Slaying the Beast
Chapter 20
"It's sent," Rita declares, looking up at Rick and Kate. "A message from Sturgis Gowdy, to Justin Flake, appearing to originate in DC. He should already have it on his phone, his computer, whatever. Now if you two will get out of here, I have business to do, and I don't need the smell of cop around me."
Castle half turns to leave. "We'll get out of your hair - and thanks, Rita."
"Thank Dino. He's the one who pays me."
"Castle, do you think this will work?" Kate wonders as Castle steps into the street to hail a cab.
"Flagging down a taxi? I do it all the time, although it would probably work better if you showed a little of those magnificent legs of yours."
"I think we can attract transportation without me getting frostbite on my knees." Kate sticks two fingers in her mouth and lets out a shrill whistle, causing a cabbie to break to a skidding stop. Castle ushers her inside the vehicle with a slight bow.
The driver pulls out one of his earbuds and activates his meter. "Where too?"
Kate nods at Castle's questioning glance. He holds up a hundred dollar bill. "Broome and Crosby."
Kate knocks on the window of Ryan and Esposito's unit, and Esposito lowers the glass. "You guys have any luck with Lockwood?"
"He's in there," Ryan reports.
"Hasn't left all day," Esposito adds. "Looked like a couple of times he had a scope trained on the front door, watching for you to come in."
"Where are Alexis and Ms. Rodgers?" Ryan queries. "We haven't seen them."
Castle waves off the blue-eyed cop's concern. "They're safe. Alexis is spending a few days with one of her girlfriends. They're working on an art history project, and she also said something about getting miniature works of art on their fingers and toenails. Mother has a new, uh, interest, on and off the stage. I don't expect she'll be around for a while. But I have people - people with guns - looking out for both of them."
The muscles pop in Esposito's jaw. "Look, Beckett, maybe you and Castle shouldn't go in there either. We don't know what Lockwood's got up there. Even if he can't see through the windows, he could lob something bigger and more dangerous than bullets. Maybe even blow the whole place up.
Kate shakes her head. "That's not his reputation as 'The Rifleman,' and I don't think he'd want to attract that much attention. If we're going to nail him, attempted murder of a cop would be the way to do it."
"How about the attempted murder of a best-selling author?" Castle protests.
Mischief glints in Kate's eyes. "That might do it too. When we're ready, we'll let Lockwood think he has us in his sights. In the meantime, Castle and I have another game to play."
Ryan's eyebrows rise. "And what game would that be?"
Kate mimes hammering a nail into a wall. "Pin the crime on the asshole."
Kate runs the tip of her finger over the gold plating of the fence. "This place is something, Castle. Any of the other gazillionaires you know live like this?"
"Patterson has 21,000 square feet in Palm Beach. I've been to that behemoth a couple of times for publishing events, but I think if he were going to gold plate anything it would be his first typewriter - or maybe his first dollar. I believe Dwayne's place is unique, but the ostentatiousness is why he doesn't want it anymore. It doesn't fit with his new view of life. However, it should impress Justin Flake, don't you think?"
"I think." Kate agrees. "The plan is for Dwayne to put on just enough of a show to draw Justin in. I sent him a script praising Bracken's operations and how successful they are. Once he gets Justin to agree, and maybe even spill some details he knows about Bracken, we have the sonofabitch. Dwayne told me he already has video equipment all over the place that he had installed for security purposes. All we'll need is the recordings, and we'll have Justin by the short hairs. Judges don't tend to be fond of dirty cops. He'll have to make a deal to give up everything he knows about Bracken and his operations or spend a lot of years in jail - maybe his life if he serves time for all the charges successively instead of concurrently. I just hope Dwayne's up for this."
"Kate, are you kidding? Who is more silver-tongued than a rapper? He'll get it done."
Justin Flake is impressed. In his dreams there have been lush grounds and large manses, but nothing like the domain of Shiny Dime. It would take every dime the mint turns out - and maybe a lot more - to purchase a place like this. The man himself doesn't disappoint. From the diamonds in his ears to the rings on his fingers, despite doing a little time, he is the image of success, just the sort of man Bracken would enlist. Justin's overjoyed to accept Shiny's offer of three fingers of Johnny Walker double black label. If anything, it makes him more intent on making a positive impression by talking about all the information he's picked up and transmitted and how in his modest way he's been building a nest egg."
Kate reaches for Castle's hand as they monitor the conversation. "Babe, this is even better than I hoped. Flake is giving us his direct connection to Simmons and Bracken."
"Along with his shameful if inflated history," Castle adds.
The smile fades from Kate's face. "We just have to stay alive to use it."
"We will, Kate. Before, you told the boys that we'd let Lockwood think he has us in his sights. What did you mean?"
Castle, just how fond are you of that Boba Fett figure you have in the bathroom.?"
"Very. Alexis gave it to me for Father's Day. I guess she got the idea after we spent an entire weekend watching a Star Wars marathon."
"All right, maybe we can get some blow-up dolls or something, to draw his fire."
"Blow up dolls, Kate? That's kink I've never been into - although I knew a couple of guys…"
"I'm not thinking about them as sex toys, Castle. I prefer the real thing. But we need to set a scene. If we use mannequins, Lockwood might spot us bringing them in."
"Ah! We can do it, Kate. We merely have to employ the skills I perfected in constructing Halloween tableaus. Balloons, pillowcases, considerable skill with markers - preferably washable ones - and we can fool homicidal eyes. Ooh, what's the wrinkly forehead again?"
"Castle, I just remembered, if he is using an infrared scope, whatever we use has to put out some heat, or he'll know it's a sham."
"Indeed, especially where you are concerned, he would be expecting to detect signs of inner fire. Never fear! Our staging may not blaze, but we can give him warmth. We'll fill the balloons with hot water instead of air. If we're careful, we can make them radiate at just about body temperature. It looks like Alexis isn't the only one who's going to be working on an art project tonight. One faux but convincing crime-busting duo coming up."