Finding Richard Castle – It's In the Bank

Summary – Castle is kidnapped because of something that happened during his childhood. Now it's caught up with him at the worst possible time.

Author's Notes – Yep, last chapter. This one was really quick. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer – Don't own Castle – Marlowe, ABC, and Disney do. The OCs came out of my imagination.

Chapter 2 – Fences and Runners

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The SWAT officers quickly took Einstein into custody as Beckett and Castle embraced for the first time in months, trembling in the realization that it was finally over and Castle was safe.

They finally let go of one another when an EMT stepped in to access Castle's condition.

One of the SWAT officers examined the shackle around his ankle, and then the rod and plates.

"They really did a job on this," he said finally. "The lock is an industrial grade lock that can't be removed using bolt cutters, so we're going to have to bring in a welder to cut the shackle off."

"How long is that going to take?" Beckett asked.

The man shrugged. "Could be a couple of hours."

She looked at Castle, searching his face. "You gonna be okay with that, babe?"

Castle nodded with a smile. "I'm fine now that you're here."

The EMT carefully picked up Castle's hand to examine it. "This looks to be a couple of months old," he stated.

"Yeah, it is," Castle replied simply.

"It's already healed, but I'd like to split it. It will make it more comfortable on the ride back," the EMT said.

"Okay," said Beckett, but Castle put up his good hand to stall the man.

"Before you do that," he said, turning to Beckett. "Kate, I noticed that Einstein was extremely nervous today – like he was expecting someone."

"Then we need to get you out of here as soon as possible," she responded.

"No," said Castle. "If we leave now, I'll never know why this happened and whoever did this would still be out there. What if they took you or Alexis or Mother? Can you have the boys check it out?"

Beckett nodded, not liking it but understanding his reasons. "Sure; I'll be right back."

It only took a few minutes to break Einstein, but he was more than willing to cough up whoever hired him for immunity and a new identity, only he didn't know who had hired him.

"What?" scoffed Espo. "You work for Rent-a-Thug?"

"No, a friend of a friend. The big guy is back and is supposed to show up today with my money," Einstein replied.

The detectives quickly conferred and then went back inside the trailer.

"Rick, he said the person who arranged this is coming today," Beckett said.

"Okay, okay," said Castle, nodding. "We can use that to our advantage. They don't know that you're here."

"I don't like this," said Ryan, looking at the small trailer. "There's nowhere for us to hide in here."

"They've gone to great lengths to keep me alive, so they must want something," argued Castle. "And you've got the drone. Leave it in the vent so you can see what's going on. And then you can take the guy down before anything happens."

Beckett frowned, biting her lip, and then nodded. "Okay. But just don't get yourself killed – you owe me a wedding."

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Less than an hour later, with the SWAT team carefully hidden, a plain-clothes officer stationed by the nearest road reported a car passing his location. The car turned off of the road and made its way to the trailer.

After it stopped, the driver got out of the car and opened the back door. A man in a long trench coat and fedora stepped out, surveyed the area, and then walked inside the trailer with the driver following.

"So we meet again, Mr. Castle – or should I call you Mr. Rogers as that is the name I knew you by?" the man asked, taking off his hat and laying it on the table.

Castle looked up from where he was sitting at the gray-haired man. "Should I know you?" he replied.

The man shook his head slightly. "Probably not – we only met once when you were 10. I doubt that you remember me. I'm Antonio Putnam, but I think you knew my cousin Geraldo Putnam much better."

Castle thought for a moment and then said, "Gerry? The short-order cook from the diner?"

Putnam nodded and then looked around as if expecting someone else to be there.

"Are you looking for Einstein? He's taking a walk, if you know what I mean," said Castle.

Putnam chuckled slightly and then sat down in the chair opposite Castle and regarded him for a moment.

"I do apologize for keeping you on ice for so long. I had more trouble getting back into the country than I expected. And I'm sure these accommodations aren't what you are used to." he said almost courteously, and then his tone changed. "Tell me what you remember about my cousin."

Castle shrugged. "Gerry lived on the floor above our apartment when I was 10. He was a short order cook at the diner down the street. Uh, he was always making us breakfast, giving us comic books and toys."

"Anything else?" said Putnam.

"The kids in the building ran errands for him. He worked so much that we'd take packages to the post office for him on our way to school and pick up groceries for him after school." Castle frowned at the man, slowly putting the pieces together now that he was an adult and knew that such things existed. "And he was your fence and we were his runners."

"Smart man," said Putnam, nodding slowly, with a strange smile. He looked at the man standing behind Castle. "See, I told you he was smart. We had a good thing going – right under the Fed's noses too – but then Gerry got greedy and stiffed me on a shipment – about $1 million back then."

Castle's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. "So you're the person who murdered him."

