Finding Thanksgiving

Chapter 10

Kate, Rick, and Hayley sat around the table in the loft, their work spread out in front of them with Lucy in the middle. "So Bankin's back in the city and I'm pretending I never knew he was gone," Kate began.

"Our CIA source says Bankin did have a meeting with Silver," Castle added. "That wasn't regarded as anything unusual or noteworthy. If he had a meeting with any other agent, other than to say hello, no one seemed to know about it, but that's not conclusive. How about First Resort?"

"They're privately owned Rick," Lucy piped up. "Between that and the privacy laws, information is limited. They have clinics all over the Eastern Seaboard."

"There's a lot more to it than that, Lucy." Hayley put in. "Their clinics are mostly in downscale suburban neighborhoods with light police presence. They operate extended hours and since they advertise that they take walk-ins, there is considerable traffic in and out of the clinics, all unmonitored."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed, "the perfect place to support the rise in the use of heroin in what's left of the middle class. And with most of the attention turned to poorer urban neighborhoods, they could operate almost with impunity."

"The problem is, this is all conjecture," Kate pointed out. "We still don't actually know if Bankin was at that clinic in Virginia for anything other than health reasons. First Resort could be exactly what it purports to be."

"So I break into one of their clinics and have a look around," Hayley suggested. "If they are selling heroin there should signs be of it. If I find any heroin, I can pull a sample and look for a match to the chemical fingerprint you've got."

Castle sighed and the lines bracketing the bridge of his nose deepened. "Hayley, that's a lot more dangerous than copying Dick's phone while he was sleeping with his mistress. You could get caught by the police - or worse, by the bad guys. If these people are part of the group Bankin's been involved with, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I can't ask you to do it."

Hayley smiled, shaking her head. "You're not asking Rick. I'm already in this and have been from the moment you asked me to help you find Kate. If Bankin decides to tie up loose ends, he'll come after me too. It won't help to fanny around. Getting him first is as much my best chance as it is yours and Kate's. And I'm a recovery artist. I've broken into to places much more secure than a medical clinic. I'll take a gander at one tonight, scope out the security, and make a plan. No worries."

Hayley pulled into a strip mall in a working class neighborhood on Long Island, at one A.M..The First Resort Clinic was closed and dark, but a bar next to it stayed open until four A.M., so it would be unlikely her car would be noticed among those of the patrons. She carried a Mag Lite and an infrared camera. The clinic had two doors, one facing the sidewalk that led along the various establishments and another leading to the alley in the back, occupied by dumpsters. Hayley turned her attention to the back entrance. Although unlike some of the other doors along the alley it bore no emblem announcing a security system, it was clearly wired so an alarm signal would be sent if opened. She recognized the system. The alert would be sent through wi fi, not a land line, so cutting phone wires would not be helpful. She'd need a jammer, but there was one among the equipment she kept at her storage unit. The lock itself was not complex, she could pick it. She suspected infrared sensors inside would detect her movement as soon as she did, but she could jam their signal as well. The job did not appear to present a great challenge. She returned to her car as a group of men were exiting the bar, and pulled quickly away.

"How are you feeling Vikram?" Kate asked as she walked into Tech.

Bankin looked away from his screen. "I spent Friday with my head in the toilet but I had the weekend to get over it. Just a little fatigued now."

Kate gave no sign that she knew he was lying. "Well take it easy. Ryan and Espo broke their case, and a lot of the others are trying to sneak in time to catch Cyber Monday bargains, so there isn't too much on your plate right now - unless you have something on our project."

Bankin shook his head wryly. "Sorry, the way I was this weekend, I couldn't even come close to getting anything there."

Kate nodded. "Okay, take care." She returned to her office cursing under her breath.

"You should be writing." the screen saver on Castle's laptop reminded him.

"It's getting to be a computerized conspiracy around here," he complained to the empty air. "My laptop and my operating system both tell me what to do."

Lucy's voice came from the great room. "I heard that Rick. You know unlike humans, we only do what we're programmed to do."

"Touché," Castle agreed, joining her at the table. "I wish I could program myself. It would be a lot easier to be with Kate."

"Have you forgiven her, Rick?" Lucy asked.

Castle stroked the stubble he'd yet to scrape from his jawline. "I think I have, although sometimes the anger just... But the trouble is I'm still not sure I can trust her. And worse, I'm not sure she really trusts me."

"But you two love each other, right?" Lucy inquired.

"Lucy, I have no doubt about that. But rebuilding trust, that's harder than love. It's certainly harder than wanting to make love. I still feel like tackling her every time she comes through the door. But until I know that she really believes she can count on me and she isn't trying to shield me with yet another lie, we can be together, but we're not really going to be together. Does that make any sense?"

"Not to me," Lucy responded, "but it might make sense to another human. What are you going to do Rick?'

Castle shrugged. "Just keep going until I can figure it out. Kate should be back soon, if she didn't have any emergencies at the precinct."

"She is back, Rick," Lucy informed him. "She just let herself in the back door downstairs."

Kate turned her key in the lock and pushed open the door with more force than was necessary. "I'm glad Hayley is going to break into that First Resort on Long Island tonight. We really need a path to finish solving this thing. You would not believe Bankin! Not only did he lie to my face about where he was on Friday, actually the whole weekend, but he's been trying to get my sympathy by putting on his sick act all day. I just wanted to scream at him to stop it." She headed for the stairs. "I need a shower. I can't stand much more deception."

Castle heard the door of an upper level bathroom slam. He sighed, shaking his head. "Lucy, I wonder if she understands the irony."

"Rick, I don't understand what irony you're talking about." Lucy admitted. "It's a very human concept, difficult for my circuits to grasp. But I'll take your word that some exists."

Castle laid his palm on the glowing tip of the pyramid. "Lucy, you can definitely believe me. An irony exists, big time."