96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"Daisy's Daisies." Interesting choice for a name," Castle commented as they drove up near the shop.

"It might be cuter if we weren't looking at somebody here as a potential murderer," Beckett answered.

The first person they saw when they entered the showcase area was a woman about Beckett's age, but shorter with red hair and a friendly demeanor. Beckett flashed her badge and stated, "We need to speak to the manager."

"That would be me…owner, manager, accountant, jack-of-all-trades."

Castle quirked a smile and asked, "Daisy?" pointing his thumb toward the name painted on the shop window.

"That's me," she answered. "Daisy Brady." She shook their hands as she said, "Most days I like the store's name, but now and then I wonder what I was thinking. How can I help you?" Then she paused, looking concerned. "Oh. Have I done something wrong?"

"We have some questions before we can decide whether anyone here has done anything wrong," Kate answered. Taking the pictures of the flower arrangements at the two crime scenes from a file she asked, "Do these arrangements look like they might have come from your shop?"

After a quick look, the owner affirmed that they probably did. "That looks like Dennis's work. Dennis Moller. He has a penchant for those roses."

Castle and Beckett glanced at one another briefly, and Daisy asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"These two arrangements were found at the site of two separate murders in the past week," Beckett told her, "and this store's delivery van was seen outside each building about the time of the murders. Is Mr. Moller here today?"

"He isn't here right now. I have a very small staff, and one of them is on maternity leave at the moment; so, for the time being, we're down to Dennis, Ebony Moss, and me. We're all putting in a lot of hours. Do you think Dennis…"

"Tell us about them…personalities, work habits, general temperament…"

"Ebony is a sweetheart. She's been with me full time since she graduated from high school, worked here part time a year before that. Beautiful work, great personality, good sense of humor, thoughtful, good work ethic. Customers love her. She's in the back right now, working on an online order."

"Any family members or boyfriends who might be trouble?"

"No, and I've met her entire family at one time or another. Her fiancé is in the army. He's deployed in Afghanistan right now. You're welcome to talk to her if you want."

"And what about Dennis Moller?" Castle asked.

Daisy took a deep breath and sighed. "Dennis is another story entirely. He's been here several months now. He's creative, a hard worker, his arrangements are beautiful, and he's very efficient. Since Karen has been out, he's scheduled and handled all the deliveries." She paused thoughtfully and finished. "But there's something odd about him, and he's been…I don't know…odder?...for most of the past month. I've questioned having him take care of all the deliveries because he's on the socially inept side. He doesn't relate as well to customers as Ebony does; but I haven't seen anything that looked threatening."

Beckett handed her a printout and said, "We'd like to see if your records show deliveries to these addresses in the past week."

"Not a problem. Follow me. You can talk to Ebony while you're back here."

They followed Daisy to her office and found that there was no record of deliveries being made to either of those addresses on the dates of the murders.

"But witnesses placed your delivery van at both locations."

Daisy shook her head in confusion. "I have no explanation for that," she answered. "Sorry I can't be more help, but there just isn't anything there," she insisted, handing Beckett the schedule. "We'll have to ask Dennis when he gets back."

When they were about to speak to Ebony, Daisy told her to be completely honest, that it was important. Then she introduced Castle and Beckett as being from NYPD. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes of talking to a very open, pleasant, and cooperative Ebony Moss to dispel the impression that she might have been willingly involved in a murder.

When they asked about Dennis Moller, she sighed deeply and asked, "Police business?"

Beckett nodded in assent, and Ebony sighed again before she answered. "Dennis works hard and he's very talented…but he kinda creeps me out now and then. He's never done anything that makes me afraid of him. It's just uncomfortable sometimes. Dennis isn't all that, if you know what I mean; but he sure seems to think he is. I guess he just assumes any woman he's interested in is going to return the interest. He was okay at first; but once he got comfortable with the job, a couple of months ago I guess, he gradually started getting more familiar with the customers. For the last month and a half, any time Daisy wasn't around and a young woman came in, he would work the conversation around to whether she had a boyfriend or a husband. If she did, he would always drop it. If she didn't, she was fair game; and asking customers out was getting more frequent."

