Chapter 7:

Lost & Found

Three days passed and Robert Sharp's case ran cold. Ryan never showed to give his testimony and without it, they had nothing to run with. Actually, Ryan hadn't been seen at all. Esposito put out a BOLO on him but even that ran dry. Beckett hated leaving a case unsolved but after the days passed with nothing to show for, Gates ordered it shut.

But Esposito didn't need more evidence, he knew exactly who was behind it all. Daniel Warrek. But when he tried to pursue him, Gates put a stop to it. She warned him that if he went anywhere near Warrek without enough evidence it would be a threat to his job. But without Ryan he didn't have any evidence. Esposito, of course, kicked up a fuss anyway. He made a scene in front of the entire department and Gates put a stop to that too. Javier took time off after his short suspension and devoted all his new free time to finding Ryan.

"Hey." Esposito nudged the boot of a homeless man sitting in a quiet corner of the crumbling old parking garage. The secluded building was well known for its tendency to attract outcast crowds. Noise of other loiterers echoed off the cement walls. Espo tried his best to ignore the group of addicts lighting up over in the corner. Javier loathed the idea of possibly finding Ryan in a place like this but he was running out of options. He'd gone against orders and paid a visit to Warrek's office building, in secret of course, and found nothing. He'd even called in every favor he had to track Kevin down. But no one had seen him since leaving the precinct. He was getting desperate. Which is probably why he had resorted to coming here.

The old man stirred, grumbled something and ignored him. "Hey!" He repeated louder and then scolded himself when it caught the attention of others in the garage. He had done his best not to look like a cop, hiding his badge and gun under an old, oversized hoodie.

"What'd ya want?" The man grumbled in irritation.

Esposito held a picture out, Kevin's smirking face and bright eyes looked out. "Have you seen this man around?" He questioned gruffly.

"Nope, never seen him." The man turned and tried to fall back to sleep.

Javier grabbed his shoulder and flipped him back. "You didn't even look." He snapped, shoving the picture closer.

His grip tightened on the man's arm. "Okay, okay. Easy man." He looked the photo over. "Uh… yeah, yeah I guess he does look sort of familiar."

Javier's heart jumped. "Have you seen him recently?" He asked, trying to mask the excitement.

He thought slowly. "No, not recently, hasn't been around in a few weeks, but he shows up from time to time, heads upstairs usually." He pointed a dirty finger toward the steps.

"What's upstairs?"

The man chuckled, looking him over. "Nothing a good officer of the law like yourself would want to get mixed up in."

Esposito stiffened. "Wh-what? I'm not… how did you know?"

"People around here know a cop when they see one. You're best to stay away."

Javier tucked Kevin's picture away, checking to make sure his weapon was in place and at the ready. "Thanks for the warning, but I've got something to deal with first." He headed straight for the stairs. Just as he had his foot on the first step his phone buzzed in his pocket. Castle's face lit up the screen, Javier let out a loud groan and reluctantly answered it. "What do you want Castle?"

"And hello to you too Detective Esposito." Rick said, a smirk in his voice. "Enjoying your time off?"

He glanced around, doing his best to ignore the numerous laws being broken around him. "Yeah, having a real good time. What do you want?"

"Alexis and I have something to show you. Can you stop by my place?"

"A little busy right now. I'll stop by later."

"What's the matter Espo? To busy lounging around in you pajamas? Or are you doing something that you shouldn't be? Anything Beckett wouldn't like to hear about? Like going to Warrek's place again?"

"How did you know about that?"

"They caught you on security. They called the precinct." Javier swore under his breath. "Gates is out for blood, you better step lightly from now on."

"I know what I'm doing Castle." He glanced up the stairs. "I've just got to find him."

"I know." The writer's voice was solemn. "But… Look, before you do anything stupid, just come here. We've got something to show you… please."

Esposito sighed. "Okay, I'll be there in a few."

"He said he's coming!" Castle yelled excitedly. He could hear Alexis' victory shouts and couldn't help but smile. "Okay, see you soon and if you could pick up something to eat that would be great, we're starving." The phone went silent and Javier rolled his eyes. Why was he in charge of lunch? He dropped off the step, but thought twice. What if Ryan was up there doing something stupid? He couldn't just walk away. Castle would just have to wait a little bit longer. He took the stairs quickly and dove head first into the darkness in search of Kevin.

Javier knocked at the door and waited. There was no response so he tried again. Finally one of Kevin's sisters answered. "Um, hi." He greeted awkwardly. "Kevin hasn't been in school for the past few days and I was… well I was worried. Is he okay?"

The girl smiled warmly, "That's nice of you Javier." She pointed a hand in the direction of Kevin's room. "You can go see him for yourself."

He padded lightly to the room and paused at the door, afraid of what he might find on the other side. Kevin never missed school. Was he in trouble? Had his parents found out about the party? Did they condemn him to his room forever? Slowly he pushed the door open and slipped inside.

