Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters. I simply borrow them for my own enjoyment.
Notes: Thank you all for the continued words of encouragement. Sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!
The door knob clicked shut behind the would-be detective.
"Did you get the package?" A young man hidden by the shadows in his office asked from behind a desk. The thick blinds at his back allowed almost no sunlight into the space.
"I got the logs and any video footage, yes." Another man responded as he threw the merchandise on the desk. "They won't stop digging. I know they won't. Trust me, no matter how many roadblocks we throw at them, eventually they will get to the bottom of it all."
A fist slammed down on the desk so violently that the man ceased to speak. "Then I will leave it up to you to ensure that never happens." The young man's voice was cold and unwavering.
The man shook his head frustrated. "You have no idea what that will take, how far we might have to go."
"Then…" the young man paused to stand and walk towards his whiskey collection in a corner of the room. "…do whatever you must." He finished as he poured himself some of the drink. "Don't fail me, Alan. Remember what's at stake, and who brought you here."
"Then might I suggest you be a bit more careful next time." Alan responded as he straightened his gun holster. "I could have sent some one else to recruit men for us. We don't need you going out there and exposing yourself because you don't trust anyone to do the work for you."
A small chuckle sounded in the darkness. "Thank you for the advice." The young man responded as he made his way back to his desk with a glass tumbler in hand. "Now please, go make sure that pretty little detective stays away from my business. And if I may make a suggestion myself, stay in the shadows. If she sees you, then it's all downhill from there." He sat down with a wave of his hand to excuse Alan from his office.
Beckett continued to drive as Castle held her hand. Her eyes were glued to the road, but the way she squinted alerted him that she was deep in thought, and not about the moving lane stripes before them.
"Penny for your thoughts." He opened with hopes that she would respond.
A small smile split across her face, and he allowed himself to loosen up. "Sorry." She replied. "I'm just trying to understand what the hell is going on." She squeezed his hand. "Whoever is behind all of this has quick reinforcements. Espo and Ryan were just there last night, and already this morning possible evidence is wiped out." Castle shook his head disappointedly. "Someone is watching all of this very closely, and they are cleaning up after themselves to make sure we don't get very far."
"Do you think the call that came in to the station last night came from whoever is behind this?" Castle asked her with a sideways glance.
Kate shrugged. "Possibly. Maybe they were there when the guys went in to ask questions, and they called to warn us to stop. Seems desperate though. That would be a last resort for someone running such an elaborate scheme."
He dropped her hand to shift his body. Looking more directly at her, "The person who called knows you, Kate. He called you Beckett. Beckett…not detective. We can have someone analyze the voice behind the synthesizer, and then perhaps we find out who called you and whose side they are on."
Kate nodded hopefully at him and smiled. "Know a guy?" She asked.
"I know a guy." He nodded with a grin.
Kate looked around cautiously as Castle opened the steel door for her. Behind it was a dimly lit room whose walls were covered from top to bottom in newspaper, magazine, and internet printed clippings. It was like something out of a television show.
"Rick!" A balding man with thick glasses approached them. "You still remember your access code?" He smiled at him as he approached the pair.
Castle opened his arms to hug the man. "I could never forget that access code, Matt. Never." He grinned.
The men shared nerdy grins before Matt turned towards Beckett. "And this beautiful lady is?" He fixed his glasses by pushing up at them in the middle.
"Matt, this is Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD." Castle motioned to her with his hand. "My wife."
Neither Beckett nor Castle missed the look of awe that was plastered on Matt's face. "Wow. Where did I go wrong?" He smiled as he took her hand in his to kiss her knuckles. "They didn't make them like you when I was his age, Detective. Most women steered clear of my devilish charms."
Beckett smiled at the entire exchange. She was right. Straight out of a television show. Something about where the nerds congregated to talk conspiracies…a la Lone Gunmen. She laughed inwardly at her joke. "I tried my best with him, but somehow here I am." She teased as she looked sideways at Castle who was smiling from ear to ear.