"What kind of response did he get?" Castle asked.

"A couple of them actually accepted, and a couple of others let him think they would consider it another time. I never saw any of those women again, and a couple of them were regulars. Some of the others looked as creeped out as I would have. A few weeks ago I called him on it and told him that we'd lost customers over it, but he seemed to have no concept that a woman wouldn't be flattered by his attention. So I told him I'd have to tell Daisy if I saw it again. After that, he seemed to be…umm…antsier…more stressed maybe."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Daisy asked. "I wouldn't have wanted you in that position."

"I know, and I'm sorry. He promised to stop, and I thought he had; but early last week, I caught him twice on the same day. He begged me not to tell you, said he couldn't afford to lose another job. I asked him what the other job was; but he said it didn't matter, that he just really needed this job. I guess I felt sorry for him."

Showing Ebony the pictures of their two victims, Beckett asked, "Do you recognize either of these two women?"

"Oh my god! Those are two of the women I was just talking about." Pointing out Ruby Penston, she said, "This one told him she didn't like being hit on every time she came in and wouldn't be back after that day. The other one wasn't nearly as polite about it. She let him know in no uncertain terms that she had absolutely no interest in him. Both of them said they were going to contact the manager. Dennis was furious, couldn't see that he had done anything wrong. He said a lot of horrible things about both of them after they paid for their purchases and left, especially the second one. That was new. I hadn't heard things like that before."

"Do you recognize these flower arrangements?" Castle asked, and Beckett pulled those pictures out to show Ebony.

"Sorry again, Daisy. Those are the arrangements Dennis made for his new girlfriend. He asked me not to say anything. He wanted to make a good impression on her but couldn't afford it yet. He said he'd pay for them when he got his next pay check. He was going to have me write up two fake deliveries next week to make it look legitimate. He even gave me the addresses. Her home and her job. I thought if the new girlfriend distracted him from the customers, it would be better for business."

"I doubt there was a girlfriend, Ebony. Were these the addresses?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah. Did she complain? Did he do something?"

"These addresses belong to the two women you just identified. They were both murdered in their homes."

"And you think Dennis…"

"We can't be sure, but it's looking like a possibility."

"So, if I'd told somebody…"

"It sounds like Dennis was manipulating everything. Don't blame any of this on yourself," Castle encouraged. "He probably intended for you to think it was for the best."

"So, what do we do now? He should be back any time," Daisy asked.

"Will he be coming through the front door or the back?" Castle asked.

"The front."

"Then we'll call for a squad car to take him in for questioning," Beckett answered. "Let us just browse like customers until we can take him into custody. When he gets back, you and Ebony give us space." When Beckett called the precinct and made the arrangements, she asked Ryan to check into Dennis Moller as well…the jobs he'd had previously, and why he left them.

A few minutes later, Dennis breezed in saying, "All done."

Daisy waved to him, looked at Beckett, and said, "Be right back." Then she joined Ebony in the work room.

As soon as she left, Dennis looked Beckett up and down inappropriately and asked quietly, "Are you married or anything?"

"Yes, she is," Castle caught himself answering for her. "To me." His frame naturally towered over the slightly built five foot eight Dennis, and the younger, smaller man held his hands up in front of him. "No harm intended. Just asking."

Showing him her badge, Beckett said, "Dennis Moller, we're here to take you in for questioning in the murders of Ruby Penston and Moira Austin."

Dennis did not go quietly as Bisaga entered the store just ahead of Archer and efficiently cuffed him so they could get him to the squad car. Archer took his arm on the opposite side to escort him out and help to confine him to the back seat. Then they left for the twelfth, Beckett and Castle close behind.

Once back at the precinct, the officers accompanied Moller to the interrogation room, and Captain Gates invited them to remain long enough to observe the interrogation.

Ryan had found that Moller was a registered nurse, and a visit to the hospital and brief talks within its gossip mill provided the information that Moller's last job was lost because of inappropriate contact with some of his female patients. He said he was just making some of his middle-aged patients feel better. When he tested the waters with the wrong woman and was reported, the others were soon discovered. The other three women admitted that the fondling and more sexual touching was consensual, but he was fired for initiating sexual contact with patients. There were no charges because the hospital didn't want the publicity.

