Poison Pen
Chapter 59
Using a bolt cutter, Kate clips the lock on Merriweather Seward's storage locker. Castle lifts the metal door and gazes around. "Winston was right. Merri is quite a packrat. Well, she is into archaeology. Maybe she figures that in a few thousand years someone will dig up all this junk and it will be worth a fortune."
"Right now, what we need to dig up is something worth a conviction," Kate points out. "It hasn't been long since Merri murdered Medina. If she put the crowbar in here, it can't be buried too deep. We can start on opposite ends and work toward the middle."
Rick flashes a grin. "Mmm. That sounds sexy."
"It will be, if we nail Merri Seward."
After rummaging for a few minutes, Rick spots a metal point sticking out of a box. "Kate, I think I found something."
"Don't touch it, Babe. I need to take a picture of it in place, surrounded by all of Merri's other crap." Kate carefully frames and captures an image of where Castle points, before pulling on the metal with gloved hands. "Yeah, it's a crowbar."
"And it looks like it has a little stone dust on it," Castle notes. "You'd think she would have at least cleaned it before putting it away."
"Good thing she didn't," Kate responds. "CSU can check for fingerprints and match that dust to the gargoyle. This could be just what we need to prove Merriweather Seward killed Medina."
"On the roof with a crowbar," Castle quips. "Great, we can drop that by the lab and make our inquiries at the museum. I'll call ahead on the way."
Special Events Coordinator, Mary Lou Monahan, waves Kate and Rick into dark wood chairs in front of her desk. "The idea the two of you had for the auction worked out quite well both in terms of revenue and mostly positive publicity."
"Mostly positive?" Castle repeats.
"The Mayan activist, Cacaw Te, put out a social media blitz demanding that any Mayan artifacts be returned to his people," Mary Lou explains. "He has no standing in the matter, of course. At one time or another, the museum obtained clearance from whatever governments were in power, to acquire whatever Mayan relics we have. Cacaw Te holds no official position and isn't recognized to speak for any particular group."
"But doesn't he have a point?" Castle wonders. "As much as I enjoy archaeological adventures, many objects are recovered as a result of grave robbery."
"From cultures that have been gone for 2000 years," Mary Lou points out. "Can you imagine if someone turned up claiming to be a descendant of Jesus' brother and demanded the Shroud of Turin? How could anyone verify a claim like that? That being said, if Cacaw Te or anyone with similar assertions can come up with proof or at least a reasonable story, the museum is willing to listen. An indefinite loan to repatriate some artifacts, or turning them over completely would be possible. We've done it before."
Castle nods. "Good to know. What about the mask and the pieces that were sold last night?"
"From what Stanford said, when we put together the auction listings, most of them were retrieved from the water just offshore of the Island of the Sun. No grave robbing necessary. They came in on the current, so their origin can't be tied to a specific location. The jaguar wasn't a death mask. It came from a Canadian expedition that uncovered a collection of them in Guatemala. At one point, they were used as a symbol of rank by the leadership there, together with jaguar skins. Unless Cacaw Te is of that lineage, he would have no entitlement to it."
Castle claps his hands together. "So there is no stain on the museum's escutcheon, or at least not a recent one. That makes me feel more comfortable about my request. My lovely bride and I would like to get married on the museum grounds and hold the reception here."
Mary Lou looks at Kate. "When are you getting married?"
"We were thinking about the first or second Saturday or Sunday in May."
"That would be an extremely busy time for us," Mary Lou claims, her lips thinning. "You could, however, get married after the museum closes for the day. We get everyone out at 5:45. In May, you'd still have several hours of sunlight after that. If you hold your ceremony around seven, we'd have time to set up a hall for the reception. Which hall would you like? The Hall of Gems is so lovely, but the Grand Gallery has the most space."
Kate glances at Castle, a smile twitching on her lips. "If I know you, Babe, you want to hold it in Space Center."
"And come in on the Cosmic Pathway? Of course, I mean unless we did it in Fossil Hall. That would be mega-cool too. But you're the bride. What do you want?"
Kate sucks on the tip of her finger. "I'd love the Hall of Ocean Life. It would be like swimming with dolphins. I've always wanted to do that."
"I have too," Rick admits, turning back to Mary Lou. "Could you manage that hall?"
Mary Lou taps a few keys on her computer. "I don't see why not. The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day, and we already have an event, so the first or second Saturday or the first Sunday would work."
Raising an eyebrow, Rick turns back to Kate. "The first Sunday," she decides.
"The first Sunday it will be," Castle agrees.
"We should celebrate," Rick suggests as he and Kate stroll through the park again before heading downtown. "We uncovered a great clue and booked our dream wedding venue all in one day."
"I have to write up a report on finding the crowbar," Kate reminds him, "but after that, what did you have in mind?"
"We haven't talked about our menu for the reception yet. Up for a little experimentation on a confection to enthrall our guests and launch us on the path to wedded bliss? We could drop in on Sweet Madness."
"That place where you can order all those tiny plates with one bite of cake on them?"
"Uh-huh," Castle confirms. "Alexis went to a birthday party there once. She loved everything so much she nearly went into sugar shock. She didn't even need ice cream. We can explore what flavors we like together most and order a wedding cake that embraces them."
"That's a great idea, Castle, but shouldn't we eat something with actual nutrition in it before we go, so we don't go into sugar shock ourselves?"
"Kate, you're taking the fun out of it," Castle complains, "but there's a vegan place next door. We can make our sacrifices to the vitamin gods before pursuing our pastry pleasures."
"You're on," Kate agrees.
Kate rolls the taste of dark chocolate melded with raspberry on her tongue. This is incredible! What do you think?"
Castle forks a small bite from her plate and closes his eyes as he savors the fruity richness. "Wonderful. Too evil for this world."
"That may be the problem," Kate mulls. "My cousin Sophia is allergic to chocolate, and if she's not in the wedding party, my Aunt Theresa will never forgive me."
"I don't remember you mentioning an Aunt Theresa or a Cousin Sophia before."
"Yeah, right," Kate admits. "Since there's such a mystery about your father and all, I didn't feel that comfortable talking about my family."
"Kate, they're your family, part of you. That gives them an in with me. But it's no problem. We can have different layers, or if Sophia's super allergic, two different cakes."
"Castle, sometimes I forget just how sweet you can be."
"Then I'll just have to keep reminding you."