564. Chapter 564

After Montreal

Episode 7.02

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I remember! I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

The bank manager waited for a good ten minutes before placing the call. The phone was picked up after the first ring. "Yes?"

"Sir, Mr. Castle was in here."

"When?"

"He left not ten minutes ago. I waited a bit to make sure he didn't come back. I hope that was acceptable."

"Yes, yes." The other man said distractedly. "A few minutes more or less doesn't make any difference. What did he want at the bank?"

"He rented a safe deposit box."

"Did he open number thirty eight?"

"I don't know." Fearing that was the wrong answer, he added. "It would look suspicious if I went in with him, and I could hardly ask Georges what box he accessed."

"No, no. You did the right thing. Was anyone with him?'

"Yes, a young woman. She referred to him as her father. Young, attractive, red hair and blue eyes."

There was a short silence on the other end. "Yes, that would be the daughter. You're certain that the detective wasn't with him?"

The bank manager tried to remember all of the people who had been in the bank at the time. "They weren't together. She could have been around, outside the bank, perhaps."

"So I must assume he accessed that safety deposit box and that he has the information I put there." There was a short silence. "That can't be helped. We knew this wasn't fool proof, not with Mr. Castle's record and resources. I can still salvage this, luckily."

"One more thing, sir. He asked me if I knew him. I didn't know whether to say I knew him as an author, or that I didn't know him at all. I told him I didn't believe we had met."

"Did he appear to accept that?"

"Yes. He did."

"Did Mr. Castle say or do anything after he opened the safety deposit box?"

"No, he just left. He said nothing to me or anyone else."

There was another long pause. "You did well. Your part in this is now over."

There was a click when the phone disconnected. The bank manager let out a sigh of relief. At least it was over and he could and would forget all about this.

Kate was getting ready for bed. She turned to Castle who was just finishing brushing his teeth. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Martha or Alexis, but please don't ever do that again. We're partners, remember?"

"Kate, I just want so badly to solve this. To find some answers, that's all I could think of. I want closure on this. I want closure on this for you. Actually, I think I could stand not knowing if you could find out and if you understood."

"Are you sure that fake Jenkins was telling the truth? That you wanted to forget what happened?"

Castle thought for a minute. "Yes…No…I don't know. Everything about this is so damned bizarre. Hell, it sounds like one of my theories. Our victim was kidnapped by an alien conspiracy and had his memories erased by technology far beyond what Earth has. If it hadn't happened to me, I'd probably be telling you what a great story idea it'd be.'

"You said yes to me at first. Why did you think Jenkins was telling the truth?"

Castle took a deep breath. He really hadn't wanted to talk to Kate about this now. He would, he had to, but not now. "He told me some things about myself, things that happened when I was little that I never mentioned to anyone else. He told me that I had told him those things so that if we ever met, I'd know he was telling the truth. If I told him those things, I must have trusted him."

"Just because you did trust him doesn't mean you should have trusted him."

Castle nodded. "So, we're right back where we started. Well, I know that leaving you at the altar was unavoidable and that I love you so very much."

Kate kissed him softly. "I knew all of that already."

There was no body drop at the 12th Precinct the next day, so Castle stayed home to write and Kate caught up on some paperwork. After an hour or so, she called Ryan and Esposito to her desk. "Anything?"

Espo looked around to make sure Captain Gates wasn't around. "The building in Montreal where Castle went and where he made the memory card is empty and has been for years. Parts of it were rented out to different companies, mostly manufacturing, back in the day. We can check on them, but the guy I talked to said anyone with a pair of bolt cutters, or the ability to scale a chain link fence could get inside. Whoever took Castle is too smart and to well organized to go back to some place they used before they grabbed Castle."

Kate nodded. "Okay, no need to check prior tenants. That would raise too many red flags. Ryan, what do you have?"

"The bank is clean. They don't launder drug money or send cash to terrorists. They don't make loans to sketchy people or take big risks with their depositors' money. They come off as a conservative, practically boring bank. The manager checks out too. Went to work for them out of college, married, three kids, doesn't cheat on his wife, do drugs, gamble or do anything else hinky."

"Criminal record?" Kate asked.

"A couple of drunk and disorderlies in college. His driver's license shows a parking ticket two years ago. Promptly paid."

"Anything on Jenkins? Either the real one or the phony?"

"It looks like real Jenkins just had a convenient place he hardly ever used. We can't find anything wrong with him."

Epso nodded. "And we can't find a thing on fake Jenkins."

Kate frowned, then nodded. "It was worth a shot, but we came up empty. Thanks and, please, don't ever tell Castle about this."

Both men nodded.

Castle walked into an office in a small medical building in suburban northern New Jersey. "Richard Castle. I have a ten o'clock appointment."

The receptionist smiled automatically. "Go right in, sir. The doctor is expecting you.'

The doctor was a tall, spare man with a white goatee and a full head of white hair, standing by his desk. The conservative three piece suit worn under a spotless white lab coat contrasted with the man's reputation.

"Dr. Elias, you're a hard man to find."

The doctor nodded coldly. "I look into areas of the human psyche that many of my colleagues would prefer to ignore. My methods are equally unconventional." Dr. Elias motioned Castle to a chair and sat behind his desk. "You're a novelist, Mr. Castle. Are you here for research?"

"Research, yes. But not for a book. For my own case. Have you heard of my kidnapping?"

"It was in the news, but perhaps you could tell me in detail what happened?"

Castle did so and then asked. "I've been told that there are drugs, or combinations of drugs, that can erase memories. Is that true?"

Elias smiled. "Any college student can tell you how the drug alcohol can erase memories, Mr. Castle. There are such drugs that could wipe out your memory for two months."

"Could drugs be used to interrogate someone to give up the most personal and deeply buried memories?"

The doctor nodded. "Such are used in psychotherapy, although somewhat out of vogue due to the recovered memories scandals of some years back." Elias leaned back in his chair. "I do see why you came to me specifically. Yes, there are numerous drugs used in interrogations that with the proper supervision can make a subject reveal any secret at all. And no one will complain later about torture. My colleagues were so short sighted to…But, that's all in the past now."

"Can you tell me where I might find people who can do such interrogations?"

Elias laughed again. "In police departments, internal security agencies, intelligence organizations and militaries throughout the world, Mr. Castle. I'm sure that there are tens of thousands of such people. And I'm sure that they will be very hard to identify."

Castle thanked Dr. Elias and left.

No damned closer. He thought. Maybe I should try to forget everything.