Flu

Chapter 86

With a forkful of chili halfway to her mouth, Kate's phone buzzes. Reluctantly, she puts down her utensil to take the call. "Kate, it's Lorne Faulkner. I found some information for you on the Pentecost death in Nazareth. The victim's name was Chauncy Bergman. He worked in the shipping department at the guitar factory. Bergman was in charge of sending loads of kits to dealers."

"Kits?" Castle queries.

"Oh, Rick, you're on too," Lorne realizes. "Yeah, Martin has kits so that musicians can assemble their own instruments, but the factory doesn't sell direct. It has approved retailers whom customers contact. Anyway, according to the articles I dug up, Chauncy's friends and family thought something had been bothering him, but they didn't know what. He didn't talk to anyone about it. They thought that might be why he went to church, to work it out with God."

"Anything more about the suspected arson?" Kate asks.

"The church was old, built in the 1700s, around the time Nazareth was founded. But it had been recently refurbished with new carpeting and wallboard. The upgrades were still out-gassing, releasing formaldehyde and other chemicals into the air. The sanctuary was also filled with candles, which could have left a hydrocarbon residue," Lorne explains. "The place went up like a torch but it was impossible to determine the presence of an accelerant with any certainty."

"How about the body?" Kate asks. "Any telltale signs on it ?"

"I got a copy of the autopsy report, but there wasn't much there either. The body was so badly burned that it had to be identified by titanium rods in Chauncy's back that were implanted to correct scoliosis. That was consistent with the level of heat in the church. If someone set that fire and killed that man, they got away with it."

Kate's eyes narrow. "Or got away with it so far. Thanks, Lorne. We appreciate the help."

"Um, Kate," Lorne responds, his voice cracking, "Could you help me with something? I know it's more than a month off, but you're Lanie's best friend, and I thought that you might know."

"Know what?" Kate asks.

"What Lanie might like for Valentine's Day. Rick, you know how hard it is for a guy to pick the right thing."

"With you there, Buddy," Castle agrees. "I do have a trick or two, but I can't reveal them in front of Kate."

Kate reaches across the table and swats Rick's hand. "Lorne, I can't speak for Lanie, but what I want on Valentine's Day is to spend quality time with my guy. The rest of it doesn't matter."

"I'll find a way to work that out," Lorne resolves. "Thanks, Kate."

"So," Rick inquires as Kate puts away her phone, "does that mean I don't have to give you anything except my glorious presence?"

"Only if you want your glorious presence to be sleeping on the couch," Kate retorts.

Rick gulps. "Roger that."

Gazing around the lab at C.S.U., Alexis contends with having to return to school in four days. She has two more, counting that day, at the bench, and then a weekend to try to get back in the high school student rhythm. It's weird, but having to do that this time seems even more jarring than going back to Marlowe Prep after her summer break. She didn't win a competition to be here this time; she was invited because she'd shown what she could do. That makes her a member of the forensics family, something she'll miss when she's back to sitting in a classroom or even studying with her friends over pizza. She has her fingers crossed for coming back in the Spring, but Carl hasn't offered any commitment. She'll work her butt off in the time she has left and hope for the best.

"Financials just arrived on Earl Jabbanek," Esposito announces, holding up a sheaf of papers as Kate and Rick step off the elevator.

Kate strides quickly across the bullpen to take them from him. "Great!" Glancing toward Castle, she inclines her head toward the conference room. "Let's take these in there." Kate spreads the printouts on the surface of the large table. "There's a lot more here than I expected."

"How far back do they go?" Rick asks.

"The usual seven years. That's enough to cover the time of Gil's murder and get close to the fire in Nazareth. A lot of this looks like transactions for A Mighty Wind. I can take those since I've already been looking into the group. You want to grab the rest?"

"Sure," Castle agrees. He rapidly scans through his first two pages. "Kate, does your paperwork show what the group is paying Earl for his services?"

Kate runs her finger down a set of entries. "It looks like he gets a cut of the take instead of a salary. I'll have to go through more of this to be sure, but it probably comes out to 30 or 40 thousand a year."

"That wouldn't go far in New York, and it wouldn't pay for what I'm seeing. He wouldn't even make rent or meet his car payment, and he's up to date on both. His credit cards aren't maxed out, so he's not paying that way. Wait, I want to look at his deposits." Rick digs through his stacks. "Hmm, there are a lot of them, none enormous, but they add up. It looks like he can afford his lifestyle and more."

"Where's the money coming from?" Kate queries.

"A lot of different places, from businesses, not individuals. These enterprises are paying him for something. Oh! Kate! The establishments are music-related, but I don't see ties to the group." He holds up a list of figures. "One of these deposits comes from S&S Instruments. Another one comes from Winning Notes."

Kate reaches for the document. "We need to find out what he's selling them. We could call and ask, but if these transactions are less than above board, the buyers won't be very forthcoming."

Rick pulls out his phone. "Let's try another way. Here's the website for Winning Notes. Kate, they sell kits, supposedly certified genuine ones, for assembling Martin Guitars. OK, here's S&S. They sell them too. I bet every store on this list does."

"And Chauncy Bergman was tied in with the kits, too," Kate recalls. "He would know what came from Martin and what didn't. He could have challenged Earl."

"And gone up in Pentecost flames. Maybe Gil also caught on to Earl's game and came to New York to face him with it," Rick proposes. "And Earl decided that tying a killing to Pentecost had worked so well the first time that he did it again. With knowing his brother's habits, where he would go, what he would do, killing him would be a piece of cake."

"But what scam is Earl hiding?" Kate wonders.

"Come on, Kate. Con men have been selling counterfeit instruments at least since Stradivarius. Earl could have a woodworker somewhere making kits for him. From the look of the money, maybe several woodworkers. He sells his versions cheaper, probably a lot cheaper than Martin, but still makes a very hefty profit. And he poured some of his ill-gotten gains into A Mighty Wind to start building a name for himself in the music world."

"That's a great theory, Castle, but how do we prove it?"

Rick wiggles his brows. "Maybe we can get some help from denizens of the musical universe. I bet Holly spends some time in music stores. Mark, too."

Kate leans in for an impromptu kiss. "Then get on the phone and find out, Babe."