Slaying the Beast
Chapter 39
"I don't know what I'm doing here," Spaulding Madison complains. "I already answered your questions."
Kate holds up her phone in front of Madison, closely enough that he is forced to look at the image on the screen. "That was before we caught you playing kissy-face with the late Peter Whitestone's fiancé. Poor, grief-stricken Bradley already had means and opportunity to murder his lover, and you've just given us his motive."
"So what? If Brad killed Whitestone because he fell for me, that's not my fault," Madison protests."
Kate rises from the table, her eyes boring into Madison's. "It is if he did it so that Whitestone wouldn't bust you for taking bribes from contractors to get permits. That's a very expensive briefcase you carry around, Spaulding."
"That suit would cost a city employee about a month's pay," Castle adds, "and the shoes at least a week's worth."
"We checked, Madison," Kate continues. "You have no inheritances or investment windfalls and no winning lottery tickets, yet your credit cards are paid off, and you live in an upscale condo. So where did the money come from?"
A shimmer of light reflects from the moisture appearing beneath the strands of the perfect coif brushed over Madison's forehead. "I want a lawyer."
"First smart thing you've said," Kate comments.
"What about Bradley Stuart?" Castle asks as Kate leaves Madison to sweat it out in the box.
"The boys have gone to pick him up. I wasn't about to take a chance that Madison would tip him off. We'll turn the heat up on him too, see which one flips first, but my money is on Madison. Jerks like him rarely think about anything except saving their own asses."
The moment the two detectives show up at his door, Bradley knows he's in trouble. When they inform him that he's under arrest for the murder of Peter Whitestone, he's not surprised. He'd known from the beginning that cheating on Peter with Spaulding was a mistake, but with Peter, everything was work. Half the time He didn't even remember to thank Bradley for making sure he got his caffeine for the day- and just the way he liked it. Bradley also ended up eating a lot of the special meals he prepared for the two of them, alone.
The attention Spaulding paid to Bradley was a salve to his ego, as his new lover kept intimating that he deserved better than the treatment he was getting from Peter. Sometimes he wondered if Spaulding was using him, but he always pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It hurt so much to mean so little to the man he truly loved, that he finally snapped. He should have left the city, gone somewhere, anywhere, but he couldn't desert Spaulding. His new lover is all he has left."
Bradley is hunched over his cuffed hands when Detective Beckett enters the room, followed by Richard Castle. He knows he doesn't have to say anything. The cops who arrested him made that clear. He hasn't asked for a lawyer, either. He's afraid of what might come spilling out if he opens his mouth. So he just sits, the flow of questions coming from across the table like a meaningless buzz in his ears."
Castle isn't surprised when he recognizes Madison's lawyer, Carl Purcell, as one of the many faces, he saw at The Rainbow Door. The man is even carrying a Giraldi, perhaps with more than his grooming aids inside. Kate leaves lawyer and client to confer in private, but they don't talk long before Purcell signals that he wants to make a deal. He's in for a nasty surprise. Given Weldon's high regard for Whitestone, he urged Briggs to become personally involved in handling the investigator's murder. Madison might be hoping for a light toasting, but he will find himself covered in grill marks.
Kate closed the case just in time. Castle put his head together with Evelyn to pull together a party as perfect as they could make it for both Kate and Montgomery. There will be two cakes. According to Evelyn, Roy likes raspberry tinged with brandy, while Castle is planning a checkerboard vanilla and chocolate with strawberry filling for Kate. If she loves it, it might be a preview for a more ornate pastry at their wedding reception.
Decorations will have to go up quickly while Montgomery leaves for his predictable afternoon coffee break and Castle distracts Kate. Ryan is taking charge of that. The caterer will be delivering the food at a precise time as well, with Karpowski overseeing the setup with an assist from gourmet cook, Bruce. Castle and Evelyn settled on barbecue, a mix of chicken, beef, and pork, with a vegan option featuring eggplant.
Castle puzzles about an appropriate way to keep Kate occupied. Suggesting a trip to the vendor at the corner for hotdogs is out. There will be more delectable treats to come. He settles on a walk, pleading that he can use the exercise and she'll look beautiful in the sunshine.
He was telling the truth about both halves of his argument. Recently, he's rarely had time to make it to the gym, either for yoga or his fencing regimen, and the new highlights in Kate's sexy mane catch the light like a halo. Amid her parade of ever-changing hairstyles, he hopes she decides to keep them. Added to that, once she assumes the sergeant's mantle, she may not have as much time for excursions outside the precinct, that aren't strictly work-related.
The day is the best of New York City spring: light sweater weather. Where trees survive surrounded by concrete, buds have already spread into leaves, and many of the insulated cups of coffee usually carried by pedestrians have been exchanged for bottles of water, sports drinks, or sodas.
Were it not for the upcoming festivities; Castle would offer to buy Kate an ice cream, if for no other reason than to watch her lick the sticky sweetness from her lips. Instead, he suggests a trip to the swings in a pocket park, unused while children labor over their schoolwork.
"So, now that your promotion is becoming a reality, how do you feel about it?" Castle queries as they gently swing side by side.
Kate shrugs. "To tell you the truth, Babe, I don't know. A lot will depend on the attitude of the new captain. I haven't heard anything official, but the rumor is that she's from Internal Affairs and a real hardass. Montgomery often stretched the rules more than a little. If she's strictly by the book, that may slow us down. I might even see some good cops who are used to operating with more freedom, put in for transfer. I'd hate that. We have a damn good bullpen."
"We do, Castle agrees. "So if that happens, how are you going to handle it?"
Kate pushes off with her feet, forcing her swing higher. "I have no idea, but Montgomery is trusting me with his people. I'm not about to let him down."
Castle reaches out to grab a chain, halting her motion. "I would never expect otherwise. So I guess we'll just have to go with whatever happens."
"And we have to go back to the precinct, don't we?" Kate asks, fluttering her eyelashes. "Party time?"
Castle's jaw drops. "How did you know it was today? I thought you weren't expecting it until next week. Never mind. You're Kate Beckett, ace detective. Just remember to act surprised when we return."
"Sure Babe, especially since you've probably planned an affair full of surprises anyway."
Castle grins. "Count on it."