Putnam shrugged. "The police said it was an accident – he stuck a fork into the toaster to pull out a piece of burnt bread and was electrocuted."

Castle shook his head. "Except that Gerry didn't eat toast – said that it was a lazy person's breakfast. He only ate pancakes, eggs, and bacon, so he wouldn't have made toast. I always knew there was something odd about his death, but who listens to a 10-year-old kid?"

Putnam shrugged again. "Let's just say he wouldn't cough up the merchandise or what he did with it. Which brings us to you, Mr. Rogers. We didn't find it in his apartment so he must have stashed it some place. I think he gave it to one of the kids in the building – maybe you even."

Putnam leaned forward. "So tell me, Mr. Rogers, what happened that last day my cousin was alive?"

Castle thought back to that day so vividly etched in his memory, the one that may have set him on the path his life took without him knowing it. "Gerry made us pancakes for breakfast and then gave several of us packages to drop off for him since he was running late. I dropped my package off and got the receipt on the way to school. Then I stopped by the diner on the way home to give him the receipt but he wasn't there. The owner said he never came in that day so, when I got home, I went upstairs to give him the receipt. The door was unlocked and he was dead in the kitchen. The police said he had been dead for several hours."

"That must have been quite a shock for you being so young," said Putnam. "So did he give you anything else that morning?"

Castle shook his head. "No, nothing."

"Are you sure?" Putnam asked again, frowning. "I would hate for all of this to have been for nothing. It would have been something that you would have kept."

"A bank," Castle said finally, nodding. "He gave me a bank the night before he died – said to put money in it every day and I'd be a millionaire in no time."

"Good man," said Putnam. "Now, let's go get that bank and I'll let you go after I'm safely out of the country again. All I'm interested in is my money."

The driver knelt down, unlocked the shackle from around Castle's ankle, and then pulled him up by the arm. "Let's go."

Suddenly free of the weight from around his ankle, Castle stumbled slightly as they walked out of trailer, effectively moving out of the line of fire as the SWAT team advanced on the two men with their guns drawn.

"Antonio Putnam," Espo barked. "You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Richard Castle. Put your hands behind your back."

He and Ryan quickly handcuffed the suspects and led them to the waiting van as Beckett knelt by Castle and hugged him tightly.

"It's over," she whispered into his ear.

"Yeah," Castle replied. "Let's go home."

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The EMT did a quick patch up on Castle's hand and ankle while they waited for backup to get there.

Their first call was to Martha and Alexis to let them know that Castle was safe; the second call was to the orthopedic surgeon who had operated on Castle's knee to have him see what he could do for Castle's hand.

A short time after that, Beckett and Castle arrived at the loft for a joyous reunion with Martha and Alexis, and a much needed grooming session for Castle with Beckett's help.

Later than evening, Espo and Lanie, and Ryan and Jenny came over for a late dinner.

"Antonio Putnam," said Ryan. "The FBI was investigating him and his cousin for racketeering and murder around the time you would have been 10. Putnam fled the country after his cousin was died and hasn't been seen until now. However, he still has warrants out for him, so he'll be going away for a long time."

Castle shook his head as he listened. "Gerry was such a nice guy – it's hard to imagine that he was mixed up in any of this."

"Oh, I knew he was too good to be true," said Martha. "A free babysitter – but then again, you get what you pay for."

"So this is what caused it all," said Ryan, looking at the bank in the form of the Empire State Building that sat on the table.

Castle nodded. "I didn't think much of it at the time. I never really used it after that day. I'm not even sure why I kept it." He looked at Beckett. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all," smiled Beckett as she pulled on a pair of gloves. She carefully turned it over and opened the bottom. She then reached inside and pulled out a folded piece of material.

"Wow," she said as she unfolded the material, feeling the weight in her hand. "There must be 30 coins in here," she said, putting them on the table.

"Hey, Gerry was right," Ryan said as he looked at the gold coins that had been in the bank. "Castle, you were a millionaire all this time and didn't even know it."

"That should make up for the bundle you dropped on the wedding that didn't happen," remarked Javi.

"Yeah," said Lanie. "You could rent the Rockefeller Center for that."

Castle smiled slightly as he pulled Beckett closer to him. "We're thinking of something much smaller now."

He looked at the coins that had caused so much grief, pain, and misery and knew immediately what to do with them. "If we don't find the rightful owners, they'll make a nice addition to the NYPD Widows and Orphans fund."

The rest of the team nodded.

Beckett smiled at him and kissed him quickly. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to marry you."

The doorbell rang and Martha piped up brightly. "Dinner's here."

Alexis laughed as they walked to the door, paid the delivery boy, and then carried the sacks to the kitchen. They quickly pulled the containers out of the sacks and sat them on the table.

The team then sat down, passing the various containers around, laughing and talking, once again complete.

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The End