Miracle at the 12th Precinct
Chapter 15
Sleigh Ride, Song by the Ronettes
Disclaimer: So many characters floating around in my head to write about, many of which do not belong to me - what's a girl to do? Read below and find out.
A/N: Here's a fairly long chapter for those who've been waiting. Thanks for your patience! Last we left off; Santa was still at the hospital, resting after a failed kidnapping attempt by the mob which was thwarted by none other than Detective Kevin Ryan and his merry side-kick, Rick Castle. Detective Kate Beckett and her awesome team are called in to work a case involving a bombing, and they're working alongside Special Agent Jordan Shaw and the FBI.
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While Beckett, Castle and Esposito were baffled by the news Holly Winter had id'd Edmondo Mangosa and not his brother Drago as expected, Jordan was quiet, displaying no signs of surprise.
Her reaction did not go unnoticed by Beckett. "You know." She said, eyeing Jordan suspiciously.
"Yes." Jordan admitted, with a brief nod. She hadn't been all together comfortable keeping this information from Beckett and her team, however, withholding intel until absolutely necessary came with the job description.
Beckett frowned, simply nodding back. She knew from past experiences working with the Fed's, they often held back information. It wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last. The logical part of her understood this, still, it irked her; they were supposed to be working together, on the same team.
Bewildered, Esposito and Castle wordlessly followed their exchange, until the light finally dawned on Castle. "You've got a guy on the inside." He muttered.
Que the awkward silence as Jordan didn't bother denying it, her relief palpable when Ryan approached the group with what she hoped would be an interesting diversion. Ryan took one look at their faces and said, "Hey. What's going on?"
"Jordan's got an agent inside the Mangosa's lair and she didn't tell us." Castle rattled off, giving him a brief summation, and then clamping his lips shut shook his head disapprovingly.
Jordan sighed. This team of detectives was astute, of that, she had no doubt; she should have known they'd find out eventually. "Fine. It was need to know and we're protecting our informant. Standard operating procedure." She admitted calmly. "Edmondo Mangosa's been under surveillance for awhile now; so yes, we have someone on the inside. Mangosa's smart, extremely careful, but don't be fooled by the government issued suits, people." She said, straightening her collar. "We Feds, we're like ninjas. Agent Barnes reported Tommy had spoken to Edmondo outside Jenkins' apartment that night, however, he never mentioned the girl - must not have thought it important."
Castle considered this for a moment. "But Holly said Edmundo was alone."
A heartbeat later Beckett and Castle turned to each other. "The driver!" They said, in unison.
The boys and Jordan grinned. "Yes." Jordan replied. "Edmondo's driver. And might I just add, it's adorable when you two do that."
Castle grinned at her. "Thanks." He replied, any annoyance over her withholding information apparently forgiven.
Kate rolled her eyes, wondering which part of subtle he had trouble understanding. Though everyone present knew about their relationship, she wished Castle would at least attempt to work a little harder at ignoring Jordan's teasing instead of constantly encouraging it.
"What have you learned so far from Agent Barnes?" Kate asked Jordan, attempting to return to the business at hand.
"Not much, I assure you. We thought Edmondo would have more direct contact with Drago, but apparently the two brothers operate separately and are not as close as we'd hoped. The only thing we know for certain is they're both determined to find out who killed their big brother, Carlos. We have no reason to believe Carlos died at either of his brother's hands due to some sort of power struggle. They both have solid alibi's for the time of death." She raised a finger silencing Castle's next question. "Before you ask, we've found nothing implicating they hired someone to get rid of Carlos either. Finding their brother's killer seems to be about the only thing these two do see eye to eye on. Recently, Edmondo, who we believe manages the books, has been digging deep into all of Carlos' financial dealings, including those involving Tommy Frost, which is why Tommy appeared on our radar prior to the bombing. We've been investigating the depth of his involvement since Carlos' demise. The night in question, when Holly saw them meeting outside Jenkin's apartment, they were merely discussing Tommy's gambling debt. As for Drago, well, he's madder than hell and bent on revenge, and with his penchant for violence, he's our loose cannon. As you've already discovered, he has his goons out hunting for Tommy."
Kate scrunched her brows. "Do you really think Tommy had something to do with Carlos Mangosa's death?"
