A/N: ***SPOILER*** at the bottom.
Chapter Thirty Four: So heartless, so selfish, so in darkness.
Castle gets off the phone with his mother unable to keep the smile off of his face.
"Is everything okay?" Kate asks him as she emerges from the en-suite, her hair a mass of still damp curls that she's busy toweling dry as she speaks to him; and she looks so radiant this morning that she steals away anything he was about to say in reply and he's just got to hold her.
Crossing over the scant fifteen feet between them he tugs her into his arms and buries his face against her neck breathing deeply and feeling his heart practically squealing in delight.
It's so good – so very, very good to be home.
"Castle?"
"Better than okay," he mumbles against her skin, before he kisses her neck slowly, happy, just so very happy as she sighs, relaxing against him.
"Better? Your father is improving faster than the doctor's thought he might then?" she asks him.
He plants a final caress against her jaw line before he moves so that he can actually look at her, smiling down into her gorgeous face he nods briefly.
"My mother says he's awake and talking-"He stops suddenly and just grins broadly, his eyes dancing with something Beckett's never seen before.
"What? What is it?" she asks curiously, her palms coming up to rest against his chest.
He shrugs.
"Just the way mother was on the phone – all giddy and kind of dazed, talking about my father. I've never had that before Kate. I've never seen her this way, never even been able to picture both of them – let alone be able to picture them together," he explains.
Kate smiles back warmly.
"It must be a little strange for you," she says.
"It is," he answers. "But Kate its good strange, really good strange, and that's - unexpected."
Stretching up on her toes she kisses him just because she has too. Because the shy happiness and little-boy vulnerability in his eyes as he speaks about finally knowing each of his parents is completely adorable. Regardless of all he's ever said about it, all the dismissal's he's made in the past – this is a part of his own story Kate believes he's always needed – and that he has it now makes her truly glad.
"I really wish I could take you back to bed," he whispers into her mouth.
Yeah, she wishes it to, can already feel the heat building in her body in anticipation – but they've had their momentary respite, and now they have work they simply must do.
"Let's put this case to bed first, Castle," she says reluctantly as she forces herself to pull back from him, but he can hear the slight plea in her voice. She really needs this to be over with now – finished and behind them so that they can be 'clouds-free' happy again.
Sighing he nods agreeing with her.
"Yeah okay," he says softly. "Back into the fray it is then."
Esposito exits Interrogation Room #2 with his partner on his heels and a scowl growing on his handsome face like a darkening thundercloud. J.T happens to be passing and the sight of Espo's face is enough for the tall uniformed cop to instantly swallow back the greeting he was about to utter to them. His dark eyes flash quickly over to Ryan who smiles a quick silent reply before he glances covertly over at Javi and shakes his head.
With a brief nod, J.T hurries to make himself scarce.
"Javi-"
Esposito spins and barely manages to pull his fist up short of punching it into the precinct's drywall, the anger rolling off of him in waves. He spins again and his back connects with a thunk against the wall instead.
"Evil fucking bitch-"he murmurs under his breath.
Ryan sympathizes – feeling for his partner who'd voluntarily taken the lead in their joint interrogation of Karpowski, both late last night and again first thing this morning, and both of those sessions have so far gotten them precisely nowhere.
"Javi-"
"How can she do that Kevin? How can she be so fucking ice-cold?"
Ryan sighs loudly.
"Damned if I know bro, but regardless you know we have to go back in there and we have to find a way to break her," he says calmly.
Esposito's dark eyes dart to his and the Hispanic detective nods slowly.
"Yeah I know," he admits wearily. "It's just I haven't wanted to hurt someone so badly in a long time. She's just so shuttered, so completely blinkered and she's one of us – one of us . . . "Javier trails off, swallowing back his frustrations with difficulty. "I just want to wring the information out of her, and then I want to lock her up and throw away the key."
Beckett's voice breaks suddenly over them.
"I take it things aren't going so well," she says in greeting – in lieu of the more traditional 'good morning'.
Both her partner's instantly look guilty because they've gotten nowhere and so Kate's quick to try and lighten the situation. She smiles a commiserating smile and then deliberately lets her face relax, let's the boys see how she can face anything now – because Castle is once again beside her.
