Psycho Killer – Chapter 8
Castle heaved in a deep breath, flicking his eyes up to glance across the room at Detective Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito. After he had informed his girlfriend about his past connection with Orlando Costas's killer and, it would also appear, the man who had shot her, Kate had insisted they drop their farce of a cover story and tell her colleagues as much of the truth as they could. He'd been hesitant, not entirely certain it was a good idea to bring more people into the know, but under the circumstances he was forced to agree with her decision. He had wanted to tell her more ahead of talking with the others, but before he could explain further, Kate had left to retrieve her coworkers, insisting that it would be easier if they only had to explain things once.
The two detectives sat patiently around the small table in the break room, slowly drinking coffee as they waited for an explanation to their sudden summons. Kate entered the break room, closing the door after her, in a cautious hope to ensure some measure of privacy. She turned, and locked eyes with him. Castle still had his doubts, but when he looked at his girlfriend, seeing the resolve on her beautiful features, he knew it was the right decision.
"Yo, Beckett, what's this about?" Esposito was the first to speak, his brow furrowing with irritation. "Shouldn't we be trying to identify the bastard that shot you instead of sitting around drinking coffee?"
"We know who he is," Kate stated in a relatively calm voice, firm and professional. Castle glanced at her, impressed with her composure. This man hadn't just killed Orlando Costas, after orchestrating the theft of files from her former captain's house, but had also been the man who shot her in the chest.
"Then who is he?" Esposito demanded.
Kate bit her lower lip and looked towards Castle.
He swallowed, and straightened his back, before turning toward her colleagues. "I don't know what alias he's going by now, but his name is Raymond Kilmer. He's a former US covert operative who went rogue two years ago."
"And how do you know his?" Ryan asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"Because he tried to kill me," Castle said.
Both men's jaws dropped.
"No way," Ryan said shaking his head in disbelief. "That's… shit… I mean… the same guy tried to kill both of you… not at the same time, of course… but still." He let out a long whistle. "That's some coincidence."
"Beckett?" Esposito shifted in his seat, jerking his head towards her, his eyes asking for confirmation.
"It's true," she said with a nod, wringing her hands together as she stalked back over to Castle's side. She licked her lips anxiously and glanced briefly up at him before redirecting her gaze towards her expectant colleagues. "Guys, we have to tell you something… something we'd appreciate if you kept under wraps."
Esposito and Ryan exchanged a glance, and nodded in agreement. Castle hid his surprise, utilizing facial expression training he'd had back at the farm before his first field operation for the Agency. He didn't know these men well, but it was obvious from the start that both were loyal to Kate.
"Sure, Beckett."
"What is it?"
"Rick's not a writer. Well, actually he is. Um… what I mean… er... well, he does write novels, but they're not published, or anything. And he doesn't do…," her rambling voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat and shook her head before continuing. "What I mean to say, he does write, but he doesn't do it for a living. That's not his actual job. So that's not why he's here."
Castle nodded his head in confirmation. "That's right," he said. "Though, if I was struggling with writer's block, I have no doubt I would still have wanted to shadow Kate around on her cases."
"Oh please," Kate mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes at that. However, the slight upwards quirk of her lips belied any annoyance she might have had at his comment.
Ryan's eyebrows shot up, a thunderstruck expression working its way across his face as he glanced over at Castle, for the first time, truly taking in his appearance and demeanor. Meanwhile, on the other hand, it was not too difficult to notice that Esposito did not seem as surprised as his partner.
"Yeah, I figured as much," the man asserted, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair in a smug manner. "So, what is he then?"
"Same as us," Kate declared, gesturing between them, still trying to keep his true profession secret. "He's one of the good guys, Espo." Her heart was in the right place, but even Castle knew that her coworker wouldn't be mollified with just that.
Esposito scoffed. "Come on, Beckett, you gotta give us more than that." The man turned his challenging gaze on Castle. "What are you? FBI? Homeland?" He paused, and arched up an eyebrow. "CIA?"
"CIA," Castle confirmed with a slight bob of his head, locking eyes with the man.
"And is 'Castle' an alias?" Esposito questioned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
He shook his head. "Nope. My legal name is Richard Castle."
"Wow," Ryan gasped, clearly astonished. He looked towards Castle with a bit of wonder and awe in his eyes.
"I knew it," Esposito grinned, smacking his still dazed partner in the arm. "Didn't I tell you he was a spook?"
Ryan winced, and rubbed his sore arm, casting an annoyed look in his friend's direction. His eyebrows knitted together as he turned back to Castle and Beckett. "Like… um, what kind of stuff do you do?" he asked, swallowing nervously.
