Kidnapped Ch.22
'How do you know that it's from this episode?' Castle asked, his eyebrows wrinkled in bewilderment. He had had hopes of being the first to crack the code. 'I mean, I believe you when you said that you were sure of it, but how do you know?'
'Your boxers,' Kate answered simply, as she continued writing letter after letter on another piece of paper, slowly deciphering the code.
'Kate, I'm sure that your mom did not have my pink boxers in her mind when she wrote that down,' Castle told her gently, fearful of getting on the wrong side of his hormonal wife.
'Well, not exactly, no. Look at the episode title, the diary, and the color of your boxers,' Kate told him impatiently, her brows furrowing as she continued deciphering the diary.
'Just so you know, my pink boxers are awesome, just like I am,' Castle said, smirking, and Kate looked up.
'Come here, you big baby,' Kate told him, giving him a sweet, slow kiss on the lips. 'There, is your ego feeling better now?'
'It most certainly is,' Castle answered, leaning in for another kiss, to which Kate happily obliged.
'Now, will you please explain this to me?' Castle asked, pointing to the script in her hand, and Kate shook her head in exasperation.
'How often do you think you can find a pink diary with a pair of stilettos on the cover?' Kate asked, smirking, and Castle looked confused.
'Um… never?' Castle offered, and Kate laughed.
'Close enough. When I was younger, my mom and I both had favorite episodes on Temptation Lane, and we would clamor over who gets to watch their favorite episode. Mine was 'Blue Cheese', and mom's was 'Pink Stiletto',' Kate told him, and Castle's eyebrows shot up.
'Pink Stiletto?' Castle asked pointing to the title of the script that was sitting on Kate's lap.
'Yep,' Kate answered as she placed the pen on the bedside table. Castle leaned in to read her hurried scribbles.
Siberian Heights Warehouse, Storage locker 4195, code 1842
Her hands were shaking slightly as she turned the key to the padlock.
The evidence which could incriminate the man behind her mother's murder may be at her fingertips, and she would finally be able to apprehend him and see justice delivered, at long last.
She looked up at Castle and the boys, and all of them looked at her solemnly. She knew that they had been fighting this battle with her from the start, and they were just as eager as she was to end this battle in their favor. Hearing the lock click, she pulled it off, and yanked the door to the locker open.
A large box sat in the middle of the storage locker. Kate went in with the boys, and taking out a pocket knife, she carefully cut through the tape that kept the box shut.
With shaking hands, she took out the contents of the box. There, in front of her, were the files that she had been after so desperately, the files that she thought was gone forever, lost to circumstance. Clutching them to her chest, she allowed a tear to escape her eye. All of a sudden, she became aware of someone tapping her on the shoulder.
'Beckett? This is for you,' Ryan told her, handing her a white envelope with her name written in front. Kate quickly recognized the handwriting as her mother's, and tore the envelope opened. A single, handwritten letter lay inside. If it were not for the yellowed paper and slightly faded ink, she could almost imagine that her mother had written this for her just a few hours ago.
Holding back tears, she started to read.
My dearest Katie,
I don't quite know how to begin. It is never easy to write a letter, knowing that your child will only see it once you are gone. It is my most desperate wish that you will never need to see this letter, leaving it to disintegrate as we spend our lives together, as I watch you grow up, graduate, marry your love, see your children – my grandchildren. I have many dreams, Katie, but one can never wish for too much.
Now I must go to the other reason I am writing this to you. I know you, Katie. Whatever the cops come up to explain my death, you would not believe their cover story; everything falls too easily into place. But please, even as your gut cries for you to search for the truth, I beg you to resist the urge to do so. The man who is responsible for this is dangerous; a man protected by society and its tycoons. He knows how to surround himself with walls of lies and deceit so that no matter how hard you try, you can never incriminate him as a normal working citizen. Even with the files in here, you still don't have enough to go after him. Believe me, Katie, because I died trying.
Katie, I know that you don't like to obey rules of any sort whatsoever, but listen to me. Bid your time, and what till you are strong, powerful, and influential enough to take William Bracken down once and for all.
I must go – your father will return soon from work. In case you read this and I haven't said goodbye to you, know this: I love you, always, even when you ruined my blue dressing gown and threw up on the carpet that one time you tried to be 'cool' and drank alcohol.
Love,
Mom
Kate was crying by the end of the end; all of her efforts to appear tough and unemotional had failed. After all these years, she finally got to hear – or see, to be more specific, but who really cares? – her mom telling her that she loved her one last time.
'Rick, my mom told me she loves me,' Kate murmured, as if she was in a daze, but she received no reply. Looking around in confusion, she saw the three boys lying on the floor, their eyes closed. Her hands instinctively reached for her weapon that she kept with her at all times.
'Don't even think about it, detective,' a man's hard voice rang out as the barrel of a rifle appeared within her line of vision.
A/N: I'm soooo sorry that this is so short, but I have a legitimate reason (for once). I am severely asthmatic, and I have no idea what, but something triggered it, so I've been having full blown coughing fits every hour, and I am stuck in the school sanatorium. I haven't slept properly in quite some time, and I am exhausted, so I'm really sorry if this chapter was not up to your expectation. For the same reason, I was not up to replying to all of your reviews, so please forgive me.
As usual, PLEASE REVIEW. Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please.
This chapter is dedicated to several people. Bianca tabbycat for being a wonderful beta and writing as Beckett's 'Mom' in the letter, my friend who is in the san with me at the moment with the exact same problem as me, and last of all, my dear boarding house mistress, who took time out of her busy schedule to visit my friend and I, and who truly cares about each of us individually.
Zoe tabbycat