A/N : If you thought that we'd left behind the stories from Season 7 after Hollander's Woods remember I changed the order the episodes occur in this universe. Time for 7x21 In Plane Sight
Disclaimer : Castle is not my property or creation but it does belong to ABC. The dialogue and situations from 7x21 in this chapter belong to the orignal writer of that episode.
The 12th Precinct
Kate steps off the elevator onto the fourth floor and her feet automatically take her to the desk in the bullpen that she has called hers for so many years. It is not until she is standing at the desk and she is looking down at it that she remembers that it is not hers anymore. Just looking at it she can tell that. Besides the computer monitor, keyboard and blotter everything else is gone from the surface of the desk, especially anything of a personal nature.
No blue coffee mug or it's white NYPD logoed partner. No nameplate. No parade of elephants. No photo, taken by her father, of her and Castle dancing at the Hamptons on their wedding day. Not one thing that marks the desk as hers is on what looks to be a suspiciously clean desk. Her gaze shifts to the only thing that remains that could be called personal. The old ratty chair next to the desk that, for her, will forever be Castle's chair.
"After last time no one dared moved that without your express permission," comes the very slightly teasing voice of Victoria Gates and Kate looks up to see the woman walking towards her.
"Captain Gates, or should that be Deputy Chief? Do you know what happened to the stuff from my desk?" asks a surprised Kate. She wasn't expecting to see her now former commanding officer today. She thought the woman was busy with meetings at 1PP while Kate had come in to start some of the work involved in the setting up of the Special Investigations Taskforce.
"Until Thursday it's still Captain. So until then we are the same rank therefore you can call me Victoria, Kate," says Gates with a smile. She indicates with her thumb over her shoulder at Esposito and Ryan who are standing, arms folded and looking smug at the door to the Captain's office, "You can thank those two for moving your personal effects into what is now your office. They thought Mister... sorry, Detective Castle should have the honour of moving that chair into your office. Then they remembered he flew out to England this morning. I hope this isn't setting a bad precedent that just as he qualifies as an Auxiliary Detective he flies off on some "writer's" business?"
"Oh, no, Si...Victoria. If anything Castle is upset that he had to leave this morning and miss my first day here as Captain but his trip has been booked for months, before he even started training to become an Auxiliary Detective. He got clearance from 1PP to go and has even added meetings at Scotland Yard and the British Home Office with people that run their 'Special Constables' program which is the Metropolitan Police's equivalent of the NYPD Auxiliary," Kate informs her as they walk away from her former desk and towards her new office.
Castle really had been miffed that he was missing out on her first day at the 12th as Captain. He'd even presented her this morning with a delicious, oversized chocolate cupcake with a sign saying "Congratulations Captain Beckett-Castle" stuck in it's top as a small way to mark the occasion. He was only slightly mollified by the excitement of looking forward to speaking to the Sherlock Holmes Society, the opportunity to visit Scotland Yard in an 'official' capacity and the added bonus of having some alone time with Alexis as she joins him on the trip.
In fact he was not the only one that is miffed because Kate is feeling exactly the same way at being stuck here in New York doing paperwork while her family jet off overseas. Unfortunately she still hasn't accumulated enough vacation days after using them all searching for Castle last year for her to join them. On top of that the work she has to undertake to get the taskforce up and running precludes her from joining them anyway.
Regardless they'd all gotten up early this morning and, despite Castle's protests that she didn't have too, Kate had driven both her husband and step-daughter to JFK to see them off. She's not ashamed to admit that a few tears accumulated in her eyes as she'd hugged and kissed them both, Alexis on the cheek and Castle on the lips, at the gate and as they walked off to board their flight. She'd come to the precinct straight from the airport and thinks that at this moment Castle and Alexis are probably having their first class meal while she walks into her new office.
Gate pauses next to a now grinning Esposito and Ryan as Kate does just that and steps into her office alone. It is Ryan that says, "We put things where we thought you'd want them, Captain, including one or two new items but feel free to move them around as you want."
Kate pauses just inside the office and takes it in. Her mother's parade of elephants, significant for so many reasons, are on the low bookshelf that is behind the desk and it is flanked by two framed photographs. From where she is she can see one photo is a group shot of herself, Castle, Esposito, Ryan and Captain Montgomery that she remembers was taken at the Old Haunt the night Castle bought the place and invited them all there to taste some very expensive scotch. The other photo is a smiling head shot of her father.
