Here be Dragons!
Chapter 40
Kate was really happy to be discharged from the hospital. It had been a week of pain in several different ways. First, she hated hospitals. Second, her neck still hurt and she was on medications until they were used up. Third, she was still under doctor's orders not to talk and if she did talk to keep it to a word or two per day for at least another week. Fourth, her computer battery usually died after just over 2 hours, leaving her lying there in silence. Fifth, she had been drinking shakes for the last stinking week and she was sick of them. Sixth she was being pushed in a wheelchair when her legs worked just fine.
Kate suffered through the pain to look up at Castle who was right next to her. "The press are camped out at the front and back doors, waiting. Espo and Ryan have a car waiting at the side of the hospital," Rick told her when he saw her looking up at him.
As if the previous six things hadn't been bad enough, now she was sneaking out of a hospital in a damn wheelchair.
Getting into the back seat of Rick's Mercedes being driven by Espo had hurt a little. Though seeing him and Ryan in the front seat eased the pain.
"How you doing, Beckett?" Ryan had come to see her when he could. Even Jenny had come to see her.
"Kate's still under doctors orders not to talk," Rick reminded him.
"Sorry." Ryan turned back around and watched to make sure everything was still clear.
Kate watched everything and had no idea where Espo thought he was going. He just kept making turns and going from one parking lot to another until finally they were out on a real road. What she wanted to know was if it was really that bad. But she couldn't even ask.
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They were one block from the loft and everyone including Kate saw the front of Rick's building was packed with press. Espo went straight then turned left, followed by another left turn. Then he turned right and went down toward the underground parking.
Espo rolled down his window and keyed in the numbers Rick told him to. The gate went up and he drove in and parked. Getting out hurt just as much and into the elevator they went up to their floor. They were all walking down the hallway to the front door when it burst open and Alexis rushed out ready to greet mostly Kate.
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Kate eventually was sitting on the sectional with a computer in her lap. This one, however, was plugged in so the battery wasn't going to die. She asked her first question. "Is the press really this bad?"
"It's bad, Beckett." Espo sat down with a beer in his hand across from her.
"Yeah, they're everywhere. Hospital, here, precinct, even the hangar where you two were found," Ryan said and sat down with his beer.
Kate felt Alexis leaning into her. "School, too."
Rick's, Kate's, and Alexis's phones alerted them and two of them looked.
"Sorenson," Rick growled. "Someone must have ratted us out." A moment later the doorbell sounded.
"Can we just ignore him?" Alexis pleaded.
"I can press the panic button!" Rick said gleefully.
Kate's new voice because of the computer sounded off. "Castle!"
"It was just a thought." Rick looked like a petulant little boy. "It was just a thought."
"Panic button?" Ryan wasn't following.
"Dad installed a new security system. The panic button sets off an alarm and gets every police unit within a mile coming here. It also sets off the canister holding tear gas," Alexis explained.
Espo almost spat out his beer. "Cool!" Ryan loved it and reached out to bump fists with Castle.
"Oops, new person. …Agent Shaw!" Rick's eyes went wide as did Kate's.
He hated it but with Shaw here…. Rick got up and opened the door "Special Agent Shaw. Please come in." Rick stepped aside and let Jordan in though Sorenson followed her.
"Mr. Castle. …Nice place!" Jordan looked around and saw everyone in the living room save for Martha.
"Detective Beckett, I trust you are feeling better." Jordan walked right to her and noted the bandage on her neck. "I'm aware you're under doctor's orders not to talk. However, Mr. Castle's injuries don't prevent him from talking." Jordan acknowledged Espo and Ryan. "Detectives."
"It still hurts but I can talk a little," a computer voice announced.
That has Jordan looking at the computer screen on her lap. Then she turned her glare on Sorenson since he had said nothing about this.
"May I?" Jordan needed a chair to sit in and looked at Espo, wanting his chair and taking it when he got up. "I won't stress your typing fingers any more than I have to," Jordan said. "Sorenson!" He was walking to the kitchen to look around.
"Ma'am." He came back and stood next to her so he could look at Kate and Alexis while Rick stood behind her.
