Rick was driving, having insisted. "You're exhausted. Forsyth might not be human, but you are. You can powernap in the car while I drive."
Not that Kate had taken any notice. "Like that's going to happen with you behind the wheel."
"I'm a good driver! You just haven't had that much practice finding out."
"You keep telling yourself that." She flashed him a smile then went back to checking her phone.
"Anything?" Rick asked, waiting at a red light for a slow moving street cleaning vehicle to pass in front. Even at this time of night the city wasn't empty, where the usually unseen masses did whatever they needed to keep New York running smoothly. And of course it was in these wee small hours that a lot of nefarious deeds went on too.
"Not so far."
"Jenny wasn't exactly pleased." Kate had called both Ryan and Esposito as she dressed, juggling her cellphone until Rick took pity on her and held it while she pulled her t-shirt on.
"I'm not surprised. Do you have any idea what the time is?"
"They'll want to be in on the bust."
"Maybe there's nothing to be in on." He wondered briefly if that was grammatically correct, but Kate understood.
"Having second thoughts?" she asked, glancing at him.
"No. Maybe." The light turned green and he pressed down on the accelerator. "It's … they've had Carmody for a few days. If they're trying to … persuade him, do you think he could hold out? I mean, the longer the delay, the more likely it is a password sweep would deactivate his access. Whatever they're doing to him isn't likely to be pleasant." He shook his head, trying to dislodge some of the things he'd read when researching just such an event he had planned for Derrick Storm. "I couldn't. No matter how pig-headed I was."
"Are. Most definitely are."
He wanted to say that he wasn't the only one, that she still wasn't wearing his ring. Such a conversation, though, would be for another day. "Maybe I am crazy."
"Castle, I know you've had some wild … some very wild theories in the past, but for once I think you're right."
"But that's why you're not calling Forsyth? In case I'm wrong?"
"That too."
"Admit it, Kate. You don't like him."
Her cellphone ringing stopped any indiscreet comment she might. "Beckett." She listened for a minute. "Great. Meet us there."
"Well?" Rick asked, wishing she'd put it onto speaker.
"Elliott Carmody is a partner at Willingham, Baines and Carmody, and he has more cash in the bank than you do."
"And?"
"And before he went into the money business he was in the Army for ten years, reaching the rank of Captain. Ryan couldn't find out what his speciality was … something about it being classified."
Rick felt a faint thrill. "Something where he might have been trained to withstand torture?"
"Even if he was a clerk he'd have had some kind of training." Kate bit her lip. "Turn around."
"What?"
"Turn the car around. We're heading in the wrong direction."
"I thought we were going to the precinct?"
"Not anymore."
He risked a glance at her as he slid on the wrong side of the road around a double-parked van, and had to smile at the determination on her face. "Shiny."
Willingham, Baines and Carmody was housed in a tall glass and concrete structure that reached up into the night sky, but like a lot of the city, even in these times of financial strictures, a large number of windows were lit up, like sporadic Morse code.
Kate tapped on the door to get the attention of the night-guard sitting behind a long desk, but it was only when she slapped her FBI badge against the glass with a squeal that made Rick wince that there was a click and the lock disengaged.
"Can you tell me how many people are in the building?" she asked as they crossed the lobby.
The guard blinked. "That depends. Mostly on why you want to know."
She put her badge on the polished wood. "Federal business."
"It looks fake."
"It's not."
The guard crossed his arms. "I could go into any one of a dozen toy shops and pick one up like that." He glanced from Kate to Rick. "I mean, just because … hey, aren't you Richard Castle?"
Rick was momentarily taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Yes, yes I am."
The guard held out his hand. "I am a huge fan. I just love your books. I mean, Derrick Storm … I'm so glad you brought him back. He's been a huge influence on me. I mean, I don't intend to always be working here, you know?"
Rick shook his hand, taking a closer look at the man as he did so, and realised he was younger than he first thought. He was probably in his early twenties, and it was the receding hairline and growing paunch that had added years to his age. "You can do anything you put your mind to."
"I know. I mean, I've had ideas for books myself."
"That's always the hardest part." Rick peered at the man's name badge. "George?"
"That's me." The young man preened.
"George, we need to know who's in the building. Would they all have to sign in here?"
"Mostly. I mean, if they came in the front door. But if they've got a pass key they could come in from the parking area."
"And has anyone?"
George checked his clipboard. "Only the cleaners through me." He paused a moment. "But I could check the computer log, if you like. Every time a key is used the time's entered onto it. We're very security conscious."
"George, that would be incredibly helpful."
The guard smiled and started tapping at his keyboard.
Rick turned to Kate and smiled smugly – it had been a long time since his name had opened doors for them, and he couldn't help it. She just rolled her eyes.
"This is odd." George was staring at his screen.
"Odd?" Kate asked, taking back control.
"I mean, we all heard about Mr Carmody. I mean, who wouldn't? It's been all over the papers, and everything. And his pass key was probably blown up with him anyway, so there wouldn't be any reason to –"
"George. Focus."
He looked up. "It's been used."
"When?"
"Tonight. About half an hour ago. On the security door from the garage, then again for the elevator and his office. Which is crazy, right? I mean –"
If she heard him say I mean once more she was likely to shoot him herself. "Which floor?"
"Fifteenth. South-east corner. But he's dead, isn't he?"
"Can you tell if he's accessed his computer?"
"No. Not from here. It's on a different system."
"Give me your pass key." She held out her hand, palm up.
George went pale. "I can't. It's more than my job's worth to just –"
"You'll be helping the FBI stop a serious crime," Rick said.
The young man swallowed hard.
"Mr Carmody, are you stalling?"
Elliott Carmody wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand. "No. Of course not. It's just my fingers aren't working as well as they should be."
Hanover stood by his shoulder. "That's your second attempt at this password. One more and you'll be locked out. And we wouldn't want that, would we?"
"Why not?" Carmody felt a flash of bravado. "You're going to kill me anyway."
"Why would I do that?"
"I'm not stupid. You let me see your face."
Hanover smiled thinly. "That's true. But I don't kill people."
"No? Tell that to Tom." He'd still been mostly awake when they made him watch his car explode, knowing his friend and driver was still inside. Incentive, they'd called it. They'd jumped him as he left the elevator from his apartment, injecting him with something that immediately made his legs buckle and his vision blur. Not enough that he couldn't see the destruction, though, or hear the pattering of fragments hitting the pavement.
"That, I regret to say, was necessary."
"How? How was that necessary?"
"To give the illusion that you died. So we could be here, you beavering away to get me what I want. And don't you be under any illusion that I won't do what I have to. There's a great deal of money at stake, and I intend to enjoy spending every penny."
"And that?" Carmody nodded towards the box he'd carried up, and which now sat on a side table. "I know what that is."
Suddenly Hanover was breathing in his ear. "Mr Carmody, believe me, I can make your life extremely painful. And you'll still do what I want. Do you want to test my patience?"
Carmody shivered. "No. No, I don't." He turned back to the keyboard to try again.
They took the elevator to the floor below Carmody's office, and by the time the doors opened Rick was feeling a little nervous. "Are you sure the boys are on their way?"
"You heard me make the call."
"And Forsyth?"
"This is their collar."
"Shouldn't we wait for them?" Rick asked as Kate opened the door to the stairs.
"How long does it take to transfer money?"
"No idea. Minutes."
"They've been here nearly thirty. Or maybe they've gone already and Hanover's in the wind." She headed up.
"I don't give much for Carmody's chances if they have."
"Me neither."
As they reached the next floor up she put her finger to her lips at the same time as drawing her gun, and Rick nodded as she pulled the door open.