A/N: Here's a New Year's update for you. Thanks for reading and please review. I'm excited about this chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it. We're nearing the end now.
They poured over the crash investigation, the death reports for hours. Every little detail checked, discussed. Yet, in the end, they were nowhere. Kate was exhausted, frustrated and beginning to feel nauseous.
She and Alexis had created a timeline of sorts for the crash. It was a narrow window of time from when the plane had taken off in Spokane and then crashed just to the north and east of the Tri-Cities.
However, no matter how fine a sieve you used on the details of the crash and subsequent investigation, nothing about where Rick was now or who took him was going to be discovered. If she had to guess, she would bet he was never even on that doomed plane and the DNA that was found was placed there later.
So the crash was literally a dead end. Which left her with nothing to pursue. She could not fly to Spokane on her own; she was not physically up to a flight and the nausea bespoke of morning sickness (though it was now early evening).
Alexis could fly, but she was not an investigator. While she had good instincts, there was no way Kate could allow her to go off on her own. Especially since they had no idea who was behind this. The ability to arrange a crash, kill four people all to cover up the kidnapping of one was not something average people possessed. The facts implied money and power. As well as a ruthlessness that was frightening to consider. No, Alexis would not go alone.
Kate needed help, that was obvious. She sat at the table, Alexis still busy making notes about things from the reports, and considered her options.
It had to be someone she trusted. Which narrowed the number considerably.
It had to be someone capable of performing an investigation; one without many leads to consider at all.
It had to be someone with authority or power to resist the influence of the mastermind behind the whole thing; as they got closer and inevitably discovered who was controlling this farce she had to know her own adjutants would be able to bring the person or persons responsible to justice.
It had to be someone who wouldn't reject out of hand the reason why Kate and Alexis both thought that Rick was still alive. Would not just laugh at her when they learned she had dreamt about him and that she could still feel him in her soul. He was not a cold shadow, but a warm presence in her heart. He could not be dead.
She mulled over the requirements, thinking of each person who might possibly fit her needs. Rejecting nearly all of them. Then suddenly one person popped into her mind. And she knew she had found just whom she needed.
Excusing herself from the table, she found her phone and made the necessary calls. She needed to speak with them privately. Urgently. And they had to come to her; Kate was not able to travel.
Once the details were taken care of, Kate insisted that Alexis stop for now. There was nothing more to be gleaned from the reports that they hadn't already found. She told Alexis about her plan so far and the younger girl expressed enthusiastic support. They made dinner, with Alexis ensuring that Kate ate a nutritious meal. The nausea had by now disappeared and by the time dinner was completed Kate was reeling with exhaustion.
Alexis sent her to bed immediately after she had finished eating. She promised Kate she would wake her up the minute their guest arrived, but in the meantime Kate needed to sleep. She would feel better for it and be able to think more clearly. They had several hours yet until their guest could possibly make an appearance, so Kate readily agreed. She was tired. And she hoped she would dream of Rick again.
She sank into a deep sleep almost immediately. She found herself walking on a beach, the ocean to her left as she strolled. The sand surrounding her was absent of people for as far as she could see. The land that she was able to see on the right jutting up past the dunes was unfamiliar.
Drawn further up the beach without any true destination in sight, she walked along in peace, enjoying the sound of the waves as they worked on the shore and the cry of the birds wheeling overhead.
She walked for an unknown time just enjoying the tranquility when a shadow crossed in front of the sun that had been beating down on her. Looking up in confusion, she saw it was a large object. It's position in the sky, between her and the sun, prevented her from identifying it. However, when she put one hand over her eyes to shade them, the sight of the object, whatever it was, frightened her. She felt like a rabbit caught out of the burrow as a hawk circled overhead. Instinctively, she squatted down on the sand, trying to make herself as small as possible.
The giant bird (or whatever it was) made some passes in the distance, but did not seem to find what it was looking for. Eventually its path drew it away from her and she slowly relaxed. Once it was out of sight, she stood shakily and started walking again, still drawn by an unknown force to move up the beach.
