Again, I am so sorry for the long wait. Crazy times, crazy times. The good news is, there are only few chapters till the conclusion of the story, so you can be at peace. I am so thankful of all the people who have been reading this story still. I hope you still like it and will anticipate the ending. In July, it will be the year since we started writing it, I HOPE that we are done before we can celebrate 1 year. Hehehe. Thank you all. For reading, for supporting. You rock. Sheyna and crazy German – thanks for betaing!
A little recap – Estonian consulate worker was shot, 23 times to his chest. There were 3 major suspects, each and every one claiming to be a killer. In the end, they found a shooter, big crazy Estonian guy, with motives and right equipment. For sure. He shot him. But he didn't kill him. Because the consulate general was already dead in the limousine before any bullet hit him. After quick search from the traffic cameras around the UN area, they found the suspect.
The car rolls into the street in a low hum, disturbing the surrounding silence. It's a fairly small street in North-East Brooklyn. The road is empty. No other cars in the darkness of the night.
Beckett pulls over in front of the house they assume houses the suspect, the boys at her heels.
While Esposito parks his car, she is out of her cruiser, reaching for the trunk. She rips the door open and takes out her vest and her thigh holster. Castle is a bit slower; he reaches for the back just as Beckett is finishing attaching the holster.
He freezes, watching her prepping herself for the arrest.
She really can't get any hotter than wearing the thigh holster.
He swallows.
Suddenly, he becomes aware of his staring and he snaps his focus back to the vest in front of him. But it's too late already. Beckett has noticed his hungry gaze.
"Castle, focus," she hisses at him.
"I am," he mumbles back, getting into his vest.
"Not at me," she huffs. "Staying alive."
Ah, right. That's why he is wearing a vest, isn't he? To stay alive.
"That's a good idea as well," he mumbles, following her through the gate.
The boys are ready to go, their police vests on and guns in their hands. Both of them are serious. They know what is at stake there. They need to catch this killer before he strikes somewhere else.
"Ready?" Beckett asks them. The boys nod in unison. Then she looks at Castle, and seeing him nodding, she turns around and steps closer to the house, Ryan at her heels.
"Espo, backdoor," she gives a command and the Latino detective disappears around the corner.
Then Beckett bangs at the door.
They wait.
No answer.
"Police, open up!" she yells into the evening air.
They all hear footsteps running around the house, but nobody is opening the door. He's escaping. The suspect is escaping.
"Alfred, open the door!" Beckett orders and nods to Ryan.
Nothing.
Ryan kicks in the door and they are in the house. Ryan in front, Beckett right behind him. Castle is keeping a distance between him and his friends, letting them do their work.
"Alfred!" Beckett yells again. "We know you are in here!"
"Clear," Ryan yells from the first room. Beckett echoes from the other room.
Castle moves behind Beckett and they reach the living room, Ryan at their side.
Suddenly a shadow jumps out from the corner of the room.
"Stay back!" a man, dressed in a black jumpsuit yells at them. "Stay back!"
Out of nowhere, he grabs a long knife and points it at Ryan before Beckett can even react.
It's him. The same man from the database, the same man on the traffic camera footage, shaking hands with the elusive Estonian. They got him.
"Whoa!" she yells at the man. "Alfred, put the knife down."
"Stay away!" he ignores Beckett's words, swishing around with the blade. Beckett is aiming at him, her hand firmly aiming at the huge knife. So is Ryan.
"Alfred, I need you to calm down and put down the knife," Beckett speaks with a low tone, authoritative yet with a calming effect. She needs him to calm down. She needs to get the knife away from him, from the situation. This makes things far more complicated.
And complicated surely isn't what she needs right now.
But the man doesn't listen. His eyes are burning in a mad haze and he can't stand still. He points the knife at her when she takes a step closer to him.
"Don't come near me!" he yelps, taking a step back and his body hitting a wall with a muffled thump.
"Alfred, listen to me, you don't need that knife. We're not gonna shoot you," Beckett tries to calm the man down again. But it doesn't work. It doesn't work at all. Instead it seems to be irritating him more because he just grips the knife more firmly in his hand and points it at her again.