"Anything's possible, but it's a far stretch from what we've learned about him." Jordan replied. "It's unlikely he'd have the cojones to singlehandedly take down a crime-lord."
Castle interjected. "I'm not so sure..."
Kate saw the familiar gleam in his eyes. Better to get this over with. "Okay, Castle, what's your theory?"
His eyes went wide. "Well, what if this isn't about the gambling money Tommy owed at all? What if Tommy really is the one who killed Carlos? It would explain why he hasn't come out of hiding or gone to the police. What if the bombing was orchestrated by the Mangosa family as revenge for Carlos' murder?"
"It's possible." Kate agreed, albeit reluctantly. Like Jordan, she too didn't think Tommy was their killer, but cases had surprised before. Castle had a point. "The Mangosas would be more apt to blow up his apartment building over revenge rather than if Tommy simply owed them money."
"Right." Castle replied. "Let's face it - you can't get money from a dead guy, er...elf...anyhow, I'm leaning towards revenge."
Kate turned to Jordan. "What do you have so far on Carlos' death?"
Jordan frowned. "Unfortunately, little to nothing and we've been investigating for weeks." Her team's inability to wrap up the Mangosa case was a thorn in her side, but not as painful as what she knew she'd have to confess shortly. She gave them a quick run-down. "Carlos was run over and then left for dead. Police received an anonymous tip, called in from a burner phone, which was untraceable. We do know the caller was a man. He directed us as to where to find Carlos' body out in the Jersey swamps."
"You said it's been confirmed he was run over...were there any tire tracks or footprints found at the scene?" Kate asked.
Jordan sighed and then rolled her shoulders. "Yeah, here's the thing..." she replied, hesitating. "The body was found in a combination of brush and marshland, making it difficult to get any prints from the ground, however, the autopsy revealed markings on the victim's body, which is why it was concluded he'd been run over. They estimated whatever hit him weighed roughly three tons. He died on impact."
"Ouch." Esposito cringed. "Were you able to trace the tracks found on the deceased?"
"Not exactly..." Jordan replied, cryptically. They waited patiently for her to expand. She dreaded fueling the fire of Castle's already over-zealous imagination, but unfortunately, couldn't think of a good enough reason to withhold the information any longer. They were staring at her, and like it or not, it was time to come clean. "Track marks were found on the mangled body of the victim, however, exactly what he was hit with has yet to be...confirmed."
Ryan pulled out his notebook and pen and began to write. "So, they haven't verified the make or model yet, but they must have, at the very least, been able to determine whether or not it was a car, SUV, or truck."
"Oh, it was definitely...none of the above." Jordan replied, stalling and thinking of the rather large glass of merlot she'd be pouring herself later.
"What the hell could he have been hit with?" Kate pondered aloud.
"We do have our suspicions..." Jordan hedged, bracing herself. "We suspect he may have been run over by, what some have suggested, might have been, a type of...sleigh."
Four sets of mouths hung open as the implications settled in. They exchanged looks, not saying a word. Dead silence - if you didn't count the deafening sound of the spinning wheels in both Castle and Ryan's heads.
Simultaneously, Castle and Ryan's faces lit up. "No way! Oh, my god!" They yelled, before high-fiving. Jordan sighed. Esposito winced. And lowering her head, Beckett covered her eyes with her hands then ran her fingers through her locks, taking a moment.
Castle crossed his arms, brought a hand to his chin. "Now, who...do we know...who owns a sleigh?" He tapped his lips with his pointer finger. "Hmmm. Ryan? Help me out." Playing along, Ryan pretended to mull it over.
"Simmer down, you two." Kate said, addressing both Castle and Ryan directly. "We all know where you're going with this, but it's ridiculous. There's no such thing as Santa Claus and he most certainly did not take down a Mafia Kingpin with his sled. Besides, you've said so yourself, Castle, Henry Jenkins is a sweet little old man - not a hit man. We have no proof the two cases are even linked."
"I don't know, Beckett." Ryan said, interjecting. "You weren't there when Kris beat the crap out of fake Doc Sawyer. He's a lot tougher than he looks."
