The Root of All Evil
Chapter 9
Dusk had fallen and the group was still huddled around a table in the middle of one of the tents on the outskirts of the army camp. The tension in the air had been thickening throughout the day, the impending feeling of dread filling the space, suffocating those inside. Esposito's eyes followed Jim as he paced the length of the tent again, the same way he had been for the better part of the last hour. His hand was jittering: flexing and clenching at his hip.
"Jim?" Espo questioned quietly as he made his way to the older man's side. "Are you okay?"
Jim nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, son, I'm fine. Fighting the urge to have a drink but other than that I'm doin' okay."
Espo nodded slowly, clasping a hand to the elder Beckett's shoulder. "We'll figure this out. We'll find out what happened to Castle, we'll get the sheriff out of jail and everything will be just fine. "
Jim nodded, giving the other man a sad smile. "You know, Katie was so scared about the baby, that she would do something wrong. None of the rest of us knew why she was so upset but he did. Castle did. He would calm her down, talk her out of her head and make her just be happy. I know she would never hurt him, I just don't understand what is going on. Why would someone do this to them? If it is Demming, then why?"
"Maybe it has something to do with Bryant."
The room fell silent as all seven heads turned to look at Daniel.
Espo took a step forward. "What does this have to do with Bryant?"
Daniel's eyes swiveled from one side of the tent to the other, glancing over all of the faces staring back at him, some with wide eyes, other narrow, all expectant. "Well since he was released..."
The sudden motion of Espo's hands coming up to grasp the front of his white shirt; lifting the boy up so that the tips of his boots barely touched the floor cut off Daniel's voice. Alexis was yelling at him to put Daniel down but Espo only let out a growl in reply. "What do you mean Bryant was released?"
Daniel gulped as he stared down at the man holding him by the collar. "I mean that he was released. The general was talking about it…"
"General Johnson knew about this and nobody told us?"
Daniel shook his head, eyes wide, "No, Sir, they knew. Sheriff Beckett and Mr. Castle, they were all talking about it the day they got married. That's why he ordered more patrols for the town. The sheriff was worried he would come looking for her."
The group fell silent as mouths gaped open and eyes stared, wide.
A single voice broke through the thickening silence and all of the heads turned to Gina as she spoke. "Who's Bryant?"
Silence fell again as the words hung in the air. Alexis's arms came up to wrap around her body.
"He's the devil," she whispered.
Espo dropped Daniel with a thud and the boy teetered for a second before steadying himself and taking a step back over to Alexis's side. All eyes turned to look at her and Daniel wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"It doesn't change anything," Ryan piped up. "Our plan will still work."
Esposito nodded, clapping his hands together as he came to stand beside his partner. "So, here's what will happen. Jim: go back to town. Run your saloon, keep an eye on the jail; make sure the sheriff is okay. Ryan, Port, Gina: you head over to the reservation; fill them in. Alexis, you and Lanie stay here. Coordinate with the army. Daniel, get some of the men together. You're leading the ambush."
Daniel looked up startled. "Me? What about you?"
Javi's eyes flickered between the young man and the red head standing at his side. "I'm going to find Castle. He's out there somewhere and I'd bet that Bryant is the one that has him."
Kate sat on the bench, her knees pulled up to her chest, as far as they would go now, at least. Her stomach was round, more round than it appeared for most women at the beginning of their second trimester but then again, most of the women around were more than just skin and bones. She sighed as she stared out the bars, her chin resting on her knees, and made a mental note to eat more. Castle was right. She was constantly hungry and now that the nausea was gone, she really did need to eat.
It wasn't that she didn't want to, because she did, she simply felt selfish. Food was limited, why did she deserve more than the next person?
"Your Papa is a good person," she murmured to her stomach. "He's annoying and stubborn and sometimes he doesn't know how to act like an adult, but he's a good person."
"You know, people are going to start thinking you're insane if you keep talking to yourself like that. Then again, maybe that would be a good defense for your trial."
Kate looked up, fighting the urge to glare at Demming through the bars. He hadn't even left her alone to bathe the night before, forcing her to turn to face the back corner of the cell for a modicum of privacy as she stripped and washed the layers of dirt and blood from her skin.
They both knew there wasn't going to be a trial, not a true one at least. There would be a judge, a prosecutor and her defender but it would be a farce. She couldn't let it get that far but so far it was harder than she had thought to gain an advantage. They hadn't given her cutlery with her meals, forcing her to eat with her hands. The bucket hadn't even had a splintered side that she could break off and use as a weapon. There had been nothing. Not even a hairbrush. They had taken her clothing and shoes leaving her only with the dress she was wearing. It didn't even have a sash around it that could be used to choke someone.
