Infinite Kates?

Chapter 5

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: There's a whole lot I don't own. Rating: K Time: After Interrogation of a Vampire

Collette led them to an undistinguished looking building and took them through the front door, after punching some numbers into a keypad. Inside was a small foyer, a steel door and another keypad. Collette stood between the other women and punched a code into the pad. The door popped open.

Kate got a look at the door as they passed it. It looked like it belonged in a bank vault. Down a hallway was a bank of three elevators. Collette went to the middle elevator and placed her hand against sheet of glass and then put her eye against a smaller sheet of glass.

Finger print and retinal scans? Kate thought. Someone is serious about security.

The elevator door opened and the women went in. There were no numbers on the control panel, just another glass plate. Collette put her hand on the plate and then put her eye at the top of the plate. The elevator door closed and they rose. The door opened and they walked down another hall. Collette used one more fingerprint and retinal scan and a door opened. Inside was a sparsely furnished apartment. There was what appeared to be a sofa bed, two chairs and two tables, a desk and a TV. There was a counter on one end with a refrigerator, a microwave and a coffee machine. There were also two cabinets. At the end of the room was a door that Kate guessed led to a bathroom.

"She is one of us." The blonde said, pushing Kate's hair away from her face.

"What do you mean, I'm one of you?"

The three women took off their sunglasses. While their hair was different, the faces were hers, as were their bodies. First she thought of Jerry Tyson and Dr. Kelly Neiman. Then she thought of Simone and Officer Morgenstern. "Have you had cosmetic surgery?" She asked.

The woman she guessed was their leader shook her head. "No, and we're not your long lost sisters, either. Have you had cosmetic surgery?"

"No."

The one called Rita spoke. "God. Another one. It's like living in an episode of the Twilight Zone." Rita looked sick. "Oh, god! I think I'm going to puke."

"Rita….? The blonde asked.

"The gunfight. I'm…."She ran to the bathroom. Kate could hear her vomiting.

The blonde looked to the leader. "Collette? Should I…"

"Go with her, Raina."

When Collette turned to watch Raina follow Rita into the bathroom, Kate had her chance. She reached for her backup in the holster at her ankle. Collette heard something and whirled just as Kate drew her other Glock. "Collette, don't…" Was all he further she got when the woman leaped at her. Kate tried to hit Collette with her pistol, but the other woman grabbed her gun hand. Kate was surprised that Collette didn't try to get the gun away from her or turn the gun on her. In a split second she understood what Collette was trying to do. She had shoved he gun under her own chin and she was trying to force her finger onto the trigger so she could kill herself. Kate barely managed to put the safety on when Raina raced out of the bathroom with her pistol drawn.

"Collette! Don't! Take your hand off the gun now!" She shoved her gun against Kate's forehead. "Don't shoot."

"The safety is on. She's trying to kill herself." Kate yelled.

Raina reached over and gently pulled Collette's hand off of Kate's Glock. By that time Rita was out of the bathroom covering Kate with her pistol.

Kate let Raina take her back up pistol away. "Okay. Okay."

"Next time just shoot me!" Collette screamed at Raina.

Rita put her arm around Collette's shoulder. "Not if there's a choice. And there was."

Collette took several deep breaths and seemed to get her composure back. "See if she has handcuffs."

Soon Kate was handcuffed to the handle of the refrigerator. Surprisingly, Collette pushed a chair over so Kate could sit. She also opened the refrigerator and handed out bottled waters to everyone, including Kate. A kitchen cupboard yielded some energy bars for everyone.

Collette smiled. "This condo is definitely the best property investment I ever made."

Kate decided to ask a question. She was worried about the answer. "What's going to happen to me?"

"We'll leave you here when we leave tonight. I'll call 911 and tell them where you are."

"Could you call my husband, too? My phone's back at the coffee shop, but I'll give the number to you."

"Sure. I'm sure he's worried sick about you. I'll call him as soon as we're far enough away."

"I'm a police captain and my husband is Richard Castle, the author. He's quite rich and he knows people. He's good friends with a number of politicians. Whatever you've done, I can help you. You did save my life."

Collette shook her head briskly. "No one can help me. I won't go back to prison and I won't go back to being what I was. My only choices are death or freedom." She glanced at the other two women. "You might be able to help them, though."

Raina looked at Kate for a moment, then shook her head. "I had a cop help me once. But he was dirty and he killed someone and blamed it on me, so now I'm running for my life." Raina looked away, then spoke. "There is someone you might be able to help…." She shook her head again. "If I need your help I'll write to you at your precinct."

