Chapter Five
Kate tossed aside the novel she'd been pretending to read and flopped back onto the bed, sighing. She'd been doing nothing but sitting in this small room for three days and it was beginning to make her feel slightly squirrely.
Ryan and Esposito were discreetly running down the leads from the Montgomery file with limited success, as they tried to verify each piece and build a case.
Knowing they were in way over their heads, Rick had suggested they bring in some help from another law enforcement body with a bit more clout and so they contacted Agent Jordan Shaw.
The other two detectives had met with Agent Shaw and showed her what they knew so far. Jordan promised to put them in touch with the right people once they had a solid case.
Now all Kate had to do was wait until she was released from this prison, and it was killing her. Rick sat in the corner of his room with his laptop, typing away, oblivious to her annoyance.
He refused to leave Kate's side event though they still hadn't resolved their earlier disagreement about when and what their relationship would be. An uneasy truce had fallen and they both knew that something was there between them, just what and when was hanging in the balance.
"I need to get up." Suddenly Kate swung her feet off the side of the bed and stood. Holding out her hand, she motioned to Rick. "Help me stand up. I need to walk, even if it's just across the room. I'm going crazy just sitting here."
Closing his laptop, Rick came to stand beside her. "All right, we'll try just across the room."
Out of sheer determination Kate made it to the windows on the other side of the room; bracing her hands on the sill, she forced her breathing to slow.
Something was bugging her about this whole thing;, it had been too easy. There had to be a catch, but locked up in this room she couldn't think. She had to get out of here and she had to do it now.
Turning her head she looked over at Rick standing beside her. "We need to keep going. I have to get better so I can get out of here. I need to help the others; something is wrong, it doesn't make sense. There has to be more than what was in that file. Roy wouldn't have put his eggs all in one basket. There's more evidence hiding somewhere and we have to find it."
"Kate, don't worry, the guys will find it; I mean, they aren't chumps. Give them time, you need to rest and get better."
"No, Castle." Kate's voice was her sharp detective voice. "Help me or get out! I told you what I need you to do, now do it or leave."
Rick laughed. "Well, it looks like you're on the mend if you're pulling Detective Beckett back out." He studied her face for a moment. "I'll help you, but if we get busted it's all your fault and I'm ratting you out."
Kate smiled. "Done. Now let's head for the door and I think I'm all right to tackle the hall."
They managed to cross the room without difficulty and so Rick helped Kate shuffle into the corridor. Kate began to sweat but she refused to quit until she reached the bank of elevators near the nurse's desk. It was as far as they could make it without getting caught.
"We're stopping here." He told Kate as they stopped beside a water fountain. He steadied her while she took heavy gulps of the liquid.
Kate pushed her sweat-dampened her hair out of her eyes and she wondered if she'd pushed herself too hard. Raising back to her full height, Kate nodded. "Let's head back now. I'm ready for a nap. I have an hour or so before they come to check on me and change this bag." She nodded to the IV still attached to her arm.
Their pace was much slower than when Rick and Kate left the room. They had just rounded the corner near Kate's room when they heard a woman scream.
A nurse bolted out of the room next to Kate's. "The cops are dead. Someone slit their throats and there's blood everywhere and that other officer and her friend are missing. Her room looks like someone been at it with a knife!"
As quickly as their feet would allow, Kate and Rick backed out of sight. Who knew if the killer was still there? He might be waiting for them in the shadows.
Once they were out of sight Kate looked up at Rick as she pulled out the IV. "We have to get out of here now! It's not safe any longer. We'll figure out how to contact the others once we know we're not being followed."
Fear crossed Rick's features for just a moment and then was gone. "So what's the plan? We have to leave here without the staff or the killer seeing us. Not very good odds. Your face was shown to everyone and his dog in this place in case someone tried to abduct you."
Kate sighed. "Well, the first thing I need is a change of clothes because I look like a patient. I'll be sure to be noticed when we try to leave. If we can find me something to wear we'll walk out the front door. Acting normal is the best camouflage."
"There were some things in your room but we can't go back there. That means we'll have to borrow something from another room. Let's go down to the next floor and see what we can find. I have cash, we'll leave some for whatever we take."
Now that they had a plan Kate began to feel calm once more. "Let's go. We don't have much time until we're discovered."
"I hear you, Kate." He kissed her quickly on the lips and they retraced their path back to the elevator, slipping into the next car to open.
Stepping off, Rick and Kate froze. They were on the maternity floor; all around them, Kate could hear the sound of babies crying.
As they walked down the hallway Kate hoped they weren't being followed there was way too much potential for collateral damage on this floor. They had to get out of here fast.
Rick could feel panic building but said nothing as they scanned each room for an empty one. The first one they passed was occupied, as was the next. It wasn't until halfway down the hall that they found an empty room with a set of clothes in the closet.
They were a little large for Kate but they fit well enough that they wouldn't fall off of her. So they took them and Castle scrawled a note and left the money. The two of them continued down the hall and ducked into a handicapped bathroom together and shut the door.
Kate was beginning to droop and Rick knew they had to get out of here fast. Then an idea struck him.
He helped Kate dress before leaving her hidden in the bathroom. Keeping an eye out for security or someone suspicious, Rick gathered the things they needed to make their escape.
Kate was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall facing the door when he returned. She looked about to collapse but he knew he had to push her and a little more. "Your chariot has arrived, my lady.?"
Lifting her into his arms, he placed her in the wheelchair and a blanket-wrapped doll in her lap, covering her head in a scarf. "Shall we head home now, mommy?"
"Castle..." Kate's voice was between exasperation and a growl.
"Just act natural and we'll walk or wheel right out the front door, like you said. There should be a cab waiting for us. I called one from the nurses' station, the driver will be looking for us. We'd better hurry; the more we wait, the harder this will get."
Kate sighed. "Let's get this over with."
That's all for now, but if you can't wait you can head over to my website and read the next one there or wait until next Wednesday. All you need to do is google my penname and you'll find me.