The Other Path

Chapter 59

To Kate, the most distressing thing about her pregnancy is not her weird reactions to food, even her new aversion to the usually enticing aroma of coffee. What really bothers her is the unwanted drowsiness that hits her in the evening. She'd been able to get around it for the charity event by grabbing a short nap in the afternoon. But as the hours pass, waiting for their suspect to make an incriminating move, she's having difficulty keeping her eyes open. She's roused by gasps from team members watching the screen.

Mr. Anonymous returns and asks Mo to assist him in finding the perfect bottle of wine for a special date with his girlfriend. Mo joins him in perusing the store's more pricy offerings. As the cop reaches for a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut, the faux customer suddenly throws a loop of wire around her neck. While Mo struggles for freedom, the team rushes in to grab the would-be assassin. Ryan and Esposito knock him to the ground. After making sure Mo's all right, Kate snaps the cuffs on the suspect. "Great job, everyone."

"Bitch" the prisoner spits out.

"You have the right to remain silent," Kate retorts. "I'd advise you to use it."


"You don't usually let suspects marinate in Holding this long before throwing them on the barbie," Rick observes.

"Uh-huh, but I wanted to make sure the coals were white-hot. Lanie matched the wire our suspect tried to use to strangle MO with the ligature marks on Lou-Anne's neck. And some of Lou-Anne's DNA was clinging to it. We've got enough to put Munci away for life. The DA could even claim special circumstances."

"His name isn't really Munci, is it?"

"We don't know. His prints aren't in the system. Neither is his DNA. He didn't have any ID on him, and facial recognition didn't give us anything either."

"He really would be the perfect hitman," Rick reiterates, "if you hadn't caught him. So what now?"

"I lay everything in front of him and convince him that his only chance to help himself is to flip on Nina Rafaelli."

"He never asked for a lawyer?" Rick queries.

"No. Maybe he's afraid a lawyer would need his true identity. That would fit with what Tori said about his website being amateurish. He didn't want to reveal himself by hiring help."

"So, are you going to serve up grilled hitman now?" Rick inquires.

Kate bumps him with her hip. "I'm hoping for Rafaelli Bolognese."

Slapping her black leather file on the table, Kate drops into the seat opposite the shackled suspect. Rick takes the chair beside her. "Mr. Munci, or whatever your name is, we have you on video attempting to kill Officer Laurice," Kate states flatly. "We have the DNA of murder victim Lou-Anne Bartlett on your weapon. You're going to prison. But which prison and how hellish your stay there will be is up to you. Who hired you to kill Lou-Anne Bartlett?"

As the hitman stares sullenly across the table, Rick leans toward him. "You know, Detective Beckett is trying to do you a favor. We know how you were hired. We know how you were paid. In time, she'll nail all your long pig fans, with or without your help. But you can make your life easier, maybe a lot easier, by helping out."

Munci sits back as far as he can in his chair and continues his silence.

Kate shrugs. "Fine, Mr. Munci, the more time we have to gather evidence, the less you'll have to trade. And pretty soon, you'll have nothing to trade at all." She turns to Rick. "Officer Tolliver should be outside the door. Can you ask him to escort our suspect back to Holding?"

"My pleasure." Rick finds L.T. in the hallway near interrogation. "Beckett wants you to take our recalcitrant suspect back to his cell."

As L.T. follows Rick in, things seem to happen simultaneously in a split second and in slow motion. Even shackled, Munci grabs for L.T.'s gun and aims it at Kate. As the assassin's finger tightens on the trigger, Rick throws himself in front of his wife.


Rick's first awareness is of the sharp smell of disinfectant with the tiniest hint of cherries. He forces his eyes open, and Kate slowly comes into focus. "Damn it, Rick! I knew you wanted to be more like Rook, but did you have to play a scene from Heat Rises?"

"I only wrote that scene because I was too slow to save you from the shooter at Roy's funeral." Rick rasps. "I couldn't let that happen again to you or our baby."

"So you wanted the kid to grow up without a father? Hey, I need you. We both do. And your mother and Alexis are going crazy in the waiting room. The hospital only lets one visitor at a time into ICU."

Rick closes his eyes again as if trying to visualize a scene. "I don't remember anything after seeing Munci point the gun at you. What happened?"

"Half the bullpen piled on him after he got off his shot at you. He hit you in the chest and took a piece off your breastbone. It punctured one of your lungs, and you almost bled to death before the medics got you to the hospital. That was two days ago. The doctors have been keeping you sedated so you wouldn't move and open things up. They started backing off on that this morning, and you've been semi-conscious a couple of times. But this is the first time you've been fully awake. A nurse will probably be in any second to check on you."

As if called, a large woman in scrubs enters the room and quickly eyes the monitors while pulling a flashlight from her pocket. "Welcome back, Mr. Castle. Let's have a look."

Rick flinches as the light shines in his eyes. "Your reaction is normal," Nurse Street reports, pulling back the sheet to check Rick's bandage. "Everything looks good. I'll check with the doctor about getting you moved to a regular room. Your family is very anxious to see you. Your mother said she wants to have a word with you about jumping in front of bullets."

Rick winces. "I'll bet she does."

"You two grab a few minutes," Street suggests. "The doctor should be in shortly."

As Street leaves, Rick arches an eyebrow. "You know, kisses are supposed to have healing power."

Kate leans over to peck him on the lips.

"Mm, definitely feeling better," Rick declares. "So what happened with Munci?"

"He isn't Munci. Tori traced the origin of his website. His name is Adolf Klaus Munchhausen."

"I'd shorten that monicker too," Rick quips. "So, did he flip on Nina?"

"No, but we don't need him to. Once we knew who he was, the boys dug into his records. We should be closing a lot of cases, aside from Nina's."

"Good to know. And what's going to happen to her?"

"She's already been arrested for solicitation of murder. Ryan and Esposito picked her up this morning."

"Are you going to give her interrogation the special Beckett touch?"

"With you in the hospital? The boys can do it."

"Not with your level of artistry. Do it, Kate! You heard Nurse Street. They'll be moving me to a regular room, which means Mother and Alexis will be hovering over me. Just capture your performance on video so I can watch."

"Are you sure, Babe?"

"Never been surer. Pulling the truth out of suspects is your superpower, Kate. And you do it better than anyone. Roy Montgomery thought so. And I suspect Gates does too. So do what you're meant to do. Ooh! Do you think the hospital will let me have popcorn while I enjoy the show?"

Kate smooths back a lock of hair that's threatening to invade Rick's eyes. "I wouldn't count on it."