CH64

Alexis still had the day off from school and even the day after that due to a teacher conference.

Kate woke and found the bed empty. After showering and dressing she was downstairs finding Castle waiting for her with another bagel and cream cheese, coffee and her morning kiss. This one had her wanting to drag him back upstairs.

"I've been thinking about that bag of cash. She'll never make it through security." Castle tells her.

"I was thinking about talking to you about that. I take it you have a solution?"

"Yup, I'm thinking of getting her a lot of cashiers checks. Large enough to help her but not large enough to draw attention."

"Nice, I like it. How much are you getting her?"

"Somewhere around $60,000 I was thinking."

"Castle?" Kate is thinking that was way too much.

"Her tickets are open ended. I don't really know how long they will have to stay there. For all I know they'll still be there when we get there for Christmas."

"Oh I hope not Castle. I can't imagine the pain of being away from family that long."

"Not really up to me. I'll drop the bag with the checks, plane tickets, house key, car key and security code with you before lunch today. If you're gone you'll find it in one of your larger drawers at your desk." Castle tells her.

"Oh and remember to take her credit cards and all of their cell phones. I don't want them tracing them to their location."

"Won't they just use the house phone?"

"The house doesn't have one. It doesn't need one. Martha and Alexis have cell phones and well, you know what kind of phones we have."

Kate smiles. "Yea I know what kind of phone I have."

"Just make sure you convince her Kate. I'm not telling my best friend I couldn't protect his family."

"And I'm not telling my boss his family is dead when I could have done something about it. I'll do it Castle."

Castle leans in to give her a quick kiss and Kate is out the door.

Castle heads upstairs to get Alexis up and in the shower. He was going to take her with him to the bank.

Castle showed up at the 12th precinct just a little before lunch.

"MOM!" As Alexis runs across the room with Kate barely turning her chair in time for Alexis to launch herself into her arms.

"Hi sweetie, how is my girl?"

"I'm fine. Are you coming to lunch with us?"

"I can't sweetie, I have work to do. But I'll see you when I get home in time for dinner. You find one of your board games and we can play it after dinner. How's that?"

"Ok." Alexis sounds happy.

"Here's the bag Kate. Everything they need is in it. You better get going. There is a washer and dryer already there so they don't need to pack everything they own. Oh and no tablets either. They can't take anything that someone can use to trace their location."

"That is not likely to make the girls happy." Kate warns he is making it difficult on her.

"I know, but the house is literally ON the beach. I also threw some pictures of the place in the bag. Maybe you can use them. I'm going to go talk with Roy. I'll handle him. You just get them to go.

Oh and the plane tickets are for tonight. You should probably wait for them to pack and drive them to the airport." Then he kisses her quickly and takes Alexis with him to Roy's office.

Kate turns off her computer, pulls out her weapon and badge. Then grabs the bag and leaves. After asking the boys to cover for her.

"Roy time for a quick word?" Rick asks as he enters.

"Hi uncle Roy." Alexis tells him.

"Well I'm getting double teamed. What did I do wrong?" Roy wonders.

Rick starts laughing. "You haven't changed a bit old friend. I came to invite you out for drinks tonight."

"Oh I'm not sure. The wife will kill me." Roy counters.

"I take that back you have changed. You have a serious case of PW." Rick teases.

Now Roy is laughing. "That's how I have 2 girls while you're still on one."

"I take you've forgotten about Missy I take it?" Rick needs to get him out.

"Oh you wouldn't?" Roy is running scared now. "Yea you would wouldn't you?" Roy knew he was in trouble. "Fine I'll meet you for drinks. But you never mention that day ever again. Deal?"

"Deal." Rick says happily. "I'll pick you up here at 7:00 pm. I know just the place to take you. Just don't forget to bring a coin." Rick warns him.

"No I remember. I'll be here waiting for you."

"It'll be fun. You'll see."

"The only think I'm sure about is that I'll be lucky if I see anything at all when we're done." Roy knew he was going to need to leave and pick up a hangover fix before Rick came back.

Kate meanwhile was just reaching Roy's home. Stepping up she took a deep breath and blew it out and rang the bell.

"Kate!" Evelyn greets her.

"Hi Evelyn."

"Roy isn't here." Thinking she was looking for her husband.

"I'm here to see you actually Evelyn."