Stepping forward to stand behind the desk that has the brass name plate reading 'Captain Beckett-Castle' on it she sees the framed photo from her wedding day sitting next to the desk phone which is at one corner of it. On the opposite corner, next to the computer monitor and keyboard, sit hers and Castle's coffee mugs side by side and next to them is a picture of herself, Castle and Alexis smiling up at the camera. A picture that Martha took of the three of them when they were on vacation at the Hamptons one time and which she was sure she last saw siting amongst the other photos on top of the baby grand piano in the loft.
She looks up and around the room and on the walls she can see the framed certificate of her appointment as Captain and her NYPD Medal of Valour similarly framed. Also on the walls is her framed graduation certificate from the NYPD Academy next to, in her mind, an embarrassing picture of a very young Kate Beckett standing amongst the rest of her Academy graduating class.
"Castle, with some help from your Dad, organised some of the new things you see," Esposito tells her from the doorway.
Kate turns her gaze to the three people standing in the doorway and smiles in gratitude, in particular, towards the two men obviously responsible for moving and arranging all her stuff around the office.
"Thanks, guys, I appreciate it and I'm not going to change a thing," she responds with genuine affection towards her two 'brothers'. She's so glad that she's going to be doing this taskforce with the both of them and Castle. It's going to make things so much easier to have her 'team' by her side as she does this. That what was missing when she made the move to DC, her 'team'. Now with all of them still working together the challenge that the taskforce presents seems like nothing.
"We'll let you get settled in, Captain," says Ryan with a slight bow of his head.
"Cap'n," adds similarly head bowing Esposito as both men take their leave and head off to their desks.
As the two men depart Gates takes a step into the office, looks around, obviously taking in the changes from when she occupied the same office, and almost wistfully says, "Well, it's all yours now, Kate. I hope this place brings you as much luck as it did me."
"Luck? I never thought I'd hear you describe your time at the 12th as lucky," responds Kate, surprised that the woman would describe her time in command here so. Especially given how distrustfully she was received when she started and the rather abrasive relationship she tended to have with her subordinates, especially Castle.
Gates looks her in the eye as she says sincerely, "Despite some personality conflicts I spent some of the best years of my professional life in command of the people here at the 12th, your husband included and you may not tell him I said that. I almost turned the promotion to Deputy Chief down but it's time to move on and you have this great opportunity of your own to command this taskforce from here so I'm sure you're going to find this place just as lucky as I did."
Gates indicates to the group photo on the bookcase behind her, "When I arrived here I had to take command of a place that my predecessor had made into a family as much as a police precinct. I had to earn the trust of all of you just as you had to earn mine and I think we'll both admit that it took some time. In the end, though, I could not have asked for a finer group of people to lead and have learnt a few things myself along the way about loyalty and dedication from you in particular, Kate, that I think will hold me in good stead as I navigate the politics of 1PP."
"It's we who learnt from your example, Victoria. You showed us, me, what being a leader is. That being popular is nothing without integrity or respect and I can honestly say that everyone here respects you. This place won't be the same without you and I for one will be using the years I have spent under your command as the template for how I will command the taskforce," says Kate frankly.
Gates gives her a wry grin, "Oh, Kate, I think you'll be a much different Captain than I was and that's a good thing because you've got a much more different challenge ahead of you bringing this taskforce together than I did taking command of the best homicide squad in the city." Gates then indicates towards the computer on the desk, "Speaking of the taskforce, I know the Commissioner's office has sent you the files of the members of the various state police forces that they want you to consider for the taskforce. From what I've heard there's quite a list and more than a few volunteers to be a part of what you are putting together. It's a big responsibility starting something like this up from scratch but if there's anyone that can do it it's you, Kate."
Kate ducks her head as she almost blushes at the woman's praise, "Thank you, Victoria."
"No need to thank me. You got this all on your own merits and I'm just stating the obvious," Gates pauses and takes one last look around the office. "Anyway, I better go and leave you to it. You've got a lot of work ahead of you and I've got some meetings at 1PP."
Gates then steps forward and stretches out her hand across desk towards Kate. As Kate takes her hand to shake Gates says, "It's been an honour to serve with you, Kate."
"You too, Victoria," returns Kate honestly.
After a moment they release hands and with a final nod of her head Gates strides from the office with some parting words just before she steps through the door, "I look forward to seeing you around headquarters sometime Captain Beckett-Castle."
Kate watches as the woman strides confidently through the bullpen towards the elevator and notes how the few detectives and officers out there pause and stand to attention as she passes, showing their respect towards their departing leader. Sighing she sits down at her desk, sits back in her office chair and contemplates what is now her office.
