One Man's Worth

Chapter Eleven

Meanwhile…

"It has been three days and we are no closer to finding him," Esposito shouted as he was pacing back and forth at the precinct. "You would think that releasing their photos to the press, someone would have come forward by now with information. Someone has to have seen these two. They aren't invisible."

"I know how worried you are, Javier," Kate responded. "We all are, but we have to keep calm. We haven't found a body yet which means that Kevin is still alive. I am sure of it. Something will come up."

A few minutes later, Ryan's father, sisters, and Ryan's girlfriend, Jenny all walked in together. Jenny had come home from her business trip as soon as she received a call from Beckett telling her that Kevin was missing. They were hoping that the detectives had a lead or any new information for them. From the looks on everyone's faces, they knew before they even asked that there was none.

Ryan's father was the first to speak saying, "I know that it isn't a good idea, but I am going to offer an award for any viable information that will lead us to my son. If we wait any longer, he will be dead."

"Putting up an award is only going to cause more problems, Mr. Ryan," Captain Montgomery said as he walked out of his office. "Too many people will call in giving false tips and if someone does call with legitimate information, we will not know which one is real. We wouldn't have time to check on them all."

When Kate noticed that Jenny walked away from the others, she walked up to her and asked, "Are you all right, Jenny? I mean aside from Kevin missing, is everything ok?"

"I am just so worried about Kevin," she answered with tears falling from her eyes. "I know that you all want him back too and are doing everything that you can to find him. It's just that, the night before I left for my business trip, Kevin proposed to me. I told him that I needed some time to think about it. Even though he said I could have all the time I needed, I saw the hurt in his eyes. I should have said yes. I know now that I want to spend the rest of my life with him and that I love him so much, but I don't think that he knows I do. If we don't find him, he never will."

As Castle came up behind her, Kate said, "Believe me when I say that Ryan knows you love him. He wouldn't have asked you to marry him if he wasn't sure you would say yes."

Jenny thanked Beckett and walked back to the others as Castle said, "I guess Esposito and I are going to have a huge bachelor party to plan and their engagement party will be the event of the year."

"I appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, Rick," she responded. "I hope that we will the opportunity to do so. I am trying to be optimistic that he is still alive, but deep down I am afraid he may not be. Javier will never forgive himself if Kevin dies and Jenny and his family will be devastated. I will be too."

"So will I, but we have to try to be positive," Castle answered. "As you said, we have found a body yet. He is strong and you guys are the best detectives in New York City. We'll find him alive. I just know it."

Ryan's father, sisters, and Jenny were still talking with the captain and Esposito. Beckett and Castle rejoined the group as well. After Ryan's family left a few minutes later, the detectives sat back down at their desks and began to look through the reports again. They didn't think that they would find anything new, but it was all they could do.

Around ten o'clock, Detective Johnson came in shouting that he had found out about an apartment being rented by Jessica Clayton. As he said that, the four of them grabbed their gear and headed over to the building that he had learned about.

When they arrived there twenty minutes later, they all put on their vests, Castle with his vest that had Writer written across the chest, pulled out their guns, and walked into the building. They stopped just outside the door and Beckett gave the order to break it down. As the four of them swarmed throughout the apartment, they saw that neither Jessica nor James were there. However, Esposito noticed that there were two half eaten omelets on the counter and the stovetop was still warm. They knew that their kidnappers were here, must have seen them coming into the building, and ran.

Esposito and Johnson left the apartment and went to go search around building, hoping that they might catch them. Beckett and Castle stayed behind and looked around thinking that there could be clues that would lead them to Ryan.

Castle was the first to see the pictures on the coffee table and said, "Whoa, these are all pictures of Ryan. Jessica's been stalking him and for awhile from the looks of it."

"You're right," Beckett responded as she picked up some of the pictures. "This picture was from over a year ago at your book release party, remember? She must have been stalking him since she was released. I swear I am going to kill those who are responsible for helping them both out of prison."

"I'm with you," Castle added. "We could be like Thelma and Louise. You would be Geena Davis. Although, that would make me Susan Sarandon and we would have to drive off a cliff. That wouldn't help Ryan. I think…"

Beckett just glared at him, getting him to shut up and start looking around again. Lanie and her team came in a few minutes later and began to do a more thorough search. After not finding anything that would help them find Ryan, they went back to the station, defeated and depressed.

Around eleven-thirty, they all headed home for the night to try to get sleep, but each of them ended up doing something besides sleeping. Beckett went to take a long bath, while looking through the Claytons' profiles. She was hoping that she would find something about their characters that would give her a clue on how to find them.

Esposito took a beer from his fridge and sat in front of his TV to watch the news. It only made him angrier when the anchors announced that there have been no new developments to report on the kidnapping of his partner. He turned the TV off and he decided to go out for a jog hoping that he could get some ideas.

Richard Castle came home to spend some time with his mother and daughter, Alexis, who he hasn't seen much of since this whole case started.

When Alexis noticed her father staring off into space she asked, "Dad, are you all right? I am so sorry about Ryan. I am sure he is going to be all right."

"Alexis is right, Richard," Martha cut in. "They are the best detectives in this state and you are extremely bright when it come to figuring out crimes. You will find him."

"That's what I keep trying to tell Esposito and Beckett, but the longer it takes us to find him, the less likely we will find him alive," Rick answered. "Something has to lead us to him. One way or another."