She was no longer alone. Walking toward her, still too far to identify, was a person. She considered stopping or turning around, the fear from the encounter with the predator in the sky still whizzing through her vasculature. However, the attraction that was pulling her toward it proved stronger and in the end her steps barely faltered as she continued walking, drawing nearer her goal and the person walking to her with every step. She hoped she reached her destination before reaching the stranger; barring that she hoped they were friendly.
Keeping her eyes down on the sand meant she could pretend she was in no danger, but it also kept her from figuring out who on Earth would be walking towards her. It wasn't until she was around fifty yards from him that she noticed that it was indeed a him (he was tall and broad), that he was walking right towards her and that he was calling her name. Instantly realizing it was Rick walking toward her, she broke into a run, jumping into his arms when she reached him a few seconds later.
He is laughing softly and she leans back a bit so she can see his whole face then lowers her head onto his for a deep, passionate kiss. Even in a dream he makes her feel alive, arousal and love fizzing wildly through her body.
"Kate." He groans, reluctant to stop kissing.
"Rick. Rick, god I've missed you. I thought you were dead."
"I've missed you too, so much. But there's no time. I'm stuck Kate. You need to find me."
"Where are you? I've been trying to figure it out, but I need more."
"I don't know."
She had been staring intently at him, trying to memorize his face. He looked the same to her; there was nothing new or different from the last time she had seen him.
"Can you show me anything?"
Suddenly they are surrounded by snow. It's jarring, having come from a beach where there was sand and sun. Now they are suddenly outside of a farmhouse, a barn in the background. And they are surrounded by snow. Mountains surround the land in the distance. She does not recognize it.
As she's looking around, trying to see if there is anything familiar about the place, the shadow flies in front of the sun again. She presses into Rick's arms, scared of the unknown entity but feeling safe and secure when surrounded by him.
"What is it Kate? What's wrong?"
She silently points upward; the malevolence is behind him. He turns and follows its flight path. It is getting closer and closer to them, though Rick doesn't seem surprised.
"You have to be careful Kate. Very careful. They'll kill me in a heartbeat. Kill you for looking. Promise me you'll be careful."
She is still following the foulness in the sky when his hands cup her head and bring her eyes down to his face.
"Promise me." She has never seen him look more serious than this intense look; he is fire and steel and determination and love all wrapped into one.
She nods slowly and he is dissipating, opacity fading with every millisecond.
"No Rick, don't go! Rick."
Her arms are holding empty air. She feels tears rolling down her cheeks as she searches frantically around her for him, knowing in her heart he is gone.
A cry from above alerts her again to the hunter in the sky. She looks up and suddenly can see what it is that is searching for her. She has not been spotted, but there is nowhere to hide in the vast expanse of snow. Any movement will be seen immediately.
She shrinks down again, closing her eyes to keep herself from seeing the look of triumph in its eyes when it spots her.
Then suddenly she hears Alexis shouting at her from a distance and the ground is swallowing her up into it. She rises back to consciousness, slowly realizing she is safe in bed. Wiping her face, trying to shake off the fear from the dream, she notices she has tears tracking down her cheeks. It was so real.
Glancing up at the ceiling, she half expects to see it there, watching her and waiting to strike.
"Kate! It's time to get up." Alexis is calling from the living room. Remembering now that she is expecting someone important, Kate rises and walks to the bathroom to freshen up before the doorbell rings. The image of the dragon circling the sky searching for her fades, but the fear does not. They must be careful or all will be lost.
Ten minutes later Kate is seated, waiting anxiously for what she hopes will be their salvation. It's a tall order to fill, but she cannot think of anyone else that could possibly help as much, let alone perhaps pull it all off. Even her contacts in the Attorney General's office are not as good. The ones with the power she doesn't know well enough to trust. The ones she would trust, like Rachel, do not have enough power. It is a tricky balance.
The sound of someone at the door knocks her out of the reverie. Soon it will be knowledge shared between the three of them and there will be no going back.
