Guardian Angel
Chapter 28
Carefully surveying every inch of his quarters, Cole Maddox notes any possible weaknesses in his security. His corporate suite is on the top floor, making it highly defendable but less easy to escape. The roof is always an option, but only if he has quick access to a helicopter or can set up a zipline. He'll be better off if no one can figure out where he is.
He had to pay for his rental car and accommodations with a credit card, but the stolen identity would lead the police down a false trail. The city is full of cameras. He could do without that. He prefers open country where he can run down and exhaust his prey, with plenty of time to enjoy its pain before inflicting the final blow.
The close quarters of the city require quick kills and rapid escape. Still, over the years, his assignments have made him an expert at that. No one has come close to catching him, which makes it more galling that Bracken didn't send him in first instead of that idiot Coonan. So now, Cole has to silence the weak link. He will. He just hopes he'll have a chance for a little fun before terminating Coonan's employment — permanently. First, he has to figure out where the failed operative is being kept. There shouldn't be much of a trick to that. He can watch Coonan's mouthpiece, Adelson. Sooner or later, he'll lead Maddox to his client. Cole hopes it's sooner. He hates lawyers.
Grudgingly, Kate lifts her head from Rick's shoulder. "I should go home. Alexis will be back soon, and you should spend some time with your daughter."
"Your presence in no way precludes my doing so, Kate. She jumped to a quick but correct conclusion about my involvement with you. She's fine with it. And trust me, when she comes back from a practice session, she pretty much just wants to inhale half the contents of the refrigerator before going up to her room to study. She's always convinced that her skills need more work."
"Which is why she's so good," Kate concludes. "When you get overconfident is when you screw up."
"Were you a mathlete?" Castle asks.
"No way! At Stuy, our mathletes were the students who went for Ph.D.s and are teaching at Columbia or Harvard now. A couple of them are in think tanks. I was thinking about the academy. As a cadet, I was out in front on just about everything, breaking all the records."
Castle flicks a strand of hair from Kate's face. "I'm not surprised, considering your meteoric rise as a detective. Montgomery told me that you made the grade faster than any woman in the N.Y.P.D."
"I didn't see you chatting with Montgomery."
"Kate, if you did, I'd wonder about you. We were talking in the men's room. He made the mistake of trying one of Ryan's bean burritos. But anyway, he sees you as the shining light in the precinct."
Kate rolls her eyes. "You'd never know it from my letter of reprimand."
"He does think you could use more discipline. But we both know he can't wait to turn that missive into confetti. He believes that if you want to try for it, you could make captain someday."
Kate absently rolls a Milk Dud in her fingers. "I'm not sure I'd want to, Castle. I'm a street cop, and I like puzzles, not paperwork."
"That makes two of us. Hey, how long does it take you to do the crossword in the Ledger?"
"What day of the week?"
"Sunday."
Kate winces. "Ooh, that's the hardest one, Castle. Probably at least an hour."
"Kate, most people can't finish it at all, unless they cheat and look at the key."
"What would be the point of that? You can't cheat and look at the key to a murder. If you could, I'd be out of a job."
"So, if suddenly every murder in the city could be solved just by checking some yet, undiscovered, clue. What would you do?"
"I don't know, Castle. A scenario like that would cut into your job as much as it would mine. What would you do?"
"Write science fiction, or better still, science fiction romance novels, all the gadgety fun with happy endings. But you didn't answer my question," Rick persists. "What would you do?"
Kate walks her fingers down Castle's thigh. "I guess I'd read science fiction romance novels."
Castle leans in for a kiss. "Very good answer, Detective."
"Hi, Dad!" Alexis calls as the front door swings open. "Paige is coming over to study with me. I'm going to order a pu-pu platter. Do you and Detective Beckett want something?"
"Best laid plans," Castle mutters, glancing at Kate, who shakes her head. "No thanks, sweetie. You and Paige enjoy."
"I couldn't go near Chinese or any other kind of food right now," Kate admits as Alexis retreats to Rick's office to make her call. "I'm in a movie-candy sugar coma."
Castle settles back against the cushions of the couch. "One of the few joys of adulthood is getting to act like a child."
"I think I will be going home, Babe," Kate decides, pressing a consolation kiss to Castle's suddenly pouting lips. "I'll give you a call if the lab comes up with anything."
"Or you could just give me a call," Castle suggests.
Kate squeezes his hand. "Yes, I could."
Johanna shimmers into sight beside Kate as the detective makes her walk home. "You could have stayed with him. It's not as if you and Rick would be humping each other in front of Alexis and her friend. But even listening to that jazz you like so much or watching one more movie, you'd have the comfort of another person going through the waiting with you. That can make all the difference."
"I know," Kate concedes, "but if I stayed, I'd want to be humping him."
Johanna chuckles. "I understand."
Jerry Adelson scowls at his empty coffee cup while studying Coonan's case file. There isn't much to study. The cops are playing things close to the vest, and so is his client. Coonan is afraid of his boss, whoever that is, more than he's scared of the cops. He wants Adelson to ask for WITSEC, but he won't say why he'll need it. No way will that work with Karnacki. Coonan is going to have to come clean with the D.A. But if Jerry's going to make any kind of a decent deal, Coonan's going to have to come clean with him first. So far, he's not been willing to do that, but Jerry can give it one more shot. It's just long enough after rush hour to readily get a cab to the 12th Precinct where Coonan's in a holding cell.
From his rental car, Maddox watches Adelson emerge from his office and hail a taxi. Great, he shouldn't have any trouble trailing the lawyer. The driver won't spot Cole and seat belted into the back, Adelson is unlikely to turn round and look. The job just got a bit easier. From the direction that Adelson's cab is taking, Maddox guesses he's headed for the 12th Precinct. Maddox isn't about to walk into a building full of cops — not if he can help it anyway. But Coonan will probably be transferred to the Tombs to await charging. All sorts of accidents happen on prisoner transfers. Maddox will just have to see about arranging one — and the sooner, the better. Bracken is getting antsy. The fat assholes that sit back while others take care of business, always do.
