Still kickin' and enjoying life. Winding this up in a couple of chapters. Hopefully my fickle muse won't take a powder any time soon.
Oldest Man
Chapter 43
The body count was slowly increasing and it finally clicked in the feeble minds of the powers that be that something was going on.
Jordan Shaw and her entire family had been slaughtered. Initial reports were that it was a home invasion that the thugs tried to cover up by torching the house. Forensics and an autopsy of the victims showed extreme 'abuse'.
The US Attorney for New York was found dead in his office, an apparent suicide. All files relating to the most recent cases were missing and that finally sounded alarm bells. A shot time later the bigwigs decided to call a 'Red Alert' after the home of the US Attorney for New York was gutted by a fire attributed to a gas leak. However, gas leaks do not pry open safes nor do they break all the fingers on the resident's hands.
New York City
Lanie Parrish came home after a grueling day to find her apartment in shambles and a masked and gloved man sitting in her living room calmly drinking tea and holding a very large knife.
"Ah, Dr. Parrish. Punctual to a fault. Where are the files for the Johanna Beckett murder case? Please don't be coy, Doctor. Your name was on the release slips and you reviewed the old autopsy findings. It's not here and my associate tells me it's not at the Morgue. Regrettably, Dr. Perlmutter was less than forthcoming. Now, I know that this knife is rather intimidating, but I can assure you either a quick death or one…not so quick. The files, Doctor? I won't ask again."
She'd frozen in shock, her hand still in her purse in the act of replacing her keys but it took her less than a second to wrap her delicate fingers around the Sig Sauer 250 and put three shots in the 'O' ring. She cursed under her breath. She'd loved that purse.
Castle's loft
"Hey, Lanie. How's it going?" Rick was still 'convalescing' (read loafing) and Kate was out and about doing some Kate-thing with Alexis and Castle was glad for the break. They were both constantly hovering.
"Castle, where's Beckett? She's not answering her cell. I need to talk to her. Where is she?" Her tone was demanding and, for Lanie, nearly hysterical.
"She's out with Alexis. I don't know where. What's wrong, Lanie?"
"I just killed some guy in my apartment. A guy with a knife – a big knife. He wanted – he wanted – Kate's mom's autopsy files. Javi has them. He said he'd sneak them back into central files so Beckett wouldn't get in trouble."
"Lanie, leave your apartment. Take a cab to my loft. Don't stop to pack or anything. Just be here in the next 30 minutes. No calls to anyone, Lanie. Just get your ass over here!"
Castle hung up and then dialed Esposito. He had been certain that Esposito would keep this issue with the files secret but apparently 'secret didn't include the woman you slept with'. He frowned at himself. He was keeping secrets from the woman he slept with.
Esposito's phone was either off or busy and went to voicemail. He left an innocuous message about getting together for the Bachelor Party (there wasn't one planned) that they'd agreed was code word for 'trouble', later at the Old Haunt.
He leaned back in his desk chair and stopped to think, really think, old-style think.
They were deep in Indian Country. The enemy was aware of them, hunting them. They were caught flat-footed and cut off from support and supply. They were further hindered by an encumbrance of civilians (Alexis, Jenny, and Jim Beckett, to start with). They couldn't afford the luxury of comfort so…
He made four quick calls and one long one. Satisfied that everything was in motion and that events were out of his hands, he called Kate and when she answered, he could hear Alexis laughing in background.
"We're in the elevator, honey, what's up?" She had no idea that her world was about to come crashing down around her.
"Lanie's on her way over. She's scared and she needs to talk with you. I'll fill you in when you get here."
"That couldn't wait until – "
"No, it couldn't. I'll talk with you when you get here. We'll eat and then we'll talk. Lanie's rattled and she can't get in touch with Espo, and that's got her in a twist."
He heard the door to the loft open and he walked out and drew his girls into a hug. Safe – for now. Kate leaned into him, suddenly aware of how tense and coiled he seemed. She put her arm around his waist and the other around Alexis. Home. Safe. She tried to will these feelings into Castle.
"Alexis, go upstairs and throw all your winter clothes into a bag. Hurry. We've got a lot to do and almost no time to do it. Kate, do the same. Lanie will be here any minute so throw some winter gear into a bag that might fit her. We're going to pick up Kevin and Jenny and your dad. Go!"
"Rick, what's wrong? You're acting like a mad man and no one's going anywhere until I get an explanation. Sit down, Richard Castle, and spill. You're scaring Alexis half to death."
Alexis had never seen her father so…wound up…and yeah, it did scare her. She stood as close to Kate as she could and watched as her father's face grew cold and rigid.
"Alexis, move it. Kate, pack. We do not have time for this right now. When we're all safe and in the air, then I'll explain everything." At least she couldn't run away from him at 30,000 feet but he wouldn't put it past her to do something gloriously Beckett-like.
"Safe? I don't understand and I will not be talked to that way, Rick! I – "
She was interrupted by a pounding on the door and a frantic Lanie calling his name. He rushed to the door and let her in, stepping aside so that she could see Kate and put one of her fears to rest.
