Title: Secrets
Disclaimer: No Castle for three weeks. However will we survive?
Gates peered at the two after they told the entire plan. They were requesting warrants for both Simpson and McBride's homes. Esposito and Ryan would take McBride as Castle and Beckett took Simpson. Easiest way to get things done and it saved time. The boys said they would call if they found anything and the partners said they'd do the same thing. Now they had to receive Gates' blessing on proceeding with the warrants.
The captain tossed the small piece of paper that Castle drafted to coincide with their explanation on her desk. The woman had her glasses on as the two stood in her office. The door was closed after the partners and they awaited Gates' orders.
She tossed her glasses atop the desk and laced her fingers together weighing their request. It was risky especially since McBride was up for election and the mayor was a supporter. Castle didn't tell his friend about McBride's involvement and needed to stay away from Weldon about this case all together. The writer honestly didn't trust anyone besides his team and family.
"So let me get this straight," the captain said pointing her index finger at the partners. "You two want warrants on both Simpson and McBride because you think they're hiding something from the investigation?"
Beckett nodded chewing her bottom lip. "That's right sir."
The captain touched the bridge of her nose. "What evidence do you have against the two?"
"Well sir," Castle said with the slight raise of his finger. "Before this case Simpson called me on several occasions regarding Beckett's safety."
"And you didn't think this was important?" the captain bit back instantly. If she was asking the questions then so would any judge they got to sign the papers.
Castle's mouth opened but closed again. His partner slid back into the conversation to save the writer.
"Sir, in all honesty Castle didn't know it was Simpson calling. He never addressed himself and chose to keep the information he had away from Castle."
He was thankful the detective knew his secret now. It did make things a little easier though there were unresolved feelings regarding their secrets. But right now, they had to put those feelings aside and focus on the case at hand. Right now this case was what they needed to solve and their feelings could wait.
The captain, however, wasn't so forgiving. She stood and walked to the front of her desk, fingers trailing behind as she strode. "Okay, I'm trying to understand this. Simpson has been calling you but you didn't know it was him?" the writer nodded and she sighed again. "Okay, what do you think Simpson is hiding?"
The writer cleared his throat. "As Beckett said, Simpson called me regarding her protection. He said if Beckett kept investigating then she would be killed. He has knowledge on whoever is running this and has papers regarding Beckett and myself. Other than that, Simpson hasn't told me much else."
Captain Gates nodded and quickly glanced out her window. Ryan and Esposito periodically glanced into the office since their friends had been in there for at least twenty minutes.
"Alright, I get Simpson but why McBride?"
Beckett took a sheet out from her folder. "When going through Lucy's records we found several calls made to Judge McBride's chambers and her personal phone. Obviously Lucy has been in contact with McBride for the past two weeks and we think it connects back to my case."
"And that's when Lucy received the phone call form the burner cell and the money in her bank account?" The captain questioned passing the piece of paper back to the detective.
She nodded putting the sheet back. "Yes sir, we wanted to talk with you before proceeding with the warrants."
Gates leaned against her desk and examined the two. She knew getting a judge to sign off on the warrants would be difficult. The captain sighed and waved the partners off. She knew they'd proceed regardless of what she said.
"Do you have a judge in mind?" Gates questioned crossing her arms.
Beckett nodded and chewed her bottom lip as Castle spoke. "Judge Markaway said if we gave him a good enough reason he'd sign off on it."
"Using your poker buddies I see." Gates commented walking back to her seat.
Castle looked at her dumbfounded. "How do you know about my poker nights?"
The captain waved him off and put on her glasses. "That doesn't matter right now, Mr. Castle. But next time you're holding a game I do expect to be invited." She said putting her glasses on and going over paperwork. "Go on and get your warrants, detective."
Maybe Gates was warming up to the writer more. She allowed him back instantly and didn't say anything against his return. Even though Castle was now more involved in the case she still let him stay.
"Oh and Mr. Castle," she said as the partners were leaving. Castle was behind his partner and their hands briefly touched at the door frame. "Glad to have you back." There was even a smile accompanied to her statement, which proved she didn't hate the writer as much as he thought. Probably still saw him as a nuisance but that was unavoidable now.
