Alas, Friday and it's submitted.
Chapter 37
Rick pushed on the door and stepped inside the interrogation room to hold the door open for Kate who followed him then entered ahead of him, carrying herself with confidence and strength. Once she was in the room he pushed the door shut deliberately hard enough to tell the two people sitting at the table that they meant business. His face was serious, dead serious. Kate's whole demeanour declared business was underway. She carried off her don't fuck with me attitude that had the ability to make hardened criminals sweat. Neither of them said anything. Kate closed the blinds to ensure she wouldn't be seen by any officers in the hallway then walked purposefully to the table.
Rick glanced to the mirror and sneaked a tiny thumbs up and a smile, indicating to the guys he was proud of Kate's tough cop entrance.
On the other side of the mirror Ryan and Esposito turned their heads to each other in response Rick's behaviour. "He hasn't changed a bit." Esposito commented, a smirk of amusement on his face.
Ryan chuckled. "He hasn't overall, but he has with Kate."
"He's very possessive of Kate, has a right to be." Esposito glanced to the time, "If she were my chica I wouldn't let her out of my sight."
Ryan looked to Esposito, and was about to tell him that he already exhibited similar behaviour to that with Kate but he decided against it. Esposito and Beckett had a special relationship and that was okay, because he took care of Kate. In fact, all of them took care of her in their own ways as she did them. "I agree. We can only do so much. Castle will chill. But she's not the same person."
"She needs time. She's been protected and alone with Castle for what three months?"
"Yeah, about that." Ryan confirmed and turned his attention back to the room.
In the interrogation room, Kate deliberately dragged the heavy chair backwards, aware the sound of the legs on the floor was very loud and imposing. She placed her notebook and the file on the desk and sat herself on the chair. She neither acknowledged nor looked at either person on the other side of the desk, nor did she look at the photographs of her battered face and body on the desktop. She quietly waited for Rick to take his place beside her. Once he had pulled up his chair and was comfortable he silently signalled to her that he was ready. Kate lifted her eyes to Jeffrey Stone and without blinking once she stared him down. This time her eyes didn't hold any terror nor were they pleading for his help. They glared right into him, examining his soul as it was reflected in his eyes. Kate soon saw she was getting to him.
Rick stared at him exactly the same way, with intimidation and an attitude that stated that this meeting had better be worth their while. It radiated from both of them.
Stone's eyes dropped first, and he glanced to his sister, silent sibling communication passing between them.
Kate eventually took a deep breath, "Jeffrey Stone. You have my full attention," She stated, articulating every syllable in her words.
Stone already felt the full impact of Beckett's stare, and her partner's gaze was unnerving him. He ignored his prickling senses and braved up. He was after all the one who was volunteering to provide the information the Detective would want if she knew what it was. Even though he was relieved to see she was alive, he had the upper hand, "Well, Detective Beckett, you really are alive. I was right."
Kate noticed the relief flood his face that his long held belief she was alive had become a reality. She was in front of him, looking a lot better than the last time he had seen her. She saw his glance drop to the images of her face on the table and then back at her.
Rick followed Stone's eyes to the pictures, then discarded them. He didn't want to see Kate like that ever again. Even in pictures.
"Yes, I'm alive." She answered. Kate didn't shift, didn't move a muscle with the exception of her jaw that clenched in an attempt to keep her emotions out of the room. She remembered him now. With crystal clarity, she was able to visualise him when he had stood over her, in his dark business suit and crisp white shirt. Tonight he was in jeans and a polo shirt but it was definitely the same guy. He'd leaned over, hands to his knees and peered at her. The neat businessman's haircut as he currently had it styled, had been roughed up by his hand that had rubbed the top of his head. Oh yeah, she remembered him.
He'd stared down upon her when she had been huddled up, in pain, cold, exhausted and so scared. She had tried to talk but her voice had failed her. Words hadn't formed. But he must have lip read what she had tried to say because his eyes had looked spooked. They had locked on hers as they did now, and like last time she stared straight back, but this time without begging him to save her.
She quietly lifted her hand from the desk top to her lap to hide the wave of fear that was working its way through her nervous system. She felt hot. Pulses pumped hard and rapidly in her wrists and neck. Her heart pounded so hard she was worried they would hear it as she heard it in her ears, worried it would cause her body to tremble and Stone would see. The room was stuffy and no longer large enough for her to be in. She took a deep breath, felt the change in Rick's demeanour beside her, encouraging her to be brave. She sensed his unwavering support. He didn't touch her. No fear, Beckett!
Kate broke the stare and looked at the sister for a long moment.
To give herself a moment to regain control of her flight response, she dropped her eyes to the table, opened her notebook and casually peered down at what she had handwritten on a notepad, pretending she couldn't care less about finding out what information he had for her.
"Does my presence ease your conscience, Mr Stone?" She neutrally queried and looked back at him with absolutely no recognition of him in her eyes.
Her gaze was absent of appreciation that he was there for her favour.
