall his name coming up before. And I would remember. I don't think he was one of Lisa Wernick's students."

"Calis never said that he was," Kate agrees. "If Gohmert wasn't upset about a grade from her, he'd need another motive. That would bring us back to your theory about Lisa trying to shut down Sammy Levinson's steroid sales."

"Uh-huh, Sammy gives himself an alibi and sends Gohmert to do his dirty work," Rick figures.

"Telling Gohmert that if Lisa goes to the administration, his steroid supply will be cut off," Kate finishes. "But if that's what happened, it will be hell to prove. Did you find anything else online?"

"Working on it," Rick assures her."

"Booyah!" Rick shouts as Kate is pulling into the parking area at the 12th Precinct."

"What have you got, Babe?"

"It took some digging, but there's a Jefferson Gohmert who's a partner in a gym in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Just off-hand, I'd guess he isn't going after the suburban set trying to tighten their abs. The place is near the docks, probably catering to a more musclebound clientele."

"Have you got a home address?" Kate asks.

"Looks like he had a place in Woodbridge – nice neighborhood – but nothing current is listed."

"I might be able to do better, checking DMVs for New Jersey and New York too. Elizabeth is closer to New York than some boroughs are to each other." Kate glances at the dash display. "It's four now. That gives me an hour before the end of my shift. That could be enough time to come up with something. Alexis should be getting home about now. I can drop you at the loft if you want to debrief her on her day at school."

"You go ahead and start tickling the keys of your computer," Castle advises. "I'll walk. I can check in with Mark as I amble along, and I think that today the vendor with the good pretzels will be on my route. You want me to get you one? You can always warm it up later."

"Only if we have brown mustard."

"I'll make sure that we do."

After grabbing a coffee from the break room, Kate settles in front of her computer. If she were looking for a Smith or a Jones, she would be in for a long haul, but a Jefferson Gohmert should be a piece of cake. She's not surprised that she finds nothing in the New York DMV records. New Jersey, however, has two with different middle names. From their ages, though, it looks like they might be father and son, with the younger one her suspect. The address in Linden, not far from Elizabeth, is the same for both. One thing that catches her eye is that both Gohmerts have ID cards, not drivers licenses. She can understand that for an aging father, but for the son, it's just another puzzle piece to fit into place.

Kate arrives home to find the implements for pumpkin carving laid out, and Rick and Alexis already engaged in the task. "Mark needs more of my unique creations to sell at the Pumpkin Castle," Rick explains, "and Alexis and her friends are entering a Marlowe Prep contest for charity. So am I."

"You want to carve one?" Alexis offers. "The contest is open to anyone, and your entry fee goes for books for kids who don't have any of their own. I can't imagine growing up without the Monkey Bunky series, or Nancy Drew."

"I'm with you on Nancy Drew," Kate agrees, "although eventually having a lawyer single father came a little too close to home."

"Ooh, I guess it would," Alexis sympathizes.

"I'm willing to enter, but when you see my jack o' lantern, you may not want to admit that you know me," Kate warns. "Art's never been my strong point."

Rick presses a dramatic hand to his forehead. Something at which my remarkable wife does not excel. I'll believe it when I see it."

Castle tilts his head, wondering if a changed perspective will improve the appearance of Kate's pumpkin. It doesn't. In a way, that's comforting. As much as he adores Kate, her almost universal prowess can be intimidating. The tiny failing makes him love her even more. Fortunately, the contest proceeds come from contestants' fees, not the sale of the sculpted gourds.

Even using mini power tools, It took him a while to fulfill Mark's order before he could turn out a contest entry of his own. Kate shoved a few pizza rolls into his mouth while he worked, but he's still starved. Kate's throwing together a salad while he grills chicken fillets. He would have preferred rib eyes, but Alexis already marinated the chicken. Her cognitive dissonance of insisting on healthy meals but also building some of the world's most calorie intensive ice cream sundaes is impressive if confounding.

With Rick on transportation duty for the family's spooky creations, Kate enters the bullpen alone. A half dozen unoccupied desks greet her. Roy pops out of his office. "The second wave of flu we were warned to expect, arrived this morning. Cops called in sick all over the city. I know you're working on a cold case, but I can't let you take any field trips right now. When Castle gets here, I don't want him taking any either. Until we're back up to full force, I need you ready to respond immediately to any possible homicide. Your present investigation can regain a higher priority when the current situation resolves. After all this time, nothing about it is going to change much in a couple of weeks. Understood, Beckett?"

"Understood, Sir."

Despite her response, Kate's not sure the captain's assumption will hold. If Sammy Levinson decides to tip off Jeffy Gohmert, her most likely suspect could run. She has no choice but to obey orders, but that won't stop her from calling in favors from a couple of New Jersey cops she knows. They can at least put a watch on Gohmert until Kate's prepared to make a move. And until she and Rick are called out on a new case, they can still do some research.