CH11
Kate spent the next morning in a haze. Lanie had told her something over the phone but it went in one ear and out the other. Espo was at home, resting. Ryan was at his desk and had tried to interact with Kate. But she just sat there and kept saying "U-Huh". Over and over. Finally it was 11:30 and Kate jumped up and told everyone she was going to lunch. And practically ran for the elevator. Willing it to open faster and travel faster. It was just too damn slow. "Should have taken the stairs." She tells herself.
It takes her just over 20 minutes to get to the diner. And she stands on the other side of the street for another 5 minutes. Do I go in? Do I turn around and go back? Taking in a deep breath Kate heads across the street and into the diner, and answers. Maybe?
Stepping inside she sees Raglan straight away. Sitting alone and 2 booths in facing the outside. Probably saw her standing across the street for the last 5 minutes she guesses. And slides into the empty seat across from him. Her back to the door. A waitress walks up almost instantly. "Something to drink?"
"Just coffee for now, thanks." Noting that Raglan already has one in his hands.
"It's been a long time Beckett. You look just like your mother did."
"What have you done?" Kate asks, a little afraid of the answer.
"I did some bad things in my life. Your mother was one of them." Raglan starts.
"I got the word from the doctor yesterday. Terminal. Gave me 3 months."
"I'm sorry." Kate states, not really sure she is sorry.
"Death. When it's quick you've got nothing to think about. It just happens. Knowing it's going to happen in your future soon and nothing you can do about it. Get's a man to thinking.
"To understand about your mother's death you need some perspective."
"Nine years before your mother's death some of us where kidnapping mob guys and ransom them back to their own people. Or a rival gang so they could get rid of him. Being a cop back then was different. The system was more broken then you would believe."
"They were getting off and out of prison so easily. We decided they should at least have to pay to get back. They were bad, we were good. And they had all the money."
"We had our next guy of choice. Pulgotti. We went to pick him up, but he wasn't alone. Not really a big deal, take them both. What we didn't know then was that the guy who was with him was an undercover Fed."
"In our attempt to get Pulgotti, the Fed ended up shot and died in that same alley your mother died in years later. We decided to blame Pulgotti for the murder, and he ended up in prison. But we got found out by someone. Someone who had no morals about basically, anything. He decided to blackmail us to get the money so he could gain power. He is all about getting more power. You get in the way of that, and you die."
"He, …." And is interrupted when his coffee cup shatters and Kate is sprayed with blood. Raglan falls out of the booth to the ground. Kate spins out of the booth and draws her weapon ready to fire back. Seeing nothing, she checks Raglan and finds he has no pulse. Opening his shirt, he has been shot in the chest. Perfect heart shot. Sniper!
Soon the area is filled with cops. Everyone in the diner is detained and questioned. Some go across the street to do a room by room search. Others go up the street to block traffic. Ryan arrives to oversee everything and take notes for later. Lanie arrives and takes Raglan back to her place of business. Kate meanwhile has a date with a James Rook.
After going home to clean up and change out of blood soaked clothes, she is back at the 12th and heads downstairs to see Lanie.
"It's about time, girlfriend!" Lanie is pissed.
"What have you got?"
"I just started on this one." Motioning to Raglan who is on her table.
"I do however have results on the DNA Karpowski brought down."
"And?" Kate is impatient.
"It matches all of the DNA found on Jessica!"
Kate's eye's go wide and her mouth opens wide, but no sound comes out.
"His DNA is a match to the sperm found in her, … rectum." Lanie tells her.
"Thanks Lanie. Where's Jessica?"
"She's in the cooler, waiting. I thought you would want him first." Pointing to Raglan.
"Yea, I do. Thanks." And turns to leave.
"Send him down here, girl. I want to see him on that table over there!" Lanie points to the empty stainless steel table just like the one Raglan Is on now that they are standing next to.
Kate smiles back with a very predatory smile. "I'll see what I can do." Knowing exactly who Lanie is referring to, and heads back upstairs. Maybe it is time to have a talk with Mr. Rook. Maybe he will do something stupid and Lanie will get her wish.
Kate stops at her desk to pick up the file they have on Rook and do a quick read of it. Then steps into the observation booth where she finds to guys she has never seen before.
They each hold out their hands to shake. "Davidson." …. "Rendell". Both are from the gang squad downstairs Kate learns.
"Take the two guys in the room with Rook out." Kate commands.
"NO! He has the skill and no conscience about snapping your neck in less than a second. Long before anyone could even open the door to help you. THEY STAY! Not negotiable!" Kate can tell she will loose this round. So remains silent.
Stepping into the room, puts her folder on the table. "You know why you are here Mr. Rook?"
"You couldn't stay away from me any longer and wanted to get some." Low predatory voice.
"We've searched your 'living place' and found this." Placing a gun with a silencer still attached in a baggie. "How much would you care to bet that it is a match to the gun that killed Jessica. And shot one of my detectives?"
"We also got your DNA off of Jessica. Before you put 3 bullets in her chest."
"Do you know a Rob Matterson, Mr. Rook?"