There.
She saw she had just put him back in his place with her attitude that she didn't give a fuck who the hell he was and how her livelihood effected his life. She knew beyond a doubt she had the upper hand. She was alive in spite of the fact that he hadn't lifted a finger to help her. She heard Rick give a little puff of air through his nostril. He'd seen and comprehended Stone's physical response to Kate's comment. She'd certainly shot Stone a comment that had set his ass firmly back on the ground. Done, in one sentence. Kate wasn't going to allow Stone any sense of relief from the guilt he carried for not helping her at a crucial time, particularly when he easily could have so with a phone call.
"Yes, seeing you alive does ease my conscience, Detective Beckett."
In Montreal, she and Castle had regularly played games like poker, Scrabble or Monopoly to help pass time. In the process they had become exceptionally adept at reading each other. Castle was an awesome opponent, an excellent poker player. Given time, Rick had learnt to recognise minute changes within her and he now sensed the slightest shifts in her moods and any problems she might be dealing with. Sitting beside him she was positive he would sense small alterations equally as well as she was sensing him now. Having been together alone for a long time they were in sync with each other. It had become extremely obvious to Kate since they had come back to the city how much they were in sync. Oddly enough, she also found it easy to read the body language of Stone and Denham, easier than she'd ever found it to be.
She released a hum of deep thought then turned her attention to his sister a moment. "And you are Lisa Denham, Mr Stone's younger sister."
The blond woman looked at Kate from her face to her waist. "Yes ma'am."
Good. Kate had established with Denham that she was the dominant female and she saw the younger woman had noticed she was pregnant. "This is Richard Castle." Kate politely said touching Rick's arm lightly then turned her attention back to Jeffrey Stone.
"You're the writer." Denham said to Rick, then turned to her brother, "Now it makes sense." She said but he didn't respond.
"You demanded my presence. I'm here." Kate said. She gave it a second then leaned over the table and quietly said with a low serious tone, "I've been told you have something you wish to tell me, Mr Stone, something that you wish to unburden yourself of." She stared at his eyes then sat back.
"I do."
Kate sat up, looked down to her notebook and started reading her notes, before she continued with why she was there, "Just to be clear Mr Stone, in previous discussions with yourself, Captain Gates and Detectives Ryan and Esposito it has been approved by the DA and Federal Prosecutor, and you have agreed on record, to grant immunity on your behalf with the FBI - that wants you as an accessory to kidnapping, aiding and abetting - on the condition that once we have arrested and charged any suspects and any accomplices other than you, related in any manner whatsoever to my abduction, that you will testify against any such charged persons in any proceedings, grand jury, trial, sentencing and or any legal action whatsoever. Was that the deal?" She looked back up at him. "You are also aware and must adhere to the laws of confidentiality as was discussed with Captain Gates."
"Yes, ma'am, it was. In return for immunity from prosecution, I will tell you everything I know, assist in the investigation, and testify against any of them if and when I can provide evidence. I agree to abide by the conditions of my immunity," he seriously replied.
Kate heard a light tap on the mirror and gave a slight nod in response. "Alright, then we have a deal." Kate said satisfied that the agreement previously made between Stone and relevant parties had been clearly understood and accepted. She didn't want Gates riding her about it tomorrow in the event the agreement hadn't actually been agreed to by Stone. She scanned her handwritten notes she'd taken down during a phone conference that morning with the detectives and Gates. She had been thoroughly briefed on the progress of the case before she had agreed to fly back to New York. Gates had provided her with directions for the meeting in a follow up phone call. Kate had to cross them off her list, everything Gates had mentioned, before she could begin with why they were in the meeting. "Mr Stone, if needed, you also have agreed to attend the Precinct or nominated government office to be interviewed by the FBI and NYPD and to identify suspects in line ups? Crimes against police officers are not taken lightly and this case will be investigated to its fullest extent. Do you still agree to cooperate?"
He nodded. "Absolutely. You have my total cooperation."
Kate ticked beside a line of her own handwriting then dropped the pen on the desk. "Good. Let's start shall we?" Kate shut her notebook and sat up giving all her attention to Stone. Legalities were out of the way to keep Gates happy.
"Yes, let's begin." He replied and leaned forward. He observed the differences in her face, her hands and arms, anywhere her flesh was exposed compared to the last time he'd seen her, and to the two photographs on the desk. One was a photograph of her head and shoulders, the other of the back of her body. Without looking at them, he reached out and flipped the photos over so they were face down. "I would rather see you as you look now." He said, his eyes flicking between Beckett and Castle. He caught the flash of relief in Detective Beckett's eyes now that she was no longer exposed to the sight of herself so wrecked and vulnerable. Castle did the same thing.
Castle shifted, clearly agitated by what Stone had just done. Kate ignored Caste's protective response and continued to watch Stone. She needed Rick to keep his cool and didn't want to be controlling him.
"I would rather see me like this." Kate agreed.
