Shared Obsession Chapter 19
"You know," Castle considers, "The file-sharing thing has come up a couple of times now. It seems like the kids were hooked on it. I wonder if there's a way to get into the system and access those files. Didn't Mr. Lee, Romy's father, set it up?"
"Yes, he did," Kate confirms.
"And he wasn't exactly crazy about the trouble Brandon and the gang dragged Romy into," Castle recalls. "If I were in his shoes, I'd want to break Brandon's neck, and maybe Spenser's too, for getting her involved in that mess."
"What's your point, Castle?"
"Maybe Mr. Lee could help us out with heaping blame where it belongs."
A smile tugs at Kate's lips. "Maybe he can."
"I got in with the admin password," Mr. Lee explains, from his desk in his home office. "I always maintain access to file systems I set up in case I have to get in and fix a glitch."
"So what did you find?" Kate asks. "I need to know about the time when Max died."
"The phones of the whole group were synced," Lee explains. "That means when they were together, it would show up on the log."
"Does the log show Brandon and Spenser together that night?" Kate queries.
Lee types quickly. "No, it doesn't."
Castle grins. "There goes their mutual alibi. Now for the $64,000 question, although with inflation, it's probably worth at least twice that much now."
"About 7.48 times," Lee absently corrects. "I think I found what you're looking for, Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle. The night Max died, he was with Brandon."
"Do you have evidence of that you could testify to in court?" Kate demands.
"I do, and I will," Lee declares. "That sonofabitch corrupted my daughter. I'm not about to let him get away with murder."
"Castle, you knew Mr. Lee would come through for us like that, didn't you?" Kate asks as she and Castle leave the Lee's apartment.
"Let's say that I strongly suspected. Most fathers would do anything to defend their daughters. I know I'd walk into Hell to protect mine."
"I'm sure you would, Castle."
Brandon lounges in his chair in the box, throwing a lascivious stare at Beckett. She counters with a dismissive look. "You could call your parents. And you know you have a right to have a lawyer present, Brandon. If you don't have the number, I have the card you gave me."
Brandon smirks. "The number's in my phone. But I can handle this."
"Everything's in your phone, isn't it, Brandon?" Castle questions. "You have the video nailing Max for Donny's death. You have an instant sync with your friends. I'm sure that comes in handy to keep all of you one step ahead."
"More like three steps ahead," Brandon rejoins.
"The phones keep you all connected," Castle continues. "My phone keeps me connected too. A while ago, I made a call to my bookie."
"Sweet," Brandon responds.
"It would have been sweeter if I could have gotten my bet down. The odds on the horse were 10 to 1. But unfortunately for me, I made the call standing outside Nobo, waiting for the valet to bring my car."
"Oh yes, I love that place," Brandon offers.
"The squid ink pasta is amazing," Castle allows. "But the valet was too quick. My call dropped when he brought my car around before I could finish telling my bookie what I wanted. My car picked up the call automatically, and I realized that it and my phone were linked. Unfortunately, the line was busy when I tried to call back."
"You told us all the phones in your group were linked for file sharing via Bluetooth, didn't you, Brandon?" Kate questions.
"Yeah, so what?"
"And Mr. Lee set up the system for you?"
"What has Romy's dad got to do with this?"
"A lot, Brandon," Kate replies. "Mr. Lee retained ownership of the system. He could access it for us without anyone's permission. He didn't even ask for a warrant. And you know what he found, Brandon?"
"That Romy and Amanda can't stay off the phone with each other?"
Kate smiles. "No, that you just couldn't stay away from Max. Your phones synched when you were in the park with him. Your digital fingerprint puts you within 20 feet of him when he was killed."
"So, he called me. He was feeling guilty. I tried to make him feel better," Brandon claims.
"And how did you do that?" Kate asks.
"We had a drink together, and I told him it wasn't his fault."
"A drink together," Castle repeats. "According to the medical examiner, he was blind drunk. With the amount of alcohol in his system, he couldn't have stood up straight, let alone thought straight."
"That bullet came from a revolver, a big one," Kate continues. "It would have been heavy and had quite a kick. Max couldn't have even held the thing to his head without help, let alone shot it. But you were there to help him."
"When Max called you, you knew something was up. So you brought the gun and what, raided your parents' liquor cabinet? What did Max like? Vodka?" Castle speculates. "Or was he a scotch man?"
Brandon snorts. "He had taste like a little kid. He liked Mad Dog because it's sweet. But I would never give that to him."
"But you did," Kate declares. "In fact, a clerk at a liquor store on 72nd Street remembers selling two bottles of Mogen David to you. He said he thought you looked a little young, so he checked your ID. But for a kid with your resources, it's not hard to get a fake, is it? But having checked, he remembers your face pretty clearly. And even if he hadn't, you're on video surveillance making the purchase. So you took the wine to the park for Max. It must have taken quite a while to get him that drunk. But eventually, you were able to carry out your plan."
"But you shouldn't have had to go to all that trouble, should you, Brandon?" Castle picks up. "If only Max had been strong enough to man up. If only Donny realized he didn't belong with you guys anymore, that he had no right to keep going after Amanda. Well, then none of what you had to do that night would have been necessary. Weak people just don't get it, do they, Brandon? Sometimes they just have to be led to the truth."
Self-satisfaction twists Brandon's lips. "Exactly."
Castle turns to Kate. "Did he say exactly? I thought I heard him say exactly."
"Yep, I heard it too," Kate acknowledges.
Brandon's eyes blaze. "You tricked me!"
"It's called admission against interest," Kate informs him.
"Which, in case it isn't part of the curriculum at Redding, is a fancy word for a confession," Castle clarifies.
"That was amazing, Beckett," Castle exclaims as uniformed cops lead Brandon to a holding cell.
"Getting a bastard like Brandon to nail himself is a high," Kate admits. "But your story about Nobo and your bookie, Castle, was that true?"
"Not entirely. Actually, I was calling my business manager to ask about an investment in a new indie film, something about a waitress. Mother told me she knows some of the people involved, and they do excellent work. But the odds are at least 10-1 against scoring a profit on the thing. And the call did drop. I may pick the subject up again later. And I figured someone with as black a heart as Brandon would enjoy squid ink on his pasta. But I can't order squid or any of the cephalopods like octopi. Alexis is convinced they're sentient, and if she heard I was eating them, she'd be on me about it for months, maybe years."
"You and your daughter are really close, aren't you?"
"She's the only thing I don't regret about my first marriage. But with all this talk of food, are you hungry for more than a hotdog this time? Nobo makes short rib tacos that really are amazing. And there are still a few more threads to tie up about this case."
"So you want to talk about the case over dinner?"
"We could also discuss the dessert menu. They make their own ice cream using liquid nitrogen. The chef owes me a favor. I could ask him to let you watch. Come on, Stuyvesant girl, from a scientific angle, the process is fascinating."
"What flavor?"
"They have assorted mochas."
"Deal!"