Title: The Collector
By: greygoose70
Chapter Nine
Castle leaped over the last couple of stair steps sprinting in the direction Miller took just as LT and his group exited from a hidden passageway from under the stairs.
"Castle! Wait!" Beckett shouted causing him to stop. "You're not going after him by yourself."
Staring at the look on her face, one of fear and worry for his safety, he knew she was right. He had no idea what awaited him once he entered this tunnel. "She's right" LT said, "there are more diversions down here than I care to think about. You need to take some of us with you."
"Okay. Ryan call Alexis, tell her to bring rest of the people down to care for the girls and help them out of here. The rest of you with me; let's go I don't want this bastard getting away."
They moved along at a fast clip, not running but more like a quick gallop. They came across an adjoining tunnel, Castle sent LT and Espo to check it out. It ended up being a nothing more than a curved tunnel dumping the two men back into the main tunnel. LT and Espo quickly fell in behind Beckett and Jordan,
Castle sensed something was wrong and slowed the group to a walk. "What's wrong" Beckett asked?
"Not sure, something just doesn't feel right. Give me your flashlight."
Castle took the flashlight instantly began scanning the floor, the walls and ceiling. Seven small steps later he spotted it, a thin wire running from one wall to the other approximately three inches above floor level. He immediately brought the group to a halt. "LT, forward," Castle uttered authoritatively.
"What do need, sir," the tall dark skinned sergeant asked upon his arrival.
Castle cast the beam from the flashlight to the sealing revealing to LT the four blocks of C-4 attached to a detonator cord. Running the beam down along the wall to the floor LT saw where the cord was attached to a blasting cap, the cap attached to a draw wire. "Any slight pull on the draw wire sets off the blasting cap," LT explained, "which activates the detonator cord which sets off the C-4 and then the ceiling comes crashing down on top of anybody below it," he explained to them.
LT being the tallest had no trouble reaching up and removing the detonator from each block of the C-4 then disconnecting the blasting cap from the cord.
Further up the tunnel Jonas Miller stood and listened. He was sure that if he were being pursued they would have tripped his booby trap by now, hearing nothing he turned and continued on, only now at a much slower pace.
With the destructive trap disabled Castle and his group moved forward slightly more cautiously. Castle didn't believe there would be any more traps, but he wasn't going to take any chances and continued to scan for them.
Miller made it to where the cavern's tunnel met up with the old Crighton Aqueduct. He had to be careful when using the ladder that was there, one because it was old and rickety and two because of the bullet wound to his left shoulder but he stepped off the last rung successfully into the four inch deep water that still ran through it then headed for the southern exit.
When the posse (what else would you call them) reached the drop-off to the aqueduct Castle, being the heaviest, went down first then helped Beckett and Jordan down, LT and Esposito bringing up the rear.
"Which way do you suppose he went," Castle inquired.
"I'm guessing this way," Jordan answered pointing in the direction of the flow of the water.
Miller's head snapped around at what he could swear were the sound of voices. Couldn't be, he told himself, no way they could have gotten this close and what happen to his booby trap. He quickly turned and ran to the exit which was still another fifty yards away.
"Hear that" Espo said, "he's here and he's running."
"Good thing sound carries a long way in here," Beckett commented.
"Which means he probably heard us talking," Castle responded turning and sloshing through the water toward the exit followed closely by the others.
Miller took the concrete steps at the aqueducts exit as fast as he could given their degraded condition then basically had to crawl up the remaining embankment. Reaching the top he peered up over the edge, saw a pole with a round sign with SR28 on it, below it a rectangular one that said Lewisboro 1 mile, not that far but he needed to rest. It was starting to get dark, he figured he could take cover on the other side of the road keep an eye out for whoever is behind him.
Castle halted the group at the base of the steps of the aqueducts exit having them wait while he went up to take a look around. As he worked his way up the bank he could see where Miller had done the same. Stopping at the top he replicated what would have been Millers actions and just peered over the edge seeing the same things, the two signs but something else also for just as he was beginning to scoot back down the embankment a vehicle came speeding around the curve in the road to his left and he caught the glimpse of something shinny on the other side of the road and the movement of the bushes afterwards. It could be nothing just the breeze caused by the passing truck, but he also recalled that Millers weapon was chrome plated.
Miller heard the sound of a vehicle arriving, so he pushed aside the bushes obstructing his view with his gun hand, it was just a truck, so he released the branches watched their wavering as they fell back into their original position.
Castle watched as each member of the group made their way up the embankment and crawled into position. "I don't like this" Beckett told him.
"I'm not to thrilled about it myself Beckett but if Miller is up there I need a way to make him reveal his position and if Nelson here does his job I should be able to do just that."
The Plan: LT, Esposito, Jordan Shaw and Beckett were to position themselves along the embankment. Castle was going to expose himself by crossing the road hoping that if Miller is hiding on the opposite side he will draw his fire. When the others see the muzzle flash from Millers weapon they are to unload a barrage of gunfire toward it not unlike anything seen since General Sam Houston captured Mexican General Santa Ana. So who is Nelson? Nelson is a tree trunk Castle found. It is just big enough to protect his front. He has wrapped his jacket around it, ripped off the right sleeve and slipped it on his arm his Sig in his hand.
With everyone in position Castle stepped out onto the road. It is dark enough that Miller, if he is there, shouldn't be able to differentiate between the dummy and Castle.
Castle is halfway across the road when the shot was fired.
POW! And he went down.
TBC