That was Yesterday
Chapter 18
Kate was tired, really tired. She had Katarina in her arms as she watched then listened to the Satellite TV guy hook them up then explain how the remote worked. Where all the HD channels were located, how to search for just sports or just movies, and create favorites for channels that they like watching all the time.
If Rick had connected everything properly it should work so she watched as he chose an action movie, turned on his system, then turned up the sound. Unfortunately it appeared that Katarina didn't like action movies with lots of sound and she began wailing.
Rick turned the volume way down but the damage was already done. So Kate retreated to the bedroom to try and quiet her upset daughter.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
Katarina was suckling at her breast when Rick showed up. "Sorry about that." He had turned the volume way down instantly.
"Now we know what movies she doesn't like." Kate didn't blame him.
"She'll change her mind by the time she's five. My blood's in there somewhere," Rick asserted. That had Kate grinning and shaking her head.
"So are you happy now?" Kate asked him considering what he and they had gone through to get that system.
"Honestly? …I'll be happy when Bracken drops dead. Crashes his car. Chokes on a bite of hot dog. A meteorite hits him. A satellite crashes and lands on his house. You name it. No offense." Rick knew how she felt about people killing other people.
"None taken. I'd rather he spent the rest of his life in a prison somewhere, but yeah." Kate could agree to that. There was one thing he had accomplished. He was the reason Kate was willing to admit that she loved him. He had to die first though.
"Bend over Billy," Rick snarked and Kate laughed some more. "I call sloppy seconds." Rick said and laughed himself as Kate laughed a little harder.
"Sorry baby, mommy's sorry." Kate settled Katarina back on her breast since her laughing had dislodged her. "Maybe your aliens will finally show up since we both know the CIA isn't going to do anything except maybe watch him."
"HA! I knew I would get you to believe in aliens eventually." Rick had finally caught her.
"They're your aliens, not mine." Kate tried to save herself but she knew it was weak. "So your toy works. It better since it's the only one we can afford for years to come. Or at least until you complete your book."
"I'm trying. Still a few months to go yet and I'm still sorry." Rick broke it to her. "But I do need to go shopping again."
"For?" She wasn't handing over their lone credit card till he told her exactly what.
Rick lifts a finger for each one. "Groceries, onesies, and something to carry her in so she's not trapped in this house. Oh, and more diapers. They're going fast." He waited for her to give him the credit card.
Kate waited for Katarina to finish then retrieved the credit card. "Don't get any ideas. When you bring it back I'll just hide it somewhere else." Rick sighed. She still didn't trust him. He got that he screwed up but he didn't think it was that bad. Alexis had saved them and 18K was still a fair amount of money. But it would be months before they had more money coming in.
"I'll be good. I promise." Rick took it and left to go shopping.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
Kate heard him come home so she went outside to help unload the truck and to make sure he was good. She found a weeks' worth of groceries, a carrier for Katarina, four onesies, and a lot of diapers.
Kate took the diapers and onesies and left everything else to Rick. She was back and watched him finish putting the food away. "Ooo, grapes." Kate snagged a few and sat there and watched.
Rick held up the credit card but had a question. "Do you need clothes?"
"No, my maternity clothes still fit me well enough. I haven't gotten rid of all the weight yet." Kate held out her hand for the credit card and took it when he put it in her hand.
"Maybe a stroller next time we need diapers. That and some warm clothes for her like more blankets. We have those wraps Alexis got for her but they're not really warm enough. I'll push her around the block a few times to work off the weight," Kate offered.
"There's probably a gym of some kind around here somewhere. It might be better for you," Rick said.
Kate shook her head. "Not till she's sleeping the night through. I barely get any sleep now. Which reminds me, next time look for a breast pump. You can change diapers and feed her. I'm pretty sure you know how to do that."
"A lot of diapers and a lot of feedings. A lot of trips to the museum. A lot of sleepovers. …Ear infections, scuffed knees or elbows. The flu was a big one. Pretty sure I panicked big time on that one.
"You're right, we will be seeing a doctor a lot. One of us will panic and drive to the hospital or doctor if we can get an appointment. Suffer through shots that make her cry. Send her off to school and worry if she will make friends or find a bully instead.
"It's all ahead of us," Rick told her. It was one more reason she was happy she had Rick. She could do this alone but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
Gates had a problem. Her lead detective that had surpassed her record, had up and killed herself. The two that had left her with had resigned. Beckett's replacement had been effectively fired by her by having him transfer out.
Now she had a temporary replacement for two weeks from another precinct that she couldn't keep and he only had three days left before going back.
Finding replacements had proven to be difficult. Worse she had five transfer requests sitting on her desk that she was sitting on. One more from Homicide, three from Robbery, and one from Vice.
Her answer to losing Ryan and Esposito had been to double down on enforcing every regulation in the book. There were regulations about eating at your desk. Smoking inside the building. There was even a dress code. She adhered to each of them herself and expected everyone else to do the same with no exceptions or excuses.
