Visitations
Chapter 11
What Are You Really Afraid Of?
Johanna appeared as Kate was trying to decide what to put into her overnight bag. "Where are you going?" she inquired.
Kate sighed. "The loft has gotten a bit too crowded."
Johanna stared, taken aback.
"Not you Mom," Kate rushed to clarify, "Martha and Alexis, especially Alexis. The way she's been hovering over Castle we can hardly breathe. We thought a weekend away would be a relief."
"The house in the Hamptons?" Johanna asked.
Kate shook her head vigorously. "No, it's too soon. Too many frightening memories there. Actually we did our first getaway there and it was problematical at best."
"Why?" Johanna asked.
"Aside from the fact there was a murder?" Kate responded. "I needed to keep our relationship secret and even though we were using Ryan and Esposito to help us solve the case, Castle couldn't tell them I was with him."
"How come you needed to keep it a secret?" Johanna pressed.
"There are department rules against co-workers dating," Kate explained.
"But Castle doesn't actually work for the NYPD, does he?" Johanna questioned further. "They don't pay him."
"No they don't," Kate agreed.
"And you dated Demming while working on cases together and that wasn't a problem?" Johanna continued.
"Mm," Kate confirmed, "but Roy Montgomery was captain then and he was a lot less stiff-necked than Gates."
"Well let's see what happened when people really did find out," Johanna proposed.
Aaron Lerner sat opposite Ryan in interrogation. "So I got a ride on Franklin's helicopter. So what?"
"That doesn't prove my client was trafficking drugs with him," Lerner's lawyer interjected.
"True," Ryan agreed. "These do," Ryan told them sliding some papers across the table. "Signed affidavits from the meth lab workers that you picked up product every Tuesday. You went from making bank to making crank."
"I didn't kill Franklin!" Lerner protested. "And – and Chief Brady already confirmed my alibi in the Hamptons."
"Well maybe you hired someone to kill him," Ryan speculated. "See I think you never got over your grudge with Franklin. I think you partnered with him, but you always planned to knock him off and take over the business. Am I getting close?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're close," Lerner responded. "But you've just got the wrong guy."
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
"Just last week Franklin was complaining about a local," Lerner explained.
"A local drug dealer?" Ryan queried.
"Yes," Lerner continued "Seems he didn't appreciate us moving in on his business."
"Who? Give me a name," Ryan demanded.
"I don't know a name," Lerner protested. "But Franklin seemed really spooked."
"What else did he tell you about him?" Ryan pressed.
"That's all I know," Lerner insisted. "Everything else I told to Brady and his two consultants."
"Two consultants?" Ryan puzzled.
"Yeah, yeah," Lerner answered. "The writer, Castle, and his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Ryan asked in surprise. "Wha - what do you mean, girlfriend?"
"What does that matter?" Lerner replied.
Ryan became uncharacteristically loud. "Hey, hey! I'll ask the questions here, pal. Are you telling me that Richard Castle brought his girlfriend in your interrogation?"
Lerner looked at his lawyer who shrugged his assent. "Yeah."
"What was her name?" Ryan prodded.
"I – I don't remember," Lerner told him.
"Well then describe her," Ryan ordered slamming the table when Lerner hesitated. "Describe her Lerner, now!"
Lerner hurried to respond. "Okay! Tall! Medium length hair! What's this about?"
"What color?" Ryan shouted. "Give me a hair color."
"Uh … uh… brown," Lerner stammered, intimidated. "Brown eyes, too, I think. Really pretty."
"Body type?" Ryan continued.
"Awesome. I mean, awesome," Lerner described. "She was like thin, gorgeous – she was hot. Really hot." Lerner paused as a memory suddenly hit him. "Kate! Name was Kate!"
Ryan settled back in his chair in stunned realization. "Son of a -!"
Kate shook her head in surprise at the scene. "Ryan knew. He never let on. He must have told Esposito. He tells him everything."
"We'll see," Johanna told her.
Ryan, Esposito, and Earlier Kate watched video of a man they assumed to be a murderer.