Jordan asked her first question. "You two were in the hangar with Captain Montgomery?"
"Yes, he called both of us to the hangar with the stolen helicopter."
"The same helicopter that allowed Hal Lockwood to escape the courthouse during his arraignment after killing Gary McAllister while in prison. The same helicopter full of bullet holes from your weapon?" Jordan queried.
"Yes." Kate replies.
"There were three officers in uniforms. One of them threw a flash bang to take Lockwood out. Kate had just about worked out that something was wrong when it happened. These buys had chrome badging while the NYPD uses brass," Rick informed her and watched her write.
"They must of had a forth since the helicopter was already running."
"A well planned escape to get Lockwood out after killing someone in prison. An ex-cop, according to records," Jordan said.
"We believe he killed Detective Raglan. Another ex-detective who was McAllister's partner." Rick told her.
"Along with Captain Montgomery," Jordan stated.
Rick nodded. "So we found out."
"Tell me what you know." Jordan was done with asking questions.
Rick nodded and began speaking. "Nineteen years ago these three cops were kidnapping mobsters and holding them for ransom. Then they went after a mobster that happened to have an undercover FBI Agent, Bob Armen. Somewhere during this kidnapping Armen was shot and killed by one of them. Based on what we heard from Roy, it was his weapon. They blamed the killing on the mob guy, Joe Pulgatti, who's still in prison for a murder he didn't commit.
"Somewhere along the way someone new enters the picture. He holds the strings of the three cops and Lockwood. All four of them know or knew his identity. Raglan was killed to silence him. Lockwood we believe killed McAllister to silence him.
"Montgomery drew both of us to the hangar knowing Lockwood and three others were coming to kill either Kate or Roy or both. That was when things went really south."
Jordan was taking notes. "So what happened, Kate?" Sorenson questioned her since Castle had been doing all the talking.
"Sorenson!" Jordan called him out and Sorenson shut his mouth and stared straight ahead.
"I have two destroyed hangars and a third that is damaged as is the plane that was in it, so tell me what happened next," Jordan asked.
"That's where things get fuzzy. Kate came from the precinct after getting a call from Roy. I got my own call and drove out there. Roy did a lot of talking, most of which I missed. But when he spotted me he told me to get Kate out of there. I believe I was there to carry her away, likely kicking and screaming–" Kate interrupted him.
"I would have decked him first." Kate typed, her fingers flying and didn't look up at him since that would have hurt.
"I didn't. Then the wall of the hangar erupted like there was an explosion. That was followed by the opposite side, which was where I got this," Rick lifted his still broken arm, "and something hit me in my butt." Rick placed a hand on his still hurting backside.
"You didn't tell me that!" Kate typed but still didn't dare look up at him.
"You had enough to worry about.… I saw Kate run out of the collapsing hangar. After that I don't know until I found her. That was when I saw the damage to her neck."
"We've recovered her blood from the scene and Lockwood's blood. We have his body and three others that have all been identified," Jordan advised them. Not that she was going to tell them the names. They were still suspects and not members of her team.
Jordan took out a picture and handed it across to Kate so they both could see it. "Can you tell me anything about this?"
Kate looked at the picture and felt Castle looking over her to see as well.
They both saw a picture that showed large scratches in the concrete. They were equal distances apart. Kate lifted it up so Castle could take it. She knew they were scratches from her, Castle, or Lockwood while in Dragon form. She also couldn't tell Jordan that.
Kate typed, "Scratches from equipment, maybe? I don't remember seeing them." Rick simply shook his head and handed it to Alexis so she could give it back to Jordan.
She handed off another one. "How about this one?"
This one showed Lockwood with his head barely attached and even then it looked like it was mostly by skin. Kate had seen a lot of dead bodies before, so didn't blink. He was in a large depression, though, and there were cracks all around him. It was clearly Lockwood in Dragon form crashing into the concrete and she knew it. She handed it up to Castle.
Kate typed, "I got hit in the neck by something and the next thing I know I'm in a hospital bed and can't talk. Then ordered not to talk."
"We found your blood not far away. Pictures show that you were practically next to him and you have no idea how you got there?" Jordan questioned her and watched her shake her head.
