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Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing these guys, Mr. Marlowe, don't worry. Like the way friends borrow lawn mowers. Only I think I'll return them in better condition.
It was midnight, or close to it. There was no way to tell from the shafts of blue-silver light coming through the slats above them. Having practically shouted themselves hoarse in fifteen different languages, Alexis and Emmett collapsed against the wall next to the mattress. Benny laid spread eagled on the mattress itself, making an occasional small noise as she shifted in her sleep.
Alexis sat with her knees up against her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Emmett sat next to her in the same position. They said nothing, sitting there staring into nothing. Strangely, Alexis didn't feel tired. She rested her head on her knees, looking out into the dark room. They'd turned the lamp off long ago.
Something said earlier tugged at Alexis, and she swiveled her head to look at Emmett. "Who's Bransky?" She asked.
Emmett treated her to a lopsided grin, the first one in hours, and Alexis felt that tug again. She tried to ignore it.
"He's a street artist – and a pretty damn amazing one. He had this one show that included an elephant." Emmett said.
"And Mr. Brainwash?" Alexis asked.
"He's another street artist. Well, kind of, it's a long story… did you ever see Exit Through the Gift Shop?" Emmett asked.
Alexis shook her head.
Emmett turned so that he was facing her, and launched into an explanation of the independent documentary, eventually explaining about street art in general. It turned out that he was a bit of a street artist himself, often sneaking out at night to paint his art along alley walls.
"I figure those walls are pretty ugly just as bricks – why not spread art, give people something fun and interesting to look at?" Emmett explained. His entire face was blazing, like someone had set a candle inside.
"That explains the callous on your index finger." Alexis said. The words were out of her mouth before she even realized that she was thinking them.
Emmett looked down at his hands. "Yeah, that's from pressing down on the pump for the spray paint cans." He explained, a little sheepish. "How'd you…?"
"When you were touching my back." Alexis explained, hoping he couldn't see her blush in the darkness.
Was it just her imagination, or did Emmett blush as well? He certainly shifted uncomfortably. Hoping to ease the tension, Alexis asked him more questions, and soon they were chatting animatedly. They moved on from street art – and art in general – to films; apparently, Emmett was a huge fan of independent films. Alexis loved documentaries, for her part.
She was quickly realizing that she'd misjudged him. Emmett was rebellious and gave off a cocky air, yes, and he was wildly different and independent, but she liked it. She liked it a lot. He was still intelligent and thoughtful, but at the same time he made her laugh and made her think in ways that Ashley hadn't.
Wait – when had she started comparing Emmett to Ashley?
She really needed to talk to someone about this. She'd gone from hating Emmett to liking him (as a friend, her mind screamed) to comparing him to Ashley? Where was Beckett to talk to when she needed her?
Okay, now she was looking to Beckett for advice?
She needed to get out of here before her brain got even more addled.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Beckett's brain was more addled then scrambled eggs in a bowl. It was one o'clock in the morning, and she was over at Castle's loft because the precinct wasn't an option. The boys had managed to fend off Gates, but she didn't know how long they'd be able to keep it up. Not to mention that the first 24 hours were the most important in a kidnapping case, and they'd gotten hardly anywhere. And did she mention that Castle was experiencing more mood swings then a drunken teenage girl?
"Castle, if you do not stop pacing you will not only wear a hole in the floor but I will personally handcuff you to your office chair." Beckett snapped.
"Is that a promise?" Castle said with a hint of his old teasing tone.
"It's not a promise, it's a threat." Beckett assured him, fighting to keep the smile off her face. It was the first joke he'd made all day.
They'd managed to trace all the appearances made by the fake cleaning crew – there appeared to be two of them – as they'd made their way through the museum. They had gone into the women's bathroom twice and the men's bathroom once, each time emerging from them and heading down the hallway to the loading exit in the back of the museum.
"What I still don't get," Beckett said, frowning as she watched the video play out (they'd burned copies and were now viewing them on the projection screen), "Is why they went into the women's twice but the men's only once."
She rewound and played the video of the abductor entering the men's bathroom. A moment later another one entered the women's. They both left five minutes after they'd entered, heading back to the loading entrance.
