A/N: This is a shorter chapter, but the next one will be much longer. We are now headed for the nitty gritty of solving this case once and for all. Thanks again to those who are following this story.
Disclaimer: Castle is still not mine.
Chapter 7
Taking in a breath of fresh air, he exited the coffee house with one coffee in each hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an oddly familiar black car. He began to squint as the suns rays gradually made the reflection off the car become brighter. His eyes started to water but he couldn't make himself look away. A bullet shot ripped through the air, ringing through his ears. Screams around him were deafening. His body tensed up, his eyes pressed tightly together, his hands getting hotter as he squeezed the paper coffee cups tighter. And suddenly—quiet. Too quiet.
Just as his eyes were beginning to feel relief from the burning, he saw a long-haired brunette, lying face down on the sidewalk next to him. He knelt down, putting down the contents within his hands, and cautiously turned the woman over by her shoulder. "Kate?" he gasped. "Kate! God no, Kate!"
Suddenly he felt a hand jerk on his shoulder. "Dad! Dad wake up! Dad?"
Richard Castle's eyelids jerked open. The bright lights of the hospital room blinded him briefly as he got his bearings on where he was. "Dad. It's ok. It was just a dream."
Rick swallowed hard, putting his hand over his rapidly beating heart. Beads of sweat glistened by his hairline and on his neck. Noticing Alexis's worried expression, he smiled, "No I know, Pumpkin. Just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about."
"Was it about you getting shot?" she asked innocently.
"What time is it?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Time to eat some decent food for a change," said Martha dramatically, one bag of food in each hand. "Some homemade smiley face pancakes should do the trick." She gave him a greeting peck on the cheek.
Rick smiled as he watched his mother empty the contents of the bag on the table hovering over his bed. He was grateful that he had two such amazing women to take care of him and nurse him back to health. Still, he found himself yearning to see a certain detective—healthy and with good news.
Kate's wandering and worrying mind refused to let her get a minute of restful sleep. It seemed that every time she entered a deep sleep state, the image of Castle getting shot replayed in her mind, jolting her awake again.
She was up and around before the sun, writing down her thoughts with a cup of coffee in hand. She looked at her question "If not Bracken, then who?"
She listed the evidence so far including the black Mercedes and listening devices. Money was the next word on her random listing of thoughts. Whoever had access to expensive cars and high-end technology must've had money and connections. She knew the Rick Castle had many wealthy friends, but enemies? Who would have a motive to kill Rick Castle?
Detective Beckett strode through the bullpen, darkened bags under her eyes. She immediately took off her jacket, plopped down in her chair, and ran her fingertips through her hair.
"You alright, boss?" asked Detective Esposito.
"Yeah," replied Beckett, straightening her posture and grabbing a pencil. "I just have a lot on my mind is all." Out of habit she looked at the empty chair next to her desk, nervously tapping her pencil. Javi knew his team leader well enough to know that the only way to help Beckett is to get Castle back and put his shooter behind bars. No one could snap her out of these funks except Castle.
"So, how did that phone call go?" he asked.
"Fine. Just another dead-end though. He claims he knew nothing about it."
"Bracken?" he mouthed, sitting in Castle's chair. By his angered expression, she could tell that he wasn't thrilled with the idea. "What the hell were you thinking calling him?" he whispered. "You could've started a-."
"We just clarified the deal. Like I said, it was another dead end—at least for now. We just need to focus on getting some solid leads."
"I think I can help with that," chimed in Ryan, brown case file in hand. He handed her the opened file. Pictures of the black Mercedes outside the usual coffee shop Castle went to, the precinct, and the loft were shown. "Looks like whomever was following Castle has been doing so for a couple of weeks now. And get this…" he said pulling out a zoomed in photo of the rear of the car from the back of the file. "We got a license plate."
Kate's hazel eyes widened as she gripped the photo. "Did you run it?"
"Yep! Check this out," Ryan answered, waving her and Javi to his desktop computer.
"Roger Hastings. According to this he resides in the city."
"Why do I feel a but coming on?" Kate prompted.
"But the address belongs to an abandoned building. No one has lived there in years."
"A fake address could mean a fake identity. Still, we have his photo and license plate. Put out an APB and run the usual on him. Have unies lookout for the black Mercedes outside of the hospital and Castle's apartment."
