CONQUERED
Chapter 5
Kate had decided to go inside and leave her car behind to make this call. Once inside, she found something called a Coastal Café. What amazed her was that it hadn't been looted. Though, like everywhere else, she didn't see a soul. Maybe someone had seen her, but she had so far made this trip all alone.
She even found coffee still in a container that you pumped. And cold drinks and cold food were in the reach-ins. There were even some premade sandwiches for purchase. What she saw was telling her that whatever had happened, no one had come this way to loot or escape. She also didn't miss the a large ferry sitting at its dock.
It was still raining, so she found a place to sit down inside after adding up all the cost of everything she had and then left what she hoped was enough money on the counter, plus extra since she didn't know what the Canadian sales tax was at all or if they even had one here.
One cold turkey sandwich, a bag of chips, hot coffee, and she was all set. Next came taking out her cell phone and looking up the number at the bottom of her letter from Bob. She was going to need to explain how she knew where he was and what his number was. That meant ratting Bob out, but hopefully, Castle wouldn't mind what his friend had done for her.
Kate typed in the number, and her finger hovered over SEND. But she didn't touch it.
"His name is Rick, not Castle. His name is Rick, not Castle. His name is Rick, not Castle." Kate was sure she needed to change and make it far more personal. Forget what she used to call him. His name was Rick now.
Her phone had kept the number, so she pressed SEND as she looked around this place again. It appeared to be simple enough. Nothing special. Maybe that was why no one had come here to loot it before the 30 days were up.
Kate listened to it ring, and ring, and ring, till she finally hung up. What she hadn't considered was Rick not even answering her call. Did a satellite phone even have caller ID, or was he ignoring her on purpose? Was he just busy and didn't hear it ring? So instead of calling him again immediately, she got up and filled her cup with more coffee, put more money on the counter, and sat back down to drink her coffee.
O~O~O
Since they had it and she had the cash, even if it was all American and not Canadian, she refilled her coffee cup, left extra money on the counter, and sat down. She gathered up her courage and pressed SEND again.
"Hello?" Rick didn't get too many calls these days. New York City had gone nuts while they waited, but getting to the airport and onto the plane had been amazingly simple. He didn't call anyone, and pretty much no one called him. It was simply dumb luck that he was even in his room at all this time of day.
Kate heard his voice. God, how she loved hearing the sound of his voice. She also suddenly felt her mouth go dry, so she hurriedly swallowed more coffee.
"Hello?" Whoever it was wasn't talking, so he was about ready to hang up.
"Rick, please don't hang up. I have so much to tell you…if you'll let me. I know we don't talk, and that's mostly my fault. And yes, I know I lied. But if you listen, maybe you'll understand."
"Beckett?" He recognized her voice and was shocked. He had thought or maybe hoped that he would never hear from her again.
"Yes, it's me. Please, if you just listen. I got your number from Gates who got it from Bob Weldon. I'm in Vancouver. I drove all the way here just to talk to you. Will you at least listen? Please? I know what I did was wrong, but I have so much to tell you." Kate hoped being this far away from New York would help.
"You're in Vancouver?" Rick wasn't sure he believed her. "Prove it. Tell me exactly where you are and what you see." She had to be lying. There was no way she had left New York City.
"I'm in a ferry terminal. It has a weird name, something like Tsawazen, I think? It's an angular building, just one story. I'm inside sitting at a Coastal Café drinking coffee. I paid for it and the entire trip in cash. Except for gas. That was all on my credit card. Gates gave me the title to my unmarked police car so that I wasn't stealing it.
"There's no one here. There's a large ferry outside sitting at its dock, and it has a big smokestack in the middle. I think you can roll cars on and off it. I don't know how to pilot it, so I can't use it to get to Victoria. Without you, this is as far as I can get.
"Please, just listen. Please, Rick?" Kate knew she was begging, but it was necessary. She had spent this entire trip working on how to open up. She had nothing left, nowhere to hide any longer. It was Rick or nothing.
To Rick, it sounded like she was in Vancouver, which was nearly impossible. "Bob told you?" Rick knew he had told Bob most everything the last time they had spoken. Regrettably, neither knew if they would ever talk to each other again.
"I have his letter right here. I'll read it to you." Kate did just that before he could interrupt her.
Katherine Beckett,
I couldn't get Rick to tell me what happened between you two, but in my view, it's a pity thatthe pair of you couldn't work out whatever it was.
At the bottom of this, you will find his satellite phone number. I've used it to talk to him a little, enough to say goodbye. He built himself a place in a bay outside of Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada. He talked about it being a retirement home. It's become something else now.
