It finally feels like fall, and I don't think I've ever been happier about that.
The conference room on the homicide floor has been transformed into a miniature FBI Command room. She hasn't seen this much equipment since they were in the CIA bunker a couple of years ago. She's standing off to the side watching the local techs carry it in to wire the precinct. The boys aren't in yet, Gates apparently gave them a couple of hours off this morning with the foresight that they probably wouldn't see much time off in the coming weeks. Castle had gone out to get the breakfast for everyone. She can feel them gearing up, as all the pieces coming into place.
"Once they're all set up, I expect that you'll gather the troops." Captain Gates materializes at her elbow watching the invasion. "Explain to them what we're doing, the strict parameters of how this is to be handled."
"Sir, are you sure that you are ok with us running the operation out of the 12th?" She looks over at the woman who just two years ago she was certain would be the worst thing that happened to her job. Now she's the only reason they're still standing.
Victoria Gates turns her head, lifting one perfectly groomed eyebrow. "They wouldn't be here if I didn't want them here... Beckett, this is your team and these people work here⦠Close the case Kate."
"And then?"
Gates gives her a once over, "Then the New York Police department would like to discuss your future," before turning on her heel and heading back into her office. She takes a deep breath, and looks at the room. The elevator dings across the way, opening to Castle and the boys clutching bags and boxes of breakfast food. Home, she smiles to herself and crosses to take some things out Castle hands before he drops something in his enthusiasm.
"Hi." He grins at her, as she takes a box of coffee from him and bag of cups. She can't help it as she brushes her mouth over his in thanks, before heading into the conference room. Helping to set everything out as the combination of uniforms, detectives, and FBI agents file in so that she could dole out the assignments. The invasion that she would normally despise is worth every moment if it means that this can be the end.
Clearing her throat, she takes her coffee from Castle and turns to the small crowd that she has gathered. The door clicks behind Gates and she starts on the details as Ryan and Esposito passing out case files, the newest uniform is taking notes in the corner, and Castle is standing beside her like he's supposed to be.
They're in the small room for nearly three hours as she answers questions, the boys field some of them, Gates lays down the rules for reporting, and an IT guy gives directions on the secure server separate from the NYPD. Castle's fingers tighten on her elbow every now and then when she's taken a backseat on the answers, the reassuring pads of his fingers sending jolts of warmth through her jacket.
There are federal forensic accountants pouring through new account information that the new federal warrants have allowed them to pull. Techs are pouring over video feed, cell phone data, credit card transactions, data stretching back years. Some stuff the government has had and hasn't gotten to, some is new. They keep sending email updates, every hour or so there's a constant flurry of activity. The head tech insisting that if they can at least get something to look for then they might have an easier time. She's having a hard time getting through to him that they don't even know what they're looking for besides anomalies. Still she doesn't envy those that got stuck with the campaign records there's billions of dollars over the course of Bracken's career and it doesn't help that he's been building a war chest to launch a run for president, at least that's what they can assume based on the size of his coiffures.
At the twelfth, they're huddled in the conference room pouring through a couple of stacks of prison records. Castle had the bright idea a couple of days ago to interview professional killers that had been caught, see if they could find a common thread, work it backwards up the chain. A search of the records found several hundred inmates all over the country that hit the basic parameters. It took some time to narrow it down but they were getting there. The forty-eight files sitting on the table were the ones in the region that had been picked up since her mom died. Forty had some sort of military background, nine were dead, three of natural causes, the others killed in prison. Now they're going through what was left to make some final decisions, whom to interview, how to cover their tracks.
Ryan yawned wide enough that his jaw popped in the silent room, earning him a glare for Esposito. Catching the deterioration mood, three days of looking at files isn't what they were meant for, she pushed away from the table glancing at her watch. "Coffee break. Let's go get some fresh air guys, come back to it in a little bit."
Castle looks thrilled at the idea, "Oh good, because I'm definitely not cut out for Federal work. This is miserable three days of reading files looking for a common thread."
"Yeah man, I'm never going in to work for the feds. Give me your basic husband kills wife so that he and his mistress can live on her life insurance and I'm all over it." Mumbles Espo as he stretches.
"Nobody said that conspiracies were sexy fieldwork," she throws back.
"Well if it ends this and we can all move on with our lives I'll spend as long as I need to figuring out who we should talk to." Ryan smiles, stretching as they all head for the elevator.
She hooks her pinky around Castle's as they wait for the elevator, "We've only got four more files to go through, and we have some promising people already."
"Next step prison visits. Oh goody," Castle sighs.
The elevator opens and the four of them stagger in, it'll only be a couple of days. "We're going to have be careful though cover our tracks, just in case Bracken or someone working for him is watching." Espo shrugs his jacket on.
She blows out a breath, knowing Esposito is right. "Take a break everyone. Let's get some coffee and talk about anything besides the case." They all kind of look at her like she's grown a third eye. She's normally the one that presses past the point of reasonableness, but if there's one thing that three months in DC has taught her, it's that if you never let up, it will never fall into place and you'll just be miserable. Purposely ignoring their stares she turns to look at Ryan, "How's Jenny?"
At the mention of his pregnant wife, he lights up, a huge grin blossoming across his face as he pulls out his phone opening up pictures, "I felt her kick for the first time last night..." he starts rattling about all of these things and the happiness is just pouring out of him. Her heart clenches at the thought of that, and how much she wants that too. Castle's fingers thread through her's to properly hold her hand, and she can feel his eyes burning into the side of her head just watching her. She just squeezes his hand and asks all the appropriate questions regarding the baby. Allowing Esposito to offer up Javier as a potential name, arguing that it could be a uni-sex name.
Thanks for reading!
Babyrose