"Here's the time code for our point of sale," Ryan noted. "That's our guy."
They observed as a man came to the counter.
"Look at his height, build, hair color," Esposito pointed out "That's not Kurtzman. That's - Castle!
Ryan paused the video as Earlier Kate froze in shock. Slowly they regathered in the interview room.
"There's another explanation," Earlier Kate insisted.
"Like what?" Esposito asked.
"I don't know," Earlier Kate replied desperately. "It's somebody else, somebody that looks like Castle."
"We found his fingerprints at the crime scene," Esposito reminded her. "We got him on video buying jewelry for our victim. It can't be a coincidence."
"Javi, what are you saying?" Earlier Kate asked, dismayed. "That Castle's a killer?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No, no, no. Nobody is saying that," Ryan assured her quickly. "All he's saying is that if it were anybody else we'd look into it."
"We can start by looking into his financials," Esposito suggested, "see if there's any unusual activity around the time of the purchase."
Earlier Kate fearfully considered what Esposito had said. "Fine. But we do it quietly and he never finds out about it." Kate strode past them out of the room.
Ryan shut the door before Esposito could leave. "Uh..."
"What are you doing?" Esposito asked, confused.
"Javi," Ryan began softly, "there's something you need to know."
"Why did it look like Castle was the murderer?" Johanna asked.
"He was framed by a serial killer," Kate answered. "The fingerprints were planted and the guy on the video was a double. But anyway, that explains when both the boys found out."
"And did anything terrible happen when they found out?" Johanna queried.
"No," Kate admitted, "but they didn't tell Captain Gates."
"But Captain Gates knows, doesn't she?" Johanna countered.
"She does," Kate conceded, "but I'm not sure when she found out."
"Oh, I think you know," Johanna contended.
"Mr. Castle, we will do everything in our power to get your daughter back," FBI Agent Harris promised as he sat with Earlier Castle and Earlier Kate.
"I don't want to be handled," Castle informed him. "Just let me know where things stand."
"Let's start with the facts as we now understand them. You daughter attended last night's event with Sara El-Masri. Apparently they met in an environmental science class and became friends. GPS on her phone shows that it was left outside the hotel shortly after the event ended. That, plus the fact that no one has seen or heard from her in the 16 hours since, leads us to conclude that she too was forced into the van," Harris explained.
Earlier Kate kept her eyes on Earlier Castle as Harris spoke. "Now why would they take Alexis if Sara was the target?" she asked.
"She was probably with Sara at the time. She was a witness. It would have been easier to take her than - not," Harris concluded.
"So you're saying she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time'" Earlier Castle reiterated, trying to hold himself together.
"It appears that way," Harris confirmed.
"Do you have any suspects?" Earlier Kate asked hopefully.
"We have a name," Harris offered as he opened a folder. "Facial recognition gave us an ID on the man in the video. Roger Henson. We know him mainly as a mid-level narcotics smuggler."
As Earlier Kate looked on trying to somehow lend him some strength, Earlier Castle studied the photo frantically searching for a revelation. "If we know he's out there we can get him. We can initiate a manhunt," she offered reassuringly.
"We're already searching for Henson," Harris added. "Along with all his known associates. But he is a career felon. Finding him won't be easy."
"What's a drug smuggler doing involved in a kidnapping?" Earlier Castle asked, confused.
"We're not sure," Harris replied. "But Roger Henson is not a shot caller. He's a middle man, a hired gun. He may have been hired to abduct the girls."
Earlier Castle leaned forward."What happens now?"
"We press ahead on multiple fronts." Harris informed him. "We focus on Henson. Locating him could crack the case. We're also creating contingency plans for when and if the kidnappers make contact."
"If?" Earlier Castle asked, panic tinging his voice as he looked at Earlier Kate. "What do you mean, if?"
"We know that the El-Masris are wealthy and you told us Sara was the target." Earlier Kate interjected.
Harris nodded. "Mr. El-Masri admitted he had close ties to the previous regime in Egypt. As a result, he made some very powerful enemies. It's possible his daughter's abduction was motivated by revenge."