Castle smirked, flicking a bemused glance in Kate's direction, seeing her roll her eyes, before looking back at her colleagues. "Covert operations."
"Shit," Ryan hissed out, putting a hand on the table to keep himself steady. "Like… Jason Bourne kind of stuff?"
"Um… sort of, yeah," Castle answered with a shrug. It was the best he could do without going into too much detail. He bit in the inside of his cheek, just imagining the conversation he'd eventually have to have with Director York. His boss wouldn't be too happy with his so cavalierly telling people he was a secret agent. He again wondered if these too men could be trusted to keep this a secret. Glancing at Kate, and seeing how she was watching her friends' reaction with a bemused expression on her face, he had a feeling he'd just have to trust her on this. Castle trusted Kate. So if she trusted them, then he'd trust them.
Ryan nodded absently, averting his gaze as he simply stared off into space, absorbing the information. Esposito wasn't as affected by the news. Considering the man's Special Forces history, Castle wasn't surprised.
"So…," the Hispanic man drawled out, cutting his gaze to Kate with a pointed look. "When did you two meet?"
"More like how?" Ryan interjected with an overwhelmed expression on his face.
Castle chuckled, enjoying himself. Kate, however, still appeared a little wary. "Um… do you remember about seven months ago, just after a returned from that conference in D.C.?" Kate hedged, stepping closer to the table her colleagues were sitting at.
"You mean the one where the FBI put out an APB on you and raided your apartment?" Esposito asked with a smirk.
She grimaced at the reminder, but nodded in confirmation. "Yep. That… um… that's when I met Rick," she said. "I… well, let's just say I sort of got caught up in the operation he was running." She glanced to Castle with a questioning gaze, silently asking how much she should divulge. He pursed his lips, and gave a slight nod of consent. With his encouragement, Kate turned back to her partners. "Castle had just found out there was a mole within the CIA. She had placed a target on him, making him look like a rogue agent."
"Luckily for me, I bumped into Kate," Castle stepped in, flashing her a wink as he slipped an arm around her waist. She fell into his side with ease, unconcerned with the obvious affection on display in front of her colleagues. "If it wasn't for her assistance, I wouldn't have been able to clear my name and unmask the true traitor."
Ryan looked impressed. "Wow, Beckett, that's… amazing," he stuttered out.
Esposito, however, still appeared slightly disgruntled. "And here I thought you hated working with the Feds," he grumbled, giving Kate a pointed look. "Do you trust him?"
Kate looked at Castle with warm eyes and shrugged. "Yes, Javi, I do," she stated, quite confidently. "Castle's the exception to the rule." And then, surprising probably not only himself, but her colleagues as well, Kate planted a quick kiss on his lips. Castle couldn't hold back the sigh of contentment, even if he wanted to. He was helpless when it came to Kate Beckett. She just had a way of getting past all his defenses.
Esposito narrowed his eyes as he stared at Castle for a long moment, unaffected by the public display of affection between the pair. A tense silence filled the room, and Castle could feel the knot of muscles in Kate's lower back tense up with worry. He moved his hand up from her waist and began rubbing soothing patterns along her back. He glanced sideways at her, noticing that she had begun gnawing on her lower lip, clearly concerned over her colleague's reaction. He had no idea Detective Esposito's opinion mattered so much to her. After what seemed like twenty minutes, the Hispanic man's frown finally turned upside down, replaced by a genuine smile.
"Alright," he declared with a decisive nod, slamming the table's surface with his hands before standing up. Ryan jerked at the sudden sound, and blinked, coming out of his ponderings. Esposito stepped around the table and walked up to Castle, extending his hand. "If Beckett trusts you, then that's good enough for me."
Castle took the man's hand, and this time when they shook, there was no challenge or silent contest between them. Ryan was right next. Castle liked the younger man; he was pleasant and friendly.
"Thanks for trusting us with the truth," Ryan said, sincere in his gratitude and understanding.
"Yeah, thanks," Esposito added, glancing over at Kate with a knowing look as he spoke. "I know it wasn't easy for you."
"I'm sorry, Espo," she said, averting her eyes briefly. "I really wanted to tell you guys, we just thought it might be better not to—"
He waved off her apology. "No need to explain, Beckett," he said. "I understand the need for secrecy. But next time," he looked back at Castle before returning his gaze to Kate, "you two should come up with a better cover story."
"Noted," Castle said with an amused grin, truly happy that it appeared they had her colleagues' blessing, not that it changed anything. They certainly didn't need anyone approval to see one another.
Kate nodded, and chuckled slightly. "I'm actually surprised Lanie hadn't told you already. She's known for months."
