In From The Cold

Chapter 7
Kate's Story

Three years ago…

She awoke with a groan, and a sharp pain running down her side. The surgical scar was still healing. It often pulled when she sat up or twisted her torso while shifting in bed. Her physical therapist was pleased with her improvement, saying that she was progressing faster than expected. What the kind woman didn't know was that Kate Beckett had motivation. Her life had been turned upside down, both figuratively and literally.

Agent Culpepper had shown up at her hospital bed and so calmly informed her that to all the world, save a select few at the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, she was dead. The thought of her father thinking he'd lost his daughter was gut-wrenching for her. Jim Beckett had struggled so much with losing his wife, Kate didn't even want to think about what her death would do to him.

"They're going to kill you, Kate. And if you don't care about that, at least think about how that's going to affect the people that love you. You really want to put your dad through that?"

Castle's words from their bitter argument resurfaced as she sat up in bed. She sighed, scrubbing her hands down her face. Castle. Her thoughts were preoccupied with him a lot nowadays. With the US Marshals keeping her tucked away in this remote town somewhere in upstate New York, Kate Beckett had little else to do but think, at least when she wasn't working out with the FBI-approved physical therapist.

The days and weeks had run together since her departure from the hospital. It irritated her that she didn't know how long she'd been gone, away from those she cared about… from those she loved.

But this had been her choice. Sure, it had initially been forced upon her by Agent Culpepper's rash decision, but she'd signed the consent forms afterwards, which he'd then back dated. Kate didn't like it, but this was her best chance at getting those who were responsible for her mother's death. Despite everything, she couldn't pass on an opportunity like that.

An image of Castle once again floated across her mind's eye. He was leaning over her, tears in his eyes as he pleaded with her to stay with him. She wanted to respond, but everything was becoming too cold. It was difficult just to keep her eyes open. And then he was telling her that he loved her.

"Oh, Castle," Kate moaned, not even caring if the agent stationed outside her room heard her. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped at them angrily, determined to get better. The quicker she healed up, then the quicker she could get to work on the case. Agent Culpepper had promised she'd be part of the investigation, and considering everything he'd asked her to sacrifice, he owed her.

XXX

Every day was the same: Get up. Shower. Dress. Eat. Crash on the couch, binge watching either Temptation Lane or Nebula 9. Eat again. Go to sleep. And repeat. She had nothing to do except wait for news about the investigation, news that rarely came. She had to do something to keep her mind occupied, otherwise she'd go stir-crazy thinking about the life she'd sacrificed for an obsession that wasn't proving very fruitful at the moment. She hated it. Kate Beckett wasn't very good at being helpless.

For the first couple of months since they relocated her to Nebraska with a new identity, a deputy from the US Marshals would come and visit her twice a week. It had been a year since her shooting, and she was still stuck, kept away from her life and friends… her loved ones. Her Dad. She hoped beyond hope that he was faring well. Somedays she despised herself for allowing Culpepper to talk her into putting her Dad in that position, thinking his daughter had been killed. But then she remembered the end goal, and she hoped to God that the end would justify the means.

And then there was Richard Castle. She thought of him often, wondering what he was doing, if he still helped Ryan and Esposito on cases. At least he was still writing.

She wasn't allowed to go on the internet yet, but they did allow her a newspaper. She'd recently read that the next book in the Nikki Heat series, Frozen Heat, was due to come out soon. She wanted to buy it. They'd been kind enough to acquire a copy of Heat Rises for her while she had still been tucked away in that safe house in upstate New York, but it had been a paperback. Kate wanted Frozen Heat in hardback. She wanted to go out to a bookstore and get it herself. She missed the simple mundane pleasure of meandering around a local bookshop and waiting in line to purchase a brand new book.

It was a Wednesday when Deputy US Marshal Samantha Ramirez—her handler—dropped by to check in on her.

"I want a job," Kate announced.

Ramirez looked at her for a long moment, putting her hands on her hips. Out of all the witnesses she'd supervised over her career, Katherine Beckett had been the most difficult, and considering 95% of the witnesses in the program were what some might call criminals, that was saying something.

"Kate, we talked about this before," Ramirez said, talking like she was speaking to a petulant child. "The head office thinks it's too risky. We may have moved you out of the immediate danger zone, but you know better than most what we're up against."

Kate stood her ground. She wasn't going to budge this time. The Feds had completely uprooted her life, most likely devastated her family and friends, and had kept her in the dark about the massive case that she was supposedly a critical part of. Agent Culpepper had yet to visit her since her relocation to Nebraska.

"I'm going stir-crazy in here, Sam," Kate persisted. "You guys dumped me here with a modest stipend, force me to dye my hair blonde and wear glasses, so that when I go out to get groceries or clothes I'm not as easily recognized. By whom!? I'm in the middle of nowhere Nebraska! I've never been here. No one here even knows who I am."