Instinctively she glances to her left where, at her old desk, Castle would be sitting to seek his reassurance but he's not there. No, he and Alexis are currently thirty thousand feet above the Atlantic. She looks down at her side where she deposited her bag when she sat down and thinks about the iPad inside. Thanks to the recently installed Wi-Fi in the precinct and the Wi-Fi no doubt available on Castle's flight she could use her iPad to Face Time her husband and step-daughter and seek that reassurance.
No, she thinks forcefully, she won't do that. At least not yet. No, she'll spend an hour first going over some of the personnel files that Gates mentioned before succumbing to the comfort of communicating with her family.
And that's what she does but it is exactly on the dot of an hour later that she stops reading the service record of an seemingly suitable and experienced Detective Sergeant from the New Jersey State Police to reach into her bag and pull out her iPad. After a few taps of her screen she is soon greeted to the welcome sight of her husband's face on the screen of her tablet with the equally welcome sight of her step-daughter beside him.
"Hey, Beckett! How did you get in there?" says a pleasantly surprised sounding Castle from her iPad's speakers.
"Through the magic of Wi-Fi," she responds happily with a wiggle of her fingers as if to indicate that the call came about thanks to her witchy powers as well as modern wireless communications. "I figured you'd be on-line. So I thought that you would want an update. I've moved into my newly decorated office, thank you and my dad by the way, and I've started sifting through the records of the personnel they've put forward to join the taskforce."
She see's Castle smile at first at her mention of her moving into her new office but the image on the screen becomes increasingly shaky and Castle seems not to be paying attention to her but rather looking concerned at something off camera.
"Ahhhh, that's good to hear," he responds distractedly still looking at something beyond the iPad in his hands.
Concerned at the unstable image and the inattention of her husband Kate asks, "Is everything OK up there?"
Alexis' face leans into the screen at that as the young redhead answers, her tone apologizing for Castle's distraction while also reassuring her step-mother, "Just a little turbulence."
Almost in response to Alexis' words the image on her tablet shakes even more than it did before and this time she can hear cries of alarm from the other passengers through the speakers. From the pixilated image on her screen she can see that Castle's face has got an even more concerned look on it as he continues to look at something beyond the camera. It is at that moment that out of the corner of her eye she sees Esposito and Ryan enter her office, obviously to ask her something.
"Castle, is something wrong?" Kate asks her own concern rising. She hadn't realised it before but she's actually worried about Castle and Alexis being away from her side and this turbulence is not helping.
At her worried tone Esposito and Ryan move to join her and stand behind her desk to look at the tablet, over her shoulder as Castle answers in a not so convincing placating tone, "Everything's going to be fine."
"Hey, Castle!" greets Esposito over her shoulder but at that moment the image on the screen moves around even more violently then finally freezes on a disconcerting and unflattering close-up of a grimacing Castle. After a moment a blue icon appears in the centre of the screen announcing that the call has been dropped.
"Castle!" calls a now alarmed and even more concerned Kate at the frozen image of her husband's face on the screen.
She then puts the iPad on her desk, turns to her two friends and asks, "Is it just me or does everything not seem just fine?"
"Beckett, relax. Even the most heinous turbulence won't bring a plane down," responds Esposito reassuringly if a little dismissive of the concerned look on her face.
"Every day twenty flights leave New York and land in London without a problem. It's going to be the same for Castle's flight," adds a calm and slightly more reassuring Ryan.
Kate nods at the logic of her friend's words as she looks back down at the frozen image of Castle. Despite their reassurance it sounds to her from Castle's tone that there might be something happening on that flight more than some turbulence threatening everyone to loose their breakfasts. Then there is Castle's almost uncanny knack for finding trouble wherever he goes. If something untoward was to happen on a flight it would just be Castle's luck for it to happen on his flight. And the worst thing of it was, besides Alexis also being there, is that Kate's not there with him to look out for him. To have his and Alexis' back.
It is therefore with some trepidation that she continues to look at the image on her iPad as Esposito and Ryan proceed to ask her the question that brought them into her office in the first place.
Oceanic Air Flight 57 – above the Atlantic Ocean
Castle is jostled back and forth in his seat as the plane takes another sudden dip and rise. He's not normally such a nervous flyer but there is something about this flight that is turning him into one of those white knuckle passengers. As the plane levels out again he glances over at Alexis and thinks that maybe it is because of her presence that all this turbulence is making him so unsettled.
"It's going to be alright," he says reassuringly, ostensibly to his daughter but really he's saying it for his own benefit. All in a vain attempt to try and calm his own churning imagination, rampant with all the worst case scenarios that a mystery writer's mind can come up with.
His rampant thoughts are interrupted by a calm, unflappable voice from the plane's PA, "Folks, this is Captain Edmunds. We hit some chop there but we've climbed to thirty-nine thousand feet and expect a smooth ride all the way to Heathrow."
