CH15
Kate was back home, and it felt good to be back. Everything looked and sounded normal. Still there was something about this place that was lacking. She just couldn't figure out what it was.
She had just finished eating her first solid meal with Castle and his daughter. He had ordered in from a Chinese place. It was really good food. She just couldn't eat it all. They had made small talk during the meal.
Castle had tied to get her to stay a little longer by offering to watch a movie on his big screen projection TV with surround sound. As tempting as that was she had wanted some space from Castle. Even though she saw very little of him while she was sick. However leaving her 'Head Nurse' behind had been a little difficult. There was just something about her.
She had decided to call Lanie and tell her she was home. Fearing the topic that she would bring up. However to her relief Lanie had remained silent about Castle. They had talked about an hour. Some of it was about what Lanie found when she examined Jessica. And what she found when she had examined detective Raglan.
Kate took a shower before heading for bed that night. But it was different somehow. The bed wasn't as big. Not nearly as soft. And something else was missing. But sleep caught her before she could dwell on it for long.
Kate arrives at the 12th a little early and is mildly surprised to find Ryan and Espo already there.
"AAWWGGHH, The MONSTER LIVES!" Javi sounds off with his best Dr. Frankenstein voice.
"HA, ha, very funny. It is to laugh!" Kate counters.
"Where are we on Rook?" Getting straight to business.
"We got nothing. He's gone to ground. Even the gang squad downstairs have nothing on him. Or his men. Also nothing on the guy who shot Javi." Ryan tells her, not liking how she is going to take it.
"Five more days until we bury our own. We need to find him before then. I'm not putting our guys to ground without some closure for them."
Spark's Steakhouse:
Castle had gotten up and had come to a decision. It kind of worried him, but he wanted answers. Maybe Vince could give them to him.
Driving over and parking out front he steps in. Lisa spots him immediately. "Mr. Castle! It's good to see you again. We're not open yet. How is your lovely daughter?"
"She's great Lisa, thanks. I came to see if I could talk with Vince about something." With a serious tone that is not lost on Lisa.
"Sure? Just give me a minute."
Rick nods and walks over and sits at the bar, far away from everyone else.
"Mr. C. What can I get you."
"It's a little early for me. I'll just take water. Thanks."
A moment later a glass of ice water is placed on the bar and he walks away and back to his early morning work.
"Castle! Where's that gorgeous little girl of yours?" Vince asks, actually glad to see Rick.
"School day. Maybe later."
"So then. What can I help you with?"
"You remember Jessica?" Rick not really liking how this conversation will go.
"Yea, great kid. Little shy. Haven't seen her for a few days." Interested in the topic.
"I'm sorry Vince. She's, …. dead. Killed in her hospital bed a few days ago."
To say Vince's face is shocked would be an understatement. "HOW?" Demanding an answer.
"Someone walked in and put three shots in her chest while laying in her bed, recovering from her injuries." Rick says sadly.
"Injuries? What injuries." Vince liked her. She was way to quite but she was a good kid.
Rick slid a large vanilla envelope on the bar across to him.
Vince went to take the envelope, but Rick stopped him by putting his hand down on it.
"It is not pretty Vince." Hoping he would take his warning to heart.
Vince takes the envelope and opens it and starts pulling out pictures. He starts looking at them one at a time. Putting the one last viewed behind the others.
Vince never makes a sound or says a thing. There are no tears in his eyes. However if it was possible for steam to come out of his ears, nose, collar, literally anyplace. Rick is sure it would be. His face had turned into a very serious look. Unlike earlier when he came in.
Having finished, he placed the pictures face down on the bar. "WHO?" Vince growled out in a predatory tone.
"I don't know. I think the police are looking into it. But I don't know if they have found anything.
I was hoping you could tell me!" Rick's voice kind of sounds like pleading.
"I'll find him Castle! Leave it to me." Vince growls out. "I'll have him hanging by his balls from the Statue of Liberty by the end of the week!" Vince promises. And unknown to Rick, he is promising. "Alive, if I can manage it." Meaning if he doesn't kill him outright after making him suffer more than Jessica ever did.
"Thanks Vince! And, … I'm sorry!" He considers Vince a friend, even if he isn't perfect. "Alexis and I will be in later for dinner sometime." A fact that Rick knows will happen.
Vince just nods, and Rick gets up and leaves. Rick even now is in conflict with himself. Did he just do the right thing? He knows what Vince will do to him if/when he finds him. And that's the part that gives him pause. Does he deserve what Vince is going to do. Still considering what he did to Jessica? If it had been Alexis, what would he do? A thought that makes him physically shudder.
NY Hotel:
Senator Bracken was on the cell phone again. Trying to get into contact with General Reed. Things were spiraling out of control. First his home is destroyed. And the insurance company has so far refused to accept his claim. His bank acknowledges that his account shows that the money has been sent for the insurance premiums, but the insurance company says their records indicate that no money has been credited to his account.
Ending the call. And now Reed will not answer his calls. Rook and his men have been helpful up to this point. But killing those 4 cops has brought a lot of heat. He has a man that is with Rook but he can't get in contact with him. It was looking like Rook and his men would need to be cleaned up. It was time to clean up this mess before it lead to him. He has plans and no one is going to interfere with them.
Somehow he knows that damn bitch Beckett is involved in this somehow. First her damn mother, now her stinking whore of a daughter. Maybe he should get rid of her father also. Just to take the Beckett's out of the gene pool.