"You're Nicole Brennon," Ramirez insisted, staring hard at her charge. "You taught English at a community college in Pennsylvania before moving here to escape an abusive ex-boyfriend. We worked up your background so that it would fit with the necessities of you keeping a low profile."

"I don't fucking care about any of that!" Kate snapped, growing agitated. "My entire life has been stolen from me. I've been ripped away from the people I love. I was made promises; promises that have yet to be kept. The least you could do is allow me some modicum of freedom to salvage the life I do have left because of you."

Ramirez shifted on her feet and glanced down at the laminated flooring in the small kitchen. "All right," she conceded. "I'll discuss it with my superiors. We'll come up with some ideas and I'll get back to you on Friday. Satisfied?"

Kate crossed her arms and gave a curt nod. "For now, yes."

XXX

She was now Nicole Brennon, librarian. It wasn't all that exciting of a job, but at least it kept her busy. Plus, she loved to read, and now she had access to hundreds of books. Her old life hadn't really provided her with a lot of down time to read, so she took advantage of that now, devouring the masterpieces of the literary greats, the pulp fiction classics, and, of course, her favorite mysteries. The works of a certain ruggedly handsome mystery novelist were always on her reading list.

With her new income, she acquired a new Richard Castle collection, and would fastidiously read from one of his many books each night before going to bed. But she adored Nikki Heat most of all. She re-read them often. With the exception of Heat Rises, every book in the Nikki Heat series was dedicated to her. It touched her deeply, that even though he thought she was dead, he still dedicated each new book in the series to her.

Per the wishes of her Federal handlers, she kept mostly to herself, not making too many friends. She allowed herself one close friend, Jill Kemp, her co-worker. Kate hated having to lie about most of her past life to Jill, but besides that she enjoyed the camaraderie she shared with the woman, who also happened to be a big fan of Richard Castle. Kate wished she could reveal the fact that she was the inspiration for Nikki Heat, if just to see her friend's shocked expression. Nicole Brennon was so very much different than Kate Beckett had been. She was quite literally living a different life.

It had been over 2 years since her life had been ripped away from her, and Kate Beckett had given up hope of ever returning back to it. Jill kept pestering her about dating, but Kate repeatedly turned down the offer. Jill's insistence that she find herself a man, reminded Kate of Lanie. She missed her best friend, as well as her colleagues in the Twelfth Precinct, Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan. But most of all, she missed her Dad… and Richard Castle.

At night, when she was alone, it would hit her the hardest. He had loved her. And she'd known it, yet chose to ignore it. And only now did she realize how much time she'd wasted in not acknowledging her own feelings, at hiding behind walls and trivial excuses. He'd been right when he said she hid in nowhere relationships with men she didn't love. She had liked Josh, a lot. But she didn't love him. Now she knew that he was just a placeholder until she could accept her feelings for another man… for Castle.

Kate Beckett would give anything to have a second chance to get things right. She didn't want to look back at her life and think… if only.

It was a Saturday afternoon when Agent Brent Culpepper unexpectedly reentered her life. He came bearing boxes filled with files on a political Super PAC called 'Future Forward'. According to Culpepper, Future Forward was part of a money laundering operation.

"Why now?" she asked when he finished the debriefing, glaring at him angrily. He'd made her promises. And he had failed to deliver. She was none too happy with him. Culpepper, however, did not cower under her stare like the harden criminals she'd once faced in the interrogation box back at the Twelfth Precinct. He simply stood there, gazing back lackadaisically, waiting patiently for her to move on. She growled, "After all this time, why involve me now in your investigation?"

Culpepper opened one of the boxes and skimmed through its contents before removing one particular file. "Because you know one of the players," he said, dropping the folder down on the dining room table. "Vulcan Simmons."

XXX

It was fast approaching the third anniversary of Kate Beckett's death and the birth of Nicole Brennon, when Agent Culpepper once again showed up at her home in Nebraska with two boxes of new evidence.

"Did you hear about Ben Moss?" he asked as he set the boxes down on the kitchen table.

"Yeah, I remember something about that on the evening news last night," she said, busy starting the coffeemaker. "Why do you ask?"

Culpepper offered her a wiry grin, and told her to sit down. He then proceeded to fill her in on the developments over the last few weeks. After months of hard working investigating the Super PAC, Culpepper and his team had finally uncovered the board of directors of the nefarious organization behind Future Forward. Ben Moss, a big wig amongst party elders, also dubbed 'the kingmaker', was found complicit in an attempted assassination of a United States Senator.

Under interrogation, hoping for leniency, Moss revealed the esteemed Senator from New York, who was a potential candidate for president, was not so honorable. After much questioning, Moss gave up his cohorts in the criminal enterprise behind the Super PAC Future Forward. As it turned out, William Bracken, the targeted senator, was part of the clandestine organization's top brass. Apparently, Bracken had been part of a group trying to oust Moss from the leadership.

Kate took a sip of her coffee after Culpepper had finished his recap of the case. "How does this involve me?"

