Reason: Chapter 14
"You sure, Ryan?" Beckett asked the phone, tangling a hand in her hair. I couldn't hear his response but by the expression on Beckett's face, Ryan was quite sure. She let out a weary breath, making the strands of hair that had fallen in front on her face dance.
"Okay, see you later," she finished, sweeping her hair back and hanging up the phone.
"No luck?" I asked, focusing on her eyes. They often told the most about how she was feeling. Tired, was the only thing I could see but even an idiot could pick up on that. Her shoulders were slumped, her head rested on her hand and her eyelids drooped.
"She's gone," Beckett told me. "No sign of her."
"What do we do?" I asked her.
"We've already put out an APB," she said, "It'll just take time."
"This is so frustrating!" I exclaimed, throwing my body back in the chair. It never went like this in my novels!
"This isn't one of your books, Castle," she remarked. Had she read my mind? I immediately filled my mind with, 'Can you hear me, Kate?' but there was no response from her. Oh well.
Once again, Esposito rolled himself over to us.
"Got a hit on Quackenbos," he said, all business. The name Quackenbos made me laugh a little but I sobered at the look Esposito gave me.
"What took you so long, Espo?" Beckett taunted.
"I was confirming with Mrs. Albeni," he replied, slightly defensive. He soldiered through the teasing, slightly victorious look Beckett was aiming his way and continued. "Anyway, there are two vaults with Quackenbos's in them."
"There's a plural of Quackenbos?" I asked. I ran through a couple ways to plural it but all of them sounded silly.
"Hmm, I get what you're saying," Esposito told me, looking thoughtful. "Would it be Quackenbos's or Quackebees..."
"Or Quackenbi?"
"Quackenbice?"
"Guys," Beckett interjected. "Can we just focus on the case?"
"Right," Esposito announced, quite business-like. "There are Quackenbi in vaults 61 and 152. Mrs. Albeni is related to both branches of Quackenbice."
I noted his usage of plurals.
"Nice." I told him, holding out my hand for him to feed the birds. He did and Beckett shook her head slightly, as if wondering at the bounds of our childishness. For the record, it knows no bounds.
"Okay, boys, you've demonstrated your grammar. Can you demonstrate your killer catching skills now, please?" she asked with an tolerantly amused tone.
"Sure thing, boss," replied Esposito and he slid away, calling for Ryan.
"Those crazy kids," I commented, watching as Ryan stepped out of the elevator just as Esposito picked up the phone to call him.
I turned my head to see Beckett looking at me incredulously.
"What?" I asked, adopting an offended tone.
Her only response was to raise her eyebrows and turn away.
"Please," I told her. "Like you're completely innocent."
I could tell she rolled her eyes. It's one of those things you can just sense.
By the time we reached New York City Marble Cemetery, it was dark.
So very cliché. We were always at cemeteries and other creepy places where dead people lived at night. The world was determined to thrust us into a horror movie.
Ryan and Esposito were checking out vault number 61, while Beckett and I were headed in the direction of vault 152. Beckett wasn't speaking and I was focused on the area around me. I didn't want any zombies to jump out at me unexpectedly. Or killers, for that matter.
"I'm sorry about earlier," Beckett blurted suddenly. I looked over at her. She was scanning the cemetery but seemed tense. I immediately knew which 'earlier' to which she was referring but decided to give her an out.
"My nose will recover, don't worry," I told her lightly. She chuckled, but grew serious again.
"That fight was unprofessional and you didn't need to see it," she continued. "It won't happen again."
Won't happen again as in..?
"Kate," I stopped walking and she followed suite, turning to face me. "You don't need to apologise. You didn't do anything that needs an apology. Now...I know it's none of my business but..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling awkward. Her personal life was her personal life and I had no right to pry. Even though she was my soul mate, I didn't have a right to her innermost thoughts and feelings. A guy can dream, though.
"We broke up."
Her reply surprised me. It was quick and to the point but I sensed some pain in her voice. A part of me was dancing for joy while another part wanted to hurt Josh for hurting her.
"I'm sorry, Kate," I murmured.
"I'll be fine once I see you serving the Homicide department dinner in a dress," she joked, the pain gone from her voice. I accepted the change in topic and went along with it willingly. I also began the walk towards vault 152 again.
"Please," I scoffed. "Debra Sanson will have a pirate connection and you'll be the one in a dress."
She let out a quick, loud laugh. "Your writer's imagination is running away again."
And then it really did run away. I pictured Kate in a zillion different, sexy dresses. Tight, low cut and with open backs. Blood reds or deep blues, blacks or the same green as her eyes. Flowy, almost transparent materials or fabrics as soft as silk. It must have shown on my face because she hit my arm.
"Castle, focus," she ordered.
"Oh I am," I answered dreamily, images still swirling in my head.
"On the light up ahead," she whispered, shutting off her flashlight.