"I know you don't have any connection between what happened to you here," Stone tapped the photographs, "who did it, and who paid for and organised your abduction."
Kate shifted a little in response to the raw nerve Stone had intentionally, directly and successfully pricked. In that instant she knew he had something to give her, a link. What he said had stung and she knew he was going to make her earn it. She decided to pretend he hadn't struck a nerve. She fiddled with the corner of her notebook. "This isn't a game, Mr Stone. You need to cut the bull shit and tell me straight out what you want me to know. What you have volunteered to tell me." She said while she looked him directly in the eyes, choosing to not emotionally react. She didn't want him taking any gratification from her, to allow him to feel he was the hero who resolved her problems so he could relieve himself of his own burdens. However, he held her stare and smiled in some sort of way that indicated he was being relieved of carrying the weight of the information. Kate was immediately aware he had read something on her face that had satisfied him. "Do you have something to tell me?"
"Yes." He replied, realising his own beliefs were a fact, "It really was you I saw you at the warehouse and you do remember me. You were barely alive."
Rick was a little confused by Stone's comment. To Rick, it seem Stone hadn't been entirely sure it was Beckett he'd seen in the warehouse. Now she was there in front of him in perfect health, Stone did know. Maybe that's why he'd refused to tell anyone else but Beckett what he knew about her abduction. The man had obviously been scared to tell the detectives what he knew in case Beckett really had died.
Beside him, Kate heard the change in Rick's breathing and sensed he had picked up on Stone's reasons for giving information only to her. She understood Stone had confirmation it was her who he had seen in the warehouse, but he was also trying to make Kate feel vulnerable, to act needy, to plead for him to give her the information. She anticipated that Stone intended to personally bargain with Kate for something he needed in exchange for what she needed. He already had immunity, but he also had a personal agenda he needed satisfied. None of this surprised Kate. Negotiating for information from informants in exchange for various aspects of protection was a day to day thing for a homicide detective. Stone wanted Kate to be the needier person. Both of them were motivated to protect their lives for exactly the same reasons. However, she was going to monopolise his weakness. His sister. It had nothing to do with justice tonight.
Stone was out of his league against Beckett's negotiating skills and she knew he hadn't figured that out just yet, but he soon would. She maintained her respiration at a slow and steady pace. Stone had attempted to get a rise out of her by telling her he'd seen her so close to death, to make her feel vulnerable to give himself the upper hand. She lived with those memories every day and she wasn't in the mood to be acting vulnerable right now. She also didn't want Rick to get protective of her in the middle of this.
Kate took a deep breath before she continued, "When you saw me alive, why didn't you go for the million dollar reward that Mr Castle generously offered in return for my life?" She inquired calmly, "You could have walked away with a clear conscience and a million dollars in your pocket by making a simple phone call."
"Because I was and I still am too close to the cell, to the person you want. He would have figured it out it was me who made the call. I would be dead. He has the power to kill even if he is locked up in jail."
Kate sighed in thought. In order to give her mind time to think about his reply, she casually crossed her legs, and shifted her butt on the chair. Her body had calmed. She had waited months to get the evidence to bury Bracken, so to give or take a few more minutes, hours or days, was perfectly doable to in Kate's opinion. "Okay, so Mr Stone, you saw me in the warehouse and saw what they did to my body." She waved her hand at the photos already on the table, "That's basically what you saw there."
Stone glanced to his sister and leaned back in the chair, the smile fading. He seriously said, "Yes. I definitely saw you," and he glanced uncomfortably to Rick, a look Kate didn't quite comprehend.
"Why were you there?" She asked impatiently, her weariness and her curiosity to know what information he had momentarily getting the better of her. She knew better than to make a straight line to the purpose of the meeting. It shocked the person being questioned and they would go on the defence. She needed to take a more indirect line of questioning. She thought about the bag of gummy bears in her handbag, wishing she had grabbed a handful of them before she'd come in. "Mr Stone? Can you tell me why?"
"I was sent there to make sure you were dead. I arrived there just after the five o'clock news." Stone said and let his gaze fall on Castle in reference to the news.
However, this time not beating around the bush had worked for Kate. She asked Stone to clarify, "You were sent to the warehouse to find me? To make sure I was dead?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Stone confirmed.
Kate believed him, glanced to Rick as he did her, then she continued, "What did you see in the warehouse?" She felt her muscles instantly tense up in her stomach and shoulders in anticipation of hearing how she was, maybe even what had happened in his presence. A part of her had to know he was really in the warehouse with her otherwise she was going to be on the first plane back the Canada. Although she remembered Stone, she didn't trust her memory of those days and nights.
