Shared Obsession Chapter 42

Kate and Castle are approaching the 12th when her text alert blares. "We've got a body, Castle. The boys are already on their way."

"God, Beckett! Now?"

"You don't have to come along if you want to get started on tracing the Bible. Still, CSU finished gathering any evidence they could find on it but hasn't issued their report yet. Right now, you would be trying to work your way through a potentially huge list of printers. The lab might give us something that would narrow it down."

"All right," Castle agrees, "you have a point. But I hope CSU stays on the stick."

"If they don't, I'll poke them with it," Kate promises.

"Vic's an African American male, mid-twenties," Esposito announces. "He's got multiple stab wounds and contusions on his arms and torso. Homeless guy found him."

"So he was beaten, maybe tortured," Kate assumes.

Ryan studies the scene. "Looks like some kind of ritualistic killing."

Becket's eyes sweep over the circle of candles and symbols on the cement floor. "You think?"

"Your books have all kinds of weird stuff. What do you make of it, Castle?" Ryan inquires.

"Huh? Oh. Check his mouth. There's probably a little pouch in there."

With a gloved hand, Kate probes the orifice and holds up a tiny fabric bag with a symbol inside. "How did you know?"

"It's Vondoo."

"Vondoo," Esposito repeats. "What is that, some kind of Star Trek thing?"

Ryan shakes his head in disgust. "No, Dude. It's a religion practiced primarily in West Africa. Maybe you should try reading something besides that issue of 'Stripper Pole.'"

"That magazine has great articles," Esposito protests.

Castle points to a small bowl. "The blood in there, probably animal, is part of a ceremony. The pouch is an offering to the spirits, but I don't recognize the symbol."

"If you did, you'd be a suspect," Esposito points out.

"I think you'd find I have a highly credible alibi," Castle replies.

"So, how did you find out about all this spirit crap?" Esposito queries.

Castle shrugs. "Research for my sixth Derrick Storm novel."

"Unholy Storm," Ryan inserts.

"Ah, nice to know you paid attention. But Vondoo is not limited to West Africa," Castle continues. "It's also practiced by Haitian and Dominican communities right here in New York."

"We'll have CSU run the pouch," Beckett declares. "And we'll need them to run the blood from the bowl and compare it to the victim's just in case some Vondoo practitioner ramped up the ceremony. If we get lucky, the victim's fingerprints will be in the system." She turns to Castle, lowering her voice. "I don't remember this ritual from the book. Is it done for a specific purpose?"

"Nothing wrong with your memory. Most of what I learned about Vondoo was background research that never made it into the book. The symbol I can't identify would indicate the objective of this particular rite. I still have my original written source material, as well as the contact info for a consultant I used on the book, at the loft. Talking to her would probably be faster and more productive than a literature search. I can have her meet us there."

"All right, Castle. Let's go."

Beckett catches Castle glancing around nervously as they approach the door to the loft. "What are you looking for?"

"Meredith. She's like a boomerang. You can think she's disappeared into the distance until she sweeps back with destruction in her wake."

"Aside from looking for a job and an apartment, what do you think she's up to?" Kate asks.

"I'm not sure she's telling the whole story about a job or her housing search. But whatever she's doing right now, it's over the top."

"Mr. Simmons, you wanted to see me?" Alexis asks from the doorway of the principal's office at Marlowe Prep.

Simmons nods sympathetically, gesturing the teen inside. "Alexis, I'm afraid we have some bad news."

Alexis can feel the blood draining from her face. "What? No! Is it my Dad? Did he get shot?"

Meredith turns in her seat to face her daughter. "It's not your dad, Sweetie. It's your grandfather. He passed away not long after I saw you this morning."

Alexis' eyes narrow. "My grandfather."

"I know it's a lot to take in," Meredith hurriedly goes on, "but at a time like this, we should be together."

"Mom, I have a calculus test today," Alexis protests.

Simmons rises from his chair. "Under the circumstances, I'm sure Mr. Brown will allow you to take a makeup."

Meredith extends her hand to the administrator. "Thank you, Mr. Simmons, for your compassion in this trying time. Let's go, Honey. We have a lot to do."

Alexis glances around the empty hallway outside the school's offices. "Mom! Grandpa died six years ago!"

Meredith smiles conspiratorially at the angry teen. "I know, but a death in the family – always a good excuse to get off school."

"No, it's a creepy excuse."

"Come on. I need some Alexis time. And I saw what you were wearing this morning. Your wardrobe needs an update. And buying clothes in New York is more fun than in LA. We need to go shopping."

"We could go shopping Saturday when I don't have school," Alexis suggests.

"But Beddies is having a sale now," Meredith protests.

"And I should take my calculus test now. I've been studying for days."

"Why study math at all if you can't apply it to real-life situations like calculating your savings?" Meredith argues.

"You mean Dad's savings? He's going to end up paying for this, isn't he?"

"His last book is still on the bestseller list. He can afford it. Come on. What's the harm – unless you want to go back and tell Mr. Simmons your mother's a liar?"

"Fine, but promise we're not leaving the city. Dad's going to freak enough when he finds out I left school."

"You know, your father is turning into a real bore."

Alexis stomps toward her locker. "It's a good thing, as you pointed out, that his readers don't think so."

A loud knock echoes through the loft. Castle opens the door to a reveal a fashionably dressed woman holding two bags stuffed with food containers. "Someone order lunch?"

Smiling a welcome, Castle gestures her inside. "Detective Beckett, meet Michelle Lawal, my authority on things Vondoo and owner of the best Nigerian restaurant in the Metropolitan Area."

"To which Rick has promised to continue to send his friends. Nice to meet you, Detective." Michelle begins laying out food on the loft's dining table. "Rick said you have a case which might be related to Vondoo."

"That's right," Kate acknowledges, using her phone to show photos of the symbols found at the crime scene. "And I would appreciate any help you can offer. Do you recognize these?"

"The symbols are Vévé, a representation of one who can open crossroads into the spirit world. From the design, I'd say that these aren't Haitian or Dominican. They're hard-core Nigerian."

Beckett swipes to a picture of the symbol found in the victim's mouth. "Can you tell us what this is?"

"Charms like that are offerings to Vondoo saints or loas. In this case, it's Ogun. He's usually called upon to find something lost."

"So our killer is looking for something," Castle surmises.

Michelle nods. "Something the victim once possessed."

"That must be why the victim was tortured," Kate figures. "Could the kind of ceremony indicate what the killer was looking for?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"You sound like you grew up in Manhattan. How do you know so much about Vondoo?" Kate asks.

"I practice. I spent my junior year in college in Nigeria. I not only fell in love with the cuisine, I fell in love with the religion."

Kate regards Michelle's well-cut but business-style suit and stylish pumps. "As a detective, I'm usually pretty good at sizing people up. But I never would have pegged you for the occult type."

"Occult is in the eye of the beholder, Detective. As bizarre as Vondoo may seem to you, I can assure you that the beliefs of westerners seem just as strange to outsiders. By the way, how do you like the cow's foot soup?"

Kate stares down at the contents of her spoon. "Is that what this is? It's delicious."

Michelle nods wisely. "You see, many things – and people – aren't so strange once you get to know them."