Castle 3

"We have a ransom note, people!" the Captain called out over the din in the bullpen.

Castle, for once, said nothing. He'd been staring hard at the white board, which had Ryan's hand writing scrawled all over it. He missed Kate's clean crisp writing. Her thoughts. The way she organized things. Ryan had everything scattered everywhere. He wanted to erase it and start fresh.

"Castle!"

"Sir," said Castle seriously as he turned.

"Note is addressed to you."

"To. Me?" asked Castle. He stood. Each muscle telepathing his exhaustion, he edged his way through the crowd, which parted with ease, and to the Captain.

"Yes."

Castle opened the note with shaking fingers. He could feel the sweat building on his brow. Please, please don't let them be dead.

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

This the moment you dread.

Do you miss those I've taken from you?

I will help you seek and search.

I will knock you off your perch.

There is a clue

Right where I left if for you

Check Detective Beckett's desk

Then we can lay her down to rest.

Castle read the note twice. Then a third time. He handed it to Ryan, who had gloves on. "Castle?"

"I haven't a clue," said the writer. "I have no idea. I do not know who did this, but obviously they knew about…."

"About?" asked the Captain.

"Nothing…" Castle shook his head. "They knew that Kate would be – be someone I cared for. I must have spited someone. But why take Kenzi?"

"Opportunity? They were together," offered Esposito. He was already calling for the forensic team to come collect the note. "Anyone going to check the desk?"

The room was still. It took all the courage that Castle had to open Beckett's left hand drawer. All that was there was Beckett's back up gun. He sat in her chair, a lump in his throat. He opened the right drawer and saw it. A black rose.

Castle then understood just who had kidnapped Beckett. And it wasn't good.

At all.

Kenzi's wrist was bleeding slightly, the shackled had cut into it as she and Kate had tried to get the last stubborn pin out. To no avail. Kate had refused to cut her hand off, it was an asinine thought to begin with. So Kenzi had been working very hard at moving the pin. It wasn't giving. Kate had moved the table to the center of the room. The small grate over head had been removed, but Kate had been unable to squeeze through it.

"You could go up there naked," said Kenzi. Her finger tips were bleeding from pulling and twisting.

Kate turned and looked at her. "What?"

"You might fit through there naked is all I mean."

"Uh huh."

Kenzi sat back against the wall, the cool chain draped over her shoulder. "If you can crawl out of here, do it. Don't you stay here because of me."

"I can't. I don't fit."

Kate thought she might fit, and Kenzi was right, without the pants, just a bit too wide in the waist line, thought Kate. But she wasn't leaving without Kenzi. Her gaze drifted to Kenzi, who looked frazzled. Her whole body was an electric wire of energy.

"You do. I know you do. Kate…."

"No," said Kate jumping down from the table. "You listen to me, I am not going anywhere without you. I won't leave here without you by my side, are we clear?"

Kenzi's cool grey eyes looked at the floor. "If you go, you can get help."

Kate didn't believe a word that Kenzi had just uttered. Kenzi was an awful liar.

"And if I'm not in time? What if we are in the middle of nowhere? MMM? We don't know how long we were out. We know nothing. Kenzi – I'm not leaving you. We are stronger together."

Kate took Kenzi's hand and began to fiddle with the shackle. The blood tainted the smell of the room. Kenzi was unmoving. Kate was sitting facing her, very close to her, but Kenzi remained statuesque.

"I need you to go."

"No."

"I need you to go," repeated Kenzi.

"No."

"I need you to go because Castle needs one of us in his life. Do you understand? Go, go so that when this bastard comes back, and I think he will, I'll have no reason not to try and kill him first. Kate…. Please go? Take care of Rick and Alexis."

Kate felt the tears swelling in her eyes. "Mackenzie, you are much more…"

"I'm not needed. I was gone and they did well without me, Beckette. I'm the one shackled to the wall, you're free, damn it, Beckett, go."

Kate met Kenzi's fiery gaze. God, there was passion in those eyes. What Beckett wouldn't give…? Then she cut that thought off at the knees.

Kate cupped Kenzi's face. "Listen to me. He's going to come back. You are right. We are going to come up with a brilliant plan to do his ass in."

"Brilliant?"

"Bloody brilliant."

