Slaying the Beast
Chapter 6
"Any word on where we can find Vulcan Simmons?" Kate asks Ryan.
"His brother isn't talking, and we don't have much else to go on. We checked the property database, but the store is rented, and if Simmons owns anything, it isn't under his own name."
Kate drops her purse into the bottom drawer of her desk and slams it shut. "Figures. Whatever he has is probably under a shell corporation, but those can be called anything."
"Where's writer boy?" Esposito asks before biting into a jelly doughnut.
"He should be here soon. He was helping Alexis take a science project to school. I think he said something about a model that argues that Pluto should be called a planet again."
"That sounds good. I was bummed when the astronomers demoted it," Ryan admits.
"Yeah, it didn't seem right," Esposito agrees, "after Mickey Mouse named his dog after the planet."
The elevator doors part and Castle strides quickly to join the detectives at the murder board. "Any luck tracking down Vulcan Simmons?"
"Nah, probably hiding behind some phony corporation," Esposito replies as Ryan catches Kate's eye and shakes his head.
"Can you get a list of the corporations that own property in Washington Heights?" Castle asks. "Maybe something about one of the names will ring a bell."
Kate turns to face him. "Castle, we can get one. It will be a hell of a longshot, but right now I can't think of a better idea."
Castle settles into the worn chair next to Kate's desk as she types her request for the documents he wants. "Kate, if we're going to tie your mother' murder to Bracken, we'll need another list - all the cold homicides from the time when Bracken was D.A. and would have been able to kibosh the investigations. Some of them should match up with your mother's notes."
"I know, Castle. But right now our only official investigation is of George Mercer's murder. We both think they're related through Vulcan Simmons, but letters and numbers my mother wrote in the margins of papers in her files don't prove it."
"So what do we do?"
"Work on Mercer's case from here. I'll do the best I can to get the information we need, but for now, we'll have to work on my mother's murder outside the precinct."
"We could use my loft. When you saw the outline for one of my books on the screen in my office, you compared it to a murder board - but it's a lot cooler. We can use my computer system. I have a lot of subscriptions to resources I use to research my books. Except for restricted documents, we can dig into anything. Mother is at the theater most nights and Alexis is usually busy studying. We could get a lot done."
"What about your own writing, Castle?"
"Maybe if I'm lucky, we'll find something that will inspire my next book, but Kate, I really want to help you find what you need to put that bastard, Bracken in a hole. The deepest one we can find."
"I'm with you on that, Castle."
Rick shares the conference room with Kate, scanning through the printout of corporate names. Most of them aren't very creative. There are a lot of initials which could signify anything and some optimistic appellations like Blue Skies and Pot o' Gold. Somehow those sound too fanciful for Vulcan Simmons. Usually, images like that are meant to pull in investors, and the last thing Simmons would want would be attention. Castle rubs his eyes and goes through the listings again. How could he have missed that? It's practically whistling at him from the page. "Hephaestus Enterprises!"
Kate looks up. "What, Castle?"
"Hephaestus, god of fire! He's the Greek equivalent of the Roman Vulcan. Simmons would have to have an ego to choose a moniker like that, but unless someone is running a blacksmithing operation, there would be no reason to give a company that name. Kate, we need everything we can find on Hephaestus. I'd call it Heph for short, except that would conjure up very different if titillating images."
Kate pictures busty women in bunny ears and tails. "I imagine it would for you, Castle. Fine, let's dig into Hephaestus and hope there's a man behind the myth." She consults her watch. "Look, my shift is almost over. If you were serious about your offer to launch our investigation into my mother's murder from your loft, it would be a good time to shift locations."
Castle leans across the table. "Kate, I was as serious as a shark attack."
The marinated chicken Castle fed her for dinner was excellent, but Kate's stomach roils as she reads the case report of an 18-year-old murder. The cops had a suspect, a good one, but somehow the evidence against him pulled a disappearing act and not long after that, the only witness died in a one-car automobile accident. The only question is: was Bracken responsible for two murders or one. It's the third case like this she's found. Castle has discovered four, and they're not even a quarter of the way through the list. She can think of only one word for Bracken, at least one printable one - monster. And now that he's in a seat of real power, she can only imagine how much blood is dripping from his well-manicured fingers. But she and Castle need to take their investigation one step at a time.
If they can find the homicide with the most clues remaining and nail whatever Bracken lackey committed it, they can follow the breadcrumbs from there. That's going to mean more than one late night in Castle's loft. At the thought, visions come to her mind that have nothing to do with solving murders.
The stubble that's sprouted on Castle's jaw during the long day is making him look roguish, almost piratical. The hair falling over his forehead is crying for her fingers to push it back. He smells good too. No man should smell that good after working that many hours. She shakes herself. Distractions are the last thing she needs right now and thinking about Castle that way is a huge one. Still, the look in his eyes as he pointed out his latest find to her - does anyone else have eyes that color? Damn! They're blue! Well grayish blue, but they're just eyes. She's been at this too long. "Castle, it's getting late. I need to go."
"Are you sure? I'm almost through this page."
"Yeah. I need to be at the precinct for the start of my shift in the morning. Nobody's going to buy the sick excuse again. But listen. You look exhausted. You could sleep in and join me later."
"Kate, I have a teenage daughter going off to school first thing in the morning and a mother who wakes up before the sun to do her vocalization. I'll be up, and I'll be there with your coffee. Want to go crazy and have your pumps of vanilla with sugar in them?"
"Castle, I think the caffeine will do - and thanks. I'll see you in…" She checks her watch, "six hours."
"I'll be there. And I might even bring you a bear claw."
Why does he have to be so damn sweet? "All right, Castle. See you then." She'd better leave before she loses her will to go.
A/N For those of you who read them, I have another The Rookie story out called "Rebound."