Kate Beckett, Investigator Chapter 30

"Kap finally managed to track down the prints on the photos 'Brandon' gave me," Castle announces.

Kate throws him a questioning look. "But the cops didn't find them in any of the criminal databases. I had Ryan and Esposito double-check for me."

"And they did their usual excellent job. But Kap didn't get them from a criminal database. He found them in a private one that rich families use in case their kids are kidnapped. I thought 'Brandon' had a privileged look about him. Turns out he's actually Kent Lewis Smithee. He's a 'consultant' for Kitch Capital Partners, a principal of which Luke Kissass has, or should I say had, a seat on the board at DePove. They recently unseated him for 'inappropriate activities.' Kap passed all of that on to his contact at the FBI. They're looking for Smithee now."

"I wish them luck," Kate says. "Smithee's had more than enough time to get in the wind. So has Kissass."

"Maybe," Castle allows, "but if you've been used to that kind of lifestyle, you'd want to retreat to a spot where you still can enjoy it. I can think of a few suspects you managed to snag because they couldn't move their money fast enough. Kissass is somewhat disgraced, but if the feds go after him, he won't be aware of it – for a while anyway. And Smithee probably isn't alert to his immediate jeopardy. One or both of them may have stayed too long at the party."

"I hope so," Kate says. "I would love to get someone like Smithee in the box. Those guys who've had everything handed to them fold under any real pressure."

"No one was better than Detective Beckett at applying it. And you managed to pull the feds' asses out of the fire often enough for them to owe you a courtesy or two. Maybe if they do grab Smithee, they'll let you in on the fun."

"I doubt it. They like to keep things within the federal huddle as much as possible. And after DePove's actions against Kissass, I'm pretty sure they'll want to have a little talk with him too. And they don't need any print ID's for that. And I'm guessing Mr. Principal Partner will try to throw his errand boy under the bus. That may speed things along. Too bad he won't know that the feds will have Smithee without his help. That would be fun to watch, too."

"Missing the action, Beckett?"

"A little. But Smithee and even Kissass are still just small parts of a much larger enterprise."

"And you want the satisfaction of nailing the whole corporate monster."

"You know it, Babe."

Smithee closes his eyes as he savors his last bite of Wagyu beef. When he opens them again, two impassive-faced men are standing by his table at Le Cirque. One of them pulls an ID from his pocket. Mr. Smithee, I am special agent Carlos Reyes." He inclines his head toward his partner, who also displays an ID. "This is special agent Trevor Scott. We need to talk to you."

"Why gentlemen, I can't imagine about what," Smithee responds, his face taking on a practiced look of innocence.

"Mr. Smithee, this is a public place with at least one columnist from Page 6 actively observing our conversation," Scott points out. "Do you really want to end up in the tabloids before you've had the opportunity to tell your side of the story?"

Pasting on a smile, Smithee rises from his seat. "I suppose not. We can talk outside."

"We can talk at our office," Reyes declares. "This way."

"Who were you talking to?" Kate asks as Castle drops his cell phone back into his pants pocket.

"Mary Waters."

"Elizabeth Weston's deputy?"

"The same. I was just reminding her how much the SDNY and the country owe to you for exposing Bracken and his massive web of corruption. I suggested a little favor might be in order."

"What kind of a favor?"

"I set an image alert for Smithee. A picture popped up on the online version of Page Six a few moments ago with the caption, 'An Arrest at Le Cirque?' It was Smithee being guided out by two men with the square-jawed intensity of FBI agents. I was asking Ms. Waters to get you in on the interrogation. She promised she would apply a polite nudge or two and text me back if she can make it happen."

Kate's lips thin. "Babe, I'm not a cop anymore."

"Neither was I when I sat in on hundreds of interrogations with you. Assuming Ms. Waters can accomplish her task, I doubt the feebies will allow you nearly the latitude that you allowed me – especially given your personal involvement. But there's no reason you can't look through the glass and watch the pinned bug squirm."

"Assuming the FBI can actually pin him."

"They've got his fingerprints on the threatening evidence, Kate. They can't do your dramatic extraction from your favorite folder, but I imagine they can pull this one off." Castle's pocket dings. "Ooh! Maybe that's Waters." He snatches his phone from his pocket. "Nothing like a little pressure from on-high. You're in, Investigator. Enjoy the show!"

Kent Smithee hates sweating. He's always done his best to prevent it – from prescription-strength antiperspirants to the most breathable shirts. But there's nothing he can do now to keep the sheen from forming on his forehead or the moisture soaking his collar. He's sure the FBI turned up the heat in the room just for spite.

Kate can't help smiling as she observes Smithee through a one-way mirror. "Agent Reyes, Agent Scott, he's obviously used to his comforts, and you've got him cooking in there. Going to poke a fork in him?"

Reyes holds up copies of the pictures 'Brandon' gave Castle. "It shouldn't take much of a poke. We show him these and the match to his prints, and we've got him."

"I'm guessing he'll do anything to save his ass, including giving you the name of whoever sent him," Kate says.

"That's the idea, Ms. Beckett," Scott agrees, waving toward the door. "Let's get to it."

"Would you like a chair, Ms. Beckett?" Reyes offers. "This could take a while."

Kate shakes her head. "I don't think so. I don't think so at all."

"So Smithee wanted to make a deal, promising to flip on Kissass?" Castle asks as Kate starts recounting the interrogation.

"Flip like one of your pancakes – but he didn't get much of a smiley face. Apparently, Kissass gave him instructions to be persuasive and the intelligence on DePove's competitors, but Smithee took the photos on his own initiative. So chances are pretty slim he's going to walk. Still, he confirmed the Kissass connection. The DOJ is going after Kissass now. Moving up the chain, that's how conspiracy prosecutions work."

"Spoken like your law school's best and brightest. So, I imagine that now that you've got your law enforcement fix, your nose will be back to the legal grindstone."

"If you want to talk about grindstones, how is your Adley trilogy going?"

"Amazingly well. With Eleanor increasingly enamored by anything and everything that makes noise, I can use my laptop while she's playing and still keep track of her. Still, her little toddler feet are getting less wobbly each day."

"I've noticed. Dad tells me that I was like that at her age and that I wanted to and often succeeded at getting into everything."

"Alexis wasn't quite as quick, but she had similar predilections," Castle recalls. "We already have all the outlets covered, the cabinets child-latched, and the corners padded. But we will still have to be ever vigilant. Maybe I should use the software that lets me speak my story without needing eyes on my screen. It could be interesting to see how Eleanor responds to the sound of that."

"Yeah," Kate agrees. "But it's a good thing she's not talking yet. You wouldn't want her repeating some of what's in your books."

"True enough. But if she's like Alexis, she'll start early. While I've got the chance, I'd better talk fast."