CH27

Kate walked into the bullpen and found Ryan and Espo already there. "Beckett, how was your day off?"

"It was just fine Javi, just fine."

"And who did you have fun with Beckett?" Noticing a smile on her face they have not seen for some time.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Just how much fun did you have Beckett." Ryan chimes in.

"Just as much fun you are going to have doing paperwork for the next week." Kate threatens.

Kate ignores them and turns on her computer. While Ryan and Espo do a fist bump Knowing there is only one way she would be this happy.

"Anything come up while I was gone?"

"Yea, 911 got a call just after your shooting. It took uniforms to a location where they found a guy who had been shot. The interesting part is that he had a Barrett .50 Cal sniper rifle on him."

That got Kate's attention. "Where is he?"

"He's downstairs with Lanie." Javi tells her.

Not waiting for anything else, she flies down the stairs to go see Lanie.

"Lanie, what have you got for me." Kate has spotted her friend.

"Hey girlfriend. How was your day off?" And as Kate gets closer. "Maybe the more important question is what have you got for me?"

"What do you mean." Kate didn't remember having to bring her friend anything.

"OH, don't play dumb with me Kate. You are practically bouncing on your feet and that smile on your face is threatening to break your face. And don't get me started on the glow you have."

Kate just stands there quickly blushing.

"So what did you do the other night Girlfriend?"

"I didn't do anything the other night." Only to get a glare that could peel paint. "Honest I didn't do anything the other night." And unconsciously drawing a cross on her chest just like Alexis had done earlier.

Suddenly Lanie's eye bug out and she inhales deeply. "You got laid this morning! Didn't you?"

All Kate could do was make the smile she was wearing even bigger. "This got a huge squeal from Lanie." Who promptly enveloped Kate in a giant bear hug.

"Lanie,... can't, …. breath." Lanie lets go of Kate and backs off a little.

"Castle?" Lanie more stated than asked.

Kate could just nod while grinning.

"I'm happy for you girl. It's about time."

"So tell me about our guy."

"Male, late twenty's to early thirtie's. Single bullet to the chest. It fractured two of his ribs, it collapsed his left lung, and destroyed his main blood return aorta. He bleed out and died in under 3 minutes."

"Ballistics?"

"It was a 7.62x55mm. Typical ammunition for a military sniper rifle."

"He was killed by a sniper?"

"It gets better. According to Javi, he was found with a Barrett 82A1. The same weapon that was used to kill Simmons. And Kate. It was the same weapon that was used to shoot you at the funeral service."

Kate's mouth fell open, and she slapped her hand over her open mouth. "When was he killed?"

"According to 911 call and the uniforms showing up and the temp. of his liver. He was shot at roughly the same time as you were."

Kate kept her hand over her mouth. Talking thru it. "He shot me then got shot himself?

Assassination of the assassin?"

"That's more for you to figure out. What I can tell you is that he is in perfect shape. He could take both of us out with both hands tied behind him."

"Thanks Lanie. Anything else?"

Lanie just shakes her head. "When are you going back to see Castle?"

"Lanie! I don't know. We'll see." And Kate turns to leave. Then it hits her, she left her bag at Castle's. Guess she'll be back over there before she thought. Although the poker game was in two days.

Back up in the bullpen. "What have you got on our guy?"

"His ID gives him as a Cole Maddox. But his history only goes back 2 years. Before that, he doesn't exist." Javi tells her.

"He's a ghost Beckett." Ryan adds.

"Keep digging. He was born so he has a history. All we have to do is find it."

"Anything on who shot Jessica?"

"No prints, no pictures of his face, no DNA. He's another ghost." Ryan fills her in.

"Who the hell are these guys? One has the nerve to just walk into a hospital and kill, and the other is a skilled sniper.

"Espo, how good do you have to be to use a Barrett from a mile or more out?"

"Very good. Highly trained. Probably ex-military. Probably attended sniper school."

"And the chances of getting anything from the military of that school?"

