Unexpected Appearance Chapter 26

"Meet our Raley and Ochoa, Taylor and Huerve," Tony declares, approaching two men eerily garbed as Ryan and Esposito."

"It's Herve," the Esposito clone corrects.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Tony claims. "This is your creator, Richard Castle."

"Yo, big fan, Bro," Herve says, attempting a confusing handshake.

"I've read all your books," Taylor interjects. "If you have time, I'd love to talk about my motivation."

"Ah," Castle says, recalling Martha's endless pronouncements regarding the intricacies of her craft. "So you need Raley's backstory."

Taylor grins. "You understand the process."

"With Martha Rodgers as a mother, I've lived the process. You can fill in the details, but basically, Raley is a cop, so it's his job to solve murders."

"No more details than that?" Taylor asks, pulling at his sweater vest.

"He's Irish, he has three sisters, and he loves to play the lottery."

"I can work with that!" Taylor exclaims as Kate strides up.

"Oh, and this is the formidable Kate Beckett. You two can keep her in mind," Rick advises, "when following orders from Nikki Heat – whoever that's going to be."

Herve rocks on the balls of his feet. "No problem with that – no problem at all."

"Giving acting tips, Castle?" Kate asks.

"I think it might be genetic. So, did you find Violet?"

"She didn't show up for the shoot. I called her agent again, and he said there's no way she would have missed this commercial. It's a huge break for her."

"Are you on the job?" Taylor asks.

As Kate hesitates, Rick jumps in. "It's complicated, and she has to keep a lid on her investigation. With all your preparation for your role, you understand."

"Of course," Taylor assures Kate.

"Behind you all the way," Herve adds.

"Love you guys!" Rick exclaims. "But we gotta go."

Lula Mae always watches out for her girls. Back in the '60s, when land in LA was cheap, she and her husband bought a row of little houses. At first, they rented them out to young couples who stayed just long enough to put together enough money to buy homes of their own. As Hollywood blossomed, Lula had dreams of making it in the movies, but then the boys came along, and she couldn't compete with the would-be starlets who could spend every moment working towards their big breaks. Then, Lula's husband died at 40 of a heart attack. Thankfully, he was insured and also left Lula the row of little houses free and clear. She decided to use them to help the young women who were seeking the career Lula could never achieve. She still leases them out at rents just high enough to pay taxes and upkeep. She also keeps an eye on her girls to make sure no one bothers them.

When a man drives up in a Ferrari with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat and parks in front of Violet's rental, Lula is more curious than suspicious. She watches them knock on Violet's door. But when receiving no answer, the woman proceeds to pick the lock, Lula immediately calls the police.

"Tell me that what you did was legal," Rick says as he and Kate enter the small but neat home.

"No, it was very illegal," Kate admits.

Rick pulls in a breath. "You could have lied."

Kate starts toward the rear of the house. "I'm going to check the other rooms in case…."

"Don't say it," Rick urges.

Kate rejoins him a few moments later. "Violet's not here. But I found this," she says, holding up a notepad containing a scribbled flight number. "She's in New York. She was on the same flight as Royce." Kate points to a table where Rick's been examining a stack of papers. "Find anything?"

"A lot of stuff, but it doesn't make any sense."

"Hola, Chica!" Esposito calls as he enters Lanie's lab.

"What are you doing here?" Lanie asks. "I haven't finished my PM yet."

"I was in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd stop by," Esposito explains. The two exchange a brief kiss. "I was hoping the bullets you pulled out of Royce are ready to send to ballistics. I got a friend there who'll make sure they get processed right away."

Lanie takes a step back. "That friend better not be that top-heavy tramp in reception."

"What? You know I only have eyes for you."

Lanie takes another step back. "Mm-hmm. And you know I have easy access to sharp objects." As Esposito winces, bubbling in a petri dish catches Lanie's gaze. "What the hell?"

Esposito stares at the dish. "Are those the bullets?"

"Yeah, they're dissolving," Lanie says. "Have you ever seen anything like that before, like on one of your special ops missions?"

"Never saw anything like that. Never heard of anything like that. And the word would get around," Esposito asserts. "But that explains why our killer took the time to unload his gun. There are a lot of bad guys out there who would pay big for evidence that destroys itself."

Lanie looks back at the body on her table. "Looks like Kate's friend was the one who paid."

Kate's text alert goes off. "It's from Lanie. The bullets that killed Royce dissolved."

"I've heard of ice bullets, but dissolving bullets?" Rick questions. "That's something new. But what would they have to do with Violet?"

Kate points to a group of pictures on the table. "Maybe these will tell us. They look like surveillance photos."

"Maybe Royce was doing some kind of PI work for her," Rick offers. "Hey, that building looks familiar."

Kate flips through papers. "She has articles on corgis, on surfing, on wine tasting. How does all this add up?"

Rick's thoughts flick back to Taylor's Raley. "Maybe she was researching a role."

"And what role would that be?" Kate queries.

"And why would she need Royce?" Rick wonders. "Ooh, look at this!" he picks up a small digital recorder and pushes play.

A deep voice comes through the speaker with surprising clarity. "The power of sound compels you."

Rick hears a car pull up and looks out the front window. "Cops!" he whispers, slipping the recorder into his pocket.

"Go out the back!" Kate orders. She snaps a picture of the man in the surveillance photos and follows Rick. Immediately confronted by the LAPD, she silently rebukes herself. She would have had someone covering the back. Of course, LA cops follow a similar protocol. Rick already has his hands in the air. She does the same.

Rick and Kate are seated at a table on Violet's small patio when they're joined by a very blond, plain-clothes cop. "Afternoon. Kyle Seegar, Robbery/Homicide."

"Look, Kyle, this is a misunderstanding," Kate says.

"Meaning you didn't pick the lock and illegally enter this house?" Kyle questions.

"Meaning she's NYPD," Castle says.

"I know who you are, Detective," Kyle replies. "I got the whole story. And while I appreciate your loss, I can't have you and your offbeat sidekick here running around town committing felonies in a misguided quest for justice."

"Only one felony," Rick corrects.

"Are you going to arrest us?" Kate asks.

Kyle shakes his blond curls. "Much worse." He lays his phone on the table and activates the speaker. "Go ahead, Sir."

Anger roughens Montgomery's voice. "Breaking into people's houses? That's your idea of a vacation, Beckett?"

Kate swallows. "Sir, I can explain."

"No, you cannot. What you can do is get your ass on the next plane out," Montgomery orders. "You too, Castle."

"Can it wait until morning?" Rick asks. "We have a dinner reservation at Spago's."

Rick can hear Montgomery's furious sputter. "Uh-oh," he whispers to Kate. "Now, we're really in for it."