Another Chance

Chapter 34

Robert Haverstrom's eyes glow like hot coals, reminding Castle of video of Charles Manson. If anyone wanted to make a case for the existence of demonic possession, a photo of Haverstrom as he looks at that moment would make a good argument. The suspect is cuffed, for which Castle is grateful. To his mind, a full set of shackles for the man sitting across a too narrow table from Kate would be even better.

Kate doesn't seem wary as much as angry. She slams her folder with what little they have on Haverstrom, down in front of him. He doesn't flinch. "You don't have anything on me. You can ask questions and pursue your feeble attempts at intimidation all you want, but in the end, you'll just have to let me go, at which time our Haverstrom attorneys will file suit against both the New Rochelle and the New York City Police."

"I don't think so," Castle responds from his seat beside Kate. "Lawyers cost money, Bob, and you don't have any. The court can appoint one for you, but it won't be to bring any lawsuits."

"Bullshit," Haverstrom spits back. "I haven't done anything I can be prosecuted for."

Kate lunges at Haverstrom and slams her palm on the metal tabletop. "Oh no? How about rape? Midge Secort is prepared to press charges. That's enough for us to hold you. And that's just the beginning, Bob, we know you killed Sharri Levin, and we're going to prove it."

"Can you really get a rape conviction of Haverstrom on the basis of Midge's testimony?" Castle asks as Kate follows the vehicle of the uniformed officers transporting their suspect back to New York City.

Kate leans over the wheel, sighing. "Probably not. It would be he said, she said. They were in a relationship so he can claim it was consensual. If she went to her doctor, there might be some medical evidence, or if she and Sharri emailed or texted about it, that would back up her story. It will even help if Midge keeps a diary. The sexual violence unit can investigate all of that now that she won't need to be afraid of Haverstrom coming after her.

"But what Sharri told me gives us probable cause to get everything we can on Haverstrom. If he doesn't consent to a DNA test, which he probably won't, we can have the forensics people in New Rochelle get some from his house. They can look for anything he might have written about the attack, too. Some of these bozos like to congratulate themselves. There's no record of the ring he stole being pawned, and he's not the type to hang out with fences. If he still has it, Sharri's murder will be a slam dunk. I'd love to see him convicted of Midge's rape too so she can get some closure, but even if that doesn't happen, he'd still be looking at life in prison for felony homicide. That ring was grand theft."

"That's a lot of 'ifs' Kate."

"I know, Castle, but unless Haverstrom confesses, we'll need to take things step by step, and unless the D.A. offers him some kind of deal, I don't see him confessing. He's just too - evil."

Castle struggles to clear the vision of Haverstrom's eyes from his brain, at least until he can purge it by committing it to the page somehow. He shudders. "I know exactly what you mean."

Castle almost jumps out of the passenger seat when Kate suddenly presses a hand to her belly. "What's wrong?"

Kate's smile broadcasts both surprise and self-satisfaction. "Nothing is wrong, Babe. Our daughter is kicking."

Castle reaches over to feel for himself. "A palpable sign of new life amid the pall cast by Haverstrom. It's a sign that we can beat back the darkness that emanates from his kind."

"Babe, for cops, that's always been the plan."

Micah picks up one of the samples Alexis has lined up on the dining room table. "What are these?"

"While you're figuring out the electronics I thought I'd look into what kind of fake fur we want on our therapy pet. Our customers will get a lot of comfort just from stroking it. There are all kinds of studies about that. We want it to be cleanable, so it doesn't carry dirt or allergens, and we want it to last for years without looking like our animals have been shedding or chewing on themselves."

Micah thoughtfully strokes the woolly fabric in his hand. I definitely agree with you on your first point, but concerning cleaning and durability, we could make it removable and replaceable. We're going to have to have a way to swap out memory anyway, so if the whole thing comes off, maybe we could make it of something you could throw in the washer and the dryer. And if it gets too beat up, we could let the pet owners order another one. They could keep their companions in good condition, and we'd have more to sell. Not that we want to put our customers on the hook, but one thing I know about making a product pay is that it is about consumables. Printer manufacturers make zilch on printers. All the money is in the ink and the special papers. So if a therapy pet needs a new coat once every year or so, along with additional memory and upgrades, that's not too high an expense for the owner, but it is an additional income stream while we work on whatever new products we have in the pipeline."

"Micah, where's all this business acumen coming from?"

He shrugs. "Observation. Our customers in the store may buy one or two toys or models or game consoles. But they have to keep buying batteries and games. And the crafters come in week after week for supplies like cardstock, glue, and paint. We make more money on that stuff than we do on most of the electronics. Wow, Alexis, I just got an idea. It might be for the same toy or more like a variation of it. We have one with teaching modules; not letters, numbers or colors; there are tons of toys for that. We could make it sort of like a furry Mr. Rogers."

Alexis springs out of her chair. "I get it. When you feel sad, cuddle me and stroke my fur. Tell me what's wrong. When you're mad, tell me why, instead of hitting someone or breaking something. It wouldn't just be reflecting feelings like the MIT algorithm, it would be helping kids learn to cope with them. You know, if we're going to do that, we should really pull a psychologist or someone in early childhood education in to consult. Or we could pick up some extra classes or maybe one of us should go for a masters with a thesis in therapeutic toys."

Micah's eyes darken. That's a good idea, Alexis, but what about our plans to get married when we graduate, before we launch the company? Would more school put them on hold?"

Alexis wraps her arms around him. "No way. We are going to get married as planned, and we'll figure out how to do the rest. Between the two of us, we can work out anything."

He tucks her head beneath his chin. "When I'm with you, I believe that."