Kate sat down and watched as Hunt poured three generous servings into the glasses. The volume of the pour told her this was not going to be a short chit-chat, and she was thankful for her legendary ability to resist its effects. "Before we begin I need to get a couple of background points across. One should relieve you, and the other – well, we'll see. Regarding your recent little dust-up with LOCKSAT, we were able to identify the team chasing you. They are very good at what they do, and they don't miss unless they were told to. We now think their attack on you and Castle was to demonstrate their willingness to harm Castle. LOKSAT apparently thinks you might withdraw if the stakes are high enough. Provided you stop; we think a lasting truce will take hold. Problem is you have no intention of stopping; do you?"
"I can't, and you know that just as well as I do", Kate responded. "He had my mother and most of my old AG team killed. Now, he might take out your son, Martha and Alexis as well. I love them too much to sit idly by waiting for him to suddenly decide that the duly warned are now just loose ends. It won't be his call, if I get to him first."
Rita could hold back no longer and said, "Do you really think you and that computer geek are any match for this guy? Are you expecting your puny efforts to succeed against a guy this devious? Can't you ever leave well enough alone and enjoy your life with Castle?"
Before Kate could form a rebuttal, Hunt went off in another direction entirely. "The other point you need to know is that my time on this earth now has an expiration date. The doctors gave me less than a year, and that sad news has forced some unusual and probably long overdue introspection on my part. As you know I don't have much to be proud of when it comes to my son. Your little relationship hiatus is taking a toll on him, and he is in a very dark place."
"Anyway, your problem, his problem, and my new grim expiration date seem to have created something of an opportunity to destroy your devil, restore my son's happiness, and perhaps go to my grave knowing I stood up for my son at least once. My idea is quite simple. We will find LOKSAT, and if you approve, I will take him out all while providing you and Castle with an airtight alibi from the inevitable recriminations that are sure to follow."
Kate was stunned by this medical news and astonished by the unexpected audacity of the offer on the table. "Jackson, I am really sorry about your condition, but are you sure you want to spend whatever time you have left looking for a ghost who is this ruthless?"
"Kate, this is not our first rodeo, and we have sources often unwilling to talk to likes of you and Vikram. We already identified the team that attacked you, and we are confident that the guy pulling the strings can be flushed out with some additional digging that is kind of our specialty."
"Of course, there are conditions for us to enter the fray, and you must accept all of them unconditionally. First and foremost, you must never divulge any of this to Rick or anyone else – no matter the circumstances. To keep this little caper as compartmentalized as possible, the information we share with you will definitely be much more opaque than you might like. What you don't know, you cannot foolishly blab or confess under duress. Second, you have to commit to getting things back to normal with my son. Lastly, you need to unwind your side investigation in a manner that suggests you are accepting his olive branch."
After that clear ultimatum, he slid what looked like a regular cheap tourist post card of the Statue of Liberty with a mailing address somewhere in Casper, Wyoming over to her side of the table and said, "If you want this plan to go forward mail this within one week. After that all communication with us will be much like what happened tonight."
Needless to say, Kate was surprised and intrigued by both the horrible news and the cagey offer. In truth she and Vikram were not getting very far, and Rick was not going to let this go on much longer without forcing her to make an awful choice. She carefully screwed on her best poker face as she rose from the table about to head for the door. Before she could take a step, Rita tugged at her arm, and said, "I need to go first just in case. Wait 5 minutes and then leisurely walk home using another route. Like you said, LOKSAT might have a change of heart at any time."
After she left, Jackson casually inquired about Castle like he was just back from a long vacation. She informed him that the separation was slowly sapping all of Castle's personality. He was withdrawn and probably drinking far more than he should. He had cut back on his writing and pretty much walked out on family time with Alexis and Martha. In short, he was miserable, and she knew it was all her fault.
Hunt listened intently and remarked, "Families are funny things. Aren't they?"
"Yes they are", Beckett replied. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't question what I am doing. I know this needs to be resolved soon if there any chance for us."
After the five minutes had past, Kate dutifully left following a different route back to the crater. On the way home, she had much to consider. Vikram and she were both losing confidence in their ability to unmask their target. The idea of having someone with resources well beyond her own take over was perhaps the best outcome she could hope for. On the home front, the separation was taking an unexpected toll even with Castle's Room 147 Protocol. This alternative could make a world of difference in so many ways.