Too Close

Chapter 99

"Come on, Babe," let's go get Miranda," Kate urges as cries pour again from the lounge.

"I'm going to stay here with Cosmo," Rick decides, walking over to pick up the baby. "We don't want him to be all teary-eyed and miserable when he sees his mommy again."

"You have a point," Kate acknowledges. "But if Miranda is involved in fraud, even under duress, children's services may not allow her to take him until we get everything straightened out."

Castle rolls his eyes. "That's if they ever show up. In any case, Cosmo is going to need a friend, and barring the sudden appearance of the friendly social worker, Cosmo and I will both be here when you return with Miranda."

"All right," Kate agrees, "but don't get too attached, Babe. Whether Cosmo is going back to Miranda or child services, you'll have to let go."

Rick sways with the quieting child in his arms. "Yeah, I know."

Kate blocks Miranda's way as the woman is hurrying to a cab. "Ms. Vail, I need you to come with me."

"Please," Miranda pleads, "you don't understand what's happening. I can't be seen with the police."

"I think I do," Kate responds. "We have your baby, Miranda. He's safe."

"You have Bennie?" Miranda exclaims. "What about my husband, Paul? Is he safe too?"

"We don't know anything about Paul, but if we're going to find him, you need to come to the precinct with me now and tell me the whole story. Don't worry. You won't be seen in a police car. My unit is unmarked."

"Let's hurry, then," Miranda insists, "I did what the people who took Bennie wanted."

"About the lottery?" Kate interrupts.

"Yes, but if you have Bennie, God knows what might be happening to Paul."

Ryan hesitantly approaches Castle, who's singing to a smiling baby. "Do you think I could hold him for a while?"

"Gotten tired of a swaddling a doll, Ryan?" Rick inquires. "Yeah, I saw. I know you and Jenny are expecting. I think the whole bullpen knows. There's no mistaking a terrified father-to-be. Look, it isn't hard. Just take him like this and be sure to support his head."

"Yeah, I know. I've lost track of how many baby books I've read and how many videos I've watched on how to take care of a kid."

Cosmo/Bennie howls loudly as soon as he's in Ryan's arms. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Babies can sense fear," Castle admonishes the detective. "Exude some confidence."

"Confidence, right," Ryan agrees, as the baby yells louder. "You'd better take him back, Castle. I don't think I'm ready for this."

"Ryan, let me give you a hint," Castle responds, retrieving the baby. "No one is ready. Something you weren't expecting is always going to come up, probably the day you and Jenny bring your little one home from the hospital. But the moment you hold that child for the first time, you'll feel filled with the strength to fight the universe to protect it. There's nothing else in this world like that feeling. Nothing. You're going to be a great dad."

"Thanks, Castle, but I think I'll go practice on the doll some more and spend more time with my sister's kids."

As Ryan walks off, Castle grins down at Bennie. "In a few months, he'll have to dive in whether he's ready or not. High five?"

Bennie presses his tiny hand against Rick's and coos his agreement.

As soon as the elevator doors open on the bullpen, Miranda spots Bennie with Castle. "You do have my baby! Is he OK?"

"He's fine," Castle assures Miranda as he puts Bennie into her arms. "I just fed him and changed him, and we've been taking a walk around the precinct."

"Anyone show up from child services?" Kate queries.

"No," Castle replies, "but a Kristen Ariza called and told Gates she's on her way over. She should be here any moment."

Miranda turns anxiously to Kate. "What's going to happen? She's not going to take Bennie away from me, is she?"

"I don't know," Kate admits, "but until she gets here, let's go into the lounge and talk about what happened to your husband. There's a crib in there."

"Can I just hold on to Bennie?" Miranda asks.

"Sure," Kate allows, leading the way.

"Some men came to our apartment," Miranda explains, rocking herself and Bennie as she speaks. "They pointed a gun at Bennie and made me promise to use a certain set of balls for the lottery today. Then they took Bennie and Paul and told me I'd get them back after I did what they wanted. They warned me that if I talked to the police, they'd kill them both."

"What men?" Kate demands.

Miranda shakes her head. "I don't know, but I watched them drive off. They were in a white limo with a blue crescent on the door."

"That car was from the Blue Moon Limousine Service," Castle realizes.

Kate nods. "Cameron Ducane was right when he told Jimmy Wolfinsky that something bad was happening there. Paul wasn't at the factory, and Blue Moon was the only place besides the lottery building, and the factory that was on the route Ducane was mapping out. He must be at Blue Moon. I'll get a squad together to go in there."

A woman sticks her head in the door of the lounge. "Excuse me. I'm Kristen Ariza from child services. I'm here about the baby."

Miranda wraps her arms more tightly around Bennie. "I'm Miranda Vail, his mother. We don't need you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to investigate how the child ended up in police custody, and what your standing is in all this. It may take some time before I can release him to you."

Miranda looks at Kate. "Can he at least stay with me here until you find out where Paul is?" Her gaze shifts to Kristen. "That's my husband, Bennie's father."

Kate and Kristen exchange glances. "As long as the baby is still officially in police custody," Kristen agrees. "I'll make some calls and try to get through the red tape as fast as I can."

"Castle, are you coming with us to Blue Moon?" Kate asks.

Castle reaches for his coat. "You bet! If those guys are baby-nappers, I want to be there when you grab them and rescue Bennie's father."

As Kate's squad drives past the no-entry sign into the Blue Moon underground garage, Castle spots a bruised and bleeding man being forced into the trunk of a limo. "Kate!"

"I see, Castle."

Gunning the motor, Kate stops within a foot of the kidnapper's car as the other units surround it. Her voice emanates from the loudspeaker of her unit. "Police. Drop your weapons and release that man."

Roman Valenciaga and two of his drivers raise their hands.

"Down on the ground! Hands behind your heads," Kate orders the Blue Moon thugs.

Castle hurries to Paul Vail, who is slumped over into the trunk. "Help is on the way. You're going to be all right."

Paul grasps Castle's arm. "Miranda. Bennie."

"Safe and sound," Castle assures the frantic father.

"You'll see them both soon," Kate adds.

What's the situation with Bennie?" Castle asks Kristen as she finishes a phone call at the precinct.

The social worker shakes her head. "Since, however unwilling, Miranda Vail is implicated in the commission of a crime, and Paul has just suffered through the trauma of one, I'm going to need a judge to sign off on an emergency order returning him to his parents. I'll be in court first thing in the morning. I tried every avenue. There's no foster family available for him. I'll have to take him to a facility overnight."

"No, you can't do that!" Castle protests. "He's been through so much, and you want to take him away from his mother again and leave him with strangers." He looks at Kate. "We can take him overnight, can't we? And Miranda can stay with us. Paul can come too if he's up to it. Miranda and Bennie will still be in the custody of an officer of the N.Y.P.D."

"It can't be that simple," Kate asserts, turning to Kristen. "Can it?"

"If Bennie stays in police custody, it can," Kristen offers. "And we always try to keep a child with its family if at all possible."

Castle's eyebrows rise as he pushes out his lower lip. "Kate?"

A smile tugs at Kate's mouth. "Sure, Babe. Tonight, the Vail family comes home with us."