Esposito chuckled. "Old man did kick some major ass." Esposito reluctantly agreed, clamping his lips shut tight at Beckett's stern glare.
"Let me repeat...we haven't actually found the vehicle that did the deed." Jordan reminded them in an attempt to recreate some semblance of dignity to the proceedings. "So, right now, this is pure speculation - we're still investigating."
Ignoring her warning Castle turned to Ryan. "We need to ask Kris where he parks his sled!" Beckett, Jordan and Espo shook their heads at him, like he was crazy. He paid them no mind, speaking directly to Ryan. "Don't get me wrong, I know Kris wouldn't hurt a fly..."
"No, no, of course not." Ryan quickly agreed, his mind racing. "Unless he had a really good reason."
"Right, unless he had a good reason." Castle agreed, excitement bubbling from within. "But Tommy – that guy - him I'm not too sure about. He has some beady little eyes. What if he did it? What if he stole Santa's sled and then used it to kill Carlos so he wouldn't have to pay back the money he owed? What if..."
Ryan and Castle continued to hold their own private conversation, never noticing Beckett, Esposito and Jordan walk away to carry on with one of their own.
"Detective Beckett, are you ready to interview Frank Gallo, now?" Jordan asked.
"Yes - more than ready - for some real detective work. Let's go do that." She replied. "Espo, you get with Agent Shaw's guys. Go over everything they have on Carlos Mangosa's murder. I want every minute detail." She glanced over her shoulder at Ryan and Castle who were still talking animatedly. "And when Santa's newest elves are done, tell Ryan I want him back to checking the security cameras from the department store."
"Got it." He replied, before taking off.
Kate gave one last look in Ryan and Castle's direction. They were still engrossed in their Santa Slayer theories. Castle could catch up to her later; she had work to do. She asked JT to bring Frank Gallo to the interrogation room, and then headed over there with Jordan.
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Kate's interview with Gallo, the fake Doctor Sawyer, went downhill from the start, still she was determined to get some answers. She was advised his lawyer was already on the way over to the precinct so she knew she'd need to work quickly. Unfortunately, her suspect was, to say the least, also quite determined - to remain uncooperative.
The interview was well underway when Castle finally joined Jordan in the room behind the box. They watched through the glass as Kate questioned Gallo.
Gallo looked like crap; clearly having had a bad day. His face was battered and bruised, his head was covered in bandages protecting his recent stitches, and three of his fingers were taped together from when he'd tried and failed to feign off an attack from a pissed off Santa. Those not 'in the know' might assume he'd been the victim of a recent car accident.
Eyes ablaze with contempt, Beckett stared down her suspect, her intent to break him of his secrets clear. Castle almost felt bad for the guy, but not overly bad, actually not bad at all. Gallo had tried to kidnap Santa at the hospital earlier, not to mention he'd taken a pot shot at Ryan, albeit thankfully missing. Guy deserved what he got, though Castle couldn't help thinking Gallo seemed oddly calm for someone caught red-handed. And as formidable as Detective Kate Beckett was, Castle could immediately tell the interview wasn't going her way.
Gallo just sat there quietly with a small twisted grin on his face. Yeah, he felt like he'd lost badly in a bar fight after his tangle with the old maniac, but at least his one phone call had proven fruitful. Mangosa had promised to provide the best counsel possible, as long as he kept his mouth shut and did like he was told. He'd vowed to keep quiet unless his lawyer advised otherwise. Still, he fought off a nagging feeling of impending doom. For as hot as this detective was, it was obvious she had it in for him big-time, never letting up with the questions. She wasn't making it easy to stay calm. Wiping the sweat from his brow he wondered what was taking his damn lawyer so long - jackass should have been there by now.
Beckett sat down at the table across from Gallo and banged on the table top loudly, snapping him from his reverie. She looked him straight in the eyes, watched him gulp then shift in his chair. "So, Gallo, your file's made for some very interesting reading." She said, flipping through it and raising her brows. "You've got quite the record. All that's left to do now is to calculate the additional number of years you'll be spending behind bars. I could put in a good word for you, Frank - if you cooperate. We both know you're going away - it's a given." She shrugged. "The question is, for how long? Now are you ready to play ball and give me some straight answers or are we going to keep doing this the hard way? I'll ask you again...who hired you?"
