Miracle at the 12th Precinct

Chapter 2 Christmas Comes Early

She swore if he didn't stop fiddling with the radio stations and bouncing his knee, she would lose her mind. "Tell me again why we're going to the hospital instead of the explosion site?" he asked from the passenger seat. He was thrilled Captain Gates had actually requested his presence, but Kate thought the suspense might kill him. Any minute now she expected him to ask her the proverbial "are we there yet". Overall, his impatience might be considered by some to be cute, but she could do without the fidgeting.

"Ryan and Esposito are headed to the blast site and we're to meet Jordan at the hospital. Gates said approximately forty people have been reported injured, seven seriously, and there were four confirmed fatalities. One of those fatalities was found in the apartment where the bomb went off, along with a second person who miraculously survived the explosion. The survivor was reported to be in stable condition with only minor injuries, but was brought to the ER to be checked out as a precaution due to his age. That's all I know Castle." She took a moment to blow a stray strand of hair from her forehead which was blocking her vision and wondered briefly if she looked presentable. There hadn't been time to stop off and change from her jeans. "She said we'd find out the rest from Agent Shaw."

They parked in the hospital parking lot and went inside, where they were directed to the 5th floor. Both Kate and Rick observed the posted signs which were leading them in the direction of the Psych ward. Jordan was already waiting for them by the nurses' station. She looked pretty much the same as when they'd worked with her a couple of years back, except her hair was cut slightly shorter. The proper, navy-blue, buttoned-up suit she wore was tailored and quite respectable, but practically screamed Hello, I'm an FBI agent.

"Ah, if it isn't Nikki Heat and her plucky sidekick, Richard Castle." Jordan said, her eyes smiling in greeting. "I see you're still observing Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle." she said wryly, before turning to size them up, none too subtly. "It's nice to see you both."

Castle grinned like an idiot at her since observing Beckett was clearly one of his all-time favorite pastimes. Kate cleared her throat, and the grin fell from his face. "Agent Shaw." Kate said professionally while nodding. She shook Jordan's hand firmly while trying to hide her blush. "It's nice to see you too." Kate wanted to kick herself. In the rush to get to the hospital she'd forgotten to discuss with Castle the use of discretion concerning their new relationship status in the presence of Agent Shaw. Kate forced herself to relax. Jordan was a top FBI profiler, so it probably wouldn't have taken her very long to figure it out on her own anyway. Castle, on the other hand, had started to sweat. He sharpened his posture and cast Kate a sideway's glance conveying he now understood the need for caution, having finally realized they were being profiled. He shook Jordan's hand and attempted to act natural, after all Jordan was no threat to their secret from Captain Gates. He knew Jordan was cool, and he was certain she wouldn't make a big deal of it. Time to lay on the charm.

"Agent Shaw, Jordan, how have you been?" He said, smiling warmly in an attempt to divert her from their nervousness. Okay, his nervousness; Kate had her game face on.

"Good thanks, Castle, and you?" she replied, offering a bemused smile. So they want to play it that way, do they? They're totally sleeping together. Good for them. It's about time they got their heads out of their asses. I'll leave them be...for now, but who do they think they're fooling? Customary greetings officially over, Jordan immediately got down to the matter at hand.

"You've already been informed of the explosion," Jordan continued in a serious tone, pleased to see she had their full attention. "The blast occurred at approximately eight-thirty pm this evening at the apartment of one Henry Jenkins." She nodded towards the closed door flanked by armed guards, indicating Henry was beyond that door. "He's a very lucky fellow, our Henry; lucky enough to have taken coverage when the bomb blew. He was pulled from the wreckage, along with the not-so-lucky body of his roommate, Timothy Jones. My team is currently going over ground zero with a fine tooth comb."

"So, what's his story? Why the armed guards posted at his door?" Castle asked. "Was he the intended victim? Why is the FBI is investigating, and why are we in a Psych ward? Is the guy a loon?"