If you can reach him, put that number to use and talk to the man. What've you got to lose? I know he lives there with Alexis, her boyfriend, Martha, and two other people. I think he has room for one more if you're willing to try. It's a long drive because no one is flying these days.
I wish you luck, Katherine. I know Rick used to care a lot about you, so maybe there's still something there. Love isn't a switch. It's not easily turned off. Falling in love isn't easy, either. I don't believe we'll ever talk again.
Best of luck,
Bob
P.S. If you do make it, tell Rick he owes me big.
All of a sudden, she heard Rick laugh. It was a good sound to hear. If she hadn't reached him, maybe the mayor had.
"I know you won't believe me, but I love you, too. I know it's late and hollow-sounding, and I should have told you long before now. I let my fears get the better of me. I can chase down armed killers, but this is something I had trouble with.
"Please listen." He hadn't hung up on her – she could tell that – but he wasn't talking, either.
"After I was shot there was pain, so much pain. At first, I couldn't figure out what had happened to me. I couldn't decide if what I knew was real or part of the pain. Dad told me about the fight in the waiting room. I was so mad at Josh that I told him to get lost and never talk to me again. He was very angry.
"I've spent the last year talking with Dr. Burke, my psychiatrist. I've been working with him to get better, to be worthy of you loving me. So I could learn how to tell you that I loved you, too. I did it all on my own, spending my own money. One visit every two weeks for almost a year.
"I'm trying, Rick, I'm trying to be open. Mom was killed. Dad left me and became a drunk. Will left me for a damn job in Boston and expected me to follow like he owned me or something. I'd had enough hurt, so I built walls. Dr. Burke has been – or was – trying to help me bring them down. Only I could do that. I want them gone, Rick. I want to love you. To show you that I love you, too.
"I've tried so many times to tell you. Once was when you asked me to go to the Hamptons with you. Roy made this little comment about how sad it was that they hadn't talked. I was ready to say yes. To spend my entire week of vacation with you, instead of Demming. Demming was a mistake, a childish thing meant to make you jealous. But it backfired on me. Then Gina showed up, and you left with her. I can't begin to tell you how much that hurt. I was so ready, and then that happened." Kate was still doing her best to open up and explain. He wasn't going to come to get her if she didn't. That was the end of the road.
Rick sighed. "Gina didn't even spend the entire summer there. You should have said something, anything. I asked you three times, Kate."
"I know, I know. I let my fears get the better of me, let my walls do my talking, and chickened out. I'm trying, Rick, really trying. All you have to do is let me show you that I love you. You're the one good with words. I want to show you. So where are you anyway? The letter just says Victoria. It's a long ways away from New York City." Had she actually pushed him that far away? She had well and truly screwed up if this was all her fault, and she was afraid it was.
"I sold the house in the Hamptons and had this place built. It's floating in a deep bay that I bought, a little over an hour outside of Victoria. Vancouver is a long way from here." He wasn't sure either one of his boats was meant for this kind of trip. He had them for nearby trips mostly.
"Too far? Please say it's not too far." Kate needed him to come and get her.
"I do this, and there will be conditions."
"Name them! I'll do anything." She had come this far, maybe he was listening to her.
"You have to explain everything, all of this, to Alexis and Mother. Neither of them like you very much, Alexis especially." Rick knew his daughter despised Kate now.
"Put her on the phone. I'll do it now and again when I see her. She can yell and scream at me; I deserve it. Perhaps over time, I can show her how much you mean to me. Go find her, I'll wait. I've got nowhere to go and plenty of coffee and enough cash to keep buying more. It's raining here right now. How big is your boat or can you fly? I can try and find the airport," Kate offered.
Rick would have to talk to Dean about the plane and if he was even willing to try it. Getting here had been lucky. Landing with no help from a control tower had been scary. He had even overflown the runway to make sure it was clear before landing. Then it was a very long walk to the marina where his boat had been sitting, waiting for them.
Rick was conflicted. She had hurt him so badly and had been cruel about her lie, telling him that she didn't remember what he'd said. Yet here she was; she had come all this way by car. Commercial airlines didn't fly anymore. No one flew anymore. Hell, even Cessnas didn't fly anymore, at least as far as Dean knew.
"A Cessna plane." Suddenly Rick had an idea. The jet might be more dangerous, but a little Cessna would be safer. "No, Dean can't. That would be stealing." It meant instant death for one or both of them. "Vancouver. You're willing to tell Alexis everything? Absolutely everything?" Rick needed to be sure.