"What? How?"
"Long story short, I needed someone to patch me up," Castle supplied, saving Kate from having to explain.
"I wanted to take him to a hospital, but he refused," Kate said with a shrug, her lips tugging upwards as she glanced his way, no doubt remembering his vehement 'no hospitals' declaration.
"Needless to say, since I was on the run from my own agency at the time, I needed to lay low," Castle said.
"Right, right," Ryan bobbed his head, still looking somewhat lost and confused. Yeah, he was definitely getting a little overwhelmed with all the new information. Castle offered the man a small smile, and patted his shoulder reassuringly, knowing that he'd eventually be able to process it all.
"You really sure about this guy, Beckett?" Esposito asked again, jerking his chin in Castle's direction.
She bit her lower lip and nodded, almost bashfully. "Yeah, Espo, I'm sure," she asserted, reaching up and running her hand along Castle's shoulder and arm in an affectionate and tender manner. Castle could tell from her colleague's expression that the gesture spoke volumes about Kate's certainty in him.
"So," Esposito cleared his throat after a somewhat awkward silence had settled on the four of them. "What can you tell us about this Raymond Kilmer?"
Castle nodded, and gestured back to the table. They all walked back over, sitting down around the break room table. Ryan took another sip of his coffee, while Esposito ignored his, watching Castle with keen eyes, waiting.
Shifting in his chair, Castle cast a brief glance Kate's way before starting his tale. "We'd worked together for a long time," he said. "Ray was a highly skilled and efficient. But there was always something off about him. He was just too serious all the time." He pursed his lips and frowned, recalling the memories from that night two years ago in Istanbul. "We were on an operation in Turkey. Everything was going fine, when something happened. I don't know what. He got messed up in the head, kept muttering things about conspiracies within conspiracies. We were in country and one night I woke to him raving something about Crusaders, and how they needed to be stopped or it would all unravel."
"What would unravel?" Kate asked, furrowing her brow. This was the first time she'd heard this part. He had told her about his former partner trying to kill him, but he'd never really gone into detail. It wasn't really a night he liked reliving.
Castle shrugged, flashing her an apologetic expression. "I don't know, part of his delusions, I suppose. Anyhow, before I could calm him down, he was attacking me, demanding to know what side I was on. Bastard stabbed me." He tugged on his shirt collar, exposing an angry looking scar on his left shoulder. "I never did get to answer him. He got impatient and knocked me out. When I came too, he was gone." He sighed, and sat back in the chair. "He just disappeared. We thought he'd just snapped, gone crazy. We thought he was dead."
"What changed?" Esposito asked.
"I saw him," Castle said. "Last month, while working an op to capture some gun runners who were supplying terrorist with an intermediary known as 'The Knave'."
"The Knave?" echoed Kate, frowning as she glanced at her partners. "Have either of you ever heard of that alias?"
"No," Esposito shook his head, glancing at Ryan. The young man's brow was furrowed and he was staring down at the tabletop with a thoughtful look on his face. "Bro?"
Ryan snapped his head up. "What?" he gasped. "Oh… The Knave? Yeah… actually, I remember hearing that name when I was working Narcotics. I think the Westies might have had some dealings with someone who went by the name. It was more the gang taskforce's thing, but we'd work together a lot as some of our cases overlapped."
"So he's been around," Kate surmised, her eyes lighting up with the possible leads shaping up before them.
Esposito inclined his head, following her line of thought. "Yeah, and if he worked with the Westies, there might be some info on him in some old case files." He paused, and scrunched up his face in thought. "Look, Beckett, it's been a long day. And it'll take us a while to get, let alone go through all the files—since we're still operating on the down-low so Gates doesn't know somethings up. Why don't you and…," he frown as he glanced at Castle. "I guess I can't call you Writer Boy anymore, now can I?"
"Well, as Kate said, I do still write," Castle said, hamming it up by pretending to type on an invisible typewriter. Humor was always his release during times of stress. And right now, having his former partner—the man who had tried to kill him, along with his girlfriend, albeit in completely separate instances—was rattling him a bit, though he did his best to hide that from Kate. "But just Castle will be fine."
"Right," Esposito said with a quick nod, before turning back to Kate. "Why don't you and Castle go home, get some rest?"
Kate knitted her eyebrows together, looking determined to refuse her colleague's suggestion. But Esposito stared her down. After a moment, Kate began to show signs of breaking. Castle was impressed that it actually seemed to be working. To tell the truth, he was a little jealous.
"Fine," Kate said after a long staring contest between her and Esposito. "We'll go." She stood up and motioned for Castle to follow as she walked towards the break room door. She reached for the doorknob, but stopped and turned around, pointing a finger at Esposito. "But you call me the moment you have something."