Castle walked back over to her and peered at the screen. "It's interesting how first one, and then the other, goes in, but they come out at the same time." He said slowly. "You'd think they'd plan to both go in and come out together, or go in and leave separately."
"Well, maybe they just messed up on the timing." Beckett said.
"Yes, but everything else was timed out perfectly. The van that was waiting in the loading area, the one we saw on the security footage; choosing the bathroom nearest the van so they would have to travel the least amount of distance to deposit the cargo; leaving exactly five minutes after they nab their victim…"
"Wait!" Beckett turned to face him. "The victim!"
She whirled around and re-played the video. "When Alexis vanished, the person was already inside the bathroom, see? They entered right before she did, and left exactly five minutes afterwards. But this time…"
The video showed the fake cleaning crew member enter the men's restroom. A minute later, a boy walked towards the bathroom, but stopped before entering. He bent down and took a drink out of the water fountain. While he was doing so, a girl walked into view of the camera. She stopped and started talking to the boy. They talked for a moment, and then both the boy and the girl went into their respective restrooms.
A minute after that, the other cleaning crew member entered the girl's restroom. Exactly five minutes after that, both cleaning crew members emerged, pushing the carts concealing their victims.
"It's because of the boy and the girl! The kidnapper must have heard them talking and called the other one to come and get the girl." Beckett said. "The only problem is I don't see why…"
"Wait – zoom in on their faces." Castle instructed.
Beckett did so. They could now see the faces of the boy and the girl talking. The video was in black and white so they couldn't see any hair or eye color, but the girl had short hair in a kind of bob, and the boy was wiry but fit.
"I know those kids! They're classmates of Alexis'." Castle explained hurriedly.
"Castle, we already knew that." Beckett explained patiently.
"Yes, but these aren't random classmates. They're Benny and Emmett Manson – they're brother and sister."
Beckett turned, their eyes meeting. A smile lit up her face and she saw Castle's eyes dancing with that old gleam.
"So it wasn't that they were talking…"
"It was that they were brother and sister…"
"And so she'd know if her brother was missing if she didn't see him after the restroom…"
"And that left the kidnappers no choice but to kidnap her as well!"
"So the one in the men's restroom who overhears their conversation realizes their relationship and calls his buddy…"
"Who shows up and enters the restroom…"
"But that would be a huge risk because the girl wouldn't be as caught off-guard or someone else could be in there with her…"
"But it was a risk they had to take to avoid being discovered."
"So they knock out the siblings and leave at the same time to make sure they have the right people…"
"Deposit their victims in the van and leave!"
Beckett and Castle grinned at one another. She loved it when they did this – when they were so in sync that they could finish one another's sentences, bouncing ideas and words off of one another and gaining momentum as they did so.
"So they most likely didn't plan to take three people – they probably only wanted a boy and a girl, because after they took Benny and Emmett they left the museum." Castle said.
"This is a good thing, it shows that they've already messed up once in their plan. They've already been forced to improvise, to take a risk. This means that they could mess up again, make a fatal error." Beckett said.
"But we still–"
There was the sound of the mail slot on the front door rattling, and both Beckett and Castle turned. A white piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
They dashed towards it, stumbling and tripping over each other in a manner completely unbefitting an experienced NYPD cop and a sophisticated member of NYC's highbrow society. Beckett flung the front door open just in time to see the elevator doors close. Drawing her gun, she dashed for the stairs, racing down them two at a time at a speed that would earn her a broken neck if she tripped.
She burst into the lobby of Castle's apartment building just in time to see the elevator doors open and the doorman step out. He was the only one in the elevator.
Beckett hurried over to him.
"Emilio, right?" She asked.
The man turned and smiled at her, as he continued to walk back to his post at the lobby desk. "Yes; Miss Beckett, I presume?"
Beckett nodded curtly. She'd been to Castle's apartment enough for them to know each other's names, and Emilio had always struck her as a nice, amiable man. But tonight, things were different. Alexis' life might hang in the balance, and it was the hard-nosed cop, not the Rick Castle's friend, who took the helm.
"What were you doing dropping off a letter in Richard Castle's apartment?" Beckett demanded. She put her firearm away in its holster; she doubted the man was armed.
Emilio looked surprised that she was so demanding. "I was asked to drop it off as soon as possible, so I went up and did so. I assumed it was a letter or something."
