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Martha popped another bottle of wine as we all celebrated the day. Everyone seemed more care-free than before. Beckett seemed like a weight was lifted off her shoulders and that she was ready to end that chapter and start anew.
We were all sitting in Castle's living room. I had my arm around Alexis, lightly running my hand up and down her bare arm. She rested her head on shoulder and listened to the conversation.
"So, Jasper, got anything planned for Valentine's Day?" Lanie asked taking another sip of her wine.
"Yea, I have reservations and then something else planned afterwards. I can't go into detail because I know Alexis likes surprises." I said looking down at her and kissing her temple.
"Jasper's birthday is actually on Valentine's Day. So, we have got to celebrate that too." She said patting my chest.
"Jasper, darling, I will take you out and show you the ropes go holding your liquor. You only turn twenty-one once." She said pointing her finger at me.
"Mother can hold her liquor." Castle said with a laugh.
There was a knock at the door.
"Were you expecting someone?" Beckett asked him.
"No, not this late." He said getting up to answer the door. He unlocked it and opened it revealing a man with jet black hair in a suit. "Demming?"
"It's Detective Demming, Homicide." He corrected him with a sly grin holding up his badge.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for Jasper Bracken. We have warrant out for his arrest." He held up a piece of paper and pushing his way inside.
I stood up and put Alexis behind me.
"What's this about?" I asked.
"Jasper Bracken, please turn around." He said grabbing his cuffs.
"What is going on?" Alexis asked.
"Demming, tell me what is going on? Why are you arresting him?" Beckett said. The sound of her voice causing him to look up to her face.
"Kate, I'm doing my job. Following the evidence wherever it may lead. You would do the same."
"It wouldn't be the first time you would be wrong about a lead." Castle scoffed.
Demming glared at him as he grabbed me by the arm and turned me around cuffing my hands behind my back.
"Jasper Bracken, you are under arrest for the murder of Sheila Bracken, fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and the trafficking and distribution of illegal substances." He said turning me around and walking me towards the door. "Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law."
"Your accusing me of murdering my mother you have no proof!" I said struggling against the restraints.
"We have all the proof we need." Demming said holding the cuffs tighter and leading me out the door.
"Detective Demming, can I at least talk to Alexis, please? Please, sir. I'm no criminal. Let me at least calm her down." I begged.
"You can see her from the visitation center." He said.
I looked back at her and she was staring at me with tears getting ready to roll down her precious cheeks.
"I love you." I said as Demming pushed me out the door. He led me down the hall and into the elevator. "You're making a huge mistake." I said looking at him.
"That isn't the first time I have heard that."
The elevator doors opened and he guided me outside into a swarm of paparazzi who had their cameras flashing and microphones in my face. He put me in the back of his squad car and got in the driver's seat. He slowly pulled out of the parking spot, avoiding persistent reporters. We drove in silence to the precinct where he pulled me out and guided me up to the fifth floor of the 11th precinct. He told one of the officers to put me in the box. They led me to an interrogation room.
The room is small. The walls bare, a lone one-way window on the wall in front of the table they cuffed me to. I heard a commotion through the door of the room. A screaming, yelling match was likely going on. It sounded like a deep voice and a woman's yelling at a higher pitched man. Most likely Castle and Beckett versus Demming.
I have no idea how long I waited. It seemed like forever. The silence was starting to get to me and I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me.
Detective Demming came swiftly through the door. He sat down a file and took a seat.
"Let's get started." He said opening the file and folding his hands.
"Can you at least uncuff me? I'm not going to attack you, Detective Schlemming." I said.
He glared at me. He slowly stood up and uncuffed my hands. I grabbed at my wrists, rubbing them. "It's Demming."
"I know."
"Listen, I have a rock solid case built around you. It would be in your best interest to sign a confession." He slid a pad of paper across the table.
"I'm not signing any confession because I did nothing." I said leaning back in the chair. "What exactly am I being charged for?"
"The murder of your mother, Sheila Bracken."
"I wouldn't kill my own mother. My father admitted to me that he killed her to teach me lesson. I threatened him by telling him I was going to tell the cops and he retaliated."
"Really, your father killed her?"
"He already murdered others. Why would you believe that this any different."