"Oh, thank God you're okay, Kate. The guy – " She saw Alexis standing there, wide-eyed, and stopped to think…but Kate intuitively sensed that whatever Lanie had to say wasn't for young ears.
"Alexis, honey, go up and pack like you daddy says. Lanie and I will be up to pack a bag for the both of us. Warm clothes, baby. Go."
When Alexis disappeared up the stairs to her room, Kate turned on Lanie and said, "What the hell is going on, Lanie?"
"I need a drink. Castle? Where's the hard stuff?" She followed Rick into his office and emerged with 3 fingers of Famous Grouse in a glass tumbler and sat down across from Kate at the kitchen island. It took her the entire glass, a refill, and five minutes to summarize what had happened.
"Rick, he wanted the autopsy files. He trashed my apartment and he was waiting for me. I don't think our secret's a secret any longer."
Kate's voice was colder than he'd ever heard it. "What secret, Castle?"
Esposito stepped out of the shower and dried off. He was going to head over to Lanie's and see if they could make plans for the weekend. He was toweling off his short hair and glanced up and saw a man standing in his bathroom doorway. He reacted quicker than the intruder and the fight was over in just a few seconds.
"Shit, shit, shit." He held the towel to his forearm, putting pressure on the knife slash. It was deep and had hit the bone and the pain was blinding. He called Lanie but her phone went to voicemail and he saw the icon for voicemail in his display and he listened to Castle's message and dressed quickly and was out the door and down the back stairs to the street. He walked quickly down the block, checking for a tail, before hailing a cab and giving the driver Castle's address.
"Why do I have to leave, Kevin? This is insane! I have a job and – "
"Jenny, if you love me, you'll shut up and get in the damned car. I hope you packed warm weather clothes like I told you. I don't know where we're headed but the man knows his stuff. If you stay here, chances are you'll be hurt or worse and they won't stop until they get answers so that means your mom and dad, your brother…"
"Drive, Ryan, and then we'll talk. If you're in trouble, you should go to the police – "
"Ha! I don't trust any of my brothers or sisters in blue anymore, Jenn. I only trust my team and a few others. I'll tell you everything I can once I know we're safe and not until. Trust me, Jenny, or get out of the car and call a cop. See how long you stay alive!"
The forty-minute drive to Castle's loft was made in total silence.
Total silence. It had descended like a cold blanket of soundless fog.
"I asked you a question, Castle. What secret?" Her voice was Kate Beckett, detective and interrogator, a woman who hated secrets (unless they were hers, of course).
"I will tell you everything at the appropriate time but now is not that time, Kate. Trust me, it'll take more time than we have before we have to leave town. Once we're in the air and safe – I'll tell you everything but not until."
"Safe? Safe from whom?" Like a dog with a bone, she wasn't going to let go. He took a deep breath and watched the woman he loved revert to 'Alley Kate'. A glance toward Lanie convinced him that now was definitely not the time for this discussion.
"Kate, listen to Rick, sweetie. He's right. This is definitely not the time." She turned away from her friend when her cell rang. She sobbed with relief. "Oh, thank you, Jesus!" and handed the phone to Rick, unable to talk and sliding off the stool and making her way to the office for more liquid courage.
Kate followed Lanie into Rick's office, determined to get answers any way she could. She watched as Lanie refilled her glass tumbler with unsteady hands.
"Okay, Lanie, spill. What secret? And don't give me that crap about how we don't have time because we'll make time, damn it."
"We don't have time for this shit now, Kate! Besides, I don't know all of it and I think Rick's got this thing compartmentalized for a reason. Look, trust him to be doing what's best for you and wait, just like he said."
"I don't need anyone deciding what's best for me, Lanie, least of all Rick." She thought about what she'd said the moment she saw the look of disgust flow over Lanie's face.
"I mean – "
"What will it take for you to finally crawl out of that hole you keep throwing yourself down and look around and realize that the man would do anything, Kate, anything for you? You going to marry the man and he's 'least of all' in your list of people you don't want helping you? Oh, brother, Beckett, you really are something, y'know that?"
She pushed past Kate and sat back at the kitchen island watching as Rick made sandwiches and puttered around to keep busy.
Esposito called and said he was in the lobby but 'not on the list' so Castle buzzed him up. He looked pale and wan and Lanie was on him in a second, tearing off the coat he wore and then sucking in a deep breath when she saw the knife wound.
"A really big knife, right, Javi? Castle, I need your first aid kit and a sewing kit if you have one. And put on some water to boil, a pan, not a kettle. Sit down over here, sweetie, and let me look at that." She sucked in a breath and looked at her boyfriend with worried eyes.
"This – this is too much for me to just sew up. You need a hospital and a competent physician, not someone who's latest patient was dead. We need to rethink this, figure out a way to stay and get you medical treatment. This is way beyond – "
"Lanie, just sew it up. They're closing in on us and we have to get our asses in gear. C'mon, babe, get to stitchin'. Ryan and Jenny are on the way."
Kate had walked over to the kitchen island. Her first thought was 'why' and then 'who' and back to 'why'.