"Did something land on Lockwood then was removed before the first units responded?" Rick asked. Rick started to hand it to Alexis but thought better of it and just held onto it for now.
Jordan was all set to ask another question when her cell phone rang. Jordan's demeanor instantly changed and she went into loving mommy mode. "Hi, sweetie. Yes, I'm in New York chasing dragons again. I'll be home the second I'm done. I promise." Jordan listened for a moment. "Okay, put Daddy on. What's up, babe?" Jordan listened and Kate saw her look right at her. "I'll RSVP in person. Make arrangements for all of us. I'll talk to you both tonight before bedtime. …I love you, too." Jordan ended the call.
"My husband, daughter, and I will be happy to attend your wedding." Jordan smiled at both of them. That had Alexis taking the computer from Kate and opening a different program so she could account for their RSVP before giving it back to Kate.
"Wedding?" Sorenson looked at Kate in shock.
"Sorenson!" Jordan chastised him yet again. She had told him that she and her team were now in charge and that he could attend if he kept his mouth shut. So far he hadn't.
"I told you he cared even if you weren't ready to listen," Jordan reminded her. She watched Castle reach down and place a hand on her shoulder and Kate lifted a hand to place it on his.
"Where's Roy?" Rick questioned her.
"In an FBI safe house with all of the New York FBI office as guards. I've already interrogated him once. I will be doing it again, I'm sure." Jordan had brought her entire team from Chicago with her and set up office in the 12th Precinct since that was looking where it had all started.
"Someone with a lot of power is behind all this. Three cops that were kidnapping mobsters don't have this kind of power," Kate typed after taking her hand back.
"Lockwood was a trained killer," Rick pointed out.
"I'm aware. If he's involved in this I will find him and I will arrest him. I'm done for now. I'll be back when I have more questions. I look forward to attending this wedding. It should be amazing. The New York Public Library?" Jordan didn't know any library did weddings.
Rick simply beamed at her since it had been Kate that had found it as far as he knew.
Jordan shook everyone's hand including Alexis and took Sorenson with her when she left. Alexis, however, took out her phone and looked at the security feed.
"I allowed you to come if you kept your mouth shut. Your previous involvement with Detective Beckett is why you were removed from this case. Don't force me to have you reassigned to a place like Kansas City or Salt Lake City or worse," Jordan warned him and pressed the button to go down.
Sorenson knew there were worse postings. Going to Boston had been a step up in his career. Getting to come back to New York was another step up. Going to either of those two places was three steps down.
"Yes, ma'am," Sorenson said meekly and followed her into the elevator.
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"You two staying for dinner? I can either cook or order out. I have video games." Rick dangled a carrot in front of both Ryan and Espo.
Ryan bowed out. "I should go home and spend time with Jenny."
"Go get her and bring her here, Ryan," Rick offered.
Kate typed, "Go get Lanie and bring her here, Javi."
"Use my car again." Rick tossed his fob at Espo so he could go get Lanie and maybe Jenny and get in past the press.
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With those two gone Rick, Kate, and Alexis were able to speak freely. "What are you doing, babe?" Kate watched Rick walking around with a small device in his hand.
Kate and Alexis saw him walk literally everywhere and even upstairs before coming back down and not looking at it any longer.
"I picked this up when I was doing research for a Derrick Storm book. I needed to find out if you could easily find listening devices or if they were really that hard to find," Rick explained.
"You think we're bugged, Dad?" Alexis was following but they had a security system.
"He wouldn't." She was sure Castle was thinking Will had come in here to plant a device.
"After last week and Lockwood I'm not taking chances with anyone," Rick stated. "We're clean as far as this thing is concerned."
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Alexis answered the door to let everyone in and accepted hugs from Lanie and Jenny followed by closing and locking the door behind them.
Lanie saw Castle and Kate in the kitchen was she was guessing were cooking together. While she liked the look of it she had brought her bag with her and she was going to do something first.
"You're with me, Kate, and since you can't talk yet you can't object." Lane took her hand, led her into the study, and got her to sit down.
