Ian
Chapter 34
When Castle arrived at the loft, Cory Jasper was seated at the dining table with a mug of coffee and a tablet showing the readout of the surveillance cameras Carl Warner had installed. "Ian has been asleep in his room since eleven and I've observed no suspicious activity," he reported.
As adrenaline drained from his blood, exhaustion weighed on Castle like a heavy cloak. "I'll just look in on him before I turn in." Castle heavily climbed the stairs and gazed in the slightly open door of his son's room. The boy lay on his side, his hair hopelessly tousled and one hand beneath his pillow. It was a position Kyra had slept in when Castle had been up late writing. Castle felt a twinge in his chest. He backed away as softly as he could and descended to the lower level.
"Good night sir," Cory called after him as Castle made his way to his bedroom.
After being folded for hours into the less than roomy seat of Beckett's unit, Castle's king sized bed looked more than inviting. He undressed quickly and slipped between the sheets. They were cold. It's not as if he could have expected anything else, but after his flash of bittersweet memory and on top of most of a night spent in Kate's company, the sumptuous bed seemed more lonely than comforting. He closed his eyes, willing his brain to rest, but images forced their way behind tightly squeezed lids. There was Kyra in a bed, but not Rick's. It was the hospital bed Rick had installed in their apartment so she could spend her last days in the company of family and friends. He watched, desperately holding his infant son in his arms, as her body, ravaged by cancer and the drugs that failed to halt it, grew weaker by the minute. She was leaving him, and no prayer, no bargain, no amount of love or money could stop her passing. Tears were wet on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He wanted to crawl in beside her, to go with her, but the tiny soul nestled against his body needed his father and Rick loved him to much to abandon him, even in his grief.
The scene suddenly shifted. Castle recognized the Capitol Mall with it's familiar monuments. Kate was running across the grass. There shouldn't have been a car there, but a black sedan pursued her. She dodged wildly, calling Castle's name. He tried to get to her, but the grass sprouted wildly, wrapping around his legs. Razor-sharp, it cut into his flesh as he struggled to tear himself free. Finally the roots ripped from the ground and he was running with Kate, but the car was upon them, the sound of the motor thundering in Castle's ears. Castle grabbed for Kate's hand, their fingers twining. The burning metal of the car collided with his bloodied legs and he could feel Kate falling to the ground beside him. A soft whisper of "Dad," reached out to him as darkness descended.
Castle's eyes flew open, meeting Ian's concerned gaze. "Dad I was getting ready for Mr. Warner to take me to school. I wanted to let you sleep, but you were sweating and yelling and tearing the bed apart. Are you okay?"
Castle pulled himself up, his legs still stinging in the aftermath of his dream. "Fine. Just a nightmare. Kate had a bag of jalapeno chips in the car last night. I should have known better."
"Did you and Detective Beckett get your guy?" Ian inquired eagerly.
"Almost, but he got away. We have a lot to go on, though. We'll track him down." Castle pulled his watch from his bedside table. "You'd better finish getting ready. I'll be out in a minute."
After Ian had retreated, and despite protesting muscles, Castle hauled himself from the bed and wrapped himself in a robe. The last of a pot of coffee sat on the kitchen counter. Castle wrinkled his nose as he sniffed it and started a new one. He considered making a morning scramble, but his stomach rebelled at the idea. Ian stuffed a lunch bag, the contents of which Castle hesitated to ponder, into his backpack. Carl Warner was at the door waiting. Ian nodded at him. "See you later, Dad," Ian called as Carl carefully scanned the hallway before ushering the boy out.
Castle stared at the door that had closed behind his son and his bodyguard. He couldn't believe how well Ian was taking things in stride. Castle supposed it was all an adventure, soon to end up on Ian's sketch pad. Castle wished he could manage his case with Kate with the same aplomb. He decided on a hot shower while the coffee was brewing. If nothing else, at least he'd be clean and awake.
Kate Beckett stood beneath a pelting spray. After three hours sleep, frustration had driven her from her bed. She needed something she could dig into. The thought of burrowing into Castle intruded into her thoughts. She held the picture in her mind. To be lost in him for a few hours or even a few minutes, and banish all thoughts of murder from her mind would be a wonderful gift, one she hoped she could give herself again before too long. But right now, there was too much to do, too much occupying both their minds. She couldn't understand how Castle did it: working with her, taking care of a both gifted and challenged son, working on a book. He handled all of that, and she was barely holding it together with just the case. She shook herself. The case put everything else in jeopardy. At least for her, it had to come before thoughts of anything else. She turned off the water and climbed over the porcelain barrier of the old style ball and claw tub. She had wrapped a towel around her when her phone dinged with a text. The video from the traffic cams was in. If the mysterious sedan was on it, she hoped her eyes were clear enough to spot it.
Castle joined Kate in Tech, resting a hand on her shoulder. She reached back and squeezed it lightly. She'd paused the feed and was staring at the screen. "Castle, I can't get an angle where I can make out the plate."
Castle pointed at the screen. "What's that in the back window? Is that a parking sticker? Can you zoom in?" On magnification, the shape was blurred but visible. "That looks like wings and a beak - that's a bird!" Castle exclaimed. He rubbed his hand up and down his face as he thought. "Umm, places to stay in the thirties with a bird. The Thicket!"
Kate looked back at him, puzzled. "Castle, I've never heard of a hotel called The Thicket."
"That's because it's not a hotel, Kate. It's a private club. It has branches in several other cities, including D.C.. Not exactly my choice of playground, but some of the writers at Black Pawn belong to it. It specializes in lithesome ladies covered by just enough feathers to be legal. They call them 'birds in the thicket,' Thus the name of the club. There are rooms there where members can stay. The staff is pledged to utmost discretion. It would make a great hideout for someone pursuing activities they didn't want publicized."
"Castle we need to check that place out!" Kate declared.
"Kate, it's members only. They'll never let you in. I could apply for membership," Castle proposed. "I've written decent reviews for some of the members. Maybe I can get one of them to sponsor me."
"Castle that would take time. Our guy could take off any day." Kate raised her leg, bending it behind her head. "I'm pretty lithesome. I'm going to apply for a job."