349. Chapter 349

After Pretty Dead

Episode 3.23

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Yes! I am the winner of the "I don't own Castle pageant". Rating: K+ Time: See above.

"Thank you so very much for seeing me, Captain Gates."

Captain Victoria Gates looked coldly at Martha Rodgers, then over to Beckett and Castle. "You think you have some information that's relevant to the murders?"

Martha smiled. "Yes. Three actresses, of a certain age, have been murdered, all found dead in theaters, strangled, and aside from their profession, you can't connect them. Is that correct?"

All four people in the room knew that was correct. Gates just nodded, looking at Martha coldly. So far, she didn't like this member of the Castle family any better than the other one.

"I believe I know the connection." Martha said brightly.

"And?"

"All three women were in a play in 1963, The Belles of Broadway. It was a musical comedy set in the early 1900s. There were five main female characters. Three were played by Joan Carrol, Alice Rhys, and Mandy Burns, the three murdered women. And two more, Barbara Nolan and Cynthia Morgan, who are in New York starring in an off-Broadway play, There She Is. It's about five women who were in a beauty pageant years before, and who are now discussing how the pageant affected their lives." Martha smiled and looked off into the distance, remembering. "I was up for a part in The Belles of Broadway, but I wasn't cast. However, I do have a part in There She Is. I play the ingénue who lost the beauty pageant, but had a wonderful life."

Gates looked at Beckett. "Is there any other connection between our three vics?"

Kate shook her head. "Joan Carrol moved to Hollywood years ago for her acting career. She was somewhat successful, and moved back to New York about six months ago. Alice Rhys married a very wealthy man. He died a year ago and she moved back to New York. Mandy Burns stayed in New York, but hasn't acted in decades. We haven't found any other connection between them."

Castle smiled. "My mother thinks…"

"Why don't you let your mother tell me what she thinks, Mr. Castle?" Gates said sharply.

"I can be your woman on the inside, Captain Gates. I knew these women back in the day. Naturally, they'll want to talk about the murder of their friends."

"No." Gates said quickly. "Undercover police work is no place for amateurs, no matter how determined they may be." She looked directly at Castle.

"As it happens, I had an idea as I was coming into your precinct. I have an acting school, as you may know. I can take Katherine with me and tell everyone she's one of my students. That way I'll have a police backup and she'll have an in with our possible victims."

Kate was horrified. "Sir, I have no background as an actress. I couldn't possibly do this. And it puts Mrs. Rodgers in danger."

"If Mrs. Rodgers is in that play, she'd be in danger anyway. As for your acting abilities, you've worked undercover. That's acting, isn't it? And this is the only lead we have. Unless you have a better idea, Detective?"

Kate had to confess she didn't have a better idea.

That night at Castle's loft, Kate looked at herself in the mirror. I'm wearing too much makeup and too much perfume. My dress is too short, too tight and too low cut. And I'm not wearing any underwear and it shows. I will not…

Castle put his arms around his girlfriend. "You're gorgeous. And sexy."

"Castle. I don't know if I can do this."

"Sure you can, Nikki."

"Nikki"

"You're working undercover. You need an alias. Nikki is perfect."

"Nikki what?"

"Just Nikki. Like Madonna or Beyoncé."

"Castle…."

Rick kissed her. "All you have to do is be yourself. And I'll be right there with you. We're doing this to catch a murderer, remember?"

"I know. I know. I just wish Martha wasn't involved. She could get hurt."

"How? If this is about the female leads in The Belles of Broadway, she'll be fine. She wasn't in it."

Once at the theater, Kate found that few people paid any attention to her. Other than Castle, of course. The actors and even most of the crew were more Martha's age except for a girl younger than Kate who played Martha's daughter and two gay actors who were very into each other.

"Martha!" A male voice called out. "Is that you?"

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. "Harry Palmer! What are you doing here?" Martha exclaimed.

"I came to see you, gorgeous. But it won't do me no good, will it?" Harry Palmer started his famous shtick. "I got no luck with women. Martha here called me and said, "Come on over. No one's home." So I went over. She was right. No one was at home."

Everyone laughed.

"Harry Palmer!" Said a female voice. "I thought I heard you. Still telling jokes."

"Barbara!" Palmer cried, hugging the slender blonde. "I haven't seen you since…Vegas! Ninety-one, was it?"

"That it was." Barbara Nolan said. "And you're as funny as you ever were."

"Yeah, but I still got no luck with women. Even Barbara here. Do you know we were happy for twenty years? Then we met."

