Castle: Beckett's Security Blanket

Chapter 10: Day Late, Dollar Short

Less than an hour later Beckett strode into the Zeigfield Theatre on West 54th street with one mission on her mind; collect any and all information retaining to Sam Foster, or Phillips, or whatever name it was he was going by these days. Once inside she immediately asked to speak with the manager she had met days earlier; Thomas Lynch. After a short telephone conversation from a security guard to what Beckett assumed was Lynch's phone line both her and Castle were quickly escorted to an upper level of the theatre where a few small offices were housed.

They were ushered inside a small office where Thomas Lynch was already out from behind his desk and apparently awaiting their arrival. He was a short, stalky man with thinning brown hair and blue-ish grey eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

"Ah Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle" he smiled politely as he shook their hands. "I was surprised to learn that you were here again, is there something else we can do for you?"

"Actually yes" Beckett quickly began and Lynch nodded, rather intrigued. "Mr. Lynch do you recall an employee by the name of Sam Foster?" she asked and Lynch seemed to ponder that a moment as he wrapped his fingers around his chin and tapped his index against his cheek.

"This is his ID badge" Beckett continued, offering Lynch a look at Foster's personnel photo.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry" Lynch quickly apologized as he took the paper from her hands. "Sam, of course. He was a projectionist"

"Was?" Castle quickly asked, noting the use of the past tense.

"Yes, was" Lynch confirmed. "He quit last week actually"

"Why did he quit?" Beckett asked curiously.

"Wish I knew" Lynch shrugged. "Just up and quit with no notice last… Wednesday come to think of it. The night of the Heat Wave premiere matter of fact. He didn't show up for work that day and when we called him at home he told us he wouldn't be coming in anymore" he nodded as the information slowly came back to him.

"Well isn't that convenient" Castle mused.

"Mr. Lynch did this Sam say where he was going or is there anyone else here who might have been close to him to help give us any more information?" Beckett continued her line of questioning.

"Actually he didn't work here very long, maybe a couple months. And I never really saw him talking to anybody, he was pretty quiet, kept to himself"

"Would he have had access to the film before the premiere?" Castle asked and Lynch gave a slight shrug and swayed his head slightly back and forth.

"It is possible I suppose but if he did I certainly wasn't aware of it. Is Sam Foster somehow involved in your investigation?"

"He's a person of interest" is all Beckett gave him in response. "We're going to need his personnel file"

"Yes of course" Lynch nodded.

A short while later Beckett and Castle had hit the streets again, this time with an address in hand that will hopefully lead them to whomever is responsible for all this mess they're in. The moment they slid into the seats of the Crown Vic Beckett immediately threw the car into drive and headed away from the theatre in haste.

"So, what's the plan?" Castle asked as they sped through an amber light, going an easy 55 in a clearly marked 35 zone.

"What do you mean what's the plan? We're going to check on the address" came Beckett's short reply.

"Woah, woah, woah. You're not thinking of us going in there alone are you?" Castle quickly argued. "First off, we don't know what kind of psychopath we're dealing with, secondly if Gates hears about this you're going to be stuck directing traffic in midtown for the unforeseeable future, and I don't know about you, but that's not what I signed up for"

"Castle" Beckett huffed in frustration. She didn't actually have a follow-up argument; in fact, she knew he was right, but that didn't stop it from frustrating her.

"Let's at least call Ryan and Esposito, have them meet us there" Castle suggested and after a moment of inner debate Beckett finally nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay, send them the address"

Castle quickly pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to both Ryan and Esposito letting them know the address and their ETA and asking them to meet them there as soon as possible because he wasn't exactly sure how long he'd be able to hold Beckett back. Within a few short moments his phone buzzed to life across the dashboard and he picked it up to read the incoming text reply from Esposito.

'You got it bro. Time's a factor I see, so don't worry I'll be kicking Ryan out of the driver's seat. See ya in a few'

Castle heaved a sigh of relief and placed his cell back down. "They'll meet us there" he told her and she nodded. "Promise me we'll wait for them before you go running straight through that door"

"Castle" Beckett huffed.

"Kate" he responded sternly; the use of her first name apparently having the desired effect on her because she closed her eyes for a brief second and slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay" she sighed.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence as they took the twenty minute or so drive to their intended destination on the lower east side of Manhattan. They pulled up in front of a red brick apartment tower and Beckett put the car into park just a few feet ahead of the front doors and killed the engine of the cruiser.

"Boys ought to be here any minute" Castle mentioned casually as he glanced at his watch.

