Rick Castle and the FBI Agent
Chapter 9 - Revelations From The Past
So the team was brainstorming as to what actions Sanchez might have taken to make his 'son' disappear, but just short of killing him. This so the real father, Torres, would not be given closure on the whereabouts of his son. Torres would then be left to ponder for a lifetime the fate of his son.
As they brainstorm, Ryan gets an idea.
"Sell the son for adoption", Ryan proposes, "Many well to do families adopt because they can not conceive but wait times from adoption agencies for a child can be long, and the vetting process is tedious. Overseas adoptions are the next choice, but sometimes depending on the age of the child, they speak a foreign language and have to learn english, and their native culture might make assimilation into U.S. culture more difficult. Also dealing with a foreign adoption agency can be difficult. The remaining choice is to go to the black market that sells orphaned children. Much quicker and less paperwork, but very costly. Also illegal, but if you have money, a U.S. birth certificate can be provided with the infant. It seems infants who die young never really die, their birth certificates are resurrected for a black market foreign child. Babies and toddlers are preferred rather than older children as they have no memories of their natural parents, who they might still long for and seek out."
"What's a baby cost in this situation?", ask Castle.
"Anywhere from tens of thousands and as high as the 100K's. 500K for a particularly 'good' buy is not unheard of, that is, according to this report I am reading", answers Espo looking at his laptop.
Just then the elevator rings its arrival. The team looks towards the elevator, out comes a tall handsome looking man. This man could give Josh Davidson a run for his money in the field of attractive appearances. He has thick brown hair, neatly trimmed and styled. His pleasant face speaks to a man comfortable in the presence of beautiful women. He has an air of confidence, competence, and strength that makes him appealing to many, especially of the female gender.
He is about to introduce himself when they hear Sam speak, "Paul Mikelson, what brings you here?"
"Samantha, Samantha Armstrong, I was not told that you were the agency lead for this case?"
"I am, so what brings you to this case?"
"I am here to augment the agency lead, that is, I am here to augment you."
"Armstrong, care to introduce us to your fellow agent", asks Kate Beckett.
"Oh, yes, I am being rude, just caught me by surprise here. Paul Mikelson, this is Kate Beckett, lead for Alpha team, the best Homicide Team of the NYPD with the highest closure rate of any homicide."
Mikelson shakes Becketts hand and then Sam finishes the introduction of Mikelson with the rest of Alpha and then the rest of the Homicide Division. Mikelson then goes to give a courtesy brief to Capt Montgomery. While Mikelson is in with the Captain, Sam is fielding questions on Mikelson.
"So how do you know this guy, aside from you both work in the NYC Branch of the FBI?"
"We used to be partners. Then I transferred to the Boston office for two years and just came back 6 months ago. Paul and I have not gotten together to catch up on each other yet as we keep passing one another thru different case assignments. So we are just now reuniting for the first time since I returned to the New York office."
"So you two have a history?", asks Espo.
"Of sorts..."
There is an awkward pause.
"That's a bit of a cloaked answer, care to explain", questions Ryan.
"We were partners for several years handling kidnap cases. Then like I said, I transferred to the Boston office and was there till six months ago when I returned to the NY office."
"So what was your reason for transferring. Did you and Mikelson not get along, was there some falling out between the two of you?"
Castle is observing this questioning and cross examination of Sam and then speaks out, "Come on guys, stop with the grilling. Armstrong will answer all our questions eventually. For now just know she and Mikelson were partners and are again partners. That should suffice for now."
"Okay, sure, we didn't mean to be pressing you Sam. Just that two FBI agents assigned to the same case as liaison is an unusual situation. There is something up with that", responds Espo with Ryan shaking his head in the affirmative as Espo spoke.
"I am sure that Paul will tell us when he is done with the Captain."
Just then Mikelson and Montgomery exit the Captain's office and enter into the bullpen area of homicide.
"Agent Mikelson just finished briefing me on why he is augmenting Agent Armstrong on this case. I have asked him to brief all of you in Conference Room One."
They all head to the Conference Room.
The Brief
"Hello again, as Samantha Armstrong introduced me, I am Agent Paul Mikelson. You may already have been told that Sam and I were once partners specializing in kidnap cases. I am still doing kidnappings, but now on specialized kidnapping cases. I now deal with abductions of young children and infants by human traffickers as products for their market. Many of their buyers are couples who are looking to adopt an infant via the black market to avoid the delays and hassles of the legitimate system. Some are the scum of the earth who want these innocent children and infants for child porn, the most evil of these customers, pedophiles. They want a child to raise as their sex slave, to gratify their own perverted natures."
When Mikelson states his last category of child traffickers, the groups gives out a shocked gasp, so mortified by what Mikelson had told them. The case had just gotten dark! So dark that none of them on the case would ever permit a practice as horrific as the one described to continue to operate. All wanted to stop this horrible business. The last category of perpetrators were truly the scum of the earth as Mikelson had labelled them.
Mikelson continues, "The tie to your current case is that we have a lead that points to your kidnapped two year old. He may have been sold to that last category of evil perps that I talked about. His kidnapping is connected to my current case that is on a larger scale. The FBI is going after these infant traffickers, and your case may break it open for us. So I am here in that capacity."
There is now a disturbing buzz from the homicide group. People are outraged at what they have heard about the infant traffickers. Everyone is agitated so they starting shooting questions at Mikelson all at once.
Capt Montgomery, seeing all the excitement and rage generated by the brief, now speaks, "Okay calm down people. I had the same horrified reaction when Agent Mikelson briefed me. But we must remain cool and level headed to solve this case and recover the young toddler."