"Oh, well come on in. What can I help you with?"

Kate enters and gets further into the house. "Are the girls both here?"

"Yea they're upstairs. Do you need them?"

"No not at the moment." Kate tells her. She just needed to know they were here.

"What can I help you with?"

"We have a case at work that is likely to get very ugly soon." Kate starts.

"Is Roy in trouble? Is he hurt?" Evelyn starts to worry.

"No Roy is fine. He was still in his office when I left to come here. It's just the people we are after are likely to get mean soon."

"I don't understand."

"They are likely to press Roy to do something illegal."

"Roy would never do that. Never." She knew her husband. He was a good man.

"He would if he thought he needed to protect someone. Or someone's." Kate hints.

Evelyn has caught on and places her hands over her mouth. "Oh no. No they wouldn't."

"We're pretty sure they will. They will not hurt him however if you and the girls, …." Kate trails off.

"We do however have a plan for you and the girls." And Kate opens the bag and looks for the pictures Castle said were in there.

"We plan on sending you and the girls out of town for a while, and this is where you will be going." As Kate hands over the pictures.

Evelyn's eyes are bugging out. The house they want her in is gorgeous and it's on a beach. "You want to send us here?"

"Yes, we can't have them taking you and the girls and applying pressure on Roy to do something that would end his career. If not put him in prison for the rest of his life."

Evelyn was a police man's wife. She knew that when she married him. However her biggest fear was him not coming home one day not for them to have to go on the run. "Where is this mansion you want to send us to?"

Kate reaches into the bag and pulls out the airline tickets and hands them over.

After looking at them. "You want to send us to Hawaii? To this mansion on the beach in Hawaii?"

3580 Anini Rd

Home in Kilauea, Kauai, 96754

Kate nods her head.

"How do we live? We can't begin to afford to live there even for a couple of days. How long are we going to be there?" Evelyn had already made up her mind she was going to help her husband.

"There are cashier's checks in the bag for you to cash as you need them. And the home is owned by my husband so you can afford to stay there easily. As for how long. It may be a couple of weeks or a couple of months." Kate explains.

"Your husband? You mean Rick owns this mansion? Roy's friend from years ago. You two just bought a house. Roy told us you were going to invite us over to see it for dinner."

Kate was smiling. "Yea, Castle and I plan on having you over for dinner soon. It just is going to have to wait a little while. Please Evelyn I need you to go here. Castle is willing to help. Please let us help you."

"These tickets say we fly out tonight." Evelyn points out.

"Yea I need you and the girls to get packed and I'm going to drive you to the airport. Please Evelyn let Castle and I help you."

"I'll get the girls to start packing while I pack mine."

Kate starts breathing again. "The house has a washer and dryer so you don't need much and you can use the cashier's checks to buy what you need after you get there. And you need to give me your cell phones, credit cards and not pack any laptops or tablets. We can't have them trace where we are sending you." Kate tells her.

Evelyn nods understanding and goes and gets her cell phone, pulls her credit cards out of her wallet in her purse and gives them to Kate. "I'll get the girls cell phones. How much money is in there anyway?"

Kate scrunches her face knowing she is going to freak. "Somewhere around $60,000."

"WHAT! …. Kate we can't accept that amount of money."

"Yea Castle thought you might say something like that. He told me to ask what was more important, the money or your safety? We have the money Evelyn. Several times that actually. Something I'm still trying to get used to actually.

You should have heard me when he told me how much he spent on the house in Hawaii. Trust me Evelyn we can afford it. …. I never thought I would ever say something like that." Kate is being honest.

"Kate you kiss that husband of yours for me. And please don't shoot me if I kiss him for this later."

Kate just smiles. "You should get packing. We have time but not a lot."

Evelyn heads upstairs and comes back down a number of minutes later. "Here are their cell phones. Roy's laptop is in his office and this is the older ones tablet."

"How did they take it?" Kate asks.

"I only told them we were going to Hawaii and staying at a house on the beach compliments of Uncle Rick. It didn't take anything more. Oh I need those pictures too." As she picks them up and goes back upstairs.

"We're staying here?" Kate can hear from upstairs somewhere and starts smiling.

Castle was saving Roy's family and having a home in Hawaii was making it easier to do that. It only made her love him more.

