For a man his size, thought Kate, her husband was pretty good at disguises. This time, he was dressed as a delivery worker, complete with a square box wrapped in brown paper and a clipboard.
"Sign here, ma'am," he said briskly. "Thank you. You want I should bring it inside for you?"
"Yes, please," she said, stepping back into the loft with her tongue in her cheek. "Just put it down right over - "
She was interrupted by her favorite pair of lips landing squarely on her own, his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back against the door to close it. Memory of the first night he'd done that made her shiver and kiss him back just as urgently.
When they broke apart, Castle grinned. "Honey, I'm home," he whispered in her ear.
"Mmm," she murmured back. "Ready for our threesome?"
"You have no idea." Castle stepped back and started to pull off his coverall. Kate was momentarily distracted, then momentarily disappointed when she saw he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans under it.
"Where's our guest?" he asked as Kate took the coverall and tossed it in the front closet.
"I have a window for time of arrival," she told him. "Don't worry, he'll be here - he still has half an hour to go."
"How about you gimme something to warm up with?" Castle wrapped his arms around his wife and nuzzled her neck. Kate willingly melted into his embrace, then turned them both around so he had a clear view into the kitchen area.
"Mm-hmmm," he hummed, and she guessed that he'd spotted the blue pyramid on the counter. "So where did you stash the toys? Are we doing this in the bedroom?"
"I thought in front of the fire would be nice."
She took his hand and brought him over to sit on the sofa facing the fire - where he could find a handgun tucked between the sofa's cushion and the arm.
Castle tucked the weapon into the back of his jeans and got up to wander into the kitchen. "Want some wine?"
"Not for me. You go ahead," Kate said.
"After that crack about me being a lightweight? I'm not drinking unless you are." Castle grinned.
"Truth hurt, Castle?"
"Let's just say that I want to remember every moment of what I'm sure will be a memorable evening."
"Good save."
They bantered a bit more while Castle made some coffee. Then Kate's phone chimed, indicating an incoming text message. She read it quickly - Elevator, 1 male - then just looked at Castle and nodded. He took his mug of coffee and the box he'd brought in and went swiftly into the bedroom, closing the door that led into the entry area.
A knock came on the door. Kate glanced around the room to be sure the scene was set and went over to open the door. When she saw who stood there, she managed to put on a surprised expression.
"Counselor," she said to the man. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you, Captain, off the record," said Caleb Brown with a strained smile. "May I come in?"
"Of course."
Caleb came inside and paused to look around. "Wow. So this is how the other half lives."
"If you mean Castle, yeah," said Kate dryly. "It's not where I live. Not any more. I'm just signing some papers, packing up some of my stuff."
"Where is Castle, anyway?"
"On his way to Chicago," Kate replied. "Here, have a seat."
She cleared a place at the table for him; he didn't sit, but he did put down his briefcase, still looking around.
"I thought you two had made up," he said. "That's why I came by. I didn't know you still had another place."
"Well, he said he'd be in Chicago a few days, so I thought, what the hell, might as well enjoy the lap of luxury while I can," said Kate. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, thanks."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"It's sensitive," he hedged. "Is anyone else here?"
"Martha has her own place, and Alexis has an apartment at Columbia," said Kate, sitting at the table. "Believe me, I don't want to run into either of them."
"Good," said Caleb. "I'd rather we weren't interrupted."
He opened his briefcase and took out a gun, one with a silencer already attached.
"Stand up, please, Captain, so I can check you for weapons."
"What the hell?" Kate shot to her feet. "Caleb - "
"Stand still," Caleb ordered, training the gun on her as he patted her down. Then he stepped back and said, "I didn't think you'd be carrying here in your own - former - space, but better safe than sorry. Take a seat over on the couch, please. Hands where I can see them."
"I don't understand," Kate scowled. "Why are you threatening me? What do you want?"
"I want to be rid of you and your vendetta," said Caleb. He pulled a device from his case and scanned the room with it. "Good, no bugs. Not within range of our conversation, anyway."
"Conversation, about what?"
"About LokSat." Caleb took a position about ten feet in front of where she sat, his gun aimed steadily at her head. "I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and seeing you or Castle fumbling around. It's time to end this 'investigation' - you'd never guess the truth, anyway."
Kate knew that feigning ignorance wasn't an option. He'd never believe her, and besides, she was just as ready to end the battle. But not in the way Caleb hoped. She was about to gamble on his apparent overconfidence - he could have shot her as soon as he was inside, but here he was, talking.
"I'm a pretty good guesser," she said evenly.
"Okay, then. Three guesses," said Caleb with a smirk. "Just understand, even if you guess right, you lose."
"Of course." Kate leaned back and stretched her arms out on the back of the couch. "Guess number one: You're part of LokSat's organization, and you're a willing accomplice."
"That's actually two guesses, but I'll allow it. You're correct on both counts."
"Okay. Guess number two: You're responsible for the death of William Bracken in prison."
"True," said Caleb with mild surprise. "I'm not sure how that's relevant to the LokSat investigation, though I understand he was connected to your mother's murder."
He stepped a little closer. "One guess left. Better make it good."
Kate kept her eyes on his as she spoke.
"Now that Bracken and Simmons are dead, LokSat should be promoting his minions to fill their positions," she said. "I don't know who's in the running for Simmons' drug lord spot, but I think I know the top candidate to replace Bracken in the money laundering department."
Damn his poker face. She could tell he was slightly startled, but at which piece of information?