Javi just shakes his head. "Not going to happen Beckett. You thought the FBI were control freaks."

"Check with the FBI. I want to know what happened to that guy who surrendered when we took out Rook and his gang.

Anything from gangs on where his 'Crib' is located?"

"Last I knew they were chasing down leads, but nothing yet."

"Keep on it. Tech get anything more out of that laptop?" Kate asks.

"They got that name of Simmons, some accounting information. Those guys were RICH! And there is a partitioned area on the hard drive. Problem is it is password protected and looks to be encrypted. They are also worried that if they put in the wrong password, it may trigger a virus and damage all the files on the hard drive."

"Have them keep working on it. We need that information!" Gangs with encrypted hard drives, military weapons and access to still more. Who are these people? Kate's thoughts are interrupted by her cell phone ringing.

"Beckett."

"Good morning Detective." A very soft and overly pleasant voice responds.

"I don't know if I'm happy you called or scared shitless." However the voice ignores her remark.

"The man that surrendered to you has been released by the FBI, detective."

"WHAT?" Kate screams into the phone, not caring who hears her.

"He has been released with no charges filed, detective."

"That's not possible! …. Do you know where he is now?"

"At this moment in time, I do not detective."

'DAMN, DAMN.' "Thanks, ….. OH wait." Kate has an idea. Well more of prayer actually.

"Yes, detective?"

"Do you know how, …. Or can you, …. Break passwords or encrypted information on a laptop?" Pray, pray, pray.

"Connect it to a system that has Wi-fi access and I will take care of the rest, detective." And the call ends.

"Javi, pull my cell phone records. I want to know who just called me."

"Your records, Beckett?" Not sure he heard correctly.

"Yea, mine.

"Ryan, get tech to bring the laptop up here. I want it, NOW!

And guys. It's possible that the guy we got on the Rook raid may be drifting in the wind."

Both of them open their eyes wide at that. "They wouldn't! Would, they?"

"Just get those phone records and that laptop. NOW guys." And Ryan and Espo jerk and get to work.

Kate starts looking for next of kin for Jessica Adams. A little late, ok, maybe way late. And it took Castle yelling at her to remember to do it. But better late than never.

Two hours later, Kate has nothing. Parents died in a plane crash in Detroit years ago. No living grandparents, only child. GOD, this girl really was all alone. Kate couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Jessica had phoned Castle long before now. Why didn't she? Was she really that scared?

Javi showed up with her own cell phone records. Kate was going thru them. Knew exactly when this voice had called.

NOTHING! According to her own phone records her phone did not receive any calls at or even near that time. "That's not possible!"

"Got the laptop boss." Ryan shows up.

Kate takes it into the viewing room and hard connects it to the stations wireless router and turns the laptop on. "What are we doing boss?"

"Waiting." Is all Kate will tell him.

Not that they had long to wait.

Suddenly a pop-up window opens and a string of text is written and then the pop-up disappears. And suddenly the laptop is alive. Pop-up windows open and close, text is written in them at lightning speed.

"They hacked into our wireless router Beckett. Turn it off. Disconnect it."As Ryan reaches for one of them. Only to be stopped by Kate. "NO! Let it go." Only to get an 'are you out of your mind?' look from Ryan.

And in less than 2 minutes everything stops and the screen is open with an Excel spreadsheet. They both start reading it. And soon their mouths are hanging open.

"NO WAY!" Ryan is in disbelief.

"Go get the Captain." But Ryan doesn't move. He is still in shock. "GO, GO." Getting Ryan moving.

Moments later Ryan is back with Captain Montgomery. "What have you got Beckett?"

"That laptop we got off the raid of James Rook. It is filled with information on all the girls they took and sold overseas. Where they got them. Their names. Their address. The name of who they sold them to. How much they paid for them. Address of where these buyers are located. Dates on when they took them and where. And dates on when they sold them.

Even the bank account information of where the money went after they sold them.