The writer smiled and followed his partner. He briefly pressed his mouth to her ear in the bullpen. "Gates likes me. I thought she would hate me after you said I wasn't coming back."
She shrugged as they came to her desk. It felt good to have him back though there was still tension. Thankfully it wasn't straining their relationship for the time being, but both could feel it slowly eating away at them. It was one of the many struggles in life but their secrets were no longer nooses around their necks that would tighten to steal more air from their lungs. No longer did they have the darkness of their secrets looming above their heads. But now, the darkness of this case was seeping in and attempting to drag everyone in with it.
"Who knows Castle," Beckett said grabbing her jacket. "Maybe Gates got used to you. I didn't warm up to you for a while."
There was more meaning behind her words but standing in the bullpen in front of other detectives and officers was not the time to kiss his partner.
"Yeah, but now you're more than warm." He tossed back grabbing his black trench coat.
Beckett rolled her eyes, "You guys ready to head to the courthouse?"
The men nodded but stayed seated. "Knight said he wanted to talk with Castle though."
Castle's head dipped and Beckett turned to him. A one-on-one conversation was low on Castle's list of things to do. Confronting the man that ran out on he and his mother would most likely bring up all the questions he wanted to ask but knew were unimportant for the time being. All those feelings needed to be put aside but perhaps speaking with Knight would be helpful.
Beckett gripped the back of her chair. "You think you'll be alright?"
The writer nodded and head for the holding cells. Knight had been in there for two days 1. Because he didn't have an apartment anymore and 2. Because Beckett was still mad at him and he was a possible suspect.
The man sat on the bench with his back against the chained fence. He looked like a caged animal in the cell, but still calm. This couldn't have been the first time he was locked up. Knight did work with the CIA after all.
Knight turned to the writer as he approached. "Hey Rick," the man voiced sitting placidly.
"What do you need to talk to me about, Knight?" Castle asked stuffing his hands in his pockets. It felt like there was a slight breeze going through the cellblock.
The man's hands were folded in his lap and he titled his head fully against the cage. "So it's all gone? All of Lucy's stuff and the entire apartment?"
Castle looked at him questionably. "Didn't they already tell you?"
Knight nodded with a smirk. "Yes, but I wanted to see that you were alright. You are my son after all."
The writer scoffed with a shake to his head. "That's rich. You can just walk into my life after all this time and assume that we're fine? You walked out on my mother and I and left us to fend for ourselves."
He nodded along listening to Castle as he spoke. The writer couldn't hold back those pent up feelings when it came to his father. He had spent too many years wondering and hoping and imaging what he would look and be like only to be disappointed by the real deal. It was saddening and infuriating at the same time.
"Did you think of me often?" Knight questioned.
Castle stopped and looked at the man. It made him mad how easy this was for Knight to handle the situation.
"What kind of question is that?" the writer stated taking his hands out from his coat. "I thought about you everyday until I was eighteen."
"What happened?"
The writer stood stoically. "I grew up and realized that if you hadn't shown up for the first eighteen years you'd probably never show."
Knight nodded fiddling with his hands. His thumbs twiddled as Castle spoke. It was typically a tactic to keep a person calm and even out their breathing. This man had been taught so many tactics and little tricks that he could probably keep himself calm even when killing a person, which Castle did not doubt Knight had done.
His fingers drummed against his thighs while sitting in the cell. "Richard, I'm sorry. It won't matter to you why I ran but I didn't have much of a choice."
Castle shook his head scoffing. "You had a choice but you didn't want to be a father. I'm so glad that I never ran out on my daughter. That was the one thing I promised I would never do to her." His tone was biting and cold. The writer was trying to hit home how bad it felt to be alone all those years and see his mother's failed relationships. They managed to get out and stay afloat in the world, but not having a father robbed him. When Alexis grew up without a mother yes it hurt and reminded Castle of his own childhood, but he always promised to never run from Alexis or to leave her alone.
Knight sighed and rolled his head to examine his son. "When your mother told me she was pregnant this was a decision we both came to. Martha didn't want to wait for weeks for me to come home, or a letter saying I was dead. She also didn't want to hide you if something were to happen. That gave me the option to be in your life from afar, which is what I chose."