"See, there's nothing to worry about," says Alexis, patting his hand that has the armrest between them in an iron grip in an attempt to calm his disquiet.
"Yeah," responds Castle absentmindedly as his concentration is focused the actions of the crew in the forward galley, just in front of him. The two flight attendants he can see, the friendly Farrah that he signed a book for earlier and a male attendant seem to be discussing something very seriously. More seriously than mere turbulence would seem to warrant. "Why aren't they smiling?" he wonders aloud.
"Dad, you heard the pilot...," starts Alexis, again attempting to placate him but he is adamant that the bad feeling he has is correct.
"I'm telling you something is not right and I'm going to find out what," and with that he unbuckles his seat belt an moves quickly to the forward galley before Alexis can say another word to stop him. Time to get the story.
"Excuse me?" he asks the back of the male flight attendant.
The black haired man immediately turns to him and in a firm but polite tone, learnt to deal with disgruntled passengers, says, "Sir, the seat belt sign is still illuminated if you could please return to your seat..."
Castle ignores the man, Jim, by his name tag and voices to the group in front of him the reason for his concern, "You're not smiling. None of you are smiling and the Captain's here. What's going on? Is there some kind of mechanical problem?"
"Please, sir, just return...," starts Jim but the young female flight attendant, Farrah, interrupts him.
"Jim, wait," and Farrah taps the middle aged woman in the Captain's uniform on the shoulder. When the Captain turns around Farrah indicates towards Castle, "Maybe he can help."
The Captain makes a quick decision as her position and profession requires and she steps forward and addresses Castle directly and frankly, "Mister Castle, I'm Captain Edmunds. You work with the NYPD right? In fact I believe you recently became the first NYPD Auxiliary Detective. We could actually use your assistance."
Forgetting to be smug at being proved right that there is something wrong he is instead surprised that the Captain has both heard of his recent appointment and that she thinks that he can help with whatever is wrong, it is with raised eyebrows as he asks, "My assistance with what?"
Captain Edmunds pulls out a cell phone and shows him the screen. On it he sees what looks like, from the US flag over the shoulder of the middle aged man in the picture, the file picture of a federal employee. The man in the picture looks familiar to Castle.
"This is Kyle Ford, he's the Air Marshal on this flight," Captain Edmunds tells him.
"I saw this guy,' he exclaims and he looks back into the first class cabin to where he last saw the Air Marshal. "He's sitting in my row. He..," Castle pauses as he sees only an empty seat where he last saw the man, "At least he was sitting in my row. What has this got to do with the Air Marshal?" he asks turning his attention back to Captain Edmunds.
"An hour ago he sent a text to his field office about a security issue aboard this aircraft," Captain Edmunds says far too calmly for his liking as his heart skips a beat at those ominous words 'security issue'.
"What kind of security issue?" he asks his level concern now as high as it can possibly be.
Captain Edmunds reads from the phone in her hand, "Possible threat to Oceanic Air Flight 57. I'm investigating," she looks back up at Castle and he can now see real concern in the Captain's eyes as she says, "That's all Ford said in his text."
"And what did he tell you?" Castle asks hoping that the Air Marshal has at least told the Captain more specific information.
"Unfortunately I haven't been able to talk to him. Mr Ford is missing," and with those words Castle realises that his level concern hadn't reached it's higher level earlier as his heart starts beating rapidly at the Captain's revelation.
"Missing!" he almost shouts and he instantly realises his mistake as he looks nervously back into the passenger cabin to make sure none of the other passengers has heard his exclamation. He realises that the situation won't be helped if he starts a panic amongst the passengers. His heart skips a beat as his gaze falls upon the face of Alexis who is looking at him curiously. It seems that her attention is the only one that his outburst has attracted. Her presence on board adds a distressing element to what already seems to be a potentially extremely unpleasant situation.
"Missing?" he asks more quietly. "Did you search the plane?"
"From front to back," says the remaining person of the crew in the galley who hasn't spoken up to now. A middle aged African American female flight attendant whose name tag identifies her as, Debbie.
"Given the circumstances I've been instructed to lock myself in the cockpit and continue onto Heathrow," adds Captain Edmunds.
"Terrorism protocol," acknowledges Castle nodding. Years of research for Derrick Storm means that he is aware of the protocols that airline pilots must follow in such circumstances. Sometimes he wonders, like now, if such knowledge is a blessing or a curse.
"Precisely!" asserts Captain Edmunds. "Right now you are the only other law enforcement on this flight."