Her fingers came up to play with the end of her braid as she continued to ignore Demming's comment, her lip biting gently into her bottom lip.
Think, Kate.
Her fingers brushed the strap of leather tied around the bottom of her braid and she froze. She had braided her hair the night before when she had bathed and they hadn't noticed.
A glimmer of hope. She brushed a finger over it again, grasping it in her palm, tugging it out of her hair gently and sliding it into her lap before bringing her fingers back up to work the braid out of her hair, letting it tumble in waves down to her waist and fall over her shoulder and around her face. Her eyes glanced up through the curtain of hair, memorizing their positions. Now, she just had to get Demming alone.
She sucked in breath as she ducked her head back down to look at her belly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and her words got caught in her throat as she pressed her hand to her belly, reveling in the feeling of the flutter of motion responding against her palm, giving her the strength she needed. Her hand slipped up to grasp the strand of leather and her fingers fumbled as they made quick work of the knot holding it together in a loop.
She palmed the leather and pushed herself off of the bench with one swift motion, making her way to the bars slowly, her head still ducked. She leaned her side against the iron and rolled her eyes up so that she could see the man seated in front of her.
"So, what does your wife think about you being so far away? I haven't seen her around town, so I'm assuming she isn't here with you," Kate began, her fingers coming up to fiddle together.
Demming glanced up from where he had been polishing his gun. His feet propped on her desk, leaning back in her chair.
He regarded her for a moment, his eyes studying her face, looking for a trick, a tell; a sign that she was up to something.
Her eyes flickered up to his briefly, before looking back down at her hands, her head lolling to the side nonchalantly.
"Why do you want to know?"
Kate shrugged, forcing herself to keep the smirk off of her face. For better or worse, she was good at this and he was already falling for it. "I'm just bored, want to talk."
He stayed silent and Kate rolled her eyes up to look at him again, gauge his reaction.
He was looking at her, arms crossed over his chest.
"I've never been married."
Kate bit her lip. Perfect. "That's got to be lonely. Not having someone to spend your life with. No one to… satisfy you when you need it."
She held her breath while Demming continued to study her, gauge her. Slowly he braced his hands on the arms of the chair and pushed himself up, walking lazily over to the jail cell to stand directly opposite from Kate. He reached a hand through and cupped her chin, tilting it back so that he could look at her face. His thumb caressed her cheek softly and he pulled her forward by the back of neck so that her body was flesh with the bars before pulling her into a rough kiss, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth, his teeth bruising her lips. She whimpered slightly, shocked by the motion and splinter of pain, while his free hand reach to grasp her hand and his fingers forced hers to uncurl, wrenching the stand of leather from her tight fist.
He pulled back, breaking the kiss as abruptly as he started it and he smiled down at her, before patting her on the cheek.
"Good try," he whispered as he took a step back and turned to retake his seat at the desk, twirling the strand between his fingers. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
Kate glared at him as she lifted a finger to her lips to wipe away a smudge of blood leaking from her cracked, and now, slightly swollen lip. "What gave me away?"
Demming smirked at her as he wrapped the length of leather around his hand then unwound it again. Lazily repeated the action a couple more times. "You talk in your sleep."
Kate looked at him, stunned, her finger resting against the cut on her lip, pressing gently against the torn flesh. He knew all along?
Her eyes narrowed into a glare and he chuckled back at her. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Mrs. Castle. I'm a lot smarter than you think I am and I know you. Don't forget that."
Kate glared at him, her jaw set. "It's Beckett. Sheriff Beckett, you son of a bitch."
Demming chuckled again before swinging his legs up on the desk, leaning back in his chair and plopping his hat back down over his face. His arms crossed over his chest, the strand of leather still wound around his fingers, taunting her. Kate let out a growl from the back of her throat before pushing herself off of the bars and backing towards the bench, falling back onto it when the edge hit the back of her legs.
"This isn't over Demming. You won't get away with this, you know I didn't do anything wrong."
Demming let out a sigh and lazily brought a hand up to pluck the hat off of his face, tilting his head up so that he could look at her. "Do I? I don't know that, and neither do you."
Her response was cut off as the doors swung open and a man in a tailored suit and top hat walked in. Demming glanced over at the door and was up out of his seat in a flash.
