Castle takes a deep breath before focusing on the words in front of him, both Ryan and Esposito appearing to give him a private moment before they confiscate the page and tear into the homeless man who sits at their feet.
To the one who rejoices in the smiles of others,
Your past has never defined you, though its influence is undeniable. Remember it well, and let it guide you forward. Each step will bring you closer to your own smile.
It's a bit cumbersome and doesn't have the simplicity he'd typically employ for a book dedication to Kate, but it does seem like something he'd say to encourage her, so he'll give Tyson some credit for that; he's done his homework. And he's certainly grateful it doesn't carry the same ominous tone as the first dedication page. This one is far more hopeful. He hands it over to Esposito and watches as Ryan carefully questions their only witness, a man who still seems unaware of the commotion playing out before him.
The guy is muttering something about the nice lady fixing his hat for him, and Castle supposes it was either Kelly Nieman or Amy Barrett who delivered the note on Tyson's behalf. It doesn't matter much to him anyway; none of this particular line of questioning is going to be all that helpful. For one, the man isn't lucid enough to do much more than mumble. And for another, it's not as though they don't know who they're chasing; dusting for prints or bringing in a sketch artist or questioning additional witnesses will get them nowhere. No, they just need to figure out where Kate has gone.
Unfortunately, there's little Tory can do when there are another thirty stations on the line that could have been their next stop, and not even their final destination. He wanders back to the MTA map he'd ignored earlier, peering past the dirty, heavily scratched plastic and studying the details of the colorful web sprawled along the subway station wall. It's overwhelming, the number of places they could have gone. Would there be any reason to go to the 9/11 Memorial? What about hiding among the tourists in Times Square? Or riding all the way to Queens?
He is losing hope, and on the verge of a complete breakdown, until something makes his heart catch for no discernible reason.
Even as his vision blurs with tears he refuses to shed, his eyes are drawn to the terminal for the Staten Island Ferry. Perhaps it's the result of an alien probe or a CIA conspiracy or newly-bestowed psychic powers, but he is certain that Amy and Kate got off at that stop.
"Ryan! Call Tory and have her pull the cameras from the Whitehall Street station. I think they got off the train there and headed for the ferry."
Ryan grabs his phone immediately, but Espo is less willing to blindly follow directions. "How could you possibly know that?"
"I don't know. I mean, I don't know that I know anything at all." Castle stops and tries to explain as clearly as possible, given that he isn't exactly clear himself. "This map caught my attention when we first arrived and I can't stop staring at it. It's significant, but I have no idea why. All I can say is that the ferry keeps jumping out at me as the answer to this strange riddle."
"Okay, Tory's looking now." Ryan glances sheepishly at Esposito before turning back to Castle. "But even if you're somehow right about them getting off there, that doesn't mean they took the ferry afterward. They could've wandered into Battery Park, or up to the Memorial. Hell, they could be aimlessly roaming the streets of Lower Manhattan right now."
"There is nothing aimless about whatever they're doing. It's all part of the plan."
Espo still isn't convinced. "So, you want us to take your word for it? What if we're missing something else here? Do you want us to ignore all the other possibilities while we follow up on your ESP?"
"She's my wife and I need her back. Of course I don't want us to ignore anything, but we've got approximately shit to go on right now, so this seems as good as any of the other possibilities. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong…it certainly wouldn't be the first time. But I can't just stand here while they get further away." He's trying so hard to hold it together when he's sure he's only seconds away from crumpling onto the disgusting floor of a New York City subway station. He regains a bit of strength when Ryan's phone chirps and they all look at it, silently pleading for good news.
"Castle was right. On all of it. They boarded the ferry and have probably reached Staten Island by now. Unless, of course, they turned around and boarded the ferry back here." Ryan catches the glares of the other two and hurries to backtrack. "But, no, it's likely that they're there. Less likely that they're just riding a ferry back and forth all day."
The three of them briefly discuss whether they should retrieve the cruiser, but ultimately decide to retrace Kate's steps in case any additional clues have been dropped along the way. As they travel, they update Gates on their progress, leaving out the ridiculousness of Castle's insight into the mind of a serial killer. Then Tory gives them their next step; Kate and Amy got off the ferry and boarded a train on the Staten Island Railway. That leaves them with another mess of possible stops, but at least they're contained to a specific route, one with more cameras at each station.
