Chapter 5
After a nice, quiet dinner in a restaurant with an atmosphere a bit more upscale than Remy's, Kate and Castle went back to her apartment for a while. She offered him a glass of wine before asking, "Was there anything in particular that you wanted to talk about? Should I worry?"
"No. Nothing to worry about. I just have questions, and I think you have more answers than I do. And if we're going out as wolves tonight, maybe coffee would be a better idea. We'll need to be alert."
"Then I'll start the coffee. What do you want to know?"
"What exactly are we, Kate? Mother told me I'm a werewolf, but that doesn't match the stories and movies, and…"
"That's what my dad calls us, too, and I really wasn't happy to hear that, either. There was a lot of, crying and 'Why me?' involved.
"Mother said that, even with two bloodlines of genetics, it doesn't happen to every child. She's an example of that. But parents are required to tell their children about the possibility when they reach puberty because that's when it becomes a real possibility. When she told me, I had visions of turning into some giant, vicious, drooling menace to both man and beast…something that no one could ever love…and having to hide in the woods every time there was a full moon."
"Me, too. Then my parents assured me that if it actually happened to me, it wouldn't be that way; but I imagine some of the ones you described do exist. As homicide detectives, we've seen humans who could almost qualify as vicious, drooling menaces to man or beast, and would probably have those traits in any form they might take, wreaking havoc all around them. I've only known my family, though, and none of them have ever hurt anybody. And obviously you've figured out that when we need it to happen, we don't have to wait until a full moon or to hide when the moon is full if we don't want to."
"When I realized that, it was a big relief, but I keep thinking there are probably rules I don't know about, things I should know. If I do anything I shouldn't, you'll tell me, won't you?"
"I will, I promise, but it seems to me you've done impressively well at getting through this on your own. And my dad said to tell you he meant what he said...that you could call on him anytime if you need to. He really liked you."
"I really liked him, too. There was a feeling when I shook his hand…sort of a peaceful companionship."
"I had that with my mom, but not my dad. I knew how much he loved me, but the touch was only with my mother. Maybe it's a male or female bonding thing, but whatever it is, I really miss it."
"Then you lost more than most people when your mother died, didn't you?"
She nodded and Castle reached out and took her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.
"I'd had that connected feeling with her for as long as I could remember, and it was devastating to lose both. But there's something similar with you, too. It's different; but it's there, and it seems to be growing slowly."
"I can feel it, too," he answered and held her a little tighter. "I like it…a lot. Part of it is feeling I don't have to hide what I am from you. There's so much freedom in that."
"Does Alexis know?"
"Not yet, and I'm not sure I'll ever feel the need to tell her. She isn't from two bloodlines, so she'll never have to worry about experiencing it or passing it on. Or maybe I just don't want her to know how weird her father is. She's the best thing I've offered to the world so far, and she deserves the freedom of not worrying about that."
"But she'll never know the freedom of being in the woods and able to experience being a different part of nature, either. I didn't want this when it first happened, but now I'd miss it if it were taken away." Looking up at him, she smiled mischievously. "Do you have more questions, or do we get to the kissing now?"
"Questions later. Kissing you now."
After alternating short sessions of questions and kissing and holding and this time some limited touching, Castle went home to spend time with Alexis, looking forward to more time with Kate later.
xxxxx
When Castle came back to meet Beckett, he had something with him.
"What's in the backpack, Castle?"
"Nothing right now, but it's my wolfen backpack. There's room for our clothes. I had an experience in The North Woods as a teenager, and it told me that I needed a better plan."
"What happened?"
