Flu
Chapter 79
Rick's eyes sweep over his wife's trim uniformed body. You look hot, Kate. You'll melt your way through the snow dressed like that."
"I'll settle for making it to the precinct. Normally I'd put my blues on there. But I brought them home from my locker after Uniform Day. I didn't think I'd need them for another year. I wish you could be with me today, but while the city's in a weather emergency, I'll need a cop riding shotgun. Montgomery said he's pairing me up with Reynolds."
"The guy with the southern accent who puts honey-butter on his muffins?"
"That's him. He just made detective last year. Since I have seniority, I'll be behind the wheel. I can make him do most of the slogging through the snow."
"Still, I wish I could have your back. The news said the subways are running. Are you going to take one to the 12th, or do you want to see if the Mercedes can make it through?"
"Only emergency vehicles are supposed to be on the road, so I'll grab the subway. I can wear those sensible boots my father insisted on giving me for my next trip to his cabin."
"Good thing at least one Beckett shows some practicality in the purchase of footwear. How long is your shift?" Rick inquires.
"Tentatively 12 hours," Kate explains. "But if we're short of people, I'll have to do some overtime."
"Just be safe. When you return, I'll have something warm and comforting waiting for you."
Kate stretches up for a kiss. "I wouldn't doubt that for a second."
Alexis scowls from the kitchen as Kate leaves the loft. "I don't understand why I can't go to the lab. The chief says I'm not classified as essential, but I do as much work there as anyone."
Rick leans over the counter. "We're in the same boat, Pumpkin. But didn't you have a report you were supposed to write up for Osnitz on the D.N.A. testing? There's nothing to stop you from doing that here, is there? And when you go back, you'll have definitive evidence of your extreme conscientiousness."
"You're right," Alexis agrees. "I couldn't take my notebook out of C.S.U., but I have all my observations in my head. Myron used a couple of routine but older techniques that jumped out at me as opening the door to possible contamination. Updating those procedures would make our results more bulletproof."
Rick grins. "Well, there you go! Another Castle is on the road to upgrading the city's crime-busting capacity."
"So, what are you going to do while Kate's out there?" Alexis queries.
"For now, my crime-busting will be fictional. I'm going to try to get ahead on writing my new Nikki Heat, so I won't have it hanging over me when I can go back on the job with Kate."
Alexis reaches up to feel Rick's forehead. "No fever. Who are you, and what have you done with my procrastination-loving father?"
"Very funny," Rick retorts. "Just for that, no chocolate chimichangas for you."
The teen downs the last sip of a large glass of orange juice. "I think I'll survive."
"Are you all right, Beckett?" Reynolds asks. "You look a little green around the gills."
"Probably too many Christmas cookies," Kate replies, wishing her equipment belt wasn't pressing on her abdomen. She's been a little queasy since she woke up. The toast she had at breakfast helped, but didn't fix the problem. Of course, a nervous stomach is nothing compared to her bout with the flu, but she's felt better. She sighs as she slides behind the wheel. It could be a very long day. The snowplows cleared the main arteries in her patrol area, but the side streets are still snow-covered. Many are impassible by anything with less tonnage than a sanitation truck. If she gets a call at an address on any of them, she'll have to go in on foot.
The early morning streets are almost deserted. If the city's crooks are aware of opportunities for smash and grabs, they're taking a pass. Kate wonders if the bad guys are sleeping in. She would have loved to.
The quietude is too good to last. The radio comes to life with a call that a woman on Elizabeth Street thinks someone is breaking into apartments. "That's right near where I live," Kate notes. "When I left this morning, none of the smaller routes in, including Elizabeth, were cleared. We'll have to hike in and find out."
Reynolds stares down at parallel marks in the snow. "Are those ski tracks?"
"They are," Kate confirms. "That explains how our perp, if there is one, could be getting around. Let's find out where they go."
The indentations in the street's white blanket lead in and out of several buildings before reaching the address Kate and Reynolds were called to investigate. "Never saw anything like this in my old neighborhood," Reynolds drawls.
"First time for me too," Kate confesses. "Whoever it is might be looking for apartments to loot that were abandoned ahead of the storm. A thief couldn't carry much on skis. He might be filling a backpack with small, easily fenced items."
Reynolds points to more tracks leading away. "This wasn't the last place hit."
"Right, Kate agrees. "It looks like two more buildings were targeted. I'm calling for backup, but if we get to the last one now, we should be able to catch him in the act." She spots a pair of skis lying in front of a brownstone down the block. "He has to be in there. Let's go!"
The cops' usual sidewalk-pounding approach is impossible, but they close in on their destination just as a figure wearing a watch cap and with a large rucksack on his back exits the front door. Kate and Reynolds raise their weapons. "Police! Hold it right there!" she commands.
A teenage boy regards her with a crooked smile. "What seems to be the problem, officers?"
"No problem at all if you show us what's in your pack," Kate returns.
The boy's eyes narrow. "Anyone who watches 'Law and Order' knows I don't have to do that unless you have a warrant. I don't even have to talk to you."
"You must have missed the episodes about probable cause," Reynolds suggests. "We got a call about a break-in right along the trail left by these skis."
"And here you are, wearing boots that match the bindings. That's more than enough to bring you in," Kate points out. "You have a choice. If you can show us that what's in your pack belongs to you, then you can go about your business and have a nice day. If not, we arrest you on suspicion of robbery, and we will get a warrant to search your bag."
"Or choice three," the boy declares, pressing his feet into the clamps of his skis before Kate and Reynolds can reach him. Attempting to lunge through the snow after his fleeing quarry, Reynolds muffles an expletive behind his glove. "Sorry, Ma'am," he apologizes to Kate as she struggles to catch up to his longer stride.
She grunts as the snow hampers her progress. "No need to apologize, Reynolds. It's going to be that kind of a shift."
Lana stamps snow off her boots as she approaches her supervisor at his command post. "You want to see me, Sergeant?"
"I do, Springer. As I understand it, you're an expert cross-country skier."
"I'm not bad, Sir. And it comes in handy under these conditions."
"You'll get a chance to demonstrate that. The department can use you and your skis and any other cops you know who can handle cross-country. The city has a band of teenage skiing thieves. The 12th has one of them in custody, but our people had a hell of a time catching him. And we're hearing reports of others. How long will it take you to get on skis?"
"About a minute, Sir. I have them with me."
"Then get to it, Springer."