Since Alexis has not met their guest before, it is Kate that goes to the door. She expects disbelief and needing to argue and cajole. She is not prepared, however, for anger.
"This better be good. I'm missing my daughter's recital to come up here and hear what you have to say." The door has barely opened and already Kate is on the defensive.
"Jordan. I'm sorry, I didn't know." She looks down, at a loss momentarily. So far from the badass detective she was just over two months ago. That person is gone, perhaps forever. But there is still enough for some of the spark to relight. "I didn't have anyone else I could trust. And it is important. Please, come in."
Agent Jordan Shaw nods curtly, still not sure why she had to come. In truth, she is a bit shocked at Kate's physical appearance. She knew that Kate had broken down after Rick Castle's death, but this is to a level she had never imagined. When she had gotten the urgent message stating that Kate needed her to come to New York and speak to her immediately she had been annoyed. She hated missing special events; lord knows her time with her daughter was precious enough. But Kate and Rick had saved her life once upon a time. She owed Kate, so here she was.
Kate took her coat, hanging it on the hook near the door with the family's outerwear. Distracted, she hadn't noticed until now that Rick's favorite dress coat was still hanging there. She reaches out to touch it and becomes lost in a moment, remembering him in it.
Jordan sees what she is doing and her angry stance relaxes immediately. No matter that she is missing her daughter play the piano; Kate is missing her fiancé in her life. If there is something she needs help with then Jordan will do all she can to assist.
Jordan reaches out, touches Kate on the arm.
"Shall we go sit down? You can tell me what was so urgent it could not wait another day."
Kate nods and leads her to the living room where Alexis is waiting, having silently witnessed all that had transpired.
"Jordan, this is Alexis, Rick's daughter. Alexis, this is Jordan Shaw. I've already told her a lot about you," she says turning to smile wanly at Jordan.
"Nice to meet you Alexis." Jordan sits down in an armchair while Kate joins Alexis on the couch. There are some papers strewn on the coffee table between them, papers that Alexis has started gathering in a particular order.
"Can I get you something before we start?" Kate asks.
"Some tea would be lovely. But I'd like to get to it. I booked the midnight shuttle, so we don't have a lot of time."
Kate's face falls in disappointment. She had hoped to have more time with the agent, but knows from Jordan's standpoint there was no reason to think she would be here for long. Well, once she heard their case Kate was certain Jordan would throw herself into it. They just had to convince her.
"I'm sure you know some of the circumstances of Rick's death?" Kate's face was pinched, narrowed with the pain of speaking about it, even now that she no longer believed in it.
"Yes. He was out west somewhere, on a book tour and the plane crashed. All passengers lost."
"That's right. They crashed in south central Washington. The pilot, co-pilot, Paula Haas, Rick's publicist, and Gina Cowell, his publisher and ex-wife were killed."
"And Rick." Jordan's eyes had narrowed. She suddenly had a sinking feeling about why she was there.
"Kate, there was an investigation. There is always an investigation when a plane crashes. This isn't why you asked me here, is it? It's been two months for God's sake."
Kate gestured to Alexis. "Jordan, please. Just humor me for a minute. This is the crash report." Alexis handed the papers she'd gathered to Jordan, who accepted them with reluctance.
"Please. Read it while I make us some tea. If you read it and have no further questions or concerns then we'll drink our tea and you can go on your way with my apologies for taking you from your family. But I don't think that's going to happen."
Something in Kate's eyes touched Jordan. She nodded and pulled on some reading glasses while Kate and Alexis went to the kitchen, giving her space and time.
As Jordan read through the report, she was impressed with its thorough investigation and careful details. Clearly the person in charge of the investigation had been professional. Her agents on her personal team might learn a thing or two from this.
Everything seemed clear cut. She couldn't imagine that this report had prompted Kate to request her presence emergently two months after it had been finalized. Just as she was getting to the final page she was suddenly struck by a thought. Riffling through the papers, back to the listing of evidence. Hmm. That was strange.