The room was dark, the curtains were drawn and barely let in enough light to make out a lump of covers on the far side of the bed. "Kevin?" Javier questioned.

Life stirred under blankets with a small groan. "Javi?" A weak voice questioned. Kevin pulled down a small portion of the covers to squint at his friend. "What are you doing here?"

His face was pale and dark shadows rimmed his eyes, he let out a cough and groaned again. Kevin was just sick. Javier let out a sigh of relief. "You weren't at school for the past few days and I haven't heard from you."

Kevin grinned. "Were you worried?" He chuckled, making himself cough again.

"No!" He snapped. "I just haven't had anyone to let me copy their homework. My grades are really slipping man." Kevin rolled over to face him fully and pulled the blankets down further. His hair was matted and his nose was bright red. Javi grimaced. "Dude, you look like shit."

"Thanks bro, glad you're here to point out the obvious. What would I do without you?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He sniffled. "Just a cold. But when I get sick, I don't just get a little sick. It usually hits me like a train before dragging me through the mud and spitting me out the other side."

"Hm, sounds like fun."

"Oh it is." He sneezed and blew his nose with several tissues. They joined the many others that were taking over the floor. Javier maneuvered the little snot bombs and sat on the edge of the bed. "I think I got it when we had to wait for the bus in the cold after that party. It just took a while to get to me. I wouldn't get to close bro."

Javier waved a hand. "I'm fine. I've got an excellent immune system." He almost never got sick. "So how long do you think you'll be out?"

"Hopefully no more than a week, why?"

He shrugged. Because he kind of missed having him around at school, but he couldn't tell him that. "Because we still have to plan our revenge against quarter back Henry and his gang."

"Have they been bothering you?"

"No more than usual. Nothing I can't handle."

The room fell into a comfortable silence and for a moment Javier thought Kevin had fallen back to sleep. "So have you heard from Daniel Warrek yet?" Kevin asked quietly.

Javi shook his head. "No, nothing. I doubt I will. I don't think he was all that impressed with me. Guess I'll just have to get a real job."

"Oh the horror." Kevin said flatly, making them both smile.

"Hey, were you serious about that police academy thing? Do you really think I could do that?"

Kevin stared blankly at him. "You really want to?"

Javier shrugged. "Well, I did have fun on that ride along thing and I'll admit, what those cops do is pretty cool. I might be able to see myself doing that one day."

Kevin sat up and grinned. "Really? You're really considering it?"

He held up his hands when blue eyes watched him like an eager puppy. "Calm down, it's just a thought. I'm just trying to keep my options open."

The puppy eyes grew tired and Kevin leaned back into his pillows. "Okay, that's fair. I'll take what I can get. I'll get you all the information when I'm feeling better." Kevin coughed and sniffled into some more tissues.

Javier grimaced and scooted back on the bed. "You sound nasty man, are you sure you're not dying?"

He pulled the blankets tighter around his shoulders and groaned. "I think I might be."

"Well if you do die, can I have your comic books?"

Kevin's laughter quickly turned to a fit of coughs. "Thanks man, it almost feels like you care."

"Well I do but you have a pretty good collection and I wouldn't want to miss out on that." They talked for another hour until Kevin's mom came in with a glass of juice and ordered her son to get some sleep. She left and Javier grinned. "Momma's little baby boy better get some sleep." He joked, pinching his cheek. Kevin batted him away. "But seriously man, you better get back on your feet soon. School has been boring as hell without you."

Kevin chuckled. "Sound like you miss me after all."

"I do not!" He shot back in defense. "Like I said, my grades are slipping that's all, and… and so what, if I miss… having you around, just a little. Everyone else is annoying and you're… well, you're the least annoying."

"Thanks. Well I'll try my best to get better so your grades don't suffer too much."

Javier nodded and stood. "Good." He made his way back through the minefield. "See you at school bro."

But when Kevin returned a few days later as promised, his friend wasn't at school to greet him. Javier was out for a week after Kevin got better… due to a cold of his own. Kevin showed up in his bedroom the next day with a bowl of soup, carton of orange juice, and a smug grin. "'Excellent immune system' my ass." He laughed when Javier groaned and pulled the blankets over his head.

Castel paced the loft nervously. "Dad you need to relax." Alexis said from the couch.

"Esposito should have been here by now." He snapped. "He was doing something he shouldn't have I'm sure of it."

Alexis lowered the book in her hands. "He's a pretty tough guy, a lot tougher than you, he can probably handle it."

Castle stopped his pacing. "You think he's tougher than me? You're supposed to be on my side."

She chuckled. "I am on your side but I'm also on the side of facts. And the fact is he could kick your ass any day."