"Maybe he's reorganizing," said Caleb. "Maybe he wants to run the whole show himself."
"No, I think he's enjoying his retirement," Kate said. "One thing I've learned about being in charge of an organization - the boss has to be good at delegation. Otherwise, he has too much work to do himself. Don't you want to know my choice for the money guy?"
Caleb seemed to pause for a moment of internal struggle. Then he shook his head. "No. If you want to tell me who you think is the boss, feel free."
"Are you going to tell me whether I'm right? Before you kill me, I mean."
She dropped her hands back into her lap.
"I can promise you anything right now," said Caleb. "I'm the one holding the gun on you. I can lie through my teeth."
"But you want me to die knowing that, even being right, I couldn't stop it. Stop you - or LokSat."
"I concede my vanity," he grinned. "Your guess?"
Knowing the location of her clutch piece and her human backup, Kate looked Caleb in the eye and said, "The head of the LokSat organization is Michael Reed, former Secretary of Defense."
His eyes blazed with anger, but he kept his voice steady.
"What makes you think that?"
"You said I had three guesses, and I've made them," said Kate. "You want anything more from me, you have to tell me whether I'm right. That is, if you even know whether it's true."
She knew he wouldn't rise to her taunt, but she couldn't resist making it; she knew that Castle would give her grief for it later.
There has to be a "later", she thought.
"Maybe you're just a minion," she went on. "Maybe you were sent to kill me without knowing anything important about the organization you work for."
"Regardless of my level of involvement," said Caleb, "I will enjoy completing this assignment." He cocked the gun and took a step closer to her. "Tell me what proof you have to back up your guess, and I'll make your death clean and quick. Otherwise, I'll have to inflict damage to various parts of your anatomy until you give up the information. Leave you to bleed out."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Kate shot back.
Caleb fired the gun, hitting the sofa cushion at the end of the couch. The shot was nearly soundless, but the impact could be heard as if someone had punched the cushion.
"What's your proof?" he demanded.
"You're confirming my guess," said Kate.
"Maybe I'm just gathering intel for the boss." Caleb shrugged. "Why would Reed be heading up an extralegal enterprise like LokSat? What's in it for him?"
"Money, and political support. Political support from those who want money to buy their way into office. Plenty of dough in the money-laundering side. And of course, the money that comes in to be laundered is made on the heroin smuggling side."
A startled look flitted across Caleb's face, then he returned to his stern interrogation expression.
"Plausible," he said. "That could apply to nearly anyone, in or out of politics."
"And in fact, he started the organization before he became Secretary," Kate told him. "By the time he was in charge of military operations in Afghanistan he had the drug transport worked out. And the money laundering went back even further - at least as far as 1999, when Bracken was blackmailing three hapless cops in the NYPD."
"Oh, yes, the year your mother was killed," Caleb said. "You put Bracken in prison for that."
If he thought that mentioning her mother's murder would drive that thorn further into her side, thought Kate, he'd underestimated her even more than she thought. In a level tone, she went on, "I have a witness who can describe aspects of LokSat's operations, including the involvement of Reed, you, Vikram Singh, and a man known as Jenkins, whom I suspect is Reed's patsy."
"A witness?" Caleb looked dubious. "Can't imagine where, when, or how anyone would have observed the operation of which you speak, let alone how they'd be left alive after doing so."
"You're trying to figure out, right now, who that witness could be," said Kate. "Whether they're alive, or whether I have some other proof that they provided before they were killed."
"Actually, I think you're bluffing," said Caleb. "There is no witness."
"He doesn't tell you everything, does he, your boss? Guess you are just a minion." Kate leaned forward, fists planted on the couch on either side. "You can shoot me wherever you like. You can try to haul me away for interrogation, though you won't get far. You can threaten anyone I care about. Just remember that I withstood torture and disgrace to bring my mother's killers to justice, and I will withstand anything you dish out to try getting information out of me."
"How long can you stand it?" he mused. "The precinct doesn't know where you are - I know, because I called there looking for you earlier. I have time. And lots of ammo."
He fired another shot, this time actually grazing Kate's right shoulder and thudding into the sofa cushion. Kate flinched, hissed, and clapped her left hand over the graze.
"And of course," Caleb went on, "Castle will never make it back from Chicago. He's the witness, right? If he has any proof, as you say, he'll tell us where and what it is."
"He's tougher than he looks," Kate growled. "You won't get anything out of him."
"Once we get him to the lab, he'll spill his guts," Caleb retorted. "We've made great progress in the field of chemical truth agents."
He leaned a little closer and added, "I find my method more expedient. I don't relish the prospect of trying to transport you to the lab undercover."
"The lab in Boston?" Kate guessed, and judged that she'd guessed correctly from Caleb's scowl. "See? I know more than you think."
"All the more reason you need to be put down."
Caleb's shot went a hair's-breadth from her right knee this time.
"Now," he said, "why do you think Michael Reed is involved in LokSat, and what proof do you have? Besides your alleged witness."
"I can connect you to LokSat as well," Kate said. "Think about that. I have documents that will incriminate you, and people who will act on those documents in the event of my death."
"Bluffing again. I can deal with that - I'm a lawyer. And I have contacts. This organization has insinuated itself in more places than you can imagine. Not just in New York, either."
"Or Boston," Kate said. "Or, say, Montreal? Or Washington?"
"I'm a patient man, Captain," said Caleb. "But this is getting tedious." He aimed the gun at her abdomen. "Maybe we should start the bleeding-out process."
"You first," said a voice from the entry area.