A/N #1: With this chapter, Beckett is going to become more involved with the actual investigation.
A/N #2: I'm also going to bring in a character that appeared in two episodes in Season 4. I found him wildly entertaining and wished that Ryan and Esposito had continued to use him as an informant.
A/N #3: I realized that I made a continuity error in the previous chapter. I'll try to correct it in this chapter.
A/N #4: This chapter has a lot of moving parts. I hope that I didn't make it too confusing.
IN MY VEINS
Chapter 11: More Questions Than Answers
"Where are we on the van?" Beckett asked when she arrived in the bullpen the next morning.
"Nowhere," Hastings answered. "Only in New York can a guy be driving a mobile bomb, and nobody notices."
"Esposito and I were talking," Ryan spoke up. "We know someone who might be able to help us out. He hangs out down around Canal and believe me, this guy sees everything."
"Only you have to separate the real stuff from the imaginary," Esposito added.
"Are you guys talking about Westside Wally?" Beckett asked. "Guys, the guy is a paranoid schizophrenic."
"But he still sees everything," Ryan stood up. "Come on, we'll introduce you guys."
On the way down to Canal Street, the boys tried to explain Westside Wally to Hastings and Decker. "He thought that he saw Beethoven?" Decker looked at her partner.
"Well, he kind of did see Beethoven. He still helped to break the whole case open," Esposito said as he parked the car. "Ryan and I have used him a few times. He's always given us good intel. There he is!" He pointed across the street at a man dressed in filthy clothes, holding a sign asking for money. "Westside!" Espo flashed his badge as the man prepared to run. "Westside, hold up! We just want to talk!"
"Well, if it isn't Cagney and Lacey," Westside dropped his sign.
"Cagney and Lacey?" Hastings looked at Ryan.
"Don't ask. Westside, we're looking for these two," he showed the homeless man pictures of Tommy and Bethany. "They're riding around in a van that looks similar to this one. You know everybody around here, right?"
"I haven't seen him or any van that looks like that. I think I've seen her, though," he pointed at Bethany's picture.
"You've seen her?" Hastings asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. A couple, maybe three or four days ago. She was tweaking. One of my buddies picked her up and took her to an SRO around the corner."
"What's your buddy's name?" Decker asked.
"Hey, I don't snitch on my bud's."
"How do you know that he took her to the SRO, then?" She asked.
"Because that's where he takes all his girls."
"So, you're saying that she was working?" Ryan asked.
"Looked that way to me. She was tweaking, so more than likely she was working to score her next fix."
"Thanks, Westside. We appreciate your help," Ryan slipped the man a twenty. "Call 9-1-1 if you see the van. We really need to find the van and the guy driving it."
"You know me. I always help the law."
"Well, he probably just got his fix, or he hasn't come down. He was making sense today," Espo said as they walked back to the car.
Moments later, they walked into the SRO and were able to get the room number after they showed the desk clerk a photo of Bethany. The four detectives walked upstairs and Hastings knocked on the door. They were surprised when it was opened by Bethany, who immediately tried to slam the door on them. "I haven't done anything!" She protested when she was placed in handcuffs by Hastings.
"Where is your son and Emma?" Decker asked as she searched the room. "Where's Tommy?"
"I haven't seen Tommy in a week. He gave Emma back to her mother."
"Where is your son?" Decker repeated the question.
"He's with my mother!"
"So, if I call your mother, is she going to tell me that she has him?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go, Bethany."
Forty-five minutes later, Bethany was sitting in an interrogation room with a can of soda in front of her when Beckett walked in. "Have you been advised of your rights, Mrs. Simpson? Or can I call you Kathleen?"
"No one calls me Kathleen except for my parents. Kathleen is my middle name. Everybody calls me Bethany. I need help."
"What are you on? Meth?" Bethany nodded. "From your husband's supply? Where's Tommy?"
"I told those other cops that I haven't seen Tommy in a week. He told me to score some money and he'd pick me up later. But he never showed up."
"What are you thinking riding around with two small children in a mobile meth lab?"
"What two small children?"
"Emma and Patrick. That's your son's name, right? Patrick, after his grandfather?"
"Patrick is with my mother. I told those other cops that Tommy gave Emma back to his ex."
"Did you see this take place?"
"No. But he told me that he gave her back. Why would he lie?"
"What would you say if I told you that Desiree was in here yesterday claiming that she hasn't seen Emma in two years? Would that be surprising to you?"
