Unexpected Appearance Chapter 29

"I was in the loading bay that night," Reggie admits. "A white guy and a black guy came to me and offered me 500 bucks to take a cigarette break at midnight. My car needed new tires, and I figured what the heck. It's not like Kelvin keeps nukes in the building. And with those two guys, I mean, if you had seen them, I didn't think I had much of an option."

"You could have called into your company for help," Rick points out.

"I guess, but like I said, my car needed new tires. By midnight, I really want a smoke anyway. So I took a walk and lit up. No alarms went off or anything, and I didn't see anyone when I came back. So I figured everything was all right, and I'd already bought my tires when I heard about the robbery. Then I figured I'd better make myself scarce for a while. But, honest, I didn't know what those guys were gonna do."

"But you knew they weren't going to slide down the chimney and leave presents for all the good little Kelvinators," Castle says.

"Yes, I guess I knew that," Reggie agrees.

"These men, did they give you their names?" Kate asks.

"No, but I heard the black dude call the other one Ganz."

Kate holds up her phone with Neil McCauley's picture on it. "Is this Ganz?"

"Yeah, that's him."

Kate feels her guts twist. "One of the thieves is Mike Royce's murderer."

"OK, guys," Rick calls, "we're done with the room. Thank you very much."

The fourth wall lifts up and away, revealing the film crew.

"What the hell!" Reggie explains. "What's going on here? Who are all these people?"

"They're the makers of Hollywood magic," Rick replies.

"You had no right!" Reggie sputters. "I'm going to call the cops, the real cops."

Rick quirks an eyebrow. "Really, Reggie? And you'll tell them what? That you were fooled into revealing that you were an accomplice to grand theft?"

"Right before they put you in a cell," Kate continues.

"If I were you," Rick says, "I'd be thanking my lucky stars, some of whom might be around here somewhere, that it wasn't the LAPD that picked you up."

"How am I gonna get home?" Reggie whines.

"There's a bus that stops right outside the studio gate," Rick returns. "Have a nice ride."

Ryan looks up from his desk at the 12th Precinct. "Hey, finally some good news on Violet Young."

"You found her?" Esposito queries.

"Not that good. But she is alive. At least she was last night. Tracked down an ex of hers. He called the cops on his own. I got the report. Said she showed up on his doorstep, scared out of her mind. She told him she had come from LA with Royce, but he disappeared. So her ex let her stay the night. Next morning, Violet was gone. So was his wallet."

"He know where she was headed?" Esposito asks.

"No, but two hours later, an African-American gentleman with a fondness for kidney punches asked him the very same question. He called the NYPD from the emergency room."

"The black dude must be our Ebony."

Ryan nods. "That's what I was thinking. The docs at the ER gave the ex some pain pills and let him go. I have him coming in to work with a sketch artist. Looks like we're not the only ones hunting for Violet. " His cell phone buzzes. "Hey, Beckett."

"Ryan, I have a name to go with Espo's TSA picture – Ganz. Can you check him out?"

"Yeah, hang on. We just got a lead on his partner."

"The black guy?"

"Yeah. He's looking for Violet, but as far as we know, he hasn't found her yet. "OK, here we are, Russell Ganz. He's suspected of pulling off several high-profile heists during the last five years, including military-grade circuit boards in 2009. According to what law enforcement has so far, Ganz is very smart and very violent. His multi-million-dollar scores have allowed him to live like royalty – fast cars, hot women."

Kate hands her props back to the crew as she talks to Ryan. "Dissolving bullets would be worth a fortune to the right buyer, like a gang or a drug cartel."

"Or some dictator's secret police," Rick suggests. "A few steps up from shoving someone out a window and less dangerous to handle than a nerve agent."

"Do you have an LA address for Ganz or any known associates?" Kate asks.

"Negative on the address, and it looks like most of his friends are incarcerated," Ryan reports. "Wait! Here's one that's not, Donald Mannis. He fits the description of the man hunting Violet."

"OK. Mannis might lead us to Ganz," Kate figures. "Can you get his photo out to all the troops?"

"Hey, Royce was one of us, even if he made a bad turn. If Mannis can lead us to a cop killer, everyone will want in," Ryan assures her.

"I appreciate it, Ryan. And tell Espo and all the others I appreciate it too."

"Will do. We'll just have to keep it away from Montgomery."

Kate's teeth dig into her lip. "Yeah. I'll have to settle things with him – but after we get Ganz. And we'll have to make it fast. Once he fences those bullets, he's gonna disappear."

"If Ganz is fond of the perks of wealth, we may have a way to find him," Rick says as Kate puts away her phone. "But we need to get back to the hotel."

"Oh, Mr. Ganz is well known in my network," Maurice declares at Rick's query. "He's a frequent guest at our city's five-star hotels."

"Can you find out where he is now?" Kate asks.

"We do track our very special guests." Maurice pulls his cell phone out of his perfectly tailored trousers. "Yes, he's at a poolside cabana at the East Way. He enjoys being surrounded by beautiful women, which, according to a poolside waiter, he's doing as we speak."

Rick hands the concierge two $100 bills. "Maurice, you never fail to amaze."

"Sir, Ma'am, my pleasure."

"So if Ganz is doing business poolside, he's probably trying to find a buyer for the bullets," Kate says as soon as Maurice is out of the suite. "If I can put him with the bullets, I can prove he killed Royce."

"Maybe it's time to call the LAPD," Rick suggests.

Kate shakes her head. "I have a better idea, but I don't have what I need in my go bag."

"If it's wardrobe, you can always borrow from Zenith again," Rick suggests.

"I may not have the time. I saw a boutique downstairs that looked like a likely source, but I don't think the merchandise is aimed toward women on a cop's salary."

"Don't worry about it," Rick advises. "Just charge it to the room. I'll pick it up under incidentals."

Kate regards herself in the boutique's scrupulously clean three-way mirror. If her carefully chosen garment doesn't get Ganz's attention, nothing will. It will get Castle's, too, which right now will be ill-timed at best. But there's nothing she can do about that. After they get Ganz and Josh comes back, she can finally…. But she can't get distracted by that now. She has to get to the East Way while Ganz still has the bullets up for sale.