Finding Her Hero

Chapter 12

"Castle, Bracken is a senator now," Kate pointed out.

Castle's jawline hardened. "I know. And while he's been putting on this man of the people act, he's been working behind the scenes to do just the opposite of cleaning up the streets of the city. Bob Weldon's bitched about him, especially after a few beers. Whenever Bob's looked for federal help for an initiative, Bracken's blocked him. And Bob doesn't think it's just because they're from different parties. He believes Bracken is actively protecting operations like the one Vulcan Simmons runs."

"Why would Bracken do that?" Kate wondered. "What would he get out of it?"

"What people who climb the ladder by stomping on everyone else want, Kate: power. And to get that and hold it, you need money - lots of it. The money Bracken squeezed out of Raglan and McAllister must be long gone by now. He'd need another source."

"So, you're thinking that he's hooked up with the criminal organizations in the city, to finance his activities on the national stage?" Kate queried.

"It would make sense, Kate. He's got this man of the people act going, but clearly, the only person he's out for is himself. And he's got tentacles throughout the city on both sides of the law, in a network he's been building for at least 19 years. Who knows how many officials and even street cops he's compromised, or where?" He, or someone working for him, had to be keeping close tabs on you and me to try and catch us in his sanitation squeeze. And with the way McAllister was taken out, Bracken must have contacts at Rikers, too."

"Then how do we nail him, Castle? We have the tape, but if he has as much reach as you think he does, we'll need a lot more than that. How do we get it?"

"The way you take perps down all the time. Someone greedy or unscrupulous enough to be working for Bracken can be flipped given a strong enough self-interest. We go after one of his minions. We just need to find one who'll give into your famous or perhaps infamous, talent of persuasion."

Kate put a hand on his arm. "I know who we should target. I think McCallister aimed us at Vulcan Simmons for a reason. After Raglan was shot, he was afraid that Bracken would come after him, but he was too scared to give us Bracken's name. Maybe he was hoping that if we went after Simmons, it would lead us to his boss."

"But even if Montgomery would allow it, after what happened with Simmons the first time, if Bracken does have a mole at the Twelfth, he'd be tipped off that we were coming and cover his tracks," Castle assumed. "He'd probably have Simmons taken out too, not that his demise would be any great loss to humanity. Who are you sure we can trust?"

"Rick, I'd trust Ryan and Esposito with my life. I have trusted them with my life before, and they've trusted me. They've trusted both of us."

"And Ryan has contacts in narcotics, doesn't he?" Castle asked.

"That's where he worked before Montgomery brought him into homicide," Kate confirmed.

"Do you think Ryan and Espo would be willing to dig up a reason to pull Simmons in again?" Castle wondered.

"I know they would."


"What did you get, Bro?" Esposito asked.

"One of Simmons' competitors was found with a needle in his arm a couple of days ago," Ryan reported. "C.O.D. was pegged as an overdose, but the M.E. didn't find tracks or any other signs of drug use. It was an execution; the doc just couldn't prove it. The only fingerprints on the hypo belonged to the victim. We are now officially consulting on the case, so we can go up to Washington Heights and sniff around. The lieutenant at the 23rd is going to clear it with Montgomery."

After the way that slimebag Simmons baited Beckett, I'd sure like to haul his ass in." Esposito declared.

"Yeah, Bro, me too."


Before calling Martha to bring Alexis back, with Kate at his elbow, Castle examined the changes to the loft. "Looks like my security guy did everything he said he would," he noted. "Motion detectors and alarms on every window, a camera at the door. An alarm goes off if the power is cut to anything, and I can monitor it all from my phone or my computer. I'm slipping Eduardo a few extra bucks to be on high alert for anyone who looks like they don't belong, too. What do you think, detective?"

"Look's good, Castle. Too bad you can't wire the rest of the city."

"I'm going to have people keeping watch on Mother and Alexis when they're out of the loft. It would be pretty blatant for Bracken to send someone after us at the precinct."

"Yeah, it would, Castle, but we'll still have to be on alert. I wish you could handle a gun, with that cast. I'd give you my backup."

"You are my backup Kate. But," he dug in the left pocket of his pants and held up a tube, "I do have this. It only takes two fingers."

"Pepper spray, Castle? I guess it's better than nothing."


Ryan and Esposito sat in a car they'd requisitioned from the impound yard. The finish was scratched, and there was primer on one of the doors. Its best feature was that it looked nothing like a police unit. The hubcaps were more prominent, the tires older, and there was no sign of an antenna. The two men were dressed to match the condition of their vehicle, in clothes borrowed from the undercover wardrobe of Ryan's old partner, with a few additions from a local thrift store. Esposito held a parabolic microphone, with buds in his ears. His body moved in rhythm as if immersed in hip-hop. Ryan lounged in the driver's seat with a hat pulled over his eyes. "Getting anything, Javi?"

"They're jammin'. about business." Esposito closed his eyes as he concentrated. "They're talking about setting up in newly opened territory. Sounds like they're going to go scope the place out. Get ready to move."

Ryan released the parking brake and put his fingers on the ignition key. "If they end up in our vic's neighborhood, we'll know why they're there."

"And the minute they try to unload their merchandise, we'll have them," Esposito finished.

The delivery truck pulled up in front of the loft with the new refrigerator for Castle's downstairs neighbor. Eduardo had received a call that it was coming and one of the muscular men who wheeled it in on a dolly signed the ledger. It was business as usual as the unit was efficiently installed in the apartment.


Castle and Kate returned from the precinct, where Kate had been doing desk duty, and when he had been able to concentrate, Rick had been making notes for his new book with the recording function on his phone. He'd been alternately anxious and bored, sitting in his well-worn chair all day, and was looking forward to returning to his newly fortified refuge. Eduardo opened the door to the lobby. "Anything happen today?" Castle inquired.

Eduardo shrugged. "Just a delivery for Ms. Paulsey, Mr. Castle. New refrigerator."

A warning tingle raced up Castle's spine. "Carolyn Paulsey who lives in the loft below mine?"

Eduardo nodded. Castle turned to Kate. "Something's wrong. Carrie's on a weird version of a paleo diet. She has a plot at the community garden and things growing in containers all over her place. She even owns an interest in an orchard. Carrie won't eat anything she can't pick fresh. She's never had a refrigerator since she's lived here. She doesn't believe in them. Kate, I think we should call the bomb squad."