Earlier Castle's voice rose with fear, "Okay, where does that leave my daughter? I mean, if – if she wasn't the one they were after then she's just in the way."
"Mr. Castle, you need to stay positive," Harris counseled. "Whatever their motives, the kidnappers will realize she has value. Now what we need to do next is go to your home and set up a trap and trace on your phone line so we're ready for their call.'
Slowly, Earlier Castle nodded his assent.
"I'll wait for you outside," Harris told him gently, leaving the room. Earlier Castle moved to follow him, but was stopped by Earlier Kate who wrapped her arms around him."Gates will see," Earlier Castle whispered, his voice cracking.
Earlier Kate continued to hold him as he buried his face in her hair. "I don't care."
"You weren't afraid anymore," Johanna pointed out.
"I was," Kate confessed, "but Castle was in so much pain. That was more important."
"Did Gates ever say anything about you and Castle?" Johanna questioned.
"Not then," Kate admitted, "although I was sure she saw what we did. It came up weeks later."
"What happened then?" Johanna asked.
"That time I was the one in trouble - more than trouble." Kate responded. "I was standing on a bomb that would have gone off if I made the slightest wrong move. I asked Castle to leave. Really, I begged him to leave, but he was sure that the two of us could figure out a solution together and he refused to go. Well actually he left for a couple of minutes when I tricked him into promising that he would, but he came back. In the end, we did figure out the disarm code together. We must have had a good second or two to spare."
"How did Captain Gates figure into it?" Johanna inquired, puzzled. "Let me see."
Earlier Kate came out of the building leaning on Earlier Castle's arm, exhausted after so many hours on her feet. She pulled him to a stop. "Wait, Castle. Listen. Thank you for staying with me."
"Always," Earlier Castle assured her.
Earlier Kate smiled and leaned in to kiss him, but before she could, there was the beep of a siren. Ryan and Esposito pulled up in their car and Gates was with them. Ryan ran to Earlier Castle and hugged him while Esposito hugged Earlier Kate.
"Perfect timing," Castle commented.
"You good?" Esposito asked Earlier Kate.
"Yeah," Earlier Kate responded, looking nervously at Gates. "Did she see?"
"Glad to see you, Detective," Gates announced as Esposito was trying to reassure Earlier Kate. "Even you, Mr. Castle. I have to say, I don't know too many men who would have done what you did."
"Neither do I," Earlier Kate agreed.
Earlier Castle smiled at her, but she looked away uncomfortably.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake, Detective!" Gate exclaimed, viewing the situation. "Just kiss the man!"
Surprise washed over the faces of the detectives.
"Sir, you know?" Earlier Kate blurted.
"What?" Gates asked. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I needed to maintain plausible deniability, which I can continue, as long as you two both act professionally at the precinct."
"I know I can, but Captain," Earlier Castle replied playfully, "she has a long history of coming on to me at work -."
"I don't think it will be a problem, sir," Earlier Kate interrupted, rolling her eyes.
"Good," Gates proclaimed. "Meanwhile, as long as we're on neutral ground here," she whispered conspiratorially, "I'd say uh, he deserves it. Wouldn't you?"
"Yes sir," Earlier Kate agreed smiling, "I would."
"So your fear of being found out by your colleagues was unfounded," Johanna concluded as she and Kate watched Earlier Castle receive his well deserved reward. Come on, Kate. You're the daughter of two lawyers and you're a detective. You can't tell me that deep down, you didn't know it all along."
"You may be right," Kate conceded. "I think maybe I was afraid if I admitted the relationship to them, I'd be committing myself."
"And you still weren't ready for that?" Johanna questioned.
"No," Kate admitted. "And I wasn't sure Castle was committed either.
"A man stays with you when you're standing on a bomb and you weren't sure he was committed?" Johanna asked incredulously.
"Sounds pretty stupid when you say it like that," Kate said, "but yeah."
Johanna sighed. "Sounds like we still have some work to do."