Kenzi smiled. Then took a deep, hitching breath. Kate moved back slightly. Not wanting to crowd her again. Then she saw it, the same childlike look that Castle got when his mind began to churn out all those possible storylines of his for each case.

"The door swings out…."

"Yes," said Kate.

"But, under the opening and to the corner, is still a blind spot. The knife, a weapon, albeit not a good one," whispered Kenzi. Kate said nothing, not wanting to interrupt her flow of thought. "We don't know how big he is. We'll bet he'll have his trank gun and say another weapon. Hands full? No, just one. We position the table as so, the grate where he can visually see it. Me still chained to the wall…." Kenzi rattled the chain. "He'll rush in, perhaps. Ah, if I'm screaming and howling at the moon, he may just. You need to drive him closer to me."

"Why?" asked Kate.

"I can wrap this chain around him and…"

"Kenzi, you can't kill him."

"I can, however, cut off the air to his itty bitty brain and knock him out," said Kenzi.

"Hmmmm."

Kenzi smiled. "Remember, there are two kinds of folk who sit around all day thinking about killing. Murderers and mystery writers. I'm the one that pays better…."

"Castle told you that one!"

"No, actually we came up with it together one night, a long time ago, we were so drunk…"

"How drunk? I don't see Castle losing control that easily."

Kenzi pulled aimlessly at the pin again. Her fingertips raw. "That was a great night, and an awful one. He'd just written his first really worthy piece. He had an agent, he wasn't into the whole Storm series yet. But, it was good, it wasn't great, it wasn't award winning, but damn it was money in his pocket. I'd already published a few short stories. We were sharing a two bedroom in the City. He was going out with Alexis mother at the time. It was an on and off thing. So drunk. Celebrating like idiots, we went bowling, came home, stumbled into the apartment. Betting about who would sell more books, who would be on the Best Seller's list the longest."

"Sounds like a great night."

"It was." More pin pulling. Kate watched her. Something bad had happened that night.

"Then?"

"More alcohol, ice cream and then it happened. It always happens, when friendship takes that turn, you know the one I mean?"

"Oh…."

Kenzi smiled again. "He just kissed me. I was livid. I-I was so mad at him. We do have that chemistry the one that would last us a lifetime. How I wished, more than once, that I was straight. It would have made life oh-so easy."

"But you don't see him that way."

"No. He looks stunning in a suit. I love the way he smiles and just one side of his lips will curl up when he's being mischievous. How he bites his knuckle like a girl sometimes. I love the color of his hair, his eyes, how his hand feels on my arm. But I have no want to ever have sex with him," said Kenzi softly. "I've never said that to anyone before."

"Admit that you're gay?"

Another laugh. "No, admit that I love Castle, but simply not in that way. I've always played it off. I'd spend the rest of my life in bliss with him, but I'd never let him in my bed."

"You do have that – that chemistry."

"You do to."

Kate's eyebrows arched up. "With?"

"Castle," said Kenzi. "You deny it. You love that he's modeled Nikki Heat after you. You give him a hard time about it but deep down you know you are flattered. You love his quirks. You let him walk you down the hallway, elbows interlocked. You look at him and don't hate him as you did when you first got saddled with him. You'd miss him if he were gone."

"If you ever tell him this I'll deny it." Kate paused. "I would miss him."

"If we get out of this, tell him that, ok? Even if you just tell him you would miss his everyday friendship."

"No 'if's' about it. We will get out of this."

"Yes, Detective."

"In college I wrote a short story, a precursor, so to speak, of one of my Storm novels. It was published in the New Yorker. Another student in one of my classes, Jamie Fenter, claimed I had stolen his idea. We did have one thing in common, the black roses given to one of the grieving relatives. Mine, however, was well written, his was not."

"What does this have to do with Beckett?" asked Ryan.

"I am surmising that he is recreating his short story. A kidnapper, if I recall, snatches someone close to a person he knows. He locks them in an abandoned warehouse, along a water front. He proceeds to lay clues for the loved one. The last and final clue, is accompanied by a black rose. It was an ill conceived plot at best, lackluster characters…."

"Castle," grumbled the captain.

"Right," said Castle. "We can start by finding out where Jamie is? I last saw him three years ago. He came to a book signing. Caused quite the ruckus. Kenzi was there. She, um was charged with assault, but the charges were dropped."

"Ah, you are friends with the Mayor," said Esposito.

