Slaying the Beast
Chapter 35
"Well, what did you get?" Castle demands as Kate reads the email displayed on her desk computer.
"Highest score. I'm first on the list. Almost perfect grade."
"Almost? I can't believe you missed something."
"I think it was the question about the difference between an S-7 and S-8. I mixed those up when Alexis was quizzing me. It won't matter. Those are robbery forms, and I'll be staying in homicide. Montgomery is going to make sure the paperwork goes through before he files for his pension."
"Good to know, but I still can't get used to the idea that there will be another boss around here. Roy and I understand each other."
"Of course you do. You're poker buddies. You know each other's tells. You're both overprotective parents, and you like the same brands of beer and scotch. For men, that must be quite a bond."
"And we're both rather fond of you," Castle adds. "I was thinking…"
Kate's landline rings and she grabs a pen to start writing. "What happened?" Castle asks as she replaces the receiver in its cradle.
"The head of Weldon's new corruption task force, Peter Whitestone, was just found dead in his office, COD unknown."
"Could it have been a heart attack or something?"
"Maybe. That's up to Lanie to determine. But he was thirty-seven years old, Castle. Uniforms are securing the scene. Until we know otherwise, it's going to be treated as a homicide and Weldon twisted the chief's arm to make me the primary on the case."
Lanie looks up from making notes on a tablet as Kate and Castle enter Whitestone's office. "I don't have an answer for you, Kate, but I can tell you what I've observed so far. There are none of the classic signs of a heart attack or a stroke — no blunt trauma. There are no stab or bullet wounds. When I get the body back to the lab, I'll be checking for punctures. You've been in this long enough to know those can be anywhere and they're not always easy to find."
"How about poison?" Castle queries.
"It's a possibility. We can rule out cyanide. That would share some signs with a heart attack."
"Which leaves an encyclopedia's worth of others," Castle interjects.
Lanie sighs. "Yes it does, Castle. But I'll have to do bloodwork and check the stomach contents to look for them. I'll also have to examine his organs. Kate, I should have something by tomorrow, maybe sooner if we get lucky. But as soon as you've retrieved Mr. Whitestone's effects, I'll need to get him out of here."
"I'll try to be quick, Lanie," Kate promises.
Castle stares at the body. "Hmm. His belt is on the wrong hole. It would be too loose. Could someone have removed his pants and replaced them?"
Kate snaps a picture. "Good catch, Babe. Lanie, would there be a reason for a murderer to do that?"
"As I said, Kate. I can let you know after I've done a full examination of the body."
Kate digs into Whitestone's pockets. "Phone, Tech will have to examine this. It's official issue so there will be a backdoor. They'll check his computer too. Wallet, there might be something in here. No. Just license, credit cards, and $24 in cash. Keys. Change. That's it."
"No clues to a killer scrawled on a ragged scrap of paper?" Castle wonders hopefully."
Kate looks up. "Sorry, and no mysterious flash drives either. Looks like this one is going to require straight-up police work - unless it does turn out to be a death by natural causes."
"A natural cause that pulls off a man's pants," Castle ponders, "that would be a whole new chapter in medical history. Ooh! Unless… Lanie, he couldn't have been brought to his last moments by extreme ecstasy - and not the drug kind?"
Lanie exchanges looks with Kate. "Castle, unfortunately for Mr. Whitestone, that's unlikely, but I'll let Kate know what I find."
"So, Beckett," Esposito inquires as he shares the contents of take-out containers of Chinese food with Kate, Castle, and Ryan, "how soon before you start cracking the whip on the rest of the bullpen?"
Kate strips the last of the succulent flesh from a sparerib. "Montgomery isn't sure. It could be a couple of days, or it might be a week or more. But things shouldn't change a lot. We'll still be going out on cases together. It's just that you guys won't be able to cover for each other as much anymore because I know all your little tricks." A text dings on Kate's phone. "That's Lanie. She's finished the autopsy on Peter Whitestone. Come on, Castle."
Castle hurriedly uses his chopsticks to pick up a morsel from his plate. "Last nut from the cashew chicken and I'm right behind you."
"You were right about the pants but not about any ecstatic last moments, Castle," Lanie explains pointing to the exposed thigh of Whitestone's prone body. "Someone injected air into his great saphenous vein. He died of a massive embolism."
"How would they manage that without him fighting back?" Kate asks.
"There was flurazepam hydrochloride in his blood, and CSU found traces of it in his coffee cup. Someone put him out, then killed him. It all would have been very quiet. If his office door were closed, no one would have known it was happening. From the liver temperature, he was dead for a couple of hours before the body was discovered. He was probably gulping down coffee because he came into work early. There was a lot of caffeine in his system too."
Castle raises an eyebrow at Kate. "Sounds familiar."
"Lanie," Kate queries, "was there any food in his stomach?"
Lanie shakes her head. "Not a thing except a lot of coffee."
Kate nods. "So he was in a hurry to get something done. Maybe he found new evidence on one of the city officials. We need the report from Tech, to see what he was working on. Thanks, Lanie."
"Back to the precinct?" Castle asks as Kate starts the car.
"No. We need to go see Whitestone's partner. Until Lanie did her tests, we couldn't say anything about a homicide, but now I'll have to break the news and ask some questions."
Bradley Stuart swipes at his eyes with the back of his hand. "We were going to get married, go to Vermont. It probably will be legal in New York soon, but we didn't want to wait that long. Peter just wanted to finish putting together some evidence first. He said a high official was taking bribes, but he didn't tell me which one. He was supposed to be tying the final strands together the morning that he died. Do you think whomever he was after, killed him?"
"We don't know yet," Kate answers gently. "Can you think of anyone else who might want to hurt him?"
"Maybe his ex, Tony Lister. They had a hard breakup. It was over a year ago, and he kept calling Peter. Sometimes he'd scream at him. I could hear it without the speaker being on. But he hasn't called lately. Maybe he finally gave up on Peter and found someone new."
"We'll check him out," Kate promises. "Again, I'm very sorry for your loss."
"Two of the classic motives for murder," Castle observes as he and Kate walk down the stairs from Bradley's apartment, "love or to cover up a crime. Which one do you think it is?"
Kate shrugs. "I don't know Castle, but we will figure it out."
A/N Same-sex marriage wasn't legalized in N.Y. until 2011, and this story would have taken place in 2010. It was already legal in Vermont. Happy New Year and thank you for hanging with me. :)