CH43

It is now one week later: (April 25, 2001)

Did anyone notice that Kate had a winning streak at the dollar slots? Any guesses on why she won after moaning about losing, just didn't win BIG? Only enough to make Kate happy. Anyone?

I'll give you a hint: Her name starts with a J.

Did you also notice that none of the characters caught on?

You're sure you are actually reading these chapters?

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Rick and Kate were sitting in the conference room after Penelope set up the video conference. Jordan and Avery were on one screen while someone named Aaron Hotchner was on another. The new New York field office Special Agent in charge, Paul Rand, was just walking in as Penelope was stepping out.

"Let's get started," Jordan spoke first. "Our site visits have shown that it is likely a single person who created the drug and tested it in the LA area. As to why he kept on the move is somewhat puzzling, though it may have something to do with why, after each move, there were fewer and fewer deaths."

"I may be able to help there. It is theorized that he wanted a clean pool of people to do his testing on. He would flood the area, LA being first, examine the results and move on to the next city where he would modify his mixture and introduce it to the general public there. Likely through known drug dealers," Aaron supplied what he and his team had already talked about.

"He didn't want the possibility that a person already addicted would be subjected to his new concoction." Kate nodded her head. "Did anyone find a clean sample of the drug in any city?" Jill had expressed that she would need to scan a clean sample of the drug to even begin to analyze it.

"He appears to make a limited batch, sells it, and observes the results." Jordan told them, knowing that none of them had any of the unused drug to run tests on.

"How does he observe them? If he sells them to drug dealers who in turn sell it to anyone willing to buy it, how does he know who those people are and what happens after they take the drug?" Rick didn't understand that part.

"We agree that he has to have a method to achieve this. Our drug maker isn't making his drug to infect everyone. Jordan and her team have learned that the drug was inexpensive to purchase, meaning he isn't interested in the money," Aaron stated.

"He is more interested in perfecting his drug that just so happens to also be highly addictive to achieve some result that we don't understand yet," Aaron added. "He is making and testing each batch in order to achieve some result. What that is we don't know yet."

"Then there is the case of Cindy Gardner in Las Vegas," Jordan brought up.

"Yes, that case is a mystery. Her body appears to have been able to reject the drug but only after severely damaging her memories. Her stroke, caused by the drug, apparently did lasting damage, though the physical results of her stroke have been countered somehow." Aaron was aware of what happened to the child.

"Castle and I interviewed her mother. Cindy was not expected to live long enough for her father to drive home in time to see her." Kate pointed out. Doing her best to sound innocent.

"It was not long after you left that the doctors found she had made a remarkable change for the better. Her motor skills had improved, our lab has found no traces of the drug in her blood work, however her memories appear to be permanently affected. She is presently undergoing a number of tests to ascertain why her body managed to cleanse itself of the drug after the initial damage. If we can find something, she may be the key to helping others." Jordan informed them.

Kate and Rick were forced to hold their thoughts close to themselves or give away something they couldn't share. Still the memory loss was concerning to Kate and she would have questions for Jill when they were alone. At least the girl was alive and mostly whole. Her parents could hopefully live with some memory loss, instead of losing her completely.

"Has anyone pulled all of the security footage at the mall they were in?" Rick was curious, since Jack already had and hadn't seen anything, though everyone he did see was now in his memory so if they turned up again he would know.

"We're going over all of them at this time, so far we have seen nothing." Jordan wasn't hopeful of finding anything in them.

"Is there any indication that Nuke has made it to New York yet?" Kate asked since it seemed to be going west coast to east coast.

"We have one case so far that might apply, which is your next project actually. I want you two to go to the 12th precinct and check in with Captain Roy Montgomery and talk with their ME. Help them chase down who this person is. If he is in New York now, we want him caught before anyone else dies," Jordan instructed them.

The teleconference ended and Kate and Rick found their new local boss in front of them. "I know we've not had a chance to meet before this since you have been out of town. You two are lead on this case, don't screw it up. Agents Frazier and Hammond are your backups, call on them if you need something."

"I suggest you not carry that canon with you everywhere, Castle, because it is going to be hard to hide since spring is coming, making wearing a coat less likely. Here are your keys, the 12th is already expecting you," Agent Rand informed them and left the conference room.