"Go find her and give her the phone. I'll wait," Kate told him again. She really should have cultivated her position with Alexis long before now. She knew Alexis was part of the package when it came to Rick. She had made so many mistakes. This would be her last chance to undo some of them.
Kate didn't hear anything for a while till a young woman said, "Detective Beckett!" It was evident to Kate that Alexis still clearly hated her, so this was definitely going to be a challenge. She needed to tell Alexis everything she had told Rick. Absolutely everything. Bare her soul to the young woman. It was something she had been working on with Dr. Burke. Now she needed to do it, or this would be the end of the line for her.
O~O~O
"You can have the phone back now, Dad. Will your boat make it that far? You know it's raining there and a little here." Alexis handed him the phone.
Rick took the phone from her. "And? What did she tell you?"
"She can come. But if she doesn't tell me and everyone else here what she just told me and you, then I'm going to throw her in the bay and hope she drowns."
"She's still angry, isn't she?" Kate had heard every word she had just said. "Tell her I'll do it." Kate looked around and made a decision. "Maybe you should wait a day or two till it stops raining, Rick. I'll still be here. This place has food and a restroom. I doubt that it has a shower, but I'll live."
He paced around the room. "You're right. It's probably best if I wait. I need to plan and see if I can even make it that far. The boat isn't all that big. I'm not sure the Cat is supposed to go that far either. It's for when the gas goes bad eventually."
"Call me before you leave, and I'll be standing out front at the dock area waiting to see you. I'll find a mirror so I can signal you. Thank you, Rick, and please thank Alexis again. I want so much to prove that I'm able to love you, that I do love you. To get over all my mistakes."
"Keep your phone charged. I'll bring the satellite phone with me if I can do this." That was the first big question he had to answer.
"I'll be here. Bye." Kate hung up and tears ran down her face. She had almost made it. There was just one little trip left, and it wasn't even up to her. She stood up, and cried her way back to the coffee dispenser, and started looking for napkins to wipe the tears away. She almost forgot to leave more cash for the coffee.
It would be ironic to come this far and be killed because she stole a cup of coffee!
O~O~O
"Is this going to work, Dad?" Going to get Kate was one thing. Losing her dad because of her was another entirely.
"One tank with 320-liter capacity and another with 220. Capable of 47 knots. I bought this boat because it was designed to be a commuter for heavy seas. I'm taking all the gasoline canisters I have, just in case. Maybe use her car and take the empty cans to get more.
"It's only 70 miles, and it's finally stopped raining. About 40 miles in an hour, so say 2 hours there and 2 hours back. I should be home in time for lunch."
"Please, just be careful," Alexis urged him. "I'm not sure I trust her just yet."
"It will be good to see Katherine again," Martha said. "I didn't want to think that she was capable of being that cruel."
Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "Sounds like you two are going to have a story to tell when you get back. We'll all be here waiting for you."
"I'll even have a freshly picked lunch wait for both of you," Laura said. "It'll be interesting to learn about this Kate."
"DAD!" Alexis stopped him. "Phone." She held it out for him to take. "Just don't sink, that's the only satellite phone we have," Alexis teased him.
"What could go wrong? The aliens swoop down and pick us both up for medical examinations?" Rick joked with her.
His daughter was not amused. "Don't jinx this trip already."
O~O~O
Kate was about ready to burst. Rick had called and told her he was on his way. For her to give him about 2 hours more or less, and that he had a 25-foot boat, so she needed to keep her eyes peeled.
Now she was concerned. She was as far out onto the dock area as she could get with the mirror that she'd broken off her car so she could signal him. However, hearing that he had a 25-foot boat had her worried. Rick didn't sound worried, but she surely was.
She saw the boat's wake before she saw the boat itself. It was indeed small and it was enclosed. It wasn't what she thought it would look like. Thankfully it didn't appear to be having any trouble at all. Kate was doing her best to get him to see her signal. He didn't signal back, but the boat was headed right at her.
Her eyes lit up as she watched Rick step out to the bow, tie off against the dock, and then climb up the ladder. The second he was close enough, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him for all she was worth. That had to be the kiss to end all kisses, or she wasn't Kate Beckett.
"Hi. You don't know how badly I've wanted to kiss you."
"Luggage?" Rick actually did like kissing her and feeling her in his arms. It was a long time coming. But he was still cautious. She had hurt him with what she had done.