Castle cleared his throat. "No… Kenzi was sleeping with one of the district attorneys at the time."

"Lucky man," quipped Esposito.

"Noo…. Lucky woman."

"No?" asked Ryan.

"Yes," answered Castle.

"Damn, I was going to ask her out….," said Esposito.

"Better luck in another pond, my friend," said Ryan slapping Javier on the shoulder. "I'm going to go run this guy's name, get his address and anything else I can find on him. Hang tight. Castle, any details about that short story might help. He wasn't planning on 'napping them both, that might help us."

Castle sat down in Kate's chair as everyone went off to do real police work.

Kenzi and Kate. Locked away in some cold dank place. "Hey! Ryan! How many abandoned warehouses can there be in the city?"

"Hundreds Castle," answered Ryan.

"Great," muttered Castle.

He grabbed the forensics report and began to look through it. Everything from tire marks to air readings. Nothing told him anything. "The van…."

Castle stood up and dialed his phone. "Ernie, it's Rick Castle. Listen, you still tape all the vehicles that come in and out of the building right? Could you messenger those over to Police Plaza? ASAP. I'm on the 5th floor. Thank you so very much. Esposito! Why didn't you request the vids from the garage?"

"We did, building manager said they didn't tape."

"Oh he doesn't, but Ernie, the guard on duty, does…. You see, he has a blog and he blogs about cars and the people who drive them. They are on their way here. He had to have stopped and checked in with Ernie before heading up to where we park. He even knew what floor we parked on. Perhaps he was after Kenzi?"

"Could be. Nice thought, Castle."

"Hmmm, pays to know the people you live around. I have this new neighbor, her name is Tara, nice legs…."

Kate and Kenzi were propped against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, listening. They were waiting. The table, the grate, everything was in place. All Kate had to do was scurry over to the door, duck down and wait. Wait to attack. Kenzi had given up pulling on the pin. It hadn't budged. There was one inch, one mere inch to go before it slipped completely out and allowed them both to escape into the air exchange.

"It smells like water," whispered Kenzi.

"What?"

"Us, we're close to the water. Can you smell it?"

Kate sniffed the air. Kenzi was right. "You would make a great detective."

"Air is heavier too. Thicker. This used to be an office. The window was blocked off up there." Kenzi indicated the wall to their right. "The bricks are different color, so it the cement. Whoever did this has been planning a long, long, long time."

"Someone who has it out for Castle."

Kenzi's eyes closed. Kate stared at her for a long time. She looked completely serene. At peace with whatever was about to happen. A twitch, just a small one under her right eye then her eye snapped open.

"Mother…"

"What?"

"Shackled to the wall…. Water front… Jamie…," growled Kenzi. "Little prick!"

The last line was yelled and Kate jumped.

"Who is…?"

"He was this two bit ass wipe who thought Rick stole his idea. Oh my god. And I beat his ass a few years ago when he accosted Rick at a signing," muttered Kenzi. "Fuck."

"He'll come back," reminded Kate.

"He needs to come back, or you need to go…."

"No," stated Kate. Kate knelt next to her, cupping Kenzi's face. "I'm not leaving you."

Kenzi felt the heat of Kate's breath and was about to move closer when they heard a soft clattering.

"That wasn't…," began Kate.

"Oh but it is, a rat. Go!"

"We've got a lead. His parole officer said that he bought a place three months ago. Water front property. Wanted to start a business," called Ryan from across the bullpen.

The bullpen came alive, every single officer, detective shot up from their seats. Save for Castle. He was useless in these situations, with his cheesy WRITER flack jacket.

"Come on, Castle," said Esposito. "You're not sitting this one out." Esposito slapped Castle on the shoulder. "You can stay in the car. I'll cuff you there myself."

Castle let his lips curl into a smile. "I'll still get out of them."

Esposito shared a look with Rick and Rick stood. The least he could do was be there to annoy Kate and Kenzi when they saved them.

When.

Kate scurried to the door, ducking and brandishing the 3-inch blade tightly in her right hand.

"You asshole, you better let me out of here! Kate is on her way to the cops! They'll be here any minute and damn it, you'll rot! You'll rot, Jamie!" Kenzi laughed. A rattling laugh that made the hairs on Kate's arms stand straight. "That's right, I know it's you, Jamie. You deplorable excuse for a human being, did you think I'd forget that mediocre story you wrote? Hmmm?"