"Well, the having to get back to your clothes when you shift back has always been the trickiest part of the journey. One summer night I had shifted back, and a couple of park rangers on horses got to me just before I got to my clothes. I had a cover story ready if that ever happened, so I had to use it. I told them that my friends had decided it would be fun to come out and run around in the woods naked, and maybe howl at the moon like wolves." He looked at her with his little smirk and added, "I had done a little howling that night and thought I might need to cover that, too. The story was that my friends talked me into it, and started taking off their shirts, so I stripped down. Then they didn't take any other clothes off, they just took mine and left laughing when my back was turned. I was looking for them, hoping they were waiting for me somewhere, but I got lost. Both cops bought the story…had probably heard a couple of versions of it before. One of the cops took pity on me and handed me a blanket from his saddlebag. The other one walked around the area looking for any sign that someone else might be there, and he found where I had left my clothes. He brought them back and said they had even folded them for me but that I might want to consider finding new friends. Then the other guy reminded me how dangerous it could be to be out there alone at night. He said they were out there patrolling the areas where the homeless stay sometimes and are sometimes assaulted, and they spotted movement in the trees. I thanked him and he told me to get dressed. He helped me get on the horse behind him, took me out to the street, and told me to go straight home. The next day, I went to a big pet store and gauged the size of some of those packs sort of like service dogs wear. I told them my dog and I go hiking sometimes, and I wanted him to carry his own supplies. Then I asked some questions about how to put it on him that were actually aimed at helping me figure out how to get into it without human help. After that, for my trips to Central Park's woods, I packed my clothes in it so they went wherever I did."
Kate was laughing quietly through most of the story, imagining the whole situation, both the real and the cover story. The man did have a definite flair for drawing an audience into his storytelling.
"My mother laughed when I told her, too," he said, looking put out.
"Did you even have a dog?"
"No."
"Is there room in there for my clothes, too?"
"Yes, there should be room for yours. There's even a strap that will hold our coats. I thought I could shift alone and then bring you the backpack and stand guard for you while you do…without peeking, of course…unless you're…"
"No peeking yet."
"Got it. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah. I just need my jacket. This may be a waste of time, though. Seeing a wolf snarling at him in The Ramble may have Oberon looking for other accommodations for a while, you know," Kate mentioned as she put on her jacket and locked up before they left."
"I thought about that, and he may or may not consider The North Woods. They're pretty well separated."
"We'll play it by ear."
"Okay."
Their trip to The Ramble wasn't productive; but on the way to the park, they had discussed a plan to cover the distance to The North Woods just in case. That required plotting a path around some relatively open areas, the police precinct, the reservoir, and more relatively open areas. Having used his skills in the park before, Castle was confident. Beckett was nervous, but they set off carefully at a good pace. They quietly trotted off into the woods, looking for any sign of Oberon; and finding nothing, they took time for a short, playful little romp through the trees. Then they got as close as they dared to the edge of the woods and followed Castle's shifting and re-clothing plan…with nobody peeking but both wanting to. From there, they walked back to the car and Kate took Castle home.
xxxxx
CSU sent a report on Oberon's possessions, and Hayden called Beckett with the news. "Beckett, did you get the CSU report?" He sounded excited.
"Hang on. Let me check." After looking through her emails, she found nothing and told him that.
"I'm sending it now. They found a false bottom in the old bag Oberon carries around. There was a thin knife and a silk tie hidden between two thin pieces of wood. They're working with the medical examiners to see if the tie fibers match the older murders, but they already know they match the three we're working on now."
"Now all we have to do is find him. Do you think there's any chance he'll come back for his things?"
"I gave him a receipt for them. We can hope. Meanwhile, I've put out an APB. I didn't think you'd mind."
"When we find him, I'd like to be in on the interrogation.
"Not a problem. Your team did most of the work to identify him as the killer."
"I'm still trying to reach the cousin in Wisconsin to see if he can tell us anything. He's twelve years older than Oberon, so he might know something helpful."
"You take care of that, and I'll call Uzell."
"Thanks, Hayden." Turning to the others, she said, "We should have a CSU report any minute saying that the fibers on a silk tie found hidden in Oberon's bag match all three of the recent victims. They're checking to see if they match the old murders, too. I'm gonna try to call the cousin again and see if he can tell me anything that might help us find him.
