Chapter Seven
It had been the first night since the incident that she couldn't get to sleep. She had been having dreamless sleep and nightmares in the hospital and the first night at Castle's. This time, however, she tossed and turned over the missing piece in the Dempsey puzzle. She left the comfort of her bedroom, got dressed and made herself some tea. She made herself a mental note about buying more coffee, settled down on her couch and pulled up the case file she picked up at the precinct on the way home from the Castle's.
His obsession with Castle and most of all Derrick Storm caused him to imagine that he was Derrick Storm. He thought his life had mirrored the fictional Storm's. He had tested out the waters years before, they just had never connected him to those cases. But the signature was the same. Fake bomb threats to test out his own team's response compared to his own escape, and how to time it perfectly so he would never be suspected. It was all here.
And it seemed to have begun four years ago. What happened four years ago?
Clipping her badge and gun to her belt, she picked up her keys and helmet to the motorbike and ran out. She needed to ride and clear her head.
Four years ago was when she first officially met the famed writer. Four years of him tailing her like a puppy; when he started provoking her to elicit a response that would ultimately appear in his first Nikki Heat novel. She remembered the small shiver that went up her spine when he gave her a kiss goodbye when they thought that their first case was over. Four years was when the life she thought she had was over, with him shoving her from behind into the limelight that she never wanted; towards him, she grew feelings for without her realizing it. Four years when he ended Derrick Storm and began- she stopped mid thought and her bike screeched to a halt and she turned around uptown, and accelerated.
It was Castle. Why am I so stupid... Why did I leave him alone?
Castle was the target all along. She dialed the number to his tail but received no answer. Dempsey must have thought that Castle would do what he always did and followed her to the scene. If he had been with her, it would have put him in the direction of the pounds of steel shrapnel, pinning him down and killing him. The cryptic messages were to test him, to prove that he was smarter than Castle was. She swallowed that fear in her throat and revved up the bike even more. She had to get to him.
The light at his apartment was still on. The officers stationed at his building were nowhere to be found. She slid her bike onto the sidewalk. She couldn't lose him. What was she going to tell Alexis? She promised her she would take care of her father. She was around her age when she lost her mother to violence; she wasn't about to let another girl go through the same thing. What was she going to do without him? She would never forgive herself if something had happened to him. She quickened her stride and showed her badge to the security in the lobby.
"This man. Have you seen him?" she pushed Dempsey's mugshot at the young guard. When he nodded, she told him to get everyone out of the building. "This is Det. Kate Beckett, 41319 officer off duty requesting backup at 32 Liberty, Apartment 603. 10-13 in progress."
As the elevator door closed, she readied herself for what was to come. She had left the flak jacket in the car at the precinct, but it would have felt like it was suffocating her anyways, impeding her ability to do her job. She checked the magazine again and the chamber of her Glock. The door creaked open.
It was silent. Moonlight streamed in casting shadows on the burgundy carpets below her feet. There was evidence of tampering on the lock on Castle's door. Well this is new. She prayed that she would find him safe in the comfort of his study, snoring away in front of his laptop and she would capture Dempsey before he got to him. But she knew the chances where slim. Slowly, she eased through the front door.
She could see him through his bookshelves.
Male. Early 30s. No clear shot. She would have to move closer. His back was turned and when he moved, she saw him. Castle was groaning from a head wound, disoriented and once again duct taped. Beckett drew in a breath when she saw it.
Castle was wearing a bomb.
She pulled out her cell, dialed and tucked it into her back pocket. She drew closer to his study to get a closer look. He seemed bulky in the police uniform, possibly wearing a flak jacket like she should had been. He was methodical and he certainly knew how to shoot.
"Cal Dempsey, drop your weapon."
"Ah. Detective." He looked her up and down. Dempsey aimed his gun at her chest. "My my, not what I was expecting to find tonight but 2 for the price of 1 isn't the worst thing in the world. I was going to come find you after I finished off this hack writer. And here you thought you got rid of me. But I see from that board over there that you just couldn't let go. Why Detective Beckett, did you miss me?"
"You okay Castle?" she said without looking away from the mad man.
"As okay as I can be with a bomb strapped to my waist."
"A gun and a bomb Dempsey? Isn't that a little overkill even for you?" Beckett ran through the scenarios in her head. "Unless you're afraid your bomb is a little less than perfect and fail to detonate, because as you know, you have a tendency of making them a little… shall we say… flawed." She was farther away than she had wanted to be. His see through bookshelves were still between the two of them. Papers were everywhere and his study was completely trashed.