"Doesn't your friend Lanie work there?" Rick inquired as they made their way down to the parking garage.

"Yup, it was where, after a few drinks, I loosened Lanie's tongue about a drug possibly causing the stroke," Kate confirmed.

"I'll take Captain Montgomery while you go see your friend. This time she has to talk to you about what she has found," Rick pointed out. "Eat out tonight after picking up my mother?" Rick asked just before they split up after entering the 12th.

"Sure, Italian this time?" Kate offered her choice and gave Castle a quick kiss before going downstairs.

Rick made it to the 4th floor and looked around. The building was old, the desks were old, there was a large white board with information on it off to one side. Rick held up his ID. "Captain Montgomery?" The person he spoke to pointed him in the right direction.

Rick found a mature African American man sitting at a desk behind a glass door with one glass wall along with a small window looking outside. He knocked on the door. "Captain Montgomery? Agent Castle." Rick held up his ID before putting it away.

"We've been expecting you, please have a seat. …Ryan, Esposito, my office, NOW!" Roy yelled out past Rick through the open door.

Moments later a Latino and a white male enter the office. "These are detectives Esposito and Ryan; they are the lead investigators on this case. Espo, Ryan, this is Agent Castle of the FBI," Roy made introductions.

"Sir, we don't really need FBI help." Espo didn't like this turn of events.

"We're not here to take over your case detective, however what you might not know is the history of why we are interested in this case."

"It started out in LA where we have just over 200 dead from this drug along with hundreds more that are having withdrawals since the drug is no longer available there."

"There are over 100 dead in Vegas, 43 dead in Dallas, 12 in Chicago, and 8 in Detroit. It would have been 9 except a 9 year old girl who was simply building her own bear as part of her birthday in a mall has recovered with some memory loss, after she was injected with this drug."

"So this is a lot bigger than your one case. However do you two notice anything in these numbers?" Rick gave them a test.

"West coast to East coast, walking its way across the country," Ryan answered, getting Rick to smile. "Anything else?" Rick queried.

"The fact that deaths become fewer and fewer as it makes its way across the country is interesting," Ryan added.

"We think he has been perfecting his drug as he moves across the country, actually all of the deaths since Detroit have been the result of strokes," Rick pointed out.

"Not a good way to die," Espo commented.

"You two take Agent Castle downstairs to meet Dr. Parrish and go over everything we know. We need this guy caught before he perfects his drug, or we'll all end up addicted to it," Montgomery ordered them. He got a "Yes sir" from both Ryan and Espo.

"Have you voted today? Our guy is expected to be elected in a land slide. He is likely to be the best senator this state has ever had," Espo said.

"My partner and I have been out of state for the last month chasing this guy down. I don't think either of us know anything about him," Rick is forced to admit.

"When you get a chance to hear what he has to say, you'll like him too." Espo pushed open the doors to the morgue. All three of them could hear two women talking to each other sounding happy. "Dr. Parrish?" Espo inquired as they entered.

"Espo, Ryan, this is Agent Beckett," Lanie introduced them to Kate.

"This is Agent Castle, who didn't tell us he had a partner with him," Espo turned to Rick who also hadn't told him that his partner was drop dead gorgeous.

"You're Castle!?" Lanie's eyes widened. "DAMN GIRL, you've been holding out on me." Lanie looked at Rick and then glared at Kate, who was smiling.

Ryan and Espo looked between the three of them, totally lost. "Agent Beckett is my fiancé." Rick lets them off the hook. "And Lanie and I attended the Police Academy at the same time," Kate added.

Now Ryan's and Espo's eyes opened wide. There was an FBI Agent standing in front of them who had gone to the Police Academy? They both felt a little better about these two now after knowing that.

"Do you still have the body Lanie?" Kate wanted to start there. She followed Lanie over to one of the stainless steel doors, watched her open it, and pull the body out. "Blood test results and have you found the injection site? Our history suggests it would look like a mosquito bite," Kate asked. She watched Lanie leave and come back with a thick folder.

"The injection site was here, on the upper arm just at the shoulder area. There used to be a red inflamed area that I inspected and put in the report," Lanie informed them.

