Sorry for the delay folks. At a Family function till midway today.
Chapter 8: Love and Lost
Captain Gates was informed of the news as the team rushed back to the precinct. A judge had signed off on a warrant to check Detective Henderson's financials and his home. The team walked back into the bullpen where Captain Gates was waiting for them by the elevator.
"Henderson is missing. Day you all came back, he banged out sick and hasn't been seen since." Captain Gates informed them. They all walked back towards the desk. "ESU and the lab torn apart his office and home. Found a flash drive taped underneath the fridge. Apparently Henderson was getting five thousand dollars a week to pass information to Illyana."
"What could they have on Henderson to make him an informant for the Russians?" Esposito asked.
"Has two ex-wives and three kids to support." Beckett said getting looks from everyone. She shrugged her shoulders. "Laurie told me."
"Money will do it every time." Esposoito remarked as he sat down at his desk."
"So is Henderson the mole?" Ryan asked.
Castle shook his head and went to the murder board. "I don't think so. He is more likely a pawn or a lonely foot soldier. In most stories and movies, guys like Henderson are expandable and usually the first or last to disappeared. The mole is will probably be somebody with more power."
"A lot of that at 1PP." Ryan added getting a nod from everyone.
"Until we find out, our attention is on Henderson. We have all boroughs on alert, along with rail, bus and airports." Captain Gates added to the conversation. The team acknowledged the Captain's orders and she went back to her office.
"Right now, the way to find Henderson is to talk to Nikolai." Beckett said sitting down at her desk. She looked around. "Where is the uniforms brining him?"
"Had to process him first, he'll be right up." Esposito stated getting a nod from Beckett. He and Ryan began to dive into the new evidence that was uncovered from Henderson's office and apartment.
"Castle what are we missing from all this?" Beckett asked getting up and coming over near the murder board. She looked it over. "It is something that we just can't see or maybe overlooked?"
"Kate we go where the evidence takes us." Castle replied taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "You told me that."
"I didn't think you listened." Beckett said with a smile on her face. She heard Castle's phone go off. "Didn't you finish the chapters?"
"It's not Gina. It's Alexis." Castle answered the question and looked at the message with some confusion. "What?"
"Let me see." Beckett said taking the phone from her husband and staring at the message. "Wants to know if we be free for dinner, because she is cooking."
"How did you get that from those pictures?" Castle asked taking his phone back. The message contained a picture of Kate and Rick, a free sign, dinner, picture of Alexis and food cooking. He shook his head.
"Because I'm the cool step-mother." Beckett said with a laugh as the elevator dinged and uniforms escorted Nikolai towards the interrogation room. "Show time."
Beckett and Castle walked towards the interrogation room as the uniform took his position outside the door to room. Esposito and Ryan took up their positions in the observation room, as Beckett opened the door and her and Castle walked on into the interrogation room.
"Mr. Nikolai Vasily, you are aware of your rights as they have been read to you?" Beckett asked as she took her seat. Nikolai just sat there without even looking at Beckett and Castle. Beckett and Castle looked at each other. "Mr. Vasily, you are aware of your rights?"
Nikolai didn't respond again. Beckett leaned closer to Castle. "He's playing a game."
"He's waiting." Castle replied as he looked over at Nikolai.
"Let me try something." Beckett said as she sat back up straight. She looked at Nikolai straight on. "Mr. Vasily your refusal to answer leads me to believe you understand your rights."
This caught Nikolai's attention as he looked over at Beckett and Castle. Kate shifted her in seat and brought up the notes that she wrote down. "Mr. Vasily you have been identified by a witness, as the person they contacted about paying off a debt owed to your organization. You also have been identified as the man who pursued this witness to take part in a murder. This connection makes you accessory to murder, conspiracy. Not to mention your parole violation for failure to provide a correct address."
Nikolai didn't reply and he didn't move. He sat there just looking at Kate and Castle. Castle leaned forward into his chair and looked at him. "We know about Gregory, Illyana and Detective Henderson. What is your part in this?"
Still nothing from Nikolai. "Was Henderson and Illyana dating and you were tossed aside like a piece of garbage?"
Beckett took the lead from Castle. "We have financials of Henderson, was it you or Illyana that was paying him? Talk to us and you'll get a deal."
Nikolai still said nothing. Beckett and Castle got up and walked towards the door. Beckett looked back. "Last chance Nikolai, give us Illyana and Henderson and you can walk out with minuimn charges and deal."
Without hearing a peep, Beckett and Castle walked into the observation room, where Ryan, Esposito and Captain Gates was waiting for them.
"Man is stone cold." Ryan said still observing the interrogation room without looking at Beckett.
"Generally you get some that curse at you or say lawyer, but this guy thinking he's like a POW." Esposito added to the conversation.
"What do you know about him other than what we found out?" Captain Gates asked also staring through the window into interrogation.
"Just what we have." Ryan stated. He looked at Beckett and Castle.
"We could try something that has been used in the past." Castle said as he now looked into interrogation. "Reverse interrogation."
"Castle that's borderline entrapment." Beckett tossed herself into the interrogation.
"What is it?" Ryan asked now interested.
"It's basically you get the suspect or whoever is you want information from by having them telling you what they know." Castle said now looking into the room. He shifted on his feet. "You basically lie stating that you know everything already, but in fact you don't."
