The Children's Corner
Chapter 14
Trying her best to exude confidence, Julia knocks on the door of the Castle loft. When Lily, clutching Gamoee, pulls open the door, Kate Beckett is a few steps behind, holding a baby against a diaper draped over her shoulder. Richard Castle is striding up and down the hardwood floor with another baby, who's issuing loud protests. "Uh, I'm Julia Crawford."
"I've got it, Sweetheart," Kate tells Lily before looking up at Julia. "You've probably guessed I'm Kate Beckett." She circles her palm on the back of the infant she carries. "This is Reese. My husband has his brother, Jake. If you want to get away while you can, we'll understand."
Julia smiles. "No, I have four younger brothers and sisters. So this looks normal to me."
Nudging Lily back, Kate steps away from the door. "Then come in." She waves Julia toward a chair at the table. "Have a seat. Rick and I will join you as soon as we get the boys settled."
"They should swing," Lily suggests. "I can sing the swing song to them."
"Good idea," Rick responds, approaching the device. He and Kate load the twins in and activate the motor. When Jake's wails taper off as Lily starts to croon, Rick presses a kiss to the top of the preschooler's head. "Music hath charms."
"So can older sisters," Julia observes. "My little brother Adrian followed my sister Jeanie around like a puppy."
Kate glances back toward the swing. "Well, so far, so good. Bambi said you'd be graduating in May. Cindy, our present baby wrangler, is graduating too – and getting married. She's out with her fiancé tonight. But she'll be leaving us as soon as her school year is over. So, when would you be available?"
"Probably around the same time. But if you decide to hire me, I'd like a chance to compare notes with Cindy. Every child is unique. I'd love to know what she's learned about Lily, Reese, and Jake."
"You remembered their names. That's worth a brownie point or two," Rick quips. "Should you become her successor, I'm sure Cindy would be happy to pass on her accumulated wisdom. However, as a police detective and a writer, Kate and I both have a penchant for delving deeply into what makes people tick. That is particularly true before we let them anywhere near our children. So, tell us the story of Julia Crawford."
"My story." Julia takes a deep breath. "As I told you, I come from a big family. I'm the eldest and have two brothers and two sisters. My father was an only child. My mother has one sister, Bambi's mother, but she was off at school when Mom was growing up. I guess both Mom and Dad were a little lonely growing up and kind of jealous of their friends who had large families. So when they got married, they decided to go for it where kids were concerned. That seemed to be working out great for a while. I won't give you the private details. But I can say that some very challenging issues popped up.
"My mother was working part-time, mostly at night while my father was home from the office. She sold cookware and cosmetics: the stuff women buy from each other. So I began helping Dad out with the younger kids while she was making her rounds. And then she started having support group meetings at our house. After a while, I was riding herd on my siblings and our visitors' kids. Between trying to handle that many children and overhearing some of the sharing at meetings, I realized that there was a lot to know about teaching youngsters. And I really liked the idea of working with the little ones. I also got lucky. Between a Regents' scholarship, financial aid, and what I could make from an on-campus job, I could afford City College. And my brothers and sisters are old enough now that my parents don't need me at home to help anymore. So I'm trying to strike out on my own."
"It's a good story," Rick acknowledges. "But again," he points a thumb at his chest and nods toward Kate, "writer and cop. Our naturally suspicious minds will lead us to do a full background check on you."
"Would you have any problem with that?" Kate asks.
Julia shakes her head. "I'd better not. These days, anywhere I'd apply to work with kids would do that. At least I'd hope so."
"I would hope so too," Kate agrees. "But you'd be horrified at some of the stuff the N.Y.P.D. still sees."
"So," Rick jumps in, clearing his throat, "you've told us about you. Is there anything you need to know about us and our lively little household?"
"Probably about a hundred things. If you don't mind, I could put together a list and send it to you. But, um, there is something I was hoping for. With the size of my family, I've always had to share a bathroom. So I was wondering if I could…."
"Not share one here?" Castle fills in. "That, we can certainly arrange."
The truck repair shop doesn't look much like a typical Russian installation. But not everything Jack's surveilled lately has been typical. Perhaps as the Russians have come to understand that finesse at the keyboard damages the enemy more skillfully and less expensively than boots on the ground, the Kremlin's edged toward less is more. The personnel on-site appear to be minimal: mechanics, service writers, and a cashier. But then appearances can be deceiving.
The satellite radar that Jack used to trace the route of the truck with MacIver's goods showed the building as giving off more infra-red than it should. But, so far, Jack hasn't been able to spot the source. If Jack can't detect the extra heat production above ground, he'd give better than even odds that it's below the surface. The Russians could be running a packaging and distribution center down there and sending out the finished products on any of the vehicles that come and go. Or they could be using the city's vast system of underground tunnels, as Azra's agency does. They could even be doing both.
By whatever method they're sending their poison the final mile, it's working. And it has to be stopped. If Jack were in any number of mission sites overseas, he'd arrange delivery of a bunker-busting bomb. That kind of payload would eradicate the problem. But, unfortunately, here, it could wipe out a block or two of lower Manhattan. Add that Jack can't officially operate on U.S. soil, and the problem becomes even more complicated.
However, complicated is far from impossible. Jack just has to determine the installation's weaknesses and exploit them. But to do that, he needs more information, starting with ground-imaging radar. If the satellite he'd used to detect the infra-red signature had that capacity, he'd be off to the races. But the-powers-that-be didn't see fit to install that equipment on that particular eye in the sky. It probably saved them a few bucks. But Jack can always take a straightforward approach – a helicopter. Aircraft flying at a certain height over the city are immune from detection by air control. That hole in the system accommodates precisely the type of surveillance that Jack has in mind. From a bird, he can get readings on the entire layout. And once he knows how all the pieces fit, he can figure out how to disassemble the puzzle.