"Don't worry Castle, a promise is a promise" Beckett mumbled as she noticed Castle eyeing her cautiously in his peripherals.

"You think he's up there?" Castle asked as he let his eyes roam up the tall length of the building.

"Hope so" Beckett sighed. "I just want this to be over"

"I know" Castle spoke softly as he focused his attention back to her. He saw the distress of the past week or so weighing heavily in her features and a hint of fear in her eyes just before she closed them and rested her head back against the head rest.

"It's going to be okay" he assured her as he let his hand slip over top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. She said nothing, just remained silent with her eyes still closed but she made no move to shy away from his touch either which is about the most he could hope for he figured.

The sound of an engine rumbling behind them caused Beckett to open her eyes and check the rear-view mirror. A sigh of relief escaped her as she saw Ryan and Esposito's car in the reflection.

"Boys are here, let's move out" she told him as her hand quickly left his and pulled on the car door handle.

"Right" he mumbled, quickly fumbling with his own door handle and exiting the car just a moment after her.

"So this is it huh" Esposito mentioned as his eyes raked over the building. "Where we going?"

"24 F" Beckett replied as she popped the trunk of her car to grab for her Kevlar vest; Castle reaching for his as well. Once they were all strapped up and ready for action Beckett gave a nod and headed for the front door of the building with the boys following right behind her.

They buzzed for the Super Intendant and in a few minutes were greeted by a middle aged heavy set man wearing a blue terry cloth bath robe over top of an undershirt and pair of plaid pyjama bottoms. Beckett went light on the details but explained to the man that there was an apartment she needed to be let into and he willfully obliged after first asking to see her credentials.

They stood in silence, hearing only the gentle hum of the elevator as they were carried to the sixth floor of the apartment rise along with their pyjama clad escort.

The man led them down the hallway until he came to a stop in front of apartment 24. He slid the key into the lock and gave it a turn before returning it to his pocket and looking up at the detective expectantly.

"Thank you sir, but we've got it from here" she told him firmly and he mumbled something about going back to bed as he wandered off back towards the elevators.

"NYPD, open up!" Esposito commanded as his fist pounded against the door. They waited for a few moments; ears straining to pick up any activity coming from inside the apartment but were met with only silence.

"Again" Beckett nodded.

"Sam Foster this is the NYPD, open the door please" he shouted again; this time garnering the attention of a few prying neighbours who had poked their heads out of their apartments at the sound of the commotion.

"Go back in your homes, please" Ryan told them quietly and all but one who decided to not close his door quite all the way obliged and returned to their homes.

"Okay?" Esposito questioned towards Beckett and she gave him a nod of confirmation, and the moment she did so Esposito raised his hand to rest on the door handle, giving both Ryan and Beckett a nod of communication before twisting the handle and forcing his way inside.

The three detectives swiftly entered the apartment each heading off in different directions to sweep the rooms as Castle hung back a few feet behind Beckett who was clearing the main front room of the apartment while Esposito hit the kitchen and Ryan took the bedroom and bathroom.

"Clear" Beckett was the first to call out.

"Clear"

"Clear"

Esposito and Ryan both echoed as they made their way back to the main living room where Beckett and Castle stood.

"Looks like we missed him" Castle grumbled as his gaze wandered around the room to hopefully find something to make their trip here worthwhile.

"Well doesn't look like he's left for good, dresser and closet seem to still be full of clothes and there's nothing to indicate that he's packed up and left town" Ryan mentioned.

"Okay, let's leave everything as it was, I don't want to tip him off that we were here. He'll come back sooner or later if he thinks he's still in the clear so let's get a couple uniforms to sit on this place" Beckett directed and Ryan nodded as he pulled his phone from his pocket to make the necessary calls.

They headed out of the building and back to their respective vehicles and Ryan and Esposito pulled away from building and headed off into the night as Beckett remained in park with the engine idling gently.

"You alright?" Castle asked after a few moments of silenced had past.

"Fine" was all she answered with.

"Let's go home, get some rest. You're going to need it for when they call" he told her and she gave a small nod before pulling the shifter into drive and heading away from the building.

Castle shrugged his sports coat off his shoulders upon entering the loft and Beckett followed behind him, toeing off her shoes and sighing in relief as her bare feet sunk into the soft plush of the carpet. Today had been a long day for both of them, and a long day for her feet in those heels.

"Take a seat at the bar, I'm going to whip us up some dinner" Castle mentioned, nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen island.

"Castle" Beckett began to protest but Castle was quick to cut her off.