"I'd like my lawyer now. And a mattress with you naked on it." Leering lustfully at Kate.
Kate stands and leaves the room. The guys from gangs step out also. "Put him back in holding. Maybe he'll talk after his lawyer gets here. Either way, he's ours." Kate wants him. She wants him bad. And not in bed.
"Anything else on our Vic?" Kate asks Ryan.
"Nothing yet. I was just getting ready to take Karpowski with me and go to the address listed as his next of kin. Aunt or Uncle by the looks of it."
"Fine, take a uniform with you though. Everything about this case seems to involve someone getting shot. I don't need anyone else in a hospital. Or worse." Kate is now just a little worried. Ryan just nods and heads out.
About 30 minutes after Rook is put back in holding a guy in a suit arrives and is taken to see Rook.
His lawyer. Kate guesses.
15 minutes later and the 'lawyer' leaves. Not talking to anyone.
About an hour after that Ryan returns. "It was his Uncle. Seems the whole family came here from a place called 'Sumbawa'. His nephew, 'Matterson', started to run with the wrong crowd. He brought his family to the states to get away from the 'gang element'. But it seems he was sucked in anyway."
"And Matterson's real name is 'Abdurrahman Wahid'. Try saying that three times fast?"
"They know of any of his friends?"
"The only one he ever saw matches the description of James Rook." Ryan confirms.
"Oh and when 'Adburr, …. Matterson came over, he sometimes was carrying a large gun. He didn't know what kind. But his description of it kind of matches up with some of the HK assault rifles." Ryan concludes.
"Para-military? Para-military gangs?" Kate wonders out loud.
"I don't know. But according to the gang squad, these guys can out gun any tactical team we have. And not afraid of using it either. They are still kind of small so far. Not many members that they know of. But if they get bigger and take out some of the other gangs and take over their turf. We could all be in big trouble."
"Anything else?"
Ryan just shakes his head. "They have not talked in months. He doesn't know where he lives or have a phone number."
"No other family members?"
Ryan nods his head, "Three. All live in Phoenix, AZ. They talk occasionally, but neither has seen the other in years."
There was one more lead Kate could pursue, but it meant going back to Castle. And that did not seem like a good idea. Especially after he found out what had happened to Jessica. But she needed him to help identify any next of kin. And talk to the people where she worked. DAMN! She would wait until tomorrow. It was time to go home. Or her captain might make good on his threat from earlier.
Come morning, Kate was just stepping out of the shower and had started to dry herself off when she could hear her phone ring. Racing out of the bathroom still holding onto the towel, she reached for the phone.
"Beckett." And listens to who is on the other side.
"WHAT? Yea, yea, I'll be there. I'm leaving now."
Not bothering to dry her hair or apply any make-up. Puts on the first set of clothes she can find. Grabs her boots from the previous day. Car keys, wallet, badge and gun and races out of her apartment.
Arriving on the floor of the 12th, she finds everyone standing around Captain Montgomery. "Nice of you to join us Beckett." Roy states sounding extremely pissed.
"Yes sir. Sorry sir."
"Ok, people listen up. Sometime during the night someone ordered that a James Rook be transferred from our holding cell to another location. Two officers showed up and escorted him down to a waiting police cruiser. They then drove off with him in the back seat."
"Somewhere along the trip a Dodge Ram truck with a crew cab got in front of the cruiser. The flat top over the bed of the truck popped open and 2 men got up and sprayed the front of the cruiser with automatic weapons fire. According to witnesses.
"The driver lost control and swerved onto a sidewalk and ran over a couple and then slammed into the side of a sandwich shop. Where more people were injured. About this time one of the witnesses pulled out his cell phone and started taking a video of what he saw. He has since sold it to one of the local TV stations and they have been playing it all morning.
"Two men got out of the crew cab doors, armed with automatic weapons. One went and shot the back door of the cruiser open while the other sprayed the front seat. As they were getting Rook out of the back seat and over to the waiting truck. Another cruiser pulled up. The two men still in the bed of the truck opened fire on the new cruiser. As you will see on the video, they then got out of the bed of the truck, dropped their empty clips on the ground and slapped in new ones.
"They both approached the driver's side of the cruiser and emptied their clips into the front side of the cruiser. They then dropped their spent clips and slapped in new ones and got back into the bed of the truck. Rook was placed in the crew cab of the truck, and as the truck pulled away, both men sprayed the sidewalk on each side as it left.
"We've probably got 4 dead cops. I have no idea how many injured or dead civilians in the streets.
"I want everyone on this. If you have something you were already working on. Drop it. I want any and all video footage. Find out where that truck went to. See if you can get pictures of every person in that truck. CSU is already headed for the scene as is a full tactical team. After the fact.
"Someone contact those cops families. I don't want them learning they just lost a loved one on TV.
"Someone just declared war on us, and we've already lost 4 of our own. We are NOT losing any more!
"Now, get to work!" Roy screams so everyone can hear. "Beckett, organize this mess." And Roy stalks into his office and picks up the phone.