"Who gave it to you?" Beckett asked.
"A man of about medium height – he had tan skin but I think he was white – and broad, boxy shoulders. He had brown eyes and a large mouth. He kept his voice very low and his head down – oh, and he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. He kept the hood on the entire time." The doorman described.
Beckett nodded. "Any distinguishing features?" She asked.
"Well, this might seem odd to you, but his eyes were… well, they were larger at the bottom than the top." Emilio explained.
The corners of Beckett's eyes crinkled as she tried to make sense of this. "Could you sketch him for me?" She asked.
The doorman reached into the lobby desk and pulled out a pad and paper, sketching for a moment before handing the picture to Beckett. Emilio was a pretty good artist – this sketch would be good enough to use to scroll through the database.
Beckett could also see what the doorman was talking about. While the top half of the man's eyes were almost flat, with no arch, the lower part of his eyes had a deep dip, giving off the strange impression that someone had put his eyes in upside-down. Beckett took the sketch.
"Thanks, Emilio. I appreciate it." She said. The doorman nodded, still looking confused, while she dashed back upstairs.
When she got there, she found Castle at his kitchen island, using a Ziploc bag to examine the letter that Emilio had dropped off.
"Someone gave the letter to the doorman, who dropped it in the letterbox for you." Beckett explained. "I have a sketch he drew for me, so we can run it through the system. What's the letter say?"
"It's typed up from a computer." Castle explained, holding it up so that Beckett could see. She walked up to him, peering at the letter. "It's a ransom letter." Castle added, and Beckett could hear the tightness in his voice. She unconsciously put her hand up and rubbed his shoulder as she read the letter.
Mr. Castle;
You have undoubtedly noticed by now the disappearance of your daughter. We have her in our custody, safe and well; however, that condition may not continue. To show that you are willing to do business with us, leave this letter in your mail slot tomorrow morning. Instructions will follow.
It was unsigned.
"I can scan it for prints, but I doubt we'll find any." Beckett said.
"This letter sounds very professional. It has proper grammar and spelling, it's typed out on a computer, it's short and to the point, and it's also rather generic." Castle observed.
He turned, and because Beckett had her hand on his shoulder they found themselves almost pressed against each other. Only a fraction of an inch separated their chests.
Beckett tried to ignore the rush of heat that swept through her.
"You're right." She said, releasing his shoulder and stepping back. "The person didn't waste time with threats and it did sound generic; the name at the top could easily be replaced with another and 'daughter' substituted for son."
"That, plus the sophistication of the letter suggests that these are professionals." Castle agreed.
"So they must have done this before." Beckett said, seeing what he was getting at. "They've done it enough times to send a professional letter…"
"To time out a kidnapping so well that even when there's a hiccup they create a new plan with barely a hitch…"
"To know how to keep their backs to security cameras…"
"And figure out how to stay anonymous…"
They looked at each other. "If they've done this before, Castle, then there will be similar kidnappings, records of missing persons that fits the M.O." Beckett said.
"We have to research it." Castle insisted.
"I'll call the boys." Beckett said as she pulled out her phone.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"I'm sorry."
The apology was so quiet that Alexis almost didn't hear it. "What did you say?" She asked.
"I said I'm sorry; for how I acted earlier. I was a real bastard about it." Emmett apologized.
Alexis shrugged. "It's okay. We were all under some stress."
Emmett shook his head. "That's, uh, not why, but okay." He said.
A sudden awkwardness seemed to have descended upon them. After a moment, Alexis cleared her throat. "You know, I'm sorry too. I judged you before I knew you."
Emmett shot her a lopsided grin. "It's okay – I kind of gave you a reason to judge." He said.
"You're just so different." Alexis wasn't sure why she was explaining all of this, but the words tumbled out of her before she could stop them. "You're intelligent and well-read and all but not in the way that I'm used to and… I don't know. I guess it was a shock."
"Hey, it's okay. No harm done." Emmett said, still grinning. "I like 'em feisty."
Alexis laughed. "By the way," She asked, "Why did you call me 'shortcake' earlier?"
"You didn't get it?" Emmet grinned at her. "It's for Strawberry Shortcake, after your hair."