"I found you in a rundown, shitty, foul smelling warehouse that was full of panicked fighting Russian men, and you..." He paused, glancing to Castle who had shifted in obvious discomfort. Stone looked back to Kate, his expression relatively docile in correlation with his tone of voice, "…You were lying on the concrete floor, huddled up, barely recognisable compared to what you look like now. They had you near an old mattress and a downpipe that you had been cuffed to at some stage I guess, but you were lying on the floor. You were cold, too weak to get up and so bloody scared." He ran a hand over his eyes and through his hair in a futile attempt to relieve himself of the guilt associated with that event. He glanced to Rick again mainly with caution, then back to Kate. "Bracken sent me there to check the men who held you hostage had killed you. I saw the look in your eyes. I couldn't bring myself to tell Bracken you were alive. I left. I got right out of there as quick as I could. The tension was escalating between the Russians and things were getting messy. It made me nauseas to see what they had done to you, and death might have been merciful, but your eyes said you wanted to live. So I left and I lied to Bracken."
Kate ignored the empathy from Stone even if it was genuine, and signalled at Rick to control his flaring temper. She fought with herself about whether to ask about something she needed to know because she felt it was macabre, but the desire for an answer and to know was stronger than worrying about whether it was inappropriate. There were just things she needed to know for her own sanity and many of them would always be left unresolved. If she knew facts, she could understand and there was nothing to fear. "How many men were in there?" It constantly haunted her mind exactly how many men had been in that warehouse. In her dreams there were flashes of indistinguishable faces, arms, hair and tattoos. Smells, voices, touches also triggered her memories. Because of her concussion, complete faces and a fair amount of time was still a blur. Anna had reiterated over and over that Kate would always have missing patches of time. It frightened her not knowing and here was someone who could perhaps provide her with answers.
Stone shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe ten when I was there. A few of them have been arrested. Why don't you ask them?"
"I'm asking you. You were there and I barely remember. They don't know I'm alive ... yet."
Stone nodded his head. "There were ten men in the warehouse when I was there." He confirmed.
Kate nodded once then momentarily closed her eyes trying to recall if there had been that many men in the warehouse on the night Stone was there. The reward that had been broadcasted on TV by Castle, had caused the Russians to enter debate about what to do. The debating had then progressed to arguments and then aggressive fighting when the men had become divided with their opinions. Their voices had often been raised or they had shouted at each other. Bracken had been on the phone to one of them ordering her death be carried out. The situation in the warehouse had escalated to pure hell in the minutes and hours that followed. She opened her eyes. Castle's reward had caused them all to fight and ultimately they had turned on her. She couldn't think about that right now.
"Where did you go after?" Kate thoughts persisted in returning to the warehouse. She repeated herself to prompt her brain back to the present. "Where did you go after you left the warehouse?" It must have been after Stone had departed that the Russians' arguments and physical fights had escalated. It was also the time she had become thoroughly terrified and convinced she was going to lose her battle to stay alive. In some sort of delirious state of panic she had decided to act as though she was deceased. She had passed out and later on had awoken to the darkness, silence and the opportunity to escape.
She was brought back to the present when Rick quietly said her name. She didn't look at him, but blinked and focussed on Stone and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." The back of her mind was still chewing on the thoughts that the last attack had been because of the reward. It chewed at her conscience like a hungry dog on a bone. The reward had caused a ripple effect that had turned on her. She tried to stop it but her mind was insistent on replaying it all and she couldn't afford a panic attack tonight that would happen if she allowed it. It was of paramount importance that she kept her head thinking logically and objectively.
"I took a cab to the hotel to report to Bracken." Stone repeated.
Cool. Focus on Bracken. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him you were dead. I figured by the time I returned to his hotel that you would be dead. The Russians were highly agitated and you weren't …." He waved his hand in the air.
"…. looking too hot," Kate finished off for him, her mind going back inside the warehouse.
"And that, but I was going to say I was convinced you weren't going to survive much longer. The frenzy those men were working themselves into, I thought they were going to …"
Kate angrily sat bolt upright in her chair her finger pointed over the table at him. "They nearly did kill me!" She snapped, "You could have saved me!" She was seething because he could have contacted the NYPD if he felt that bad for her. Between gritted teeth with an intensity that had him shrink back she declared, "I was still alive when you left." She took a few breaths of air she really needed, "You could have anonymously dialled nine-one-one to save me, to have given me a better chance. But you didn't."
Kate glanced to Rick who clearly saw the veins on her forehead, all of them and her cheeks were flushed.
"No, I didn't," Stone agreed. "I just did as Bracken asked me to do."
Kate hummed softly, unsure about whether he was telling the truth. She figured that if Stone was Bracken's long term assistant, it was also reasonable to conclude that Stone had been more involved in Bracken's illegal affairs than he was currently letting on. She wondered why, if that was not the case, Bracken would trust Stone to inspect the warehouse and her life of death status if Stone had no previous knowledge of her abduction earlier than that night? Trust between the two men must have been forged a lot earlier than on that day, for Bracken to trust Stone for that job. If Kate had been Bracken, she would have made that trip to the warehouse. Then there was the question of whether this entire meeting was a set up to see whether she was alive. Would he go back to Bracken and tell him she was still breathing? He wanted immunity and had agreed to confidentiality. If he breached either, he was in trouble. Whatever they did, as soon as this meeting was over, the detectives needed to act swiftly with Shaw tonight to prepare their case against Bracken.