"Two years? She is saying that she doesn't have Emma? No, she has to have her. Tommy said that he gave her back. It was hard taking care of her and Patrick. He was a newborn, and she threw tantrums all the time. And she couldn't fucking hear. I told Tommy that he had to give her back. I was losing my mind with her constant screaming."
"Desiree doesn't have her, Bethany. Did something happen to her? Did you lose your temper?"
"No," Bethany shook her head. "I would never hurt a kid. I took Patrick to my mom because I knew that the chemicals in the van weren't good for him."
"When did you give Patrick to your mother? Because my detectives talked to your dad yesterday, Bethany. He says that he hasn't seen you or his grandson in months."
"My parents aren't together. I don't know when I took Patrick to her, but it was probably a couple of months ago."
"Where was Tommy going in the van? Was he staying down in the Bowery?"
"No. Sometimes he would drive to Harlem or down to the docks. He could be anywhere. Am I under arrest?"
"One of my detectives found crystal meth in the room where you were staying, so yeah, right now, you're under arrest for possession. How long have you been using?"
"I don't know," Bethany ran a hand through her greasy hair. "I don't remember a time when I wasn't using."
"Were you using when you were pregnant?" Beckett asked, watching Bethany wearily nod.
"Patrick was taken from me when he was born because he had meth in his system. I took a bunch of classes before I got him back."
"Did Tommy have to take those classes?"
"We both did. Right after I got the baby back, he took Emma back to his ex."
"Then why can't we find her, Bethany?"
"I don't know."
Hastings and Decker were at their respective desks when Kate returned to the bullpen. "What did she tell you?" Hastings asked.
"That Tommy took Emma back to Desiree right after their son was born. Were you able to locate Patrick?"
"We called Bethany's mother. She's had Patrick for the last five or six months. But she also confirms what everyone else has been saying. She hasn't seen Emma in over a year."
"Ryan, Esposito! Bethany said that Tommy might either be in Harlem or maybe down on the docks."
"We'll hit the bricks," Espo said, grabbing his jacket and walking to the elevator with Ryan right behind him.
"Hastings, have you got the warrant from Judge Markway?"
"It came in about an hour ago," Hastings held up the sheet of paper.
"Go back to CFS and get all of Angie Cochran's files regarding Emma Simpson."
"On it," the two detectives got up and left.
***CCC***
"How are we supposed to find an average white van in a sea of vans and SUV's?" Ryan grumbled as Espo drove around the area docks.
"It's possible that he's not even using the van anymore," Espo pointed out. "He could've found an abandoned building to set up shop. We need to find his known associates."
"Javi, what're the odds that we're going to find that little girl alive?"
"Bro, I don't even want to think about that right now."
Kate had taken a break from her workday to meet Castle and Lily for lunch at Remy's. "Thanks for agreeing to this, Castle. You have no idea how much I needed a break."
"Hey, you sounded stressed over the phone. Why don't we get lunch to go and take Lily to the park for a bit?"
"That sounds wonderful," she grinned.
After eating their burgers and fries, Lily ran over to a nearby sandbox where she was soon joined by three other children. "What have you learned?" Castle asked as they watched Lily playing with her new friends.
"She reminds me of you so much," Kate smiled. "I've never seen someone make friends as easily as Lily does."
"In that respect, she's more like Alexis. By the end of her first week in Kindergarten, Alexis had about 20 best friends. You changed the subject," he pointed out.
"We found Bethany Simpson. Fortunately, her son is with his grandmother. But she hasn't seen Emma in two years. Shortly after she regained custody of her son from CFS. He was born addicted to meth," she told Castle.
"Have you gotten the files from CFS?"
"Hastings and Decker were on their way to get them when I left for lunch. The boys are hunting for Tommy Simpson. I'm trying not to think of worst-case scenarios, Castle, but it's hard."
"Every time you go there, think of tomorrow," he placed his hand on Kate's stomach. "Tomorrow, we get to learn who we have in there."
"Lily wants two brothers. She thinks that she won't be 'special' if we have another girl."
"Lily will always be special," he glanced over at their daughter, who was chattering away to her new friends. "Just like Alexis will always be special. Just like these two will always be special."
"It's hard to explain that to a three-year-old."
"You do know that you're going to have to shake her out before you let her into the loft, right?"
"I'm used to that. After all, we have to shake her out after visits to the Hamptons."