He gave her a sadistic laugh. "Do you seriously think I'm telling you anything, lady? The people I work for will do far more damage than you ever could."
"You help me, Frank, I'll help you. I can make things easier with the judge."
He doubted it and shook his head. "I'll take my chances, sweetheart, thanks." He glanced at the door. "Where the hell is my fucking lawyer?"
"On his way." She answered before continuing. "We've got you dead to rights. Attempted homicide, kidnapping, unlawful trespassing, assault and battery of not one, but two federal agents, not to mention firing at one of my detectives. I'd say it's pretty obvious who a judge will side with, Frank."
She watched him gulp then gave him a moment to digest her words, hoping they would have an impact. Judging by his increased sweating - she'd hit a nerve.
He couldn't stand it anymore. "I never laid a hand on those two feds!" He suddenly shouted. "That was all Joey."
"Joey's dead, Gallo. He can't exactly collaborate your story, now can he?"
"You can ask the old man. Go on, he'll tell you."
"Who?" She said, pretending to be confused. "Oh, you mean the sweet little old man who allegedly kicked your ass all over that hospital room, Frank?" She said, sweetly, hoping to humiliate him.
"Yeah, that guy." He grumbled, his head throbbing loudly at the mere mention of the old man. "Don't think I won't be pressing charges, by the way...crazy son of a bitch." He muttered under his breath.
She eyed him carefully, attempting to get inside his head. His lawyer would be there any minute. She could hear the clock ticking, her patience was wearing thin. This a-hole sitting across from her almost made Jenny a widow today, not to mention put Rick in danger. She had half a mind to sic Kris on him again and she would too, if she thought it would get her somewhere. It was obvious he wasn't talking and only riding it out until his lawyer showed. She thought briefly about beating it out of him herself. "What were you planning to do with Henry Jenkins once you nabbed him? Where were you instructed to take him?..."
From behind the glass divider, Jordan and Castle watched the exchange...
"She never lets up, does she? I'd forgotten how good she was," Jordan said to Castle as she studied Kate. She scrunched her brows. "You know, she'd make an excellent FBI agent. How is it the FBI hasn't snatched her up by now?"
"Beckett? A Fibbie? I don't think so." He snorted, incredulously while shaking his head. The heat from her glare brought to his attention the fact that he'd possibly just insulted her. "No offense." He amended quickly.
"None taken." She replied, although her tone suggested otherwise. "Oh, I get it..." She said, goading him.
"What?"
"It's nothing."
"No. You were going to say something."
"It's just that I realized you don't think she could hack it."
"No! It's not that. Not that at all!" He back-pedaled, taking a deep breath. "Look, Beckett would be good at whatever she chose to do. It's just that I believe, deep down, her heart will always belong to the NYPD."
"Ah." She replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Regardless, wherever her career path takes her, rest assured, I will never be far behind."
"She really can't get rid of you, can she?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it, no." They returned to studying Beckett through the glass as she had another go at Gallo. He was mesmerized. "So hot." He whispered, forgetting he had company. He glanced sideways at Jordan. "I probably shouldn't be saying things like that out loud, huh?"
She gave him one of her cryptic smiles and he worried she might accuse him, or worse - them - of acting unprofessionally. His pulse started racing. He realized he'd better watch what he was saying or there'd be hell to pay later. "Relax Castle," she finally laughed. "I'm happy for you both."
He let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thanks," he said, relieved. "Me too."
"Though for two intelligent people it sure took you long enough." She joked, relaxing him. "You're good for each other. You know, you two actually remind me a little of me and my husband before we married."
An insight into the real Jordan Shaw had him more than curious. "Really? How so?"
"We worked together too," she said, glossing over his surprise. "For about three years before we started dating - fought it for awhile before giving in - not as long as you two though. He retired from the job early; stayed home to take care of our daughter. She's nine now." They both stopped talking when the door to the interrogation room opened.
They watched as Gallo's lawyer entered, introduced himself and then sat down in the chair next to his client.
"I forget sometimes you're married, Jordan, let alone that you're also a mother." He said, wistfully. "I envy you. You somehow manage to have it all; an important job you excel at and a happy family life. Gives the rest of us hope. You've been lucky."