"You did as you were told." She said as she regained her composure, "Mr Stone, I'm not a bargaining chip in your pitiful attempt to save your own conscience. You need to give me a lot more. This is your one and only opportunity to help yourself, and you are making a mess of it." She didn't hide her scorn, but once she finished saying what she needed to, she sat back and blew out a big breath of air. She felt a little better, a little stronger. A weight was off her shoulders. She saw Castle's temper was bursting at the seams by the way his nostrils flared. She knew he had the urge to grab this guy and punch his lights out in rage and she knew her detectives behind the mirror wouldn't hesitate to help Castle if they had half a chance. She had to keep up the intensity but remain under control to keep the men calm. She tilted her head toward Rick and whispered, "Castle." She heard him immediately inhale a deep breath in an attempt to subside his aggression.
Rick shifted on his seat again having seen the scar on Kate's chin dimple a couple of times. The veins had eased off a little but were still visible. She was pissed off to the max but so was he, especially now they knew that Stone could have assisted in saving her hours earlier than she had been.
"Why were you there if Bracken was on the phone to one of them?"
"He was on the phone to them when I arrived there, telling them I was about to arrive. By the time I did arrive at the warehouse, Bracken was in a panic because the writer was all over the media. Bracken wanted you dead. I was sent there before five pm. I arrived there shortly after Mr Castle had been on the news. I heard the broadcast on the radio in the cab so I knew why the Russians were going crazy when I got there. Hell, even the taxi driver was wound up about the reward, but that's another story."
Stone sensed Rick's desire to get right in his space to deliver him several hard blows to his face. He didn't blame the writer. He repeatedly glanced to Castle, unnerved by the large man's body language, and the way his strong hands clenched and flexed repeatedly into tight fists. Castle's knuckles turned white each time his hands fisted. Stone shifted his chair backward an inch, suddenly needing more space between himself and Castle.
The move of the chair was enough to tell Kate that Stone was threatened by Castle. She let it happen. "The Russians were fighting by the time you left." Kate half asked, half stated to keep the conversation moving.
"Yeah. Some of them wanted the reward in exchange for your life. They were arguing in Russian so it was impossible to fully understand what they said."
"I understood them." She replied and crossed her arms over her chest. By that time they had been arguing over her life in exchange for the reward. She needed to get her head out of the warehouse, so she moved on with her questions. "Where was Senator Bracken when you went back to him?"
"He was campaigning in the city that day and was staying at his usual hotel so he had an alibi, in case your detectives came knocking on his door."
"I'll need the name of the hotel."
"The Grand Hyatt."
Kate nodded, opened her notebook and wrote it down. She then raised her right hand over her shoulder, hoping the guys would understand she wanted that lead followed up right now to confirm Bracken had stayed at the hotel that night. She then glanced to Rick to see if he was finding it as difficult as she was to deal with the knowledge Bracken had been in the city when Rick had gone on his radical campaign on TV to get her back. Bracken had most likely watched it all unfold via the internet and media.
"When you told Bracken I was deceased what did he say?"
"You really want to know that?" He carefully asked.
Kate nodded. "I want to know everything. Tell me."
"He was afraid that if the Russians hadn't finished you off that you would come after him and finish him off. When I confirmed you were dead he said, 'The bitch can be buried with her mother. I've finally gotten both of them in the ground and they can rot in hell."
The only reaction Kate did was she unconsciously sucked on her cheeks as her eyes drifted across the room to the wall behind Stone, unfocussed. Her imagination already had a gun pointed at Bracken's head. She envisioned Bracken's skull, his bone, blood and brains blowing in both directions from the shot. She intended to put him down the next opportunity she had and she wouldn't hesitate again. Till then she needed a truce. She needed to buy time to deliver her baby into the world. She brought herself back to the present within a matter of seconds and looked at Stone. No one had noticed her fade out.
"So with this news that I was dead, what did Senator Bracken do?" She inquired with a good dose of sarcasm.
"He celebrated with a drink. He moved on. The Russians were paid and cut loose."
She gave everyone at the table a little time to process the information and then shifted her attention to Lisa who was far more nervous now that Kate was in control of the room. It was time to start on Denham in order to get her brother to talk more. The information so far was good, and they virtually had a solid statement from Stone, but she still thought he had more, that he was holding back on the important stuff. With the boys questioning Stone, Denham had been overly dominant and had restrained her brother's responses. Kate was aware Denham knew both of them were pregnant. Utilising that avenue, Kate softened her expression and use of her voice when she asked, "How many weeks pregnant are you, Lisa?"
"I'm just over nine weeks." Lisa cast her eyes down momentarily to her tummy then looked back to Kate who saw she understood the subtext.
