Poison Pen

Chapter 18

Swallowing hard, Kate pulls a thin file from the bottom drawer of her desk and hands it to Castle.

Wincing at the photograph of a bloodied Johanna Beckett lying in a littered alley, Rick rapidly flips through the pages. "This is everything?"

Kate sighs, gritting her teeth. "I told you that Raglan dismissed the case as random violence. There was almost no investigation. By the time I got through the academy, the trail was ice cold. If your magical M.E. can't find something, it still will be."

Castle studies the meager contents of the folder. "At least the M.E. who was originally on the case took good pictures. Did you or your friend Lanie ever talk to him?"

"He passed away not long after he did the autopsy. His assistant had to dig through his notes to put together the report and get a supervisor to sign off."

"Kate," Rick inquires gently, "what happened to your mother's body?"

'It's in the cemetery." Moisture glints in Kate's eyes. "My father and I ordered a headstone with her favorite thing to say, 'Vincit omnia veritas,' on it. I think it gave him some comfort that she would still proclaim what she believed even after death. For a while, when I visited her grave, it made me feel better to see it."

Castle scrubs a hand over his freshly shaved face. "If I recall the Latin that was forced down my throat at boarding school, that phrase means truth conquers all things."

"Uh-huh," Kate confirms.

"But it doesn't make you feel better to see it anymore. Why?"

"Maybe because I don't believe it anymore. I've nailed so many scumbags, just to see them squirm out of going to prison on a technicality. And look at what happened with Badcock. We had him cold, Castle, but it may be years, if ever before he pays for what he's done. The truth didn't conquer anything."

"Give it time, Kate. You never know what's going to happen, and I…"

"Beckett," Montgomery calls from the doorway of his office, "I need to talk to you. You might as well come too, Castle."

"What is it, Sir?" Kate asks, walking into the captain's office. "Is there a body?"

Montgomery shakes his head. "I hope not. It's a kidnapping, and before you say anything, I know you've been sticking to homicides. But the feds have jurisdiction on this one, and the FBI agent in charge has requested you to work on the case. As I recall, you've worked together before."

Kate can feel her hands go cold. "Are you talking about Will Sorenson? Sir…"

Montgomery holds up his hand. "I know there was some personal stuff between you two, which obviously didn't work out well. But he wants you, and if we want to keep the feds from trampling all over our business, we need to keep a good relationship with them. You're assigned to the case. You'll have Castle with you to serve as a buffer if you need one."

"Nice to know I'm good for something," Rick mutters.

"The victim is a 2-year-old little girl, Angela Candela." Montgomery continues. You have a daughter, Castle. You might have some insights into the child's behavior. Beckett, I'm sending the details to your phone. You'll be meeting Sorenson at the Candela's apartment."

"Before we get to the scene, you want to tell me about Will Sorenson?" Castle asks as Kate drives.

"There's not much to tell," Kate insists. "He and I met working another kidnapping. We dated for about six months. He was transferred to Boston. I stayed in New York. End of story."

"Not from the look on your face, but can you at least tell me if you got the kidnapper last time around?"

Kate's hands tighten on the wheel. "We got him."

"But?"

"Not before he killed the child. Sorenson was in charge of dropping off the ransom. We caught up with the kidnapper after Will made the drop, but it was too late. He pegged Will as a fed and strangled the little boy as twisted revenge."

"And you and Sorenson shared grief over what happened."

"I guess you could call it that. But he managed to convince himself that catching the kidnapper was some kind of success. I couldn't see it that way. All I could see was that broken little body in the back seat of the kidnapper's car. Will was ready to put that death behind him. That's why he took the position in Boston. He asked me to follow him there, but I couldn't do it. I don't think I even wanted to."

"Sounds like he's hoping to get together with you again," Castle suggests.

"That's not going to happen," Kate declares. "I want to get Angela back, alive and well, but that's all I want. Here. This is the building. The Candelas are on the first floor."

"The most vulnerable place to be," Castle observes. "Someone could break a window that looks down on the alley and climb right in. If it were my apartment, I'd at least put in bars or shutters to protect Alexis."

"Yeah," Kate considers. "I wonder why the Candela's didn't. Depending on how Will is running this thing, I may get a chance to ask."

"Kate," Will Sorenson greets Beckett in the living room of the Candelas' condo. Sorenson's eyes sweep up and down Castle's 2-inch taller frame. "And this must be Richard Castle. Your captain told me to expect him. Apparently, the N.Y.P.D. is helping writers play cops and robbers now."

"I'm not playing anything," Castle retorts. "As a father, I find Angela's kidnapping deadly serious. I would hope that you would as well. I'm here to observe and help in any way that I can."

"Of course," Sorenson agrees hastily. "I don't see how you can help, but you can take your notes. Just stay out of the way."

"I want to talk to the Candelas," Kate insists.

Sorenson nods toward a couch. "They're right over there."

Castle regards the couple sitting at opposite ends of the sofa. "Not exactly giving each other comfort," he whispers to Kate.

"Theresa and Alfred Candela?" Kate inquires, not waiting for an answer. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett from the N.Y.P.D. I'll be working on getting your daughter back. I know you've already talked to the FBI, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened. The tiniest detail could make a difference."

"I leave early in the morning to go to work, before my husband and Angela get up. Go ahead, Alfred," Theresa demands, "tell the detective how you were painting with music blasting in your ears when you should have been watching our daughter."

Castle's eyes flit from one Candela to another. They're definitely not a happy couple.

With Castle at her elbow, Kate approaches Will as he checks the monitoring of the Candelas' phone. "Did you get a preliminary forensics report? Any fingerprints?"

Sorenson shakes his head. "None. There was some trace, but it just looks like New York City dirt."

"I don't get it," Castle declares. "Two-year-olds aren't the most agreeable beings. If someone had tried to grab my daughter at that age, she would have screamed bloody murder. Even listening to music in his studio, Alfred should have heard Angela crying out. And Theresa seems more interested in blaming her husband than getting her daughter back. Something about their story stinks."

"Castle has a point," Kate insists. "With Alfred in the next room, a stranger shouldn't have been able to just take Angela."

"Unless it wasn't a stranger," Castle proposes. "Angela might have gone with someone she knew, especially if she expected to get a treat or have fun."

"Right," Kate acknowledges. "And someone familiar to the girl would know the layout of the Candelas' place. We need to check out anyone Angela would regard as a friendly face, and we need to do it fast."

A/N Fun fact for The Rookie watchers. The actor, Julian Acosta, who played Alfred Candela, played the guard, Hernandez, in the most recent episode of The Rookie.