The most important point of his last job was that it meant he would know exactly where to use a knife on the neck so a victim would bleed out quickly, and a brief search of his work station at the florist shop produced the murder weapon. It seemed that three women threatening his new job and two of them scathingly refusing his attentions pushed his already questionable psychological balance over the edge. He said he killed both women because they deserved it, and he seemed to have no regrets.

The entire team was depressed when it was all over. They took Archer and Bisaga with them to the Old Haunt for drinks before they all went home. They were there under the guise of celebrating another case being closed; but, in spite of their best efforts, the gathering had an equal feeling of commiseration.

xxxxx

Jamie's birthday was a joyful counterpoint to the constant menu of murderous activity at work, and Kate and the rest of the team smiled the entire evening. The guests all spent time with Jamie, played with Gabe, and enjoyed each other's company. It did seem like a family; and a couple of times during the evening, Kate and Rick managed a few minutes to stand in each other's arms and watch, savoring the feeling of their diverse, extended family enjoying their time together. Lanie and Esposito seemed to have come to a reasonably comfortable relationship of friends with a past; and Frank and Maria seemed to see that and didn't appear to feel particularly threatened by it…although a complete cure might take a good while longer.

At the end of the evening, Lanie lingered until the rest of the work family was gone, then she pulled a gift bag from the huge purse she had brought with her. Peeking out of it was a soft, cuddly yellow stuffed bear with a friendly smile and eyes that possessed a permanent twinkle.

"I know you said no gifts, but I couldn't let my boy's first birthday pass without one. I saw this bear and couldn't help myself."

Jamie wanted the bear to be everywhere he went for the rest of the night. "I hope that bear is washable. Looks like he's going to need to be," Castle said.

"I made sure of that. No kid gets a teddy bear from Aunt Lanie unless it's washable. The sales clerk said her daughter has one like it and that it washes really well." She sighed contentedly. "Look at your baby, Kate. He's as gorgeous as his daddy, and he's growing so fast. I just love him to pieces."

"Me, too," Kate answered. "Thank you for the bear, Aunt Lanie. It looks like he loves it."

"We should go and let you start settling him down."

"Tonight was fun," Frank told the Castles. "Thanks for including me."

"Glad you could be here," Rick told him.

After everyone had gone, Rick and Kate eventually settled Jamie down enough that he drifted to sleep; and then they snuggled in their own bed. "I can't believe it's already been a year," Kate said as they burrowed under the covers against one another."

"Before we know it, he's going to be in college and we'll be all alone." He looked at her with a teasing smile.

"Bite your tongue," she scolded.

"I'd rather bite yours…gently, of course," he answered with his mischievous little smirk.

"Way too tired tonight, Writer-Man."

"I might be, too. Does that mean we're getting old?"

"Probably means we've been parents for a year. We can test that out tomorrow. Maybe we'll have recovered by then."

"Good plan, Mrs. Writer-Man. I love you."

"Mmmmm… Love you, too."

xxxxx

Bisaga called Castle a couple of days after Jamie's birthday, and Castle called Alexis to see if she would babysit on the day she had no morning classes. He took his laptop, and met Bisaga at one of his favorite coffee shops.

While he waited, he appropriated a table in a corner of the room where they could work. After they picked up their coffee orders, they made small talk for a few minutes, but Bisaga seemed a little ill at ease.

"Anything wrong?" Castle asked.

"I feel like I'm… Like maybe I'm asking too much? I know you take care of your little boy, and you're working on your next book, and you help with cases sometimes, and…"

"Did you ask me for this, or did I offer?"

"You offered."

"Then stop worrying about it. I'll enjoy helping, but my daughter is babysitting, and she has classes at Columbia this afternoon; so I need to be home by noon."

You and Lieutenant Beckett have a daughter old enough to take classes at Columbia? University?" Bisaga sort of squeaked.

She's Beckett's stepdaughter, but you'd think they're actually related. Long story. I was divorced long ago. My ex is in California."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"No problem. Now let's see if we can decide how to help you out."

