CH52

"Why do they want Simmons dead so badly?" Kate mumbles out while driving back to the precinct.

"Whoever they are, they have money and are willing to spend it. Hired killers like Lockwood don't come cheap. That nurse at thirty grand was getting off cheap. A doctor who has killed before at fifty grand. Plus those other two.

Drugs is big money Kate. If the government would legalize pot and then tax it, think of the money they would rake in. And that's just one drug. Those drug cartels make millions monthly." Rick offers.

"Worth paying to have him killed? A drug cartel would just blow up the building and kill everyone, or have two walk in with AK-47's and mow down everyone including Simmons." Kate didn't understand.

"KATE!?" Rick looks at Kate with alarm in his voice.

"OH SHIT!" Kate takes out her cell phone and calls for a bomb sniffing dog to sweep the hospital.

"And parking lot." Rick adds. Kate adds the parking lot before hanging up.

"Why the parking lot Castle?" Kate went with it not knowing why, and asks after she is off the phone.

"A bomb in the parking lot will draw everyone's attention, at least for a few moments." Rick explains.

"Allowing someone to slip in kill the officer and then kill Simmons and slip back out again." Kate gets it.

"Plus if they do find one out in the parking lot, they will stop looking for one INSIDE the building." Rick offers up. Getting Kate to take out her cell phone again to take care of that little problem.

Then Kate's cell phone rings. "Castle. …. Yeah, got it. Be there in 20.

We got a body drop."

"New York never sleeps. Drop me off at the corner Kate. I'll take a taxi to my car so I can go pick up Alexis from school." Rick tells her.

"Go get our munchkin Castle, I'll see you when I get home. Hopefully I can make it home." This case was just way too active to be sitting around doing nothing.

"You be careful Kate, I don't need you getting blown up by a bomb." Rick leans across and kisses Kate a nice long soft kiss, then starts to leave only to give Kate another quicker kiss this time. Then exits the car and starts searching for a cab and has one even before Kate has left yet.

Kate steps into the apartment that had already been taped off. "Hi Lanie, what have we got?"

"Hi girlfriend, anything new in your life?" Lanie hadn't been over to the boat in over a week now.

"Just one. Castle talked Captain Montgomery into letting him follow me around on cases." Kate still wasn't sure about this.

"You mean like this one?" Lanie questions wondering what follow around means.

"He had to go pick up Alexis from school, otherwise yes; he would be here watching everything I do." He was a writer, not a cop, plus he was unarmed.

"Did he say why?" Lanie was really curious now.

"How about another time, it's a long story." Kate offers.

"Sure, you can explain over the lunch you are buying tomorrow." Lanie tells her.

"I'm buying lunch tomorrow?" Wait Castle would be with her, unless he didn't come. Maybe he should come, Kate still wasn't sure she understood it all yet.

"Why thank you for offering Kate. I accept." Lanie was grinning.

"Walked right into that one didn't I? …. body Lanie?" Kate wants to get this over with. Set up her murder board and make it home before Alexis went to bed again.

"Meet one Tom Williams based on his ID that was still on him." Lanie starts off.

Kate's mouth falls open and her eyes are wide open. "Seriously! We've been looking for him. The zombies said he was their supplier for the Scopolamine some of them have been using." Kate couldn't believe it.

"The same stuff that Simmons is full of?" Lanie is catching on.

"That's the stuff. Looks like he has been dead for a while now." Kate notices he is in sad shape.

"He's just like the Lehman's. Hands and feet are bound. The bloating has almost caused them to be cut off. Based on the Lehman's he died of dehydration and lack of food." Lanie explains.

"Tied up and left to die." Kate had heard this before. "Who found him?"

Lanie points. "Girlfriend over there came home from spending a week with her parents. She called 911."

"Thanks Lanie, let me know when he died when you can." Kate left Lanie and moved over to the girlfriend.

Kate was headed back to the precinct to not set up a new murder board, but to add to one she already had. This case just got weirder.

Williams is the dealer. His girlfriend/fiancé knew nothing about it. He doesn't have a job and takes classes, yet he lives where he does and she doesn't question it. Sometimes she worries about her gender and this one wasn't even a blonde.

The drugs he deals are used for a zombie walk, then she finds Simmons pumped full of his drug. Now it's found hidden in Doctor Davidson's condo who might be moonlighting as a hired killer. Who maybe didn't actually kill anyone, just pumped them full of drugs and had them do his killing.

So why was he on the run?

"CSU is still working on what they found where Simmons was, now they have Davidson to process and we hear they are at Williams now." Espo comments.

Kate finished adding her information on Williams to her board. "Go home you two, AFTER you make sure there is a rotation on our three guys in the hospital. Two uniforms per room. They have tried three times now, tonight might be a fourth." Kate tells the guys.

"And you?" Ryan was curious.

"I'll be right behind you. I have a daughter to see before she goes to bed." Kate missed it last time. She didn't want to miss another.

Kate took her leathers off of the coat rack that wasn't being used that she found in the building somewhere. It was much better than trying to stuff them into her drawer.

"HI MOM!" Alexis was at the top of the ramp waiting for her.

