CH75
The major members of the political party Bracken was associated with all came up to his defense. They all riled that he was being railroaded by the military. That they were convinced that it was a ploy by the other political party to spread dirt on their front running Presidential hopeful.
The political party needed Bracken if they had any hope of re-taking the White House at the next election year. They all played up that it was the fault of the sitting President.
Over the next two days several of the items Bracken was being accused of had leaked out. However the political party had stood by their man for the White House. Several were putting their political future on Bracken being vindicated.
It was now two weeks later and Bracken was being moved from the cell he was in inside the building of JAG Headquarters to a site off base to prep him for his initial hearing and a reading of the complete charges.
The State did not want the impression that the military was not providing him his due process since he was not in the military. It was really nothing but a political ploy by the party to make their man look better.
He was being transported in one car with two men and their two more cars with two men each, front and back as support. They also had four uniform officers on motorcycles being used to close intersections and allow easy movement.
Two motorcycle cops was still at the previous intersection and the other was already at the next intersection when a garbage truck came out of an alley on one side and smashed into the trailing car. Followed by an armored car out of the alley on the other side and smashed into the lead car.
Two men came running out of a business on one side and two more out of a business on the other side.
"Please step out of the car gentlemen. I have no reason to hurt you."
The two guys in the front open and step out "You are making a mistake. This is only going to cause trouble for you."
"On your knees if you please." Once they are down on their knees they take their weapons and apply zip ties to their hands and leave them there.
While this is going on after the front doors are open the other two men lean in on each side. "Jessica Adams sends her regards Senator Bracken." And one of them empties his clip into the torso of Bracken. The armor piercing rounds are all thru and thru and go straight thru the vest he is wearing. The other guy puts three rounds in his upper skull.
These three rounds however are not armor piercing rounds. These were sometimes called dumb dumb's. little holes on the entrance and large exit holes out the other. Those three rounds spray his brain matter all over the back window.
These four men then turned and ran back into the businesses that they had come out of. The men in the trash truck and armored car exited their trucks and ran into those same businesses.
They had already gone thru those businesses and out the back and into cars that were waiting for them by the time the motorcycle cops had managed to turn around and come back.
The men in the front and back cars had only minor scrapes and bruises.
Two police cruisers arrived within a minute and several more followed. The owners of the stores were interviewed, but didn't really have much to tell them. The security cameras that were installed were all dummies. They didn't function and were not connected to anything.
And there were no security cameras in that certain section of the street that they had attacked on.
The drivers had given conflicting descriptions of the men involved. There were no prints on any of the cars or the two trucks involved. Each truck had been stolen just that morning. The security cameras were the trucks were stolen from had been disabled, so there was no video of who had taken them.
There were no video or audio recordings of the entire event. And unlike the episode with the four officers who had been attacked to free James Rook, there were no civilians taking pictures or video this time.
They also had no witnesses on how the men got away after exiting the stores out the back doors. Security cameras around the area showed nothing suspicious.
Bracken was dead and they had no leads on who did it.
Little by little more and more of what Bracken had done while as a Senator and his attempt to become President had come out for the general public to view. Three Senators who had backed him to the very end were voted out of office at the next election.
Tyler Faris who is the Inspector General, Dept. of Defense was also a very big backer of Senator Bracken had tendered his resignation and promptly disappeared from public view.
In fact even Lucile soon lost track of his location. His house went into repossession. His car was also repossessed. All of his bank accounts, stocks, money markets and 401 K's all remained untouched. The safety deposit box that no one knew anything about remained untouched. He was gone and no one ever saw him again, alive or dead.
In the precinct they were still trying to find out a name for their latest vic, when Javi went into the break room and came rushing back out. "Beckett you gotta see this!" And goes back into the break room.
"This is Cynthia Cole reporting from the scene of a shooting in broad daylight in front of witnesses. As you can see behind me two large trucks have crashed into two cars that were escorting the disgraced Senator Bracken to a court hearing.
There are unconfirmed reports that the Senator was shot several times in the chest with at least three shots to the head while handcuffed in the back of the car he was riding in.
This brings a quick end to the disgraced Senator and the weapons trafficking and charges of murder and attempted murder that he was accused of.
At this time the authorities are not indicating if they have any leads on who could have killed him.
Once again this is Cynthia Cole reporting from the scene of the killing of the disgraced Senator Bracken. Reporting for KRAP TV." Kate turns and walks away.
Kate went back to her desk and sat down. Her mind was in a haze and had completely shut down.
"Beckett you ok?" Javi asks. Getting no response he waves his hand in front of Kate's face. "Yo, Earth to Beckett. You in there?"
Still getting no response he turns to his partner. "You think she's ok?"
"Well the guy she's been after for years that had her mother killed is dead. What would you be doing?" Ryan asks him.
"I'd be out getting rip roaring drunk. That's what I would be doing." Javi responds convinced. "Do you think we need Castle?" Javi asks his partner. And Ryan just nods. "I'll go downstairs and create a distraction. You see if you can get Castle to come over." And Javi heads for the elevator.
Ryan has been watching Kate up until Castle and Alexis show up and she has barely even blinked the entire time.
"Kate?" Rick calls out to her.
Barely hearing her name and only just registering that it was Rick's voice, Kate spins her chair to face him.
Rick gets down on one knee and is now more at her eye level. "Kate?" He questions again.
"Rick?" As Kate starts blinking her eyes, getting her vision more into focus. "Is that a puppy?" Kate questions as she sees Rick holding a puppy in his hands.
"His name is Charlie." Alexis explains. "He's a Collie."
