Very Castle Celebrations
Chapter 3
"Eureka!" blasts from Castle's lips before he can help himself. He flinches, waiting for a wail of protest from Jackson, but when Kate comes into the room, Castle can see that their son is enjoying his midafternoon snack.
Kate glances over Castle's shoulder at the screen. "The tragic story of Tommy O'Brien, a teenager who survived after sustaining brain damage from being hit by a lawn dart only to later lose his father in a pub fight over a darts game."
Despite the sadness of the tale, Castle finds it hard to put a damper on his excitement at its discovery. Everything fits. Brain damage can cause violent and irrational behaviors, and the boy also suffered a traumatic loss. He's even Irish!
Kate isn't convinced. The original story was published in Chicago in 1987. She points out that there's no indication that Tommy O'Brien has ever been near New York.
Castle has a response to her objections. He signs on to the site he used to background check the contractor who put in Jackson's nursery. A few strokes to enter what he knows about Tommy O'Brien and for the low, low, price of $39.95, he has access to everything that can be gleaned from public records about the man, including everywhere he's ever lived. There's a recent entry showing a residence in Bloomfield, New Jersey, one of the cheapest places to live that's within commuting distance of New York. In the past, O'Brien has also taken up residence in Boston, Cleveland and Philadelphia, all cities with sizable Irish-American populations.
Castle starts searching for dart-related deaths that took place in those locales during the time Tommy lived there. There were three in Boston, two in Philadelphia, and two in Cleveland. All provoked suspicions on the part of the local constabulary, but no one had ever been accused of a crime. Castle is sure that O'Brien has been committing murders undetected for almost two decades.
Kate reminds him that suspicion is not proof. If they're going to get that, their best bet will be the boy's investigation of the latest murder.
Jackson seems to be enjoying the lively atmosphere at Remy's when Ryan and Esposito slide into a booth to sit opposite Kate, Castle, and the baby. Kate passes two copies of a file containing everything that Castle's uncovered about Tommy O'Brian, across the table. Esposito, the faster reader of the two, whistles as he scans through the information. "Crazy dude."
Castle is quick to point out that if Tommy is crazy, he's also very smart. Up until now, he's never even been a suspect in any crime, let alone a murder.
Ryan nods his agreement, noting that they can check, but Tommy's DNA and fingerprints probably aren't even in the system. If they were, any evidence associated with any of the deaths by dart would have been connected to him. Establishing a link that will stand up well enough to get something like a search warrant for darts, could be difficult.
Castle has an idea. If Tommy is working or hanging out somewhere in New York, they might be able to get some DNA. He has a friend with a food truck that serves ethnic cuisine. He could send the traveling eatery somewhere Tommy might be looking for bangers and mash, fish and chips or shepherd's pie. They could get DNA and prints off plastic knives and forks or whatever else Tommy touches or puts his mouth on. If Tommy discards any paraphernalia he uses to eat his meal, it could be recovered without the need for a warrant.
Ryan slowly nods his head, adding that the chef might want to put colcannon on the menu.
Castle peruses the text Kate just received from Esposito. Tommy O'Brien has a job at a handball court on West Fourth Street, which is definitely food truck territory. If Castle can send his friend's restaurant of wheels, Esposito and Ryan can set up a stake-out to watch for Tommy. Castle pulls his own phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He can't say he's ever been interested in learning how to play handball, but he suspects that Kate has the athletic prowess to be terrific at it. He can find whoever he has to tip so he can take Jackson with him to watch. With any luck, the recipient of the bribe might even be Tommy O'Brien.
Castle quickly discovers that Minnie Krebs, the grandmotherly woman at the reception desk, is a hardcore fan of both Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat books. A look into the deep blue of Castle baby Jackson's eyes is all the tip Minnie requires to allow the family access to the courts and the balcony overlooking them, as long as Kate's games are paid for.
Castle asks Minnie about Tommy O'Brien after spying him in a framed photograph on the wall behind Minnie. In the picture, Tommy was standing near a dart board. Minnie gushingly informs Castle that some of the ballplayers use darts to hone their hand-eye coordination and that Tommy is an expert instructor. Her eyes tear when she tells Castle and Kate that they recently lost Trace O'Henry. Trace, who was the only player to achieve even close to Tommy's dart-plying expertise, was the victim of the terrible murder on Fifth Avenue. Minnie adds that Tommy is in the building as they speak.
Castle and Kate exchange looks. Even if Castle food truck plan doesn't work, they've established a connection between Tommy O'Brien and Trace O'Henry.
Castle smugly notes that he was right about Kate. Not only is she skilled at hitting the ball from any angle, but she's also quick. Jackson seems to be enjoying the smacking sounds of the rebounds from the wall of the handball court.
Castle looks up from his keyboard as Kate strides into his office. "Hear anything from the boys about Tommy O'Brien?"
He can see the satisfaction in her eyes even before she gives him a thumbs-up. "The prints they got off the container from O'Brien's colcannon match some on a dumpster he must have hidden behind at the crime scene. The DNA on his fork also matches a blood droplet CSU found on one of the darts. O'Brien must have pricked himself or something. Anyway, we have him cold, Castle. The boys are taking some unis to pick him up. But they wouldn't have even come close to O'Brien if it weren't for that writer's imagination of yours."
Castle wonders about getting O'Brien's other murders reopened. Kate tells him that the N.Y.P.D. can contact the other jurisdictions with what they have on the killer, especially the forensics. What to do with it will be up to the officials in Philadelphia, Boston, and Cleveland. It may not be worth it for them to try to get O'Brien extradited. Tommy will either be behind bars or in an institution in New York for the rest of his life. He won't be able to hurt anyone else. She glances at Castle's computer screen and asks him what he's working on.
He proudly announces that it's a short story called "Deadly Darts." It will be solved by Drake Bentley, of course, but Castle will draw a lot of elements from Tommy O'Brien's murders, especially regarding early trauma, both physical and psychological, turning someone from the path of righteousness. Castle's toying with the idea of introducing a forensic historian character who's obsessed with the underlying causes of criminal acts - sort of an irascible Perlmutter type - who has an eye for Grace Hooper and is always trying to involve himself in Drake's cases to get close to her. The historian, Stuart Lipshutz, will be a constant irritant to Drake, but one he can't get rid of because he's too useful in solving cases.
Kate wraps her arms around Castle's neck declaring that she knows all about constant irritants she can't get rid of because they're too useful in solving cases.
Pulling her into his lap, Castle asks her if anything is irritating her now. She brushes her fingertip over his lips. "Only that you haven't kissed me yet."
