Shattered Lies
Chapter 4
Kate scans the stapled pages Castle extended to her as he strode off the elevator toward her desk. "That was fast, Castle. Morey did this overnight?"
"I emailed him after I got home from Remy's, and he's an early riser. Whatever's up with Perlmutter hasn't been going on long. He's only got one credit card and until recently always paid it off completely. He's never been late on a mortgage or car payment either. He was as obsessive about that as he's been about his work - also until not long ago. In the last few months, he's drained his resources to the danger point."
Kate rubs the tips of two fingers over her lips. "Why would he completely change his habits so abruptly?"
Castle drops down into his usual chair. "I can think of several reasons. One would be a gambling problem like Wolf's, except that he doesn't have the risk-taking personality Wolf had."
"That's an understatement."
"The second one would be that he's finally involved himself with a woman, but he's still too grumpy for a man in love."
Kate focuses on the air in front of her, mentally playing back any times she'd been with Perlmutter in the past weeks. "He hasn't shown any signs of romantic involvement either. No scent of perfume on his clothes. No early morning high. No change in his hairstyle or wardrobe."
"Not even a new tie," Castle agrees. "All right. An inamorata is unlikely. So that leaves helping someone he cares about. The only living thing I've heard him make positive mention of is his dog."
"No. There is someone else. There was one time when he tried to set me up with his identical twin brother, Edgar."
"Ugh! He had to have my middle name."
"That's hardly relevant, Castle."
Rick combs his fingers through his hair. "You're right. And twins, especially identical twins can be even closer than normal siblings, or so my research has told me. I was thinking of putting a pair in one of my books, but it would have been too much like "Dead Ringer. Anyway, if Edgar Perlmutter is in some kind of trouble, Sidney Perlmutter might have been trying to help him out. Should I have Morey run Edgar?"
"Yeah, sure why not? Why just have one lawsuit when you can have two?"
"If Morey finds what we think he'll find, having their credit run will be the least of the Perlmutter twins' problems. I have a thing at Alexis' school. So I'll get back to you later."
"Sure, all right, Castle, have fun."
"Beckett, obviously you have never met Nurse Ratchit."
"What?"
"She's in charge of the drug assembly. Attendance is mandatory for the students and parents' arms are severely twisted to be there as well. From what I understand, there will be video footage gruesome enough to persuade any kids who haven't strayed from the path of righteousness to stay on it. There will also be instruction for parents on how to spot the signs of drug or alcohol use. A cop's supposed to be there also."
"Oh right, Sergeant Skip, the Narcotics Division school liaison. Ryan introduced me to him once. He's a nice guy, more interested in helping the kids than scaring them, I think."
"Nurse Ratchit is scary enough on her own. The upside is, there should be some palatable coffee and good cookies. I got roped into baking some of them myself; the proprietary Castle Triple Chocolate Delights."
"They sound delicious."
"I kept a few back, and I'm willing to share. I shall bring them to you when I return."
It's almost end of shift when Castle carefully places an aluminum foil-covered plate and a sheaf of paper in a binder clip on Kate's desk before assuming his customary seat. "We'll need the cookies to get through Edgar's sins. I just skimmed it, but Beckett, the man is a financial disaster. His credit cards were canceled for non-payment. He constantly overdrew his bank account, and his condo is in foreclosure. And get this. I checked. He's a CPA. If anyone should know how to handle money…"
Kate picks up the papers and begins to leaf through them. "I get the picture, Castle." Lifting the edge of the foil, she pulls out a cookie and closes her eyes as she savors the dark richness. "Wow, if you ever decide to give up writing, you could make a fortune selling these. I hate to admit it, but you read faster than I do. What was the biggest red flag you found?"
Castle leans over and flips to the last two pages. "Here. Someone gave him a loan, which no one in their right mind would do unless they're planning to engineer something other than losing their money."
"Collici Corp. I've heard of it. The company is rumored to be a laundromat for the mob, but as yet, no one has been able to prove it. I don't know any details, but I have a friend in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. If anyone would know about organized crime activity, they would. I'll see what I can find out."
"OK, good. I have to get home. Alexis is going to be at an overnight study group at her friend Paige's house, and my mother is planning to invite some of her theater friends over for a soiree. If I don't keep a watch on the festivities, my liquor cabinet will be Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, and lime shards may be embedded in the wallpaper."
Kate watches him go before wrapping all the cookies in the foil. She shoves them in her purse before leaving the precinct herself. The crunchy sweetness, and catching up on her recorded episodes of Temptation Lane, will get her through the evening until she winds down enough to sleep.
Rick's decided that while playing bartender, he'll have some measure of control over his cache of alcoholic beverages, particularly his 50-year-old scotch. He loves Mother dearly, but her friends are not getting their hands on that precious bottle, although he wouldn't mind sharing some with Beckett. Or perhaps it would be better to try to tempt her with a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape. The cookies went over well. He could bake another batch - but not with Mother's pals overrunning his loft.
Sighing, Rick wonders if he makes the drinks stronger, the invaders will get drunk and sleepy enough to want to leave. He surveys the gathering. Not with this enthusiastic crowd. He'll just have to wait it out until they depart.
It seems like he's been doing nothing but waiting, lately. He's waiting for Beckett to make up her mind about how she feels - cookies notwithstanding. He waits for reports to come back and he's waiting for Dr. Death to arrive. At least Murray will be back in the city tomorrow. Once the primo pathologist uncovers the evidence of Perlmutter's dissembling, Kate can put the M.E. in the box and get the truth out of him. Rick's going to enjoy watching that. It may even make the wait worthwhile. And having a case that will keep Beckett away from Demming, that's pretty worthwhile too. The sound of a crystal flute shattering against his hardwood floor vibrates through the air. Damn! It's going to be a long and expensive night.