"Now, not that this is reliable of anything, considering the source," Culpepper explained, "but Moss insists Bracken was in on some shady dealings back in the 1990s. You see, Bracken was an Assistant D.A. at the time your former captain and his colleagues were running their ransom racket. According to Moss, Bracken somehow learned of their illegal activities and blackmailed them, using their money to help fund his first Congressional campaign."

Kate sat up straight, recalling her last conversation with her mentor. "Montgomery mentioned something like that before he died," she said. It still hurt a little when she thought of her former captain and his betrayal. But in the end, he tried to do the right thing. He made his stand and chose his battle. "He mentioned something about someone figuring out what they'd done. But instead of turning them in, he demanded the money." Her brow furrowed as she stared at the surface of the kitchen table. "Roy said that his greatest sin was that that man took their money and became what he was."

Culpepper nodded, having listened to her summation silently. "And you think Bracken could be this mystery man?"

"It makes sense, don't you think?"

The FBI agent just sat there, thinking. Kate waited, watching him. She missed building theory with Castle. Their back and forth was invigorating and… arousing. If Castle was here with her, she was positive they'd have a lead to work by now.

"It's something to work with, yes," Culpepper said after a lengthy pause. "Moss did mention something about a tape recording that implicated Bracken in an unsolved homicide."

"My mother?"

"Possibly," Culpepper allowed. "But we need to investigate further. It might behoove us look into your former captain's files, see if he left anything behind that could help." He finished off his cup of coffee and stood. "In the meantime, I'll leave these with you. Maybe you can find something amongst Moss's files that we missed."

"Agent Culpepper," Kate called after him. He turned and looked back at her. She offered him a small smile. "Thanks… for finally including me in all this. It really means a lot."

He nodded. "It's the least I could do. In all honesty, there is no way we could ever properly repay you for what we've asked you to sacrifice." He paused, letting that sink in. "Good afternoon, Beckett." And then he left.

XXX

Kate Beckett stared at the mirror, examining her reflection. She wondered if they'd recognize her with the blonde hair. After spending almost three years as Nicole Brennon, she'd grown used to it. However, she still missed her natural coloring. Cocking her head, she knitted her eyebrows together as she scrutinized her appearance. Perhaps she'd keep it, just for a while. If things went as she hoped they would, then Kate would allow him to make the deciding vote. She owed him so much, and if he wanted her to be blonde, then she'd be blonde. She'd do anything to gain his forgiveness, and his love.

It was almost over. Culpepper and his team were arresting Senator William Bracken tomorrow morning. Kate felt an overwhelming sense of relief that it would soon be over. In the end, Montgomery had redeemed himself. Three weeks ago, while Kate had been reviewing some of his old files, a long forgotten memory had been triggered.

She'd been a young rookie, breaking the rules to look at her mother's murder case. Montgomery had stumbled upon her in the records room. She had expected him to report her. But instead he encouraged her. He said if the case was closed, the answers wouldn't be in the file. He said things about her mother's murder she didn't understand at the time, but he specifically mentioned a cassette recording. And that reminded her of the old tape recorder her mother used when she interviewed clients.

"I need to look at my mother's files," Kate had told Culpepper when he'd stopped by to check on her progress with Montgomery's documents.

Agent Culpepper had flashed her a confused expression. "You already have all the relevant files pertaining to her case."

"No," Kate had shaken her head. "Her work files, from when she was practicing law. I need to see her notes."

Culpepper was puzzled by her request, but he still complied, delivering her mother's old case notes to her, along with some other requested items. Amongst the contents in the box he'd sent was the ceramic parade of elephants that had once adorned her desk in the Twelfth Precinct. It came with a note from Culpepper: "I remembered you mentioning missing some personal items. Thought you'd like to have this back." It had been rather thoughtful of the FBI agent. He was usually all business, so it surprised her.

Kate supposed he could have been feeling guilty about getting her into this situation. And how long it had taken him to finally include her in the investigations. Whatever the reason, Kate was grateful to have a reminder of her old life. It was a bittersweet feeling, but it helped to remind her what she was fighting for.

She had set it aside, turning her attention back to her mother's old files. But as Kate rummaged through the box, she had accidentally knocked the parade of elephants off the table. It had clattered down to the kitchen floor, a section of it popping off, revealing a hidden compartment, and a mini-cassette tape within.

And that was it. By complete accident, Kate had uncovered the missing evidence that would put the man responsible for her mother's death behind bars.

Now, with the arrest set to occur tomorrow morning, Kate Beckett was preparing herself for the immense challenge of returning to her former life. She didn't expect it to be easy, or for things to be the same, but she did look forward to being herself once again. She was worried about how her father would handle it. Thankfully, Deputy Ramirez had kept her up to date on Jim Beckett, and Kate was relieved to know he hadn't slipped back into the bottle. She was extremely grateful to whomever had look after him while she was gone. She owed that person a lot. And she had her suspicions as to who it could be. Kate hoped she was right. Because that person was very important to her.

Kate nodded at her reflection. She was ready. Just a few more weeks, and she would finally be able to go home.