Castle must have fought back. He swallowed the blood that was gathering in his mouth from his cut cheek. He stared at the Detective, trying to will her not to do something crazy. But knowing Beckett as he did, she would never forgive herself if she didn't. She knew the risks, she was there after all, but that didn't make him any less concerned. She had that look in her eye. She was already finding avenues out of this godforsaken mess that he had inadvertently gotten them into. That was Beckett. Always rescuing him from distress.
"Oh Dempsey, you think you're so special don't you?" she spat out, baiting him and gave him a smile that never reached her eyes, "well look at what happened. He killed you off and he has a new lead now."
"Not for long." Dempsey cocked the gun he was holding.
"Oh please, you're no Derrick Storm. The only reason why you were on the bomb squad was because you just aren't smart enough to figure out the difference apples and oranges to be a real investigator. Hell, you don't even have the guts to build real bombs. At least then you'd make a statement. So do the world a favour and stop embarrassing yourself." come on Dempsey, drop the detonator... She gritted her teeth and gripped her gun.
"You are dead wrong detective Beckett. I figured out those two uniforms outside didn't I? They were so easy to take down... So would you like to go first Mr. Castle," he gestured towards the downtrodden author "Or maybe you first Detective, since you're the one who is holding the gun at me. But we could always use the third door and blow everyone up. I'm leaning towards door three. Because, Detective Beckett, they told me you like the weird ones. Wouldn't that be so interesting? Shooting a cop and blowing up the famous Richard Castle's apartment all to avenge the death of Derrick Storm…"
"Unfortunately, that's been done and we even caught the guy so you are so far from original." She gave him a smirk "How sad is that if what you're doing isn't even that special. What more do you have to live for now? So ordinary that you make me bored just by looking at you."
He was shaking with anger. The grip on his gun grew so tight that his knuckles were turning white. His other hand, however, was beginning to loosen its hold. Her brain went into overdrive. 9mm, semi automatic, could pull off several shots in the matter of seconds. His other hand, held what looked like a dead man's switch. Then she had no choice.
His finger squeezed the trigger, as if in slow motion and she responded. As the sound ricocheted and echoed in the apartment, the fugitive and the detective both crumpled to the ground.
Castle recoiled against the shot, trying to make himself as small as possible and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Dempsey was on the ground, hit cleanly on his forehead, his eyes lifeless as he stared into the abyss. The detonator untouched. Beckett was an excellent shot. He looked up expecting the intrepid investigator striding in with her gun in tow but she never came. "Kate!" He shouted, spitting out blood again. Oh my god they killed each other. Castle panicked, straining against his bonds.
What he didn't expect was her boss busting in through the door. The captain, flanked with a team of officers went in with guns drawn when he had heard the shot. They found the Detective collapsed in the center of Castle's living room. Montgomery came towards him and tore the duct tape off of the famed author. Castle started towards his partner until Montgomery pushed him down and ordered him to stay. The captain was saying something to him but it didn't register. He tried to get up again and once again, the captain pushed him down.
"Castle, we are taking care of her. You have C4 strapped to your chest I need to get it off of you before you go anywhere." the older man looked into his eyes and gripped his jaw, making sure he understood the severity of the situation. "I have people taking care of Beckett. I need to take care of you now. Stay. Put."
"He… Kate had to…" he stammered
"I know Castle, I heard. Beckett called me before she started insulting the bastard. Now stay put."
He gave a small nod as the tech waved away the rest of the crew, leaving him alone with him. Castle stared at the open study door for a glimpse of his partner, while he disarmed the bomb quickly as if it was just another day at the office.
A team of paramedics with gurney rushed past his study and he felt the panic rise again. That sinking feeling was back with a vengeance. Then minutes later there she was, as if in slow motion. Blood was dripping off of her onto his wood floors. She had on an oxygen mask and a paramedic held up a bag hooked to an IV. They hurried out of his door and out of sight. Montgomery went with them for an update on Beckett.
When the bomb tech had determined that the bomb was no longer hot, Castle bolted out the door. He dodged the officers that lined the hallway, blowing by the Medical Examiner.
"Castle-" The doors to the elevator closed as she started her sentence. The look of sheer terror was in his eyes, determined to get to his partner.