"Your father made a plea deal saying that he would confess to all his killings and crimes for a lesser sentence. In exchange, he gives all the names of his associates. He named you as one of them."
"He stabbed me and left me in and alley!"
"The man who hit your mother's car came forward. He admitted to being paid by a an anonymous bank account. That bank account was routed to Sweden to the Cayman Islands, but we traced back to a trust fund. Your trust fund."
"That trust fund was set by my father. He and I both had access to it."
"That's not what the bank is saying. They are saying that you are the only one who accessed and touched that account in years."
"They're lying. He is trying to ruin me. I ruined him. This is payback. Keep digging."
"We did. You know what we found? Deposits monthly." He said. "We also recovered some of the bank notes from the fire at Vulcan Simmon's compound. They were made out to Future Forward. Does that a ring a bell to you?"
"It's the name of my father's governor campaign committee."
"No. It's the name of yours. Your city council seat run. Your assistant told us that you changed the name to Future Forward a couple of months ago for your donation fund. The bank notes we recovered correspond with the deposits. You used money from your narcotics sale to fund your campaign."
I leaned forward on my elbows and ran my hands through my hair.
"You've got to believe me. I didn't do this. They're setting me up."
"Mr. Simmons also said that you wanted in a couple of months ago after you threatened to go to the cops." Demming leaned forward. "You have three witnesses testifying against you. Evidence that is rock solid. Confess."
"All three of your witnesses are convicted criminals. Who is going to believe them? Anyone can fake bank notes nowadays. You are blind. You need to closer. Look deeper. Don't look at the cover, read the book." I said, my voice hoarse.
"Confess."
I stayed silent.
"Confess."
Silent.
He slammed his hand down on the table. "Confess, dammitt."
"What, your evidence isn't now?"
Demming looked like he was going to come forward, but he quickly regained his composure. He took a deep breath and stepped back.
"We'll be holding you for forty-eight hours either during or after, the DA will be filing charges." He said leaving me alone again. I put my head in my hands and quietly let a tear roll down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away trying not to give away my emotion.
An officer came in and handcuffed me again. He led me out of the interrogation room into the bullpen where I saw Beckett, Demming, and Castle talking in a heated argument. He led me into the holding room. It was empty. He shoved me into holding cell three and locked the door.
"Bracken, you've got a visitor." I heard an officer say from the entryway.
Alexis came running through and leaned against the door. Putting her hand through the bars, she lightly touched my cheek.
"God, I was so worried about you. Are you okay?" She said smiling sadly.
"As good as I can be now that you're here." I said grabbing her hand and lading it with mine.
"My Dad and Beckett are trying to get on the case. Demming won't have it though. But, don't worry. They're going to get you out of here. I promise."
"Don't promise me. I don't want you to make promises that you can't control."
"Listen, when you get out of here, you and I were going straight to the courthouse. We are going to get married as soon as possible. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of waiting for the next bad thing to come along and tear us apart." She said her emotions getting the better of her.
"Don't cry please. Please, do that for me. Don't cry. I can't help you from in here and it's gonna kill me." I cupped her cheek and she leaned into my touch. "We're not going to get married out of fear, Alexis. I love you. I want us to get married on the beach in the Hamptons or in a church. I want to watch you walk down the aisle on your father's arm. I want to be able to kiss you for the first time as husband and wife in front of our family not in front of strangers. I want to do so many things. Nothing is going to tear us apart. Think of all that has happened in the past year. I'm still here. You're still here. We are still here."
"What if I can't get you out? What if we are unable to do those things?" She said tearing up again.
"Then, I will love you for the rest of my life in a cell. Hell, I'll be like that one guy in that one cartoon. The one that we watch every Saturday morning during breakfast. I'll dig a hole with a spoon out to come see you." This drew a slight laugh from her. "It's getting late and you look tired. How about you go home with your dad and get some rest. Come back tomorrow and I'll make you smile some more." I said giving my goofy smile.
"I don't want to go."
"Please, I need to make sure that you're ok."
"Ok. I'll go. I love you, Jasper."
"I love you too. Now, go. Spend the night with your father." I said kissing her hand, wishing it could be her lips.
She pulled back and backed away slowly before turning and leaving, but not without giving one last look behing her.
I smiled at her.
I had to be strong if not for myself, at least for her.