Recollection Rick
Chapter 31
Kate throws Husayn's cellphone on her desk in disgust. It's a burner! We can't trace it."
Fallon retrieves the device. "You're not the only one with connections, Detective. The N.Y.P.D. may not be able to trace it, but Homeland Security can. Give me a few minutes to make some calls."
"If you can find out who's on the other end of that thing, take all the time you need." Kate heads for the ladies' room. She might as well pump while she has the chance. Lily is ravenous these days. The pediatrician suggested that Kate could cautiously try introducing some rice cereal, but Rick doesn't like the idea. He insists he's had to deal with too many of Alexis' allergic friends' dietary limitations and wants Lily to start on the right foot. Easy for him to say! And Kate also suspects he loves the increased cup size that accompanies her nursing. But she's read, or at least skimmed, the latest research and is pretty sure that her husband is right. If possible, the best thing for her daughter is, as Rick calls it, "Mama's special blend." So far, it's still possible.
"I've got something," Fallon calls as Kate returns to the bullpen. "The phone was purchased with cash at a convenience store in lower Manhattan. But the calls bounced off a tower in Staten Island near a pier that serves charters."
"So you think the terrorists might be working from a boat?" Kate guesses.
"It's a likely scenario," Fallon replies. "They could bring in people and supplies from ships in international waters. I've requested satellite footage to see if we can spot them and reached out to Coast Guard Intelligence."
"Good move," Kate agrees. "One of our detectives worked in that service. They have a nose for contraband. If anything hinky is coming in, they would have eyes on it."
"Glad you approve," Fallon responds with a tight-lipped smile.
"But the Coast Guard and satellites may not be the only eyes we can use. Most convenience stores have security video," Kate reminds him. "If you know when the phone was purchased, we may be able to get an image of the buyer. But we'll need a warrant."
"That won't be a problem," Fallon assures her. "The courts move fast when we tell them terrorism is involved."
"It must be great to be able to depend on that. And now that you've got your handle on the terrorists, I want my murder suspect," Kate demands.
"When I'm convinced I've gotten everything I can use out of him," Fallon responds. "Until then, he belongs to Homeland Security. You don't ask the D.A. to bring charges, and you keep a total lid on anything we've learned from him. Is that clear, Detective Beckett?"
"Crystal, Agent Fallon. Just convince yourself fast."
Rick looks down at Lily, snugly bundled in her stroller under a "Jungle Book" quilt. Even in slumber, she has a firm grasp on Gamoee. He still looks ugly as hell, but Rick is developing an affection for the beast. After all, he makes the baby happy – and peaceful.
His teenager was also silent before leaving for school that morning. She had the look of something on her mind but rushed out the door with a traveling mug as soon as he and Kate approached the kitchen. As far as he could tell, she didn't even grab anything to eat, which was unnerving. The breakfast pastries in the vending machines at Marlowe Prep are edible, but that's probably the best that can be said for them. And the school wouldn't have opened for a couple of hours yet anyway, assuming Alexis had any classes. She'd said something about a teacher prep day, which usually means no student attendance.
He pulls up his collar. Rapidly browning leaves skitter across the ground as the breeze kicks up. The weather's been unable to make up its mind, cold one day and warm the next, with the wind rising as systems collide. From the look of the gathering clouds, it could rain before long. Precipitation is predicted for later in the day, but the forecast could be off by an hour or two. Rick would prefer to get himself and Lily undercover before the drops descend.
Even before unlocking the door of the loft, Rick can hear Alexis's voice inside, and if he's not mistaken, Dana's voice as well. Considering her haste to take off in the morning, he has no idea what his older daughter might be doing at home or why she'd have Dana with her.
"Hi, Dad!" Alexis calls as Rick pushes Lily's stroller through the doorway.
Rick presses a finger to his lips and whispers. "Keep it down. Your sister's asleep. I'm going to put her in her crib. And then you can explain what's going on here."
"Dana's going to be staying in the guest room until he can find a new place to live," Alexis announces when Rick returns to the great room.
Dana shuffles his feet against the hardwood floor. "I'm really sorry for springing this on you, Mr. Castle. I thought Alexis would have said something last night or this morning."
"Dad, you must have seen the early edition of the Ledger," Alexis insists. "I put it at your place in the kitchen. The fraternities at Hudson are caught up in a big drug scandal. As a future criminalist, Dana can't be anywhere around that, and our guest room is perfect for him. We've got better wi-fi than on campus. And he and I can study together."
Rick nods slowly. "Uh-huh. The guest room, which is right next to your room."
Dana clears his throat. "You don't have to worry, Mr. Castle," Dana assures Rick. "Whatever the house rules are, I'll follow them to the letter."
"Yes, you will," Rick affirms. "Count on it."
Kate points at the image on the big screen in Tech. "That's got to be your guy! The timestamp matches exactly with the time of purchase you put on the affidavit for your warrant."
Fallon stares at a figure in a hoodie. "It's hard to make out his features."
"I can help you with that," Tori Ellis offers. "This image was meant to be viewed on a much smaller screen, the kind used in security monitors. We lose resolution blowing it up." As her fingers fly over her keyboard, a sharper picture forms in a lower corner of the screen.
Fallon studies the face. "Middle Eastern, not African features. He's not Somali. He could be part of Al Qaeda itself, not a splinter group. I'll run this through facial recognition. That will take time. But with any luck, we have a dossier on this guy."
Kate's cell dings, with a third, increasingly desperate text from Rick. "How much time?" she queries.
Fallon shrugs, shaking his head. "A few hours at least. It may not come through until tomorrow."
Kate checks her watch. She was off her official shift, hours ago. Right now, there's nothing productive she can do at the precinct, and Lily's due for a feeding. "I have to go. Call me if you get anything."
"I'll do that, Detective Beckett," Fallon agrees. "Go do whatever it is you have to do. I don't expect to need anything else from the N.Y.P.D. right now."
"And I don't expect to need anything from you either," Kate mutters as she wanders away.
Mark stares after her. If his wife had lived instead of riding a tower down on 9/11, maybe he would want to rush home too.