"I should get back," Kate glanced at her watch.
"Let me get Lily."
When they returned to the precinct, Castle came upstairs with Lily so that his young daughter could say 'hi' to everybody. "Be careful picking her up," he warned Esposito. "She's a little sandy."
"We miss you around here, Castle," Esposito told his friend. "You should come back."
"I would if I had time. I understand this case is giving you guys fits."
"That's putting it mildly. Where I come from, kids don't just disappear from the face of the earth."
"Why are kids mis-appearing?" Lily asked.
"I'll explain later," Castle said, reaching out for his daughter.
"Am I going to mis-appear?" She asked as they walked to Kate's office.
"No, you are not going to disappear," he corrected her.
"Did they mis-appear at the Chocolate Factory?"
"Lily, stop asking if kids are disappearing."
"What's wrong?" Kate looked up from her desk.
"Esposito," Castle nodded down toward Lily, and then out to the floor. "TMI."
"Oh."
"Mommy, can I stay? I won't get in the way. I promise."
"Lily, as much as I would enjoy your company, I have a lot of work to do, and so does everybody else. I enjoyed having lunch with you and daddy, though. You need to go home with daddy, and I will see you later. Okay?"
"I guess. You won't be late, will you?"
"I'll try not to be. Give me a kiss," Kate smiled when Lily added a hug, as well. "I love you. Be a good girl for daddy."
"I'm always good."
"If you say so." She walked over to Castle and kissed him. "I'll see you later."
"Okay. Come on, Lily."
Kate walked to her office door and watched as Castle got on the elevator with Lily, both of them waving until the doors closed behind them. She then walked over to Hastings desk where the detective was poring over a report. "Is that the file on Emma?"
"Yeah, and it's an interesting read," Hastings looked up. "Decker has asked Desiree Martin to come back in. We're hoping that she can fill in some of the blanks."
"Blanks?"
"Yeah. Emma was taken into CFS custody in early September of 2016, just as Desiree told us. According to this, Thomas Simpson claimed that he was steadily working and that he had a residence. But there are no copies of paycheck stubs or a lease agreement in this file. Shouldn't that information be here?"
"Yeah, because there has to be proof to present to a judge."
"Desiree did tell us that Tommy had lied. So, if he lied, why was he still given custody of Emma?"
"Castle and I were talking last night," Kate sat down in Decker's chair. "We have two people who can investigate things. An investigative reporter and a P.I. Do you think Paul could investigate Angie Cochran?"
"I told him about the case when I got home last night. I don't think I'd have to push too hard to get him to start digging."
"I don't want to get him in trouble, Ann. We need to find out what happened to this little girl. If she's dead, where is her body? If she's alive, who has her?"
"I'm meeting Paul for lunch. I'll have an answer when I get back."
"Thanks," Kate got up, spotting Decker coming from the breakroom. "Rachel, were you able to reach Desiree Martin?"
"She'll be here in about an hour."
"Ann, when are you meeting Paul?"
"In 45 minutes."
"Okay. Decker, take Espo with you when you talk to Desiree again. Before that though, Espo, I need a minute."
Esposito followed Kate into her office and closed the door behind him. "What's going on?"
"Espo, I have no problem with you discussing cases with Castle. But when he has Lily with him, you really need to watch what you say. Because I now have a three-year-old who wants to know why kids are disappearing."
"I'm sorry, Captain. It won't happen again."
"Emma's mother is going to be up here in about an hour. I want you to go into the interview with Decker. Decker is still green, and you know what questions to ask."
"What about Hastings?"
"She has somewhere she has to be. Dig deep, Espo. We need to find out where Emma is."
"You've got it, Captain. And again, I'm sorry."
"It's all right."
***CCC***
"It looks like there are pages missing," Paul Whittaker looked up from his reading. "What is it that you want me to check into?"
"This caseworker, Angie Cochran. There's something hinky about her, Paul. She never checked on Emma after Tommy Simpson was granted custody. Shouldn't she have?"
"Maybe, but maybe not. After all, he was the biological father. It wasn't like Emma had been placed with a foster family. In that case, yes, she would've been required to check on her."
"Look at this," she showed Paul a copy of Tommy Simpson's criminal history. "Would you seriously place a small child in the custody of this guy? Bio dad or not?"
"Babe, he was married. I'm sure the judge took that into consideration when he gave him custody. The guy isn't a saint, but when you have a choice between a meth-head mom and this guy, I'm probably going to vote for this guy."