That snapped me back to reality. I switched off my light and jumped stealthily behind a marble pillar. I use 'stealthily' generously here.
Beckett cleared her jacket away from her gun for easy access, should the need arise. She motioned with her hands for us to walk in. She started first and I followed slightly behind her. We had gone into enough dangerous situations by now for me to know to stay behind her.
The solitary light by the pillar that marked vault 152 cast eerie shadows out from the epicentre, like they were exploding from it. In the dim lighting, I could see a figure working at a shovel.
A figure that was most definitely not female.
Beckett noticed as well. She stiffened and pulled out her gun. The man continued to rummage around in the considerable hole he'd dug. Good, we still had the element of surprise. He looked unarmed but you could never tell. Just then, the man straightened and grabbed for his belt. On reflex, I ducked down and hid behind a pillar just as a bullet whizzed through the space I had recently occupied. Beckett returned fire immediately but missed as the man rolled along the ground towards cover. I saw him disappear behind another pillar. He stuck out his gun and fired two more rounds in our general direction. I heard them hit somewhere in the distance. He was a lousy shot, whoever he was.
Beckett returned fire and struck the marble tower the man was taking shelter from. The man shot back right away, this time striking somewhere closer to Beckett.
I could hear Ryan or Esposito approaching quickly and I felt relief. I turned around to face whichever one had come to our rescue. To my shock and horror, it was not either of Rysposito but someone else entirely.
Debra Sanson ran at me, shovel ready to swing at my head. I ducked just as it ripped through the air towards me. I scrambled back while trying to stay out of range of the still unknown man's gun.
"Beckett!" I cried, still dancing backwards. She turned her head and her eyes widened as she took in my plight. Simultaneously, she turned and fired at Debra Sanson who dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the shot aimed for her head. She scurried behind a pillar farther away as Beckett shot again.
I wanted to run over to Beckett but the hidden man still posed a problem. I couldn't reach her unless I wanted to get shot. Sadly, Sanson still posed a danger to me and Beckett couldn't hold both villains off for too long. I hid behind a tree and hoped Ryan and Esposito were hurrying over as fast as they could.
I stayed pressed against the tree when Sanson renewed her attack. She rushed at me, shovel in front of her like a lance. I called for Beckett again but knew it was hopeless. I was blocking her shot and there was nowhere I could go. I tried to twirl out of the way and mostly succeeded. The shovel caught me in the side, leaving a gash that throbbed with every movement. I suppressed a groan. I heard Beckett calling me, her voice ragged with stress. I called back, wincing as the extra exertion pulled my wound. Sanson had retreated for the moment again. Once I had moved, she was an open target and she knew it.
I looked around for a weapon. Anything would do. Beckett and mystery man still fired at each other, but Beckett was shouting at him, trying to get him to give in. I admired her display of fearlessness and power.
The cemetery was kept very clean, something I would have admired any other time. Right now, however, it was extremely inconvenient. There was nothing on the ground that could even dream of being dangerous. There was nothing on the ground period. My only tactic was to avoid Sanson. I scanned the trees but I couldn't climb them. There were no low branches. Besides, my side hurt too much for that to even be an option. I couldn't get to Beckett. I couldn't see any help coming. I was trapped. I thought I saw movement to the side of me so I hurried backwards. A shot hit somewhere close to me so I tore off in the opposite direction. Beckett called my name again and I called back.
There seemed to be noise all around me. Everywhere I turned, I saw a shovel raising to smack me or stabbing towards my gut. Every shadow held Debra Sanson. In the almost non-existent lighting, the trees looked foreboding, as if they would sooner cut me than hide me or rip me limb from limb.
I whipped my head as I heard a shovel drag across the ground. I sucked in a breath and tried very hard not to make a noise. The noise stopped, then changed directions. I let out a breath slowly.
Back towards the gunfire, I could see the figures of Ryan and Esposito running over before splitting up; Ryan joining Beckett while Esposito snuck around behind the man who had the audacity to shoot at a cop.
I knew I was saved. Surely, Sanson wouldn't be dumb enough to attack me now.
There was the possibility she might be, though, so I maintained my position. I heard more than saw the team take the man down. Esposito started reading rights while Beckett searched for me. Ryan was helping Espo with the man who was putting up a bit of a fight.
"Castle!"
Her voice was scratchy with worry as she ran, searching for signs of me or Sanson. Her gun was still drawn, for which I was immensely thankful.
"Kate!" I called back, taking a step forward to see her.
Her eyes met mine and the stress left her posture. She lowered her gun and grinned continuing towards me. I smiled back and started forwards. Just then Beckett face dropped so fast that it was almost like the joy had never been there. She raised her gun to point somewhere behind me.
I turned to look just as the back of a shovel collided with my skull.
A/N: Bam, cliffhanger. How bout that, real action! What did you think? Any guesses as to the identity of the mystery man?
There'll be one more chapter after this, I think. Thanks for sticking with me.