Beckett turned and bolted out of the captain's office, went straight to her desk all the while praying her fingers wouldn't fumble. She popped the lock on her bottom desk drawer where she kept her purse and she fished out her voice recorder that still held her interview at Rikers with Roman Moore.

Was Montrose dead then?

No, only down. Trust me, I gag on blood, and there was no blood yet. The ski mask asks the black guy, is this the right one, and the black guy says yeah, he'll do. The mask says, take off Cowlan, then waits until the other guy leave and looks at me with these eyes. They were cold and dead and every time I go to bed, I see them.

What happened next?

He said that the man I knew as Drago was a disloyal little bastard and he needed to be dealt with. I heard Montrose mumble a little. The mask walked over, looked at him in the face and said 'this is what happens when bad puppies bark up the wrong tree' and he pulled the trigger three times. I passed out because I saw the blood and then...then the next thing I know, I'm coming to again, and there's the gun in my hand and I'm kneeling over his body, and then the place is full of cops, and I-

Beckett stopped the recording. 'Sir, I sat with Roman Moore, I looked him in the eye, there was no reason for him to lie to me. And that story is too well organized for it to be fabricated off the cuff. I know I'm right which means Adam Brennan is now in the hands of a multiple murderer and chances are Cowlan is with him. They'll kill him and then Delancy will kill Cowlan and he's got enough insulation to spin the story.'

'Why would he do this?' Montgomery said, the sting of betrayal beginning to work its poison through his body.

'We can find out why later, sir, right now we have a ten-thirteen on our hands.'

'Damn right we do.'

The use of the official code had Montgomery marching over to Karpowski's desk where she sat pretending to tune out the drama. 'Get your boys and come with me.'

'Sir.' Karpowski snapped to, and Geoffs and Newman were on their feet as well. 'Is this about the Raglan homicide?'

'Yes, we have a ten-thirteen on our hands, but we need to keep this off the radar so we don't spook our suspect.'

'Are we walking the blue line, sir?' Geoffs asked with a stony expression.

'Yes we are. Let's move, people.'

They loaded into the elevator, with all eyes looking to Beckett for any kind of an answer so she gave them the essential rundown.

'We have two suspects, Sean Delancy and Frank Cowlan. Both are smart, savvy police officers and will be expecting an ambush with full guns blazing. We need to play it quiet, get ourselves organized as quickly as we can. I will lead Detectives Ryan, Esposito and Captain Montgomery in the initial sweep of the building.'

'How do you know where they'd take the officer?' Newman said hesitantly.

'Because I know this case inside out, upside down, and backwards, there isn't a doubt in my mind where they'd take him.'

'Kate.' Karpowski put a maternal hand to her fellow first-grade's shoulder. 'Who is our officer?'

'Officer Adam Brennan formerly of the two-eight and currently a civilian consultant to the Homicide division of the one-two. He is six-two, one-sixty with dark brown hair, green eyes. He may or may not have a weapon with him, as I lent him my clutch piece yesterday and yes he has a carry permit for it.'

Beckett closed her eyes as she tried to bring the image of Adam fiercely chasing down Aaron Attwood into her mind and not the image of the weeping son she'd seen in Observation. 'He received numerous commendations for hand-to-hand combat training so he knows how to handle himself, but there is the possibility he's been overpowered or incapacitated.'

'Where are we going?'

'Four-six-three Avenue D at Second Avenue,' Beckett shouted as they reached the parking level and they scattered like ants at a rained-out picnic. 'It will be an abandoned warehouse near a side-street intersection!'

'Got it!'

The other officers piled into their cars, and Castle hopped into the passenger seat as Beckett threw on her lights and siren, and peeled out to lead the charge. 'Give me your phone,' he demanded.

'On my hip.'

Castle reached over and grabbed it, dialed Esposito's cell number.

'Kate, we've almost got the-'

'Shut up and listen to me,' Castle ordered so harshly even Beckett blinked as she cursed her way through traffic that would not move quickly enough out of the goddamn way. 'Delancy is behind the whole thing, I can't tell you all of it now, but he's got Adam and he's taken him somewhere to take him out.'

'What's the address?' Esposito replied with the icy calm of a soldier under fire.

'It's the warehouse where they killed Montrose, four-six-three Avenue D at Second Avenue.'

'On it.'

'They'll be there,' Beckett said, and Castle wasn't sure if she was referring to the criminals with their latest target or her infallible back up that was the Ry-Sposito monster. 'They'll be there. Cowlan is too fucking arrogant to think of somewhere else.'

She wove her way through traffic like a maniac; she could feel the metaphorical grains of sand in Adam's hourglass ticking down. There would be no more deaths on this case.

She picked up her radio when she saw the glossy black cars used by the staff of One-PP parked two blocks north of Avenue D. 'Karpowski, hold your men back a block until I give you the signal. Ryan, Esposito flank from the east on Third, at Avenue C.'

She stopped the Crown Victoria, left the lights going but killed the siren. With a body-reach across Castle's lap, Beckett reached for her other clutch piece, shot it into an ankle holster and remembered her combat knife as well. She'd never been strong with knives but this time she knew instinct would win out if necessary.

'Castle,' she hissed at him. 'Stay low. Hook up with Montgomery and Newman and radio for the paramedics the moment you hear me get on that radio telling my men to move in on the building. Cowlan and Delancy need to think I've gone rogue, that I'm trying to avenge my mother if we're going to pull this off.'

'I understand.'

She paused. 'Richard, I-'

'Tell me later,' he told her. 'When we're watching those slimeballs being hauled out in cuffs or possibly body-bags.'

She nodded, then kissed him before sliding out of the vehicle, duck-walking in case they were watching the windows. She found the side entrance, walking past a small area that was corded off with a chain-ink fence. This would have been were Roman stumbled out of, she realized, when they framed him for the murder of a good cop, because the others were too goddamn cowardly to do the right thing.

Taking a deep and bracing breath, she drew her weapon from its holster. Beckett gripped it tightly and stepped over the threshold, into the darkness.

The warehouse was dark, damp, smelling of fresh water and old sins. Blue-tinged light wash through dirty windows, cast long shadows over the long-abandoned factory floor. She held her weapon steady in the isosceles stance of her training, forcing her breath to stay light and even. The last thing she needed was a steaming exhale to give her away.

They would not get away with this, not while Katherine Louise Beckett, daughter of Johanna Beckett, still had breath in her body. She would see to it personally that they paid.

An open door. No footsteps, no voices. Nothing but the echo of her heartbeat in her ears, the pounding of her blood in her veins.

'Where are you,' she murmured in a voice so low she wasn't sure if she'd even said it aloud. 'Come on, come on, come on, you cowards, you sons of bitches. Where are you?'

Beckett reached the edge of the next doorway, pressed her back to the wall. She heard the footfalls beyond the door-frame and she forced herself to steady her hands, steel her nerves

One move, one wrong move, and it was over. It couldn't be over, not until they had all settled their debts to her. Oh yes, these men all had debts to repay her and they would make good on it, even if it meant the spilling of their blood to do it.

She heard her son's voice, her little prince's voice ringing in her ears - you're the best Mumum, you always catch the baddies - and knew she could face this. Face them.

With her weapon ready, Beckett shoved herself off the wall in her hiding position and stalked into the room.

'NYPD! Drop the gun, let him go or I will drop you. Do it! Now!'