"Desiree Martin missed a court hearing. She called and let them know that she was unable to make the hearing. Is that grounds enough to take her daughter away from her?"
"I could do some digging, but Annie, it would help if I knew what I was looking for."
"I want to know if any other kids have gone missing on this woman's watch."
"I might need some help," he looked at his watch.
"Captain Beckett and I thought that you might," she smiled at her husband. "Alexis Castle is expecting your call."
***CCC***
"Thanks for coming back in, Ms. Martin," Decker said as the young woman sat in an interview room across from her and Esposito. "This is one of my colleagues, Sgt. Esposito. When you spoke to my partner and me yesterday, you said that Tommy had lied during the custody hearing."
"Yeah," she nodded. "When I talked to the caseworker after the hearing, she told me that the judge gave Emma to Tommy because he had a full-time job and an apartment."
"Was this Ms. Cochran?" Esposito asked.
"Yeah. She was Emma's caseworker, but I only talked to her a few times. She kept avoiding me, it seemed like. I'd leave messages, but she wouldn't return them. Or when she did, it wasn't on the number that I had for her. I think that it was her private cellphone number. That way it wouldn't be recorded."
"What do you mean?" Decker wanted to know.
"If you talk to someone from CFS directly, either on a land line or their state issued cellphone, the call can be recorded. If you get a call on their private line, the call can't be recorded. I know how the system works, Detective. Emma isn't the first one in my family to go into it."
"We'll check into that," Esposito made a note. "What did Tommy lie about?"
"I was with Tommy since high school. He never had a full-time job the entire time I knew him. And certainly not after Emma was born. You've seen his record, right?"
"We've seen it," Decker confirmed.
"As for having a place to live, he and Bethany were staying with her dad. I think it was a three-bedroom apartment. I think they were living there when she had their kid."
"Do you know who the judge was?" Esposito asked.
"No. It should be in Emma's casefile, though."
"We'll look into it."
"He also passed several drug tests. And that isn't possible."
"Are you sure?" Espo asked.
"Sergeant, have you ever seen a meth addict in withdrawal?"
"Yeah, I have."
"Then you know it's not something that is easy to do cold turkey. I spent 120 days in rehab and I still feel that itch to want to use just one more time. To make sure that I stayed clean, I had to break ties with anybody that I associated with back then. I wonder if Tommy and Bethany can say the same."
"Ms. Martin . . . "
"You can call me Desiree or Dez. It's what everybody else calls me. Ms. Martin just sounds so . . . foreign," the young woman smiled.
"Desiree, we're going to get to the bottom of what happened to Emma."
"If you do, you'll be the first cops who cared enough to bother."
***CCC***
Later that afternoon, Paul Whittaker walked into Castle & Associates. "Do you know who the presiding judge was?" Hayley asked, typing into her computer.
"No, but it's like I told Annie, it looks like parts of this file are missing or incomplete."
"If that's the case, that means there's something dirty going on."
"I made a copy of the file for you guys, but you didn't get this from me," Paul handed a manila folder to Alexis.
"Don't worry, we know nothing," Alexis smiled. "We'll handle the computer stuff on our end. Do you have a place to start?"
"Yeah. I made a few phone calls and managed to track down a couple of former colleagues of Angela Cochran. I'll let you know what I find out."
"You know, you should seriously think of getting a P.I.'s license and coming in with us," Hayley suggested. "We can then change the name of our firm to 'Castle, Shipton, Whittaker & Associates."
"But you would have no other associates," Paul pointed out.
"When you add 'And Associates' to something, it just sounds so much more . . . prestigious."
"Thanks, but I think that I'll stick with investigative reporting. Something tells me that it's less likely to get me shot or get my ass kicked. I'll let you ladies know what I find out."
"I like him," Hayley commented when Paul left. "Almost as much as I like your father. So, are they going to have a big gender reveal to-do?"
"No," Alexis shook her head. "Kate hates gender reveals. However, she is inviting all of us over on Saturday night to announce what they're having."
"Isn't that the same as a gender reveal?"
"No. A gender reveal is one of those stupid parties where someone pops a confetti filled helium balloon into the ozone and kills a bunch of wildlife."
"Did they know what they were having with Lily?"
"No. They made the choice to go completely old school."
"That's nice. So few things these days are complete surprises. Were you surprised?"