The writer scowled but he couldn't really argue, it was true. "Maybe I should call Beckett." He pulled out his phone and was ready to hit the call button when a knock sounded at the door. Castle ran to get it with Alexis close behind. She had been worried after all. He pulled it open to a rather disheveled looking Detective. "Espo? What happened?"

Javier limped into the apartment and collapsed onto the couch. His clothes were torn and dirty. Alexis ran to get an icepack for a bruise that was blossoming on the right side of his jaw. He accepted it from her gratefully and didn't explain himself until he had it pressed against his face. "I went down to this abandoned parking garage that's known for its community of druggies in hopes of finding Ryan."

Castle's eyebrows knitted together. "And?"

Esposito sighed. "He wasn't there but they did recognize him."

"Did you get in a fight?" Alexis asked as she came back with a few bandages for the cuts on his hands.

"Well, when I flashed his picture and started asking questions they asked if I was a cop. I told them no, that I was just a friend of Kevin's." He shook his head. "I think it would have been better to tell them I was a cop. Apparently Kevin hasn't been around there in a while because he scammed several of its occupants out of money, promising drugs that they never received."

Castle cringed. "So they tried to get the money out of you instead."

Javier nodded. "Yeah, six of them came at me at once. I barely got out of there alive." He lowered the ice pack. "But at least that's one less place to look."

"You shouldn't go somewhere like that alone." Alexis scolded. "You should take Detective Beckett with you."

"She's too busy at work without me there. Besides I have this under control."

Castle pulled at a piece of Javier's torn sweatshirt. "Yeah it really looks like it. You don't have to do this alone Espo, we want Ryan back too." He grinned. "I don't know if you noticed but we kind of like the guy."

Esposito smiled but shook his head. "I can't ask you guys to get in the middle of this."

Alexis grinned from ear to ear. "That's the beauty of it Javier, you don't have to ask. Right?" Castle nodded in agreement. She grabbed Esposito's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, we have a surprise to show you." She pulled him into the office.

Castle beat them to the room and stood beside his smart board that held the outline to his next book. A new character had been added to the outline, a young, blue-eyed Irishman. But that wasn't what he wanted to show Esposito. "Okay, what is it?" The Hispanic sighed, leaning against his desk.

Castle minimized his book outline and brought up a new diagram. Ryan's face sat dead center with several arms branching away from it. Esposito straightened and looked the chart over. It outlined Ryan's case perfectly, from the beginning, with Sharp's murder, to losing him to Warrek and everything in between. "Wow Castle this is pretty good." The writer puffed out his chest in pride. "A lot better than the little cork board I have at home."

"We were up all night working on it." Alexis touched Warrek's face and it zoomed in on him and a list of items involving him. "We also did our research."

"Warrek isn't as squeaky clean as he would like us to believe." Castle pointed down the list. "He's been to court several times over the years for lawsuits against him. But he's got so many lawyers backing him up that not one of them has landed."

"What kind of lawsuits?"

"Fraud mostly." Alexis answered. "Some embezzlement, defacement of character, he even has one murder charge from almost ten years ago that he had settled and buried. I don't like him, he's sketchy."

"You have no idea. When I was younger he was just getting started and he would have done anything to reach the top. He was determined and ambitious." He sighed. "And I would have followed him if it wasn't for Ryan."

Castle tapped the screen and it went back to the main chart. "And then there's McCray." There was no photo for him and when the writer tapped it, there was only one line of information below it. He was Warrek's bodyguard. That was all they knew. "We couldn't find much on him."

"I used the police databank before Gates kicked me out." Javier began reciting the information from memory. "His name is Martin McCray. He's an immigrant from Scotland. Moved here when he was only fifteen. He's got a pretty good record, burglary, arson, numerous assault charges, you name it he's done it. But it all came to a halt about twenty years ago, I assume that's when Warrek recruited him. But that's all I got." Castle quickly added the information in and grinned at the results. "I can't believe you did all this."

"Beckett was here for a little while helping out." Castle added. "She wanted to show you too but work got in the way. She's doing her best to keep her eyes open from the inside." He winked as if she was some kind of reconnaissance mission.

Esposito smiled, and all the work they'd put into the board became worth it. "Thanks guys… this means a lot."

Alexis hugged him. "With all our heads put together we're sure to find Ryan now. So what's our next step? Where are we going to look?"

"I really didn't think I'd find Ryan at that parking garage. I think Warrek did something with him." Esposito's fists clenched. "I just don't know what." He tapped on an icon that held all of the building's Daniel owned.

"Is it possible he really is working for Warrek?" Alexis questioned. "I mean, I know you don't like the guy but maybe he was telling the truth."

Javier shook his head. "I don't believe that story. You didn't see Ryan. He was reciting the words like Warrek was behind him pulling the strings. He's got a hold on him and I intend to break it." Alexis didn't question it further. There was no one alive that would dare question it with the look that had crossed the detective's face.