She smiled a little then sobered, "I was pregnant when Senator Bracken had me abducted." Kate stated. She instantly felt the weight of Rick's eyes when he turned to gaze at her in disbelief. Using her peripheral sight she swore she saw his jaw fall open in shock. It was the first time she had directly said Bracken was responsible for her abduction in his presence. She'd confessed to Anna that she knew Bracken was behind it all, but other than in the psychiatrist's room, Bracken's name had never passed her lips as the person responsible. She'd implied it a thousand times and it had always been presumed by everyone in the group that he was the person who had ordered the hit on Kate.
Lisa held Kate's stare and thought about what she'd said. Kate saw Lisa's palm go to her belly. Her eyes then lowered to Kate's abdomen, what she could see of it over the table and finally returned to her eyes. "You were pregnant when they took you?" She asked in surprise.
"I was six weeks pregnant when I was taken." Kate replied as Stone squirmed in his chair. He was certainly uncomfortable listening to details about her abduction. She observed him and thought it was guilt, but if he hadn't hurt her and hadn't been a part of it, why was he feeling guilty?
Lisa's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Your baby survived all that?" She cautiously pointed at the photographs, looking at Kate. "I can't believe it."
"I protected it. I fought my own survival instincts, made decisions to respond differently to how I was trained, to preserve my baby's life."
Denham glanced between Castle and Beckett, a little confused, "It's not ….?"
"I'm the father." Castle cut in now comprehending why Kate wanted him in there. She wanted Stone's sister to understand that Kate hadn't fallen pregnant as a result of the Russians, that Kate was just like Lisa, had a partner and they were starting a family and a life together.
Kate lifted her left hand to the table to ensure Lisa saw her engagement ring. The diamond Rick had given her was impressive to any person who saw it. Kate said, "We planned our baby. You?"
"Yes, planned."
"We tried hard to conceive." Kate confessed, finding it difficult to share such information, but she wanted Lisa on her side to get to Stone.
"Me too. IVF."
Kate nodded in understanding, "We didn't need to go to that stage. Do you want to know what you're having?"
"Yes. You?"
"Kind of, but we decided to keep it a surprise." She shot Rick an unconscious look. Whenever the subject of the sex of the baby came up he was a smart ass.
"I'm having a girl." Lisa said. "So everything I buy is for a girl." She stared for several seconds at the overturned photos then moved her attention to her brother, "Jeffrey? Tell her what you know." She glanced again at the turned over photographs of Detective Beckett that presented her as close to death rather than alive as she was now. She looked back at her brother. "The Detective never asked for that." She stated pointed a finger at the photos, "She didn't deserve any of it. You tell them everything you know and don't leave out anything."
Jeffrey nodded in response to his sister and sat forward. "Before I show you and tell you what I have, you have to promise me you haven't heard it from me until you have them arrested." He looked to both Rick and Kate and saw them nod.
Stone suddenly shifted to reach inside a back pocket.
"Hold it!" Kate ordered almost springing to her feet, but she stayed seated because Rick had remained still. Stone ceased to move with the exception of his eyes that looked questioningly to Beckett. Aware she had over reacted, Kate tried to act cool and consciously worked to calm her heart that pounded fearfully. She'd wrongfully anticipated Stone was about to pull a weapon. She knew as a cop that he would have been frisked when he entered the building. That made her feel a little silly. The knowledge hadn't stopped her instincts from reacting.
Stone kept still, his eyes stayed directly on Kate and said calmly, "I'm getting an envelope out of my back pocket. That's all." He saw Kate nod her consent after which he retrieved a white envelope from his pocket. He waved the envelope a little in the air, the movement capturing everyone's attention. "What is in here will help you to convict the people responsible for your abduction, far better than my verbal or written statements will be." He stated and placed the well worn envelope on the table. He slid it towards Beckett but his finger kept it pressed to the table. He looked Beckett dead in the eyes again. "You promise to keep me out of this? I want to live in safety with my family. You do with it what you want. I respect that you have the right to feel safe too." He glanced to his sister just as Rick and Kate did.
Kate eyes shot to Rick who nodded his agreement to the deal. She turned her eyes back to Stone.
Stone said to Castle and Beckett, "You also need to know about the Russian murdered in the alley a few days after you were saved, Detective Beckett. What's in the envelope will help you with that investigation as well."
Kate was confused and it showed all over her face. "What Russ ….?"
"Yes..?" Rick encouraged cutting Kate off. He apologetically glanced to Kate, immediately aware she wasn't keeping up with this part of the conversation. He saw her brow knot in confusion. They could just hear the guys creating a lot of noise from the other side of the glass. Rick having glanced over his shoulder at the mirror to hush them, leaned forward with intense interest simultaneously noting they needed to fill in Kate about the shot Russian. There hadn't been a reason to talk about him at all, and as Kate didn't remember much about the days after they found her it hadn't come up in conversation. He realised the omission was a simple oversight. Rick knew Kate's memories were extremely patchy before and after her abduction. Some events were crystal clear in her memory like the seconds before and after Esposito had shot the Russian in the alley, but other events and hours were gaping holes of blankness. Just like she had no solid memory from the time she fell to the ground in the alley when they rescued her, those were minutes he and boys would never forget.
