Moment in Time 3
Chapter 3
XY Part 3
Rick reaches for his scotch decanter but doesn't pour himself a drink. Better to keep a clear head. He turns to Hayley. "Find anything yet?"
"We have a bit of luck," she announces. "Brooks is a fast-food addict."
"Look who's talking," Rick mutters, eying the empty container from Hayley's super-sized shake.
"Do you want to know where he is or not?" Hayley demands.
"Of course I do! He's the only clue to finding my wife."
Hayley turns the computer monitor so Rick can see a Google map. I've marked all the spots I got a hit on the card. If I," she works the mouse, "draw lines connecting them, he should be at the intersection. There, that building is the hub."
"Ties Unlimited? A men's clothing store?" Rick questions as Hayley clicks on the map pin. "Oh, railroad ties. Multi-use lumber for landscaping. What would Brooks be doing there?"
"It would be a facility with no foot traffic," Hayley figures. "And no one orders that kind of merch in person. It's the perfect hideout. Brooks and whoever he works with could be close to anything they need with no one catching wise."
"I need to call the boys at the 12th Precinct. We have to get over there and find Kate."
"Hold on, cowboy. You have no idea whether your wife is there or not. And men like Brooks love their weapons. He could have an armory there. And even if we could go in guns blazing, if Brooks does have your wife, she could be dead by the time we get to her."
"So, what do we do?" Castle demands.
"Warehouse space like that would have a high roof, which would be hard to defend. And the air conditioning system is probably up there. So that will give us access. We put in a camera and see what we can see. Then if your wife is there, we'll put together a plan to get her out. And if she isn't, we eavesdrop enough to find out what Brooks is up to."
Rick mentally inventories his equipment. "I have cameras, but they won't give us a view of that massive a space."
Hayley rolls her eyes. "Then it's a good thing I have better ones."
Rick checks the monitor as Hayley manipulates a camera lowered through a maintenance hatch. "I see two people in there. One matches the ID photo you found for Brooks. The other one's a woman. But I don't see Kate anywhere."
Hayley fiddles with her settings. "I'll see if I can get some sound." She hands Rick an earpiece. "Here, have a listen."
"Where the f**k is she?" Brooks complains. "A bitch with a bullet wound doesn't just disappear into thin air. And that Indian asshole with her is a computer geek. He wouldn't know how to hide."
"Which means she must have found the place," the woman points out. "And she might be hunting us. We should check if Gil spotted anyone."
Rick and Hayley lock gazes. "Who's Gil?" he asks.
The click of a rifle cocking sounds from behind them. Hayley lays down her controls. "I'm afraid we're about to find out."
With a twisted smile, Brooks stares down at his zip-tied prisoners. "What do you think?" his female companion asks, pointing at Rick. "Start cutting at the face or go for the marital vegetables?"
"I thought I'd ask nicely first," Brooks replies. "But I'll only ask once before we get to your fun. Where's Kate Beckett?"
"I don't know," Rick answers. "And I wouldn't tell you if I did."
Brooks shifts his gaze toward Hayley. "How about you?"
"I have no idea. We thought she might be here."
The torture-loving woman presses the tip of a knife to Castle's crotch. "Yeah, right."
Brooks raises a hand. "Hang on. It seems Mr. Castle here has protective instincts. Let's see if they extend beyond his wife."
"Torture-lady's eyes brighten as she shifts her blade to Hayley's breast. A thin line of blood spreads out on Hayley's top."
"Damn! I told you I don't know. Stop!" Rick pleads, desperately working his bound wrists against a rough metal edge on his chair.
"That's his soft spot all right," Brooks notes. "Take a nipple off."
"No!" Rick shouts, snapping his bonds and charging at his captors.
As Gil raises his weapon, a gunshot booms off the walls, and he falls to the ground. Kate rushes in with a man trailing behind her, taking down the knife-wielding woman. Unfortunately, Brooks stuns Rick with a blow to the temple before Kate puts a bullet in her quarry. She kneels next to Rick. "Are you all right, Babe?"
Rick can barely focus as the room spins around him. "Am I all right? Kate, you were the one who was shot. What are you doing here? What's all this about?" He shakily points at the Asian man with her. "And who the hell is he?"
Kate listens to the rising pitch of sirens. "That's the cops. I called them. You'll be all right now, but I have to go." She presses her lips to Rick's. "I love you, Babe. Always."
"Kate!" Rick tries to reach for her as she runs for the exit but slumps dizzily back to the ground.
Rick flinches as a doctor shines a light in his eyes. "You have a concussion, Mr. Castle. I can discharge you, but you'll need to watch for headaches, nausea; we'll give you a list. And you should take it easy for a few days."
"How about Ms. Shipton, the woman who came in with me?"
"Just a superficial laceration. I've already discharged her. But do you have anyone who can keep an eye on you for the next 24 hours?"
"I don't want anyone to keep an eye on me," Rick argues. "My wife is missing. I need to find her."
"Dad!" Alexis exclaims, rushing in. "I had an afternoon seminar, and the professor makes us turn off our phones. When I turned mine back on, I saw a message from Esposito. He heard some cops from the 54th brought you in." She looks up at the doctor. "I'm his daughter. I can take care of him."
The doctor nods. "Good. The nurse can give you instructions, and I'll get his discharge going."
"I need to find Kate," Rick insists as Alexis ushers him to a cab. "I saw her. But she took off again."
"Are you sure you saw her?" Alexis asks gently. "You must have been pretty out of it. Maybe you saw what you wanted to see."
"Hayley can back me up. She must have seen her too."
"Dad, who's Hayley?"
"She's, oh, I'm not sure I know. But she was helping me find Kate. We should go to the PI office. That's where she came before. Maybe she will again."
"OK. But you're going to lie down on the couch in the safe room. And I'll stay with you. We can monitor the front office from there. So if this Hayley or anyone else shows up, we'll know, but you'll be safe."
"Alexis, I don't need a mother. As you very well know, I have one."
"Fine. You want me to call Gram?"
Rick winces. "No. Please. I don't need her hovering over me – or worse, trying to feed me that green slime she calls healthy. I'll lie on the couch. But I want the office monitor on my iPad."
"Deal."