CHAPTER SEVEN
With each passing moment, Castle became visibly more anxious, his hand itching to pull out his phone and call Alexis to ensure her safety. As he began to slip his hand into his left pocket, Beckett softly put a restraining hand on his arm and gave him a brief, knowing nod, a smile flickering on her lips. She slid down into her chair, crossing her legs and leaning back slowly as Castle swallowed, letting his phone settle back down into the bottom of his pocket.
"That's an interesting piece of information you just dropped there, Rebecca," Beckett remarked, clasping her hands in her lap. She turned and looked at Castle, "Hey, I didn't know you had a house in Cape Cod, when were we talking about that?" She overplayed her interest, reeling Rebecca in. "Surely, if you had been talking to Rebecca about it, I would have overheard."
Castle started at the cop, his face blank. He had no idea where she was going with this. Sensing his continued confusion, Beckett added, "Maybe she read it somewhere, but I just can't think of something that would have that sort of thing listed…."
The light bulb finally brightening in his mind, Castle smiled broadly and shifted his posture to reflect hers. "Oh, Detective Beckett, don't worry – you didn't forget anything since we've never talked about it. Rebecca here is just recalling the blurb about me included on the back flap of all of my books. I hope you don't feel excluded, you are of course invited to stay there anytime you like." He smiled innocently at Beckett before they both turned to face the girl, who was clearly beginning to realize her mistake.
"Well, Rebecca, clearly you're more of an avid reader than you told us before," Beckett said, smiling politely. "I thought you had never heard of the – oh, what is her name, Castle?"
"I believe you're thinking of Nikki Heat, detective."
"Ah, yes. Nikki Heat. I thought you were not a fan, Rebecca?"
The girl's face smoothed into a mask of indifference. "Whatever," she declared, studying her nails.
"I knew that you were a big reader," Kate continued, pulling out a couple pages from the file and placing them on the table in front of Rebecca. "Your primary care psychologist at the hospital said you read more than anyone he had ever worked with before."
Rebecca just shrugged, now intently studying the cuticles on her left hand.
"But could you explain something to me – how is it that you became such a Nikki Heat fan? I'm almost positive a mental hospital would not stock such sleazy pulp fiction on their shelves," Beckett continued, a faint smile playing on the corner of her lips as she caught Castle's reaction in her peripheral.
"In fact, when we first met, Rebecca, I specifically spoke to the hospital about that very topic. They informed me that Richard Castle's books are 'too much' for their patients to handle, as the doctors are afraid the particularly gruesome passages will give patients some unpleasant ideas."
"Do you have a light?" Asked Rebecca suddenly, pulling a cigarette out of her shirt pocket.
Beckett rolled her eyes, exasperated. Castle took the opportunity to insert himself into the conversation.
"Look, Becca, I'm not offended at all," he said, leaning forward, trying to draw the reluctant girls' attention. "I'm flattered, believe me. I love meeting my fans. But I've never met a fan who lied about being a fan. Could you please explain that to me?"
The girl rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, concentrating on twirling the unlit cigarette between her fingers.
"Ok, listen, Rebecca," Castle said, his voice deeper and more authoritative. The girl looked up, momentarily startled. "You drugged Detective Beckett. Not only is that not cool, that's way illegal. You think Nikki Heat's a tough cop? She's got nothing on the real thing, ok? So you tell us exactly why you drugged a New York City detective, broke into her house, stole her stuff, and left her tied in the closet, then lied about it… Or Detective Beckett will make sure you end up in jail. For good this time, no outs for 'mental conditions.' We know better than that by now."
For a moment, Castle's threat hung heavy in the air as all three remained silent, the two sides of the table sizing each other up.
Finally the girl sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine!" She conceded, pursing her lips at Beckett. "I did it all. I took some of your clothes from the Laundromat, I slipped roofies in your drink at that Chinese place when you were in the bathroom, I followed you home and – for the record, I did not break in, since you left the door open – took some of your stuff."
Beckett nodded, encouraged by the girls' apparent momentary mental clarity. "And you tied me up?"
The girl nodded.
"Why? Why did you do all this?"
"Because I thought we were friends, Katie!" The girl said, her eyes starting to glaze over again as her expression returned to confusion.
"Rebecca!" Castle said loudly, trying to startle her back to reality. "How did you get my books in the hospital?"
The girl shook her head, struggling to remain clearheaded. "I – I knew they wouldn't let me read anything fun there. I had been there for months and I was so bored. The books in their library are the blandest things you've ever read."
