Chapter 3: Bigger problems
"Beckett are you sure you want to do this?" Ryan asked from the observation room as they looked into interrogation. There sat Nikolai Vasily who looked at the glass at with contempt. "You said it yourself this is borderline entrapment."
"We don't have time for the traditional the interrogation Ryan." Kate said to her team as she looked through the glass into the interrogation room. She thought about what she was going to do, and reached into a folder pulling out pictures of Detective Henderson, and Illyana Gregory."
"So what are you planning on hitting him with?" Esposito asked as he saw her pull out the photos and then looked into the interrogation room.
"Just watch." Hunt said as he walked up to the window as Kate walked out. Ryan and Esposito looked at him and he just chuckled. "Trust me, she won't entrap him. He's not a terrorist so she throws in some truths its viable case."
Kate walked into the interrogation room and pulled out the chair as Nikolai watched all the way from the door. She set out the notepad in front of her. "Just to let you know, we are turning you over to the federal government for multiply violations of the automatic weapons act, attempted murder, two counts of murder and aid terrorism."
This got the attention now of Nikolai, to which Kate picked up on it so she laid the photo of Henderson down on the table. "We found him at the hotel you paid for. We know that you ordered the hit."
Nikolai's eyes darted from the photograph to Kate, and Hunt noticed this. "He didn't know."
Kate picked up on this too, and continued to pull on the thread. "You called from Rikers Island to one of your crew and ordered the hit because of this."
Kate laid the photo down of a cuddling Illyana and Henderson at the restaurant in Brighton Beach. She set it next to the other one. "That's the reason you haven't been released yet, and have no attorney present. You been tossed aside by her, and you wanted her back, because you knew about the two of them."
In the observation room, Ryan saw the body language shift. "She is getting somewhere."
"So you don't need to talk Nikolai, I was just letting you know what is going to happen to you. Go luck with the lethal injection." Kate told him as she started to get up from her desk.
"Wait." Nikoali replied as he saw her start towards the door. "I set up Henderson in the motel, but I didn't kill him. I knew about their relationship, but I called her to get him out of town."
"So what did he give you or Illyana?" Kate asked taking her seat again as she looked at him.
"Dates and times of raids on some our businesses and operations. Just parts that we knew that he police knew about." Nikolai told her fidgeting now in his seat. "I don't know who ordered the killing but I didn't do it."
"I don't believe you." Kate told him as she leaned forward in the chair. She decided to pull the thread again. "I have the phone records, you called Illyana, but you told her that Henderson could have been a problem."
"Yes if he was caught, so I wanted him out of town." Nikolai told her again as he now leaned forward. "He was dangerous for our next shipment and our contact up at your headquarters."
"What about this next weapons shipment? Where's it going" Kate asked now sitting up straight again and making notes.
"Illyana only knows that, said it was for my protection, but her contact will be here tomorrow for the arms deal." Nikolai stated as he leaned back in his chair.
Kate chewed on that information for a moment and then thought of what to do next. "So you go after Captain Gates, my husband, even us as team? Why"
"Illyana wanted revenge for her cousin, and a way to keep you distracted." Nikolai told her as he shifted in the chair and looked at her again. "Your Captain and husband were efforts to open holes wider in your patrol patterns, and divert your attention from the deal."
"You know where they are doing the deal?" Kate asked as she wrote all this down and then looked back up at him.
"No, all I know it's taking someplace in Brooklyn near the water." Nikolai again stated as he shifted in the seat. "Illyana plays things very close to the chest as…"
"Nikolai Vasily, I'm Agent McCord, you are being taken into Federal custody as part of ongoing weapons investigation." McCord said barging into the interrogation room.
"Excuse me Agent McCord, this is my prisoner, and I'm interrogating him according to my duty assignment…." Kate stated but she was cut off.
"Spare me Detective the attempt, this man has key information regarding an arms dealer." McCord snapped at Beckett. She stepped aside to allow two agents to come in and pick up Nikolai and walked him out. McCord then turned to Beckett. "I know he didn't ask for a lawyer, but still you should had one present. You're pushing it Detective; you are a loose cannon, and you have another with one."
Kate slammed her notepad down on the table as McCord walked out with the one decent lead they had in finding Illyana and solving Gates's, DeGarmo's murders, and the attempt on Castle. Hunt appeared in the doorway.
"You know emotion plays a role in daily life, but she is using the emotions you are feeling now against you." Hunt said leaning against the doorframe.
