Chapter 12: The Brownstone
"You shouldn't be so hard on her," he says getting up from his seat to stand behind her. His hands reach out to gently cup her elbows. "She was only trying to help."
'"Are you serious?" she asks, turning to face him, her face flustered, her eyes wild from the confrontation. "You do realize she's sticking up for this psycho. Do you even-" she stops herself, thinking twice before continuing. She searches for new words, refraining from the obvious but finds nothing and only shakes her head, looking down at his hands which have now found her own.
"I just want my little girl back," he says earnestly, "That's all."
She smiles if only to force the tears from returning. Scrunching her face, she nods, "You're right," she takes her hands from his, "We had better be going." In an instant her demeanour changes, her shoulders upright, a sense of urgency returning to her. She has morphed from friend to detective in an instant. "Where was this sleep over held?"
"Her friends house," Castle closes his eyes, begging himself for the memory a father who pays attention, "Paige," his eyes opening, senses focused, "She went to Paige's house."
"Let's go."
***
The screeching of the siren above them, the roar of the V8 engine in front of them, and Beckett is weaving her way through traffic. Avoiding trashcans, pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers, she throws the vehicle into another gear. The traffic parts for them as if by a magical force, clearing a path through town. It is only on two occasions that Beckett does yield, flicking her lights, the change of the siren urging the congestion to move for them.
"Get the hell out of the way," she curses through an opened window to the crowd developing to her right. Pedestrians on the sidewalk halt in their comings and goings as Beckett finally pulls up, stopping abruptly at the foot of a Brownstone in the Upper West Side.
The two exit the vehicle in swift motions, Beckett barely pulling the keys from the ignition. Taking steps two by two they edge toward the large, heavy, brown wooden door and notice it ajar. If it wasn't for their urgency, a lady with a shopping cart they had to avoid at the foot of the stairs, they would have seen the large oversized black sedan, the two identical Black SUV's parked on either side of it; vehicles that screamed FBI.
***
Castle is the first to reach the door and opens the double doors with ease. There is a thud as the door opens to its fullest, and a voice which utters, "Ouch." Castle turns to see a man in a dark navy jacket emerge from behind the door, his hand to his forehead rubbing it vigorously. Castle pushes on down a hall as if phased by nothing.
Beckett turns to the man, "Sorry," she says in Castle's stead, looking down to see latex gloves on the man's hands, a small brush in his grasp. A fingerprinting kit is at his feet. She looks to the man's shoulder reading, the lettering clear in bright yellow letters. FBI.
She looks onward down the hall to see Castle running his eyes over the numbers on the doors, looking frantically for apartment number nine.
"Beckett," a voice calls out from the staircase in front of her.
She takes quick strides toward the voice, looking up to see Will Sorenson, standing at the top of the stairs.
"Will?" she questions beginning to ascend the staircase. Castle is standing beside her in seconds, ascending in stride with her. "What are you doing here?"
Will looks now to Beckett whose sights have also followed Castle in his motions. Will turns slowly to look at Castle who is already pushing past him edging closer to the open doorway in the hall. A team of agents mill around in and out of the apartment door.
"I got word of an abduction case," he says carefully, "When I heard it was Alexis Castle I had to come down and bring the team."
She smiles softy, cautiously, "Thanks for coming," she pauses taking a step down the hall, "Did you get word from Montgomery?"
Will doesn't answer at first and Beckett can tell he is thinking, carefully planning his next words as they meet Castle at the doorstep, who is being held back by an agent, "Yes. I did."
She looks at him questionably but he turns into the room, brushing off the agent allowing Castle and Beckett to follow him into the apartment.
The room is furnished lavishly, the floors of rich mahogany, the windows open. Fresh air, and sunlight fill the room, juxtaposing against the atmosphere.
Beckett enters unsure of where to fit and turns to Sorenson asking, "What do we have so far?"
"Single mother Anne, daughter Paige. Both very distraught. We're trying to talk to the young girl now. She hasn't told us much yet."
Beckett nods in agreement, turning to Castle who stands with his hands by his side, scanning the room back and forth, his head on a swivel. A look of confusion and urgency lines his face.