"I'm going to take a look at and redress that wound. Not that I don't trust them, but I don't trust them." Lanie cut off the dressing that was on Kate's neck.
"That was very domestic looking out there." Lanie smiled and ignored the look Kate gave her. "I also got a wedding invitation in the mail today and a request for me to be your Maid of Honor. You couldn't just ask me in person?" Lanie was part angry, part happy, and part excited.
"Now let's take a look at this." Lanie took the last of it off and looked it over carefully. It was all stitched up so there wasn't much to see. After poking at it with her finger she was cleaning it and putting a new dressing on.
"Well it doesn't look infected, but whatever did this did a number on your neck. You're really lucky there isn't any permanent damage. The stitches are nice and close and tight so the scar should fade fast and be nearly invisible." Lanie now liked whoever had worked on her.
"There, all done. …I'm really happy for you, girlfriend. Castle's a good man. He obviously cares about you a lot. And unless I've gone blind Alexis cares a lot, too.
"You know, I kinda like you like this. You can't talk back." Lanie rubbed it in and laughed at the look Kate gave her for that. "Just don't screw this up, honey. You deserve to be happy as much as the next person. Even your mother would want you to be happy." Lanie released her and followed her back into the main room where she saw Ryan and Espo sitting in front of Castle's giant TV, playing video games.
"Well they look happy. What's your excuse, Castle?" Lanie asked him.
"Be nice, Lanie." Kate typed out at the laptop that was on the breakfast bar behind Castle.
"Oh crap, you can talk," Lanie teased her and ignored the daggers she sent her way.
"Kevin refuses to tell me much, just that Captain Montgomery is involved in all this somehow," Jenny chimed in.
"He lied to all of us." Kate types out.
Rick was done and put it into one of the ovens. The rest could wait until it was almost done. "Why didn't the guy at the top want Roy killed? Why did he focus on you?" Rick inquired out loud. "Were they in on this together possibly?"
Kate's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Roy has something on him," the computer and Rick suddenly announced at the same time.
"But if he has something, why hasn't he simply taken it from him?" Rick shot back.
"He gave it to someone." Kate types out.
"Someone he trusts. Someone that if anything happened to him, would be able to put it to use against him," Rick mused.
"Get Javi and Kevin." Kate had something for them.
They both grumbled but were now at the breakfast bar with everyone else.
"Lockwood was after Kate but not after Roy. Why? We're thinking Roy has something on him. Something that will bring him down if it comes out." Rick tells her.
"Dig into Roy's past. Find out who he knows. Talk to Evelyn and see if she will let you search his office if the FBI haven't already." Kate types out.
"We're thinking he gave it to someone. Someone he knows and trusts. Can't be another cop but someone with connections," Rick added.
"We can't question Roy so we need to question who he knows." Kate types out again since this was all she could do.
"Lockwood didn't succeed, so if the guy at the top still wants Kate dead he needs to hire someone else. We need to find who's holding what Roy has on him," Rick told them.
"We'll start in the morning," Ryan said.
"You best stay here, Beckett. Don't go out and don't let just anyone in," Espo warned her.
That had Kate sighing. She'd been hoping that this would be over and she could get out of this rabbit hole. Right now the rabbit hole didn't feel so suffocating and she could breathe at least.
"We could go to the Hamptons, maybe," Rick offered. "It's a little isolated and out of the city. You can't work like this." What he wanted to suggest was that if things went bad they could at least shift and get out of there that way. But that would have to wait until company was gone.
"Please?" Alexis asked. "At least until the wedding. Grams and I can check on catering, photography, music, and flowers. The wedding programs haven't even arrived yet and someone has to be here for the mailed-in RSVPs."
Kate gave in. "Fine, we can go to the Hamptons. But I want updates." She pointed at Espo and Ryan.
"Dad has to sign all those books first before he can go." Alexis waved her hand at the wall of boxes that held all 450 books that he hadn't even started signing yet since he had found a way to procrastinate last time.
They all heard Castle groan and watched Kate smile wide and pat his arm.
Lanie smiled at her. "I can get Javi to drive me out so I can look at your bandage, clean it, and redress it again. Besides I want to see this place."