Just before Beckett was going to call again, the cousin finally answered the voice mails she had left and apologized that problems with his phone had made him appear uncooperative. He said his mother and Steven's were sisters. From what he told them, Steven Oberon's life had seen one tragedy after another. He was three years younger than Harry. Their mother died with no warning. An aneurism. The boys were nine and twelve years old then, and Harry willingly helped his dad with Steven so he didn't have to change his work schedule. The two boys were very close. Steven depended on Harry as much as he did on his dad.
"Then his dad died in an accident at work, a bad fall. I went and helped Harry with the funeral arrangements and other legal matters that follow after a death. Harry was eighteen by then, so with some serious work on our part, he was given custody of Steven. Their dad's insurance covered what they needed for most of the first year after Harry graduated, but he wouldn't touch the savings account. That was supposed to be their emergency fund. He apprenticed with an electrician, joined the union, and was eventually making enough to support them, but it was getting harder. Three years later, after Steven was eighteen and had graduated, Harry helped him find a job with benefits so he could be independent when he was ready. They were both levelheaded young men…responsible, good guys, good school records, bright, well-mannered, and well-spoken, and sensible about the resources they had."
"When did Harry join the Marines?"
Once he saw Steven situated to take care of himself, Harry talked to a Marine recruiter and was offered an enlistment bonus. He thought the Marines would provide him with a housing allowance, health care, and an opportunity for promotion, as well as a college education. That would allow him to help Steven later. Not long after basic training, Harry was deployed to Afghanistan, and Steven didn't handle being on his own well. He started drinking, and eventually lost his job. He knew the savings account was the emergency fund, he had access to it, and he started taking just what he needed to pay for the basics. But the drinking was getting heavier and the savings their father had left them was shrinking. Then, just before he was supposed to be coming home, Harry was injured…lost one leg and part of one arm, had shrapnel all over his back and legs, and spent months in the hospital in Germany before he could come home. Steven used that time to pull himself together. When he found out how badly Harry was hurt, he sobered up, got another job, and replaced what he could in the savings account. Harry had taken care of him when he needed it, so he was determined to be there to help Harry when he got home. By the time he got home, Harry found the responsible brother he had left behind, not the drunk. Since Harry died, though, Steven's fallen apart again. I've offered to help, but he refused, and now he's just gone off the grid. I don't know how to contact him."
"Do you remember anywhere that was important to the two of them, someplace they used to live, a place they used to play, somewhere special to the family, anywhere at all we might find him? Mr. Connell, he's killed five people, two the same year Harry died and three in the past two weeks; and there's a young woman whose life could be in danger if we don't find him soon."
"My god. I had no idea it had come to that. They grew up in Brooklyn, near Sunset Park. The family used to spend time in the park on weekends before my aunt died, and I think the boys played there a lot. I remember going fishing with them at the lake there a few times when my mother and I visited. Harry is buried with the rest of the family at Green Woods cemetery not too far from there."
"Thank you for your help," Beckett said appreciatively. "If you think of anything else, you have my number. Please let me know."
"I'm so sorry for everyone concerned that it's come to this. Harry's death seemed to send Steven hopelessly over the edge. Let me know what happens, please. I'm the only member of the family he has left, and I can at least be there to help with an attorney and to let him know he isn't alone. He really was a good man once. Good luck."
"What a sad story…almost all of it," Castle said after Beckett closed the call.
"Not an unusual one, though," Esposito noted, mentioning experience with some of his service friends. "I'm one of the lucky ones."
"I'll call Hayden and we'll work out how to handle this." Kate called, updating him with the information she had received from the cousin; and as they talked, both of them got an email saying the fibers were a match to the older murders as well. "Okay, then," Beckett said. Who handles the warrant for the arrest?"
"You go ahead and get the warrant, Beckett. Your team put all the prior information together to point to Oberon, so I'll do whatever I can to help. It should be easier to coordinate all of it from one location. After talking to Uzell, I think he'd agree."
"I'll get on it right now. I'll send a couple of people in plain clothes to Sunset Park this afternoon, and maybe you could send a couple more who would recognize Oberon to keep an eye out for him. And I'll call before it gets too late and ask for the plot number for Harrison Oberon's grave."