"Do you mind if I try talking to her?" Beckett asks Sorenson who also is watching Castle's motions.
"Of course not," his arm outstretched, "This way."
Will places his other hand to her back motioning her forward but when she stops short for Castle lacing her fingers around his, Will removes his hand and takes a step forward away from them.
"Hey," she says awakening Castle from his trance, "I'm going to go talk to Paige. Do you want to sit down?"
He shakes his head moving his fingers with hers, "No, I'll come with you."
She waits for a second, looking to him, watching the colour return to his face, his eyes focused. Unable to argue her case, she nods and steps away from him to follow Will across the floor to a hallway where they pass several agents exiting from a room at its end.
Held in her mother's arms, Paige rests her head on her chest, eyes closed, her face lined with tears. She holds onto a sweater on her lap. Beckett turns to Castle reading him, noticing no change in his demeanour; he remains focused on the task at hand.
"Paige," Sorenson says softly, carefully touching the young girl's arm, "We have some people here who would like to ask you some questions. This is Kate and..." Will trails off as Paige lifts her head to look past Beckett to Castle.
"Oh Mr. Castle," she says choking, tears streaming down her face. She leaves her mother's side to trudge heavily across the floor into the arms of Castle who stands reluctantly for a second while the young girl wraps her arms around his midriff. "It's all my fault," she exclaims, burying her head into the flap of his jacket. It is moments before Castle sighs shaking slightly, bringing his arms around to complete the embrace.
Beckett is on them in seconds, placing a hand to Paige's head, drawing the young girl from the embrace, "Paige, it's not your fault and no one is blaming you here."
Paige pulls her face away from Castle, releasing her arms, bringing her hands to her face. "I told her she should wait for a ride," she says wiping away tears, "I told her she should wait for someone to take her home. I shouldn't have let her leave."
Paige walks across the room to sit with her mother. Her mother places a hand on her back; a soothing touch to calm the girls nerves.
"Paige," Beckett says softly, pulling a chair from the desk to her right to sit in front of the distraught girl, "We need you to tell us anything you can remember that might help us find Alexis. Anything that you can remember, no matter how small the detail may be, is really going to help us find Alexis and bring her home." She pauses, waiting for Paige to lift her eyes, "You two are close friends right?"
Paige nods in agreement. Stifling a sniffle.
"When did Alexis leave here?" Beckett asks, drawing a small notepad from her coat pocket.
"Yesterday afternoon. I think it was 3:30."
Beckett makes a notation and continues, "Did Alexis mention which way she was going home?"
Her face scrunches, "She took the subway. She said she wanted to get home early to finish a book report."
"And where is the nearest station? Which platform would she use?"
"There's one really close. Only about a block from here."
Beckett smiles, maintaining a calm assertive manner, "Do you remember what she was wearing when she left your house?"
"A white shirt and plaid skirt."
"Did she mention anything else of where she might be going? Is there somewhere where she might have stopped on the way home?"
Paige looks to the other men in the room, and looks back to Beckett lowering her voice, "She said she needed tampons."
Beckett smiles, "That's really good Paige. That's extremely helpful." Beckett reaches out to gently squeeze Paige's hand. "Did Alexis have a cell phone with her? Did she have a bag? How about a sweater?"
"She had her cell. She had a bag. No sweater."
"Excellent," Beckett says, "What kind of bag would she have? Can you describe it for us?"
Paige opens her eyes wide, "She has a Louis Vitton bag," she says excitedly, "It's white with brown trim. The symbols are pink and gold." she pauses, "She got it last year. Loves it."
"Her birthday present," Castle says flatly.
Beckett turns to look at Castle solemnly, finally turning her attention back to Paige. She smiles again, warmly. Beckett begins to see signs of frustration on the girl's face, her eyes darting to each of them in the room, and sits back for a second. "You're doing great. Is there anything else you can think of?"
Paige shakes her head, lowering it, she turns her focus to her hands, entwining her fingers in her lap.
Beckett leans forward to touch Paige's arm, "What you just gave us is going to be really helpful."