She turned, looked at him pointedly. "Luck had nothing to do with it, Castle. Anything's possible, if you want it badly enough. You just have to ask yourself...do you?"
He didn't answer, only nodded back. Of course, Jordan was right. What he couldn't reveal was he already knew exactly what he wanted. Now, if only he could figure out a way to convince Kate Beckett. Who knows, Castle, maybe third time's the charm.
They turned their attention back to Kate and Gallo. Gallo's lawyer instructed his client not to answer any more questions, and told her if she had any more she would need to ask them in court. Until then, his client was done talking to the police. Beckett requested the guard take the prisoner back to lock up and then left the room intending to go in search of Jordan and Castle. She didn't have to look far. They were both waiting outside the door and stepped aside when the officer brought out a cuffed Gallo, his lawyer in tow. Gallo paused when he saw Castle, remembering him from earlier at the hospital, then gave him a small sadistic smirk before finally being escorted away by the guard.
Beckett was about to ask Castle about the look he'd been given when her cell phone rang. "Beckett."
"He's gone."
She recognized Lanie's voice immediately. "Who's gone?"
"Timmy."
Kate brows furrowed. "Timmy? Timmy, the dead dwarf, Timmy?"
"Yes, that Timmy. Did the Fibbies pick him up? And, really, they couldn't have waited until I was back from lunch? Where's the professional courtesy, I ask you?"
Jordan and Castle followed Beckett on the walk back towards the bullpen as she continued her call with Lanie. "I don't know anything about it, but hang on; Agent Shaw's right here, I'll ask her." Beckett turned to Jordan. "Did your team remove Timothy Jones' body from Dr. Parish's morgue?"
"No. I never authorized any such move." Jordan replied, her eyes widening. She and Castle were now fully-focused on Kate's half of the phone conversation.
"Agent Shaw didn't move him, Lanie."
Lanie began to freak out a bit. "Well, he's gone Kate! He was here when I left for lunch and gone when I came back. And if the feds didn't take him, then who the hell did?"
"There has to be a logical explanation. Have you reviewed the security cameras?"
"Yes, of course I did, but you're not going to believe this..." She said. "The cameras went down while I was gone. The IT guy just checked them and he couldn't find anything wrong. He couldn't explain it either. Just gave me some techno mumbo-jumbo about it being some sort of computer glitch, said 'well, it's working now', and then left."
"Did any of your staff see anything?"
"Nope. There were only a few people on shift while I was gone, but none of them saw anyone come in or out. So unless Timmy got un-dead and beat it the hell out of here himself, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say someone just heisted that poor guy from my morgue."
"Who would want to steal a dead body?"
"That's what I was hoping you could tell me."
"No idea, Lane...no idea." Kate replied, bewildered. "Were you finished with your autopsy on him?" She asked as Jordan and Castle listened in, hanging on her every word.
"Technically yes, but I'd been waiting on locating the next of kin before I officially signed off."
Jordan interrupted. "Tell her I'm sending someone down right away." She said, pulling out her own cell phone.
Kate nodded back she understood, and then Jordan took off towards the FBI station across the room. "Sit tight, Lanie. Agent Shaw's sending an agent over. I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon."
Kate disconnected the call and then turned to Castle who'd been waiting not so patiently for her to get off the phone. He was wearing his 'I have a theory' face. "Okay, Castle. I know that look. Who would want to steal Timothy Jones' body, Castle?"
"Well I'm not absolutely positive, but if I were to venture a guess I'd say it was Kris."
"Not possible." She replied, crinkling her nose. "Kris is in the hospital."
The twinkle in his eyes sparkled and he didn't even try to hide his grin. "This is Santa we're talking about, Kate. With him, anything's possible." To his chagrin, she frowned back at him. "I'm just saying." He added.
With no clue as to where the hell Timmy's body went, she decided to humor him, hear him out. "Not that I'm saying it's even remotely possible, but even if Kris could have snuck out of the hospital, made his way down to the morgue and then stolen the body without anybody having seen him...why on earth would he want to?"
"Well, Kris couldn't very well leave him there indefinitely, now could he? That would be wrong. The coroner's office would probably have to hold Timmy's body until they could locate a relative, right?"