He's been silent for a while by the time they arrive at the St. George Terminal on Staten Island, but Ryan nudges him with his elbow. "Any more premonitions?"
"No. Nothing." Castle looks around. The place is huge and he has no idea where to go from here. "Maybe we can find a map of the train route?"
"Bro, there are probably dozens of those in here."
"Okay, but we know they got off the ferry, same as we just did, so let's look for whichever directory is closest to us. Then we'll assume the most direct path between here and the railway platform, looking for any other map along the way."
It's not a perfect plan, but there's nothing else to do and he reiterates that Tyson needs them to keep playing along. There will be some mind games, but nothing that will screw them up completely.
Sure enough, there is a huge poster of the SIR line on the wall in front of them and they need no more than a few seconds to know that he's correct again. On the corner of the map, probably scrawled with a Sharpie and uninteresting to anyone else, is a "3." It doesn't take a giant leap to guess that there's an "X" and a "K" elsewhere in the terminal.
He wants to start running, skip ahead to whatever awaits them at the end of this trail of clues, close some of the distance between Kate and him. But that's not how this has been scripted and he is careful to trace the obvious steps to where the women had boarded the train. Both Ryan and Espo are deferring to him now, and he's not sure if he's proud or completely unnerved. It doesn't take them long to find the directories with the expected letters subtly scribbled in the corners, and they freeze in front of a fourth poster near the train's platform. A piece of paper is tucked into the plastic frame, folded and easily ignored by New Yorkers who care little about a gruesome treasure hunt.
Esposito just nods, so Castle reaches forward and opens it for the next mysterious message.
To the one I can always count on,
Inspiration can come be found anywhere, from John Calvin to Ian Fleming to a gorgeous homicide detective. Don't ignore it; it's there for a reason.
The detectives await an explanation or translation or anything else he might have to offer, so he reads it a couple of times and tries to put something together. "Well, both the second dedication and this one seems to have directives within them. 'Remember it well, and let it guide you forward' in reference to Kate's past. 'Don't ignore it' in reference to something that has inspired her. And there must be something important about John Calvin. Ian Fleming wrote the novel that inspired me to become an author and Kate obviously inspired me to write the Nikki Heat books, so both of those fit here. But John Calvin?"
"Who's John Calvin?" Espo is impatient again.
"He was a French theologian during the Protestant Reformation. Big on predestination and the idea that God could save the human soul from eternal damnation. Really, he's got nothing to do with me." Then he stops, looking back at the list of SIR stations and pointing excitedly at the route. "Shit, that's it. This dedication is telling us where they got off."
"Huguenot?"
"Historically speaking, the Huguenots were Protestants who were inspired by John Calvin." He hurries them along. "Do you really want me to deliver an entire lecture about 16th century France? Let's go!"
By the time they board the train and ride the half hour to their stop, they welcome a bit of good news from Tory, who has already pulled the next batch of cameras and saves them the trouble of relying upon Castle's guesses, as accurate as they have been so far. Apparently, Amy Barrett can be seen placing their next clue at the station. Tory can't tell what it is from the video feed, only that it was small enough to have fit in Amy's bag and doesn't appear to be all that heavy.
They get off the train and follow Tory's directions to the item that has been left behind for them. He can't help the shudder that rocks him when he sees the familiar green and white nylon rope, though its purpose is less fatal this time. Now it's simply binding a collection of sticks and twigs together, forming what appears to be a crude replica of an intersection's street name signs, the street names themselves probably written with the same marker that had decorated the SIR directories.
Ryan looks on curiously and pulls out his phone. "That's gotta be near here, right?"
"Yeah, gotta be." Esposito takes the bundle, turning it over in his hands. "And these sticks might be from the same place as the leaf we found in Beckett's car. They look pretty common to me, but maybe they'll mean something later. Either way, the lab can figure it out."
Ryan holds his phone out so they can see the map. "Guys, the intersection is a mile away. I'll ask Tory to pull traffic cams while we see if anything was left in plain sight."
The three men take off, hope and adrenaline as high as they have been. They're in a largely residential area, so maybe Kate's being held in one of the houses on a quiet, tree-lined street, a simple contrast to the horror of being abducted by 3XK. There must be more to Tyson's game, a twist yet to come, but Castle can't help but think the chase will have to stop soon.
A/N: While writing this chapter (and those yet to come), I did some research into everything from MTA routes to John Calvin, but I'm an expert on absolutely none of it. Any mistakes are all mine, and I apologize.
