Kate Beckett, Investigator Chapter 26

Jim Beckett's rap on the loft's door is unusually insistent, as is the way he strides in when Castle opens the door. "Rick, is Katie here?"

"She just got in. She's feeding Eleanor," Castle explains. "What's going on, Jim?"

The older man holds up a tabloid with a page-filling headline: "'Tree-huggers Taking Away Your Water.' I saw this when I was picking up the late edition of The Ledger. Someone is launching a scare campaign aimed at the suits against PFAS contamination."

Castle studies the photo of a kitchen faucet with a large red X over it while a group of children cry nearby. "Not bad photoshopping. Looks like they're bringing in some experts."

"Whatever and whomever the industry is bringing in, their lies have to be exposed," Jim declares.

Kate fastens the top button on her blouse as she crosses the great room to join the men. "Could you guys keep it down? It's hard enough to get Eleanor to sleep as is."

"Sorry, Katie," Jim apologizes. "But," he hands her the tabloid, "we need to try to do something about this. Look, I know you're busy with school and Eleanor, but is there any way you can find out where this trash is coming from? It's aimed directly at one of the suits we're involved with. They're demanding a jury trial, and this is a deliberate attempt to pollute the pool."

"Let me see that again," Castle says. Kate gives him the paper. "Hmm, as I first observed, Jim, this is highly professional work, way above the usual fuzzy pictures of starlets having sex with wolfmen – although I am team Jacob. Someone is pouring a lot of money into this. But there aren't that many organizations with that kind of talent on hand and the distribution network to get it into outlets like this rag."

"Do you know who they are, Babe?" Kate asks.

"Maybe a couple of them that worked with studios where Mother made movies. But you would need an expert publicist to give you chapter and verse. Black Pawn has its own PR person, but it does use agencies from time to time for big launches, especially against a barrage from Patterson and Connelly. I can get you a list. Still, how much of a chance are you going to have to look into what they're doing?"

"I don't have a paper due for a couple of weeks. That gives me a little leeway. But if these are people who work with publishing and show business, you'd probably know more about them than I would."

"Not really my end of the business," Castle admits, "but I know where the waterholes are if you want to dive in. Alexis is going to be off doing an environmental protest this Saturday and most of Sunday, so she won't be here to help with her sister. But you know, we've got Deirdre Laughing Bull all queued up and ready to go. Why don't we hire her to keep Eleanor as amused as she can for as much of the weekend as possible? Then you and I can work on this together. It may even help me with Adley."

"And you may get something out of it addressing First Amendment free speech issues, Katie. Won't you be taking a constitutional law class pretty soon?" Jim Beckett asks.

Kate gives a perfunctory nod. "Yeah. Next semester. This experience might give me a leg up. But, Dad, are you sure this is a fight we can take on? DePove and/or 4M have to be behind this. Nesgadol's a big company, but compared to those two, it's miniscule."

"But we're not the only dogs in this fight, Katie," Jim reminds her. "There are people and law firms all over the country – and the world, for that matter – going after DePove and 4M for the mess they've made. If you get the information, we can spread it around. And if we provide a starting point, others can look into it further."

"A starting point," Kate acknowledges. "We can do that. OK, Babe. I'll call Deirdre." She hooks her arm into Castle's elbow. "Let's see what we can dig up."

Deirdre Laughing Bull heaves a sigh of relief. A moment before Kate Beckett called, she had been examining the pitiful amount left in her checking account. She has savings that she carefully squirreled away for years before entering law school, and she is getting some financial aid. Still, the monthly amount she allows herself to make her resources stretch through school will barely make it through the remaining days. And that's if she eats Ramen for dinner and has no emergencies come up. What she can earn from a weekend job with the Castle household will give her a safety net. And if it works out, she can lay off the Ramen for a while. Who knows? She might even splurge for a hamburger or two.

Deirdre's never been much of a fan of spy novels, but she did read Castle's stories in the New Yorker, and the Adley Rains book expanded from them. So when Castle answers the door, she recognizes his face from the volume's dust jacket. He does look a little older, but the photo was reasonably accurate. He waves her inside with a grin. "Ms. Laughing Bull – a pleasure."

"Deirdre, please," she requests. "Laughing Bull takes way too much time to say."

"I get it. Deirdre, it is," Castle agrees. "My wife's in the nursery with our hungry infant. Of course, you and Kate already know each other. As soon as Eleanor has a full tummy, you can get acquainted with her. It's this way."

While Kate finishes up with Eleanor, Deirdre takes in the nursery furnishings. Unlike the pastels she often sees on the walls of babies' rooms, bright colors abound. One wall has a mural with Sesame Street characters. Cookie Monster and company also decorate the pad on the changing table. A huge bag of ready-to-use cloth diapers is nearby, along with a receptacle for used ones that the diaper service will pick up. At least Eleanor isn't generating any landfill waste. Kate's rocker looks comfortable, and mother and daughter look cozy in it.

When Eleanor detaches, Kate passes her to Castle. "Ah, merely wet," he observes with satisfaction.

"I can take care of that," Deirdre offers. "Might as well get started." Eleanor gazes up at her unfamiliar changer but doesn't object to the new presence. Deirdre quickly and neatly takes care of business. "I can hold her for a while and let her get used to me," the sitter suggests. "You two can get on with whatever you need to do."

"All right," Kate agrees. "Castle and I will be in the office. Eleanor's swing is in there, but we can move it to wherever you want to set up."

Deirdre smiles down at the contented baby. "That can probably wait a while. We'll walk around."

"Fine," Castle says. "We'll leave the office door open. Let us know if you need anything."

"Will do," Deirdre assures him.

Castle sets his and Kate's chairs side-by-side in front of the computer. "I'll send the display to the big screen so we can both see. I thought we'd start with PixelStryke. According to what the PR maven at Black Pawn told me, they can produce high-grade images of almost anything that would require serious analysis to tell from the real thing. They have clients in entertainment and publishing."

"They're a public company, aren't they?" Kate asks.

"Yes, if I recall, they had an IPO a few years back – unfortunately for them, right before the recession."

"So they would be anxious to make up as much ground as they can. Bring up the SEC filings," Kate suggests. "Anything really juicy will have to be disclosed in those."

Castle's eyebrows ripple. "Ah, the investigator, come law school student struts her stuff. PixelStryke's SEC filings, coming to a screen near you."