Unexpected Appearance Chapter 4

Rick fits together the last of a set of matryoshka dolls and sighs. "Wouldn't it be nice if everything in the case fit together this well? Twelve shops with a distinctive Eastern European flair, and not one of them had our vic's candy."

"You didn't have to buy something in every one of them, Castle," Kate says.

"I wanted to. I thought maybe something would pop into my mind about the case. Besides, there's a sanctuary home that takes in Eastern European women who were forced to become brides and, in some cases, their kids. I can donate the stuff. The little ones will appreciate the dolls."

"How do you know about that, Castle?"

"I looked into the mail-order bride thing as a subplot for one of my books. I decided to go with the orphanage Storm supports instead, but one of my consultants was involved with the home. She never told me exactly where it is, but I know where I can drop off donations."

"That's sweet, Castle."

"Finding the right candy would be sweeter. And I could still use a refuge like that in my next Nikki Heat book."

"Wait, Castle, next Nikki Heat book? I thought that…."

"Yo!" Esposito calls across the bullpen. "We found it."

"Little grocery on 47th and Ninth," Ryan adds.

"I told you we should have checked the West End," Rick chides Beckett.

"Owner recognized the vic's picture," Ryan continues. "Said she'd come in every couple of weeks to stock up on stuff from back home."

"Did he give you a name?" Kate asks.

"No, but he did point us to where she might live," Ryan replies.

"There's an SRO not far from where we found the body that caters to Czech illegals," Esposito interjects.

Kate grabs her jacket. "Well, then, let's pay it a visit."

Rick surveys a wall in need of paint and worn floors in the hallway on the way to the super's apartment. Obviously, the owners are keeping costs down by minimizing maintenance. The super, however, seems friendly enough as he studies Perlmutter's photo. "Yeah, I knew her, the lady in 5-C, Eliska Sokol. She was a nice person. Kept to herself but nice. I don't know why anybody'd want to kill her."

"How long did she live in the building?" Kate queries.

"About six months."

"Never gave you any trouble?" Rick asks.

"No. I wish all my tenants were like her. Paid her rent on time every Friday, in cash. You wanna see her place?"

Kate nods. "I'd appreciate it." She glances at Ryan and Esposito. "You guys start knocking on doors. See if anyone knows anything about Eliska."

"Right," Esposito acknowledges.

"Gloves, Castle," Kate reminds Rick while she pulls on her own as the super unlocks 5-C.

Kate gazes around the clean but sparsely furnished apartment. "From what I can see, she lived alone."

"There's not even a telephone," Rick notes. "But if she was undocumented, she would be paid under the table and not very well. She would have kept her expenses to a minimum." He points to a bound calendar on the beat-up table next to the bed. "Maybe she kept track of her jobs." He flips the book open. "Nothing past last Wednesday."

Kate gestures at the wall. "Postcards from home."

Spotting a blank space, Rick crouches to retrieve a picture that fell behind a dresser. He holds up a photo of a boy with a woman whose face is scratched out. "Guessing Eliska wasn't a fan."

"The feeling might have been mutual," Kate suggests.

"There's a playground in the background," Rick notes, "with upscale equipment. Not this neighborhood. Perhaps, if we can figure out where this was taken, we can find the target of Eliska's fury."

"It's late, Castle. Go home," Kate instructs. "We can track down that playground in the morning."

"Hi, Dad!" Alexis calls as Rick lets himself into his loft. "Taylor asked if she could come to your book launch party with me. Would that be all right?"

"Hmm, so Taylor likes my stuff?" Rick inquires.

Alexis shrugs. "Not that I know of."

Rick stares questioningly at his daughter. "Then why…?"

"Oh, Richard," Martha interrupts. "Sometimes you are so dense. She wants to get dressed up, go to a party, meet boys. She doesn't care about your little book."

"It's not a little book. It's retailing for $24.99, my cut of which will go toward keeping a roof over your head. Or maybe she cares about the open bar," Rick speculates. "That's the part of these events you always enjoy. I don't know where she got it from, but Alexis is disciplined enough to keep to the soft stuff. You, on the other hand…."

Martha throws up her arms. "All right, Richard. You've made your point."

"But can Taylor come, Dad?" Alexis interjects. "She's not interested in drinking booze anyway. She says it gives people red noses."

"Then, you'd better be careful, Mother, if you don't want Santa to ask you to fill in for Rudolf this year."

"I'll be busy lighting up the stage," Martha retorts, sweeping away toward the stairs. "We can distribute flyers for my new play to your party-going sycophants."

"Yes, Taylor can come," Rick tells Alexis as Martha retreats up the stairs, "she can help you keep an eye on your gram."

Kate looks up from her desk as Rick exits the elevator. "I did a records check on Eliska Sokol. She hasn't had any run-ins with law enforcement, so I asked Central to put her name on the blotter. You never know when something might turn up."

"We may not have to depend on something turning up," Rick suggests. "When Alexis was little, I took her to parks and playgrounds almost every day. I became pretty familiar with them. The one in the background of Eliska's picture has sand. Most playgrounds have wood chips or green spongy stuff that used to freak Alexis out. Also, there's a climbing wall in the back. That's an unusual feature."

"I can put in a call to Parks and Rec.," Kate says. "They should know where it is."

"If you can get the right bureaucrat on the phone. The other parents and I used to try when a piece of play equipment was out of commission. Usually, we had to send a picture to The Ledger or a local TV consumer reporter to get any action. But I have something better." Rick pulls out his phone. "The Parents for Better Playgrounds group. They post pics of all the best ones, and check this out, Beckett."

Kate stares at the image on Rick's phone. "That's the playground in Eliska's picture. This says it's at 75th and Lex. Nice area."

"With enough money to keep pressure on the city for proper upkeep. Care to check it out?"

"Let's go, Castle."

A nanny regards the defaced photograph. "Someone has some anger issues, but at least they're not with the boy. I recognize him." She points across the street. "I've seen him going into that building with a woman, and it's not the kind of place anyone can just wander into. They probably live there."

"Thanks," Kate says. "We'll check it out."

A doorman meets Rick and Kate as soon as they approach the building. "Have you been invited by a resident?"

Kate holds up her badge. "Here's my invitation." She shows him the picture. "Is this boy a resident?"

The doorman blanches at the sight of the scratched-out face. "Wait a minute. I'll call the manager for you."

"Beckett," Rick whispers as the doorman speaks hurriedly into his phone. "I believe this is the place."