Slaying the Beast

Chapter 19

Susan Collinwood considers Kate's question carefully. "Whose name could you put on a message to convince your target that the order was coming from Bracken? That would have to be his chief of staff, Sturgis Gowdy. Most of Bracken's orders, except to his closest associates come through Sturgis. He was Bracken's campaign manager when he ran for Congress, and he's been Bracken's right hand ever since. But you might have a little problem spoofing him. Bracken has his own computer expert guarding his business."

"We'll figure it out, Senator, thanks."

"Thank you, Detective, and you too Mr. Castle. If you can take Bracken down, our country and the world will be better for it."

"What did you have in mind?" Castle asks as Kate ends the call they've made from some very cold swings in the deserted playground of a park near the precinct.

"I thought maybe Woo from Tech could manage it. He's incredible. Even Ryan is in awe of him."

"How much do you know about him?" Castle asks. "Tech is one of the divisions under Flake's purview, isn't it?'

"You're right, Castle, but right now, I can't think of anyone else."

"I can. She works for Dino Scarpelli. Rita has been keeping him and his soldiers out of trouble for years."

"And how exactly would you know that?"

"I'm acquainted with Dino. I went to school with one of his nephews, Joey Scarpelli, for a while. He ran the poker games on campus. We had a certain amount of mutual admiration for each other's skills with the cards. He also liked some of the stories I wrote, and he would give me a tidbit now and then - nothing incriminating to the family - about how things worked in the organization.

Joey told me about their resident computer genius; she's related to the Scarpellis somehow too. When Dino realized how talented she is, he sent her to MIT, on the proviso that she'd come back to run IT for the family. She came up to visit the school once with Dino, to check out the quality of the equipment. Joey and I and some of the other guys went out to lunch with them. Some of the best pasta I've ever had.

Not long after that, the school's computer lab got a top-of-the-line upgrade courtesy of an anonymous donor. I think Dino got his money's worth. I talk to Joey every so often, and he told me that four more of his relatives ended up using the facilities. Anyway, last I heard from Joey, Rita is still going strong. Dino couldn't run his business without her."

"Why would she help us?"

"Because Dino hates drugs. The building trades, waste management - of all kinds - gambling, liquor sales, clubs, he's into all of that. But somewhere along the line, he lost someone he loved to an overdose. I don't know any of the details, just that since then, the Scarpellis have no part in the drug trade and Dino can't stand to have anyone in his territory who does. He and Finn Rourke of the Westies have that in common. I believe Dino will be more than willing to do what he can to help rid the city of that particular scourge. We can go see him and find out."

"How?"

"He has his headquarters at a gentleman's club. It's a perfectly legitimate business if you don't look for the government tax stamps on the booze shipments. The ladies who perform there are very well…" Kate scowls at him. "I was going to say well-costumed. Dino's a theater fan. I won't have any trouble getting in, and I know you won't either."

Dino claps Castle on the back. "Little Ricky! Still making up stories, and this must be the cop muse Joey told me about."

Kate extends her hand. "Kate Beckett, Mr. Scarpelli. Castle thought you might be able to help us."

The smile vanishes from Dino's face. "You two might need some help. I hear there's a contract out on you, not from any of the families. I'm not sure from whom, but it went to a heavy hitter. From what I picked up, he's a real sure shot, one of the best in the country, maybe the world. They call him Chuck."

"Chuck?" Castle repeats, "like the guy on TV with the computer in his head."

"I wouldn't know about that," Scarpelli confesses. "I haven't seen a TV show I liked since Eight is Enough. No one understands family anymore. No, it's Chuck after Chuck Connors - from The Rifleman. If I were you, Detective Beckett, I'd wear my Kevlar. And Rick, you might want to invest in some."

Castle remembers that his "Writer" emblazoned vest is in the trunk of Kate's car. "I already have, but thanks for your concern, Dino. And Kate and I have a pretty good idea who Chuck is and who's behind him. That's why we need your help. We're trying to flip a dirty cop who's been supporting the activities of the merchants of powdered death. We're going to need some expert hacking to pull off our plan, and we're not sure we can trust our own people. I was wondering if we could borrow your redhead for a little while."

Dino purses his lips. "You want to take down the carriers of that plague, I'm with you, Rick. I'll give Rita a call."

Castle draws Kate tightly against his side as they walk back to her unit under the watchful eyes of Dino's security chief. "Kate, do you think Lockwood is Chuck?"

"I think it's a fair bet, Castle. We know he has the skills and that he works for Bracken. I wish we had a handle on where he is."

"Given what Dino told us, I have a sinking feeling that I may have spotted him, but I didn't realize it at the time. I noticed that I have a new neighbor in the building across the street that faces the wall of windows in the loft. His apartment is a floor higher than mine. It strikes me that location would give him the perfect trajectory for a bullet - or two bullets. He could be ready to draw a bead on us the minute we are back in my great room together."

"Babe, didn't I notice blinds pulled up at the top of those windows?"

"You did. I had them put in when Mother talked Alexis into joining her in some kind of yoga-mediation fusion." He grimaces. "For some reason, it didn't involve the wearing of much clothing.

"I haven't closed the blinds since mother went on to her next exercise fad. I don't even remember what it was, but she stayed dressed, and so did Alexis. We can use them to block the view now, but I'm beginning to wish they were steel shutters. From my research, even bulletproof glass can be breached using the right ammo, and if Chuck is as good as Dino says he is, he'd know what kind to employ."

"Our first step, Castle, is to get those windows covered and stay the hell away from them. We can get the boys to put surveillance on that apartment. Maybe this is the break we need to get Lockwood."

"What? Optimism from detective Kate Beckett? I must be rubbing off on you."

"I don't know Rick. But anytime you want to rub against me. Just say the word."

"Bad timing, Kate. But I will certainly keep that in mind.