He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, playing with the strands. An absent, absorbed look came over his face as he stared at the ginger locks in his hand. Alexis leaned into his touch, smiling. A small hum of pleasure sounded in the back of her throat.
The sound seemed to snap Emmett out of his trance, because he pulled his hand back. Alexis missed the feel of it.
"So, uh, you're really confident that your dad and his pals will get us out?" Emmett asked. His voice was slightly higher-pitched, the way it was earlier when he'd touched her back.
"I hope so." Alexis said. "Dad must be worried sick."
"I wish mine was." Emmett growled. He glared at the ground in front of him.
"I'm sorry; Benny told me." Alexis said. She linked her arm with his and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks. They're not bad people, they just… it's like they forget they have kids, or like we're an inconvenience. And then when my Dad does remember I exist, it's only to tell me all the things I'm doing wrong." Emmett said dully.
Alexis snuggled a little closer into him; it just seemed like the right thing to do. "Well, they must have done something right, because you turned out okay."
"Yeah, but Benny's a real nutcase." Emmett joked.
Alexis laughed. She loved how he could make her laugh. She was starting to feel sleepy now, and her laugh turned into a yawn.
"Am I wearing you out?" Emmett asked.
"Fat chance; I can go all night." Alexis said.
"That's what she said." Emmett joked.
Alexis hit him playfully. "Shut up."
She closed her eyes, still resting her head on his shoulder. "Hey, Alexis?" Emmett asked.
"Hmm?" She hummed.
"You're not prissy, you know." He said.
"Good. You're only a little arrogant." Alexis murmured.
His laugh was the last thing she heard as sleep claimed her.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Okay – somebody owes me an explanation."
Alexis stirred, blinking and gazing blearily at Benny, who was standing over her. "What?" She asked sleepily.
"When I went to sleep last night you two were at each other's throats, and now look at you two!" Benny said, clearly frustrated with Alexis' lack of understanding.
Alexis looked around her and shot up out of a sitting position, standing up and backing away from the wall. She'd fallen asleep against the wall, using Emmett's shoulder as a pillow.
"I… uh…" She scrambled to explain. "We got to talking last night and sort of, you know, resolved our differences."
Benny rolled her eyes. "Well thank goodness. I was worried I'd have to ask our captors for earplugs. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that would be?"
She struck a pose. "'Scuse me, Jigsaw/Mr. Bates/random creepy guy – you wouldn't happen to have earplugs on, would you? 'Cause my roommates here won't stop fighting and it's kind of ruining my sense of calm."
"Benny, you don't have a sense of calm." Emmett groaned as he woke up.
Alexis' mind was still reeling. She'd been talking with Emmett, he talked about his parents, she'd leaned into him to comfort him and then she'd fallen asleep…
It was no big deal.
It was a big deal.
But it shouldn't be a big deal.
Right?
Shit, this was a big mess.
At least, to her it was. Benny had already moved on.
"I have got to find a bathroom. I don't care if it's Freddy fucking Kruger on the other side of that door – I have to pee." Benny announced, heading towards the stairs with purpose.
Emmett groaned and flopped onto the mattress. "If anyone gets us out of there it will be her – she'll make our captors so sick of her they'll just let us go to get rid of us."
Alexis smiled down at him. Emmett turned and saw her smiling and grinned back at her. "You like what you see, Shortcake?"
"Actually, I do." Alexis said.
She was pleased when she saw him swallow hard. She crossed over to him, swaying her hips a little (she never swayed her hips!) before plunking down onto the mattress.
"I love this mattress." She said, flashing him a devilish grin.
Emmett's laugh was fast and appreciative. "Miss Perfect has a naughty side – who knew?"
"Hey! Open up! I have to use the bathroom because in case you don't remember, that's where I was headed when you shot me full of elephant tranquilizer!" Benny yelled, pounding on the door. "I was heading to that bathroom for a reason and it sure as hell wasn't to powder my nose!"
"Benny, cut it out. You really want to piss them off?" Emmett yelled.
"As a matter of fact, I do want to piss." Benny yelled right back at him.
"TMI, Benny, TMI!" Alexis said, covering her ears in mock horror.
"What; everyone does it." Benny shrugged.
Emmett groaned while Alexis laughed. "That girl is so embarrassing." He muttered.
