Chapter 2

Rick opened his eyes to see vague shadows of Kate getting dressed in the darkness. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to get out of here before Martha and Alexis are up. I need to get back to my place to change."

"Kate," Rick said, "they know we're sleeping together. You don't have to sneak out."

"I know. I'm just not ready to parade it in front of them yet. Shhhh!"

"What?" Rick whispered

"Something coming down in front of the window. I could see it for a second against the moon. I think it might have been a fiber optic camera."

An involuntary shudder swept through Rick. "Tyson is here."

Kate nodded. "He's probably on the roof."

Castle was already pulling on the pants he had discarded the night before. He followed Beckett to the staircase leading to the roof. She drew her weapon and handed Castle her back-up as they approached the door. As Beckett turned the knob, she felt something wet under her fingers. She spotted Tyson at the edge of the roof. "Detective Beckett," he said, "nice of you to accept my invitation."

The sky spun in front of Beckett's eyes and she staggered. "Kate!" Castle called, reaching out to catch her.

Tyson smiled and ran right at them, to the stairs. Castle tried to fire, but couldn't get a decent shot while trying to support the reeling Kate.

Castle rose as he saw Lanie approaching in the waiting area outside the emergency room. "She's going to be OK," Lanie reassured him. "She was exposed to a hallucinogen, but she's already coming out of it."

"How?" Castle asked.

"It was dissolved in DMSO and went right through her skin when she touched it. She had the taste of garlic in her mouth. It's a dead giveaway."

"Can I see her?" Castle asked.

Lanie nodded and led the way.

"I'm sorry, Castle," Beckett said. "I let him get away."

Castle took Kate's hand and caressed her face. "He drugged you, Kate. He's playing with us. He could have used something fatal, or shot you, or shot me, but he's enjoying the game."

Kate's eyes hardened. "We need to get out in front of him, somehow."

"We will," Castle told her. "CSU is going over every inch of the roof and Ryan and Esposito are canvassing. They'll find something."

"I need to get out of here!"

Castle looked at Lanie. "In a few hours," Lanie assured Kate. "Just as soon as that drug is out of your system."

Castle and Beckett met Ryan and Esposito at the 12th. "The report from CSU isn't in yet," Esposito informed them, "and the canvass turned up nothing."

"How about Tessa's office?" Castle asked. "Has anyone looked at that?"

"We did when we were looking at stuff on Kurtzman," Ryan said, "but we weren't looking for ties to Tyson."

"Look again," Beckett told him. "And we have to look at sources for everything Tyson used, barbed wire, fiber optics, plans for Castle's loft."

"How about DMSO and the hallucinogen he gave you?" Castle asked softly.

Beckett winced, but nodded.

Ryan headed to Tessa's office at Kurtzman Insurance while Beckett, Esposito, and Castle used phone and computers to pursue other leads. "Yo! Got something!" Esposito yelled. "The management company for Castle's loft, sent the plans for a guy who said he was doing some renovations for Castle. They have an address where they sent them."

"Let's check it out," Beckett said.

The building in Washington Heights was rundown and deserted. Beckett and Esposito entered cautiously, guns drawn, with Castle trailing behind. "Hold up!" Espo yelled, pointing to a tripwire. They stepped carefully over it. The plans for Castle's loft lay on a table. Beckett reached for them.

Lights flashed on and a video began to play on a screen above their heads. Tyson's face smiled at them. "You saw the tripwire," came the taunting voice. "Good for you, Detective, but you missed the infrared motion sensor. Can't win them all. Actually, you can't win any, but tears won't help, will they?"

Tear gas began to pour from vents in the wall. "Get out!" Beckett yelled. They ran for the door, collapsing on a curb with heaving lungs and streaming eyes.

"I'm gonna shoot that scumbag!" Esposito swore.

"Get in line!" Beckett told him.

Cleaned up, but with eyes still bright red, Beckett, Castle and Esposito met Ryan at the 12th. He had Tessa's appointment calendar. It showed a meeting with a JV. "JV, Joseph Vacher, the same name he used with Paul Dyson," Castle said. Ryan nodded.

The address given was of a building near the East River. "Beckett, this is too easy," Castle said. "This seems like another case of the Millenium Falcon escaping from the Death Star."

"I know, Castle," Beckett agreed. "But it's a lead and we can't let it go. Gates is going to take what we found in that booby trapped building to the D.A., but for now you're still on the hook with a murder charge. And I want to get this guy!"

"No more than we all do, Beckett," Ryan told her, grimly. "It was my gun he took. But we have to do this right. The next booby trap could be C4."

"I'm gonna talk to some of my guys in ESU," Esposito said. "We'll make sure this is done right. That's going to take some time."

"Beckett," Castle said, "You're exhausted. Let me take you to get some rest."

Beckett started to protest, but got a nod from Esposito. "Go on Beckett. I've got this."

Rick ushered Kate through the door of her apartment and pulled her coat off. "Sit down," he told her, "I'm going to take your boots off."

Kate was too tired to argue and sat on the bed. Rick crouched in front of her, removing the footwear and gently rubbing her feet. Kate gave a little sigh, closed her eyes and lay back. Rick finished his rub and rotated her legs so that she lay lengthwise. Carefully unbuttoning her blouse, he pulled it from her shoulders, then carefully eased her slacks off. Kate never opened her eyes when Rick carefully pulled her oversized sleep shirt down over her head. Stripping down to his t shirt and shorts, Rick cradled Kate in his arms for what remained of the night.