"Sounds like a normal interrogation." Esposito stated.
"Yet in a normal interrogation, you lay some of the facts you have at hand." Beckett continued Castle's thought. She looked at her friends and Captain Gate. "Reverse interrogation is used to interrogate terrorist, and high valued prisoners."
"You mention its borderline entrapment?" Captain Gates asked.
"You are inviting the person to incrimdate themselves without actually presenting the facts." Beckett replied to the question now crossing her arms. "You throw in some truths so you don't get the entrapment."
"How do you know about this Mr. Castle?" Captain Gates looked past Beckett and onto Castle.
"Some of my fellow writers researched it. I researched it for an idea for a Derek Storm book." Castle replied with a smile.
"They taught it to us when I was down in DC for the main reasons some countries use it as well." Beckett remarked. She saw all their stares aimed at her. "I never used it."
"Captain it's your choice?" Ryan said as they look at Captain Gates.
Captain Gates stared through the window for what seemed like an eternity. She shook her head. "No, we'll break him conventionally. Send him down to holding."
The group nodded as Captain Gates left the observation room. With nothing else to go on for the day, the group headed home for the evening. Castle texted Alexis stating that they were on the way home. Captain Gates got in her car and pulled out into traffic, but instead of going home she head to a deserted industrial area along the East River. She parked her car and walked over to another car and got in the front seat.
"Detective Johnston." Captain Gates said to the women sitting in the driver seat of the other car.
"Captain. What do I owe the pleasure of meeting you here?" Detective Anna Johnston, a former subornatinate of Captain Gates, asked. Captain Gates called her while her team was packing up for the evening.
"Why didn't IA launch an investigation of Henderson?" Captain Gates asked.
"He never gave any suspicion too." Detective Johnston stated by turning in the front seat of her car. She looked her former commanding officer in the face. "We are all under suspicion now because of Henderson. They are bringing in outside firms to check us on financials and we're being investigated by the State Attorney General."
"Anna, I need to know where he would go?" Captain Gates asked as she shifted in her seat and looked at the detective. "It's the only way we can clear you."
"We don't know. Ex-wives, girlfriends haven't seen him." Detective Johnston stated looking out across the vast empty parking lot. She noticed a car coming towards them. "Black SUV coming. Probably State Attorney General Investigators coming to serve me with a subpoena. I let dispatch know where I was."
But before Captain Gates could answer, the doors opened and four men piled out with AK-47's and poured fire into the car. Captain Gates and Detective Johnston never even had a chance to pull their weapons out. Satisfied the job they did, the men piled back into the SUV and sped out of the area.
In the loft, Kate, Rick, Martha and Alexis were sitting contently full from the chicken cordon bleu casserole that Alexis had prepared.
"Alexis my dear that was splendisouly marvelous." Martha said raising her wine glass in a toast.
"It was very good Alexis, thank you." Kate said with a smile on her face towards her stepdaughter.
"I may have you prepare more dinners in the future." Rick said with a smile on his face. Kate, Alexis and Martha shot him a look with some laughter. "You did really good sweetheart."
"Thanks dad. I wanted to show my appreciation for everything and all your support." Alexis replied with a smile on her face. She got up and started to clear the table. "I will get started on dishes."
"I will help you my dear." Martha replied with a smile on her face and tapping her son's shoulders as she passed by him.
"I don't think you have to worry about her babe." Kate said with a glowing smile on her face. She leaned over and was about to give her husband a kiss when her phone went off. "911 OD 12th, what the hell?"
"What's going on?" Rick asked getting up and coming over to look at Kate's phone. "What is that?"
"It's a code from dispatch letting us know an officer is down from our precinct." Kate answered Rick's question. She got up and started towards the door, with Rick close behind her. "Babe you don't have to come."
"Sure I do. For better or worse remember." Rick said with a smile on his face which made Kate feel reassured.
"Be safe you two." Alexis called out from the kitchen, with Rick, and Kate waving good bye to them.
As they reached the ground floor, Eduardo opened the door for them to let them outside. The outside protection detail had been released earlier that evening once Kate and Rick arrived at home. This happen because the building owner's threaten to sue the city because they felt it violated their tenants' rights. Now they would wish they hadn't threaten to sue the city, because as soon as Kate and Rick hit the street a Black SUV came gunning down the street with an AK-47 out the rear passenger side window. Rick saw the outline of the gun and grabbed Kate. They went down to the ground as the rifle fired towards them. Kate immediately rose to her feet, with her weapon drawn, as soon as she could and got a look as the SUV sped off. She didn't see a plate. She felt something warm and sticky on her hand and saw in the fading light blood, and Rick on the ground.
"Babe, Rick." Kate called out as she rolled him over and saw a growing red spot on the shirt of Castle. The wound was on the right side of his chest and made a sucking sound. Kate fought back tears as she pulled out her phone. "This is Detective Kate Beckett 10-13 officer needs assistance. I have one male in need of emergency medical assistance. I need a bus ASAP. Please it's my husband."
Kate gave the address as she cupped her husband's face as people began to pour out onto the sidewalks and came near her. The sounds of sirens started to grow closer. "Hang on Castle, I love you, please hang on….."
To be continued in: A Castle will Rise.