12th Precinct as Rick leaves Sparks Steakhouse:
"Beckett, there is one thing we do have. Watch. Here is this guy entering the hospital. Note he does not look up so we can't see his face." Ryan points out to her.
"He knows the cameras are there." Kate puts in.
"Here, he gets in the elevator and gets off on the same floor as Jessica. You can see him walk down the hall and disappear into a room thru a door. Hard to tell if it is Jessica's. But she is down that hall and it looks about right.
"He then exits out the door a few seconds later. Enters the elevator and exits the hospital the same way he came in. Never once looking up."
"Did he touch anything along the way? Anything at all?" Kate is grasping at straws.
"Well he would have had to touch the door to open her door. And the button on the elevator for her floor and the lobby on the way back down. Problem is, hundreds of people have touched both those surfaces before and since."
"Damn! Anything in the parking lot?"
Ryan just shakes his head. "He walked in from off site somewhere. No car." Ryan breaks the bad news.
"So we got nothing?" Kate hates this. Her downcast mood is broken by her phone ringing.
"Beckett."
"Good morning Detective." A very soft and beautiful sounding voice says. Kate has heard this voice before. It was the same voice that sent her to Raglan.
"Who is this?" Kate really wants this person to answer.
"There is a person of interest to you at the 'Green Point Terminal Market' in one of the abandoned buildings. Be very careful detective. He is not alone and they are all heavily armed. Also the perimeter of the building has booby-traps. Good luck Detective." And the call ends.
Kate is unsure what to do. An anonymous phone call is not much to go on. But the info she got from this person got her to Raglan who told her things she did not know, before he was killed.
Making up her mind. "We got a lead. Call up the tactical team." And heads for Montgomery's office.
"Sir we got a lead on Rook. Green Point Terminal." Kate tells him excited.
"I'll make some calls, we are going to need help. And lots of it." And Roy picks up the phone.
A lot later that day, after several phone calls. Kate, Javi, Ryan, Roy, the NY Tactical Team (a 12 man team), NY State Police Mobile Response Team (another 12 man team). Also from the Mobile Response Team are 2 K-9 units. The NY Tactical Team has brought their mobile command vehicle as have the Mobile Response Team. The NY Tactical Team has also brought an armored vehicle. Everyone is equipped with heavy body armor, ballistic shields, advanced night vision optics, motion detectors, infra-red scanner. Additionally a bomb disposal unit is on stand-by. Overhead but not here yet will be two helicopters for surveillance. One equipped with infra-red.
They have all assembled at a site that is two miles out from the target. Gathering everyone together Kate tells them who they are after, why the want them, what they have done in the past and a warning about the site being set with booby-traps.
It is decided that each team RV will be separated. The NY RV will be west along with the armored vehicle. The State RV will be east. The state team will be first in from the east just as the sun is rising. So anyone looking to see them will have to look into the sun. The NY team will be called in as soon as the State team breaches the building using the armored vehicle to transport the team into the building by going thru the wall and disembark once there. The detectives will follow a good distance behind in their cruisers and run anyone down who gets past the tactical team.
The helicopters will be used to monitor anyone attempting to leave the building. They will bring in the dog team to search the building once it is under control.
The State team goes first and begins to make it toward the targeted building by sending in a recon team of three. Part way toward their objective. "Central, Jerry has a problem."
"Central confirms. ID problem."
"We have spread unwanted's on the perimeter with remote activation. Copy?"
"Central copies. Stand-by."
"Jerry, confirm deactivation and proceed. Copy?"
"Jerry copies. Two down. Proceeding."
"Central. Jerry. Two more down. Proceeding."
Inside the State RV. "Sir, if there are more of them. Our team is going to be walking right in on them."
"We are going to have to go in on the same line the recon team is using. Then fan out." Is the reply.
"That may get them trapped in no-mans land sir." The tech says not liking this idea.
"If we don't we will be taking too long. If we wait until the sun is too high we will be crossing open ground in broad daylight We will be trapped in a 'mine field'.
"Yes sir." Understanding. Just not liking it.
"Central. Jerry is home. Copy?"
"Central copies."
"Central. Jerry has 7 brothers. Two are separated from mother. Copy?"
Central copies. How is mother?"
"Mother is located in primary. One brother is at 3 and the other is at 9. Copy?"
"Central copies. Stay. Daddy will be there in 15. Copy?"
"Jerry copies. Daddy in 15."
NY State RV "Get your men ready. You go in 10."
The State team is now half way toward the target.
NYPD RV:
"Sir, State has indicated that their team is under way."
"Get ready to load up your team Sergeant, and stand-by." Roy tells the team leader.
Roy turns to Beckett. Get Javi and Ryan ready. You are going with me in the other car."
Just then Beckett's cell rings.
"Beckett."
"Good morning, Detective." A very soft and pleasant voice tells her.
"Yes." Dreading what this voice is going to tell her.
"You have been made detective." And the call ends.
Damn it!. Kate debates what to do. If she does nothing State will die out in the open. If she talks, Roy may ask questions that she is not ready to answer. Having made her choice. "Sir, we've been made." Kate tells her Captain looking straight at him.
"There is nothing Beckett." As he waves his arms at all the monitors.
"I know sir. But I believe. I don't have time to explain. But we HAVE been made." Trying to sound convincing. And hoping that Roy will listen to her. And not ask questions about the phone call? Or why she is listening to a voice on that phone?
