Now What? Chapter 18
Kate breathes a frustrated sigh as she drops her landline's receiver into its cradle. "According to Monica Wyatt's real estate brokerage house, she's what she says she is. She complains about commissions more than the other agents, but other than that, she does good work."
"So she's an agent, not a broker," Rick points out. "That would mean less money. And with that apartment, that furniture, and those clothes, she's not slow spending it. She'd be open to another source."
"Or up to her ears in credit card debt, like a lot of people in this city," Kate says. "But there's nothing to indicate she'd profit by Gordon Burns' death."
"Or by dating him," Rick insists. "High-end real estate people like to mix with high-end earners. That's how they get referrals. Gordon Burns exposed that crowd. He didn't hang with it."
"You still think Monica's lying, Castle?"
"I do. And I have a feeling that if I could just remember where the names Johnny Farrell and Swede Anderson came from, we'd know what Gordon was planning to write about besides pizza."
"Beckett," Ryan calls from his desk, "I just finished going through Burns' financials."
"Any activity last night?" Kate inquires.
"Yeah, something odd. At 11:15, he used his ATM card."
"That is odd," Rick agrees. "If he'd actually had a date at 10 o'clock, he would have used it to get money beforehand. Monica doesn't seem like the lady-picks-up-the-check type."
"Where was the ATM?" Kate asks.
"A not-so-good neighborhood about 15 blocks from Authentic Nick's. But Castle, besides the timing, the odd part is that he never finished the transaction."
"You mean he canceled it?" Rick asks.
"No, he never finished it. He popped in his card, but after a minute of inactivity, the machine ate it, almost as if…."
"Something happened," Rick concludes.
"Get the ATM surveillance," Kate orders. "The Hall of Records is closed by now, but tomorrow morning, I'm going to go there and find out if Monica was telling the truth. If she was, maybe I can find out what Burns was up to."
"Meet you there when the doors open?" Rick inquires.
"Yeah, all right, Castle. If we're sifting through records, I can use your speed reading skills."
"Nice to know I'm good for something," Castle mutters.
Rick meets Kate on the steps of the Hall of Records and hands her a half-skim, two pumps of sugar-free vanilla latte. He holds up his own coffee container. "We'll have to drink these here. They don't allow food or drinks inside. During a few marathon research sessions, I tried my best to sneak some in. The keepers of the dead tree treasure trove have eagle eyes."
Gray-haired Myrtle Scoggins looks up from behind the reception desk as Rick and Kate enter the hall. "Ah, Mr. Castle, I take it you've learned your lesson regarding contraband."
"Yes, Ma'am," Castle agrees meekly. "This is Detective Beckett. We need to see whatever records were accessed recently by Gordon Burns."
"Oh yes, Gordon Burns. He used to be a frequent visitor here while he was burning up the pages of The Ledger. But I hadn't seen him for years until a couple of days ago."
"Yes," Castle acknowledges, "whatever records he examined then are what we need to see."
Myrtle hunches over her computer screen. "Just a moment. Gordon requested files relating to the 2003 murder of a drug trafficker, Harley Romano. I'll get them brought up here for you."
Rick gazes down at Kate. "Drug trafficking. That sounds like the Gordon Burns who made it his mission to expose the world's evils."
"But why request files on someone dead since 2003?' Kate wonders.
Rick's eyebrows ripple. "I think we're about to find out."
Settling in next to Rick at a sturdy wooden table, Kate opens a file. "Harley Romero, aka Harley Playful, also known as Handsome Harley."
"Judging from the photos, I'd say the nickname was ironic." Rick quips as his eyes quickly scan ahead. "Hmm, no connection with any of the families. So much for Sal Malavolta's claim about Ralph Carbone and the Spolanos. But someone definitely didn't like Romero. He was shot 12 times, dumped in an oil drum, and set on fire. The theory was that he was killed as part of a turf war, but nothing here substantiates that."
"So why would Burns be looking at him?" Kate wonders. A text flashes on her phone. "Esposito says the ATM surveillance came in, and there's something we have to see. Do you see anything in these records we can use?"
Rick rapidly pages through the files. "There are a lot of reports about the investigation. The NYPD didn't come up with much. Neither did the FBI. But Beckett, this is interesting. The body was burned beyond recognition. There were no usable prints, dental records, or DNA. The ME's report states that the bone structure matched Romero's, but that's hardly a definitive ID. The cops finally decided that it was Harley because of the turf war and the fact that he disappeared from sight. That kind of doubt would have drawn Burns to look further."
"But what does any of that have to do with pizza?" Kate questions.
"Damned if I know," Rick admits.
Kate's chair scratches against the floor as she pushes away from the table. "Let's go watch Espo's video."
"That's Burns," Rick says, pointing at the big screen in Tech. "Is that a deposit slip? He's writing but not filling in numbers. The way he's looking around is like he's running from something."
"He's running from something all right," Esposito confirms. "Keep watching."
Burns' head swivels from side to side and then straight into the camera lens.
"Damn, I wish this had sound. He's trying to tell us something," Kate says.
"Yes!" Rick exclaims. "The way he always communicated best, in writing."
A man runs up from behind Burns, grabs him, and holds a knife to his throat.
"Oh, no!" Rick shouts.
Kate lays a hand on Castle's arm before leaning toward the screen. "All right, take it back, slowly."
Breath hisses from between Rick's lips. "He was the ultimate reporter. He recorded his own murder."
"Can we get a close-up on the killer's face?" Kate requests.
As Esposito zooms in, the image is blurry but recognizable. "Harley Romero," Rick and Kate mouth in synchrony.
"Burns was right to take a second look at his 'death," Rick says.
Kate nods, "He's very much alive."
"But we still need to see what Burns was writing," Rick insists.
"I'll try to enhance the video," Chief Tech Wong says.
"Can you flip it and focus on Burns' hands?" Rick further requests.
"I'll do what I can," Wong promises.
"Castle, I know Burns was a reporter," Beckett says, "but if he was running for his life, I still don't get why he would stop to write a message."
"We checked out the street," Esposito says. "It leads to a blind alley. Burns knew he had nowhere to go."
"How about on the way to the ATM?" Rick wonders. "If he thought he was going to die, maybe he left another clue before he got there."
"Lanie found a cell phone hook but no cell phone," Kate recalls.
"If he had something that wasn't on his computer or in his notes, that's where it could have been," Rick agrees.
Kate nods. "Esposito, get Ryan. Organize a search for the phone. Check in at least a four-block radius."
"Castle," Kate assures the writer as Esposito trots off across the bullpen, "we're going to find out what Burns was trying to say."
"Thanks, Beckett."