"Sir! Good evening, we weren't expecting you for another few days."
Kate glanced between the pair, her face passive, never moving from her spot on the bench. Hands braced at her sides, shoulders hunched.
"Yes, well, the meetings in Denver were cut short. Besides I heard that there were pressing matters here that I needed to attend to."
The man looked over at Kate, studying her through the bars. She stared back, her eyes level with his. Steel.
"Good evening Mrs. Castle," the man greeted and Kate clenched her jaw in response, her nostrils flairing slightly. When she failed to reply the man turned to Demming, gesturing at Kate's lip. "I assume that's your work? Leave us."
Demming glanced over at Kate before turning back to the visitor, opening his jaw to protest. "Sir, I don't think..."
"You don't think what, Demming? That I can handle a woman?"
"Sir, she's already tried to escape once today."
"Yes, well I can see that she didn't succeed, so, therefore, she isn't very good at it, now is she? Leave us, now."
Demming sighed but picked up his hat without further protest and turned towards the door.
"Demming," the man called as Tom neared the swinging panels and he paused, mid stride.
"Sir?"
"The keys," the man ordered, holding out his hand.
Demming opened his mouth to protest again but instead only shook his head and handed the keys to the other man. Kate watched the exchange with wide eyes, forcing herself not to move, not to shrink up in a ball. There was no reason for this man to want the keys to the cell, except… no. Kate looked around frantically. She needed something, anything, to protect herself.
The doors flapped behind Demming as he clomped down the steps and Kate looked back up to see the man staring at her, the key ring dangling from his finger tips. Slowly, he reached up and pushed the key into the lock and turned it, his eyes never leaving hers. Slowly the door swung open and he stepped back, gesturing with his arm for her to walk out of the cell.
She stared at him for a moment, her body rigid on the bench. What was he doing?
"Come on, don't be shy. I would like to speak to you and I would like to do it like civilized people. So, if you don't mind, I would rather you step out of the cell. I have the feeling you won't try to escape."
Kate stared at him for another moment before finally pushing herself off of the bench and making her way towards the front of the cell, walking casually through the open doorway, her eyes never leaving the visitor.
"You're a very popular woman Mrs. Castle. Or should I call you Ms. Beckett? Which do you prefer?"
"Beckett," Kate answered after a beat, her eyes still unwavering.
"Ms. Beckett, then. As I was saying, you are a very popular woman. I have heard of you all the way back in Washington."
Kate studied him for another moment, her eyes narrow at his cordial tone, her arms hanging loosely at her sides. "Who are you?"
"Oh," the man responded cheerfully, a hand coming up to wave in apology. "I apologize. I forgot to introduce myself my name is Robert Stevenson. I will be the prosecutor for your case."
Kate's eyes darted to the side, Stevenson…
The man chuckled slightly. "Ah, yes, Ms. Beckett, I believe you know my wife…"
Kate's eyes grew wide as her gaze snapped back to him. "Your…"
Stevenson chuckled again, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. "Is it all starting to make sense now, Ms. Beckett? You're a bright girl, I'm sure you can put it all together."
"Amanda, Bryant, Demming… it's all…" Kate's voice trailed off as her head started to spin and one hand shot out to catch the back of the chair as her other came to wrap around her belly.
"Oh, you are smart. It barely took you a second at all. Unfortunately, that sharp mind isn't going to save you from this situation. Because, you see, even if you shouted it from the rooftops, no one would believe you. Besides, everyone that matters is on my side anyway."
"You bastard," Kate growled. "Where's Castle? What did you do with him?"
Stevenson took a step forward, his hand reaching out to brush back her hair, running his fingers down her face as his tone dropped into a course whisper. "Oh, sweetheart, don't you worry about that. He's somewhere that you could never find him. You really are beautiful, you know. Amanda left that part out."
Kate's hand came up to slap his away and she let out a shout of pain as his fist came up to grasp her hair at the scalp tugging her down to her knees. The sound of a gun cocking was at her ear and Kate froze, her eyes wide as she felt the cold metal press against her temple.
"Now, Ms. Beckett, as far as the world is concerned, your husband is dead and you are responsible. You are going to hang. The question is, whether or not you will stay alive long enough for your baby to not die with you. So, I am willing to make you a deal for your child's life." He paused, his hand untangling from her hair, his fingers caressing her scalp, making her skin crawl, before coming up to rest on his belt, toying with the buckle at her eye level. "The question is what are you going to do for me in return?"