She nodded, intrigued as to where he was going with this.
"They're not going to be able to find any relatives, Kate. You and I both know that. And so does Kris. So...if you ask me, I think he sent Timmy home for a proper burial." He said, matter-of-factly.
His ability to believe in Kris made her head spin, leaving her dizzy. She sighed. "And exactly how do you think he was able to do that, Castle? He's stuck in the hospital, heavily guarded."
"Ah, well...the answer's really quite simple...but you won't like it."
"Try me."
He raised a brow, convinced not only wouldn't she like his reasoning, she'd hate it. "I don't know...are you sure you want to know...?"
"Try me." She repeated.
"Okay, if you insist." He smiled. "I think Kris sent Timmy's body back to the North Pole using...well, come on, Kate, isn't it obvious... magic." He said, smugly.
"Magic? That's your theory - magic?" She repeated, hands on hips, giving him a look he'd been privy to on numerous occasions - not one of his favorites.
"Come on, Beckett, it makes perfect sense."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously." He replied.
She shook her head, turned away and went back to reviewing the murder board.
"I warned you, you wouldn't like the answer." He reminded her, leaning back on the edge of her desk to watch her work, wisely refraining from further elaboration. She kept her back to him, apparently, having reached her Castle Crazy Theory Threshold for the day. He'd let it go for the time being, let the Feds look into Timmmy's missing corpse, no harm done. And then, when Timmy's body didn't turn up, he'd ask Kris about it himself.
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Esposito joined Beckett and Castle by the murder board, gave them a brief report on the Carlos Mangosa case from what information the Feds had shared and then made some additional notes on the board; time of death, place, possible suspects and photos of the deceased showing the track marks in question. The board quickly filled up. Esposito walked away to take a call at his desk and Beckett excused herself to refill her coffee leaving Castle alone. He amused himself by drawing a cute little red sleigh on the board being pulled by, what one could only assume, were meant to be reindeer beside Carlos Mangosa's name. Next, he drew a question mark in the area where the driver would be seated. When Beckett returned from the break room she immediately confiscated his dry erase markers. The three stepped back and studied the newly added information. With more questions now than ever, only one thing was truly clear...
Esposito turned to Beckett, "We're going to need a bigger board."
The three adjourned to the small office they sometimes used which contained a table to spread their files out on. Esposito and Castle were in the midst of arguing about the feasibility of sleds as viable murder apparatus while Beckett ignored them, drank her coffee and reviewed her notes.
Esposito's blood pressure visibly jumped a notch. "Castle. Stop calling it Santa's sled," He argued. "It probably wasn't even a sled at all. It has to be some other type of vehicle - something not in the system yet. And seriously, Dude, remind me again how old you are? There is no such thing as Santa. It's a story for children, Bro. It's finally happened; you've completely lost touch with reality. How about we stay focused on the real evidence?"
Convincing Javier Esposito of anything not black and white was high on Castle's bucket list. "But Espo..." This went on for some time.
Ryan stuck his head in the doorway, interrupting Castle's fun. "Hey guys? You're going to want to take a look at this." Beckett was thankful for the interruption and they followed Ryan down to the Tech room where he'd been reviewing the footage.
"What did you find, Ryan?" Kate asked.
"Well, I came across the known altercation between Balboa and Timmy, but there's no sound so it's hard to make out what was said. You can see BB yelling at Tommy and there's a point where Santa intervenes. It pretty much confirms what the Macy's workers told us."
"I'm somewhat of an expert at reading lips." Castle boasted. "Let me give it a shot."
Ryan played the video back a few times for their review.
"Okay, I've got this." Castle announced. "Tommy just said, 'I swear I don't have it! I don't have what you're looking for. I didn't tell anyone.' but then he turns his back to the camera, so that's all I got. Hey that confirms what Drucker, the photographer said he'd overheard. Maybe that slime-ball was telling the truth – shocking."
Kate remained skeptical. Drucker may have been telling the truth about what he'd overheard but she was certain he knew more than he was letting on.
