Title: The Manhattan Three

By: grygoose70

Summary: Who or what are the Manhattan Three.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own are the words used to write this story.

Chapter 2

The Old Haunt, continued

"The Manhattan Three!" everyone seated there seemed to say at the same time. "Who or what the hell are they?" One of them spouted quite loudly.

Castle peered into the face of each one sitting in the booth, seeing that he had their full attention, be began.

"The Manhattan Three refers to an unsolved missing person's case that began on June 7, 2001, when Suzanne "Suzie" McCall and her seventeen-year-old daughter Stacy, along with a friend, Sherrill Levitt, went missing from the McCall home. All their Personal belongings, including cars and purses, were left behind. There were no signs of a struggle except a broken porch light globe, there was also a message on the answering machine that police believe might have provided a clue about the disappearance, but it was inadvertently erased.

"What do we need to know about them that may help with identifying our skeletons," Lanie asked.

"Well, let's see," Castle began. "Suzanne McCall was five feet, four inches tall, 120 pounds, with short light blond hair, brown eyes. She also had pierced ears, which probably won't be of any help. She was a cosmetologist at a local salon and a single mother described as being very close to her daughter. Stacy McCall was five feet, two inches, 105 pounds with shoulder length blond hair and brown eyes, had a small mole on the left corner of her mouth. Sherrill Levitt was five feet, six inches, 125 pounds with long brown hair and blue eyes."

"In what precinct did these disappearances occur," Analdo asked?

"The three-three," Castle answered.

"How do you know all this, Castle," Ryan asked?

"I was working on my third Derrick Storm novel when I read about the disappearances in the New York Ledger. I thought about incorporating them into the story but after doing some research I couldn't decide how, so just filed it away."

"What did your research entail," Rhymer enquired.

"I met with Ben Franklinson, who was the investigating detective for the thirty-thirds missing persons division, he let me see the police report. I also met with the reporter, Vernon Crockett, who allowed me see his notes, he's also the one that labelled them as The Manhattan Three."

"Those disappearances occurred eighteen years ago; do you think either of those two are still around?" requested Beckett.

"Crockett, maybe, he was still a young reporter at the time. Franklinson, probably not, he was in his mid-fifties."

While those exchanges were going on Analdo was on the phone to the three-three requesting the files on the case. "The files will be here first thing in the morning," she announced hanging up.

"So, how do we go about solving an eighteen-year-old kidnapping and murder," Fuller stated.

"The same we always do," Beckett replied, "by concentrating on the victims. Analdo, if I may? (giving her a requesting glance and receiving an approval nod in return) Let's break the case down into two separate investigations. Analdo, you take Rhymer and Fuller, concentrate on the murders. I'll take Ryan and Espo and concentrate on the kidnappings. Is that agreeable with you?"

"Yes," Analdo answered, "we can then compare our findings and see where they cross paths."

"Great," Castle said, "time for another round," He then signaled Brian, the bartender, with a circle of his finger.

Day 2, The Precinct

"Okay guys," Beckett began. "Here's what I've been able to learn from some of Franklinson's interviews. Stacy McCall and Sherrill Levitt went to the same high school. On the evening of June 6, 2001, they attended a graduation party at the home of Beverly Templeton. They were last seen around 12am on June 7, in the Hamilton Heights area. They had planned on spending the night at their friends, Janelle Kirby's house, but Janelle still had a party going, and it was crowded, so they decided to return to Stacy's house to retire for the night. It is assumed they arrived, because their clothing, jewelry, purses and vehicles were all present at the house the next day. Suzanne McCall was last heard from at approximately 11:15pm on June 6 when she spoke with a friend on the phone about refurbishing an armoire."

"Can we stop there for a minute. I need to use the restroom," Espo stated.

"And I could go a cup of coffee," Ryan added.

"Think I'll join you, Ryan," Castle said, "how about you Kate?"

"My usual, please," she replied.

When the trio of men returned, each bearing fresh coffee, Beckett began again. "Around 9am the following morning, June 7, Janelle Kirby and her boyfriend, Calvin Kilmer, visited the McCall house when Stacy and Sherrill failed to show up at her home. They had planned to spend the day at the water park and were supposed to leave from the McCall residence. Upon arriving, Kirby found the front door unlocked and entered the home, but found no sign of Stacy, her mother or Sherrill. Each of the women's cars were parked outside. In her interview, she reported to police that the glass lamp shade on the porch light was shattered, though the lightbulb itself was intact. The boyfriend helped her sweep the broken glass off the porch, which police later determined may have destroyed potential evidence. Inside the house, Kirby found the McCall's dog, a Yorkshire Terrier, named Cinnamon, who appeared agitated from being left inside. Kirby also answered a strange and disturbing call from an unidentified male who made sexual innuendo comments. She hung up but immediately received another call of a sexual nature, again she hung up the phone."

"Did the police think it was the abductor," Ryan asked.