Rick said to Kate, "I got this." He turned to Stone and said, "Tell us what you know about the murdered Russian."
"Bracken mentioned to me he needed to talk to someone about making such a mess of the job they did with Detective Beckett, because they didn't kill her earlier and in the warehouse. He complained they had dragged it out for days … Bracken was not happy." He wiped his chin then looked to Kate, "Then Bracken heard on the news the next day that you had died at the hospital. He immediately turned on me. He was panicking about what you might have said to the NYPD before you died, but I talked him down. I told him you were definitely dead, but they had declared you dead in the ER because it simplified the paperwork compared to being found murdered in the field," Stone explained. "There were two leaders he was blaming, one of which might be the guy who got shot in the alley."
Castle instantly asked, "Do you have evidence? This guy was a gang member but we didn't think he was a leader." He looked to Kate and explained to her, "We showed you a photo of him a couple of days after we had you back safe with us." He noticed her expression remained blank. She shrugged her shoulders a little and sat back. She clearly had no idea who Stone was referring to and didn't recall any mention of him as Castle had described.
Stone leaned over the table and quietly divulged to Castle, "Bracken was off the grid when the guy was shot. It was later when I heard about it on the news that I thought it could have been him who shot the Russian. I have nothing concrete but any alibi Bracken has would be a bought one. He had no appointments and didn't' show up till later."
"Does Bracken carry?" Rick asked.
"Sometimes. Concealed." Jeffrey Stone wiped his face of perspiration. "He carries a Glock nineteen in a shoulder holster. It has two spare magazines on the side opposite the gun. He's really proud of that holster, it was custom made for him."
Glock nineteen is all Rick focussed on. "The Glock. The bullets." He muttered as his head turned to the mirror. They had the bullets in evidence that had come out of the dead Russian. He turned his attention back to the envelope, his eyes flicking between everyone else in the room. "What's in the envelope?" He asked Stone.
"Photographs, evidence of phone calls," Stone replied to Rick.
Back in the conversation, Kate raised her hand and waved it at the mirror as she verbally requested, "Mr Stone, would you please open the envelope and take the contents from it." She was more than ready to see solid evidence to support Stone's verbal account of events.
Stone reached out and tipped the contents from the envelope. A handful of photographs and a few sheets of paper slid over the table as a bundle. Rick stood when they heard a tap on the door and he stepped to the door to retrieve two pairs of crime scene gloves passed to him through a slight crack in the door. The door closed behind him as he went back to the table.
Kate put on a pair of blue latex gloves, then picked up and studied the photographs and other documents with Rick leaning over her shoulder. She sensed Rick's excitement level marginally escalate even though his expression didn't alter at all. To Kate they were photographs of various unknown men with Bracken. That was until she saw the last photo. The image of the man standing with Bracken caused the pit of her stomach to roll and she had a sudden urge to be sick. She dropped the photos on the desk like they had scorched her fingers. She shot up to her feet surprising everyone at the table. Her heart rate shot through the roof with her temperature and her body trembled. She paced to the mirror, a growl rumbling from deep within her body.
"Beckett?" Rick said turning about. He glanced to the mirror aware the guys were there and would see how she was handling the new information.
Kate held up her hand asking for Rick to keep quiet, to give her a few moments to pull herself together. She stared into her own reflection, seeing a frightened woman staring back at her. She tried to compose herself using all the techniques Anna had taught her. It didn't work very well. She heard the light tap on the glass and her eyes attempted to penetrate the mirror to see who was on the other side. She barely heard the word chica said by Esposito who had signalled her with the taps to pull herself together. Be a cop, Beckett. She took a deep breath and with her arms crossed tightly about her body, she strode to the other side of the room her long legs quickly covering the area until she was behind Stone and his sister. She needed time to compose herself.
Rick visually followed her progress around the room, "Kate?"
She was deep in thought, her jaw clenched. She completed a lap of the room and stopped, leaned in the corner by the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. She had positioned herself so Rick was between herself and Stone.
Worried about her welfare, Rick watched as Kate pressed herself backwards into the corner. He looked through the mirror to the boys, wondering who the hell the person was in the photograph. He was fearful she was going to lose control even though she knew she had to keep calm. He turned back to the table and plucked out the photograph he looked at again. He held it up for Stone to see. "Who is he?" He asked firmly.
Kate stared across the interrogation room to a corner at the ceiling, struggling with an internal battle. She fought her instincts to bolt from the room and to run as far away as she could. The tiniest hint of a smirk crept over her face when she considered running as pregnant as she was would be a little too difficult to do, and that Castle would point out the irony of that if he knew what she was thinking. The smirked disappeared as she turned her gaze slowly in Stone's direction. He hadn't answered Castle question.
Her voice dripping with venom she asked, "Do you have a name for the man in the last photograph?" Once she asked the question, Rick shoved the photo into Stone's face.
