Unexpected Appearance Chapter 2

As Kate looks on, Lanie pulls out a drawer holding the body identified as Stephen Fletcher. "Elise got a voicemail, supposedly from this guy. How could she get a voicemail if this is Stephen Fletcher? So is he or isn't he?" Kate demands.

Lanie shrugs. "Honestly, I'm not sure. His prints match the ones found at Fletcher's apartment. But we never got a fingerprint match on his real identity, so I have nothing to compare it to. Plus, this guy has seven known identities, and as far as I can tell, none of them went to the dentist. So I have no dental records for comparison."

"That shotgun blast to the face didn't leave much of his teeth, anyway, did it?" Rick queries.

"No, it didn't," Lanie agrees.

"But how about the metrics of his face that remain after the shooting?" Rick asks. "The distance between the eyes, nose, and mouth should be the same, as would be the positions of the ears. His basic bone structure is still there. Couldn't you do a computer comparison to previous images?"

Lanie eyes Rick suspiciously. "Castle, I only heard about that at a seminar last month, and the Chief ME just distributed the software. How would you know?"

"Um, something I picked up in my research for my books. Methods of establishing identity always come in handy. But anyway, could you use that software to establish your guest's identity one way or another?"

"I could try, Castle, but I'd need images of how Stephen Fletcher looked, preferably from multiple angles."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Rick asserts. "The loving fiancée should have a collection of them. We can go back to the Finnegan penthouse to get them."

"Castle, how did you really know about that method of identification?" Kate asks as they leave the morgue. "More of your CIA stuff?"

"Kind of. Remember the bad haircut guys? They were working on software like that to confirm whether an enemy taken out by one of our people was really dead or the body of some patsy had been substituted. It was new technology then, but such things have their ways of eventually leaking into more public sectors."

"You killed Derrick Storm with a shot to the head, like Stephen Fletcher," Kate recalls. "So, was he really dead, or are you going to bring him back someday?"

"Beckett, honestly, at the time I killed off Storm, I was bored with him. I always knew what he would do. There were no more surprises left. I wanted a new character with lots of surprises – and I found one. However, I do have a daughter to put through college, two ex-wives, and a mother to support. So if Nikki Heat can't bring in the bucks Storm did, I can resurrect him. It would make Black Pawn deliriously happy and keep Gina and my agent from screeching in my ear. Still, in order for Lanie to pull off the computer magic for this case, we need to get those pictures."

A well-preserved Gayle Finnegan answers the door of the penthouse. "You just missed Elise. She left about ten minutes ago after she got another call."

"Well, you may be able to help us, Mrs. Finnegan," Kate says. "We need recent pictures of Stephen Fletcher."

Gayle nods. "I can help you with that, Detective." She reaches for a glossy booklet from a stack on a nearby table. "Sue made these for Elise to give out at the wedding. They're memory books, with pictures of Stephen and Elise in the park, in the zoo, and planning their lives together."

Kate flips through the pages. "This is perfect. Thank you!"

"Beckett, the layout of that book and the photography look familiar," Rick notes as the pair exits the luxury building.

"They do," Kate agrees. "Where did we see it?"

Rick snaps his fingers. "It was in the brochure Fletcher gave out to run his con. So if Sue made the memory book, then she was helping him with his con! Oh, Beckett, it fits! She cozies up to Elise and patiently takes in all the hopes and dreams Elise has about the kind of man she hopes to marry. She passes them on to Fletcher, or whoever he is, so he can become Mr. Perfect and land the heiress."

"Sue must still be working the con," Kate realizes. "And if Sue is still after the Finnegan money, there's one place she'd want Elise to go."

"The bank!" they exclaim together.

"I know from the Finnegan financials that Elise has a large account at National Bank and Trust, 84th and Lexington," Kate says. "We need to call the bank manager now!"

Elise runs up to Sue as the latter stuffs her phone back in her pocket. "Is Stephen all right?"

Sue pats Elise's hand. "He would have called you, but he said it wasn't safe."

"And he's sure that a million will be enough?" Elise presses.

"It's enough to get you out of the country," Sue assures her mark. "He's got money stashed overseas."

Elise kisses Sue's cheek. "Thanks!"

Sue's eyes flick to her watch. "We need to hurry."

Elise grabs a metal case from her car and rushes into the bank.

"Any problems?" Sue asks as Elise returns about 20 minutes later.

"No, I just had to sign some forms while the manager loaded the cash into the case for me."

"Stephen called again while you were inside," Sue says. "He wants me to drop the money at the safe house while you go pack. He said to meet him at Grand Central at nine. He needs to do one last thing, and then you can be together."

Elise hands Sue the case. "Here."

Sue squeezes Elise's hand. "Good luck."

"Thanks. You'd better go."

As fast as she can move in her very fashionable high heels, Sue crosses the parking lot to her car. Laying the metal case on the passenger seat beside her, she flips it open to stare at a stack of newspapers in horror.

As Kate holds up her badge, Rick knocks on the driver's side window. "Surprise!"

"I used the pictures in the memory book to run the ID software," Lanie says. "The results said it was Stephen Fletcher, with a 97% confidence level. But how did Elise get a call after he was dead?"

Rick grins. "The wonders of electronics."

"Sue pieced the call together from recordings she had of Stephen's voice," Kate explains. "Since they'd been working on the con for over a year, she had plenty of them."

"But if they were partners, why did she kill him?" Lanie asks.

"Because Stephen really did fall in love with Elise. He wasn't going to take any money out of their marriage. He was willing to sign a prenup. After a year of ensuring Elise was hooked, Sue would have ended up with nothing. So she killed Stephen and did what she could to get Elise's money."

"Does Elise know that Stephen really loved her?" Lanie questions.

Rick smiles at Kate. "Beckett made sure of it."

"Getting soft on us, Kate?" Lanie teases.

Kate squares her shoulders. "If I'd been in her place, I'd want to know."

"It may take a while, but now that she knows she can be loved for herself instead of just her money, she can meet a genuine Prince Charming," Rick says.

"You felt for Elise too, didn't you, Castle?" Kate asks as they share coffee in the break room. "Did it seem like Meredith and Gina were after you for your money?"

"I could never be sure until we negotiated the divorces, but then it became pretty obvious that money played a strong part in the attraction. Still, I had girlfriends before In a Hail of Bullets hit the bestseller list. I guess that gave me something on Elise. She's always been rich. Her relationship with Stephen may have started out as a con, but he gave her a real gift. However, I'm sure that next time around, her father will still make sure the groom signs one hell of a prenup."

"Yeah, Castle. I'm sure he will."