"Hard to say, and there was no further mention of the calls in any of the police reports," Castle replied.

"I have the recordings of Janelle Kirby and Calvin Kirby interview and copies of their statements," Beckett said.

"Moving on," Beckett said. "Later that same morning Suzanne McCall's mother, Janis Streeter, visited the house after several attempts to reach her daughter by phone failed. Inside, she noticed all three women's purses were sitting on the floor, also saw her daughter's clothing neatly folded from the night before. Stacy's and Sherrill's cigarettes were also left inside the house. Janis Streeter frantically called police from the home's telephone to report the three women missing. After placing the call, she listened to a strange message on the phone's answering machine, that she inadvertently erased. When police arrived and questioned Janis and she told them about the message, the police chastised her for destroying potential evidence, that it may have contained a clue to the abductor's identity. By the time Detective Franklinson finally arrived it had been more than eighteen hours since the women were last seen."

"Break time," claimed Castle. "All right let's take ten," Beckett said.

"Franklinson was not as arrogant as the police officers had been, in fact he made them all leave. He then took a survey of the house, noticed the same things Janis Streeter did, and more. Like Streeter's daughter, Suzanne McCall, bed had been slept in, but not Stacy's bed. There was a burnt cigarette butt in the ashtray on the bedside table in Stacy's bedroom. The closet door was partially open, when Franklinson checked it, he saw some clothes were hung up neatly on hangars, but a larger amount just thrown on the floor. Franklin then checked the kitchen but found nothing out of place, however he saw the back door propped open, but the screen door closed. He then went back to the living room to confront Mrs. Streeter. The first thing he asked her was, "what made her think something was wrong when she got here?" Her answer was, "the purses on the floor for one. Suzanne never went anywhere without her purse, but when I saw her folded clothes, I knew something was wrong. She always put her dirty clothes in the hamper in the laundry room."

"What else do we know," Ryan asked.

"On December 31, 2002, a man called the America's Most Wanted hotline with information about the women's disappearances, but the call was disconnected when the switchboard operator attempted to linkup with the precinct investigators. Police said the caller had prime knowledge of the abductions and publicly appealed for the man to call them, but never did. Suzanne McCall, Stacy McCall and Sherrill Levitt were declared legally dead in 2007. However, their case files are still officially filed under missing."

"Anything else," Espo enquired?

"In 2003," Castle began, "investigators received a tip that the women's bodies were buried in the foundations of the south parking garage at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Two years later Vernon Crockett invited Rick Northman, a mechanical engineer, to scan a corner of the parking garage, with GPR (ground-penetrating radar) equipment. Northman reported he found three anomalies, roughly the same size, that he said were consistent with a grave site location. He said two of the anomalies were parallel, and the other perpendicular."

"An NYPD spokesperson, Lisa Coxsan," Beckett taking over for Castle, "reported that the person who reported the tip, provided no evidence or logical reasoning behind this theory at that time or since. She also stated that the parking garage began construction in September of 2002, over a year after the disappearances. It was therefore determined that digging up the area subsequently reconstructing, this structure would be extremely costly, and without any reasonable belief that the bodies could be located there, it is illogical to do so, and for those reasons the NYPD does not intend to. Investigators determined this lead not to be credible. Darrell Moreland, a former assistant district attorney, said the tip came from someone who either "claimed to be a psychic or claimed to have a dream or vision about the case."

"Then in 2007," Castle picking up the lead again, " Craig Roberts, imprisoned in Texas as a convicted kidnapper and robber, and the suspect in a Florida murder, told a journalist that he knew the three women had been murdered and buried, and claimed their bodies would never be recovered."

"An investigation into Roberts revealed he was living in Manhattan in 2001," Beckett again taking the lead. "When interviewed he, told investigators that he was in church with his girlfriend, Naomi Phillips, on the morning after the women disappeared, which she corroborated. However, she later recanted her statement and said Roberts had asked her to say that. Roberts then stated he was at the home of his parents the night of the disappearance, and they confirmed his alibi. Authorities were uncertain if Roberts was involved with the case or if he was seeking recognition for the alleged murders by issuing false statements. Roberts stated to authorities and journalists he would disclose what happened to the three women only after the death of his mother."

"Were there an suspects at all," Espo asked?

"A Dustin Declara," Castle answered, "he was a former boyfriend of Suzanne McCall. He broke into a mausoleum a few months before the women vanished and stole three hundred dollars' worth of gold and silver fillings from various skulls. Police had looked at Declara because Streeter had given investigators a statement about the mausoleum break-in and Suzanne was rumored to be a probable witness against Declara in court. Declara and his two friends that helped in the mausoleum robbery were known to be together and in the area the night the women went missing."

"Okay Castle, time for a story," Beckett declared now that she was finished.

"Okay," Castle replied placing a hand to his chin, stroking it.

Ent of Chapter 2