"Nicholas Sparks?" Castle asked mock-sympathetically, unable to resist a dig.
Beckett shot him a warning look. "So how did you read Nikki Heat? It wasn't published until you were already in the hospital."
Rebecca directed her attention back to her nails as she hushed her voice. "My friend maybe smuggled them in for me," she admitted quietly, rushing her words together.
Castle's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Someone smuggled my books into a mental hospital? That's grea-" He cut himself short at Beckett's expression. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, so you read my books. You knew who I was, you knew who Beckett was, why did you lie about it?"
"Because…" The girl started, unable to look up. "Because I wanted to be just like Nikki Heat," she admitted quietly, starting into her lap, defeated. "I was a fan of yours when Derek Storm came out," she said, her confession suddenly merging together into one long, hurried thought. "When I got popped for drugs then put in jail, I wanted to keep reading your stuff, it was one thing that was familiar, you know? Reminded me of my old life, the outside world and all that. So I got my friend – actually, he was my old dealer, but he's my friend now, since I'm clean, I swear – to cut off the covers of the Nikki Heats and put it in other books – like a Bible and this self-help crap book – so I would be allowed to read it. And while I was ready them in there, I just kept thinking that this girl has it all together – she's got her whole life figured out." Rebecca paused to take a breath, squirming under Beckett's glare. "So I thought, when I get out, I have to meet this girl, because if I can be just like her, my life will be great. I'll get my act together. So… You know… Here we are."
A silence settled over the room as Castle and Beckett processed this information.
"That's a very nice story, Rebecca, and very flattering for both Castle and myself," Kate finally said, "But there's just one problem. You drugged me, entered my apartment, and stole my property."
Rebecca didn't move, staring down at her lap.
"You can emulate someone without stalking them, Rebecca," Castle chimed in, leaning forward. "Where did you get the drugs you used on Beckett?"
"A friend," the girl muttered.
"The same one who brought you the books? Your old dealer?"
The girl nodded, silent.
"Did he know what you were going to use them for?"
The girl shrugged, "Didn't ask. Just gave 'em to me when I got out. Said something about it being a 'welcome back' present. He said he hoped I used them to get the life I wanted or something… Second chances, you know the speech."
"How kind of him," Castle said sarcastically.
"Well, Rebecca," Beckett said as she closed the file and stood, a hint of finality on her tone. "I think we're done here. It's one thing to have role models, but you took it way too far. Ryan will be in here shortly to take you to processing."
Ignoring the girls' protests, Kate motioned for Castle to follow her. "And don't think for a second that you get to keep those clothes." She said over her shoulder as they exited together.
"Well, been one hell of a week so far, huh, Detective," Castle said, leaning back into the booth as he watched Beckett finish her slice of cheesecake. He had offered to take them out to dinner in celebration of closing the case – an intentional step up on his part from just going for drinks. She hadn't seemed to mind.
Putting the fork down on the now empty plate, Kate mirrored his posture and sunk down into the booth across from the writer, letting her body relax and temporarily closing her eyes. "Mmmm…" She agreed, rolling her head lightly from side to side. "Glad it's all over." She said quietly, not opening her eyes.
"You tired again? I thought you said that sleeping for 48 hours straight gave you all this excess energy."
The detective nodded, "Yeah, but it was just a burst – just a little adrenaline. I think the drugs are still in my system. I still feel a little off, you know? A little sluggish." She kept her eyes shut, burrowing deeper into the overstuffed booth. "The chief gave me tomorrow off in the wake of all this. I of course protested…" She paused, squinting one eye open to look at Castle.
"But not too much," he finished, smiling.
"Yeah," she agreed.
A moment passed between the two as Castle motioned for the bill and handing the waiter his card. "It's such a weird drug," Beckett commented thoughtfully, half-asleep. "It makes you feel so out of it and just kind of lingers… It'll be like this tomorrow, too."
Castle raised his eyebrow as she studied the bill, pulling out his pen. "Hopefully this knowledge comes from research and not the voice of experience," he commented, adding tip and signing his name on the receipt.
"Yeah, well," Beckett chuckled ruefully, "Just tell Alexis to always hold on to never look away from her drink at a bar."
Castle's eyes shot up, instantly alert. "What? Did you… Are you… When…" He stammered, terrified of what the detective may reveal next.