"It's an unusual site for an injection. If you were going to give yourself a shot you would use the leg or an arm. If it was an injection by someone who caught you by surprise it would be in the neck." It was part of the problem Espo had regarding how their vic got the drug into his system.

"Don't let it get to you Esposito, it can be a little hard to pick up on." Rick slapped his upper arm where it met his shoulder. "And by the way, I just injected you with the drug without your knowledge." Rick stepped back to look at Espo.

Espo looked shocked and placed a hand over the area where Rick had touched him. "Son of a…"

"We theorize that the device used is about the size of a dime and already has a baby needle attached to it. Hold it between your fingers with the needle pointing down and touch someone on the arm and presto," Rick explained.

Espo was still holding his arm while digesting what Rick had told him. "That action happens between people every day. Step to the side I'm next in line to buy a ticket. I feel badly for you that your grocery bag just broke spilling your food all over the ground. I haven't seen you for years dude, you look great," Ryan ran off three possible conditions that transmission could happen.

"MY GOD! That action is common all over the city. You could end up addicted to this drug and never even know you took it or how to get more of it, provided you lived through it!" Lanie was scared now as she looked down at their vic again with new eyes.

"That makes no sense, you sell drugs to make money not make innocent unsuspecting people addicts." Espo had a problem with this delivery system.

"Remember the deaths between here and LA where it started. Our guy isn't interested in the money for illegal drug sales. He is testing his drug as he makes changes to it. He walks around injecting random people and then watches the results so that he can make more changes to his formula," Rick reminded them what was talked about upstairs.

"At least it makes our job easier, we are only looking for one guy, not hundreds as if this was cocaine or heroin," Ryan pointed out.

"Needle in a haystack bro," Espo retorted.

"And the more people we have looking, the sooner we find it," Rick stated.

"Oh, I almost forgot to go vote. You comin bro?" Espo slapped his partner. "Right behind you," Ryan concurred and followed Espo out of the building.

"Vote?" Kate turned to Lanie.

"It's been on TV for the last month or so. Our New York senatorial seat is part of a special election to replace our senator who resigned and has been fighting back against his opponent a lot the last month, or so I hear since I don't watch much TV," Lanie informed them. "Where have you two been?"

"We've been in Miami for a month before ending up in Vegas and then Detroit for the last month," Kate explained. "And even if we weren't gone we don't watch much TV; we prefer movies and books."

"Why is he so suddenly popular anyway? Is he giving away free money, kissing babies?" Rick didn't get it, he thought most people knew politicians were all crooks, why love this one suddenly?

"None of those that I know of, just that he suddenly has a media blitz. Personal fund raising dinners, lots and lots of commercials," Lanie advised them.

Kate knew voting was one of the things that the people had some form of control over, except that the politicians had made an end run around that and made sure people voted for who they wanted them to vote for. It simply cost millions thanks to costs to be on TV, radio, papers, magazines, internet, mailings, etc.

Then Lanie's phone rang. "Dr. Parrish." Lanie grabbed a pen and wrote down an address. "Be there in 30." Lanie hung up. "I have to go, I've got a new body," Lanie is forced to tell them. She grabbed her bag and took off her white coat. "I'll be back, and I'm still jealous girlfriend," Lanie pointed at Kate and ran out the door. She darted back in. "Put the body back in the drawer when you are done. Thanks." And Lanie was gone again.

"Only in New York." Kate shook her head and moved over to their body. "Jill?"

"Scanning… It is a white male, roughly 23 years of age based on cellular decay. He has had 6 cavities, his left arm has been broken when he was in grade school, he has had his tonsils removed, he died of a massive stroke likely due to a drug interaction. There are still remnants of Nuke in his system that are attached to his cells, much like Cindy. He has been subjected to all the common childhood ailments. …Interesting, the fingers on his right hand indicate that his hand has been in contact with Nuke, likely while using one of the injectors," Jill told them.

"He's not only using Nuke, but he has injected someone to get them hooked, too?" Kate turned to look at Castle.

"Why get someone else hooked using the very same drug that you yourself need but can't find enough of?" Rick was really curious now. "Jack can you tell us who he is?"

"Scanning… Interesting, I'm not finding any… Gotcha. His name is Neil Anderson, parents are… deceased, they died in a car accident when he was five. He was at home with a baby sitter at the time. He was left in the care of the mother's parents since the father's parents were already in an assisted living facility."