"Don't! Me gonna hurt you!" he yells out loud.
Castle is behind Beckett, watching the scene play out in front of him. Fighting the urge to speak up and do something, he has remained silent. His gut says it's better to be quiet this time. This situation is way out of his hands. Instead of doing something stupid, he extends his arm and places it on the small of her back. He feels her flinching slightly, but she relaxes against his palm. She understands the wordless message, 'I got your back.'
Beckett stays there, unmoving and certain, Ryan has moved to the side, blocking the way out, so the crazy knife-wielding killer couldn't escape during their staring contest.
"Alfred," she warns again. "Put. The knife. Down."
"NO!" he yells back at them, his eyes burning, turning his blade towards Ryan who has snuck incredibly close to him. "Stay back!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Beckett sees a shadow through the glass of the back door, just behind Alfred.
Esposito.
He has made his way out there. The team has all the entrances covered now, Alfred has no escape. No chance in hell he can get out here without cuffs on.
"Alfred," she takes a step closer, nodding to Espo. "You have no chance of escape, I suggest you surrender."
"NO!" he again screams like a maniac and grabs the knob of the door behind him and yanks the door open.
Esposito stares back at him with a gun pointed at Alfred's head. He is visibly startled. He didn't expect anybody to be there, let alone holding a gun towards him.
"Drop the knife or I'll blow your brains out," Espo growls.
Beckett uses that moment of confusion to get closer to Alfred. But not too close. Since he is still holding the blade in his hand. She takes few tentative steps towards them.
The young man falls silent, almost like he's defeated. He sighs and starts to lower the hand holding the knife.
Suddenly there is a craziness of movements. Haze of hands and feet in the air.
The blade flies from Alfred's hands. He hits Espo's hand with his foot, disarming the detective fast. The Latino falls back against the fence. Somehow, he manages to get past Esposito without being harmed and he flees out the back door, trying to run. But Esposito is quicker. He's up and running and on Alfred's back within a blink of an eye, his gun long forgotten, pushing the killer down into the ground.
Ryan reaches the yard in a matter of seconds and soon enough he's helping his partner. They have Alfred cuffed fast and efficiently.
Castle rushes past Beckett to see the commotion outside. Now that the threat is gone, he feels lighter, he gets excited. He steps out of the door to see all of it himself. It's so damn cool.
"Alfred Tirta Maneni, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law..." Espo starts to growl out the Miranda rights for the cold blooded killer.
"Did you see it, Beckett?" Castle asks in obvious glee. The chase and the takedown of a suspect is always an adrenaline boost for him. He feels it all though his system now and he is jittery with all the excitement. "Did you see how Esposito took him down? It was awesome!"
But Kate doesn't respond. Castle realizes that there is an eerie silence in the room behind her. He turns around.
"Beckett?"
"Castle?" he hears a faint sound of her voice inside.
"Beckett, what's wrong?" he steps back into the small building.
Oh.
Beckett just stands there, clutching her arm. He doesn't understand for a second, but then he sees...
There's the knife, the same one Alfred was holding in his hands, sticking out of her right arm. Holy crap. She must have gotten hit during all the commotion. How... why?
"Castle..." she tries again, her voice weakening. She starts to stumble back, her legs giving out under her.
Castle rushes to her and he manages to catch her before her body hits the floor.
"Beckett," he pleads. "Stay awake, Beckett."
Kate turns her face to him, her eyes droopy. The blood is soaking her jacket, the red stain gets bigger and bigger by the minute. It's not good. She's bleeding too fast. Too freaking fast.
"Beckett, stay with me, please," Castle begs her. Then he yells out to the guys, "Esposito! Ryan! Call 9-1-1! Beckett has been hit!"
He hears a faint 'what' from outside and Ryan rushes in.
"Oh, crap," the Irish detective voices Castle's thoughts when he sees the two of them on the ground.
"Castle..." Beckett sighs, trying to open her eyes again. But no success. Her eyes close and her body goes limp in his hands.
So, thoughts? Please let me know what you think of this. Will Beckett survive? Are they OK? What will become of their partnership?