"Which is in itself a cause for concern," mutters Castle self-deprecatingly, almost to himself.
Captain Edmund fixes her eyes on Castle's and he can see a hit of pleading in her gaze as she asks, "Will you help us Mister Castle?"
Castle starts following Debbie from the forward galley, through the first class cabin, and as he does so he glances over at Alexis. She gives his a questioning look and he waves her question away, signalling for her to remain in her seat.
As he continues to follow the flight attendant he thinks that never in his wildest nightmares did he think that his first case as an Auxiliary Detective would be him searching for a missing Air Marshal on a flight that includes himself, his daughter and over two hundred other people. How can a grown man just up and disappear in the middle of a trans-Atlantic flight? Not to mention the mysterious and ominous 'security threat' that the man mentioned to his superiors just before he disappeared. Yeah that didn't add any further unease to him at all...not!
Almost as if she can read his mind and to him that is just wrong because the only woman who shares his brain is Beckett, Debbie puts voice to some of his thoughts, "I don't know, it's like he's disappeared. It doesn't make sense."
"How well do you know the Air Marshal?" he asks Debbie as they make their way past the rows of passengers towards the rear of the plane.
"Not very well," responds Debbie. "Mr Ford only flies with us, like, twice a month. He's very professional and very polite."
They have now reached the curtained off rear galley of the plane and Debbie pauses to retrieve a key from a nearby locker.
She indicates to the hatch in the floor, "This is the only place we haven't given a second look." Debbie then reaches down, unlocks and pulls up the hatch leading to the cargo hold. He follows Debbie down the metal ladder into the gloomy space full of cargo containers and luggage stacked on shelves behind clear plastic covers.
Turning on the torches they brought with them the pair start sweeping their lights over the contents of the hold looking for any sign of the missing Air Marshal.
"Does Ford know how to get down here?" asks Castle as he moves further into the hold eyes roaming as he searches for the man in question.
"Of course, he has access to the entire plane just like we do," replies Debbie as she follows Castle further in to the dark hold.
Looking ahead, further into the hold and then back the way they came he comments on the size of the space they're in and by extension how long it would take to search such an area thoroughly, "It runs the length of the plane...and you looked everywhere?"
"Well we didn't pull out all the luggage because there was no sign that there was anyone down here," admits Debbie with a shrug of her shoulders.
It is at that moment that the beam of Castle's torch illuminates the contents of a large glass tank, like a fish tank minus the water, that is inches from his face. He instantly jumps back at the sight of a very large yellow snake staring at him and separated from him by only a thin pane of glass.
"Ahhhh," he yells an manfully as he can. "There's a snake on the mother flying plane," he exclaims in a voice that in no way sounds like Samuel L. Jackson.
Debbie just gives him a huff as she responds ironically, "You're lucky it isn't the pit bulls we had to ship last week."
Castle drags his eyes from the malevolent gaze of the snake to the plastic covered container full of luggage that he's backed into. He immediately spots something that isn't as it should be. He points it out to his search partner.
"Look at this luggage. Since when does the airline allow clothes hanging out of the bags?" he asks Debbie.
She steps forward for a better look and responds in surprise, "They don't. Not usually."
Castle plays his torch over the contents of the container reading the labels attached to the bags that have clothes hanging out, "That's three different bags from three different passengers. That doesn't make any sense...unless..."
"Unless what?" he hears Debbie ask behind him.
Unless it's to make room for a body, he thinks, as he whips around and looks for a bag that would be big enough to hold a body and the source of the excess clothing. He is immediately drawn to a large dark trunk that is in the container immediately opposite the container with the bags and the hanging clothing. Makes sense as whoever stuffed the clothes into the bags behind him wouldn't have wanted to go too far.
With is torch focused on the trunk he moves towards it as he finally answers Debbie's question, "Unless someone took the clothes out of another suitcase and stuffed them into those three bags."
"You don't think?" asks Debbie nervously as she watches Castle approach the trunk.
He looks over his shoulder at her as he answers, "There's only one way to find out."
With that he pulls the plastic cover over the container to one side and flips the latch on the trunk. Taking a deep breath he opens the trunk and his fears are realised as the very pale and very dead body of the man they are looking for stares out from the trunk with lifeless eyes.
Debbie gasps in horror, "Oh my God! That's Air Marshal Ford!"
A/N : I wanted to give my own small farewell to Gates in this as I don't think we're going to get one in the show. Sorry to see her go. When I started this story I had specific episodes and moments in mind and how Iwant to include them in this story. Castle having his star during the events of In Plane Sight was one of them. I hope you enjoy the ride (pun intended).