"I'll send Officer Lake and his partner as soon as I can round them up. Keep me in the loop."
xxxxx
Near dark, with no sightings of Oberon in the park, Ryan and Esposito checked in.
"We've been in touch with Lake and his partner, and they haven't seen anything yet, either. Just letting you know we're still paying attention," Ryan told Beckett.
"We knew going before dark probably wouldn't be productive, but we couldn't risk missing him if he showed up, so we'll send Lake and his partner home, too. Castle and I will be there to relieve you at seven; the park will probably start clearing out by then. Oberon had to leave everything he had in the park, and he knows the police have it; so he's somewhere with absolutely nothing. It might drive him here to something familiar."
"See you in about an hour and a half, then," Ryan answered.
Castle and Beckett had dinner before they got to Sunset Park and took over for the other two detectives, who were more than ready to go home.
"Beckett and I will wander around and keep our eyes open," Castle told them. "See you tomorrow."
There were a few other couples and a few teenagers still in the area, but no one looked homeless. The couple was able to almost enjoy the evening. It hadn't taken long before they were blending in with the other couples, walking with Castle's arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist. Now and then they would stop for coffee, one of them keeping watch while the other ordered, and then find a bench to sit and drink it as they scanned the area they were in. In spite of the fact that the evening hadn't been that bad for them, a chill had settled in after dark; and it was getting colder.
A little after ten, Beckett's phone rang. "Detective Beckett?" A male voice asked as soon as the line opened.
"Yes?"
"This is Dell Markum, security at Green Woods cemetery. I was told to keep an eye on the plot for a Harrison Oberon. I haven't approached him, but I've got somebody here at the grave. It looks like he might be sleeping. What would you like me to do?"
"Let him stay where he is, but if he starts to leave, try to keep him in sight. We'll be there as soon as we can, but we'll need to get in."
He told them where to meet him and they were there quickly. They found Steven Oberon wrapped in a blanket he must have found somewhere and curled into a tight ball on the ground.
Standing far enough away to avoid Oberon hearing them, Beckett said appreciatively, "Thanks, Markum. We've spent a lot of time trying to find this man."
"What did he do?"
"Killed five people."
"He doesn't look like a killer," he answered, looking surprised.
"Probably never intended to be," Castle answered seriously. "Long, sad story."
"You need any help?"
"Will you open up so we can get a squad car back here? It's probably easier to just let him sleep until they get here."
"I can do that."
Beckett called the closest precinct, identified herself and the situation, and asked the captain for officers and a squad car to transport Oberon to the twelfth. After hearing his consent, she answered, "Thank you, Sir. I owe you one." Then she told Markum they should be there in about ten minutes, and he walked back to unlock the gate.
About two hours later, Oberon had been charged with five counts of murder, read his rights, booked, and was seated in holding.
"Let him sleep, and we'll go home and do the same," Beckett told the officer who let her know where Oberon was. "We'll talk to him in the morning when he's closer to sober.
xxxxx
The next morning, Beckett entered the interrogation room where Oberon was seated at the table. She started the recorder and said as they sat down across from him, "Mr. Oberon, I'm Detective Kate Beckett, and this is Mr. Castle."
"I'm going to jail. Harry would be so ashamed of me," he said, seemingly to himself.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"I killed them."
"We know you killed them, but we need you to tell us why. We know about the first two…"
"They killed Harry…didn't shoot him or anything, but what they did killed him."
"How did they kill him? Castle asked.