And with that said, Castle followed as Kate collected her things off her desk and headed for the elevator. He glanced back at Detectives Ryan and Esposito, watching as the pair exchanged some words before disappearing down the hallway. Castle was still a little concerned over how much they'd revealed, but with Ray Kilmer on the loose, he'd take whatever help he could get. He sighed inwardly. So much for my time off, he thought to himself as the elevator doors rattled opened.
Kate threaded her fingers through his and pulled him inside the lift. Her eyes flicked up to meet his and she offered him a small smile. "So, my place or yours?"
XXX
The chorus of Blue Öyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper drifted across the room from the speakers of the small radio sitting on the kitchen counter as he flipped through the files on the card table set up in the middle of the room. After disposing of the supplier's body, Ray Kilmer had released Johann Kriedt for the night; dropping the weasel off a block away from the pleasure dungeon the man had made an appointment at earlier in the evening. Of course, he made sure Johann Kriedt got his fingerprints all over the plastic explosives and the accompanying equipment before doing that.
Kilmer grinned, wondering if the man knew he was being set up. Rescuing the arms dealer from Istanbul had only been part of the plan. A much larger plan. It was like a game of chess, and the pieces were now in play. The pawn was being set up to lure the queen out from behind her castle. The metaphor alone made him chuckle darkly.
The only wrinkle in the whole gambit was the appearance of Rick Castle. His employer had been unaware of the relationship between the CIA agent and the homicide detective. According to their source within the Agency, Castle had been ordered to terminate all contact with the detective, and it was understood that he had complied with the order. But apparently that wasn't the case. It now appeared that Rick Castle and Kate Beckett had continued in their illicit relationship for quite some time.
She was an interesting woman. He could see why Castle was attracted to her. Beckett was not only almost excessively attractive for her chosen profession, but she was also extremely intelligent and audacious. Kilmer remembered spying her through the scope almost a year ago, seeing that beauty with his own eyes. Even in a dress uniform, all buttoned up and proper, Kate Beckett was a beautiful woman. He had briefly wondered how a woman like that had ended up with a hit placed on her. A woman with her good looks and smarts should have been a lawyer.
But then he'd shrugged off his curiosity and taken the shot.
Now he knew. This latest dossier on Katherine Houghton Beckett his employer had sent over was quite extensive. So Beckett had lost her mommy when she was nineteen. Boohoo. Lots of people lost loved ones, all the time, but they didn't wallow in grief for a decade, sheltering themselves off from others and bemoaning their lost, like theirs was greater than anything anyone else could have experienced. He felt no sympathy for her then, and he felt even less for her now. In his opinion, she'd let her tragic past define her life. And that made her weak.
He flipped the page and stared at a photograph of her sitting alone on a set of swings. It had been taken three months after he'd shot her. He had meant it to be a kill shot, so was disappointed in her survival. But his employer hadn't been as upset as he'd expected. No. It was to serve as a warning. And it had. Kate Beckett had steered away from her mother's case, allowing them to deal with one lingering problem: Michael Smith.
Captain Roy Montgomery's old friend had acquired a set of files that the deceased captain had been using to blackmail Kilmer's client. Now it was only a matter of time until Kilmer found those files and the deal would be null and void.
Kilmer moved his hand and ran his fingertips along the photograph, tracing the delicate features of his prey. He licked his lips in anticipation. Soon. It was almost time. He couldn't wait to get started. Kate Beckett was a dead woman walking.
She just didn't know it yet.
XXX
Kate watched as Castle pulled out his flip phone to call his mother. After leaving the precinct, they had both decided that it was probably best to stay together at her apartment for the night. Kate felt a little selfish keeping Castle all to herself, especially when he still hadn't seen his daughter since his return. But with everything going on, she really needed him right now. And, having spent time with Alexis during Castle's absence, she knew the teen wouldn't hold it against her for keeping him for the night.
"Mother, please!" Castle let out an exaggerated huff, and sighed dramatically, casting Kate a look and shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. Kate bit her lower lip, stifling a laugh, wondering what embarrassing thing Martha Rodgers had said to get that reaction out of her son. Knowing her boyfriend's mother, Kate would bet good money that Martha had teased him about his sex life and making up for lost time. But a moment later his entire demeanor changed, and his face brightened. "Hello, pumpkin," Castle's voice was warm and soft, his lips spreading wide in a happy smile.
