Title: The Stranger

By: greygoose70

Chapter Twelve

Castle stopped typing. Time to go see what Kate and Lily were up to. He found Lily in her room sprawled out on her bed, asleep, so he quietly closed the door and went in search of Kate. First stop, their library, it was also his last stop. She was laid back in one of the recliners, feet elevated, an open book across her chest, eyes closed. He walked over lifted the book, noticed the title, Political Heat, his latest Nikki Heat novel. Making sure to keep her place he set it on the side table then gently placed a kiss to her forehead. "Hmm," she mumbled, "more," so he lowered his lips capturing hers in a slow passionate one.

"Come on," Rick requested taking her hand, pulling her up, engulfing her in his arms whispering in her ear, "let's move this to the bedroom."

"Kay,' she answered pecking him on the cheek.

After their naps it was their usual program dinner, bath, movie, bed.

It was Monday, the weather was beautiful, so they decided to make it a beach day complete with a picnic lunch. Rick even had the padded chaise lounge chairs brought out, so they didn't have to lay in the sand when nap time came around.

Castle took out his laptop, adjusted the screen lighting and began.

The Sanderson Ranch

Sheriff Hanley rushed into Carson Pierce's office where he was meeting with Jed Bela and Nick Blackwell spouting, "He killed them both."

"Who killed both?" Nick was quick to respond.

"Marlowe. He killed the two hit-men."

"This changes everything," Pierce began, "He's going to know that I sent them. Where is he now?"

"Seems he took at least one hit, Doc Fabian transported him to Richmond Regional Medical Center."

"Sheriff you get with Richmond PD have him put under guard and placed under arrest. Put armed guards at both ends of Main Street, 24 hours a day. Nick, I want you to do the same thing here. When he comes, we want to be ready?"

"You really think he'll come back here," commented Nick.

"I can almost guarantee it," Pierce replied, "he's been harassed or affronted ever since he arrived, it wouldn't surprise me if he burnt down the whole town. Now get to work."

The Carlson Place

Brent Carson arrive home from his trip to Somerset, saw all the yellow crime scene tape strung up everywhere and immediately thought the worst. He jumped out of his truck and ran, bad knee and all, into the house where found Jen sitting in the living room sobbing.

"Dad," she cried the instant she saw him, getting up and running to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Jen, what happened here?" He asked while stroking her back and guiding her over to the sofa so they could sit.

"They came to kill him Dad, but he killed them."

"Calm down Jen. Just start from the beginning and tell me everything," Brent said calmly.

Jen took a couple of deep breaths and began, everything from when Jimmy and Sonny pulled into the gas station to when Marlowe was taken away by Doc Fabian. "I'm so sorry you were put through that, Jen. Sorry that I wasn't here. . ."

"No Dad!' Jen shouted, "if you were here, they would have probably killed you too."

"It's okay I'm here now. Nothing more is going to happen. Why don't you go start dinner, I've got a phone call to make."

As Jen got up to go, he pulled her in for one last hug, kissed her on the head and whispered in her ear, "I'm so happy you're okay, I love you."

"Love you too, Dad," she whispers in return.

The Next Day

Graham Myles, Goober to nearly everyone in Baskerville, had received the phone call from Brent the previous evening, being asked to come to the station and help finish putting the Challengers transmission together. Being somewhat of an expert mechanic himself he said he'd be happy too.

Jen was just leaving for school when he pulled into the drive. He waved to her and she waved back. He wasn't a particularly good reader of people, but he thought she still looked a little shaken up from the event that happened here the day before, he knew he would be. He parked his truck, entered the bay where the Challenger was sitting, walked over to the workbench where he found Brent taking micrometer readings.

"Morning Brent," he greeted.

"Hey Goob, you're just in time. Need you to rotate the shaft so I can measure any variance here."

"Glad too," Goober replied as he took the shaft and began giving a smooth even rotation."

"Excellent," Brent proclaimed, "lets button her up."

They finished just before lunch, Goober took it out for a test run, returning some fifteen minutes later giving it a thumbs up. They put the Challenger back on the lift to check for leaks but not finding any they moved it over to the wash bay and gave it a good cleaning. Brent thanked Goob for all his help then watched him as he got in his truck and left. He then went in the house, fixed a sandwich for lunch then went upstairs, packed up Marlowe's things and put them in the Challengers trunk.

"Hey Babe, what are you doing?" It was Kate she was awake. "Just catching up on my writing," Rick replied.

"You at a good stopping point? I think we need to take Lily inside; she's had enough sun for today."

"You're probably right," speaking as he hit Ctrl-s, closed the laptop, and slipped it into picnic basket. "You get the basket I'll get the munchkin."

Lily was tucked comfortably in her bed, Kate opting for the soft leather sofa in the main living area. Rick went to the study, opened the laptop, and started typing.

Richmond Regional Medical Center

Marlowe awoke to a semi darkened room the only light coming from a crack in the door. Taking stock of where he was and how he got here he recalled Doc Fabian injecting him with something to help with the pain from bullet he caught during his shootout with the assassin sent to kill him, the hitmen that could have only been contracted my Carson Pierce. Well, if he ever needed a reason for extracting revenge on someone and a town. . .he had it.

The light from the hall provided just illumination for him to locate the control buttons on the bed's handrail. Running his finger over them he found the big round Help button, the one he wanted to stay away from. He began trying the buttons surrounding it till he hit the one that turned on the overhead light at the head of the bed.

Scanning the room, he spotted the clock on the wall telling him it was three-thirty. Scanning further he saw a chair in the corner with a plastic hospital bag on it. Hoping it is his clothes he swung his legs over the side, that's when he discovered the catheter in his arm which he carefully removed before proceeding over to the chair. The bag contained his clothes alright, except for this blood-soaked shirt, so he changed out of the hospital garb into his clothes and snuck out of the building.

TBC