"It's a pleasure." Matt finished as he released her hand. Beckett nodded in response. "So what can I do for you, Ricky?" The man faced Castle.
Castle walked over to the man's work table where a bright light illuminated refurbished computer parts and a soldering gun. "Remember when you helped me iron out some details about voice synthesizers for a Derrick Storm novel?" Matt nodded curiously as he walked to the table. Beckett quickly handed Castle her phone. "Got another project." He waved the phone at the man.
Taking the mobile eagerly from Castle, Matt sat at his work stool. "What do you have for me?" He stared at the black screen.
"A voice message. Someone used a synthesizer to distort the voice. Came in to the precinct where we work. We were wondering if you could help analyze it, maybe clean it up enough for us to ID the person behind the call." Castle responded.
Matt nodded as he handed Beckett the phone. "I can do it myself, but I'd rather not pry. Might scare you off. Wouldn't want that." He smiled at her. She caught on to what he was referring to and swiftly unlocked the phone for him before she handed it back to him.
Beckett observed the man interestedly. He was extremely brainy, and his age did nothing to hinder his knowledge about modern day technology and iPhones. She continued to watch alongside Castle as he opened background apps she had no idea existed.
Soon he had her phone wired to a computer on his table as he transferred files out and into his hard drive. "This might take me some time." He readjusted his glasses as he looked up at the twosome. "I am exporting the voicemail message along with its background files so you may keep your phone while I work." He paused as the phone lit up and beeped. "I can call you guys as soon as I have something, unless you guys care to accompany me for a few hours while I work on this." He smiled at Beckett.
Castle shook his head with a smile. "We'd love to stay, Matt, but we have plans. The lady owes me dinner." He flashed Beckett his boyish grin.
"Lucky you, kid." Matt replied with a shake of his head. "Don't let me entertain you then. Get out of here. I will call you as soon as I crack something on this puppy."
Both Castle and Beckett smiled at the older man before they turned around and began to walk towards the door.
"So what's your password, Castle?" Beckett asked as she got into the passenger seat.
Castle flashed her a foolish grin. "TrustNo1." He replied with a wink. She could not help the laugh that bubbled to the surface. Her husband would never change, and she loved it.
"Nice one, Mulder." She laughed as they drove off.
After much coaxing from Castle, Beckett had agreed to share a quiet night out with him.
They ate a comfortable dinner at Le Bernardin, discussing only topics that had no relation to work.
It was all a welcomed change of pace. And for however long they could enjoy it-they would, because it was far too easy to forget what peace and quiet felt like in their line of work.
Beckett smiled as she listened intently to Castle's rant about light sabers and the newest installment of Star Wars as they waited for the check. His eyes glimmered with the light from the centerpiece. "It really is a great idea, but if you can't get a lightsaber, I completely understand." He finally finished with a grin. "I know you might not have the pull that I do." He teased.
She fought against the urge to kick his shin under the table, and opted for a mock glare instead. "I can always return what I did manage to get for you. But I am certain you would regret that." She shot back and smiled victoriously as he frowned back.
Not much longer after that, they waited hand in hand curbside as a young valet drove up with Castle's car. "Here you go, ma'am." He walked around quickly to open the door for Beckett. "Sir, this was on your windshield." He handed Castle a manila envelope.
Castle accepted the package curiously while he handed the young man a tip. "Thank you." He responded and walked around to get in the driver's seat.
"What is it?" Beckett asked him anxiously.
His hands worked swiftly to tear open the envelope. "Looks like a note is taped inside." He eyed her before looking inside warily. Once he was satisfied that it would not pose any danger, he pulled a folded piece of paper out.
"We are watching you." Kate read out loud before she locked eyes with Castle.
…
How was that? Getting closer and closer to seeing who is behind all of this. ;-)
Also, getting closer to Castle Monday! Next week. Who's ready?
I decided to throw in a small treat for all of us X-Files fans with the references to Frohike and the Lone Gunmen. Hoped you all liked that. See you next week.