"Whoever this guy is, he's a professional, has connections, and went through a lot of trouble to take down Castle," pointed out Javier.
"I want a picture of this guy on my desk in five minutes. Maybe Castle has seen him before," Kate stated authoritatively. "Meanwhile, I'll go update Gates." Esposito and Ryan couldn't help but watch the conversation through the glass of Gates' office. Over the years their lip-reading skills have improved. Looks like so far so good.
Kate walked in to Castle's room, once again acknowledging the guard. She showed the officer a picture of the newest suspect, briefly filling him in on the details.
"Kate, Darling, come! Join us!" Kate's nose crinkled at the sight of Castle sitting up and smiling at her sincerely. He always knew how to make her blush.
"Thank you, Martha, but unfortunately, I can't stay long." Kate quickly pulled the folder out of its envelope and handed it to Castle.
"We got a fix on the license plate of the car that's been following you." Martha stepped a little closer, her hand covering her mouth in awe. "His name is Roger Hastings although it's likely that he has a fake identity since his address isn't legit. Do you recognize him?"
"No. I've never seen this man before," he replied honestly.
"I have," admitted Martha, shock evident in her voice.
"You—You have?" Kate wondered. Castle looked intently at his mother.
"It was decades ago when I saw him last. He looks older now, but I have definitely seen this man before," Martha declared, pointing to the photo to punctuate her sentence.
"How did you know him?" Castle wondered, feeling a bit uneasy about asking about his mother's past. He usually would welcome his mother skipping over the details.
"We met at a wrap party of one of the plays I was in. It was so long ago I can't remember which one. It was one of my first roles I believe. A minor role, but I lit up the stage non-the-less." Kate and Castle exchanged glancing, amusement breaking the tension of the moment. "He was a very charming man at the time. Very mysterious if I remember correctly."
"Does the name Roger Hastings sound familiar to you?" Kate questioned.
"No. His name seems to be escaping me. Do you think he is the one that shot Richard?"
"Right now he's our prime suspect. We're just looking for any kind of proof or connection. Did you know this man long?" Detective Beckett probed.
Martha continued to stare at the picture. She closed her eyes trying to recapture the memory. "No," she concluded, opening her eyes to direct her attention back to Beckett. "In fact I saw him only the once. I never heard from him again. I can't imagine why he would want to harm my Richard though."
"Forgive me for asking this Martha, but did you two…" Kate paused, not sure how to ask Castle's mother this without feeling awkward.
"Have an intimate relationship?" Martha filled in. Castle winced at the sound of his mother using that phrase. "No. I remember us talking, maybe some subtle flirting, but nothing beyond that. I only saw him at the wrap party." Castle exhaled dramatically.
"Do you remember why he was there? Was he apart of the cast or crew?" Castle wondered.
"Oh, goodness no," his mother replied, tapping his leg. "You know, now that you mention it, I don't know why he was there. See dear, I was young and didn't care why you were at the party as long as everyone was having a good time. Celebrate first, ask questions later was my motto in those days."
"Well, any information helps. Please let me know if you remember anything else about him—anything at all. It could crack this case wide open."
"You know what," Martha said picking up her belongings, "I'm going to look through my old photo boxes. See if I have a picture of him hidden away somewhere. I'll be back later, Kiddo." She bent down to kiss her son's cheek and left.
Kate moved in closer to Castle, having a familiar expression on her face. "I know that look, Kate. What's on your mind?"
"It's just what your mother said. Why would someone she met once want to kill you? It sounded like they talked briefly at a party."
"Well, it's like you said, he's the suspect for now. There's no concrete evidence that he is the one that shot me. He has been following me around for a while."
"Two weeks to be exact," Kate clarified. "So he must have some sort of involvement."
"He hasn't followed my mother or Alexis has he?" he asked a hint of panic in his voice.
"No. We—" Kate's cell phone began buzzing in her pocket. Ryan's name appeared on the caller i.d.
"I'll be right back. I have to take this." Before Castle could contest, she was already headed out of the room and around the corner. He couldn't help but wonder if this stalker was also following his mother and daughter. Were they going to be harmed next? What did this man want with Castle's family? Question after question arose in his head, his writer's imagination getting away with him again.
Kate walked in, mouth agape. "What? Kate, what is it?"
"Ryan and Esposito got a response from the APB on Roger Hastings."
"And…"
"He's here."