"They took his money and let him think he had earned a lot on it, then they got careless and lost most of it. After Harry left, I was kind of like I am now, but when he got hurt and was coming home, he was gonna need a lot of help; and I owed him a lot of help. I got myself together and started acting like the man he and our dad had taught me to be. We had to sell the house we grew up in to keep things together after he graduated from high school, and we moved to an apartment then. He had told me his investments had earned enough to buy us a little house near where we grew up and have handicap access and equipment added so he could help himself better. It was going to save both of us, and I was going to be able to pay him back for everything he had done for me. Then he went to the investment office and found out most of it was gone. There was an elevator in the apartment building, but it was real hard for him to get his wheelchair around in the apartment. I kept trying to get him to go to the VA people, but he didn't want to. He had always been a fighter. Things didn't hold him back. First taking care of me to help dad, then stepping up after dad died, then working out that the Marines would give him a lot of opportunity, fighting his way back through all those injuries… But it was like that investment loss was the last thing he could take. It broke him. It was only about a month before he committed suicide. He was still in pain a lot of the time and made it look like he had just taken too many pain pills, but he left me a note to tell me and say he was sorry…the note told me what to say so his insurance would pay me and said to destroy the note. I went to the investment company a few days later. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but those two were leaving; and I heard them say they were celebrating his financial planner's birthday. Harry wouldn't have another birthday, and I decided his financial planner wouldn't, either. I followed him when he went to the restroom at the bar, shoved him into another room at the back of the hall, and told him what he had done to my brother. He was nervous and loosened his tie a couple of times while he tried to lie his way out of it. I took his tie, turned him around, and strangled him with it. Then I took the knife I had brought without knowing what I was going to do with it; and I don't know why, but I gave him three stripes on his arm, for my brother the sergeant. I kept the tie and caught up with the other one a couple of days later to use it on him. They both died knowing why."
"But why the murders in the last two weeks?" Beckett asked.
"I saw them coming from the same office. They were going for drinks at the same place as the guy who ruined Harry, and the men were talking about one of them giving some young couple a hard sell and laughing about how much money he could make on it. All I could think about was when I found Harry's body, so I got the tie out of my bag and waited. I killed him with the same tie and marked his arm as soon as I saw him alone…the other two the same way. The last one…I poked him in the back with a smooth stick I had whittled to the size and shape of a gun barrel and threatened to shoot him to get him into the park. I couldn't let it happen to somebody else. I wasn't going to hurt the woman. She was telling them they shouldn't do things that way." After a short pause, he said matter-of-factly, "I'm not sorry about any of them. Dad and Harry wouldn't like that, but I'm not."
"Was it worth going to prison?" Castle asked.
Oberon shrugged. "Prison won't be any worse than where I've been since Harry died."
"To avoid any argument that he was too drunk to confirm anything the night before, she repeated the arrest information and read him his rights again. "Your cousin will be here from Wisconsin tomorrow morning to help with what you need," Beckett told him before she had LT take him back to holding.
"Coffee," was all she said as she walked toward the break room.
"Sit down. I'll make the coffee," Castle offered.
As she sat down at the high-top table, she asked, "How can I possibly feel sorry for a serial killer who admits he has no remorse?"
"Because life let him down on a regular basis from the time he was nine years old, even though some of his later problems were of his own making; and in his mind, he was only killing predators. But Steven was probably right about prison being no worse than what he has now." Handing her a big mug of coffee, he said, "We need to get the paperwork for this case done and do something to take our minds off sad stories and serial killers when we leave here today."
"We?" she asked incredulously. "Do you actually intend to help?"
"This one has taken a toll. Just show me what you need me to do."
He sat down at the table with her, and she reached across to take his hand. "Thank you," she said softly.
xxxxx
Castle went home to spend some time with his family, but he promised to see Beckett later. Being with Kate Beckett was becoming addictive. The thought that she seemed to feel the same way simply made him happy.
"Alexis, I'm home," he called, and she came down the stairs to greet him. "Anything exciting going on here?", he asked as he gave her a hug.
"I aced the math test we got back this morning, and Shelley invited me to go with her family to an apple festival upstate on Sunday. She said the trees are changing color and the festival is always fun, lots of things to see and do. Her mom said I could come for dinner and spend the night on Saturday so we could leave early on Sunday morning and be home around eight. Is it okay for me to go?"
"Saturday is Halloween."
"You're not having a party this year, and the festival is Halloween themed this year. Her dad couldn't make Saturday work, but it should still be fun on Sunday. Please?"