"She's scared of him." Stone murmured to Castle.
"No," Rick replied quietly, "She's terrified of him." He glanced to the sister. "She was like you when they took her. She fought with everything she had to protect her baby."
Denham looked to her brother, "For God's sake Jeff, tell the Detective who that bastard is."
Rick looked directly at Stone and tapped his finger on the photo and politely requested, "Tell her the name of this man, please." He then glanced between the siblings, thinking how Denham's tone of voice had sounded similar to Kate's when she ordered him and the boys about.
Stone looked from Rick to Kate, "His name is Ivan Andropov. That's all I know about him."
Everyone looked to Kate who nodded her acceptance of the information. They now had proof of the connection between her captors and Bracken. Kate knew Andropov had been at the warehouse. She glanced to Rick. "Castle, I've gotta get out of here. I'm done." She said with a shaky voice. The door was flung open and she rushed out of the room, not caring whether she was seen. Rick heard her go straight to the observation room where he knew she would be safe with Ryan and Esposito.
"She's coming."' Esposito said to Ryan who opened the door as Kate pushed against it to get in the room, and he closed the door behind her. She went straight to Esposito who was directly in front of her and hugged him in silence. Her breathing was rapid but that was the extent of her reaction. Esposito took hold of her and glanced to Ryan. "Go finish it with Castle. We have what we need. Tell Stone the FBI will want to question him. I'll take care of Kate."
Ryan nodded and left the room to join Castle.
Seconds later Ryan appeared in the interrogation room and Rick looked to his eyes with worry. As he passed Rick he patted his shoulder and took the chair Kate had vacated.
"Is she okay?" Castle asked.
Ryan nodded. "Javy is with her. She's fine."
Castle studied Ryan's face to ensure he was telling the truth, then satisfied, turned his attention back to the questioning.
"We'll wrap this up so you can go home to your families for dinner." Ryan started. "If we could go through the rest of these photos and identify the names of each individual."
"Sure, let's get this done." Stone said and picked up the photographs. As soon as they were done Ryan warned Stone and his sister to not mention their discussion with anyone, reminded them that Stone's immunity, and probably his safety, was based on him maintaining confidentiality in relation to Beckett. Satisfied they understood they released them but had them tailed by plain clothed officers both to see where they went and to protect them. There were a couple of individuals in the photographs that remained unknown but it wouldn't be long before they were identified.
Rick banged on the door to the observation room seconds after he was released from the meeting with Stone. The door swung open and Esposito let him in.
"Where is she?" He asked with worry, stepping in the room.
"She's here." Espo replied pointed to Kate who sat on the table, not surprised at all by Rick's protective behaviour. He waited for Ryan who followed Rick. The two men watched on as Rick went straight to Kate.
He checked her face, touched her cheeks with his finger tips and kissed her lips. He saw she was pale but she had been earlier because she was tired. He was quiet when he spoke to her, questioning how she felt.
"I'm ok, Castle." She reassured, looking in his eyes. She played with the collar of his shirt and smiled. "Really. Esposito is running a search on the name of the Russian and hopefully by morning we'll know who he is."
"You sure?"
"Yes. I just wasn't expecting to see that photo. I needed … I needed space."
"I know. " He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're okay." He said, reassuring himself more than her. "God, I was so worried about you." He stroked the back of her head, scrunching her hair in his fist.
"I know. I just had to get out." She smiled, "We have something , Castle. He gave us good leads. Let's focus on that. We are getting the photographs tested for authenticity and Ryan will run the rest of the names tomorrow." She looked to all of them. "We just have to keep ahead of Bracken, have our ducks in order before he finds out I'm alive."
"Good." He nodded and glanced to the guys. "That's really good. I'm going to pick up the file tomorrow too. It sounds promising." He let Kate go, content that she was alright. She was getting stronger each day and tonight was proof that Anna had done a magnificent job with her.
"Will you please go get me some food. I'm really hungry."
"Your snacks." He reminded her then looked at her face seeing she wanted real food. "We'll get you that food."
"Before we go for dinner, we need to hide you in the spare office." Ryan said. "Hoodie on."
"I need to use the bathroom first before you lock me in there."
"Get used to that sentence." Castle said to the guys particularly Ryan, and passed Kate her black sweater. "You will hear the word bathroom a lot."
Esposito laughed, "Project KB. Goal. Get Beckett to the bathroom and back to the office without any detectives noticing her."
Kate scoffed, "C'mon guys, I'm walking under their noses, and not one of those detectives out there has a clue I'm here. Most of them have left for the night anyway." She took Rick's hand and slid off the table until her shoes were on the floor. "Ladies, Castle. Now!"
"So bossy." Rick said and handed her over to the detectives who confirmed they would get her to the bathroom without being noticed. With that Rick collected Kate's handbag and belongings and carried them to the staffroom. He made her a cup of decaffeinated coffee, filled her bottle with filtered water and waited in the spare office for them to return.