Castle stopped and watched his father. He hated that word and all the strained tension that followed it. He didn't want to listen but slowly understood where Knight was coming from. Knight was trying to protect the writer just like he as trying to protect Beckett.
"You and I are more alike than you think." Knight said from the bench. "I saw how you looked at Beckett and I know you tried pushing her out of the way when she got shot back in May. That's something all Knights try to do. We think we can protect the ones we love and come in and save the day. Sometimes we get there in time and sometimes we're too slow."
The writer looked down at his feet. Knight was trained to see those things and assume a relationship when there might not be one. He was trained to say those things father or not.
"You love her, Rick. That's not hard to see."
Castle shook the man off. He didn't need relationship advice from the man that left him. He already knew his feelings and so did she.
"Can we focus on you for a minute?" the writer questioned.
Knight shrugged. "There's not much to focus on."
"Yes there is. Did this firm bring you on when Johanna was killed?"
He sighed with a smirk. "This is what you want to ask me?"
"Knight," Castle said calmly. "Coonan took away a mother and a wife. If you were involved with her death at all—"
"Yeah, yeah," Knight responded waving his son off. "I was brought on when those cops started picking up mobsters. They probably gave you the same song and dance about this story. No one was meant to get hurt; they didn't mean it, yada yada. The only reason I was brought along was because I had training and access to these mobsters."
Castle shrugged. "They had three cops with access to police files and records. I just don't see the need for you."
"Oh trust me, I offered killing for them but they chose other guys. Coonan and Lockwood worked alone just like that sniper you shot."
Castle glared at his father with a questionable look. "Oh please, Rick. When I heard he was dead I figured it was you. This guy was trying to kill your girlfriend again so it only makes sense."
"I like the term partner much more than girlfriend." Castle responded crossing his arms.
"Either way you killed the guy and the first kill is always difficult to come back after."
The writer had to agree there. The persistent nag continued to eat at him and release nightmares as he slept. Castle wasn't one to thrash about from a night terror, but did awake in a veil of sweat. Though Beckett was alive and sleeping soundly beside him, the haunting images and terrible feeling still resided.
"This was never supposed to get out of hand." Knight said slumping slighting in his seat. "They got too power hungry and started killing when Johanna Beckett and her colleagues started learning too much."
Castle swallowed hard and questioned whether Beckett should be present or not. They knew Knight had more information; he was ex CIA. That was almost like a badge that blatantly said, "Trust me" on it.
"What did they learn?" the writer pestered and stood close to the cell.
Knight peered at him with sunken eyes. "They learned who was in charge and how the drugs were circulating through the city. Politics have never been clean, Rick. If you thought they were bad now you should have seen them thirteen years ago."
It didn't matter if he was live then. It was true. Different times meant people could get away with nearly anything. Dirty cops could keep climbing the ladder of success and ride the golden goose until retirement. It was possible back then because they were different times, simpler times for everyone and it led to more corrupt politicians and dirty cops.
"Do you have a name?"
Knight puffed out a breath and his head lolled to the side. It was his eyes that Castle had and the way they sunk into his face.
"Kiddo, if I had a name to give I would. These guys might have paid me but I took down good people because of them. The agency stole my life and these guys stole my morals." He shook his head but gave a sly grin. "I'm left with nothing because of the bridges I burned and the things I know."
Castle looked away down the hall. He had heard enough and knew the detectives were itching to get the warrants signed. Simpson had the information they needed and McBride was seen as an easy but untouchable player.
As the writer turned to leave Knight spoke once more.
"Do you know why your middle name is Alexander?" Castle shook his head looking down the hallway. "It was your grandfather's name and my middle name. Martha figured that since Alexander was something we had in common it should be yours too. I guess a little piece of me has always been there with you."
Castle peered over his shoulder at the man slumped against the cell's chained exterior. He was so calm with his hands folded neatly in his lap. It was almost eerie but the writer didn't care. Knight had answered nearly all his questions, now he had to report back to Beckett.
Author's Notes: So Knight is trying to be redemptive and Gates doesn't hate Castle as much as we all thought. I felt that little addition of Alexander would be sweet and touching for this story and I needed to try and lighten the mood a bit.
Please keep reviewing, I love hearing your thoughts in regards to the story. I have it all nearly thought out and thankfully I know how it's going to end.
KP, aka Ashley