It's a GOLD MINE!" Kate is astounded and getting ready to blink back tears. Thinking of all these women who had their lives changed, all for the love of money.

"How many women are we talking about?" Roy asks. Not sure he is going to like the number.

"62 sir. And if I read this right, 12 are presently on-board 2 different ships at sea right now, sir." Kate tells him.

"Where are those ships going?" Maybe if they work fast the Coast Guard can board them.

"One left for Hong Kong, 3 days ago. The other left for Indonesia 4 days ago….. The ships names are included in the information sir."

"Print it out for me, and I'll make some calls.

OH, nice work Beckett!" As Roy heads back to his desk.

Kate prints the information out and gives it to Kevin to give to the Captain. Then she burns DVD's of everything on the hard drive.

When Ryan comes back. "Here, hide these. Someplace safe. I don't want them disappearing like that guy the FBI released has." Ryan takes them and starts thinking, Where to put them. Some place safe that does not put him or his family in danger.

Kate has another idea. She likes it, to a point. She's going to get into trouble, maybe even fired and jailed for it. But she is damned if those guys are going to get to keep all that money from selling women.

She opens a new account offshore at a different bank. Morticia Addams, 0001 Cemetery Lane, NY, NY. 10022. When that is done she opens the account they were using with the codes and passwords and account numbers listed in the file. And transfers all of the money from their account to the one she just opened.

Kate knows she has no intention of keeping the money or using any portion of it. Maybe she can find a way to get it to all the women who were taken. It will not give them the time of their lives lost in this, but at least it is something. And maybe a little poetic justice.

Kate is done and back at her desk, when her Captain approaches them. "The Coast Guard says they are too far out by now for them to do anything. However they are going to forward the information to the Navy and see if they can send a ship to intercept them."

"The same Navy that took Simmons from us and got him killed? Sir!" Ryan is skeptical.

"I hear ya Detective. Let's just hope this part of the Navy is a little better at their jobs.

OH, and excellent work you three. There are 62 girls that just might get to be very happy along with their families.

I've faxed out the list to Interpol, Scotland Yard and Homeland Security. Hopefully they can find a way to get the girls that are already sold back here.

OH, anything on that guy who was shot and had that Barrett sniper rifle?"

"No sir. He's a ghost." Ryan tells him.

"Well, keep looking. You don't get to be that old and not leave some kind of paper trail."

Late that same day after Kate and the guys had gone home for the day. There is a cell phone in DC ringing.

"Yes."

"Our man Maddox has been killed. Immediately after he took a shot at Beckett."

"And did he succeed in his task?"

"No sir. She apparently was prepared and suffered only minor damage."

"DAMN IT! I want her dead. Do you hear!"

"Yes sir. However now may not be a good time sir."

"I'm not interested in your cowardice. Get it done."

"That will bring unwanted attention. Apparently they have managed to defeat the encryption on the laptop Lockwood had on him when captured."

"WHAT! You said the data was secure. That no one could break the encryption."

"Apparently they have managed and have information that was contained in the laptop."

"DAMN IT! What about the money from all the sales?"

"The account it was in had been drained of all funds. It appears to be transferred to another account somewhere. We are trying to trace it now."

"Find that money! Do you hear me. It is my money and I want it. Get it done."

"Yes sir. What about the girls?"

"Who gives a shit about a bunch of whores."

"They have the entire list of all the women who were sold. They have sent a message to the Coast Guard to intercept the ships that are transporting the ones recently sold. They passed it on to the Navy. They in turn have dispatched a destroyer to intercept each ship while in international waters."

"Stop them. You have connections."

"It has already exceeded my authority and jurisdiction."

"And if we kill Beckett, it will bring unwanted scrutiny to our operation."

"Correct sir."

"FINE. She gets to live for now. But if she gets any closer she is to be eliminated. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Do we still have our contact at the 12th?"

"Yes sir, he is where we got our first heads up about the laptop."

"Good. Make sure he understands his position in all this."

And the call ends.