Kate had been watching Jordan carefully and was despairing as she neared the end without any visible change in her countenance. Just as she thought all hope was lost she saw her pause then go back through the papers to a particular one. Kate saw the light dawning in her eyes; she nodded silently to Alexis and they carried the tea into the living room together.
Jordan looked up, almost absently. Looked down again, read some more. Paged through the report again, and then straightened them out in her hands. She looked up and gave Kate a piercing look.
"I think I understand why you asked me here. But Kate, it's been two months. What else do you have?"
Kate didn't answer immediately. She wanted to be sure of her words; this was a critical juncture for them. Handing Jordan her tea, she then took a sip from hers, body warmed by the slide of the hot liquid down her esophagus.
"He was not on the plane. There is no other logical conclusion."
Jordan nodded at her. She agreed.
Heartened, Kate continued. "Someone wanted the world to think he was dead. Went to a lot of trouble to achieve this goal. Killed four people in cold blood and arranged to place his DNA there so that it would be assumed he was dead."
Jordan nodded again.
"He's alive Jordan. I know it and Alexis knows it."
Jordan peered at both of them critically. "Do you have hard evidence of that?"
"No. But we've both had dreams of him and he's told us things that wouldn't make sense unless he were alive."
Jordan was losing hope. This sounded more like the empty pleas of a desperate woman rather than the confident and capable cop she had known before.
"You've both dreamed about him." She was blunt and clearly not impressed by the statement.
"I know it sounds…well, it sounds like something Rick, like Castle, would say. But you have to listen Jordan. No matter how we know he's alive, you have to help. He's out there, alone, and I have no one else I can trust with this."
Jordan was trying to figure out how to get Kate to see reason and drop this before she truly drove herself insane.
"Why now Kate? This report has been available for two months. Why is it suddenly an urgent matter?"
Kate flushed, looked down. Alexis reached over and took her hand, squeezed reassuringly.
"After his death, or his purported death that is, I fell into a deep hole. I stopped talking, stopped eating and stopped interacting with anyone. Truthfully, I wanted to die. If he wasn't going to be here with me I had no reason that I could think of to live. I completely walled myself off to everything."
"So what changed?"
Kate looked up at her. "I'm pregnant."
Jordan stopped breathing. She could not imagine the loss of her husband; he was the love of her life as she imagined Castle was for Kate. Then to discover you're pregnant after his death…wow. That was an incredibly cruel twist. For him to not be there with her. Suddenly she resolved to do what she could for Kate. She deserved some help, even if the conclusion was to give her some closure over what had happened to her fiancé.
Jordan reached over and patted Kate on the knee, reassuring her.
"Ok. I'm in. What else do you have?"
Kate nodded gratefully.
"There are only two people that I can think of who would have the audacity to do something like this. One is Jerry Tyson."
"The 3XK killer? I've read some of the reports on him. He is very clever."
"And he swore he'd get Rick back. He thinks Rick interfered with his ability to disappear and declared he'd take Rick from his life. He almost succeeded once. I would not put anything past him."
"But you don't think it is him." Jordan could see that Kate did not believe Tyson was responsible.
"No, I don't. For one thing, this would take a lot of money to pull off and I am not sure how many funds he has access to. Maybe he is rich and could do it, but the other thing that bothers me about it is that the whole world thinks Rick is dead. Tyson wants revenge on Rick, wants to make him suffer. Instead, his death led to the world toasting his life, memorializing him for the great man he is. I cannot imagine that Tyson would want something like that."
"So, assuming you are correct, who else do you have in mind?"
Kate hesitates. This is the point of no return. She trusts Jordan. She knows Alexis would never betray her or her father. Yet it is such a burden, she hates to put Alexis in the crossfire.
She considered asking Alexis to leave so she would not be privy to the secrets and thus innocent of any knowledge. But she knows she cannot ask her to do that. Not after all Alexis had done to bring her back from the edge of death. She should know why this has all happened. Deserves to know.
"Alexis, this is information you've never been told. For your protection. But I think it's time you knew everything."