"Beckett, neither of us have eaten anything other than m&m's all day. You're exhausted, you need to eat something. I know you're too tired to argue with me because I am too, so just sit down and let me feed you. Please"

She eyed him for a moment before mentally giving up her argument. He was right, she was far too tired to argue with him so instead she hoisted herself up onto the high back stool at the kitchen island a mumbled a quiet "thank you" in his direction.

Castle opened the refrigerator door and peered around inside until his eyes settled on a Tupperware dish of leftover pasta that his mother must have made earlier in the evening. He grabbed for the plastic container and stepped back from the fridge; shutting the door with his foot as he spun around to head towards the stove. Emptying the contents of the dish into a frying pan he turned the burner onto a medium heat before walking over to his wine rack and grabbing an already opened bottle of red.

Placing a wine glass in front of her Castle poured Beckett a glass of the Cabernet followed by one for himself. She gave him a small smile of gratitude and brought the glass to her lips.

They didn't speak much as Castle busied himself in the kitchen keeping their dinner from burning on the stove. Both were far too tired to conjure up some irrelevant small talk so settled for a comfortable silence instead as they enjoyed their wine and peace and quiet.

After a few short minutes the pasta was heated and Castle quickly scooped out a couple generous helpings onto two plates and carried them over to the island where he took a seat across from Beckett.

"Mmmm, Castle, this is really good" Beckett practically hummed as she finished her first bite.

"I can't take the credit I'm afraid, this is mother's famous pasta carbonara. She doesn't cook much, and for that Alexis and I, along with the New York Fire Department I'm sure, are grateful. But she does make a mean pasta dish"

"This was perfect, thank you"

"You're welcome" he replied with a kind smile before taking another bite.

They finished the rest of their dinner mostly in silence and when their plates were emptied Castle insisted she not help him with clearing the dishes away.

"I've got this" he told her firmly. "Go get cleaned up for bed"

She decided not to argue with him and headed off towards the back of the loft, through his office and bedroom and into his private bathroom. She debated on whether or not she should shower but finally deciding she was just too far beyond tired to do so she settled for just brushing her teeth, washing her face and getting changed into her sleep clothes.

She emerged from the bathroom about 5 minutes later to find Castle sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped in his lap. "All set?" he asked her as she padded out of the bathroom and he stood up from the bed.

"Yeah, it's all yours. Um, good night Castle"

"Night" he nodded as he stepped past her and into the bathroom. He hadn't showered that morning due to the urgency in which they had to leave so as tired as he was he forced himself to have one tonight. He let his head rest against the warm tiles as a hot forceful massaging spray of water pelted over him. When he felt his eyes threatening to close on him as he stood he knew it was time to get clean and get out otherwise Beckett may end up having to rescue him from an embarrassing situation of breaking a hip by falling in the shower or something equally ridiculous. He'd never live that one down.

He stepped out of the bathroom a short while later, dressed in dark blue pyjama pants and white sleeveless undershirt. His hair was still partially damp but he couldn't bring himself to care as he flicked off the bathroom light and headed towards his bed that was eagerly calling his name.

He let a soft sigh escape him as he reached the bed and realized Kate wasn't in it. She must've slipped off into his office and taken refuge on the couch and he'd be lying if he said he felt a little disappointed at the lack of her presence. He'd gotten used to having her there night after night, taking comfort in the feeling of keeping her safe from the world by having her in his arms. The gentle sound of her breathing as she slept soundly, the smell of her that still lingered on him when he woke up in the morning.

'You've been having glorified slumber parties Castle, get a grip, she's not your girlfriend' he inwardly chastised himself. He knew he shouldn't be having these feelings for her and that having her lying next to him night after night only magnified those feelings at least ten fold, but he couldn't help himself. His heart and his head rarely coincided with each other and although his head was telling him to step back before he gets himself hurt, his heart didn't want to hear it. He wanted to believe that she was feeling something more for him recently as well. It couldn't all be in his head, could it? He knew she was rather emotionally closed off but she wasn't an emotionless robot for crying out loud. She had to feel something about laying in his arms night after night, taking all the comfort he offered her. At least he hoped she did.

With all those thoughts weighing heavily on his overtired brain he reluctantly pulled back the covers and crawled into the empty bed; heaving a heavy sigh as his hand brushed across the cold sheets beside him where her warmth had been occupying the past few nights.

"Good night Beckett" he mumbled into the darkness as pulled the blankets up around his neck and closed his eyes, willing for sleep to take over his overactive mind.

Thanks for stopping by to read this update. Hope your still enjoying the story. Things will get a little heated between Castle & Beckett again in the next chapter so stay tuned :)

Reviews are always appreciated :)