Confession Chapter 5

Castle puts his feet up on a battered but solid wooden desk that is part of the minimal furnishings of his new office space. He doesn't need much, but he plans to get a better light, to make the hours of reading less of a strain. Sometimes getting older sucks.

The files he's looked at so far seem, unfortunately, to be in no discernable order. When Jim Beckett confided that he'd just shoved them in boxes and bins, he wasn't kidding. Still, considering that Castle has no idea what in particular he wants to see, it doesn't matter much. He just grabbed a stack of folders from the closest container and dived in.

He figures he's got a few hours before going over to have supper with Kate. She's still on a very limited diet and he tries not to tempt her with forbidden treats. So he'll have something more substantial with Alexis after she gets home from her study group. Still, Graciela insists that Kate takes in nutrition better when he's there to talk to her, so it's the least he can do. He just has to watch his tongue about the files – for now. And he doesn't have much to say yet anyway.

He did a little checking on the infamous Detective Burns, hoping for a the-evil-get-their-comeuppance story he could tell Kate. But apparently, the man landed on his feet and became a private investigator. He seems highly sought after for his ability to dig up dirt for political campaigns. It figures but isn't exactly an uplifting story. Right now there don't seem to be many of those.

Castle scans through file after file devoted to individual clients. Many of them are either black or Hispanic, approached for no perceivable reason, and then arrested if they didn't instantly kowtow to the officer involved. This was a severe problem for the Spanish speakers who didn't understand the instructions and found themselves charged with failing to comply or even resisting arrest. Johanna went to bat for all of them, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing to get charges dropped or dismissed.

The stories are similar, and not much stands out. But then there is another file. The client, Carlos Magnani, claimed that he had been picked up by two cops, Raglan and McCallister. They'd worn hoods, but he recognized their voices from around the neighborhood. He also recognized the number on their squad car, parked not far away. According to Magnani, Raglan and McCallister handcuffed him and shoved him in the back of a van.

They took him to a cellar for what they referred to as incarceration and beat him up. Then they demanded that he get the money for "bail" from his family. Magnani's family had a newly opened restaurant and everyone in it, including his grandparents was working long hours just to keep it afloat. He told Raglan and McCallister that. From what he heard them whispering to each other, he realized that they'd thought he was part of the Cardano family. Finally, they just let him go a few blocks from a subway station and he found his way home.

When Johanna was volunteering at a storefront legal help center, Carlos came to her with his story. He was wondering if there was anything he could do about the two cops who kidnapped and beat him. Johanna thought that by rights they should be charged with kidnapping and assault, but when she took it to the DA at the time, William Bracken, he had her escorted out of his office.

"Raglan," Castle repeats to himself. He was the cop who investigated Johanna Beckett's death. Could a corrupt cop have been covering for someone? And could a corrupt DA have been covering for dirty cops? If anyone would have known, it would have been the Cardanos. He checks his watch. If he's going to sup with Beckett, he has no time to seek out his source, but tomorrow morning will be the perfect opportunity to visit Little Italy for espresso and biscotti.

Kate presses the button on her remote much harder than necessary to turn off the TV. "Nothing you want to watch?" Graciela Martinez inquires mildly.

"How is it that there are hundreds of Law and Order repeats but the one they're showing is one I've seen three times before? And they canceled the only soap I ever liked. It's supposed to go on the web or something but it isn't there yet."

"Mr. Castle said he'd be here soon to eat with you. That should give you something to do," Graciela suggests.

"Sure," Kate responds grumpily. "But I wish we had a case to discuss."

"Which is exactly what you're not supposed to do," Graciela points out. "The membrane around your heart still needs to heal. You can't afford to get all worked up."

Castle's characteristic knock sounds on the door. "That should be your friend. You two can talk while I get your food ready."

"How's she doing?" Castle asks in a demi-whisper when Graciela opens the door.

The aide sighs and shakes her head. "Maybe you can cheer her up."

Castle pastes on a grin and strides into the room. "You're lucky you didn't have to be out there today. You know how the lights are supposed to be timed so if you're going at the speed limit on Central Park West and some of the other avenues, you get a string of greens for blocks?"

"Yeah," Kate answers cautiously. "Every cop in the city knows about that. So do most of the drivers."

"Well apparently, today, no one told the lights. Some glitch threw them all off time and the backups spread. A snail would have made a lot of the drives look slow. From what I heard, some cops who hadn't done traffic control since they were rookies had to go back on the street. It was a mess. On the other hand, it was a great time to keep my step count up."

"Why?" Kate wonders. "Weren't you just working upstairs?"

Castle clears his throat. "Um, actually, I got a tip that might lead to a new story. So I was out doing some research."

Kate leans forward on the couch. "Anything good you can tell me about?"

"Not yet. I mean I don't know if it will pan out. So what have you been up to?"

"Not a damn thing. I can't read because a book is too heavy to prop on my chest and I can't hold a tablet up that long. And TV really is a vast wasteland."

"How about audiobooks?" Castle suggests. "Heat Wave just came out that way and there are thousands of others. The new digital downloads really pumped up the numbers. You wouldn't have to hold anything, just wear earphones."

Kate flashes back to the sound of Castle reading to his entranced fans – including her. "Did you do the audio for Heat Wave, Castle?"

"No, they insisted on hiring an actor. Can you imagine? Of course, Mother steadfastly claimed that the job should go to someone truly skilled in the craft. And the guy's not bad. But I can get you anything you like to keep you out of the wasteland."

"That would be great, Castle. How about Alex Cross?"

"Patterson? Are you kidding me?"

Kate flutters her eyelashes. "You said anything."

"So I did. Alex Cross it will be."

"Soup is ready," Graciela calls from the kitchen.

Kate sighs. "Great."