Eventually they came downstairs each with a suitcase. "Hi Kate, is it true? You're sending us to Hawaii?" The oldest girl asked.

Kate smiled. "Yup it's going to be a blast. Here you're going to need this. I put your plane tickets back in it." Kate tells Evelyn as she hands the bag over.

"Thank you Kate, we owe you and that husband of yours." Evelyn is grateful.

"We'll find a way to let you know what is going on Evelyn. I'm not sure yet how but we'll think of something." Kate tells her.

"Just don't let Roy do anything stupid Kate, I want my husband back."

"I'll do everything I can Evelyn, I promise." And Kate got them out the door and to the airport where she parked and watched them go through security before going back to the precinct.

Rick took Alexis home and fixed lunch for them then got suckered into playing cards with her. What is it with cards and his daughter anyway?

"Maybe I should get her a magic book about card tricks. Maybe she is a natural born magician?"

Eventually he had to leave Alexis in care of his mother and go pick up Roy for those drinks.

Buckle Down in a Basement
The Bar Downstairs
485 Fifth Ave., at 41st St.; 212-601-1234
Sometimes it feels like practically every unmarked door in the city leads to a secret bar, but the Bar Downstairs—which, yes, is through a hotel lobby, down an out-of-the-way staircase, behind a minimalist placard—is less a secret than it is merely elegantly discreet. On the lower level of the Andaz Fifth Avenue, the huge, dark-walled, perfectly lit room is anchored by an airy cooking and drink-making space. Mixologists trained by Alchemy Consulting banter with chefs, guests, and one another while shaking up original (but classically minded) cocktails like the Taken to Task (vodka, lemon juice, orange bitters, and seasonal berries) or the aptly named Mexican Firing Squad (Herradura Blanco Tequila, lime, pomegranate molasses, and Angostura bitters).

Rick bought the first few rounds and since he was making sure Roy's were doubles while his were just plain water (he was driving he told the bar tender), it didn't take long for Roy to forget to start buying the rounds.

It also didn't take long for Roy to forget how to walk either. Rick left a large tip and helped Roy out to his car and drove him to Castle's house.

Once there Rick went inside. "KATE! Can you help me?"

Finally seeing Kate come downstairs. "Castle, are you alright?"

"I'm fine I just need some help with Roy." And he goes outside to his car and opens the passenger door to expose Roy.

"What did you do to him Castle?" Though after she finally steps close enough. "Yyeeww, really Castle?" As she fans her face to get the smell to go somewhere else.

"He may have had one or two too many. " Castle tells her.

After Kate gives him a funny look. "Ok, maybe three or four too many. He'll be alright. … Eventually.

Help me get him inside and into the spare bedroom."

And Kate helps carry dead weight Roy up the stairs to the spare bedroom and drop him on the bed.

"Did you have to get him dead drunk Castle?" Roy was going to kill Castle in the morning. Eventually she was sure.

"Well he was actually holding his alcohol pretty good until suddenly he wasn't. Kinda took me off guard a little. We'll probably have to take turns watching him tonight."

"WE'LL have to take turns?" And Kate gives Castle one of her patented glares. "Fine we'll take turns watching him. But you owe me Castle."

"I'll put in an order for another licorice whip just for you." Castle tells her as he heads for the bathroom to get a wet wash cloth and the trash can with a baggie in it.

Kate suddenly blushes as he walks away. 'Oh she was going to kill him. Right after they had finished eating every last strand of that whip.' "God what has he done to me? I used to be bad ass Beckett."Kate talks to herself, and was still smiling when he came back into the bedroom.

"I'll get his clothes off and take the first watch. How did it go with Evelyn and the girls?" Castle is curious.

"Surprisingly well actually. The girls saw the pictures you included, thank you, and jumped at the chance. And Evelyn is a cop's wife. She didn't ask too many questions. She just wants her husband back." Kate tells him.

Then bends down to whisper into his ear. "And you are going to tell me what is going on Castle." And grabs his crotch. Getting an immediate reaction from Castle. "But I can wait a little longer." As Kate releases her hold on him and exits the room with a smile on her face.

"I was right the first time. She is going to be the death of me." Rick talks to himself.

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Drop the address into Google and Google maps and look it up. It is a real house that is up for sale at this time. If I said earlier that it had a pool, my mistake. I've been a bad boy.