When he turned 18 he was left to his own devices when the grandparents he had been living with entered assisted living. He has worked at a number of jobs typical for a teenager. He is attending NYU on a scholarship to be a journalist. Scanning… He is a straight A student. I find no record of him ever being in trouble with the law. He does not have a driver's license, only a state issued picture ID."

"Very interesting, he is presently working part time as a volunteer for William H. Bracken's election campaign. Give you one guess who has a media blitz to get elected in a special election," Jack offered.

"I think it's time we paid a visit to Mr. Bracken's campaign office and Mr. Anderson's classes, dorm room, and have a chat with his teachers along with any of his friends," Rick suggested.

Rick adjusted his weapons under his coat before they entered Bracken's election campaign office. "Can I help you, are you interested in making a donation?" Rick and Kate are intercepted the moment they set foot in the place, which looked busy.

Kate pulled out her ID. "FBI, I'm Agent Beckett and this is Agent Castle. We would like to speak with someone about a Mr. Neil Anderson." Kate put her ID away.

"Neil hasn't been in here in a few days, I'm afraid I don't know where you can find him. He was a volunteer, therefore we aren't required to have his contact information. If our volunteers show up then they do, and if they don't, they don't," the woman told them.

"And you are?" Rick wanted names.

"I'm Beth Greenwald and I run this office. Mr. Bracken and his campaign manager are not here right now," Beth apprised them.

"Can you tell us what Neil did when he was here?" Kate asked.

"Neil did a number of things. The last was organizing our call sheets and updating who had been contacted and who hadn't. Then I would take that list and update it for the new call list. For campaign donations. It's all perfectly legal." Beth made sure she covered her ass.

"Where did he normally work?" Kate inquired while Rick looked around.

"The last time Neil was here he was sitting here," Beth showed Kate to a desk.

"Did he work alone or was there someone helping him?" Kate continued asking questions.

"He did the work alone, however other members of our staff would bring him updated call listings as they were completed by our phone bank. That could have been any number of people," Beth explained.

"And when did he usually work?" Kate was interested in a time frame.

"Neil usually showed up just after lunch and left 3 or 4 hours later, depending on how much work we had to do," Beth said.

"So he didn't leave here with anyone, go to lunch, go get drinks or something?" Kate needed to know everyone who came near him.

"I didn't watch him 24/7 so I'm afraid I can't answer that. Sometimes this place is busy like today, while others it is kind of slow, so we send salary staff home and rely on volunteers to save costs," Beth replied.

"Thank you. I believe I will have a look around with my partner," Kate told her.

"Of course, go anywhere you like. Let me know if you have any more questions. Did something happen to Neil? He seemed like a good kid." Beth's curiosity was piqued.

"That's what we are trying to find out, thank you." Kate wasn't going to tell her anything.

Kate caught up to Castle. "Anything babe?" Kate was looking around including at Castle.

"It's busy, if he was dosed here, it wouldn't be hard to do. I've already been bumped into twice since I've been here," Rick remarked while looking around.

It was too crowded and busy to ask Jill anything. "On to his dorm room next?" Kate asked as Castle followed her out.

"Are there any security cameras in there or near here Jack?" Rick asked his question first.

"Negative, it is an inexpensive neighborhood. The only security cameras are likely to be at the gas station down the street and since I can't access them, it is likely a closed system." Jack liked going into high tech buildings better where he could hack into anything.

"Jill, any Nuke?" Kate inquired.

"Negative, if the amount is as small as we are speculating it is likely that it is not made or stored here," Jill is forced to tell them.

Rick walked over to a bus stop bench and got down on his knees to attach something under it. "What are you doing Castle?"

Rick stood back up. "Is it operational Jack?"

"Perfectly. I should be able to monitor it from almost anywhere in the city," Jack answered.

"You bugged Bracken's campaign headquarters." Kate was FBI so she wasn't sure if she was smiling or frowning or both.

"We should even be able to pick up and monitor any phone calls made in the main room or in Bracken's office. If Neil got dosed here, maybe he or she will come back." It left Rick with 23 more discs, though he only had 2 more disks and one transmitter booster still on him for the day.