She already had one from Gangs and one from Drugs on a one day suspension with pay that weren't here today. She had three murders that she didn't have qualified detectives to send out to investigate them. Those she did have already had two or three they were working. She had empty desks but not an empty floor.
Then her phone rang. "Gates. …Yes sir, what can I help you with?" She listened for a few short seconds. "Sir, yes sir, but sir…" She was forced to stop talking. "Yes sir, I understand sir, but I'm short staffed." She had a reason why her precinct was failing.
"Yes sir, I know he did." She still didn't understand how Montgomery got anything out of this group. "No sir, I understand, sir. Can I—" He hung up on her. She suddenly had more trouble.
Short staffed and transfer requests that she couldn't hold onto forever. She heard a knock on her door. "Yes?" She saw her lead lieutenant from Gangs and his second at her door.
"Our two week resignation letters. We're leaving this precinct and this city. We have job offers elsewhere." He put his on her desk followed by his second then they both left.
She was sitting there in shock. She wanted to ask why but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth and her legs refused to move so she could stand and chase those two down.
She was going to lose her job soon at this rate and that wasn't good.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
Jenny was home from work and she actually liked her job. Her boss was a woman and she was nice. Kev and she was betting Javi, were still at work. Those two had new cell phones with new numbers provided by where they worked. Something about they needed to be more secure than a normal cell phone.
She had her cell phone and Kev's old one that was going to be dead after today. She was busy deciding what to cook for dinner tonight and have it ready by the time he got home when suddenly a cell phone started playing a tune. She recognized it as Kev's old phone so now she had to chase it down. It was up to Kev to kill it since it was his but she could answer it in case it was important.
Jenny answered it. "Hello?"
"I'm looking for Kevin Ryan. This is Victoria Gates."
"Kev is at work. What do you want?" Jenny was sure her tone didn't sound nice and that wasn't her but Kev had told her too many stories. It was partly why they didn't live in New York City any longer and Gates was part of the cause.
"I want to be able to talk to him. Is there a good time to call so we can talk?" She needed him and not his wife.
"No, after today this number dies. Neither of us want anything to do with you. We don't even live in New York City because of you. Kev came home hurting and hating his job because of you. Don't ever call us again." Jenny hung up on her and turned it off. Then she took it with her to the kitchen, got a knife to pry the back off and take the battery out, then spent some time to remove the SIM card.
"That should stop that." She dropped it on the counter and would explain later. She went back to figuring out what to cook for dinner.
Gates was doing her job. She was enforcing the regulations. They had regulations that needed to be enforced. If they didn't have them they would have anarchy and chaos.
"I'm not a babysitter," Gates muttered to herself. So getting Ryan and likely Esposito back was now out of the question. She needed a new plan.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
"Hi Lanie. How was your day?" Alexis was in their brand new kitchen. The loft was sold and they had both moved in and were starting to enjoy the new place.
"It was strange, really strange." Lanie picked up a small glass tumbler and got out the only bottle of vodka she had. Alexis, she had learned, would drink an occasional glass of wine but that was all. She didn't object to what she drank, so she filled it one third full and put the bottle away.
"Define strange for me." Alexis put it one of the two ovens and set the timer.
"I got called to a new body. He was sitting in the driver's seat behind locked doors with a bag over his head."
"I'm no cop but that sounds like murder to me. So what's the surprise?" Alexis took a can of Coke out of the refrigerator and popped it open.
"It wasn't that or the fact that the car had six, count them, six parking tickets on it."
"As sad as it sounds that sounds like New York City to me. Keep going." Alexis left the kitchen and went into the dining room but kept on to the living room. She selected one of the two white sofas to sit on and was joined by Lanie.
Lanie drank some of her vodka. "I was in the district that's controlled by the 12th. A number of patrol officers showed up but no homicide detectives showed up."
Alexis choked on her Coke. "None?" She watched Lanie drink a little more. "So what did you do?" Alexis needed to know in case it occurred to her.
"My job. I examined everything. Got the officers to take tons of pictures and took the body back to the lab and did my job. Put everything into my report and forwarded it to my boss so he could forward it to whoever is assigned to it. What else could I do?" Lanie drank a little more.
"I know Kate's gone but what happened to the others? She didn't work there alone. I saw them when I worked there once. Kevin and Javi. Where were they?" Alexis asked her.
"I asked that question too. Keep in mind Javi and I don't talk much anymore since we don't date now. …But they're both gone. They both resigned and left the city." She got that from her boss.
"Why? I mean I know Montgomery's gone and Kate's gone. But is the grass really greener on the other side?" Alexis inquired.
"I don't have too many contacts in the 12th with those three gone," Lanie said.
"I have one but it's not really mine." Alexis got up and retrieved her cell phone from her bedroom. Then she sat back down and scrolled till she found it, pressed send, and waited.
