Psycho Killer – Chapter 20
Ray Kilmer tucked his hands into his pockets and ducked his head down low to avoid being seen as two police cruisers zoomed by, blue and red lights flashing with sirens blaring. After the two black and white patrol cars disappeared around the block, Kilmer looked both ways and then hurried across the street. He walked along the sidewalk, blending in with the light foot traffic in front of the stores and shops.
News about what had happened at the Windmark Hotel had spread throughout the city. Pedestrians were buzzing with the shocking news, chattering away about Vice President Russell's assassination and what it meant for the upcoming presidential election, and also about the potential of any other threats towards national security. People were also exalting the bravery and heroics of Senator William H. Bracken.
The wounded senator was already on the rise, gaining public support and valuable political capital.
All according to the plan.
The operation had been a success, however the presence of Agent Castle and Detective Beckett tempered Kilmer's celebratory and triumphant mood. The lady detective was really starting to irritate him. If he'd been a second slower, she might have caught up to him. Fortunately the subway had been running on schedule, so he was able to elude her. But the fact he even had to evade her in the first place grated on his nerves. The bitch was supposed to be dead. Three times he'd tried. And three times he'd failed. And it pissed him off. He had a reputation to maintain and Kate Beckett was a blemish on that record. One he planned on rectifying as soon as possible.
With Kriedt disposed of, thanks to his employer's connection within the CIA, that left Detective Beckett as the last loose end that needed to be tidied up before the operation was complete. Kilmer hoped he got another shot at Castle as well. And with the two of them all cozy together, he wagered he had a pretty good chance at taking them out at the same time.
His phone buzzed inside his pocket.
"Yes?" he answered in a gruff manner.
"Someone breached the network and got a look at your file," the CIA insider replied. "I've done my best, but the information still got out. I would have noticed it sooner, but I was busy sending that hit squad after the arms dealer."
"You did good with that," Kilmer answered, flirting his eyes about at the other pedestrians walking around him. Paranoia was his constant companion.
"Yeah, well next time it would be nice if you could clean up after yourself," the arrogant prick said.
Kilmer narrowed his eyes. "I'm almost done here," he said. "Just one more thing and then I'm going off the grid for a while."
"If you're talking about Agent Castle and that female detective, they're heading towards the stash house on Markwell Street. If you hurry, you could get there before them."
He chuckled darkly. "Thanks, you've been a big help, buddy," he smirked, and ended the call before the jackass could reply. Kilmer hated bureaucrats. They often got in his way. But sometimes they were a necessary evil; Like his employer's man inside the CIA. Kilmer may have once been part of the Agency, but he didn't really have the kind of influence and internal power the other man had. Though, truth be told, even he wasn't above appreciating the information the operation could gleam from someone within the CIA, even if the guy was a tool.
The tip off about the stash house was troubling. It wasn't part of the network of safe houses that the organization used. However, it currently held some importance. Before Kilmer and Kriedt had gone to the safe house after rigging the detective's apartment to explode, they had visited the building on Markwell Street. The files that had once belonged to the late Captain Roy Montgomery that incriminated Kilmer's employer were currently being held there for safe keeping. He couldn't allow those files to fall into the hands of Castle and his lady detective.
He double-checked his location. He wasn't too far from Markwell Street. If he hurried, he might be able to get there at the same time they did. And if he was lucky, he might just catch them off guard. Narrowing his eyes, Kilmer pursed his lips together and shoved his hands into his pockets as he jogged across the street. He cocked his head to the left and spotted the street sign. A thin smirk twisted its way onto his face before he ducked into a side alley, slipping away into the shadows.
XXX
The Crown Vic came to a screeching halt, and Kate Beckett surged out onto the sidewalk before the engine even cut off. The address Esposito had obtained from his contact took them to a building in the middle of renovation set up on 86 Markwell Street. Scaffolding covered the building's façade. She took a step forward and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she stared up at the ten story building. Castle slammed the car door shut after he climbed out. He let out a groan.
"Are you sure you wrote that address down correctly?" he questioned, casting a glance in the detective's direction.
Esposito grumbled something in Spanish under his breath before answering. "The address is right, bro," he defended. "Don't tell me spies never hold up in buildings like this?"
Castle offered a shrug in reply. "Sometimes. It depends really."
"On what?"
"On the mission," Castle answered vaguely, turning away from the other man and stepping around the car to join Kate on the sidewalk. He placed folded his arms across his chest and gave her a sideways glance.
"What do you think?"
Kate narrowed her eyes. "He's here," she said, staring up at the building. "I can feel it in my gut."
