Programmed
Chapter 10
After a quick trip through customs, who had fortunately been notified of their impending arrival, Kate and Castle found their driver holding up a "Castle" sign. They were quickly led to a spotless white limousine complete with Wi Fi, DVD player, and fully stocked bar. After the champagne on the plane, and needing no electronic amusements, they just settled into the luxuriousness of the rich leather seats and snuggled for the journey to the Ritz Carlton.
The concierge, a member of the network well acquainted with Castle from his book tours, was ready to receive them. The suite was sumptuous, featuring the oversized bed that Castle preferred and a tub that could easily accommodate Kate's bubble baths. The couple quickly unpacked the small amount of luggage they had brought and went in search of the restaurant where Castle had earlier arranged a reservation. Castle urged Kate to try the tasting menu, providing small portions of multiple items, hoping that the exploration of the savory tastes and textures would serve as a distraction for both of them to the uncertain events that would come with the morning. Catching bits of delicacies on his fork, he lovingly offered them for her delight. He smiled as Kate closed her eyes to savor the richness of a proffered tidbit on her tongue, as their fingers linked under the table. Their fingers entwined again as they returned to the room, to rest in each others' arms for the work ahead.
The staging area for the raid was blocks away, so as to be out of sight. Unfamiliar with Canadian law enforcement, Beckett was unsure of what procedures would be followed, but met the contact Villante had given her. The RCMP official was unfailingly polite, but strongly implied that he would prefer that she stay out of the way. Both Beckett and Castle were willing to agree to that until the breach was made, but neither was willing to let any piece of evidence escape their grasp.
The Canadian force was met not by men with guns, but rather a large room full of men and women behind computer screens who willingly raised their hands in surrender. Offices contained several men, obviously in charge, who also surrendered without a fight. If they were committing murders, it was likely that they were doing so by remote control. The volume of available data was daunting, with multiple servers in a carefully cooled room. "Castle," Beckett exclaimed, discouraged, "it's going to take forever to find what we need in all of this."
"Maybe not," Castle suggested, indicating a back room, where a display occupied most of a wall. "Beckett, look at the diagram. It's like what we've seen before with the connections of the Rochet Regimen and look here, he said touching a shape on the screen, "it displays addresses. These are the locations of all their installations. He searched to the right of the hub in which they stood. He touched a square, triggering the display of an address in Trois Rivières. "Beckett," he exclaimed excitedly, "this matches the address of one of the houses on my list of places I might have been held. I need to go there and find out."
"We need to go there, Castle," Beckett corrected "and we'll need someone local with us. We can present this to the RCMP commander and see what he says. But without a direct connection to Rochet's murder, Gates will never sanction it."
"Then we'll find one," Castle declared. "Rochet made the drugs used on me. There were samples in his lab. If there are traces left in that house, the whole thing ties together."
"And if not?" Beckett asked.
"There will be," Castle assured her.
Beckett could see Castle's muscles tense as they approached the house, backed up by both the RCMP and local police. They all wore protective vests and except for Castle, were armed. The clunking of the diesel generator in the barn could be heard, indicating that power was still being supplied to the house, and a black SUV could be seen through the gap between the barn doors. Castle closed his eyes to picture the layout of the rooms inside. If Marcel was there, he would probably be towards the back, whereas unless helping Marcel, Brad and Toby would usually be somewhere near the kitchen. Castle had observed that they took great pleasure in stuffing their faces whenever possible. The group cautiously approached with guns drawn.
Unlike the workers at the hub, Toby and Brad, perhaps afraid of what would happen to them if they did, were not going down without a fight. As the doors to the house were breached, they grabbed for their guns. "You're supposed to be dead!" Brad yelled, squeezing off a shot as he spotted Castle. Missing Castle's vest the shot penetrated his thigh, and he went down.
"No!" Beckett screamed in rage, returning fire. Brad collapsed, as Beckett's bullet hit in the chest. Toby dropped his gun and knelt with his hands up. Beckett leaned over Castle, putting pressure on the wound with her bare hands, as medical help was called in by the local police. RCMP outside the house caught Marcel trying to make it from a back door to the SUV in the barn.
With the bleeding staunched and Castle's wound temporarily bandaged, the RCMP presented Marcel to Castle for identification. Castle's eyes blazed as he confirmed the identity of his captor. Marcel was led away in cuffs. "Castle, you need to go to the hospital," Beckett insisted.
Castle refused. "Not until I see that room and find what that jackhole gave me." With his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist, Beckett supported him as he faced the chair and started opening the drawers where Marcel had kept the tools of his trade. They were all there: the ampules, tourniquets, and hypodermics that Castle had endured daily as information was forced from his brain. Castle swayed on unsteady legs., but refused to sit in the chair in Marcel's interrogation room.
"Let's go, Castle," Beckett coaxed, guiding him out of the room. "You found what you needed to find." She led him to a waiting ambulance and held his hand as lying on a gurney, he was finally taken to the hospital.
After his release by the hospital and a mercifully short flight back to New York, Castle was glad to limp his way to the bed he shared with Kate. Pulling off his shoes, Kate tucked a comforter around him. "Can I get you something?" she asked.
"No," Castle answered, "just come up here next to me for awhile."
"You sure you don't need another painkiller?" Kate persisted.
Castle shook his head and patted the bed next to him. "You're all the painkiller I need."
Kate climbed onto the bed next to him, putting her head on his shoulder. "Castle, maybe we should postpone the wedding, give you more time to heal."
"Kate," Castle insisted, "if I have to crawl down that aisle or have Maddy's waiters put me on a serving cart, we are getting married. That's the only way I'm going to heal, providing you're with me."
Kate brushed the hair back from his forehead and gently kissed his lips. "Always."