Poison Pen

Chapter 54

Rick slams his fist into his palm. "Damn! I wish I could be here to watch you go after Merriweather."

"Me too," Kate agrees, but look, we have more than enough to charge her with conspiracy to commit theft and smuggling, at the very least. That means I'm not up against the 24-hour limit on holding her. She hasn't got a lawyer yet, either, and she asked for one. She might have been planning on using Shelby, like her brother, but from the look of things that would be a serious conflict of interest now. I can't see him taking the case. She'd have to find someone else. With all of that going on, I can put off tossing her on the grill for a while."

Rick grabs a heartfelt kiss. "Do you know how terrific you are?"

"You're free to tell me anytime."

Castle glances at his watch. "I'll give you a raincheck for chapter and verse. I need to get going. Maybe we can do lunch again. The bailiff said the Comfort Food Truck comes around sometimes. So do some of the other city's other mobile dispensers of culinary delights."

"OK, send me a text when Mencas calls a recess."

"My fingers will fly to the task."

Merri paces the tight confines of her cell. If Detective Beckett broke Winny, she would have charged Merri with a lot more than she did. So far, her brother must be holding out. But Merri knows Winny too well to believe that he'll be able to keep it together forever, especially without Merri to cheerlead. And Shelby turned her away. Screw him! But she'll still need an attorney and not one of those legal aid types. There's one, Mark Galegos, who has a fascination with ancient cultures, especially the bloodier ones, and comes to the society's fundraisers. She remembers the newspapers screaming about him getting a murderer off on a technicality not too long ago. He may be just the counsel she needs.

Rick is finding it difficult to concentrate. Toni Gonzales isn't presenting anything that he doesn't already know, and he'd rather be on the hunt with Kate. When Toni finally rests her case, Kirby announces that his principal witness won't be available until the next day, and suggests that Judge Mencas adjourn the trial until that time.

Clearly annoyed, Judge Mencas advises him to do a better job scheduling the defense but agrees to his request.

Grinning, Castle rubs his hands together as he exits the courtroom to head to the precinct. Unfortunately, he and Kate didn't connect for even a hurried lunch, but they'll have hours before dinner, and of course, the rest of the night.

Kate surveys a well-dressed figure stepping off the elevator. "Babe, do you know who that is?"

"From the handmade suit, $1000 shoes and $2000 briefcase, I'm guessing an expensive lawyer.

"It's Mark Galegos. He must be here for Merriweather Seward," Kate assumes. "She's the only suspect we're holding who can afford him, and it would even be a stretch for her."

"Is he that good?" Castle queries.

"He's more than good. You remember the Peterman case, the one where the actor got off because his lawyer brought body and stunt doubles into court and from a distance, the witness couldn't tell them from the suspect? That was Galegos. If there's any way Merri can slither out from under a murder charge, Galegos will find it."

"Then we will make damn sure there aren't any holes for Merriweather to slither through," Castle declares.

"Detective Beckett?" Galegos inquires, approaching Kate's desk. As Kate nods, the lawyer extends his hand. "Mark Galegos. I represent Merriweather Seward, and I understand you have her in custody.

As she peremptorily shakes hands with Galegos, Kate trades glances with Castle, who's attempting an encouraging smile. "Yes, Mr. Galegos, we have Ms. Seward."

"I'll need to consult with my client, without video or audio surveillance," Galegos asserts.

"Of course, Mr. Galegos," Kate agrees, her fingernails digging into her palms. "You can use the lounge. It doesn't have any microphones or cameras."

Galegos pulls out his phone and holds it up to display his scanning app. "I'll be assuring myself of that."

Kate waves him toward the lounge. "Feel free," Mr. Galegos.

"Unlike your client, Detective Beckett has nothing to hide," Castle adds through clenched teeth.

Kate signals to L.T. to retrieve Merri from holding while Galegos tests for recording devices.

"You were right about Galegos," Castle whispers to Kate. "He's going to play every angle he can."

Kate's teeth dig into her lower lip. "Then we'll have to find another one."

"What about Adom Gamal?" Castle wonders. "Wouldn't he be able to testify against Merri?"

"Castle, he's in Egypt. The U.S. has an extradition treaty with the government there, but they're not likely to make an effort to hand over a possible witness in a murder case, especially not a rich and connected one. And he received artifacts from this hemisphere,' Kate adds. "It only pisses off the Egyptians if the flow goes the other way."

"So perhaps we can convince Gamal to want to come to the U.S.," Castle speculates.

"How exactly are we going to do that?"

"We'll need some help. Gamal has an artifact addiction, but he's lost his pusher. He'll be desperate for another supplier, and a legal one would seem like manna from heaven."

Kate shakes her head. "Castle, what are you talking about? What legal supplier?"

"I have one in mind, but we need to have a little tête à tête with Stanford Oakes, and maybe even the whole museum board."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"I told you, Kate. I'm a patron, an excellent patron. I wonder if Oakes would go for an early dinner at Tessa."

Oakes settles back in his chair at the upscale Mediterranean restaurant and takes an appreciative sip of his wine. "All right, Rick. I'm about as buttered up as that salmon we just ate. What's the proposition you were about to make?"

"Look, Stanford, Medina and Rachel's sale of the museum's genuine artifacts went unnoticed because they were just lying around forgotten in the basement, right?"

"We would have noticed, eventually," Stanford claims.

Rick shrugs. "Maybe. However, the museum is always looking for publicity. It could get a lot of it, and Kate and I could snag Medina's Egyptian buyer in the process. Announce an auction of rare objects from Central and South America that the museum lacks the space to display with the respect they deserve. Send out invitations to parties, including Adom Gamal, interested in the culture of that part of the world. I bet that the moment he hears about the sale, he'll be on the next plane to New York. Kate will get a chance to question him, and the museum might even make a few bucks. Besides that, pieces of history that might otherwise be forgotten will gain a new lease on life. You could even send notices to other museums, and give the public a cultural boost."

"It's an interesting idea, Rick," Stanford admits. "We have some board members who constantly complain that it's an insult to history to keep so much stuff in storage in the basement. You might have their votes. How soon would this auction have to take place?"

"Yesterday," Kate responds.

Stanford carefully folds his napkin beside his plate. "I'll see what I can do."