"Then that's good enough for me," Castle said, reaching inside his pocket and pulling out his phone. He flipped the device open and started tapping at the keys with his thumb. Kate glanced down and frowned, placing a hand over his, halting his texting. Castle looked up with a furrowed brow. "Kate?"
"I… don't know," she said, knitting her eyebrows together, confused by her own actions. "I just… do you think it's wise calling it in?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Its just… look, for Kilmer to pull off what he did at the Windmark, he has to have connections, right?"
"Are you saying someone at the CIA is helping him?" Castle demanded, a little offended by the notion, even though there were some within the Agency that he didn't trust at all. And that was not even including the fact that just last year he and Kate had uncovered and stop a rogue agent.
"I'm just saying it's a possibility," Kate said.
"York wouldn't betray me," Castle said with a shake of his head. "He was the one that recruited me out of college. He's like a father to me. Besides… after the Vice President's assassination, I was placed back on active duty. There's protocol to adhere to."
Kate bit her lower lip to suppress a smirk. "Since when did you follow orders?"
Castle rewarded her wit with a wink, and then proceeded to text the updated intel to his superior at the Central Intelligence Agency. He waited for a reply, but none came. Kate caught his eye and let out a questioning hum.
"Must be busy," he shrugged his shoulders and closed the flip phone, stashing it back in his inside pocket.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Right," Kate turned back around to look at Ryan and Esposito. Both of them were still standing by the car, several feet distance between them. She rolled her eyes at their childish behavior, but tabled any lecturing until after they caught Kilmer. "You two go around the back and see if you can find some stairs to reach the top floors. Castle and I will go through the front and start at the bottom. We'll meet in the middle."
Esposito grimaced, flicking his eyes tentatively over at his partner. "Um… you sure I can't—"
"Stow it, Espo," Kate growled, planting her hands on her hips and giving him a tense stare. "You can act like a professional and do your job."
"Right, boss," he nodded.
She turned her gaze towards Ryan.
"No problems here," the younger man held up his hands to ward off any scalding.
"Good," Kate gave a quick nod. "Then let's go get this son-of-a-bitch."
Ryan and Esposito hesitate, each giving the other cautious looks, before hustling down the block. Kate let out a long breath and turned back around to share a frustrated look with her boyfriend. Castle offered her a reassuring smile and gestured towards the front doors of the building.
"Ladies first."
XXX
Detective Ryan glanced at his partner with a remorseful expression. "Hey, Javi… I'm so—"
"Yeah, yeah… I get it, you're sorry," Esposito grumbled, steaming ahead. Ryan had to pick up the pace to keep up with him. "Look, man, we can table this for later, okay? We've got bigger fish to fry. Beckett needs are help and I'm not letting her down again."
Ryan let out a shaky breath and bobbed his head. "Okay, yeah… right," he stammered out an agreement.
"Good," Esposito said with a decisive nod and marched forward.
"It'll be okay, though," Ryan asserted. "After all, she's got Agent Castle now."
Esposito let out a puff of air. "Do we really know anything about the guy?"
"Well…," Ryan raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. "No, not really. But Beckett trusts him, surely that should be good enough for us."
"It usually is," Esposito affirmed with a nod. "However, this ain't your typical situation."
"Wait...," Ryan furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you saying that you think Beckett's… emotionally compromised?"
Esposito came to a halt and glanced at him with a pointed look. "It's not just spy boy," he explained. "It's this whole case. Look, man, you weren't here in the early days. It got dark. It's like a rabbit hole for her."
"Then why didn't you try and stop her—"
"Because I've got her back and… she's got mine," Esposito growled out. "It's what partners do. They're loyal to each other. That's more than I can say for some."
"Hey!" Ryan shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling his to a halt. "Shove it, Javi. You can disagree with what I did, but don't you dare question my loyalty to the team. We're like family. All of us."
Esposito scowled and jerked his arm free. "Let's just stay focus on getting Kilmer, alright? We'll deal with this other shit later."
Ryan let out a sigh of frustration, but decided to let the matter drop. Despite what Esposito might think at the moment, Ryan knew his partner well. The wound was still too fresh. He needed to let it heal over before he tried reasoning with him. He could only hope they're friendship could survive this. But Esposito was right about one thing. They needed to focus on capturing Kilmer and bringing him to justice. Everything else could come later.
They jogged around the block and rounded the corner. Ryan kept watch as Esposito picked the lock on the chain link gate. Once inside, they located a stairwell and started working their way up towards the top floor. As far as Ryan could tell, there wasn't much to see, except for some cleared out and torn down rooms. He hoped Beckett and Castle were fairing better.
