Shared Obsession Chapter 6

Harrison Tisdale's business is a mess," Castle declares, scanning through the suspect's financials. "He owes everywhere, and Bobkin Bank just turned him down for a loan. If they won't shell out for a developer, even one of questionable success, no one will – no one legitimate, anyway. How about his immigration records? Did he go to Canada?"

"He's made several trips there," Kate notes, "but despite what was on the passport he showed us, he was in the US at the time of the first murder."

"He must have gotten money from somewhere," Castle guesses. "He did manage to order some materials for his project and put down a deposit. But wherever he got it was off the official books. And they probably wouldn't have been too accommodating about a repayment plan."

"Are you talking about the mob, Castle? You wrote about them in 'Threatening Storm.' Did you make all of that up, or did you have a source?"

"I had several sources, Beckett. Some members of the families are theater buffs. A couple of them were fans, very enthusiastic fans, of my mother's performances. I managed to get some interesting consultations. So I had a good idea of where to look when I did my research. I even named a character after a capo. Do you remember Dino? I understand he's moved up in the world now and runs his family. Anyway, the mob diversifies its investments when it can. But Dino and the other heads of families aren't stupid. When they lay out the cash, they have a strong expectation that their investment will be repaid – with considerable interest. Harrison must have told them how he expected to come into the money."

"He wouldn't have told them he was going to kill his sister for it, would he?" Kate questions.

"They wouldn't have wanted to hear that. It would have made them complicit in the murder. More likely, they thought he'd wheedle his father out of it. But there's no sign Jonathan gave him anything."

Kate nods. "From what we saw of his attitude toward Harrison, that's not surprising."

"Uh-huh. But the thing is, Beckett, according to the last estimates I saw in Forbes, Tisdale is worth upwards of $100 million. From what I can see here, Harrison could rescue his business with a few hundred thousand. He wouldn't need his sister's half. And in any case, he won't get the money until Tisdale passes away. Instead of setting up the extensive Castle copycat scenario to take Allison out, he could have just waited. Her murder was about more than his inheritance."

"Castle, that may be true, but whatever other twisted motives he had don't matter. We only need to make the case that he killed his sister and the others. And Esposito dropped his file on my desk about a minute before you got off the elevator. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet." Kate opens a folder.

"Are the crime scene photos in there?" Castle inquires. Kate passes him a stack of 8 X 10s. "Hmm. Harrison screwed up again. Death was supposed to have been by hanging, dropping the body by shooting a flaming arrow at a rope. This victim was strangled with a necktie. But, ooh, Beckett, the clothes don't fit the victim very well. I'd say they're at least a size too big. And this guy was supposed to have been a regular at the diner, right? From the worksite down the block?"

"That's what Espo said and," she flips a page, "that's what's here."

"So the victim wouldn't normally have worn a suit and tie. But he's wearing one in the pictures, probably because, in the book, he was a town councilman who was pushing commercial development of the woods where the violent offshoot sect of Wicca was holding its sacred circles. Harrison must have put the more formal clothes on this poor guy. And he wouldn't have wanted to shell out much to do it. Didn't I see a discount men's store down the block from Harrison's office?"

"I saw it too. If they sold that outfit," Kate taps her badge, "someone will have to tell me who bought it."

Salesman of the Month Sam Hathaway's eyes sweep up and down Kate's lithe form before returning to her badge. "The picture, Mr. Hathaway," she prompts. "Do you recognize the outfit?"

"Sure, I recognize it," Hathaway replies. "It was the lead on our TV ad about three weeks ago: shirt, tie, and suit for the up-and-coming executive, all for $200. It was quite a deal. We sold a lot of them."

"Would you remember someone who bought the outfit in a hurry, perhaps without trying it on?" Castle asks.

"Yeah, that was a little strange. Most of our customers do try the clothes on, the suits anyway, to make sure they fit. They're dressing for success, and we offer alterations for a minor fee, to ensure they make the best impression possible. But there was one guy who just bought the clothes and left."

"Do you have a record of who that was?" Kate asks.

Hathaway shakes his head. "He paid cash. That was unusual too. Almost all of our customers use a card. But I know what he looked like. I've seen him around the neighborhood before. Sometimes he buys coffee at the Java Hut."

Kate holds up her phone and shows Hathaway an array of photos. "Do you see him here?"

Hathaway points to Harrison Tisdale. "That's him. A good salesman never forgets a face."

Kate flashes a bright smile. "Thank you, Mr. Hathaway. You've been very helpful."

"We've tied Harrison Tisdale to two out of the three murders now. Are you going to arrest him?" Castle demands as soon as he and Kate are out of the store.

"I need to get a solid warrant first." Kate's fingers curl into a fist. "I don't want some sleazy lawyer getting him kicked loose."

"So what do we do in the meantime?"

"You don't have to do anything, Castle. I'm going to put a watch on his apartment and his office to make sure he doesn't take off. Then I'm going to go see Judge Markway."

"Markway? I know him. He's a regular in one of my poker crews. He's been trying to get my recipe for seven-layer dip out of me for years."

"You make dip?"

"I make a lot of things, Detective. I learned to cook in self-defense. If you'd ever tasted any of my mother's attempts in the kitchen, you'd understand. And I wasn't about to raise my daughter on takeout, or at least not most of the time. So if you want to get on Markway's good side, I'm your man."

"All right, Castle. I'll get my surveillance units in place, and we'll go see Markway. But I'm explaining the salient points of the case to him."

"I bow to your superior grasp of legal matters, Detective."

Warrant in hand, Kate pulls into a parking spot down the block from Harrison Tisdale's office. "Castle, I need you to stay in the car. One of my checks on Tisdale was whether he owns a gun. He does. When I go in to arrest him, things could get dangerous."

Castle's mouth gapes. "You're going in there with six other cops, and you think Tisdale's going to try to pull a gun on you?"

"It happens all the time. The bad guys will try anything to get away. We have vests, and we know how to get this done. So just stay here where it's safe, OK? The last thing I need to worry about is a civilian in the line of fire."

"Yeah, sure," Castle agrees. "I'll be here."