"I appreciate this. Archer is from a long line of cops and has decided to follow in their footsteps. Her uncle is a detective, so she has a lot of sources of help…and has a degree in criminal justice. So she went into the academy, and into the job, with a lot more background knowledge than I had. She's sharp, too. She's gonna make something of herself, and deserves it. She's a good friend, and I'm happy for her."

"But sometimes you're jealous?"

He hesitated. "Maybe. I don't want to be, but now and then… Yeah, I guess I am. I grew up with a single mom. My dad left us when I was young enough I can hardly remember him. Mom worked really hard to give us what we needed, and she was so proud when I graduated high school. I figured it would make it a lot easier on her if she had one less mouth to feed, so I rented a room and worked for a while so I could cut down her expenses and give the others a little more room…help out some. Once I had a little bit in the bank to fall back on, I figured I could afford the time it would take to get through the academy. I'm a little older than Archer, but we finished at the academy about the same time, and we've got about the same time in on the job. It's just that while she was finishing high school and going to college, I was working. There was no way I could afford college. Maybe…" He stopped and ran his hands through his hair looking frustrated. "Damn. Why am I telling you all this stuff? I never do that. I didn't intend to dump that on you."

"I've been told I have one of those faces that nonverbally says, 'Talk to me.' Whatever. It stays between us."

"Thanks." Bisaga looked embarrassed.

Castle paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, our childhoods aren't all that different, except that I was the only child. Single mother, aspiring actress, lots of jobs, not much income, feeling on the outside of things sometimes, never knew my father."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I had a couple of advantages. By the time I was in high school, my mother's career had begun to take off, and she had a few connections. I earned scholarships to several excellent private boarding schools. Her income had improved, but she still couldn't afford that kind of tuition." He paused and smiled. "I got kicked out of a few of them, too."

Bisaga looked surprised, but also amused. "My mother would have killed me."

"Oh, believe me, the thought entered her mind every time. I can still hear it. 'How can anybody who's smart enough to earn those scholarships be stupid enough to get himself kicked out before he finishes using them?'"

Bisaga laughed. "I can kind of hear my mom's voice saying that."

"I'd be in the same place as everybody there and just as smart as they were, but I was still always the scholarship kid. Not enough to spend when everybody around me wanted to do something extravagant. They were all loaded. If five of us got into trouble, I was the only one punished because the other parents had all paid tuition the school couldn't afford to lose, and didn't want to cross them."

"I would never have guessed."

"Well, you can keep that between the two of us, too."

"Deal. I guess that's kind of where I am, now. I'd just like to feel like I can prove myself."

"You want me to talk you through how we put the board together? There isn't that much to it."

"Sure. That'd be great."

Castle opened his laptop and found a page from one of his earlier Nikki Heat books. He explained how it all went together, starting from the timeline and quickly moving on from there; and then he pointed out the difference in working from the perspective of the board at the precinct. "So that's the board," he finished. "No big secret. Everything in a nutshell."

"That's a pretty big nut," the younger man chuckled.

They refreshed their coffee, picked up a couple of pastries, and then tackled the initial look at a crime scene. He pulled up one of the videos from when Beckett was on desk duty while she was pregnant, explaining, "My wife didn't want to miss anything, so she had me record it all."

"That sounds like Lieutenant Beckett," Bisaga said with a smile.

"These videos are why we're sitting in a corner. I don't want to gross people out while they're trying to enjoy their chocolate chip muffins." Castle talked him through what the detectives picked up from their first visit to the scene. Then he pulled up another video and said, "This one is yours. We can rewind any time you want. I'll tell you what we were told when we went in, then you tell me what you see as possibly important and why." When Bisaga had talked through it, Castle showed him a couple of other things he had missed, one in particular that could have made a difference in resolving the case."

They went through several of Castle's saved videos; and each time, Bisaga caught a little more. He was as quick a study as his partner, his instincts were just as good once Castle helped him, and the younger man was excited about his progress.

"I love this," he told Castle. "It's almost like a game."