XXX
The place was a mess. Walls had been torn out, leaving just the skeleton support structure underneath. Metal beams and supports were visible, some bent at odd angles. The ceiling was no better. All the tiles had been ripped off, exposing the pipes and electrical wiring. It didn't at all look like a building being renovated, more like it was being prepped for demolition.
Surprised by the sight, Kate paused at the threshold, hesitating. She glanced back over her shoulder, staring back at the decent looking lobby beyond. Pursing her lips, she turned back, wrinkling her nose as she knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.
"Not what you pictured?" Castle inquired, standing beside her, a slight upward quirk to his lips.
Kate let out a hum of confirmation, before taking a cautious step forward. She maneuvered around a bent metal beam and ducked her head under a low support, moving deeper into the interior. Castle followed behind her. Kate narrowed her eyes and scanned the deconstructed space as they walked into what was once a row of first floor apartments, searching for any sign of Kilmer.
"You ever had to lay low in a place like this?" she asked, tilted her head in her boyfriend's direction.
"Couple of times, yeah," Castle replied with a slight bob of his head. "Though, never in the States. Most of the safe houses here might be a little rundown, but none of them have fallen into a state of neglect."
"Or been schedule for demolition?" she added with a raised eyebrow and a mildly amused expression.
He nodded. "My guess would be this place wasn't entirely under Kilmer's control, or whoever is employing him, because I very much doubt he's doing all of this on his own accord."
"That would be my guess as well," Kate agreed.
She turned and walked through what had once been a hallway. Castle stepped forward and gripped the edge of a loose piece of dry wall. He tugged it aside, letting her duck underneath and proceed deeper into the structure. Kate crouched down, placing her hands on her knees as she surveyed the disassembled floor. She pursed her lips and frowned.
"I don't really see how this could be a very good safe house," she declared, stand back up and turning to look back at Castle.
He shrugged. "It's not supposed to be," he said. "A place like this… it's more of a stash house."
"So what you're saying is that if Kilmer isn't here, it's likely he has something hidden away that we can use to lure him back out?"
Castle touched his nose. "Right."
She nodded, and pirouetted around to continue on down the deconstructed hallway. Castle kept pace beside her, and they walked in silence for a brief interval. Kate licked her lips, and glanced over at him with a small smile.
"Hey," she said, putting a hand on his arm to catch his attention. He cocked his head towards her, flashing her a questioning look. "Thanks."
Castle let out a soft laugh and continued walking. "For what? We haven't found him yet."
"It… it's just that I know I would never have gotten this far if it wasn't for you," she explained with a soft smile, knowing he would understand she was referring to the progress made in finding the person responsible for her mother's death, and also the unwavering love and support he had offered her over the last few days. She hoped her gratitude was visible in her eyes.
He stopped and arched his neck to look at her. She stared back, and they shared a brief moment where they both displayed their appreciation for one another.
"Hey, we're going to get this done," Castle proclaimed with a firm conviction that had Kate smiling like a lovesick fool. "You and me." He placed a large hand around her slim waist, tugging her closer to his broad frame. "And when we're done, we'll go away to some tropical island and spend some quality time alone."
"Yes, I'd like that… a lot," she bit her lower lip and blushed, averting her eyes almost bashfully. There was just something about him that brought out this coy quality that she'd never had before. It was strange, and a little unsettling, but the way it made her heart beat and her insides tingle with a pleasant warmth, she was willing to brave the undiscovered country, just as long as he was by her side.
He smiled at her, and let his hand drop to hers, lacing their fingers together. He offered her a comforting squeeze, before letting go and stepping back a bit, breaking them out of their bubble and returning them to reality. "So, first we should start by ruling out all the interior rooms. Kilmer wouldn't risk hiding whatever it is he's stashed away here with all this sheet rock getting torn down. Ceilings are no good either."
Kate bobbed her head as he spoke, letting her eyes wander. It was purely by chance that she caught sight of the brass boxes lying strewn across the floor, half taken apart. Even in the dim light and the debris covered room, she'd lived in enough apartments to recognize what they were: Mailboxes.
"Castle," she touched his arm as she slipped around him, walking around a bent wall beam. "It's worth a look, don't you think?"
He nodded in agreement as she knelt down beside the brass mailboxes, skimming her fingertips over the rough surface. Castle crouched down on the other side, arching his neck as he gazed down at the names on each mailbox lid. Kate ran her finger down the left side, nose wrinkling as she concentrated. After several boxes, she spotted a name she that looked vaguely familiar.
"Castle, look here," she tapped the mailbox. "C. Marx. 523."
