Shared Obsession Chapter 186
Castle pauses the video when Martha makes her entrance into the loft. "How was the play?"
Her hand waves a dismissal. "Oh, awful."
"Well, given your cruel rejection, that must have made you happy," Castle assumes.
Martha sighs. "You know what the worst part was? Its badness made Madge's performance all that much better. She was wonderful. She was a revelation."
"Oh. Mother, I'm sorry," Castle sympathizes.
"Thank you. You know, I went into the theater thinking she'd snake the part out from under me. But then, I hate to admit it, she deserved to get it."
"I'm sure you would have been terrific in the role, Martha," Kate interjects.
"Aw, you are sweet, darling, but sometimes in life, there are roles for which others are better suited. And now I'm going to pour myself a glass of wine and retire to my room to meditate. Richard, do you have any more of that wonderful sparkling nectar of the gods that doesn't need to breathe before it's decent to drink?"
"In the wine fridge, Mother. Enjoy!" Castle starts the video again as Martha opens a bottle and fills her glass. He returns his mother's grand wave as she mounts the stairs.
"You know," Kate says, snuggling into Castle's side, "there are some roles in which certain, perfectly nice people don't shine. It's not really their fault if they weren't born with the gifts."
Castle bolts up straight and stops the video again. "Are you talking about a writer trying to be a cop?"
Kate tugs him down to her. "No, I'm talking about a certain cop who has no talent for it. I mean he's got the physical strength and the eagerness, but he can't home in on the details."
"You mean Demming."
"Uh-huh. I mean, Montgomery can try to transfer him like the captain at the 54th did, but maybe he's just in the wrong line of work."
"You know, you may be right," Castle concedes. "But I think I have an idea where he might fit. I'm going to make a few calls tomorrow."
"I know you're pissed at him for hitting on me, but try to be nice, Babe."
"If what I'm thinking about pans out, it will be very nice for all concerned."
"Good to know." Kate restarts the video.
Kate smiles across the table in the box at a perfectly coiffed and dressed woman whose slim figure borders on gaunt. "Thank you so much for coming in, Ms. Piper."
Natasha keeps her eyes on the screen of her phone, texting continuously. She impatiently waves Castle's offer of bottled water away.
"First of all, let me say I am very sorry for your loss," Kate offers.
"Yeah, well don't be," Natasha replies, her gaze still fixed on her phone.
"Uh, how long had you and Damian Wilder been seeing each other?" Castle asks.
Natasha shrugs. "I don't know. Two months? Does it really matter?"
"Apparently not," Castle observes.
"If you ask me, he got exactly what he deserved," Natasha proclaims.
"Really?" Beckett questions.
"Yeah, really, bullet in the chest."
"Don't forget about the bludgeoning part," Kate urges.
"Oh, how could I?" Natasha queries. "Right upside his little head."
"So why did you do it?" Kate demands.
Natasha smirks. "You seriously think I did it? I read about it in the paper, but he did have it coming. "Can you believe that little toad was cheating on me? Me!"
"OK. Why don't we just start from the beginning," Kate proposes. "Where were you the night he was killed?"
"On Sunday I was in the Hamptons. I took the jitney out in the morning and sat next to Perez Hilton of all people. He blogged all about it. You can check yourself."
Castle pulls out his phone and begins a search.
"Well, we have a witness who says that Wilder argued with a woman Thursday night. Was that you?" Kate questions.
Natasha's perfectly manicured fingernails dig into her palms. "No, that wasn't me. So it probably means he was with her. The sonofabitch was two-timing me with the one from the motel."
"What motel?" Kate queries.
"Ah, Perez did blog about it," Castle interjects. "You two went to the Southhampton Grill. I love that place. They serve great burgers. But a little challenging on a model's diet?"
"I ordered the side salad," Natasha responds.
"What motel?" Kate repeats.
"The one in Jersey that I followed him to Thursday morning. I was right. He was cheating on me."
Kate pushes out of her seat. "With who?"
"I don't know," Natasha claims. "He went up to the corner room on the second floor. I didn't stick around to watch."
"So you can't be sure it was a woman he was meeting with," Kate realizes.
"No, but why else would he be there? And just for the record, she's got to be some kind of dirty skank, 'cause that place was a dump."
Castle writes 'Motel" on the murderboard. "A cheap skank at a rundown motel is actually a better lead than an angry ex-girlfriend."
Kate turns to Ryan and Esposito. "What have you guys got?"
"Nothing unusual in Wilder's financials," Esposito reports. "His call records were clean too. All calls to people you would expect."
"Ballistics report came back negative," Ryan adds. "No unusual fingerprints in the house or the backyard either."
"All right. Talk to the neighbors again," Kate instructs. "Find out if any of them remember seeing him with a woman Thursday night."
"Got it," Esposito acknowledges and motions his partner toward the elevator.
Kate stares at Castle's notation. "I'm wondering why a man as wealthy as Wilder would choose a cheap motel in Jersey to have a tryst."
"Some kind of film noir romantic fantasy?" Castle suggests. "We've run up against a lot weirder ones. Or maybe there was something going on besides a tryst."
"I'm betting on option number two," Kate says.
Castle tries to avoid leaning on a counter that looks like it had its last cleaning during the Reagan administration. "His name is Damian Wilder."
The man in reception stares at the picture on Kate's phone. "Never seen him before. But I wasn't on duty. Benny was."
"Well, I'd like to talk with Benny," Kate says.
"So would I," the clerk responds. "He didn't show up for work today, which is why I'm here covering on my day off."
"Do you have contact info for him?" Kate asks.
"Yeah, but he's not answering his phone."
"The corner room, second floor. Who stayed there Thursday night?" Castle queries.
"All right. Let's see." The clerk checks the computer. "Paid cash up front, four nights."
"What was the name?" Kate inquires.
"Scarlett O'Hara," the clerk replies
"Scarlett O'Hara?" Castle repeats.
The clerk shrugs. "It's that kind of place."
"OK, thanks," Kate says into her landline before hanging up. "Someone finally picked up, Benny's roommate. He said Benny came home from his shift, packed a bag, and left in a hurry."
"Is it just me, or does that sound a little suspicious?" Castle wonders.
"I'm gonna put a want out for him in the system," Kate responds. "He's gotta be out there somewhere."
"You know, the clerk said our mystery woman rented the room for four nights. Wilder's calendar was pretty packed the whole time," Castle recalls. "It's hard to figure him getting out there to see her."
"So why did she rent it for that long?" Kate wonders. "What was going on out there?"
The elevator doors open and Demming makes a beeline for Kate's desk. "Breaking news. Guess what just turned up for sale online? A first edition of Catcher in the Rye and a signed For Whom the Bell Tolls."
"From Wilder's catalog?" Kate asks.
"Bingo. The site belongs to a rare book dealer. Goes by the name of Lukas Canby. He's got a jacket for dealing in stolen property and last month was arrested for assaulting another book dealer at an auction that didn't go his way."
"So he's got a history of violence and possession of our vic's property," Kate says.
"Does he have a history of bloody scrawls accusing his victims of murder?" Castle asks.
Demming ignores him. "Detective Beckett, would you like to sit in while I get Canby to confess to murder?"
Kate rises from her chair. "I'd like to hear what he has to say."