"Hi pumpkin." Kate was glad to see her and scooped her up into her arms and started kissing her over and over. "How was school? Is it nice?"

"They teach us things, we get to play and we take a nap." Alexis sounded happy about it.

"What about the other kids, do you like any of them?" Kate knew she needed some friends.

"Yup, we play in groups that the teacher put us in." Alexis explains.

"Sounds like fun. Where's your father?" Kate had something she wanted to talk to him about and thought she had put it off long enough already.

"Typing." Alexis explains.

Kate was surprised. Castle spent all of last night typing; now he is at it again. When does he plan on sleeping?

Kate went into the kitchen and found that Castle hadn't started dinner. "You want to help me fix dinner?" Kate needed to keep her occupied.

Getting an enthusiastic nodding of Alexis's head. "That's my girl. How about you go see if we have any strawberries left." Kate knew it was late in the season for them and there might not be any left. "Here's your bowl pumpkin."

Kate started gathering what she needed for dinner. She would add the strawberries, if there were any left, to the salad that she would make last.

Kate was just getting it into the oven when Alexis finally came back. "Sorry mom."

Alexis's bowl was almost empty. "That's ok pumpkin, I didn't expect there would be many left." Apples would be next month and for the next couple of months after that.

Kate was waiting till the oven was almost done before putting the salad together and was nursing her glass of wine. "Is your school big?" Kate asks Alexis.

"Yup, lots of room." Alexis put her arms out wide, getting Kate to chuckle. Kate had seen it, and even to her it was big. To Alexis it probably looked even bigger.

Kate started to put the salad together. "Go get your father pumpkin, it's time for dinner." Watching Alexis take off.

Alexis is back. "He's typing mom." Alexis was grinning, knowing what came next.

Kate searched her hiddy hole for the air horn. "Here you go pumpkin." Kate was grinning wide, watching Alexis smile.

Kate soon heard the air horn followed by. "ALEXIS!" Then watched Alexis come running back into the kitchen where Kate took the horn and hid it again.

Rick finally walks into the kitchen. "I am so going to let you two have it one of these days. You won't know when and you won't know how, but I will get even." Rick does his best to glare at both of them.

Kate however isn't afraid and Alexis is just smiling at him.

"We need to invite Lanie over soon. She mentioned off hand that she hadn't been here in weeks." Kate mentions while they eat.

Rick thought about it. "It's true isn't it? I never really thought about it. … We have training after work tomorrow, unless you don't want to. I suppose we could invite her over the day after, or we could all go out to a restaurant to eat. Might be better if we did more special maybe."

"I like it Castle. It'll have to be someplace Alexis can go too and early enough for her." Kate points out.

"I'll look up something tomorrow before coming into the precinct." Rick offers.

"You sure this is a good plan Castle." Kate just wasn't sold.

"If you don't want me there I won't force the issue Kate." Rick looked and sounded depressed about having to fight for his plan.

"It's not that Castle. It's not, I swear. I just don't know what this will do to our marriage Castle. What if we have a fight one night and then have to work together the next or the opposite." No space to cool off.

"All couples fight Kate. Ask your parents if they have ever had an argument. But just think about this. How many fights have we had since we got married?" Rick looks at her.

Kate thought about it. "None. Not real fights anyway. I'm not sure about this following me plan of yours, but that's not a fight."

"And why do you think that is Kate." Rick had his theory, what was Kate's?

"I want you close Castle. When I'm home I want you next to me. I want to be in your arms. I want to know you love me. I also want Alexis in mine. I want to know she's safe Castle and having her there makes me feel that she is safe." Kate opens her heart secure in the knowledge that Rick wouldn't hurt it.

"This might come as a shock but I feel the same. I want you close. I want to know you are safe. It's part of why I went to the training sessions at Quantico with you. Part of why I come in and train with you.

I know what you can do. I've seen it. And it may be selfish of me, but I think I can do the best job of keeping you safe. Following you around gives me a chance to be close to you when you are at work.

It also helps give me inspiration to write. Until you sent Alexis in with that horn of yours, I had 2 more chapters written.

It isn't your life I'm writing about Kate. It's just that WHAT you do gives me inspiration on what to write. And I swear Kate, when I'm done and you hate it, you just have to press the delete button. You're in charge now.

And I like the idea of you being in charge. Better than my old publisher. Though I still have to send it in to my new one." Rick wanted her to see what he sees, yet again.

Kate thought about it. Rick was serious and Captain Montgomery had allowed it. He had even mentioned once that he wished Rick had gone to the academy with her. Husband and wife homicide detectives.

Just Kate liked that he was a writer and not a cop.

"You stay behind me Castle, I'm the cop and I'm the one with 117 on my side, not you. Losing you will kill me Castle. I thought the pain of losing Alexis those 3 times was bad. Seeing you lying on the ground in a pool of blood almost killed me Rick." Kate's voice is cracking at the end.

Rick reaches across the table. "I am going to do what I can to keep you safe Kate, but outside of that, I swear." Rick raises his other hand.