Benny had resumed pounding on the door. "Yo! If you're going to make us into a Human Centipede could you please hurry up and get on with it? Because–"
Whatever else Benny was going to say was cut off when the door opened inwards, knocking her backwards and making her stumble. Both Alexis and Emmett jumped up to run to her in case she fell, but Benny regained her balance.
Standing in the doorway was a tall man, dressed in plain jeans and a t-shirt. He had a deep tan and a crew cut, with large brown eyes that looked like someone had put them in upside-down. In his left hand he held a gun.
Alexis' mouth went dry. Emmett took a step forward, grabbing Alexis' wrist and pushing her behind him. He didn't relinquish his hold on her, and even though his grip was tight it didn't hurt. As a matter of fact, it was soothing.
Alexis was reminded of Beckett, and how protective she was. She was angry with Beckett, yes, but she still liked her. Beckett made her dad happy, and while Alexis loved her dad just the way he was, she had to admit that Beckett had changed him; she'd made him a better person while still remaining the same dad she knew and loved.
But Alexis knew she knew that Beckett loved her dad just as her dad loved Beckett. So why wouldn't she tell him? Why did she have to be such a damn emotional chicken?
Faced with the current torrent of strange feelings that Emmett was assaulting her with, Alexis was beginning to sympathize.
The man at the top of the stairs raised the gun at them casually, as if to show that he could hit them if he wanted to. "One of you needed to use the lavatory?" He asked.
His voice was a low grumble, but there was a detachment to it. Alexis was expecting hatred or anger, or even just plain threatening. But this guy sounded like he was having a really bad day at the office.
Benny raised her hand. "That would be me."
The man looked like he was restraining himself from rolling his eyes. "Follow me. Try anything funny and I shoot – got it?"
"Would you mind awfully if you avoided hitting any vital organs? I kind of need them." Benny said.
The guy really did roll his eyes this time. "I plan on shooting you in the arm."
"How about the leg?" Benny asked.
"Well, we don't want it to look like you didn't even put up a fight." The man protested.
"All right; arm it is." Benny nodded. "Off we go."
The man let Benny pass him, and then followed her up the stairs with the gun at her back. The door closed behind them and locked.
Emmett looked go of Alexis' wrist, and they turned to look at each other. "That was weird." Emmett said.
"He acted like it was just another day at the office." Alexis said slowly.
Emmett frowned. "You mean like he'd done this before." He said.
"Exactly." Alexis nodded. "I have a feeling that they've done this before."
"Well that's just great." Emmett said, slumping back down onto the mattress. He looked up at Alexis, and she saw his pupils dilate a little.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing." Emmett said quickly. "It's just…" He trailed off.
"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" Alexis faked picking her teeth, earning herself a grin from Emmett.
"No; it's just…" He gulped and took a deep breath, then tried to shrug like it was no big deal. "The sunlight illuminated your hair, and, um, you looked…"
Alexis twisted her lips in that knowing smile. "Just spit it out, Emmett."
"You looked… really pretty." Emmett finished lamely.
Alexis felt a sinking feeling. "Just pretty?"
"Beautiful." Emmett nodded. "And kind of sexy." He grinned.
Alexis flopped down onto the mattress next to him. Emmett's grin didn't waver. Alexis couldn't think of anything to say, so she just smiled. She wondered what Beckett would say in this situation. Then she wondered why the first thing she always thought was what would Beckett do.
Alexis didn't have the chance to do anything, however, because at that moment Benny re-entered the room.
"I must say, I really love what you've done with the bathroom. The spidery crack along the wall behind the toilet was just inspired. Tell me, who was your decorator? Candice Olson? Rachel Ashwell?" Benny said lightly as she tripped down the stairs.
Emmett looked like he was going to strangle Benny, and Alexis choked trying to hide her laughter because the man shooing Benny down the stairs with a gun had the exact same expression on his face.
Anyone catch the Firefly reference? Anyone? Aaaaanyone? Oh for shame! Those of you who did get the reference, shiny!
Real quick – the two designers that Benny mentions at the very end are two designers that my mother enjoys and, hence, I get to hear about them. Hi, Mom!
If anyone would be a dear and leave a reference on their way out, they would receive my undying devotion for exactly five minutes.