Her quiet joy, the peace that softly radiates from her eyes has the desired effect on Ryan and Esposito. Kate can almost see the tense set of their shoulders relaxing and as Castle comes up behind her and she feels the warmth of him against her back a quiet determination settles comfortably inside her. Karpowski is going to give them what they need – somehow, someway - and there's an end to it.
"So fill us in," she directs easily.
Esposito's jaw tightens perceptively again, and so it's Ryan who speaks for them.
"She's giving us nothing boss. And the weirdest part is that she hasn't even lawyered up yet."
Kate's eyebrows climb skywards.
"She hasn't?"
Ryan shakes his head, clearly perturbed.
"That is weird," Castle interjects. "I mean it's not like a cop doesn't know how best to play the system, so if she isn't talking and wanting to cut some sort of deal – why wouldn't she exercise that right?"
Ryan and Esposito simply shrug, but Beckett looks thoughtful.
"She's waiting on him," she says quietly, almost to herself.
Castle latches onto her comment though – immediately.
"Valez? You think Karpowski's stringing out her own interrogation in order to buy time for Valez to do something?"
Kate nods.
"Time to do what? He's still out of it in the hospital?"
Beckett shakes her head, "I'm not sure – maybe just the time to wake up. Once he's conscious he'll have to be arrested formally and he'll learn that she's been arrested-"
Horror floods Castle's vibrant eyes.
"He'll call his lawyer, who'll contact the CIA . . . "he says shakily.
". . . and the CIA will stake their claim on him. And who knows Castle - maybe they'll protect her too," Kate finishes.
Esposito pushes back off the wall again, fury raging in his face again. "We need to break that bitch and now."
Castle's hand is heavy and firm on Javier's arm as he restrains him.
"Bro – let go of me."
The writer shakes his head.
"Wait," he says firmly, before he turns to Kate. "I need you to let me in there," he says firmly.
Kate's brow wrinkles in confusion.
"Castle? You want us to question her? I thought you said you wanted Espo and Ryan to handle Karpowski's interrogation?" she asks quietly.
Shooting a stern look at Esposito that clearly states 'stay-there', Castle releases his vice like grip on the detective's arm and shoos Kate a little way down the corridor away from her partners.
"What is it?" she asks urgently as he turns her to face him.
"I need you to let me in there," he says again. "But just me," he adds.
Beckett shakes her head. "Castle, you can accompany me as you have before – but you aren't a cop, you can't interrogate her one on one."
Her lover's eyes are both ice-cold as he looks at her and supremely confident, a down right jarring combination for Kate to see on his beloved face.
"I'm asking you to trust me," he replies.
"Castle-"
"Trust me," he reiterates. "She won't talk to the boys – she's already made that pretty plain. And she hates you Kate – hell yesterday she tried to kill you, and if you're right and she's trying to buy some time for Valez to wheedle their way out of this, then we have to find someone she'll talk to and fast."
Beckett bites her lip.
"And you think that's you?" she asks somewhat skeptically.
Castle nods. "Not think," he replies. "I know. Kate, I know more about this plot than virtually anyone save Gabor. I mean you've had the cliff-notes version for sure - but I've lived every moment of the last five months with all this. And in order to write 'Heat Lost' I learned exactly what the CIA has been deliberately over-looking for Valez, plus I know Karpowski also. I know where she's vulnerable and I realize now that she can't show it to the rest of you. That's why it has to be me - I can do this baby – I can break her for you."
His eyes hold no doubts – not a one, and although a part of Beckett thinks this request is crazy, the bottom line is that she does trust his ability to do this. She trusts him implicitly, with everything, and he wouldn't ask this of her if he wasn't completely sure. But still . . .
"Kate, I need to do this - please."
"Okay," she agrees, finally. "Okay, Rick. Do it."
The boys are stunned when she tells them the plan, but after searching glances they wisely say nothing, they just gather with her in the observation room for moral support and together the three partners prepare to watch Castle do his thing.
Karpowski has the good grace to look a little shocked when Castle enters Interrogation #2 unaccompanied, but then her eyes drop from his and she resumes her previous impassive observation of the worn table top in front of her.
Seating himself quickly and without fanfare Castle feels his heart beating faster as he prepares to do alone what he's only ever participated in. But the elevated thumping in his chest is all adrenaline and excitement as he stares his quarry down, because he wasn't lying to the others, and he isn't fooling himself here.
He just knows he's got this.