Deciding to give him some privacy while he talked with his daughter, Kate meandered into the kitchen and retrieved two wine glasses from the cupboard, before pulling out a delicious red merlot she'd bought while Castle was away and had been saving for his return. Catching his eyes with a glance, she flicked her head in the direction of the living room. He nodded, understanding her meaning, and Kate smiled softly, slipping out of the kitchen and into her living room.
Kate toed off her shoes, and sank down into the sofa, letting out a sigh as she relaxed back into the comfortable cushions. She took a slow sip of the wine, savoring the rich flavor, and waited. Roughly ten minutes later, she was refilling her glass as Castle joined her, kicking his shoes off and plopping down onto the sofa next to her.
She smiled, smoothing a hand down his shoulder. Her nose wrinkled as she remembered something from earlier in the day that had left her wondering and curious. "Castle, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, Kate, of course," he said, reaching out for the glass of wine she'd prepared for him, and took a long gulp of the red liquid.
"Earlier today, when the boys and I went out to pick up Marisol, I saw you making a call," she hedged, furrowing her brow as she glanced at him cautiously.
"Yeah?"
"Who'd you call?"
He pursed his lips and leaned back into the sofa. "You want the truth?"
"Obviously," she said, surprised by the question.
Castle nodded, and took another long gulp of his wine, nearly finishing it off. "I was just checking in with York," he said. Kate narrowed her eyes, feeling a tightening in her chest at the fact she wasn't certain he was really telling her the truth. Seeing her dubious expression, he continued. "It's just protocol. Even when we're on leave, the Agency likes to keep tabs on us. It's nothing to worry about, Kate. If it was serious, I swear I'd tell you." He paused, and looked her in the eyes. "You believe me, don't you?"
She sighed, and with her free hand, carded her fingers through her hair. "Of course I do, Rick," she said, stretching out to put her glass down on the coffee table. "I'm sorry. I'm just really riled up right now."
"I can see that," he noted with a tight smile, following her lead and depositing his glass on the coffee table. He leaned back into the cushions, moving a hand along her shoulders, kneading his fingers into the tense muscles he found there. "You need to relax, Kate. Let me help you relax."
Kate closed her eyes and let out a soft moan of approval. Castle scooted closer, dipping his head down to press warm kisses along the slope of her neck and the cut of her jawline. He soon found her mouth, and kissed her slowly, his hand coming up to cup the side of her face. She keened softly, easing into his touch. Kate allowed herself to bask in his kiss, and relish the way his lips moved against hers—the nip of his teeth and the flick of his tongue. She curled her fingers along his jaw, deepening the kiss.
She didn't know if he was telling her the complete truth in regards to that earlier phone call at the precinct, but she did believe in his love for her, and hers for him. That was real. And she had no delusions that he could tell her everything. There were obviously many things that were confidential and top secret that he couldn't tell her about. And he was right. If it were important, he'd tell her. He had already done just that when he told her about Ray Kilmer. It amazed her that the same man had wounded both of them, albeit in different ways. Kate could only hope that together they'd find a way to vanquish the specter from their past trauma and come out all the stronger for it… together.
Castle only pulled away from her mouth when breathing was essential. Kate couldn't help but let out a little whimper of disappointment when he did. She wished they could just stay in the moment, locked in their embrace of mutual love. He rested his forehead against hers, sharing the air with her as they panted softly, refilling their lungs. He gently caressed the side of her face, his fingers soft and tender.
"You're not alone, Kate. I'm here. We'll get through this together," he declared. "I promise."
She nodded, and leaned forward to press her lips against his, sealing the vow. Castle sighed when they broke apart, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her close. Kate inhaled, reveling in being surrounded by his comforting scent. Castle nudged his nose against hers.
"You should get some sleep, Kate," he said at length.
"Hmm," she hummed in response, eyes closed. "I'm too wired to sleep. Besides, with everything going on, I don't think I could sleep, even if I wanted to." She opened her eyes, and smiled suggestively up at him. "Perhaps you could distract me."
He let out a low chuckle, and dropped a hand down her side, playfully caressing the jut of her hip. "Oh, I think I can do that, yes," Castle asserted with a mischievous smile, nipping at her lips as he gently coaxed her down onto her back, spreading her out over the sofa beneath him as his talented hands worked sinfully up and down her body, touching her in all the right places. Together, in a slow, sensual dance, they divested each other of every scrap of clothing until they were skin to skin.
Kate mewled contently, arching up into his touch as his hand slipped down between her parted legs. He worked her expertly, knowing just how to touch her. Groaning in displeasure as he withdrew his hand, Kate grabbed his face and pulled him down for a heated kiss, nipping at his lips as she pulled back for air.
"Make me forget, Castle," she commanded in a husky, needy voice. "All I want to think about is you. Make me forget."
And he did.
