Shattered Lies

Chapter 24

Fingers twitching, Gleb gazes across the table at the lady cop and the man she introduced as Mr. Castle. "I'm just a low-level soldier. I don't know anything."

"I haven't asked a question yet," Kate points out. "Do you have any hobbies, Mr. Niznik?"

Gleb's mouth gapes. "Hobbies? No. Why would you ask me that?"

"Because after you were arrested for carrying an unusual blade on the subway, you swore under oath that you're a collector. Isn't that a hobby?"

"Maybe, I guess. Yeah, I like knives."

"Where do you keep them?" Castle inquires.

Gleb struggles to shift his focus as sweat begins to roll down his back. "What?"

"Your knives, where do you keep them? A collection implies more than one."

"And when I had my guys search your apartment, they only found one," Kate continues, "the same type you had on the subway and that was also used in the murder of another member of your brotherhood."

Gleb stares down at the blank surface of the metal table. "I don't know anything about that."

"And if the lab finds the victim's DNA in the blood that worked its way between the hilt and blade of your weapon, would you know something then?" Kate presses.

"Gleb's hands fist as perspiration stains bloom under the sleeves of his scrubs. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"No you don't," Kate agrees. "The evidence will speak for itself. You'll be in prison for life, but not here. Sing-Sing will make Rikers look like a luxury suite. But if you tell me the truth, I might be able to talk sweetly to the D.A. about a deal." Kate glances down at her watch. "That offer expires in 30 seconds."

Gleb can hear the time ticking away in his brain. "OK, I did it, but if I hadn't, Glava would have had me taken out too. I had no choice. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Yes," Kate confirms, "you will."

Castle turns to Kate as she steers her unit back over the bridge from Rikers. "I think that's one of the best interrogations I've ever seen you do - and that's saying a lot. How do you know the lab will find blood in the knife? You haven't even seen it."

"That's often where the lab does find it - if they do. But for all I knew, Gleb could have soaked the thing in bleach. I took a chance."

"Brava! So, you got the bad guy - and I won't be getting any more paper cuts for a while. In the mood to celebrate?"

"Are you? Yesterday, anyone would have thought you'd lost your best friend."

"Hardly, considering that right now I'm looking at her. You helped, which means, if anything, you deserve a double reward. Le Cirque? Q3? Craft?"

"How about if we just go to Remy's. None of your havens of fine dining would have a strawberry shake on the menu, and I'm dying for one."

"A woman of simple pleasures."

"In restaurants, maybe, but we can see about other kinds later."

Castle grins. "I'm looking forward to it."

"So now what?" Rick asks watching Kate sop a french fry in a pool of ketchup. "Back to your detective duties at the 12th until something new pops up for your task force?"

"That's my job, Castle. And I'll still have to wrap up all the paperwork on Niznik."

"Ugh."

"For a writer, you have a strange attitude about paperwork."

"Beckett, writing isn't about putting words on the page or on a computer screen; it's about letting the imagination soar - something frowned upon by bureaucrats."

"Yours hasn't seemed to soar that much with Nikki Heat, except when you had Nikki fall into bed with Rook. You changed the details, like my major at college, but everyone knows she's supposed to be me."

"And that bothers you? Would you want my heroine to be less courageous, less remarkable than you are?"

"That's not the point, Castle. It's just that there are some parts of my life that I'd rather not have in the public eye."

Castle's appetite vanishes. "And you resent me for that?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. It's taken some getting used to, that's all. Like you."

"You're still getting used to me? I was under the impression that we know each other - intimately."

"That's not what I meant. There are some things I'm still dealing with, and it might be easier to do it in private."

"You mean your mother's death?"

"Yes. I spent three years in therapy putting that behind me, and you ripped off the bandage."

"Sometimes wounds need air to heal."

"Sometimes they need more than that."

"You still need answers, and you're not going to be fully comfortable with Nikki Heat - or our relationship - until you get them. I guess I knew that."

"I'm sorry, Castle. That's the way it is."

"Then we'll just have to do something about fixing it."

"How, Castle?"

"Kate, we know who killed your mother; who struck the actual blow. And we know that his motivation was purely monetary. But what about the motivation of whoever hired him? The why is the most important part of any mystery story. What could someone gain from your mother's death, and that of the others connected to her? If we figure that out, it will point us toward the who."

Bracken needs to give a significant speech. He's met with the craziest of the tree huggers, but he needs to get his message out to the rest of the liberals whose hearts bleed whenever some obscure lizard or bug goes extinct. His venue will have to be in the city, but the question is what location would make the most impact. He considers the Museum of Natural History before dismissing the possibility. A museum would make him seem like a member of the elite to his upstate constituents, but he wants a natural backdrop. A beach would do it, but not an upscale one. He needs one frequented by Joe Blow - like the one at the end of the subway line to Far Rockaway. That would be perfect, the waves behind him and ordinary citizens - even if he has to bus in a few - in rapt attention in front of him. His problem is that Bowdry, the councilman in charge of that area of Queens, is a longstanding adversary, dating back to the days when Bracken was D.A., and he elected not to prosecute the son of a well-connected supporter who was suspected of rape.

Unfortunately, unknown to Bracken at the time, the victim was Bowdry's niece, and the longstanding politico has done his best to throw every possible obstacle in his way ever since. That's something Bracken should have taken care of a long time ago. No matter. His new guy can take care of it now, and Bracken can express his deep despair over the senseless shooting. He might even dedicate his speech to the late, great, Councilman Bowdry. That would hit all the right notes.

Bracken pulls out his second cell phone – prepaid and untraceable. The tall, blue-eyed man at the other end of the call is happy to take it. He can use the work, and he'll enjoy the action.

A/N I have a new The Rookie one-shot, Duty Calls. It follows the episode called Homefront.