"Cedric Marx," he confirmed with a light hum. "That's one of Kilmer's oldest aliases." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "He just wasn't using this place as a stash house."
"He had a secret apartment on the fifth floor," Kate finished. She shared a look with Castle. They had him. Or at least, they'd be able to find whatever it was that Kilmer had stashed away. And then, with that, they could do as Castle had suggested earlier, and lure Kilmer out. And then… then they'd have him.
The sound of a gun cocking shattered her optimistic hopes, yanking her back to the real world. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him.
Ray Kilmer stood there with a tight grin. "Well, well, well… look what I've got here," he said. He point the gun at her. "Stand up and turn around."
Kate's throat constricted as she swallowed past the tense lump that had manifested. She raised her hands up, and slowly stood up. Castle glared at Kilmer, the fire in his eyes strong, but when the other man tightened his aim on her, Castle relented.
"Hands behind your back," Kilmer ordered when they were in position. He stepped up behind them, keeping his weapon aimed on her, and quickly patted them down, divesting them of their guns. "You just don't quit, do you?" His question was directed at her, but Castle opened his mouth to answer.
"Who's paying you this time, Ray?" he inquired, his voice holding a hard edge to it. "How much does it take to sell your soul to the devil?"
Kilmer merely chuckled darkly. "You never learn, do you, Rick?" he shook his head, tugging a zip tie out of his jacket pocket as he approached Castle. He quickly wrapped them around Castle's wrists, and smirked as he tugged them tight. "It's never been about the money." Kilmer removed another zip tie and did the same to Kate. "It's about history, and being on the right side."
"You think you're on the right side of history?" Kate scoffed, wincing slightly as he tightened the zip tie around her wrists. She grunted as the plastic dug into her skin. "You're wrong."
Kilmer shook his head. "You should have left well enough alone, Detective Beckett," he said, voice low and menacing.
"It's the missing files from Captain Montgomery's home office, isn't it," Kate guessed. "That's what you have hidden in 523." When he didn't answer, she knew she was right. "You're here to retrieve it, aren't you?"
Kilmer growled, and jammed the barrel on the gun into her back. He cast a sideways glanced towards Castle. "I can't believe you fell for her," he shook his head and grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "Yeah, you're right, Detective. And once I do, I'm finally going to settle our account." He shoved her towards an opened doorway, and gestured with his gun for Castle to follow. Castle hesitated for a moment, glaring back at his adversary, before doing as he was told.
Kate glanced around the disused bathroom, noting the busted shower stall and the dirty curtain hanging off the rod. But she barely had enough time to give the room a proper inspection before Castle was being shoved in behind her. She glanced back up at the doorway and glared at their captor.
"See you soon," Kilmer offered her a smug grin and a wink, ignoring her fiery stare, before he closed the door with a loud slam. And if the hard clunk of the metal tumblers were any indication, it would not be easy to break the door open.
"Kate?"
Her eyes flicked away from the locked down and find her boyfriend's.
"How tight are your zip ties? Can you move your hands at all?" he asked.
Kate frowned as she tried to move her hands, twisting her torso around, and gritting her teeth when the surgical scar along her side pulled. She let out an exasperated hiss. "No, just barely."
"Do you have anything sharp in your pockets?" he asked. "Like a knife?"
"Um… no."
"Nail clippers?"
She gave him a pointed look, sorely tempted to roll her eyes. "Seriously, Rick? Who carries nail clippers?"
"Just trying to lighten the mood," he offered a tight smile.
"Surely you've gotten out of tougher situations than this," she said after a long pause, trying to stifle the rising sense of failure and defeat.
Castle inclined his head. "Yes, that is true," he said, his tone of voice much more positive than hers. "Ooh, look! There's a drywall screw on the sink over there!" He moved over to the sink, and turned around to face her, smiling like a maniac as he bent his knees to pick the screw up off the dirty porcelain with his nimble fingers.
"That's not going to help," Kate bemoaned.
"Ah, I beg to differ," Castle declared with a chipper grin. Spinning around to scoot his back up against hers. She felt their knuckles brush and then heard the scrape of the screw against her zip ties. "There was this one time in Chechnya…"
Kate closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the sound of his soothing voice as Castle used the dull and rusty screw to saw through the plastic of the zip ties holding her hands together. She released a breath through her nose and relaxed her body against his strong back, allowing him to hold her up as he proceeded to inform her about what he claimed was an amusing anecdote from his younger days as a covert operative learning the ropes of the trade while behind enemy lines. He was so good at telling stories. She hoped that one day, long after all their adventures were done, he'd be able to tell them to more than just her.