Very Castle Celebrations

Chapter 13

Castle calls to Kate as he continues to scroll through the data on his screen. "Hon, you need to see this!"

Kate leans over his shoulder to regard the document displayed on his laptop. "Harley Granger?"

Castle highlights a line of information. "Look! Harley Granger was only 12 in 1989. But the articles on the explosion said he was found in the church basement where the boiler had been. What the hell was a 12-year-old doing in a church boiler room - unless he caused the explosion somehow?"

Kate pushes her hair behind her ear as she leans closer to the results of Harley's background check. "He's still very much alive, but he's living in Maryland. If he was the one who released the chemical, what was he doing in Manhattan?"

Castle points to another item on the screen. "He works for Tex-otics. I've read about that company. They develop specialized lithium batteries. Thionyl chloride would be part of the process. They also work with the government labs at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on weapons systems. If Granger wants to be on one of those projects, he'd need a security clearance. I know how those things go, Kate. When I started working with the CIA, I had to answer questions all the way back to grade school. If it came out that Harley had something to do with that explosion, he might not only lose his project, he could lose his job. As far as I've been able to tell, if he was implicated in some way, the only place it might have been recorded would be in that missing book of church chronicles - unless there's something in the fire investigator's original report.

Kate nods. "I checked on that, Castle. That report was never digitized. If it still exists, it is buried in the archives that are warehoused in the Bronx. Unless someone doing a check on Granger knew exactly what to look for and where, they would never find it."

Castle swivels to face her, wiggling his eyebrows. "But we know, don't we?"


"It was nice of Alexis to watch Jackson for us," Kate comments as she and Castle go through the files contained in a pallet of banker's boxes.

Castle agrees that it was but adds that Alexis wanted the distraction. Cary was invited to a retreat exploring how music can be used to teach string theory. Since she's on spring break, his daughter wants to spend some of her free time with her brother. Returning to the task at hand, he checks the label on a file. "I think this is it!"

Castle locates only slightly dusty seats for them at a table where they can page through the documents together. The investigator was careful. The shards of the boiler had been gathered as clues to whatever weakness cause the explosion. The report concluded that the relief valve that should have opened to release excess pressure had stuck. There were a few remnants of an unknown substance around the valve, but they were too severely pyrolyzed to make an analysis.

Castle springs out of his chair and begins to pace the concrete floor. "Kate, what if someone made that valve stick and caused that explosion?"

"Someone like Harley Granger?" Kate interjects.

Castle nods. "Yeah. Kids get curious - especially about things they're told never to touch. What if Harley taped or glued that valve shut so he could watch the pressure gauge or something? The pressure rose too fast, and he was caught in the explosion. He felt so guilty that he told his youth director or some other servant of the faithful at the church. Whoever it was would have kept the boy's secret from the outside world, but it might have gone in the chronicles. From the quick look that I got, it looked like just about everything did. Members of the church - particularly nosy preteens- could find out that the history of the organization was being recorded.

"Harley grew up to become a model citizen after after he recovered from his injuries. Maybe he even made contributions to the church to make up for the cost of a new boiler. The explosion was the one black mark in his past, but now it may come back to haunt him. So he releases the thionyl chloride during the Easter service at a level he knows won't cause anything beyond a few tears. He grabs the book and slips away unnoticed in the confusion."

Lines flank the bridge of Kate's nose. "But Castle, if your conjecture - and that's all it is - is true, how do we prove it?"

Castle pulls out his phone and asks Siri for the driving time to Maryland. It's less than a three-hour trip to Bel Air, where Harley Granger has been making his home. And Jackson loves road trips.


When Harley answers the knock on his apartment door, Castle realizes that it's no wonder that Harley could never put the boiler explosion behind him. Scars are still visible on his face and forearms. They would certainly raise questions. Chances are that it's long been a part of Harley's medical record that he had a childhood accident. Since Harley was never charged with a crime, an FBI agent checking him out might well just leave it at that, but Harley would know the truth and fear exposure.

Harley draws a shaky breath and gestures to the couple standing before him carrying their child, to come in. "I recognize you. There was a photograph on the web. The mystery solving writer, ex-cop wife, and their son. You were at the church on Easter. How did you find me? Wait. It doesn't matter. Homeland Security is still looking for a terrorist. If you found me, eventually they will too. It's better if I just turn myself in."


Rare as that is, Castle can't think of much to say on the drive back to New York. Kate doesn't seem to be inclined to talk either. They're just letting whatever is coming out of the radio, fill the silence. At first, the strains of "Feeling Good," seem ironic. As much as Castle usually enjoys cracking a case, exposing the ancient sins of the man who'd already paid dearly for them doesn't seem to have much of an upside.

Kate begins to sing along with the lyrics. "It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life for me."

"You know," Castle muses, as much to himself as to Kate, "a new life is what Easter is supposed to be about. Harley has been carrying the weight of his secret for so many years, maybe when it's finally out in the open, he can start fresh. I for one, hope so."

Kate's hand feels comforting on his arm. "Yeah, Castle. Me too."

It occurs to Castle that when everything finally shakes out about the case and Harley pays whatever the penalty is for releasing a noxious chemical in a church full of people, the man will probably have a hell of a time finding a new job. There may be something Castle can do about that. Batteries are the sticking point of just about every wondrous new piece of electronic wizardry that captures the public's fascination. He's already invested in a startup that is researching how to make some that don't keep failing at the times of maximum inconvenience - and don't catch fire or blow up. When the moment comes, he may just be able to help Harley get a second chance. That would mean more than the mouthing of any sacred litany ever could.