Flu
Chapter 56
Tears roll down Mary Lou Renson's face as she chews on her last remaining fingernail. I plugged in the extension cord. Mr. Bell was so sick. He looked like he was going to fall over any minute. And if he couldn't finish his work, we wouldn't have been able to get the float into the parade. I never thought. Omigod! I killed all those people, didn't I? Am I going to jail? I should go to jail. They should throw away the key."
"Mary Lou, I'm going to advise you of your rights," Kate replies softly. "And no matter how you feel about it right now, it would be a very good idea to get a lawyer."
Rick leans against a wall after he and Kate get Mary Lou settled in a holding cell. "She's a sweet kid who was just trying to help. Do you think the D.A. will charge her?"
Kate takes a spot next to her husband. "Six people died. The city is going to want its pound of flesh. But I'll talk to Eli. He'll probably charge her with negligent homicide, but she couldn't have much more remorse. Maybe he can work something out with her lawyer to minimize her sentence."
Rick reaches for Kate's hand. "My nightmares were wrong. There's no villain here, just one disastrous moment of stupidity. It's much simpler in my books. Bad things happen because bad guys, usually pretty smart bad guys, make them happen. I guess if I ever want to write the great American novel, I'll need to depend more on the foibles of humanity."
Kate turns to him, cupping his cheek. "I didn't know you wanted to write the great American novel."
"I've started them about 200 times," Rick confesses. "And every time, I either tossed them out myself or watched Alexis trying not to wrinkle her nose as she read the opening chapter. But my characters were always larger than life. What I need is for readers to believe the decisions my constructs make could be theirs. The triumphs and the defeats should be the most human of human – like Batman."
Kate's mouth falls open. "What? How did you get from exploring the human condition to a superhero?"
"Because Batman isn't a superhero, Kate. Back in the bronze age D.C. pushed the theory that Batman's brain was his superpower. There was a long-running argument about who was smarter, Superman or Batman, kind of like who was faster, Superman or the Flash. As I recall, Batman won the crown. But fans now don't believe that Batman has a super brain or super anything else. He may be smarter and more affluent than the average guy, but he's essentially a flawed man who does imperfect things. That's the attraction, the appeal.
"True heroes are people who prevail despite or even because of their failings. Nikki Heat is a little like that. Her obsession with her mother's death pushes her to be a better cop. I think that's why the readers connect with her. They're drawn because she's inspired by a stubborn, remarkable, frustrating, and endlessly fascinating real woman."
"Thank you?"
"No. Thank you for making me a better writer and maybe even a better person."
"You're sleep-deprived, Babe. Don't get carried away. And we do have another case we left on hold after the city went crazy."
"Bridget McCready and the deer brain hunter," Rick recalls. So, what's our next step?"
Kate nips at her lip. "There's one person involved with this case we haven't contacted yet. With Fletcher gone, we should talk to Hugh Heitner."
"Something you seem to have been scrupulously avoiding."
"I was," Kate admits, "but as Fletcher's partner, it was also his investigation. I should have connected with him already. Feel up to a trip to 1PP, or do you want me to drop you home to catch a nap?"
"I want to be along on this one," Rick decides. "If Heitner is endeavoring to scale professional heights, he'll make a good character the readers will love to hate. Even if he can't help us with Bridget's murder, I can gain some interesting impressions."
"I don't know how interesting they'll be," Kate considers, "but from what I've heard, it will be better to have you along anyway."
"Why, what have you heard?"
"If it's true, you'll see."
At his first glance at an ingratiating smile, Castle takes an instant dislike to Hugh Heitner. Rick's teeth clench when Heitner dismissively nods at him but holds Kate's hand too long while shaking it. She's wearing her wedding ring, and that sonofabitch is hitting on her anyway. Not that Heitner would get any intimate attention from Kate but a brutally-aimed kick, but Rick can feel anger rising in his throat.
As Rick and Kate take seats covered in scratchy olefin fabric, Heitner leans back in his leather upholstered desk chair. "You said you wanted to discuss Bridget McCready's murder. There's not much to discuss. We found no leads to speak of. It was a sad but familiar story. A girl meets up with the wrong guy."
"Lieutenant Heitner," Kate presses, "we have come across additional evidence in the case, and what we believe may be another victim. Was there anything that you and Detective Fletcher uncovered or suspected that didn't go in his report?"
"Like what?" Heitner asks.
"Like anyone who saw a guy wearing a Tyvek suit that would keep him from leaving anything behind on Bridget's body. One that would have let his personal weapon stick out," Rick adds.
Heitner's lower lip curls upward as his lungs reflexively expel air. "No, Castle, we didn't have any witnesses who saw anything like that."
"How about someone in the neighborhood who worked with leather?" Kate queries. "A deer hunter, perhaps."
Heitner's eyes narrow. "I'm sorry, Detective, I don't see the connection."
"Then you must not have had much conversation with Brunner, the M.E. who did the autopsy," Rick interjects.
"According to Doctor Brunner, there is a substantial chance that the ligature was made of hand-tanned leather," Kate explains. "Evidence from the possible second victim indicates a deer. When you talked to Bridget's friends, did any of them mention Bridget knowing a deer hunter?"
"None of Bridget's friends said anything notable, or it would have been in the report," Heitner declares. "Now Detective, I'm sorry, but I have an appointment with the chief. If you have any more questions, email them to me. I'll answer as promptly as I can."
"Of course," Kate agrees. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
Castle growls as he and Kate leave Police Plaza. "Asshole! He was not only trying to hit on a married woman, albeit the hottest one in the department; he was hiding something about the case. I don't think he gave a sh*t about anything Bridget's friends knew, or he wanted to cover up what they said. Did you see how he reacted to the mention of a deer hunter?"
"Yeah, I did," Kate confirms. "He's covering up something. I just don't know what."
"Do you suppose that Lt. Heitner might get a charge out of shooting Bambi?" Rick wonders, "and not because he needs to fill the family freezer."
"He seems like the type who might. If he does, he wouldn't take a chance of putting a black mark on his record by being caught hunting without a license. We can check and see if he has one."
"And while we're at it, we could see if anyone else who might have had contact with Bridget had one," Castle suggests.
"Good idea, Babe. This case may be warming up."