"Oh, no, no, nothing happened," Beckett said quickly, opening her eyes and sitting up, realizing what Castle had assumed. "I was out with some of my girlfriends from school – this was years ago – and a guy spiked one of their drinks. She had a boyfriend back home, and she really wasn't much of a drinker, but she was letting this guy just get all over her. So when it was time to leave, we kind of figured it out. We helped her get home and everyone was safe," she assured the writer who was breathing a visible sigh of relief. "Besides, the next day, I went back and kicked his ass," the detective concluded, smiling smugly as she closed her eyes and resumed her lounging.
Castle smiled widely, watching the detective's breaths begin to slow. "That's my girl," he said proudly.
He stood, grabbing his jacket and helped Beckett stand and into her jacket. "Time to go home," he said quietly, linking arms with the sleepy woman and helping them both into a cab. They made their way back to her apartment in silence, Beckett leaning against Castle's shoulder as she dozed.
As the cab approached Beckett's building, Castle motioned for the driver to pull over. "Here we are," he said quietly, nudging Kate out of her slumber and pulling her gently out of the car. "Could you hold it for a sec? I'll be right back," he said to the driver as he closed the door behind him.
Beckett shook herself awake momentarily when she realized where they were. "Thanks, Castle." She said quietly, straightening for a moment as they walked toward the lobby of her building.
"No problem, detective," Castle responded gallantly, making a small, humorous bow. "I've been there. Believe it or not, there have been times when I've been so dead tired I've actually fallen asleep in the middle of a meal."
Beckett widened her eyes in mock shock, "Say it isn't so!" She joked, running a hand through her hair. She paused before opening the door, turning to face him. "But I mean thanks not just for tonight. Thanks for everything – this whole week. I don't really remember much about that night when you and Esposito found me; it's mostly just a blur of feelings and sounds… But I do remember…" She trailed off for a moment, glancing momentarily at her feet as she took a breath, weighing her next words. "I do remember feeling safe because I knew you were there." She looked up at Castle, meeting his gaze. "So thank you. For that. For always making me feel safe, even when I shouldn't."
Castle looked at Beckett intensely, weighing his options. After a millisecond of considering all the things he should do, he realized none of them really mattered compared to the one thing he wanted to do. Slowly, he stepped forward and brought one hand to the side of her face, brushing her hair out of the way. He leaned forward, watching the detective close her eyes and lean into him. Castle closed his eyes in turn, holding his breath…
A loud shot rang out.
Beckett immediately stiffened and pulled Castle to the ground. "Down!" She shouted, reaching for her gun. Another shot was fired and the glass door behind the couple shattered. Castle squeezed his eyes shut, stupidly trying to protect his head with his hands. Beside him, he felt Kate's arms shake as she fired rapid shots in the direction of the shooter.
"Castle, behind the plant! MOVE!" She shouted, pulling the writer up on his feet and shoving him in the direction of a large potted plant at the entrance of the building. Castle quickly dove behind the large pot, crouching behind it as best as he could for protection. He peered around the edge of his hiding spot, watching Beckett press herself to the side of the building, quickly moving around corners in the direction of the shooter, gun drawn. "Call for help!" She shouted in Castle's direction.
Another shot rang out, then two more in quick succession. Castle ducked all the way behind the plant again, pulling out his phone and hitting Esposito on speed dial.
As he waited through the ringing for the cop to pick up, the night fell suddenly silent, the echo of the last shot fired ringing in his ears. "Esposito," the cop answered.
"Yeah – we need help, there's someone shooting at us," Castle said quickly into the phone, straining to see into the sidewalk in front of the building not touched by streetlight. Beckett was always good at hiding in shadows in situations like this, and he couldn't find her. "I'm at Beckett's building. I think she shot the guy because there hasn't been anymore gunfire, but I can't see her."
"Got it, bro," Esposito answered, his voice snapping into military mode. "Be there soon. See if you can find Beckett, but stay hidden. Leave your phone on– I want to be able to hear what's going on."
"K," Castle agreed, locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket. He was starting to become concerned he couldn't see Beckett. "Kate?" He called softly, his eyes scanning the side of the building he had last seen her. "Kate!" He called louder, switching his search the sidewalk in front of her building. He paused his frantic search when something caught his eye – something dark was starting to ooze down the sidewalk into his view.
"Oh, God," Castle said quietly, standing and rushing to the corner.
"Castle! Don't expose your position! Hide!" He heard Esposito's tiny voice order from his pocket.
Ignoring the cop, Castle reached the corner, only to freeze.
There, slumped against the side of the building, was Kate Beckett, a gunshot wound in her stomach slowly creating a pool of blood at her feet.