"You could get some new jokes." Snarled a male voice. "I've heard all of that crap since before Vegas."

"Joseph Hall." Palmer said. "Can I get a drink in this town, or have you drunk all the booze?"

Hall, a heavily built man with a paunch and a red nose, smiled at Palmer. Then threw a punch. He grazed Palmer's shoulder and both men went down. Kate was about to step forward and take charge, when Castle pushed her back. "I'll take care of this, Nikki."

Right. She thought. I'm not a cop. I should let my big, strong boyfriend take care of this. I'm an actress.

Castle got both men of the floor and stood between them.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Joey." That was Cynthia Morgan, a pudgy, short brunette.

"I guess so, Cyn. I'm still a drunk and I you're still a slut. Oh, and how's the son you had while we were married without any help from me? Are there any more bastards out there?"

Cynthia slapped Hall as hard as she could. "Bastard. If you weren't always out….If you had ever been there for me, it wouldn't have happened. I loved you once." She turned on her heel and stalked off. Only Castle saw the tears in her eyes.

Will Travis, the writer and director, walked into the group. "Can we do some work here, people?" He turned to Martha. "You and Barbara should do your scene now. This time try to show a little sadness about how all of your friends never had their dreams come true like you did. I think you were too happy the last take."

Kate's phone rang and she went back into the backstage area to take it. Castle quickly followed her. When she hung up she turned to Rick. "We have another suspect, Travis. Espo found out that Martha wasn't the only one who didn't get a part in The Belles of Broadway. Travis's mother was up for a part, but didn't get it. Apparently, she took it hard. It was the last in a long string of rejections. She couldn't face another rejection. She killed herself. Travis was just a baby. Espo talked to some of Travis's family. Apparently Travis didn't learn that his mom had killed herself and why until about six months ago."

"Motive to kill one actress." Castle said. "The one who got the part his mother wanted. But why kill three?"

"Maybe he didn't know which one got that part? It was a long time ago." Kate thought for a moment. "Castle, go talk to Martha. Find out what you can about Travis's mother."

As he headed off, Kate went off back stage. Passing a dressing room, she heard a grunt from inside. Curious, she opened the door. She saw Cynthia Morgan on the floor, grabbing at her throat and gasping.

Kate went through the door. As she did, she felt hands go around her neck. She stomped down hard with her high heeled boots on her attacker's foot and heard a satisfying bone crack and a grunt of pain. She drove her elbow back as hard as she could. The hands dropped from her throat. She whirled, and kicked her assailant in the groin. She grabbed her back-up pistol from under her skirt. "NYPD! You're under arrest."

Now dressed in her work clothes, Detective Kate Beckett entered the interrogation room with her partner. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. This is Richard Castle. Cynthia Morgan has told us that you confessed to killing the other three women. Do you want to tell us why, Mr. Palmer?"

The comedian laughed. "Isn't it obvious?"

Kate shook her head. "Perhaps it is to you, but not to us."

"My whole routine. I got no luck with women" Palmer looked at them like he expected them to see what he was talking about. "Hell! What do you two know? It was the sixties. The pill was a rumor and the sexual revolution was in the future. Girls didn't sleep with guys unless it was really serious. It wasn't like today where you just hop into bed with whoever you want. It was a different time. I was working at a comedy club across the street from The Belles of Broadway. I used to go over to see the girls when they were rehearsing. Cynthia was a slut even then. We went back to an unused dressing room and she started to grope me. Then she laughed. She said she'd never seen one as small as mine. She had one of those Polaroid cameras and took a picture even. I was so embarrassed, I didn't even try to stop her. And she told the other actresses. Showed them the damned picture. They'd all come to the club and say things, like, "That joke was a little better, Harry." or, "That was a small improvement." And they'd laugh and I'd be humiliated."

"So, they left when the show closed." Castle said.

"And I was still small. And they did something to my head. When I'd try to get it on with a chick, I couldn't do it. And they'd look at me and be all disappointed and I'd be humiliated all over again. Do you know how much money I've made over the years? I could have had a million chicks. I haven't managed to get laid more than a half a dozen times in my life. I hated those bitches. And I got three of them."

"You killed them?" Kate asked.

"Damn straight." Palmer said proudly.

Kate looked at Castle and then at Harry Palmer. "One thing you should know about women, Mr. Palmer. Sex is important at first, maybe. But we stay with a man because of his character. Because of the kind of human being he is."

Captain Victoria Gates watched the interrogation through the one way mirror. I'll have to remember that Beckett's a better actor than I thought. As is Mr. Castle. Looking at them very few people would guess they're a couple.