"You want me to be like you or her, not give a crap about anything." Kate replied after taking a breath, but decided not to turn around as she continued to look at the far wall.
"I do care, about Martha, Richard, Alexis, and you." Hunt said coming into the room and sitting on the edge of the table still looking at the back of Kate. "I wanted out back then when I first met Martha, but my handlers pushed me to end it; continue on the mission and I regret every day."
Kate turned around and shot a look towards Hunt. He shrugged it off and continued. "I did everything I could to help them, but my job doesn't require that type of contact."
"I can't do that." Kate said coming over.
"I'm not asking you too. Look at who got around you." Hunt motioned to the glass, the doorway towards the bullpen and the ring on her finger. "They kept you grounded and able to do the mission without compromising your values. That is your greatest strength. Use it."
Kate looked at him for a moment before leaving the interrogation room. She stopped by her desk to gather her keys, phone, and other essential materials and walked with a purpose towards the elevator.
"Beckett, were you going?" Ryan asked running up to the elevator.
"I need to see a writer." Kate responded to the question as the doors closed.
Hunt from the doorway of the interrogation room smiled as he walked out and towards the conference room. "That a girl."
After Kate arrived at the hospital, she strolled with a purpose to her husband's room. He was sitting at a slight elevation looking at a newspaper with the TV on in the background. "I need a crazy theory."
Rick smiled from behind the paper as he began to set it down. "I have plenty of those, but I don't know how useful I can be from here."
Kate filled him on what she had learned up till Agent McCord interrupted her interrogation. "I was this close to get him on giving me Illyana's location."
"We couldn't find her, because she probably has multiple locations she could stay at." Rick said to his wife's statements. He looked at his wife who was sitting down in a chair and smiled at her. "I may a theory?"
"I'm all ears babe." Kate said getting up from the chair coming over to her husband's bedside.
Rick grimaced as he moved a little bit. He took her hand and looked at her. "For Illyana she wouldn't risk flying commercial, because you can track those flights, but like any private aircraft, you still have to file a flight plan with the FAA."
"So?" Kate asked as she felt her husband's thumb run over the top of her hand. She smiled a little bit.
"If she is picking up at arms dealer, she would have to fly back into the airport she flew out of." Rick told her as he looked at his wife. He motioned for the pad of paper on the table next to the bed. She handed it to him. He wrote something down and handed it to her. "US Customs for private aircraft."
"Since she would use a private aircraft, there may not be a passenger manifest." Kate said to her husband as she read the note. She leaned over and kissed him. "Keep a phone handy, because I might need you."
"Like I'm going anywhere." Castle responded to Kate's request with smile and a small laugh. Kate lightly slapped him on the arm.
Kate kissed him one more time, before she left to head back to the precinct. She walked back on into the bullpen after being gone about a hour and half. She set her stuff down as she went to the conference room where Hunt, Ryan and Esposito were discussing possible locations of the deal.
"Let's put the deal on the backburner for a moment." Kate said taking a seat at the head of the table. She looked around the table before speaking. "I spoke to Castle, and he thinks Illyana may not be here in the US, but she may be picking up the arms dealer."
"Her name would appear on any flight manifest." Esposito said leaning forward and looking down the table at Kate.
"Not if she flew private aircraft." Hunt replied also leaning forward in his chair. He looked at Kate. He thought of his next words carefully. "Private aircraft has to follow the same procedures as commercial flights but with Illyana she may have found a way around CBP. But the pilot would have to file a flight plan with departure and arrival airports.
"Exactly right, and Castle said even in private flights, Customs would still have to check private flights coming in from overseas." Kate told her team with a nod. She looked at Ryan. "Check with airfields and surveillance footage to see if you can find her leaving from any airport."
"Got it." Ryan made a note on a piece of paper and got up from the table and started to leave the room.
"I call some of my contacts in Europe to see if she is over there." Hunt said pulling out his phone as began to thumb through some of his contacts.
"Espo, you and I are going to dive back into the murder of DeGarmo's murder and the surveillance footage, along with the footage from the hit on Gates and the attempt on Castle." Kate told Esposito who nodded.
"Hey, we may have bigger problems." Ryan said walking into the room after only a problem.
"What is that?" Esposito asked turning around.
"Beckett's old pals locked out of the system." Ryan said as looks of shock came across the trio at the table. "We're blind."
===========I am glad everyone is enjoying the story. Please keep the reviews coming, and there will be another confrontation coming between Beckett and McCord=========================================================================