"Inside, this way." Kate put an arm around him and walked him to the building where she had been staying. There was no bed, only hard floors, but it had an HVAC system that made it better than sleeping in her car. It was only somewhat uncomfortable and she could finally stretch out.
It was two days after that first phone call. It was the rainy season out here or something. Kate chalked it up to her bad luck. She seemed to have a lot of that.
Getting both bags down to his boat and not dropping them in the water was a challenge.
"Nice boat, Rick. A little smaller than I was thinking, but nice." Kate took a seat and noticed that his boat had a few extras.
"I got it because it was advertised as a commuter boat capable of heavy seas. Two hours out and 2 hours back, and based on how much gas I still have, I didn't need to bring all those extra cans." Rick hadn't known what to expect, so he had come prepared.
"Thanks again." Kate got up out of her seat and kissed him. "And I still love you." She found that since she had said it more than once, saying it again was so much easier. "Is Alexis still angry with me?"
"She's not your number one fan," Rick admitted as he started the two engines and maneuvered away from the dock so he could go back.
"I promised I would tell everyone my inner secrets and expose my inner demons. I'll keep my promise. So who else is here? The letter only said two others." Kate suddenly found out just how rough this ride was going to be in this small boat.
"Dean and Laura Neymar. Dean knows engines, and he had a jet that had the range to get here. Laura is a genius with plants, so she's taking care of the four greenhouses. And Alexis brought her boyfriend, Michael. He's a nice kid, I like him." Rick was proud of himself for that.
"Four greenhouses!" Kate knew next to nothing about where she was going. "You like Alexis's boyfriend?" Rick had changed somewhere along the way.
"There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. A great room, kitchen and dining room, movie and game room, in addition to four greenhouses that have vegetables in two and fruit in the other two. Fruit trees are all outside. One main, large, outdoor space. Lots of small, hidden, sitting areas for some peace and quiet, and to be outside. Six goats and I think thirteen chickens and one rooster. So there's goat milk and just laid eggs daily. If enough eggs hatch, we'll have some fresh chicken to eat.
"The kitchen has walk-ins and reach-ins. Everything is electric and run from solar panels. Our hot water is from solar panels as well. We do a lot of fishing. We can go hunting on shore if we want; I do own some of the land around the bay, but we haven't yet."
"Sounds interesting." Kate couldn't wait to see what it looked like. "Fresh cheese, too, I suppose?"
"Almost daily. I hope you like goat milk cheese. The dry storage in the kitchen is the largest space in the kitchen. So, Kate, tell me about everyone else. Lanie, your dad, the guys." Rick knew nothing about any of them.
"Jenny and Kevin moved to the country. Javi disappeared one day, and I never heard from him again. Lanie vanished a couple of days before I got that letter from the mayor. Dad was just…gone. It was about two days after the 30 days were up. I don't know what happened to him."
"I'm so sorry, Kate. That was your entire family." Rick's heart ached for her pain.
"Stupid aliens. The entire city is a ghost town. 1PP closed all the precincts. If you steal something, you die. If you attack someone or kill someone, you die. There wasn't much need for the police force. Gates came back from a meeting with 1PP and told me the precinct was closed.
"She gave me my pay in cash and that letter. She and her family were headed for her husband's family somewhere in Missouri. I'm not sure just how many humans are alive on this planet. And I still haven't seen a real live alien yet."
"Neither have I. Guess we get to wait for that. Too bad they aren't little gray men with big black eyes." He had really been hoping at least some of the aliens looked like that.
"At least you got your aliens. Kinda wish you hadn't, though." There was so much death because of them. She hesitated briefly then asked, "Rick, do you still love me?" He hadn't said that he did. "That was one reason why I lied. Once I had worked out that you had told me you loved me, you never told me again. I didn't know if you meant it or not."
"What you did hurt me badly, Kate. I never thought you could be that cruel. To lie straight to my face for a year." Rick still didn't say anything about loving her. He had to get past the hurt before he could tell her that again.
"I'm still very sorry, Rick. I promise to make it up to you. To you, Alexis, and Martha. I promised to tell everyone, and I will keep my promise. I love you and I want to keep loving you.
Kate took a deep breath and tried to calm herself somewhat. "So four bedrooms. Where do I sleep?" If Alexis and this Michael weren't sharing a room, where did that leave her?
"With me. It's a comfortable king-size bed like all the others."
Kate smiled at that. "Good." She got out of her seat and then did her best to kiss his cheek while the boat bounced over the waves. That wasn't the smoothest boat ride she'd ever had, though the other boats had been a whole lot larger.