Shared Obsession Chapter 198

"Ballistics got a match between the bullets that killed Chloe Whitman and Maya Santori," Esposito announces. "They're from the same gun."

"Anything on the canvass?" Kate inquires.

"Uniforms showed Chloe's photograph to Maya's friends and neighbors," Ryan reports. "None of them recognized her."

"And Chloe's boyfriend and her colleagues from the prep school where she taught don't know Maya either," Esposito adds.

Kate leans her chin on her palm. "There has to be a connection somewhere – maybe in their phones and financials."

"I checked on our orders they're not coming in until tomorrow," Ryan says.

Kate looks at her watch. "It's end of shift, so we might as well knock off for today."

"Going to Castle's book reading tonight?" Esposito asks.

"Uh-huh. I want to find out just what kind of intimate details about his writing those ladies expect."

"It may not be just the ladies," Ryan offers.

"Wear your badge and sit in the front row," Esposito suggests. "That should cool things down."

"It's an idea," Kate considers.

Castle regards the eager audience of mostly women in the folding chairs in front of his improvised lectern. It seems like pretty much the usual type of gathering except for Kate sitting front and center with her badge around her neck. If she has time to come to these things at all, she usually stands in the back and keeps her badge in her purse. He can hear whispers of "Nikki Heat" as his readers detect her presence. That could make things interesting. But he'll start with the reading and see where things go. Usually, the audience wants him to skip to the last page of the book – or almost to the last page. It's as good a place to start as any.

"'Her need for him was met in the sanctuary of his long arms and broad shoulders as he enveloped her in the coach.'

"She set the book on her lap. 'Not terrible.'

"'I can do better on the next one,' Rook said. 'All I need is a little inspiration.'

"'Oh yeah?'

"Heat put the book on the floor and drew him on top of her, letting herself fall backward onto the couch. Rook kissed her and she rose to him. They tasted each other passionately and deeply. As he began to explore her with his hands, Nikki gave him a simmering look. 'Go ahead. Rip my bodice.'"

A woman in the next seat nudges Kate with her elbow. "You're Nikki Heat. Is it really like that?"

"I'm not Nikki Heat, I'm Kate Beckett, Detective Kate Beckett," Kate declares.

"But you inspire him," the woman insists.

"He's inspired by the police work we do together," Kate replies. "But Castle makes up what's in the books."

"All of it?" A woman from the row behind Kate interjects.

Kate crosses her arms over her badge. "Mr. Castle has a very fertile imagination."

A man smirks. "Yeah, right."

"Hey!" Castle projects over the crowd. "If you have questions about what I write, ask me. Detective Beckett may be my muse, but she's also my guest. And she has my blessing to arrest anyone she likes for disorderly conduct. So, questions about the book – for me."

As a flurry of hands goes up, Kate retreats to the café corner.

After the last of the attendees file out of the store, Castle slides in beside Kate, her third cup of coffee, and second chocolate croissant. "I'm so sorry about that. I know it's still unofficial that we're together, but people do make assumptions – and in this case, fairly correct ones. You do inspire me about a lot more than police work. Given the not-so-silent whispers, have you considered letting the cat out of the bag beyond family, friends, and the entire 12th Precinct? I mean, you get your mail at the loft. Anyone willing to slap down a low-low-$39.95 for an online background check would know in less than five minutes that we're living together."

"You're right, Castle," Kate admits. "And maybe I sat up front tonight because I wanted to be seen. But with the trial and everything, I've got a lot on my mind. I just can't handle the additional pressure of going completely public that we're together."

Castle reaches for her hand. "I get it. But what about after the trial?"

"Maybe. Let's see how it comes out."

"Fair enough. Ready to go home?"

"Absolutely. And I want to see Lanie as soon as she unlocks her lab in the morning. She's got both bodies now."

"We'll bring her a bear claw."

Find anything that links Chloe and Maya?" Kate asks as Castle hands the ME a bakery bag.

"You mean besides the bullets? Ooh, from Fratelli's. Nice, Castle. Both ladies have tattoos."

"Everyone has tattoos," Kate says, getting a winking smile from Castle.

"Chloe has a rose and Maya has a mermaid on her back. They look like they might be from the same artist."

"Anything else?" Kate queries.

"It may be nothing but I found this on Chloe's hand." Lanie shines a UV light over the spot.

"227," Castle reads.

"It could be an apartment number or a gym locker code," Lanie offers. And looking at how faded it is, I'd say she wrote it about a week ago."

"OK," Kate acknowledges.

"Oh, and I found these in Maya's pocket." Lanie holds up an evidence bag containing receipts.

Kate looks at the bag. "Cab receipts?"

Lanie nods. "Dated yesterday, just a few hours before she was killed."

"I'll check with the cab company and see if I can trace her whereabouts," Kate says, as her cell dings a text. "Ryan says the phones are in. Between those and the cab rides maybe we'll catch a break."

"Turns out our vics did have a connection," Esposito declares triumphantly as soon as Kate and Castle get off the elevator. "They both received calls from the same number within hours of their deaths."

"Were you able to run it down?" Kate asks.

"Yeah, it traced back to a Todd McHutchin. He's got priors including a robbery and domestic assault."

"You got an address?" Kate queries.

Esposito smiles smugly. "We've got an address."

"The door's not locked," Ryan observes after no one answers his knock.

"Uh-oh. Just like Maya Santori," Castle notes.

Kate draws her weapon. "All right. Let's go in. But be careful not to disturb anything."

"Are you expecting another body?" Castle wonders.

"I don't know what to expect, Castle. But this doesn't look good."

Entering slowly, Kate immediately spots a body with obvious bullet holes. She feels for a pulse and shakes her head. He's gone, and he's cold. This didn't just happen."

"The wounds are the same size as the ones on the other bodies. Probably from the same gun," Esposito guesses.

"Odd," Ryan says.

"What?" Beckett responds.

"Well, this guy is in vending machines. Not an obvious choice to be running around with an artist and a prep school teacher."

"But he's the first of the group with a record," Castle points out. "His involvement, at least, points to some criminal enterprise."

"Yeah, well, let's get CSU down here to look for prints and fibers. And have them look for commonalities between the three crime scenes. The financials should be in by now," Kate figures. "We'll start digging into their lives. Maybe they were on the same dating site."

"Chloe had a boyfriend," Castle reminds her.

"Who didn't have a clue what she was up to," Kate recalls. "Maybe he wasn't the only significant other in her life. Or maybe they were all in the same 12-step program. They might not talk about that either. Whatever ties these people together, we're going to find it."

A/N For those of you not fortunate enough to have a collection of Castle novels, the quoted text is from Naked Heat, which was Castle's second Heat book. (Or at least Tom Straw's second Castle book.)