"He's also a service dog." Rick adds on.
Kate's mind is starting to come more into focus. "Rick it takes years for a dog to become a service dog." Kate is convinced.
"Well he only has just one service to do." As Rick puts him on the floor. "Call him over."
Kate however has no need to call Charlie over since he immediately bounces straight for Kate who bends down and picks him up. And immediately gets her face licked.
"His service is to deliver something. It's in his little pouch he is wearing on the side there." Rick motions with his hand for Kate to reach in.
With a licking squirmy puppy in her hands Kate reaches in and pulls something out.
And Kate's world comes to a complete stop. As does her breathing. Because she is holding in her hand a simply gorgeous engagement ring. The main diamond in the center is huge. And there are smaller ones on the band that get progressively smaller until the underside is just plain. The band itself is platinum and the main portion has the general appearance of an Elephant with the trunk leading down to catch hold of the tail on the other side.
Kate's vision is beginning to falter as the tears start to form and she can only just make out the forms of Rick and Alexis just beyond.
"Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?" And Rick looks down at Alexis to his side that is also down on one knee. "Marry US?" Rick amends.
Whispering softly. "Please mom." Alexis adds.
Kate is trying to get the word out but while her lips are moving the only sound that does come out sounds more like a whimper.
Kate leans forward and puts the puppy on the ground and in so doing falls out of her chair and is now down on her knees as well.
Unable to form words and crying and sniveling and wiping her nose with her sleeve, Kate reaches her arms out and is enveloped by Rick as he moves forward to wrap his arms around her. With the puppy bounding over to Alexis who quickly picks him up and gets licked for her trouble.
At this point the entire floor erupts into applause.
Rick pulls back and takes Kate's hand and places the ring on her finger. Wipes away some of the tears and then kisses her. Breaking from the kiss. "I love you Kate."
Kate sniffles and tries to clear her eyes with her hands like a little child would. "I love you too Rick."
And the floor again erupts into applause. Rick looks out past Kate. "Pizza is on me today. I'd see if I could get champagne but since most of you are working. …." Rick trails off.
At this Roy speaks up. "The no liquor policy is suspended this occasion."
Taking Kate's hands in his. "It seems I have some calls to make." And leans in to kiss Kate quickly before pulling out his phone and walking off. Though he is not actually on his phone and is in fact talking to Lucile, but he has to make it look like he is.
Alexis with puppy in her hands moves over to Kate who kneels down to her level. "You're going to be my mommy now?" Alexis asks.
"Yes sweetie. You're going to be my little girl now." Kate agrees still crying and sniffling.
Alexis puts the puppy on the floor and wraps her arms around Kate who does the same, with a bouncing and yapping puppy trying to get their attention.
Kate lets go of Alexis and laughs and picks up Charlie who squirms in her hands while trying his best to lick her face clean. "Hi Charlie. Seems I get a little girl and a little boy and a husband all in one day." Kate tells him. Alexis for her part just smiles while tears run down her face.
One hour later 24 boxes of Pizza show up, from three different locations, along with two cases of Champagne and three cases of Miller Lite. The beer wasn't what Rick wanted. He thought it tasted more like someone had peed into water, but beggars can't be choosy. The entire building was invited.
Roy stepped up to Kate with a beer in one hand. "Congratulations Beckett." And he means it. He knows with Bracken gone she will have a much easier life from now on.
"Thank you sir."
"And Beckett, I don't want to see you in here until Monday morning. I'm I clear?" Roy tells her. Knowing that today is Wednesday. "Oh and go home Beckett. We'll cover for you here." Roy finishes.
"Yes sir. Thank you sir."
It's a little over an hour later after Javi and Ryan created a distraction long enough for Rick, Kate, Alexis and Charlie to open a Transmat wall and go home.
Stepping out into the entry foyer. "I've got one more thing to show you." Rick tells Kate.
"OH?" Kate wonders what this could be. She already has something amazing.
"I had to stow in the garage. It wouldn't fit in the house." Rick tells her. And offers Kate to go down the stairs in front of him.
Reaching the door to the garage door Kate opens and Lucile turns on the lights.
Kate sucks in her breath and places both her hands over her mouth. And while talking thru her hands. "RICK? …. You, …. You bought me a car?" As new tears start to form in Kate's eyes.
Rick who is standing right behind her reaches out in front of Kate and dangles the keys in between his fingers in front of her eyes.
"It's a 2012 Shelby Mustang GT500 SVT "Super Snake". Super Snake upgrade by Shelby American, 750hp, 5.4 Liter V8, Shelby springs, struts, sway bar, Borla Exhaust, Kenne Bell 2.8 Liter supercharger and Shelby performance cooling package.
Proceeds from the sale will support Wounded Warriors Family Support in its mission to provide support to families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations." Rick is reading to her from the lot description.
Kate gingerly takes the keys from Rick and approaches the car and runs her finger tips from the front to the back. Then around the back and up the other side until she is back to where she started.
Running to Rick she slams into him and starts kissing his entire face. "I love you, I love you, I love you."
Chuckling. "I take it you like the car?" Rick is not really asking.
"It's ,.. It's amazing! … Thank you!" And then soundly kisses him. "Has it got gas?"
"Yup, full tank." Rick assures her. "I tried to get Bob (mayor) to let me put lights, siren and a radio in her. But he wouldn't let me." Rick finishes making a sad pouting face.
Walking towards the car with keys in hand. "LUCILE." Kate calls out. And the garage door opens instantly. And less than a minute later Kate lights up the rear wheels and has left rubber in the drive way and a cloud of smoke as she takes it for a quick spin.
