Chapter 10
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What Castle was experiencing was maddening. He couldn't believe he had gotten this far only to be stuck at this point. In all his novels, he'd never considered that the hero would not be believed to be an actual possibility.

While on the side of the highway it hadn't taken long for a police car to show up. He was so happy to see them. Apparently though they thought he was a vagrant who risked jumping in front of cars and risking motorists.

"I'm Richard Castle!" he exclaimed. The cops looked at each other. Castle could feel his heart sink.

One of the policemen, a heavy set guy, asked, "You're the guy who's missing?"

He couldn't help it, Castle smiled at that. It was probably all over the news he had been kidnapped. "Yes, yes! Oh, thank God. I need you to take me to Kate Beckett, she's with the—"

"I'm sorry, s-sir," the other officer stumbled over his words. "Do you have some ID?"

"What?" Castle asked first. Glaring at them, he went to reach for his wallet, only to find he didn't have it. "Oh, crap, I must have left it in the cave." He realized he hadn't picked it back up when he started.

The second officer snorted. "The cave, huh? You know that's where Mr. Castle is?"

Surprise made him forget his agitation at not being believed. "Oh, did they find where Brown put me?"

"Who's Brown?" one officer asked. The other looked Castle up and down but remained silent.

"The guy who…" Castle sighed. This was ridiculous. "Listen, if you would just call Beckett, I'm sure you will get the confirmation you need."

"Think we have that number, buddy?" They were obviously sheriff's deputies, though Castle wasn't sure which station. The older one stood up and turned his back, reaching to his radio mic and calling dispatch. Castle hoped he was calling the authorities of the people in charge looking for him, but instead he was asking for a van to be brought.

"A van?" Castle asked.

"You're not getting in our nice clean squad car."

The other officer looked him up and down. "How long have you been sleeping out here?"

"I HAVEN'T BEEN-" Castle started but he had to stop. He wouldn't get anywhere if he yelled at them. "I emerged from the cave Brown threw me in. The opening is over there."

They didn't seem convinced and neither looked where Castle pointed.

Castle looked around, wishing he knew where he was. They weren't DC police, and Brown probably took him out to some rural county for all of this. "Look, just take me to the site where they are looking for me! Someone is going to identify me."

"That's 40 miles away," the officer said.

"FORTY MILES?" Castle was shocked. He couldn't have walked that. How was that possible?

The younger officer smiled as if Castle was seeing reason. "So you see, you can't be the missing guy. You must have seen it on the news and gotten confused…"

"Oh, for the love of God,." Castle said, angry. "I AM RICHARD CASTLE!"

The men almost laughed out loud and Castle felt more like crying now than he did before. Waiting a few minutes, Castle thought about the forty miles and realized they were talking about highway travel, which probably curved around the natural hills and forests. Since he had been underground, he probably traveled a straight shot, though he still had to go a long path.

"Listen," Castle said, "if I give you a phone number, will you call it?"

The men looked at him. "A random phone number? No."

"I know my daughter's phone number by heart, she could-"

They shook their head. "We don't know if it's who you say it is."

Sitting back, Castle figured it out. "Ok, have dispatch call the 12th precinct in Manhattan. You guys could do that. Hearing another cop validate me would convince you right?"

They didn't move and Castle was getting desperate. If he could just reach Esposito or Ryan he'd be believed.

"Don't you guys have a cell phone? I know that number from memory too. The main number, that isn't something I can fake."

The officers looked at each other. The younger one said, "How would he know that number?"

"It's a public number, isn't it?"

The younger one pulled out his cell phone. The other man shook his head but the younger man shrugged. "We're stuck out here waiting on that van. This might be funny."

If Castle wasn't so tired he'd probably have hit the officer, but then he'd be on his way to jail. Clearing his throat, he told the other man the number and the officer dialed.

Someone picked up on the other end and apparently sounded official because the officer stood up straighter, surprised that Castle got the number correctly. "Yes, this is Deputy Robertson of Tripp County Department. I'm trying to reach Officer..."

He looked at Castle for a name so he said, "Detective Kevin Ryan, homicide." There may be two murders out here on the highway.

"Detective Kevin Ryan in homicide." The person on the other line declined. "He's not in yet."

Crap! It's so early, Castle had forgotten that. "See if Detective Javier Esposito is in?"

Deputy Robertson repeated the second name but shook his head as he wasn't in yet either.

Looking up at the sky, Castle made one prayer. There was a chance she was there. "See if Captain Victoria Gates is in."

While Robertson asked, the older guy chuckled. "A homicide Captain is going to confirm your story?"

"If she's in, she will." Or at least, Castle hoped so. She wasn't exactly his biggest fan.

"Oh, Captain," the deputy straightened up and Castle felt hopeful. She was there! "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ma'am. But we found this man on the high-, oh sorry. My badge number is 52563 and I'm with the Tripp County Deputy Department in Virginia. Yes Ma'am, I know I'm a long way from Manhattan, but I found this vagrant who insisted we…"

Castle almost felt sorry for the deputy. Reaching out his hand, he said, "Give me the phone."

At first the deputy shook his head but as Gates started laying into him for not following protocol he soon gave up. "Ma'am, he -this person - wants to speak to you."

