Shared Obsession Chapter 65

"Booyah!" Castle exclaims as Kate turns onto the road leading to the Pikes' home.

"What have you got?" Kate inquires.

"Quistel's desert retreat has a bunch of satellite facilities all over the country, all Christian-themed. And apparently, no desert locale is required. It's just the hub of the wheel, so to speak. That's how he launders his money, Beckett. Everything the satellite retreats buy, they have to buy from the mothership. I recognize the grift because it's the way a lot of things are in the motion picture industry. One entity sends off money to another entity until the profits disappear from the ledger. When Mother was more of a marquee name, a piece of the net was part of her deals. The way the system works, her net couldn't even have caught fish. That's why the big players demand a piece of the gross. But anyway, Quistel has the perfect setup to hide excess funds."

"Where's the nearest satellite?"

"As much as I can tell from what I have so far, it's in Harrisburg, PA. I could drive there from home base in about three hours."

"But we'll need some kind of plan to gather any evidence."

"We?"

"Castle, I'm with you all the way. But I also need to nail Cynthia Dern's killer. Maybe we can work something out. But first, we need to get more info about the mysterious letters. It's time for Eleanor Pike to come clean."


The envelopes, different sizes and shapes, are tied with a piece of seam binding. With a trembling hand, Eleanor gives them to Kate. "These all had money orders in them, the kind from a post office. Please don't think less of me. I did what I had to do for my family to survive."

Holding them so Castle can see, Kate examines the missives. "These are from all over the country."

"Not the recent ones," Adam points out. "They're all from one place."

Kate nods. "Lilitz, Pennsylvania."


As soon as he and Kate return to her unit, Castle brings up Google Maps on his phone. "Lilitz is less than an hour from Harrisburg."

"Are you suggesting a trip to Pennsylvania to pursue Cynthia's killer and our own case?"

"You've been wanting to fit in our investigation as much as I have, Beckett. This would be our chance. Look, all along something – more to the point, someone – has been missing from this case. There should have been a body on the boat. There wasn't. We have unidentified female DNA on the wineglass. And we have an unknown individual seeking forgiveness from the Pikes. There's only one person who can fill the bill: Susan Mailer."

"Castle, we'd be chasing a ghost. Or are you saying Susan Mailer is still alive?"

"It's more likely than being totally vaporized by the bomb. The force of the blast could have blown her overboard. She could have landed on a piece of wreckage and been swept ashore by the tide."

"And hid out all this time sending envelopes to the Pikes?"

"Why not? Cynthia hid out all this time and she was on a wanted poster. No one was even looking for Susan. She could have been living anywhere. And from the number of places those envelopes originated, probably was. It looks like she finally settled in Lilitz, but we'll need to find her to be sure."

"Castle, if we're going to check out Lilitz and Harrisburg, we're probably going to have to stay overnight. What about Alexis?"

"Alexis has spoken more than a few sentences to me about one thing. She wants to sleep over at her friend Paige's house. She said they're working on some kind of project together."

"If she wants an overnight with a girlfriend, the project probably includes talking about boys," Kate figures.

"I expect that you're right. But I checked out Paige's family when she and Alexis first started hanging out together. She'll be safe and happy there. And Montgomery won't have to worry about his budget. I can spring for food and lodging."

"OK, Castle. I'll call Montgomery. But I'll have to convince him that the trip to Lilitz can bust Cynthia's case open."

"That shouldn't be too hard. Those letters are the best clue we've had in a while. And, as intriguing as the idea might be, I don't believe they were mailed by a ghost."


Beckett holds a recent picture of Allison Goldman in front of the lone postal clerk in the Lilitz Post Office. "Have you seen her? Did she buy a money order?"

He shrugs. "I don't recognize her. And not too many people use money orders anymore. If they don't send checks they use that computer thing. So I'd remember a new face."

Castle holds up the photo of Susan Mailer and Cynthia Dern demonstrating. He points to Susan. "She'd be a lot older now, about 20 years' worth, but do you recognize her?"

The clerk shakes his head. "Pretty little thing, but no."

Kate nods at the clerk. "Thanks for your time." She starts to lead Castle away, but he turns back.

"Wait!" He holds up the picture again. "She might not just be older. She could look like she was in an accident, have a limp or scars on her face."

The clerk studies the image. "Yeah, It could be Mary Wright."

Beckett comes back to join Castle. "Mary Wright?"

"Yeah, she comes in every month or so to buy a money order to send to her relatives in New York."

Kate leans over the counter. "Do you have her address?"

"Sure. She gets mail like everyone else in this town. I'll get it."


Kate rings the bell at an old-style rooming house. She holds up her badge when a woman answers. "I'm looking for Mary Wright. I'm told she lives here."

"She does," the woman offers, "but she's not here right now. She said she was taking a trip to see some relatives in New York, but that she'd be back tomorrow afternoon."

"And who are you?" Kate asks.

"Mrs. Bridgeton. I own this place, and I keep track of the roomers' comings and goings. I can't have people skipping out on the bill, not that Mary would do that. She's a dear thing. It's obvious that she's been through a lot, but she's always thinking of others. I can't imagine what the police would want with her."

"We just want to talk to her," Kate explains. "She was an old friend of a person involved in an investigation."

Bridgeton fiddles with reading glasses hanging from a chain around her neck. "Oh, I see. But you'll have to come back tomorrow. It's a long way back to New York and normally I could put you up for the night, but right now I'm at full occupancy, the Pretzel Fest."

"It's not a problem," Kate assures her. "But I'd appreciate it if until we return, you don't tell Mary or anyone else we were here. We need to keep the elements of our investigations confidential."

"You know how people can talk," Castle adds.

The glasses bobble as Bridgeton nods her agreement. "Indeed I do. But if you come back right after lunchtime tomorrow, you should meet Mary coming in."

Kate flashes a bright smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Bridgeton. We'll see you then."


"What are you doing?" Kate asks as Castle pulls out his phone on the way back to the car.

"Making a reservation at the Quistel connected retreat in Harrisburg. I figure if we have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to catch Susan Mailer, we shouldn't waste a minute. Hmm."

"Hmm what? Is the retreat full up too?"

"No, there are rooms, but the place is totally parochial. Unmarried men and women have to stay on different floors. That will make it tougher to put our heads together."

"We could pose as a married couple and get one room," Kate suggests.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"We're adults, Castle. We can handle it. But while we're there, you're going to have to stop calling me Beckett. Most married couples use first names."

"All right, Kate."

"And Richard?"

"God, no! Mother and Meredith call me that. Make it Rick."

"Rick it is."