"We should start by talking to employees at Warrek's company." Castle reasoned. "Maybe we could find someone like Samuel Brent, someone involved with both the company and the drugs. One of them might have seen Ryan."

Alexis grinned. "And you're not technically going after Warrek so you're not technically breaking Gates' rules."

"Yeah that's not a bad idea." Javier looked the board over again. "I just want Ryan back. He was safe here."

"You mean he was safe with you." Alexis laughed when the detective scowled.

"Well, he's safer with me than he is with Warrek." He grumbled.

Castle started a long ramble about how they would properly infiltrate the company's security filters without being seen, it closely resembled that of a scene from Mission Impossible. Relief washed over Javier when his phone buzzed. He held up a hand, silencing the imaginative writer. "Hello." He answered quickly once he recognized the number. "Really?" He cried suddenly. "Where!?" He grabbed a pen and wrote an address down on his hand, hanging up without another word. "Got him!" He shouted excitedly.

Castle bounced on his toes. "Ryan?" Esposito gave a firm nod and headed for the door. "How?" Rick questioned, following him closely.

"I pulled a lot of favors and put out eyes from every informant I had. That was one of them and he spotted someone matching Ryan's description perfectly."

"Awesome, where are we going?"

Javier pulled to a stop halfway out the door. "Oh no." He grumbled. "You two are not coming with me. It's in a part of town almost as bad as the parking garage, it's too dangerous."

"I don't care, I'm coming." Castle said firmly. "You're not the only one worried about Ryan. Come on, we're wasting time… wait, two of us?" He looked to his side to see his daughter pulling on her jacket. "Alexis? Alexis! You are not coming with us."

The red head straightened. "Of course I am. You two aren't the only one worried about Ryan." She said with a smirk, using his own words against him. "Now come on boys, we're wasting time." She stepped into the elevator ahead of them and waited.

"Annoying when it happens to you, isn't it?" Esposito smirked and loaded the elevator beside the stubborn girl.

Javier pulled the car to a stop on the safest side of the street he could find before jumping out and racing to the alleyway. He heard his two tagalongs follow, Castle was trying to convince Alexis to wait in the car, but she, of course, would not. He'd changed quickly out of his dirty hoodie and back into his leather jacket, looping his badge on the chain around his neck. If he couldn't hide the fact that he was a cop then he would flaunt it instead. Everyone here would know he was a cop and would be sure to answer his questions the first time he asked. "Ryan was spotted going down this alleyway about half an hour ago." He said as soon as Castle and his daughter caught up. "He was wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans. Now this place is a known meeting spot for shady deals. Anyone we run into down here could be here for a number of dangerous reasons. Another reason why neither of you should be here."

"We're not leaving." Alexis said firmly.

"Fine, I don't have time to argue. Just stay close… both of you." They both gave him a thumbs up and they moved into the alley. The thin alley hooked back around to a small open square, sandwiched and hidden between the buildings. Which is why it made a good meeting place, out of the view of prying eyes. The courtyard was dirty and smelled of trash, mostly because of the three large trash bins on the far side at the back of two restaurants. The scent of old discarded food hit their noses hard.

Alexis moved closer to her father. "I hope Ryan isn't here." She said sadly as her eyes landed on a man rooting through the dumpsters. "I'd rather find him somewhere nicer."

Esposito honed in on a group of men huddled together in the corner, passing a bottle of brown liquid between them. They laughed up until Javier caught their attention. Their eyes immediately landed on his badge and they scattered like cockroaches in daylight. The detective caught one of them by the arm and shoved a photo in his face. "I'm not looking to get anyone in trouble, I'm just looking for him." He said in his best cop voice.

Javier was forced to ignore the fact that the boy couldn't have been old enough to even be out of high school and waited for an answer. It came in the form of a finger jabbed in the direction of the dumpsters before he wiggled out of the detectives grip and vanished over the fence on the far end.

Their eyes fell in the direction indicated but the only person they saw was the man looking for a meal in the dumpsters. It wasn't until he slid out of the trash, wincing as he landed with a styrofoam container in hand, that they realized the short and thin hooded figure matched who they were looking for. And it wasn't until he pulled back his dirty jacket's hood and sniffed the contents of the container to see if they were acceptable enough to eat, that they realized it was exactly who they were looking for.

If the fact that Ryan was filthy and rooting through a trash for something to eat wasn't bad enough, his current state was enough to leave Javier angry enough to track Warrek down in that very moment and murder him on the spot. His left eye was bruised badly and looked as if it was recovering from being swollen shut. He had another bruise on his left jaw and long cut on his lip. A deep gash on his forehead had been left unattended and was sure to be infected with the amount of dirt that covered it. But what made Javier certain that Warrek and McCray were involved was the dark rope burn that circled his neck like a noose. Ryan hadn't just been in a fight, he'd been tortured.