Another Chance
Chapter 4
Flicking her finger over her tablet, Kate quickly scrolls through the text. "Molly did it. She has interviews with Bronson's girlfriend, Rashid, his relatives, anyone with a clue as to how Farrah Usman's death went down. And she has an unnamed source. Two actually. Maybe she talked to Richmond, He was the one who managed to dig up the tape that gave us the truth."
"And of course, the other one is you," Castle assumes.
"I just gave her a trail to follow. She independently checked every part of the story on her own. There's some stuff in here that even we didn't know. She's been in DC ever since she graduated from Stanford. She must have a pretty good network."
"An excellent network, I would imagine," Castle adds as he reads over Kate's shoulder. "So what happens now?"
Kate shrugs. "Congressional investigation maybe. They may have to go around the DOJ, with the AG being Reed's buddy. But it's in front of the public now. One way or another, Reed will have to answer for what he did."
"So what new travesty of justice are you and the Kelly Agency going to uncover today?" Castle inquires.
"We're not sure, Castle. A husband claims his wife was abducted and wants us to find her, but I talked to a couple of her friends, and they think she left because she was being abused. One of them took her to the emergency room after she said she fell down the stairs, but there was an imprint of a ring on one of her bruises. The husband comes on as Mr. Perfect. He's a lawyer on the board of his church and several charities. His hair is almost as faultless as yours."
"I appreciate the compliment - I think. If this guy turns out to be an abusive sleazeball, what are you going to do about locating the wife?"
Kate purses her lips. "Frank's seen cases like this before. He gets a retainer up front. We'll find her and get her side of the story. If she doesn't want to go back, we won't tell her husband where she is, just that she hasn't been abducted. And we'll turn everything we have over to Domestic Crime."
Castle hands Kate a vanilla latte to go. "Whoever and wherever the wife is, I hope she's safe."
Kate palms his cheek and presses a kiss to his lips. "We'll do our best to make sure of that, Babe."
Castle wistfully watches Kate go out the door. It is wonderful having her back, but he misses building theory and going out on cases with her. She tells him whatever she can without actually violating Frank's clients' confidentiality. It's pretty good fodder for his books, but it's not the same as being her partner.
He's not bored. He has more than enough to do planning a wedding. Now that Kate is solidly back in New York, they were able to agree on a date. Unfortunately, to book some of the best venues, they would have had to do that two years ago. Unless the Tardis suddenly materializes in his living room - and wouldn't that be cool - he's going to have to get creative about finding a place. But then, who's more creative than Richard Castle?
He's been reading the Bridal magazines that Mother tried to push on Kate, who treated them with a reaction normally reserved for the nausea induced by a hefty dose of concentrated high-fructose corn syrup. He finds the stories and photographs a bit over-sweetened himself, but he can still dig out a useful nugget or two. After the two traditional weddings he had with Meredith and Gina, he would like something a little out of the box, but not so far as to alienate Kate's relatives, especially her Aunt Theresa. If the location isn't too formal, he and Kate can get away with a ceremony that isn't either.
For a few moments they considered just taking off for Vegas, but Kate really wants to walk down the aisle on her father's arm, and they need to make sure he's available. That means the wedding will be in September. There's no counting on the weather these days, but it shouldn't be too extreme, and if the ceremony takes place indoors, it won't matter.
He's wracking his brains for a spot that would be meaningful to him and Kate, but not in demand by every blushing bride. The 12th Precinct is a possibility, but under the current conditions in The N.Y.P.D., Castle can't see Gates allowing the cops to leave their desks long enough to attend. Suddenly it comes to him, and it shouldn't take more than a phone call and his signature on a contract to secure the space.
Kate has interviewed six of Tanya Wilson's friends, and they all say the same thing. Brett Wilson is a master at playing the caring, supportive husband in public, but he is a controlling bastard and a mean drunk. Tanya had considered attending Alanon meetings, but Brett would have questioned where she was. She could only see her friends when he had an important business deal in progress and was too distracted to keep track of her. All of them had seen signs of one kind or another. If it wasn't actual bruises, it was the way Tanya jumped at every sound and shrank away from men on the subway or even on the sidewalk. But if any of them knew where she was, they weren't about to tell Kate or any of Frank Kelly's other operatives.
Kate can understand their reticence. If word got back to Brett, Tanya would be in real danger. But there is more than one way to track someone down. Neither Tanya's debit card or credit cards are active. Her accounts are all jointly held with Brett, and if Kate could trace her that way, so could he. She may have been stashing away cash somewhere to make her escape or possibly have an account under another name. Kate already checked Tanya's maiden name, but there are other possibilities. She could have borrowed the identity of a friend or a relative. Kate will have to check them all.
Desk work is Kate's least favorite part of the job but could provide the fastest clues to Tanya's whereabouts. If nothing turns up, she'll try a tack that requires more shoe leather. She really wishes he could be with her on the hunt. He throws out as many ideas as he can in response to what she's allowed to disclose, but it's not the same as sharing the actual clues and having him observe the body language of the people she talks to. She's trained in picking up on telltales, but he has a poker player's instincts for spotting a bluff. He's also always picked up on details she missed. That was infuriating at first, but it solved cases.
She can't help but wonder how he's doing with the wedding plans. She hates to dump the work on him, but she'll barely have time just to pick out dresses for herself and for Lanie. And if she isn't aware of all the details, Aunt Theresa can't grill her on them. She's sure Castle will come up with something terrific. He's better at planning events than anyone she knows. But she's curious about what is bouncing around in his head.