And when he remains silent long enough and Karpowski eventually raises her dark eyes to meet his, the writer smiles slowly and deliberately at her, reveling in the moment when panic flashes across her tired features for a moment and he suspects Karpowski realizes it too.
"Where's Beckett?" she spits at him?
Castle raises an eyebrow and nods towards the mirror.
"Exactly where you'd think," he responds evenly.
The disgraced detective tries for a nonchalant smirk but fails.
"Can't face me huh?" she says acidly.
Castle shakes his head.
"Actually I'm the one who asked her to step away," he replies.
Karpowski narrows her eyes in surprise.
"Why?"
"Because you're just wasting time here anyway Rose. You know it, we know it. Still I figured since I was the calmest one out there I'd give you one more chance to do what's right."
Ice in her tone she says, "What's right would be that yesterday I'd have succeeded and Beckett would have died."
She's trying to make him angry, and though inside he's fuming - outwardly the author remains gentile and impassive - no trace of his true emotion colors his reply.
"Your sister was a victim Rose - we both know that. And there is no disputing that her children were innocent too. What we disagree on here is the people responsible for their deaths - the people that should be held accountable for this."
"You, Slaughter and Beckett did this."
Castle shakes his head and leans across the table towards her.
"And that's where you're wrong Karpowski. And much as you seem hell bent on protecting him - if you ask me - Cesar Valez is where the blame for those deaths ultimately lies."
Rose laughs at him.
"Cesar loved my sister. He loved his children. He's acted purely to avenge his family."
"I suppose he told you this," Castle asks her.
Karpowski nods, crosses her arms defiantly.
In the observation room Esposito looks concerned as he leans towards Beckett, attracting her attention.
"Where is he going with this?" he stage whispers.
Kate shrugs helplessly, "I'm sure he knows," she says quietly back, before she returns her attention once more to Castle and Karpowski.
Castle knows exactly where he's going, and though it kills him he manages to look at Karpowski with compassion.
"I hate to break it to you Rose, but he's a drug dealer. He sells drugs to kids, and he ruins lives and do you think if your nieces and nephew had lived that they wouldn't ultimately have been sucked into that life too?"
Still nothing - okay then.
"Oh wait - I get it. You think the CIA is going to protect him? And you? Is that your play here? Please, you shot their agent in charge yesterday, so if you're waiting on protection coming - it'll be a very long wait I can assure you."
And this gets him the reaction he's been looking for, Karpowski's dark eyes widen.
"The masked man who protected Beckett - he was . . ." she whispers.
Castle nods, and for emphasis he smiles, and he makes sure its smugly.
"Oh Karpowski," he says very softly, leaning across the table with his fingertips deliberately twitching gleefully. "Worse than that - so much worse. I mean thankfully he survived, that's something in your favor at least - but who do you think put the NYPD onto Slaughter's death being a murder in the first place? Who do you suppose acted five months ago to protect me?"
Karpowski just shakes her head softly, disbelief in her eyes.
"You're bluffing," she replies, her mouth thinning in contempt. "You know nothing about the deal Cesar has with the Agency," she retorts, ignoring his silence. "And Beckett's savior is more likely to be someone you hired to protect her. You're fishing Castle - making up a story just to mess with me. It isn't going to work."
Castle stops smiling then and his expression grows serious.
"Oh but it is Rose," he says calmly. "It's why you'll give me what I need to convict Valez of the murder of Detective Ethan Slaughter - because that's the only way to keep him safely out of the CIA's hands now. The only way to protect him from being handed over to the very cartel's he's been ratting on so deliberately. Because you see I'm the one with the control here Karpowski. I'm the one pulling all the strings with the Agency."
"You? Pfftt, how?" The disgraced detective spews at him.
Once more, Rick grins convincingly, knowing he must sell this to her completely, "Because that masked man you almost killed isn't only a CIA operative," he tells her. "He's the one tasked with directing all of the CIA's drug enforcement operations, but what you really need to know here - is that he has a very particular attachment to me."
"Why you?" she asks, and it's the tiny trace of creeping fear into those two syllables that tells Castle he'll soon be getting his victory.
So he smiles ever more broadly.
"Because I'm his family," he answers, loving it when she pales appropriately. "In fact, I'm his son."
SPOILER BELOW:
***Two words - James Brolin! Isn't that frackkin awesome and can't you just picture it?***