Taking the phone, Castle took a breath. He wondered if she had been glad when he moved with Kate. "Sir? Can you tell these idiots that I really am Richard Castle so I can get back to my family?"

Gates didn't say anything at first and Castle got nervous. Surely she knew his voice. When she did speak it was shaky, which wasn't like her. "Mr. C-Castle? Is it really you? Where are you?"

"In Virginia, it seems. I-I don't know exactly where. I've been in a cave."

"They said you were dead."

Now Castle's heart nearly stopped. "What?"

"They haven't found a body but-, my God, I can't believe it. It is you, isn't it?"

Castle could hear the relief in her voice and it made him smile in spite of the bad news. "The one and only." Then he remembered whom he was speaking and added, "Sir."

"Put the deputy back on."

Giving it back to the deputy, Castle didn't have to strain to hear Gates going off on the deputy and within seconds the other one was calling dispatch asking for an ambulance. Castle shook his head. He didn't need an ambulance. He just wanted to talk to Kate and Alexis.

Castle had managed to talk them out of waiting on the ambulance but they insisted on taking him to the nearest hospital to be checked out. After all, Gates was involved and that was protocol. Castle did feel sorry for the young deputy now. When he finally got off the phone with the Captain he was near tears and his hands were shaking. The older guy had to drive.

The younger man held up his phone. Apparently Gates was going to text him Beckett's number so he could call and Castle sat nervously. Kate had a new cell phone because of her job so Gates was going to have to look the number up, and while they waited Castle thought about what he found out: they thought he was dead. Why did they think that? And if that was the case, no wonder the deputies thought he wasn't really himself. How could it be confirmed?

He was just about to ask them when Robertson's phone as Gates' text came through. He was about to dial but Castle stopped him. "Let me, please?"

The officer handed him the phone and Castle was glad to see he could just press the phone number. He was a little nervous to dial out the digits. Listening to the phone ring he hoped she would pick up. God, surely they just worried he was dead. Hopefully they didn't believe it.

"Beckett!" Her voice was abrupt but it was like music to his ears.

"Hey, Beckett." He almost asked if she was busy, but if he was presumed dead this wasn't the time for jokes.

There was silence on her end and he was afraid the call had been dropped. "Kate, are you there? It's me. Castle."

"Castle?" He couldn't see her but the ache in her voice nearly killed him. "What—how—"

"I made my way through the cave. I think you found the cave. At least, that's what these guys are saying." He blinked back the tears in his eyes. He really had made it.

He heard her talking to someone in the background. Oh, it was his mother! That meant Alexis was around, too. God, they probably all thought he died. "Kate, I'm okay. They are taking me to the hospital, but I'm okay. I had to get in touch with you."

"Where? Where are they taking you?" She sounded so excited now. He could tell she was running around.

"Um, where am I going?" He repeated what they said back to her. "Tripp County Hospital. Corner of Highways 32 and 35."

He knew Beckett well enough to know she was trying to suppress all the emotion she was feeling so she could concentrate on how to get to him. "That's … that's far from us. But we are going to leave the next few minutes and go straight there so don't leave."

He smiled."I won't."

"You are okay, you said? This is just a formality, right?" She was whispering.

"Yes. I didn't want to go at all but they insisted." He could hear her intake of breath she couldn't hold back. "You're crying, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not crying! I just … um, Alexis is here. Do you want to talk to her.?" Her voice was cracking and Castle wished he could hug her, but he so very much wanted to speak to Alexis.

Alexis came on, her voice strained. "Dad? Is it really you?"

"Yes, Pumpkin. You came down here?"

Alexis' reaction to hearing Castel's voice must have been the confirmation Martha needed to believe he was all right, because he could hear his mother's voice in the background. Then she came on. "Richard? Thank God, they found you!"

Hearing his mother's voice made Castle feel like a small boy again. "Actually I found them, Mother. Took a little while to get them to believe who I was." The older deputy ducked his head at Caste's statement. "I didn't know I was thought dead."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic! I never thought you were dead at all!" Castle smiled, her words actually confirming she'd been worried sick and believed the worst

He went along though. "Well, glad you weren't fooled. Is Alexis still there?"

"Yes, darling. Here you go!"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm a mess right now. Hearing your voice like you haven't been missing for days I got …"

Hearing her words he shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "It's okay, sweetie, and you're going to see me soon at the hospital. If I know Beckett she's already got the car and is waiting for you and Gram to get in."

Alexis laughed and Castle reveled in the sound he thought he would never hear again. "You know her so well. We are leaving like…" She cut out and Castle realized the cell phone service was losing them.

"Alexis? Can you hear me? I think we will be cut off but I'll see you real soon, or as soon as you can get here."

"'…at least two hours… Dad…. dammit, stupid…"

Castle grinned hearing his daughter curse. She so seldom did. He didn't dare hang up. He wanted to hear her voice as long as possible.

The call was cutting out more and more. But before it finally ended he heard Alexis say, "Oh, and Beckett is crying, Dad. She is so happy—"

Now he was crying too. The call finally dropped and he looked at the dark screen.. "So am I."

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