Looking up quickly, the young girl looks to Beckett, "Are you going to find her?"
Beckett nods leaning into her, and lowering her voice vows, "I promise I will do everything in my power to get her home safely. You can count on it."
***
Once outside the girls room, upon entering the family's living room, Sorenson begins shouting orders to the Agents in the room.
He turns to Beckett. "We're going to canvas the areas near the Subway station entrances. There has to be camera footage that we can use."
Beckett nods in agreement, "Right."
"I'm also going to send a team over to Castle's place," Sorenson adds, looking to Castle, who is staring off out a window, "Richard?" he says lifting a hand, getting Castle's attention, "Do you want a ride to your place?"
"Martha," Beckett adds, "She's probably worried with fright."
Castle nods his head and walks toward the door, exciting the apartment.
Beckett begins the follow but Sorenson reaches out for her arm drawing her back.
"Kate," Sorenson says lowering his voice, "He shouldn't be here and you know it."
She sighs heavily, "What am I supposed to do, Will? You know damn well if this was about you you'd want to be here." She releases her arm from his grasp, "He's better off with me for the time being."
"I'm just saying."
"And I don't care," she says turning away from him and follows Castle out of the apartment.
***
Once at street level, Beckett's eye catches something at an intersection. She takes a few steps toward her intended to get a better view. A corner store is before them, the "OPEN" sign blinking in the window with neon light.
"What is it?" Castle questions, his hand on the door of the dark sedan.
She turns back to him, "Just a gut feeling."
He edges up next to her, "What about?"
Beckett continues, her eyes held with his, "Paige said that Alexis needed tampons."
He looks to her confused, "So you're thinking she went there?" He sighs, "There about a hundred of the same stores from here to our place. What makes you think she went there?"
"Because I know what its like," she says turning, taking steps toward the store, "And she's not going to want to forget."
***
They enter the corner store together, Beckett flashing her badge to the middle aged man behind the counter in blue smock.
"Detective Beckett, NYPD," she says putting her badge away after the clerk has taken a good look, "I have a few questions."
The man looks worried but says, "Sure. Go ahead."
She reaches into her pocket pulling out a picture that Sorenson has given her; a copy of Alexis' high school picture, "We're wondering if you remember seeing this girl in here. She would have been in here yesterday, in the late afternoon."
The man looks over the picture, bringing his finger up to scratch his chin. Sadly he shakes his head, handing her the picture. "I'm afraid not. Never seen her," he pauses leaning forward on the counter, "But I wasn't here yesterday afternoon. Worked the morning and was out of here by noon."
Beckett nods, placing the picture back into her pocket, "Can I get the name of who would have been on the clock yesterday? Do you have a list?"
A bell chimes above the door as a man in a ball cap with heavy beard and long hair enters the store, drawing Castle's attention away from Beckett's questioning.
The man nods, "Sure. I can get you that."
Beckett looks up to a camera in the corner behind the store clerk and follows her line of sight down to a monitor where she can clearly see herself on surveillance, and to Castle who takes a step away from her toward the door.
"Do you have tapes for your surveillance?"
The clerk nods, "Yes. DVD actually."
Beckett loops a thumb into her pocket, "I'll need copies of those as well."
The clerk nods again, taking a step away from her, disappearing into the room behind him.
"Beckett," comes the voice of Castle who is standing outside the door now.
Beckett follows obediently, following his line of sight to a woman walking with a limp and slight hunch. She is dressed in grey, dirty clothes. Her hair a mess, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. She pushes a small shopping cart in front of them filled with black plastic bags and pop cans for recycling which scatter about the cart. But their sights are not focused on the woman's appearance, nor on the peculiar treasure she holds in her cart. What is most peculiar about this scene is the white Louis Vitton bag with brown trim and symbols of pink and gold hanging from her shoulder.
Really sorry this took so long... For some reason it took a really long time for me to be able to get it out of my head and into the typed word...
I appreciate your enthusiasm and your dedication to reading BOUND. I appreciate all my reviews. They make me feel loved, so please keep 'em coming.
All the best... moi...