"Yes, but I was also so happy. I have wanted a sibling for as long as I can remember. I hope that they're having at least one boy this time. I don't want my dad to be completely overrun by women."
***CCC***
Once they returned home, Castle changed Lily out of her sandy clothes and into a skirt with a pair of tights and a matching shirt. "It's nap time," he then announced.
"No," Lily whined. "Can I play with my dollhouse for just a little while?"
"I'll tell you what. You can play with your dollhouse until I get my emails answered. After that, you have to lay down for a little while. Deal?"
"Will you answer your emails slow?"
"I will answer them as slowly as I can," he gently corrected her.
Lily's dollhouse was set up in one corner of Castle's office so that she could play, and he could keep an eye on her while he was writing. For the most part, it was an arrangement that worked well. Except for the occasional time when Lily decided to become a monkey and try to climb his bookshelves.
"Hey, I'm going to change clothes really quick. Can I trust you to play with your dollhouse only?" He gave his daughter a stern look.
"Yes."
When Castle returned to his office moments later, Lily was nowhere to be seen. "Lily!" He called out. Just as he was about to search the apartment, he saw a small foot sticking out from under his desk. When he stepped closer, the foot quickly disappeared. He moved his chair out of the way and got down on his hands and knees, knowing that he was going to regret his position in a few minutes. "Are we playing hide and seek?"
"Shh," Lily placed her tiny index finger to her lips and whispered, "I'm hiding."
"From what?"
"The bad guys who are mis-appearing kids."
"Come here," he motioned for her to come out from under the desk before carefully standing up. He then sat in his chair and pulled Lily onto his lap. "Lily, your mommy and I will never let anything happen to you. Neither will Uncle Javi or Uncle Kevin."
"But kids are mis-appearing," her eyes were huge. "You heard Uncle Javi say so."
"Yes, mommy is looking for a little girl. I don't want you to be afraid. Because you don't have anything to be afraid of. I promise that we will always know where you are. Now, do you want to play with your dollhouse for a little while?"
"Okay."
"Thank you," he smiled, watching Lily walk over to her three-foot tall dollhouse and arranging the little people inside of it, happily ensconced in their pretend world. "Damn it, Javier," he whispered under his breath.
***CCC***
"Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, Ms. Winchester," Paul Whittaker was sitting in a booth across from Tanya Winchester, one of Angela Cochran's former co-workers.
"I don't know what you're looking for, Mr. Whittaker."
"How long did you work for CFS?"
"Too long. Five years. That was long enough to show me how much evil there is in this world. I don't see how some social workers, like Angie, stay there as long as they do."
"How would you characterize Angie as a social worker?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"If you're asking me if Angie took bribes or anything like that, the answer is no. But—"
"But?" Paul prompted.
"She told me once that she had grown up in the system. Her parents had issues with drugs. She said that she had lived in good foster homes and some that weren't very good, as she put it. She used to comment that some of these kids should never be returned to their parents."
"Did she have certain foster families that she worked with on a regular basis?"
"We all did."
"Would some of these families take in kids with special needs?"
"Of course."
"Thanks for you time, Ms. Winchester."
"That's it? I thought that you were meeting with me so that I could trash Angie for an expose in the Ledger."
"No, I've got everything that I need. Thank you."
***CCC***
Kate was in her office, sitting back in her chair and rubbing her hand over her ever-expanding torso. "Captain?" She looked up to find Paul Whittaker standing in her doorway. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt."
"You're not. Please, come in. Did you find out anything?"
"Maybe. Have the boys located Tommy, yet?"
"No, but they think that he's ditched the van. Their sources on the street have said that he might have moved his lab to larger quarters."
"I think that Emma is alive, and I think that she's with a foster family. The source that I met with said that almost all social workers have certain families that they use on a regular basis. Emma has a cochlear implant, which means she has significant hearing loss. Some of these foster families will take in children with special needs. I think that you need to question Angie Cochran. I have a few more interviews to make, but I think she's the key to all of this."
Before Kate could answer, her phone rang. "Beckett," she answered. "You did? Bring him in." She ended the call and looked at Paul. "The boys have found Tommy." She got up and walked to her office doorway. "Hastings! You and Decker go and pick up Angie Cochran. I have a few questions for her."
A/N #5: I have to stop here, or this chapter will never end. Chapter 12 will pick up where this one ends.
A/N #6: I don't know if parks in NYC have sandboxes, but some parks in San Antonio do. So cut me some slack.
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