"I'll call her mom after dinner and get the details. It does sound like fun."
"Thank you, thank you," she answered enthusiastically, and Dad got another hug." Do you want help with dinner?"
Castle chortled and said, "You already have permission, you can stop buttering me up now. But yes, since you volunteered. You work on a salad, and I'll start the chicken."
As they worked, Castle would break into a little smile now and then for no obvious reason. Alexis kept an eye on him for a while before asking, "What are the little smiles about?"
"Sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that."
"Well, something must be making you happy. Are you going to share?"
"Detective Beckett. We've managed to get to know each other a little bit better lately, and I like her a lot. I'm pretty sure she feels the same way."
"And that makes you smile like that?"
"Looks like it does."
"Then it must be time to invite her to dinner and see if she can handle a houseful of Castles."
"She likes you and Mother. She's said so."
"Is this something serious, Dad?"
"I'd like it to be. I don't think I've ever felt this way about a woman before. How do you feel about that?"
"Like it's definitely time to invite her to dinner and break her in. We're an odd mix so we need to show her what she'd be getting into. I like her, but if you feel that much for her, I'd like to get to know her better."
"Thank you for keeping an open mind about it. The past week has been kind of intense, but we caught the guy last night and got a confession this morning. The reports were all finished, and the file was turned in today without a new case turning up. She's put in enough overtime this week to have a couple of days of comp time coming, so maybe we could invite her over for one of those."
The door opened then, and Martha was treated to Alexis' report on her dad's feelings for Kate Beckett and their plans to have her over for dinner soon.
"Richard, that's wonderful. I whole-heartedly approve," she answered as if she hadn't seen it all developing.
"I told her I'd stop by to see her tonight," he told them as he and Alexis put the food on the table. "I won't stay long. She and I both need to sleep for about twenty-four hours, and I don't want to be the reason she doesn't." There was a little pause before he said, looking a little like a teenager with his first real girlfriend, "I just want to be with her for a little while."
As they sat down at the table, Martha and Alexis smiled conspiratorially at one another as Castle looked at his dinner.
xxxxx
Kate opened the door and invited Castle in, and he immediately said, "I won't stay long. You need sleep. We've been up most of the night for too much of the last week. I just wanted to be with you for a little while."
"I missed you, too," she answered, moving into his open arms. After a moment of enjoying each other's presence, she pulled back and said, "Sit down. I just made some hot chocolate. It's started feeling almost as much like our thing as coffee." She handed him his mug and sat close to him on the sofa, saying shyly. "I like having things that belong to us."
"Me, too," he answered, and kissed her forehead.
They sat quietly and sipped their drinks for a few moments before talking.
"Alexis wants to invite you for a family dinner sometime soon, maybe on one of your comp days this week. She says you need to know what you're getting yourself into."
"She knows we've been spending more time together outside work?"
"She knows how I feel about you, and I think she wants to see us together. Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah. I'm okay with that."
"Castle hesitated before he asked, "When you think about us, can you see a future with me? I have a family to consider. It wouldn't be just the two of us."
"I think it's the first time I've seen a real future with anyone. I've never dated a man with a family before, but I do like yours."
"Being with you…this feels right, like it's supposed to happen. I still won't push you for anything you aren't ready for. I still won't try to take advantage." After a little pause, he admitted, "I have to admit it isn't that easy to do anymore, but I want you to be certain.
"Have you researched wolf…body language, I guess?" she asked.
"I have. You know my curiosity."
"There was one thing my mother emphasized to me when I was a teenager. When a female wolf rests her chin across the male's back, it means…"
"Oh, I know that one. It means she's in heat…ready to expand the pack."
"She told me I needed to know that so I wouldn't accidentally start something I didn't want, in case I wasn't interested when I met a male wolf. But when there's a human factor involved, it just means the male doesn't need to worry about 'taking advantage' anymore."
"Good to know," he answered with a teasing hint of a leer, then he pulled her close and gave her a thorough kiss...the first of many before he left her, allowing both of them to get the sleep they desperately needed.