"Castle there is one other thing. …. I want to, …. I mean I want us, …." Kate huffs, why was this so hard?

Kate could see him looking at her, waiting patiently. "I want to stop using birth control." Then she saw Rick start smiling wide, then Rick reached across with his other hand and now held both her hands in his.

"Turn Alexis into a big sister." Rick was smiling wider and wider and it made Kate feel better and better.

Kate nodded her head. "We've been talking to her about it, and I'm a homicide detective and it's been almost 4 years." Kate points out.

Rick suddenly yawns wide and then suddenly covers his mouth. "No sleep is catching up to you Castle." Kate points out smiling.

"Trying to make a baby may be delayed a day." Rick yawns yet again. "At least till morning."

Kate was also thinking that the pill she had taken only a couple of weeks ago needed time to wear off. Until then she would be only too happy to partake in practice of making a baby.

Kate found out that Castle was right about waiting till morning. She was standing naked in front of the full length mirror yet again, reflecting on the twists and turns her life had taken. When Rick stepped out of the shower and was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Kate put on one of her night shirts and slipped in next to Rick. This time she draped an arm over him to hold him close. Was Rick right? She did like having him close. Would being close to him even during the day at work change anything?

It did potentially put him in harm's way. But then he had already gotten shot and wasn't even following her around yet. However there was a bonus to having him follow her around. She would be in his arms more often. She could feel him and smell him more often.

Maybe he could help take away the stress of her job. She hadn't really thought about all these dead bodies. Talking to girlfriends about having her boyfriend being found dead. She had seen it, just not been the one to actually do it. This job she had selected was full of stress, and not very pretty to look at.

Maybe Rick was right; his following her around would work out. He was at least writing again, and if she found herself in that book she was going to do a lot more than just press the delete key. A whole lot more.

Kate just snuggled in close and kissed the closest part of him her lips could reach. "I love you Rick."

Kate blinked her eyes awake. It was a perfectly good dream and she was wet and hot and ever so close to an orgasm. Except she was moaning and squirming all over the bed. GOD IT FELT GOOD!

She was close, ever so close. Kate moved her hands to hold the head that was locked between her legs in place. Kate ran her fingers through his hair. SO CLOSE.

WAIT! She WAS awake, and Rick's head was held securely between her legs. Kate's moans were becoming more vocal. Please God don't let him stop!

A few moments later she was screaming with her back arched with her butt lifted high off the bed as her orgasm crashed over her. Rick never stopped and she was soon thrashing all over the bed just moments away from her second orgasm.

It took a number of minutes for Kate to calm down from her high of what Rick had done to her, for her.

Kate rolled over to face Rick. "Don't ever stop doing that. I think that just became my most favorite method of waking up in the morning." Kate kissed his nose.

Rick smiled at her. "I'll see what I can do." Then Rick kissed her, stroking his tongue across her lips and feeling her open her mouth instantly.

Kate wanted this taste, she loved the taste and smell of THEM. It was so perfect.

Kate soon rolled over on top of him and while still kissing Rick, started grinding herself over him, feeling him respond.

Kate had finished her shower and was in the kitchen eating with Rick and Alexis. "I presume you are coming into the precinct today."

"I got 2 more chapters done yesterday before you sent your wake up call, and yes I'll be in after I drop off Alexis at kindergarten. I'm dying to find out what Simmons knows that makes him so important." Maybe Rick could use it in his book. He was going to file away everything he learned while following his wife around.

"I'd like to know that too." Whoever wanted him dead was throwing money around like it was candy.

"Bye pumpkin, you be a good girl in school today. I'll see you when I get home." Kate lifted her up at the top of the ramp so she could kiss her several times on the cheek. Then puts her back down.

"Bye mom." Alexis waves and waits and watches until she can't see Kate anymore.

Kate turned on her computer at her desk and found a message from Jordan Shaw waiting for her. "Picked up your guy just as he exited the plane. He's already back on a plane headed for New York. Should be yours by noon your time.

Lockwood is being stubborn. A lawyer showed up representing him even though we told no one we had him. He didn't get to see him since he is no longer in DC. Enjoy our gift."

"So someone wants their hired killer back. To keep using him? Or kill him?" Kate talks to herself.

Kate did keep looking. Results from CSU on the Simmons location were finally in.

Simmons blood was found at the scene. "No big surprise since he is missing finger nails and a few toes."

The place was dirty with oil, grease, a little mud, dust, cobwebs. The oil was 10w40 car oil. The grease was also automotive. There were lots of tracks. Some were Simmons, others were of a hiking boot, size 12. Only two sets of foot prints were present.

There was one used needle in the area. Traces of Scopolomine were found inside. Simmons DNA was also found on the needle. No prints were found. The only car tracks were outside the building of several different types.

"So nothing overly useful there. Except it tells me whoever did it was alone." Kate needed a little more.

Her desk phone started to ring. "Castle. …. I'll be right there." FINALLY!

Kate is headed for the elevator just as Ryan and Espo step out. "We're going to the hospital. Ross and Morgan are conscious and the doctor will let us talk to them." Kate steps into the elevator and waits for the guys to join her.