"I know. Right?" Castle answered enthusiastically. "I mean it's obviously more serious, but putting together the puzzle is a great feeling. And it gives people closure after something horrible happened in their lives. It doesn't get much better than that."

"Why didn't you become a detective?"

"Writing pays better, so I can stay home with my kids if I want to. And speaking of my kids, I need to get home. We can do this again if you want. You know where to find me," Castle said as he closed his computer and put on his coat.

"Thanks, Mr. Castle. Maybe next time we could talk about those books you mentioned?"

The two men shook hands, and Castle promised, "I'll pick out a few that might be helpful." Both of them left with a feeling of accomplishment.

That night, Castle talked to Kate about Bisaga, explained what he had done that morning, and told her what he had learned about the young officer. The books he had chosen were stacked on the corner of his desk anticipating another call from the man before long.

"He doesn't have the same advantages Archer has, Kate, but that doesn't lessen his intelligence or his instincts. Give him the same training and opportunity to prove himself that you give Archer. They already work together, so it should be easy. I don't think you'll be sorry." He paused for a moment. I know what it's like to be young and on the outside looking in. When he talked about the differences in their opportunities, I could almost feel high school again. If he doesn't measure up, so be it. He'll at least know he had a fair chance. But I don't think he's going to disappoint anybody."

"You didn't have to do anything at all, but you did all that for a young guy you don't even know…just to be sure he has a chance to do something better for himself. Have I told you lately what an impressive man you are, Richard Castle?" She kissed him lovingly and said, "They'll both get the same attention. I'll see to it. I promise."

"Have I told you lately what an impressive woman you are, Katherine Castle?" They both smiled, and he kissed her in return.

xxxxx

At the end of shift one afternoon in April, Captain Gates called Beckett to her office. When Beckett entered the room, she was handed a thick envelope of papers marked "Captain's Exam" and Gates said, "You should be there for this." Even though it wasn't phrased that way, it sounded suspiciously like an order.

"Sir, I'm not sure I'm ready for this yet. I like working in the field. Realistically, I know this team can't stay together forever, but we're a solid team, and we've accomplished a lot of good for the city over the years. I don't…"

"Lieutenant, the application is due in May. The test won't be until September. It isn't given every year, so you may not have another opportunity for a good while. Your family is changing, your team's family status is changing, the sergeant's exam is coming up soon, and you know Detectives Ryan and Esposito are both planning on being there. Expanding families need expanding income. Changes could be happening between now and your exam." The look on the captain's face softened. "I know what they mean to you, and I know how much you enjoy being in the thick of the investigations, how good you are at it; but I also see how well you train your subordinates without making them feel like subordinates, how you can pull a team together, how you assume command stature when it's necessary. You'd be an outstanding captain. You understand everything your officers and detectives need in order to be prepared to do their best work, and you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty along with them when they need it. And you know how to discipline without making too many enemies. Options, Kate. Options. If you pass the exam, and I have no doubt that you will, the options will be there waiting for you. You can always choose not to accept them if they're offered; but if you don't take the exam, there will be no options to accept. It's the wise decision to make. Take the packet and talk to your husband."

"Yes, Sir." Beckett answered quietly and accepted the packet. She started for the door but stopped and turned back as she reached it. "Captain, I know you've done the same thing for me that I've tried to do for Archer and Bisaga…the extra responsibilities and advice, and I do appreciate it.

"Chief Dawson is watching you, too. He was solidly impressed when he was here a couple of years ago. He's mentioned an experimental program they intend to launch in four precincts in the fall and has our precinct, your team in particular, in mind to be part of it. Every time I see him, he mentions you. I'm not the only one on your side."

"Like I'm not the only one thinking that Archer and Bisaga should be in line for Detective sometime in the next year?"

Gates simply smiled. "If we don't encourage the people who do the job well and are here for all the right reasons, who's going to be running the place when we aren't here anymore? We're taking care of the future, Lieutenant. There's a lot of self-interest involved in all this, you know."

Beckett huffed a little laugh, smiled back, and nodded. She lifted the packet into Gates's line of vision and said, "Thank you." before she left.