"Raina, I really do want to help you, all of you. Rita? Can I help you?"

"No, I have nothing anymore. Really no one but these two. I doubt you can do anything, but if worse comes to worse, I may get in touch with you."

Kate decided to bring up another subject. "You aren't the first people I've met that look like my twins. There's a friend of mine and an officer who just got assigned to the precinct out of the academy. We checked our DNA and we're not at all related. Do you have any idea how this could happen? All of us looking the same?"

All three women shook their heads.

"I think it's just some vast cosmic joke on the three of us. You and your friends seem to be doing well and we're…We're not." Collette got to her feet. "I want to see what the TV news has to say about us."

The story was on several 24 hour news channels. But there were no photos of any of them and no one said anything about three women who looked exactly like Captain Kate Castle. There were TV news crews all around the coffee shop, but none near their hide out and they could see no cops anywhere near them by looking out the window.

Finally it was time to meet with Milo. Collette took the two others into the bathroom. "There's an emergency escape here. You turn the shower head to the right and the wall here opens. You can go down, follow a tunnel and you'll come out a block away. If the cops show up, or I don't make it back, I'm leaving all of the money we still have. Make your escape and call Captain Castle's husband to come get her as soon as you're safe."

Rita hugged her. "Be careful."

Riana hugged her, too. "This is like having two more sisters. Take care."

Collette walked out of the condo, feeling like she had a giant target on her back that everyone could see. But she walked confidently to the coffee shop that Milo used for his headquarters. He was at his usual table and smiled when he saw her. Collette scanned the crowd in the coffee shop. None of them looked like cops but too many damned cops didn't look like cops until the slapped the cuffs on you. Like Theo had. She walked over and sat across from Milo.

"The market was very up today. After my almost negligible commission, you have four million, one hundred and ten thousand dollars in bearer bonds." He slid a file across to her.

"These are payable in Euros." She said suspiciously.

"Any reputable financial organization will change them to dollars or whatever currency you wish. Are you ready to go to collect your cash?"

Collette had picked Morton and Stanley as it was close and it was a very reputable firm. If Milo was trying anything, Morton and Stanley would let her know.

Milo and Collette walked over to Morton and Stanley's main office. Collette had her head on a swivel, but saw nothing suspicious. They were quickly ushered into a plush office where a well dressed and distinguished looking man greeted them, introducing himself as Charles Richmond

"I understand you need to cash in some European bearer bands?"

Collette smiled. She had taken a hundred thousand dollars' worth of bonds out randomly in case Milo had put phony bonds on top or on the bottom. She handed them over.

Richmond looked them over and smiled. "And you'd like that how?"

"Hundreds, please."

He hit his office intercom. "Brenda, could you please bring me one hundred thousand dollars from the safe, please?"

In minutes a young woman came in with a briefcase with Morton and Stanley's logo on it. Collette signed some paperwork and got the briefcase. It was full of hundreds.

"Don't you want to count it?"

Collette laughed. "If I can't trust Morton and Stanley, who can I trust?"

Once outside, Milo left her and went on his way. Collette headed away from him. She began to relax. If anyone was going to arrest her because of Milo it would be now that he was away from her, but nothing happened.

A car door slamming caught her attention. On her right, a man and a woman were getting out of the car, both glaring at her. He reached under his coat for something and Collette reached into her purse for her gun. She was going to be too damned late.

"Kate!" Screamed a man from her left. Collette knew it must be a cop looking for Kate Castle, but the man and woman were surprised by two more Kate Castle's showing up. One was in civilian clothes and one was a uniform. He hesitated as to which to kill, and that cost him. Collette pulled out her pistol just as the man turned to her. She fired first and put a round through the man's head. The woman screamed and fired, missing Collette by ten feet. Collette didn't miss, putting a round through the woman's throat. She staggered back, spraying blood.

"Kate."

Collette turned and saw a tall, good looking man headed for her, concern plain on his face. This could only be Captain Castle's husband. Behind him the uniform, who looked like Kate was drawing her weapon. Another woman who was also like Kate followed the man.

Collette was about to use her pistol to end everything when she saw a way out. A young man on a motorcycle had stopped and was gawking at the bodies. She dashed between two parked cars and shoved her gun in the man's face. "Get off!" She screamed.

"What?" He said, just sitting there.

Collette shoved him off and gunned the engine, feeling the man's hands just brush her back as she roared away.

"Kate! Stop!" Rick Castle yelled after her.

Both Simone and Officer Morgenstern ran up to him. "Why didn't she stop? Why did she run from me?" He asked.