Shared Obsession Chapter 155
Raynes' face displays more anger than nervousness. "The fact that Will and I didn't get along doesn't mean that I killed him."
"Not getting along with someone is a lot different than blaming him for a girl's death," Kate points out.
"You thought he should have done a better job of watching over her," Castle adds.
"No, I thought he shouldn't be sneaking into the jungle to have sex with her," Raynes retorts. "That's why she was out there the night she died, only Will stood her up and she paid the price."
"And how do you know this?" Kate questions.
"I caught them together two days before she died. I told him to break it off – he was her boss – but he refused. That girl had a bright future and his carelessness took it from her,"
"But if, as you claim, he stood her up, wouldn't that be a sign that he did as you ordered and broke it off?" Castle queries. "She could have been taking a walk to work off sexual tension or console herself."
"Even if it happened that way, Will should have known she'd be upset and kept an eye on her," Raynes insists.
"Sounds like you're still holding a hell of a grudge," Kate observes. "Where were you when Will Medina was killed?"
"Right here, working. You can check with security and the staff. I'm practically living here until the exhibit launches," Raynes declares.
A smile tweaks the corner of Kate's mouth. "Great! Then we'll know where to find you in case your alibi doesn't check out. Thank you." Kate turns to leave and signals Castle to follow her.
"What happened to Will wasn't the curse. It was karma," Raynes calls after them.
"We rattled him," Castle notes, trying to scratch his arm through his jacket sleeve.
"He did sound pretty pissed off," Kate agrees.
"More than that, he stopped kissing my ass as a member of the Platinum Circle. No guy associated with an institution that depends on the beneficence of big donors does that unless he's really out of it."
Rupert Bentley trots up the steps of the museum toward the couple. "Mr. Castle! And, uh, Detective, have you seen our new ad campaign?"
"Case in point," Castle mutters.
Rupert holds up a glossy poster.
"Do you dare to see – the mummy of the Mayan King?" Kate reads. She rolls her eyes. "Tasteful."
A whine creeps into Rupert's voice. "Come on, Detective. You've got to give people what they want. I just came from doing one of those local talk shows. They're eating this stuff up. And ever since the news broke, ticket sales have gone up 20%."
"Yeah, but what about when people come out to see the mummy and then they get hit by a car or slip on a banana peel?" Castle asks. "Then they're gonna sue you."
Rupert's dark complexion pales. "I have to make a call."
"Looks like he didn't help fund the expedition out of archeological curiosity," Castle guesses as Rupert rushes away. "He's hoping to make money on the deal. We can count him out. Will Medina's mystique would have been a big draw."
"OK, thanks Bill," Ryan says into the receiver before hanging up his desk phone.
"Did you get a confirmation on Stanford and Rachel's alibis?" Kate asks.
"Museum security has them both logged in. But I haven't found anyone who could definitively state that Stanford and Rachel were there during the hour it would have taken to kill Will and get back to the museum."
"Yo, I think I found something," Esposito says. "Turns out our victim deposited 10 grand into his bank account four days before he was killed."
"Where did he get that kind of money?" Kate wonders.
"Indiana Jones used to sell a few pieces on the side to support his adventures," Castle recalls. "Maybe Will Medina was doing something like that."
"There's no record of where the money came from, but Medina withdrew the same amount the morning he died," Esposito reports.
"Ten thousand in, ten thousand out. Sounds like money laundering to me," Ryan offers.
"By a pretty dumb launderer," Castle notes. "The bank would have to report ten thousand. It would raise red flags with the IRS. I had a perp get tripped up that way in one of my books. Will would have been smarter to deposit $9,999 – unless he was sure he had a decent cover story. But maybe he was inexperienced in that type of transaction."
"OK, you guys check out the bank first thing in the morning," Kate instructs. "Let's see where the money came from."
On the edge of slumber, Kate feels Castle get out of bed. "Can't sleep, Babe?"
"Too itchy. I'm going to pop another Benadryl and take a hot shower. One or the other of those should help put me to sleep. I didn't see Cacaw Te scratching. If he and his people live around that pollen, I wonder if any of them are affected. Maybe they have some ancient remedy."
"I thought you didn't believe in ancient mythology."
"I don't. But that wouldn't be mythology. a lot of drugs come from plants. Before Bayer made it artificially, aspirin came from willow trees. The tribes in South America use coca leaves to relieve pain. And opium comes from poppies."
"Point taken," Kate acknowledges. "But even if Cacaw Te knows, you guys didn't exactly make friends. I doubt he'd share. You want me to, um, wash your back?"
"I appreciate the offer, but right now I'd love the escape of sleep. Still, you can scratch it for me."
"Be glad to."
After a quick and useless trip to urgent care with Castle, Kate drops her purse into a drawer and hangs her jacket over the back of her chair as Castle cautiously takes his reassembled seat. "Hey guys, what'd you find out at Medina's bank?"
"Well, it turns out the deposit and the withdrawal were both made in cash," Esposito said. "The bank manager remembers the withdrawal because he had to personally authorize it."
"The bank manager was pretty sure Medina was with someone at the time," Ryan continues, "so he pulled the surveillance video, revealing this shining example of thuggery." Ryan holds up a laptop to display a short clip.
Kate points toward the man with Medina. "Any idea who he is?"
"Do you wanna?" Ryan asks Esposito.
Esposito throws up his hand. "No, Bro, you caught it."
"You sure?" Ryan asks.
"Yeah. Go ahead. It's yours," Esposito allows.
Kate's fingernails click on the edge of her desk. "Whenever you guys are done being cute."
Ryan clears his throat and points at the man in the video and at a poster newly clipped to the murder board. "Meet Mr. Norton Grimes. He recently had the privilege of doing two years for drug trafficking at Franklin Correctional."
"That's what the money was for," Kate assumes. "Mexico is cocaine central. What better way to sneak drugs into the country than inside an archaeological shipment?"
"Medina was in bed with a drug trafficker. Got him killed," Ryan agrees.
Kate walks over to the poster. "You know, there's a current address here. What do you say we go see if he's awake?"
Castle groans, scratching. "I wish I wasn't."
"Come on Babe," Kate urges. "A good collar always cheers you up."
"True enough. Right behind you."