At that moment the elevator on their floor sounds yet again, and a man exits pushing a Dolley, with several boxes on them.
"Oh good, these are the files on these recent infant abductions for trafficking. We will go thru them and find info that might help in your case. Concurrently there is a nationwide, as well as a global team, working on shutting down these infant traffickers. I am here to coordinate your local efforts with the bigger picture efforts. The more significant goal being to recover all these kidnapped infants and take the traffick ring down. "
The brief now finished, Alpha regroups in the bull pen area. Mikelson now a member of the team.
A Talk With Sam
Now as Alpha is processing this latest development to the case, Paul gets Sam aside to do some catch up.
"Why have you been avoiding me Sam? You've been back for months, and we just now get to see each other and on a case at that. Were you ever going to see me?"
"I have had 2 cases since coming back and this is my 3rd, so I have been extremely busy and not had time to set up a reunion meeting Paul."
"We both know that is only partially true. You have been avoiding me. Never once did I get a call from you all those years you were at the Boston office."
"Paul it's over. You were married."
"She's dead now Sam. The cancer took her."
"Yes it did and I facilitated that. She went into remission because she thought we were having an affair. Her mental distress to that info accelerated her deterioration."
"Sam, we both know that is not true. We had not sleep together. So why do you blame yourself for her death."
"Because my behavior, our behavior, as innocent as it seemed then to us, started rumors that got to her."
"She never..."
Before Paul can finish his sentence, Espo comes up to them.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry if I am disrupting a catch-up talk, knowing you two have history, but Beckett is calling for a team meeting on how to proceed with the case given what Mikelson just provided."
"You were not disrupting anything Det. Esposito. Sam and I can catch up later. Where to?"
"Conference 2."
The three of them head to the meeting.
Team Meeting
During the meeting Paul is standing next to Sam. Castle is off to the side, but has a clear view of the two. He notices every now and then that Paul glances at Sam. He knows the look, it is one of longing. Castle is now curious as to the history of these two. Were they once a couple and broke up badly? He needed to know, but would not push it with Sam. It was her's to reveal... or not. Castle would respect Sam's choice on the matter.
During the team meeting, Beckett divides the files provided by Mikelson and assigns them to various team members. Their assigment is to read thru their share of the files and summarize the findings for the team. From those summaries, an update to the murder board would be done. They all disperse and go to their assigned desks. Mikelson is shown his desk. He sees the files he was given. Having read them previously, numerous times, he starts his summary. He uses the files to refresh his recollection for his writeup.
They work till lunch time and again Castle volunteers to pay for lunch. The decision is for mexican and Castle takes their orders. Sam accompanies Rick for the pickup. In the car, Rick starts a conversation.
"So, you and Mikelson?"
"Yes Rick, we were just partners and never a couple. He was married so I kept my distance."
"But there was something there?"
"Yes, but I held back because he was not mine and I did not want to complicate his marriage any more than it was already. His wife got cancer and was dying from it. Often times he would talk to me about how hard he was having it. On some of those occasions I would try to calm him. I would give him a hug, or an affection hand squeeze, or any show of concern and support to ease his tensions. We were seen doing the PDA's and it started rumors we were having an affair. Paul and I knew it was just gossip. We had never slept together. But there had been something there that we both avoided. We did not address it. We left it unsaid. Then his wife was chosen for a new experimental drug. It worked for a while."
"She went into remission?"
"Yes, but during the time she was getting better, Paul was told to keep her spirits up as her mental state could help her cure. But the opposite was also true, it could accelerate the cancer. His wife was predisposed to depression having suffered from bouts previously, before the cancer. She fell just shy of being diagnosed as a manic depressant, that was her mental state. The remission happened around the same time as the rumors came about and I am certain she got wind of the rumors. That knowledge started her downward spiral. I blame myself for that. If I had not initiated those PDA's, no one would have seen them. There would have been no rumors. But the PDA's had been seen and the rumors were started. Before his wife died, I put in a transfer to Boston. I could not be around Paul. My guilt was too much to be able to continue my partnership with him. I needed to get away. Plus starting anything with Paul after that just made me feel even more guilty, like I was stealing him away from his wife, despite her death."
"I know that feeling of needing to be away from the person who is the object of your affections. I left Kate for a whole summer when she started up with the man before Josh. I could not bear to be around Kate. My emotions were in turmoil and I couldn't stay, so I understand your need to be away during that time. But Sam, how can you blame yourself? Paul's wife died from her sickness and her mental state was not caused by you! She was prone to depression as you stated. You can not be certain that the rumors, heard or not, started her remission. You are being too critical on yourself."
"Rick, can we just leave it where it is right now. I just want you to know my history with Paul. You deserve that from me, you deserve to not be left in the dark in this matter."
And with that Rick saw the one big difference between Sam and Kate. Sam would always be transparent with him. She would always let him know where he stood with her. That was so much different from Kate.
"That is why you came to me that first time. You saw thru me and noticed my pain. You knew my situation with Kate because you had gone thru it with Paul. We are kindred spirits in that respect, are we not?"
"Yes, Rick. I knew that look of longing that you would often give Kate when you thought no one was looking. I was attracted to your good looks and demeanor. When I first saw that look on you, I felt your pain. I knew you needed to move on, and I was single. We shared that same unfulfilled desire to be wanted by the one you cared for so much. To not have to hide those feelings. It was easy for me to recognize that in you and I followed my heart. That was a first for me."
"What can I do for you Sam?"
"Just be there for me Rick. Just be my friend. Be my best friend."
"I'm here for you Sam."
"Thank you Rick,"
"Anytime, I'm at your call."