Shared Obsession Chapter 15

The overly thin Kent Scoville fidgets in his seat in the box, periodically chewing on a fingernail. "Do you have any idea why you're here?" Kate asks.

"No idea," Scoville claims.

"The officer who arrested you reported that he observed you in a hand-to-hand narcotics sale in the park," Kate informs the suspect.

Scoville starts nibbling on another nail. "You must have me confused with someone else."

Kate leans back in her chair, shaking her head. "Really? Is that all you can come up with? All drug dealers look alike? The cop who picked you up found both money and drugs on you. And you've got two other felony arrests for dealing on your record. Want to try again?"

Scoville stares across the table. "Why are you leaning on me like this? I know all the narc cops around here. You're not one of them."

Kate ignores Scoville's question. "What were you doing in the park last night?'

Scoville clenches his scraggly bearded jaw. "What makes you think I was in the park last night?'

"A very reliable witness said she saw you running toward 72nd street around midnight," Kate informs him.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Montgomery, Castle gazes through the one-way mirror. "Shouldn't Beckett be trying to put him back on his heels more?"

Montgomery slaps Castle on the back. "Just watch."

"I was running toward the subway, trying to catch the late train," Scoville claims. "They don't run very often that time of night. If running for a train's a crime, you better arrest half of New York."

Montgomery grins. "See, she just got him to admit he was at the scene of the crime."

"Depends what they'd be running from," Kate returns. "And from the amount of cash we logged in from you, you could have easily caught a cab. They cruise Central Park West in that area all night. So why were you really running?"

"I felt like it. So what?"

"So what is that you were running away from the time and the place of a shooting. Doesn't look good, Kent."

"I don't know anything about any shooting," Scoville protests.

Kate passes an 8 X 10 of Donny Scoville across the table. "Do you know him?"

Scoville sticks another nail in his mouth. "Never seen him before."

Kate taps her fingertips on a black leather folder. "Really? I get the feeling you're not being completely truthful with me, Kent."

"Watch this," Montgomery exclaims gleefully.

"I want immunity," Scoville proclaims.

"I'm sure you could use a few shots, Kent. But that's Public Health's business, not mine," Kate replies.

"I mean, before I say anything else, I want immunity on the drug thing," Scoville returns.

"Kent, you're about to become a three-time loser on felony charges. I think even you can figure out what that means. If you're ever going to see the sun in this lifetime, you're going to need a friend. And right now, I'm the closest thing you may have. So tell me what you know about last night, and I'll think about talking sweet to the DA."

"All right, I saw him," Scoville confesses.

"Saw who?"

"Donny, the kid in the picture."

"Last night?"

"Yeah."

"She just placed him with the victim," Montgomery notes.

"Did you sell to him?" Kate asks.

"No!" Scoville protests.

"In the middle of the night? So what were the two of you doing, hooking up?" Kate suggests.

Scoville's mouth drops open. "Nothing like that. I mean, I'm not…."

"So what were you doing?" Kate presses.

"All right, I sold to him last night," Scoville admits, "but it was no different than all the other times."

"What other times?" Kate demands.

"Selling to him and his little buddies."

"What little buddies?"

"I don't know, a bunch of rich kids, a couple of dudes, a couple of chicks. There was an Asian girl who was kind of hot."

Kate springs from her chair, leaning on the table. "Are you telling me you saw them all in the park last night?"

"Yeah, they were all there. That's where all the cash came from."

Castle pounds his fist into his palm. "I knew those kids were hiding something!"

"But now we've got some witnesses," Montgomery points out.

Castle grits his teeth. "Witnesses who've already lied."


From the front of the lecture room, Kate holds the Redding clique in a dark stare. "You all lied to me. I could already arrest you for obstructing a police investigation. Don't make things any worse. You were all at the park the night Donny was shot. So what really happened?"

Amanda shoots a quick glance at Brandon, who nods. "Yeah, we were there," she confirms.

"Donny was really out of control," Romy adds. "We were just trying to stop him."

"Why don't I believe you?" Castle questions. "Maybe because if I saw a friend of mine that close to the edge, I'd call for some kind of help. If you were that worried, you could have called his parents or even the paramedics."

"Guys, just tell the truth," Brandon urges, a hint of a self-satisfied smile at the corners of his mouth. "Sometimes we'd go to the park too."

"Yeah," Spencer picks up. "We'd tell our parents we were hanging out at one of the apartments, and then we'd go to the park and party. Donny would…."

"Get you whatever you wanted?" Castle interrupts.

Kate jumps back in. "So what happened?'

"We were all hanging out and partying, and this guy comes over," Spencer goes on. "He's all messed up and starts yelling and waving a gun at Donny. He wanted to know, sorry about the language, where his f***ing money was. He said Donny owed him 200 bucks."

"And Donny didn't have it," the previously silent Max suddenly fills in.

"And the guy points the gun," Amanda continues, her eyes darting toward Romy.

The other girl picks up the tale. "There was a loud pop, and Donny's body just crumbled to the ground."

"So, what did you guys do?" Kate asks.

"We ran, we just ran," Max confesses.

"You didn't call the police or anyone?" Kate presses.

"Donny was dead," Spencer claims. "I mean, we knew he was dead. Calling someone would have…."

"Just gotten you in trouble," Castle finishes. "So let me get this straight. Your friend, your close friend Donny, whom you've all known since you were little, lies bleeding on the ground. And you all take off and don't even call 911. Did it ever occur to you that he might have still been alive? That a call might have saved his life?"

"If we'd stayed, that crazy dealer could have shot us too," Brandon insists. "We had to watch out for ourselves."

"Right. Of course, sure you did," Castle retorts. "That's what friends do; watch out for their own asses. And don't bother pardoning the language." Castle stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kate joins him in the hallway a few moments later. "Castle, I know how you feel, but sounding off at those kids like that didn't help. We need their testimony to close the case. They can nail Scoville."

Castle whirls to face her. "If Scoville actually did it. Beckett, those spoiled monsters have done nothing but lie from the first moment. And that little display in there was so choreographed that you could almost see Brandon directing the action. They're still lying."

"What part of their story could you disprove, Castle?"

"Let's start with the $200. To those kids, that's nothing. They always have cash on them. Romy said before that they offered to cover Donny on their little outings. So they couldn't cover him when his life was at stake? Even they couldn't be that selfish, Beckett. It makes no sense."

Kate nibbles her lower lip. "In this job, a lot of things don't make sense, Castle. But you may be right. We should talk to Romy. But not when the others are around."