"I'd forgotten how inquisitive you could be Castle." She remarked dryly with a glance at Beckett who seemed unfazed by her partner's impatience. "Before we go in, there are a few aspects to the case you should be made aware of. We've been watching Henry here, and his deceased little buddy Timothy, for awhile now as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal activities of the Mangosa crime family." Both Kate's and Castle's eyebrows rose at that. "Before Timothy's untimely death, we believe he was working for Carlos Mangosa, doing what exactly, has yet to be determined. That's what we need your help finding out."

Kate spoke up first, beating Castle to the punch. "Carlos Mangosa, aka The Snowman; known as such due to being a suspected cocaine supplier, among other things, although he's never been formally charged. The police found his lifeless body recently over in the Meadowland's swamps out in New Jersey." Kate continued, to which Jordan merely nodded. It had been all over the news when the police found the mob king's mangled remains a few weeks back. "Reportedly, he'd been crushed to death after being run over by a car or tractor, or something; it was never really made clear what vehicle did the deed."

"Yes, I remember reading about that." Castle added. "The police had no witnesses, nor did they make any arrests. I, for one, was surprised they'd even found the body. The Mangosa family was up in arms over the loss of their dearly departed Carlos; a real keeper." Castle said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Drugs, gambling, extortion, and God knows what else. I imagine his family will be feeling the financial loss at the downfall of his kingdom as well. Alas, his death will probably remain a mystery, as most mafia crimes usually do. Hey, you don't think this is the family extracting revenge?" Castle's eyes sparkled gleefully as they always did when he'd thought up a good revenge plot.

"Agent Shaw, exactly how are Carlos' death and today's bombing connected?" Kate asked, intent on reigning in her partner, and preferring facts over the fictional version she was sure Castle was currently writing in his head.

While impressed with their savvy knowledge of current events, as well as, the potential storyline Castle was mentally developing for his next book, Jordan sighed. She might as well get this over with so they could get down to business. Castle would be ecstatic, whereas she could feel a mild headache coming on. "We suspect Carlos and his family were dabbling in all sorts of illegal activities, some of which you have both previously mentioned, however, we have no proof. We also suspect his brothers have taken over the family business where Carlos left off and therefore they need to be stopped. Timothy Jones was spotted with a couple of Carlos' goons awhile back, hence our looking at him. We had a tail on him, in our search for something concrete, but found nothing. Now Timothy's been eliminated. We need to know why."

"Agent Shaw. Tell us what you have on both Henry and Timothy so far." Kate said, taking out her pen and pad so she could take notes.

Jordan looked between them, her lips pursed. "We have a few good leads, but it's… complicated. You see Henry is...how do I say this...unusual, so our investigation has taken on a slight twist."

"What exactly do you mean by unusual?" Castle asked, now completely curious. Jordan was holding back, which wasn't her nature.

"Well, Mr. Jenkins believes he's...Santa Claus, the real deal, and that Timothy was one of his elves." Jordan waited a beat for their expected reactions, and Castle did not disappoint. Sometimes, she hated her job.

"That, is...awesome!" Castle beamed, while Beckett thought she must have heard wrong and said so.

"No, Detective, you heard me right, and that...explains why we are here in the Psych ward. In addition to a sprained ankle, and various abrasions, Mr. Kringle, as he likes to refer to himself, apparently also took a nasty bump to the head. He claims not to remember his real name, anything about Mangosa, or why any one of his elves would have any dealings with criminals. He said, and I quote, "We're in the business of making and delivering toys for good little boys and girls, not cavorting with bad ones." That being said, we're holding him for observation and he will be undergoing an extensive psych evaluation. We also believe his life may still be in danger, hence the guards. We need to find out what he knows."

Castle pointed towards Beckett with his thumb. "And she said there was no Santa Claus." He told Jordan while slowly shaking his head, his lips pursed."Can we go in now? I've always wanted to meet him!" Not waiting for Jordan's permission he strutted past them and through the hospital room door. Kate simply rolled her eyes.

Jordan, although amused by Castle's antics, sympathized with Kate just the same. "I see some things never change Detective." Jordan said raising an eyebrow as they followed him inside.

"You've no idea..." Kate mumbled under her breath, marveling over why they always caught the weird cases.

A/N: So, what do you think so far? I would love it if you could post a review. They keep me going and this is going to be a long one! Thanks for reading, Karen