795. Chapter 795

After Den of Thieves

Episode 2.21

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I wonder if I could steal Castle? Rating: K Time: See above

Kate Beckett Castle looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time since she joined the police force as one of the first policewomen, she was going to work in plain clothes. She hadn't been promoted to detective yet, although her ambition was to be the NYPD's first female detective.

"You look great." Her husband said, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

"You don't think it's too much?"

"For here? It's definitely too much. You should take it all off and we can fool around some more."

"Rick!" She cried, scandalized. "I can't go to the precinct wearing nothing."

"I said just for here, didn't I?"

Kate checked herself in the mirror again. Her silk dress came to just below her knee, although many young women, called flappers, wore their skirts shorter. However, Kate's hair was short, as was the style for young women.

"Shall we go to the precinct?" Rick said.

Arriving in his new Pierce Arrow, which he had bought with the proceeds from his stories about Nikki Heat, a fictional NYPD detective, Castle proudly parked in the police parking lot and the two of them went inside.

Once inside, they were called into Sergeant Montgomery's office. All of the other squad leaders, Robbery, Vice, Patrol and such were at least lieutenants, but because of the color of his skin, Roy Montgomery ran the Homicide Squad as a sergeant. Rick had talked to his pal, Mayor Jimmy Walker, about this to no avail.

"People, we have a murder on our hands. One of Victor Wisconsin's henchmen was shot to death last night. Word is, he was stealing from Wisconsin and got whacked for his trouble."

Castle nodded, remembering that Wisconsin was one of the biggest bootleggers in New York City. And he sold a lot of illegal liquor as well.

Montgomery continued. "We believe that someone in the department is tipping off Wisconsin to what the NYPD picks up. We were looking at the dead man as a possible stool pigeon, since we found out he was stealing from Wisconsin. Internal Affairs is sending someone over."

"And that would be me." A tall, pretty and very well dressed man walked in. "I'm Lieutenant Dem Tomming, IA. Please don't feel you need to bow or kiss the hem of my garment, peasants."

"How nice of you to help us." Montgomery said through clenched teeth.

"I was planning to go up to Saratoga today and watch one of my horses run in the races up there, but my Rolls-Royce had to go into the shop. The ticking of the clock was driving me crazy. Luckily, I've already solved your case for you. The dirty cop is Officer Esposito here. And he's the one who killed Unlucky Luciano, Wisconsin's henchman. I have a list of thirty four solid citizens who'll testify to that." Tomming handed over the list.

Montgomery looked at the list. "But all of these people work for Wisconsin Enterprises. They can't be trusted to tell the truth."

Tomming looked down his nose at Montgomery. "Really? I know all of these people personally. They are one hundred percent honest. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some polo ponies to buy." Tomming left the room.

"It's just a hunch," Castle said, "but I think Tomming may be wrong." He turned to Esposito. "Where were you last night?"

"I was at Mass. I've been an altar boy since I was seven."

"Did anyone see you?"

"About two hundred people who have known me since I was an infant."

Castle rubbed his chin. "I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'm positive that lieutenant was wrong. And there's just something about him that doesn't feel right."

"We should talk to Wisconsin." Kate said.

"Why?" Castle asked.

"Just to count coup."

Victor Wisconsin was a large man. He lay on a large bed which creaked under his weight while and underling shoveled ice cream into his vast maw. "How may I help you, officers?"

"We're wondering if you know anything about the recent death of one of your employees, an Unlucky Luciano?"

"Only that he was unlucky." Wisconsin's minions roared with laughter. Wisconsin glared at them and they stopped laughing. "I understand that Officer Esposito here killed him."

"That's a lie, Wisconsin!" Espo yelled, advancing on Wisconsin until his partner, Detective Ryan grabbed him and hit him with a shillelagh to calm him down.

"Thanks, bro, I needed that." Esposito said before collapsing.

Once back at the precinct, Kate and the rest of the team went over what they had. "There has to be some way we can figure out who Wisconsin's inside man is. He has to have a dirty cop on his payroll."

"If only we could get a look at that book." Castle said.

"What book?" Kate asked.

"The one I saw on his desk. It was marked, Dirty Cops I Have on my Payroll. I bet the cop's name is there. Or in the volume entitled, "Crooked Cops I Have Known and Own."

"You think?" Kate said, exasperatedly.

"It could be in the book titled, "Corrupt People That I Pay Off." Castle added.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kate yelled.

"Why? We can't get a search warrant for his place. He had another book titled Judges on the Take That I Pay So the Cops Can't Get Search Warrants."

"Then we'll just have to do it without a search warrant." Kate said determinedly.

Later that night, Castle, Kate, Ryan and Esposito picked the lock to Victor Wisconsin's office and found his safe. Castle examined. "It's a top of the line safe, it'll take a ton of explosives to crack this baby and that'll destroy the books inside."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Men!" She said and pulled a bobby pin from her bobbed hair. In seconds she had the safe open. She began to pull books out. "Illegal Liquor Sales I Have Made. No, that's not it. Here's one, Business Rivals I Have Had Murdered. No, that's not it. Wait! This might be it. "Internal Affairs Officers I Corrupted Named Dem…."

"Tomming." Said a voice as the lights were switched on. There stood Lieutenant Tomming, covering them with a solid gold Thompson submachine gun. "I'm going to get the Medal for Valor for killing you thieving cops and I'll get a nice bonus from my boss, Victor Wisconsin. Tomming pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He pulled the cocking handle back again, but again the weapon wouldn't fire. He was rushed by Kate, Ryan and Esposito who knocked him to the floor while Castle looked under the desk for more incriminating books.

"Why didn't his Tommy gun fire?" Sergeant Montgomery asked he next day.

"He was too greedy, sir." Kate replied. "Instead of gunpowder, his cartridges were filled with gold dust. He's down at headquarters now, confessing to everything he's done for Wisconsin, and with those books, Wisconsin will be going up the river for the rest of his life."

That night when Rick and Kate were getting ready for bed, Kate came out wearing only a smile.

"You don't like the nightgowns I bought for you?" Rick finally managed to ask.

"I love them, but I'll just have to take them off sooner or later."

Rick nodded. "Sooner. Much sooner."