Poison Pen

Chapter 11

"Beckett, I've got something!" Ryan yells across the bullpen. "I've been checking the traffic cam footage around the shipping store at the time Badcock picked up his toxin. I've got a line on his car. I've been scrubbing the video of routes out of town, and I've got him headed upstate. The last time the camera caught him was on the route to Chenango County."

Castle rakes his fingers through his hair. "I was thinking about having a villain hole up in that area once. It's full of towns, villages, hamlets, and farms. That's a lot of territory to cover."

"So we narrow it down," Kate declares. "Badcock must have a reason for heading in that direction. Everything he does is tied somehow to the past. We dig into whatever we can find on him and his family history until we find the connection. Castle, Bruce is on vacation for a couple of weeks. You can use the computer on his desk. That's got to be easier than trying to search on your phone, and you'll have access to more databases.

"Won't I need his password?" Castle wonders.

"They're randomly generated," Kate explains. "I'll get Montgomery to have one assigned to you temporarily."

Castle cracks his knuckles and flexes his fingers. "Ready and eager to get started."

Kate wearily massages the knots at the back of her neck. "I can't find any public records about a Badcock in Chenango County. I looked in Albany County too. If the family is there, there's no sign of it. How about you, Castle?"

"I took advantage of the N.Y.P.D.'s access to public records the check Badcock's birth certificate. His mother's maiden name was Morehouse, so I've been looking for anything connected to that. I located a few businesses in the area that were once owned by Morehouses. The family seems to have moved on except for one farm, owned by a Sidney Morehouse. It's been in his name for 50 years. I haven't been able to find much on him. I was just getting into the archive of the local newspaper. Ooh! I've got hits. Apparently, until recently, Elder Sid, as they call him, was very involved in church activities. He held canning parties on his farm and hosted youth gatherings. According to this, he needed the extra support provided by a senior facility, but the deacons still call on him regularly at his new digs."

"Anything about what happened to the farm?" Kate wonders.

Castle's fingers fly over his keyboard. "Nothing. It's not listed for sale. Perhaps Sid couldn't bear to part with it."

"Or wanted to keep it in the family," Kate speculates.

"Either way, if Badcock wants to lay low, Sid Morehouse's farm would be a likely spot to go to ground," Castle remarks.

"I'll get the locals to check the place out," Kate decides. "Feel like a road trip if they find Badcock, Castle?"

"Alexis is staying with her friend Paige for a few days. I feel better with her out of the loft. The two of them are window shopping and consulting about a dress for Alexis to wear to the prom. The only thing she'll need me for is my credit card. I can take care of that when I get back, and I'd like nothing better than to look my would-be poisoner in the eye when you snap the cuffs on him."

"And I'll enjoy watching you do it, Castle."

Simon knows there's something wrong when he hears the rumble of vehicles coming up the road to Sid's farm. Peering through calico curtains, he sees several police SUVs approaching the house. He considers hiding in the cellar, but Sid's stash of food is no secret. With the half a brain the cops might have, they'll still be able to find Simon. He might be able to slip out the back way and conceal himself in the loft of the old barn. He wishes he had time to come up with one of the intricate plans that served him so well until monkey-wrenched by Castle's clumsiness. Still, a plan made on the fly is better than no plan at all. He runs for the door in the mudroom.

"He's got to be around here somewhere," Chief Morris declares after his officers have cleared the farmhouse. "His car is still out front, and he can't get far on foot. He'd have to go across the fields and be easy to spot. I want half of you to check the Chase and Rowell farms, and the rest of you search Sid's outbuildings."

Kate puts down her landline, satisfaction brightening her features. "Simon Badcock was on Sid Morehouse's farm. The cops searching the place found him crouched in the barn behind some bales of hay. Turned out he was allergic and couldn't stop sneezing.

Castle grins, smacking his palm on Kate's desk. "I wish I'd seen that! I'll have to write that scenario into a story. But it will have to happen to a villain who fancies himself invincible. It will make his downfall that much sweeter. So, where's Badcock now?"

"He's in holding in Norwich, the county seat."

"That's about a four-hour drive from here," Castle figures, looking at his watch. "We'd probably be driving back with him at night unless you want to start out tomorrow morning or stay over somewhere. I went to see Mother in a play once at the Martin Kappel Theater in Norwich. It's not a bad little town. A lot of businesses are headquartered there. I know because they bought ads in the Playbill. The hotels should be accustomed to accommodating VIPs."

"Staying over might not be a bad idea, Castle. I don't need VIP treatment, but I have no idea how long it's going to take to process Badcock into N.Y.P.D. custody. We could start on the paperwork first thing in the morning and have a unit come up to meet us and transport Badcock."

"Live a little, Beckett," Castle counsels. "If you're worried about Montgomery's budget, I'll spring for an upscale room for you. We can probably find a decent place to have dinner, too."

"Whether the department is paying or not, I'll still have to clear the trip with Montgomery. But if the captain OKs it, Castle, we've got a date."

A trip to fetch a killer wasn't exactly what Castle had in mind for a date with Beckett, but it will be a low-pressure start. He'll have plenty of time to check out the reviews and pick the restaurant and the hotel. In the back of his mind, Rick remembers seeing a cute little bed-and-breakfast, if it's still there. He and Beckett will be in separate rooms, of course, but at least they'll be under the same roof.

"If Castle is paying, you can stay anywhere you want, Beckett," Montgomery declares. "Just get that slimeball Badcock back here and the commissioner off my neck. A near-celebrity poisoning at a prestigious private school on top of a murder didn't play well with the brass. 1PP will be happier with Badcock behind bars. I'm sure Mr. Castle will be too."

"I'm sure he will," Kate agrees.

Once Badcock is safely put away, Castle will no longer have a reason to hang around the 12th Precinct, Kate muses silently. She's going to miss him — a lot. At least they'll have their trip to Norwich and share a real meal that isn't devoted to identifying a suspect. And who knows what might happen after that? Daydreams swirl through her mind.

A/N Guest, Mormons are not the only ones who keep a year's supply of food on hand. I can think of at least two other churches that do. I failed to be specific quite on purpose. I wasn't commenting on a particular religion, just on Simon's reason for choosing that retreat.