Crashing, a howl of anger and stomping down the hallway, the metal grate over the small peak window rattled open.

"You bitch. You were always the most egotistical bitch I'd ever met."

"You were always the least talented bitch I ever met," said Kenzi. "Come on, you fruit cake. Kate is gone, just me and you to tango."

Kate closed her eyes for a moment. Kenzi was good.

"I'm not falling for this, Kenzi. I want you alive. I want him to come crashing down into hidey hole of mine and then…boom."

"Boom?" said Kenzi. She stood. Kenzi looked at ceiling. Why hadn't she insisted that Kate go out that way? Because Kate was a stubborn woman. "I like things that make me go boom…."

"I've left another clue, right outside the precinct…."

"You're not worried about Beckett getting out, are you? That was the plan all along, wasn't it? To have us escape?"

"No."

"Of course not, you can't think that far ahead, do you? That's why you're such a bad writer…," mused Kenzi.

"You bitch."

"You keep calling me that, why don't you come on in here and you and I can jimmy and jam? Hmmm? You're a skell, you're a piece of crap that can't write and all you can do is kidnap someone, BADLY!"

Clatter.

Clang.

The door whipped open and Kate stood, grabbing him around the neck from behind. The knife was at his throat, "Don't move or I will cut you."

He laughed. Throwing his head back and hitting Kate square in the face. Kenzi darted forward, he was just out of her reach. Kate and Jamie began to tussle. Kenzi bent over and gripped the pin, giving it one last hard pull. She felt the flesh tearing from her fingers and the pin finally let loose, maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the blood that lubed its way out. Either way, it was now two against one.

Kate jabbed at him with the poor excuse for a knife and he grabbed her arm, tearing away the knife from her hand. Kate felt sluggish, perhaps it was the massive amount of drugs that she'd been shot up with. Or that she hadn't eaten in hours.

Kenzi turned right into Jamie and felt the hot seer of the knife jabbing her just under the rib cage. Jamie pulled up, cutting her further. Kenzi let out one muted grunt, locking eyes with Jamie.

Kate jumped on his back as Kenzi crashed to her knees.

Kate wrapped her arm around his neck, cutting off his oxygen. He struggled, tossing his head back, but this time Kate was ready. Now she wrapped her long legs around his torso. He trashed hard. He tried to shove Kate against the wall, but the detective wasn't giving up. He pushed harder and began to lose consciousness. He slumped and began to lower to the floor. Kate didn't let go, not yet. She was shaking harder than she'd ever shook before.

"Kenzi…"

Kenzi was on her side, trying to stop the blood that was oozing from the wound. Kenzi struggled to her knees, shuffling towards Kate. Kenzi reared back and punched Jamie, who was already knocked out. "You. Son. Of a bitch…"

Kate moved out from behind him, scrambling to Kenzi. "Let's get you out of here."

"Bomb… part of the story – there is a bomb," said Kenzi.

Kate slid under Kenzi and helped her to her feet. "I'm bleeding all over your clothes."

"You'll buy me new ones."

"Okay," said Kenzi weakly. They stumbled out of the room. Kenzi reached back and yanked the door closed, turning the latch to make sure it was locked. "Just in case."

"Always thinking."

"I'm thinking…," muttered Kenzi. "…thinking that he might have punctured a lung…."

Kate didn't stop walking, she dragged Kenzi a few more feet. "We need to get out of here before whatever he has planned. A bomb."

"Know how to disarm one?" asked Kenzi as she leaned up against the wall.

"Let me look at that," said Kate. She pulled up Kenzi's blood sopped shirt and looked at the small wound. He had jabbed upwards and Kenzi might have been right. He might have well punctured a lung. The blood was pulsing out and Kenzi was having trouble breathing.

"I'm going to sit here," groaned Kenzi

"No, we have to keep going."

"You know how to disarm a bomb?"

"No, I'm a detective, not SWAT."

"Guess I have to go with you," said Kenzi, struggling to her feet, "I'm well versed in bomb diffusion."

Kate had to smile. She helped Kenzi up again, they struggled down the dank hallway. It took them twenty minutes to finally find the doorway.

"Wow," said Kenzi.

"Double wow," swallowed Kate.