"Alexis! How is my favorite little Castle?" Bob was happy to hear from her.
"I have you on speaker. I have Lanie Parish from the ME's office with me. Lanie tells me she had a body inside the 12th precinct area and no homicide detectives showed up at the body site. Something about Kevin Ryan and Javi Esposito being gone. Isn't someone supposed to show up at each site? I mean Lanie isn't a detective, she's just an ME. No offense." Alexis looked at Lanie who just smiled at her.
"Now that sounds disturbing. Let me get back to you. Is this number still good?" Bob asked her.
"Still good. We're just waiting on dinner to be done," Alexis said.
"We?" Bob heard a magical word.
"Lanie's my roommate and she's helping me with my classes to be an ME," Alexis explained.
"More power to her then. And Alexis, if there's anything you need and I mean anything, you let me know and I'll make it happen. Your dad was a good friend." Bob's voice cracked a little.
"Thanks, let us know what you learn. Thanks, Bob." Alexis ended the call.
"Roberts Weldon. The mayor," Alexis explained.
"Friends in high places. So what's for dinner tonight?" Lanie was curious since it went into the oven too fast for her to notice.
"Chicken Enchiladas. Dad taught me. The alarm will tell me when they're ready. So what is going on at the 12th?" Kate wasn't going to like this.
-.-. .- ... - .-.. .
Bob didn't call her back that night, which, of course left them both wondering what was going on. Then again maybe it was none of their business.
They ate dinner that Lanie was willing to admit was pretty good and she did like Mexican food. Lanie had an early shift and would be home really early tomorrow so went to bed. That allowed Alexis to go to her room and close the door and fish out her SATPAQ and put it together.
"Anyone home?" Alexis typed and waited.
"Just me and Katarina. Rick is out getting more groceries and a stroller. How are classes?" Kate answered and waited.
"School is out so I'm home all summer this time. Except for when I plan on going into work with Lanie and helping her." Alexis replied.
"Time flies. Just stick with Lanie, she'll help you." Kate responded.
"I have news." Alexis broke it to her. "Kevin and Javi quit and moved to another city. We don't know why. Lanie had a body and no one from the 12th showed up."
"WHAT!?" Kate yelled at the device and looked to see if she woke her daughter; she hadn't thankfully. "Does she know why? Why everything?" She didn't mean just why did they quit by why no one showed up. That should be impossible. Even if they had to get a different precinct show up.
"No and no. Javi and Lanie aren't dating so we don't know. I called Bob but he hasn't called me back yet. He may never." It wasn't his job to keep her informed what went on in this city. It was his.
"Bob? Bob who?" Kate typed.
"The Mayor. I got the number from Dad long ago. He's a friend." Alexis answered.
"Oh!" Kate talked to herself. "Call the precinct and ask for officer Ann Hastings." Kate had other names but started with her.
"Give me a minute." Alexis needed her functioning cell phone to do that.
Kate was waiting and watching her daughter sleep and Rick still wasn't back. Then her device beeped at her. "What do you mean she doesn't work there any longer? …What the hell is going on?" Kate muttered to herself.
"Try again and ask for Roselyn Karpowski." Kate sat there and waited. And waited, and waited. "That must have worked."
Kate heard it ping at her. "Apparently it's the new captain. She runs the place strictly by the book. She even strictly enforces not eating anything at your desk, the dress code. Do they even have a dress code?"
"If there is a regulation she strictly enforces it. They are short three homicide detectives, one from robbery and vice from Vice. Along with four uniform officers and most recently the lieutenant for Gangs and his second. She knows of five people including herself that have put in for a transfer but they think she is sitting on them all. Two have been suspended one day with pay." Alexis replied. Roz was full of information.
"My God! What the hell is going on?" Kate keeps talking to herself. "Is this all Bracken and Montgomery. Damn I hate that fucking man." Something was happening to her precinct and her city and she couldn't do anything about it.
"Call the Mayor back." Kate typed. "I take that back, don't do that. Let him do his job. Does she know where they went?" Not that she could talk to them or contact them in anyway.
"No." Alexis responded. "Are they allowed to not send at least one detective to a dead body?" That sounded really wrong to her.
"No, you're not. That's even in her precious regulations. Even if you have to call another precinct to have someone sent. Something is wrong. Not our problem now. Have you narrowed down where you want to be the State ME?" Kate knew it was too early. She hadn't even made it to ME yet let alone State.
"Ha ha. No. Don't even have a job yet. But if California's on the list I'm not going there. Mom's there and I really don't want to accidentally run into her. As bad as that sounds." Alexis answered.
"I'm sorry. My mother was my best friend. Now I have a new one and I married him. Has Lanie set you up with a date yet?" Kate teased her since she knew Lanie.
"She offered. Just all her guys are all too old for me so I turned her down." Alexis said.
"That won't stop her for long. Gotta go, someone is awake. AGAIN!" Alexis read that and shut it down.