Alexis nods; she was aware there were aspects of Kate's life that Kate and her father had kept hidden. She also knew they were just trying to protect her. She wanted to know why he'd been taken and if this information was crucial to understanding it, then she would hear it.
Kate started at the beginning, with what they had learned about Johanna's death. She and Rick had been through the information so many times that she was able to discuss the whole case without the crippling grief welling up like it once had. She went through everything they had done, the key players they'd discovered. She even told them about Roy's role, though not without a qualm. She had once promised that no one would ever learn of his mistake. Yet now that Castle's life was in danger she knew she had to tell the entire sordid story.
She finished with her discovery that Senator Bracken was behind the entire plot. Unfortunately, the evidence that had once kept him in check was now in pieces. She explained the delicate detente that had risen between them and the grudging respect he had paid her when she saved his life.
When she finished there was silence in the room for a long time as the other two digested her information.
Kate had been through the reasons for and against Bracken being the person behind the crash. Her dream just that afternoon seemed to confirm her suspicions. She was the first to break the silence.
"What I don't understand is why he would break our agreement now. Why would he take Rick when I'm the one he really wants? Everything about this case screams his name but I don't understand his motive."
Jordan shifted. "I think I can explain that part."
The other two looked at her expectantly.
"William Bracken is on the short list of his party to be a candidate for president. His poll numbers are very positive across the country and across many lines. If I were to guess at this minute, he is the shoo in candidate."
Kate still looked blank. She wasn't sure why that mattered.
"He's trying to clean up, isn't he?" Alexis' voice was hoarse with emotion. She understood.
"That's what I would bet." Jordan turned to Kate. "He knows you two are engaged. He would assume Castle knows everything about you. If something happens to you, Castle has the resources and the determination to make the whole world aware of Bracken's sins. The presidential campaign would disappear in a poof of smoke. One thing that is certain: for any successful candidate, there has to be zero baggage. I mean zero. Once you're on the hot seat there are people who tear into your life with a vengeance, seeking any transgression no matter how minor to discredit you with the voters. Bracken has to have you out of the way; you represent a millstone around his neck. And if you're a millstone, then Castle is a concrete block tied to him. He had to get both of you."
"But he only took Castle. I'm still here."
"Yes, but Kate…look at what happened. Were you really a threat to him for the last few months?"
Chagrined, Kate looked down at her hands clasped in her lap and shook her head. She'd been a mess. No threat to anyone but herself.
"If you had managed to pull yourself together, I'm sure Bracken had a plan to quietly kill you in what appeared to be an accident. Without Castle hear to protest, would anyone have really looked hard at it?"
Kate shook her head. Probably not.
"And you're right, I believe he is alive." Both Alexis and Kate looked up sharply at the agent.
"Bracken wouldn't dare kill him right away. The ones who died had no fame, no celebrity. Their only purpose was to confirm to the world that the plane supposedly carrying Castle was a fatal crash. No, he would have kept Castle alive in case something went sideways. Then he could always produce him and the world would focus on the return of the famous writer from the dead and not what had happened to him. Now we just have to figure out where he's been stashed."
"I might have an idea." Kate isn't sure how Jordan will take more information that she'd gained in a dream, but they had no other clues.
"I dreamt of him tonight. I asked him where he was, but he told me he didn't know. Then, I asked him if he could show me. We were suddenly standing in a snowy yard. There was a house and a barn, and in the distance were some mountains. It looked like somewhere out west."
Jordan looked at her piercingly for a minute and then seemed to reach an internal accord.
"Well, we've got nothing else to go on. I have to bring my team in on this Kate. I trust them implicitly and I'm going to restrict it to just the people I have to have. We'll bring them up here; there are too many eyes in DC. And we're going to have to be quiet about all this. If he finds out we're investigating him, the consequences could be catastrophic."
Kate nodded. She agreed and she had trusted Jordan. It had worked so far; there was no room for doubt now.
"Let's do it. Let's find Rick." She hugged Alexis as Jordan flipped her phone on to start getting the team in place. They were finally moving forward.