"Who did this, Esposito? And where?" Kate's stomach did a quick somersault before she got her emotions under control. She swallowed convulsively when she saw Espo's wound.
"No ID. He was clean. And very dead. Came for me while I was in the shower. Man, my super's going to be pissed about the broken mirror and shower enclosure…not to mention a dead man stinking up the place."
Castle was back with a first aid kit and a traveler's sewing kit. When Lanie held up the kit, he shrugged and said, "It's all we have and I had to dig through tons of hotel room 'amenities' I've collected over the years to find it."
"Javi, I can't do it…I just can't. I'm sorry, but I won't hurt you."
"Chica, we can't risk a hospital. Hell, for all we know, they might be outside, just waiting for the chance to finish up what they messed up the first time. Do it. Please, Lanie!" Lanie leaned back and shook her head. No anesthesia, nothing to numb the arm. She couldn't do it.
Castle disappeared and came back in a few seconds holding something behind his back.
"Espo, I love ya like a brother but that arm needs closed up. Turn you head, Javi, and take a deep breath. Lanie, can you at least hold the sides of the wound closed for now?"
When Lanie pulled the gash closed, Castle whipped out a hand stapler and popped a series of staples into Javier's arm to close the wound. Kate almost vomited and Esposito turned white as a sheet but it was Lanie who was the most vocal.
"You son of a bitch! Those aren't sterile. That was the dumbest…most necessary thing you could do. Javi, honey, we'll just have to watch for signs of infection and do the best we can to immobilize it. I'll slather this antibacterial gel over it and then use gauze to provide support. Then we'll get a sling on it and strap it up and it'll have to do until we get somewhere safe."
Alexis came down after Javier had been bandaged up and had his arm in a sling. She took two suitcases to the door and then went back upstairs and brought down two more.
"Alexis, do you think you really need all those clothes?" He didn't think Alexis even had that many 'warm clothes'.
"I pulled out all Grams' heavy coats and sweaters. You never could bring yourself to clean out her stuff and, well, we need it. I don't think she'd mind, do you, Dad?"
Always the practical one, Alexis simply did what was necessary to resolve issues. Sometimes she was more like her Dad than she'd ever admit.
Castle swept his daughter into a bone-crushing hug and just rocked back and forth, needing the closeness.
"Okay, this is what's going to happen. We're getting a limo and heading out to – "
"Rick, the beach house is the first place they'll look for us. We can't – "
" - Easthampton airport. There's a plane there that'll handle all of us. Kate, your dad's on his way there right now so we need to get a move on. Lanie, call Ryan and tell him we're leaving in 10 minutes and he'd better be here or drive out to the Island and meet us. We'll be in the air in 3 hours and that's a clock that starts ticking right now."
Kate was stunned by the sudden change of direction in her fiance's thought processes. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing…and he'd thought enough ahead to have included her dad in his plans.
Jenny and Ryan were waiting in the lobby when the group emerged from the elevator, carrying and dragging suitcases and looking like refugees. Each of them had a slightly shocked look about them.
"Good. You made it. Get in the limo and buckle up. Whatever happens, don't leave the limo." Jenny started to protest but stifled it when she saw the looks on the group's faces. Or maybe it was the sawed-off shotgun that Castle had under his coat that made her realize that she wasn't in Kansas any more.
The long white limo was parked at the curb and the group hurried to it and got in, pulling their luggage with them. There was easily room for another 4 people even with the suitcases dumped haphazardly on various seats.
Castle keyed the intercom and the limo pulled out and quickly accelerated beyond the speed limit. Another terse command and a response of 'in position, Mr. Castle, two minutes' and their limo was suddenly in the center of a veritable parade of identical white limos that constantly accelerated past them, changed lanes, slowed down, a shell game with the seven precious peas in their constantly-moving pod.
"No signs of pursuit, Mr. Castle, but we're coming up on the switch point. Have them ready."
The remaining limos formed a slow-moving blockade along the 4 lanes of 8th Avenue and the limo turned onto a side street and stopped.
"Okay, everyone out and into the two black town cars. The luggage will be stuffed into the trunks. Go!"
No one questioned his orders and everyone did exactly as required. Within 5 minutes the two black Lincoln town cars were slipping into traffic and heading for the Long Island Expressway and Easthampton.
"Okay. I think we've confused the oppos and slipped away cleanly. The livery service earned a big bonus tonight. I just never thought they'd have a contingency plan to handle our getaway but they did. They used a similar plan for when the Royals were here. Pretty damned cool if you ask me!"
Kate was quietly thinking all this through. Alexis was leaning against her and she put her arm around the girl and pulled her head down onto her lap and whispered, "Sleep, Lexie. Everything's going to be okay."
She leaned against Rick and grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and laid her head on his shoulder and watched the lights of the city thin as they drove onto the LIE.
She felt him press a kiss into her hair and sigh. Even though they were the target of a gang of killers, she felt safe.
A/N: The Dragon's men blew it in New York but they're not done yet. And Montgomery's part in all this is about to come to a violent end.
OM