"Oh, look - here come's Santa Claus! Heh." Castle said, giggling at his own little joke. Then he continued, his voice filled with awe. "Would you look at him? All up in Balboa's face. Santa to the rescue. He's telling BB to leave Tommy alone, BB's poking him in the chest...and...then Kris says, 'Be gone with you. Be gone with you - you scoundrel!'. Yup, that's what he said. Heh, 'scoundrel'...that guy..." Castle chuckled, shaking his head.
The tape continued and they watched as security arrived and escorted BB from the store. "There's Drucker." Esposito pointed out. "But where's Balboa's buddy Vinny when all this is going down? I thought they were attached at the hip."
"I didn't see him on the footage during this. I don't think he was with him." Ryan told him.
"What the hell could Tommy have that belongs to BB?" Kate pondered aloud. "Is it just the money he owes Drago, or is it something else? Is that all you've got Ryan?"
"No, actually, there's more." He said, letting the video continue. "Watch this. After Balboa leaves, Santa goes back to the stage, but Tommy goes over and talks to the cashier, Holly." They see Holly console an upset Tommy and give his hand a squeeze before reluctantly leaving him to return to her post. "In a weird way they really are sort of cute together." He adds, tilting his head. Oddly enough, the gang found themselves agreeing.
"That's sweet Ryan, but what I meant was, is there anything else on the video important to the case?" Kate asked.
"Um, yes. I was getting to that." He nodded, pointing to the screen. "It's coming up in a minute. Timmy, our victim, approaches Tommy and they have words." Ryan points Timmy out to them as he comes into the frame.
Castle moved closer to the screen then asked Ryan to play it back one more time. "Timmy said, 'I told you this would happen. You have to go to the police. Tommy replied, 'I know, I know, you're right.' I can't make out what he says next. Tommy looks around, takes something from his pocket and slips it into Timmy's hand. Timmy puts it in his pocket."
"Can you zoom in on what he gave him Ryan?" Kate asks, and they wait as he backs up the video then freeze frames it. "Looks like a piece of paper. Those are the credit card numbers we found on Timmy's body – so they came from Tommy."
"Why would he give those numbers to Timmy? For safe-keeping?" Castle hypothesized. "What do they mean?"
"Who knows, but maybe that's what Balboa was looking for." Ryan said. "He also could be the one who tossed Holly's apartment thinking Tommy stashed them there. We need to keep her in protective custody...they could come after her."
"Yeah, don't worry, she's not going anywhere." Kate replied. "Besides she insisted on seeing her 'Uncle Kris' so she's in no hurry to leave. But let's get back to the numbers...Timmy was carrying them in his pocket when the apartment blew; I doubt he'd keep something so important on his person. I'm not fully convinced the credit card numbers are what BB's looking for. I think they might have more to do with Tommy wanting to make things right, assuming what Holly told us earlier is true. According to his girlfriend, Tommy was trying to turn his life around. I'm betting those numbers implicate the Mangosa's somehow. We need to get with the owners of those card numbers."
"Well, they're not able to come down to the precinct until tomorrow," Esposito reminded her, "So it will have to wait. Besides, it's getting late and we still have to figure out a way to bust Jenkins out of the hospital without inviting company."
At that, Castle perked right up, wiggled his eyebrows. "Gentlemen," He turned to Beckett. "Ma lady. Never fear...for Castle is near! Oooh, I like that." He added, complimenting himself aloud. "Anyway...as I was trying to tell you earlier, I have an plan, but it will require some assistance."
After hearing his plan for the first time, Beckett needed a drink. They stood close, practically nose to nose. "Shaw will never go for it." She said, with conviction, looking him straight in the eyes. He smiled back because all he heard in her voice was a challenge. That and she smelled good. She gave him one of her signature eye rolls.
What followed next was a heated debate in regard to certain gaping holes in his dubious plan and ended with Beckett suggesting she, Castle and Espo leave the room so Ryan could continue to review the videos in peace.
Once down the hall in the other office, Castle tried again to win them over, selling it hard, but then oddly enough clammed up the moment Jordan joined them. They quickly filled her in on what they'd uncovered thus far from the store's security video and then Beckett commented on the official looking report Jordan had brought in with her. "Bomb squad reports in?"
"Yes. Bomb squad and CSI reports." She replied, taking a seat at the table. "Where's Detective Ryan?" she asked.
"Still reviewing the rest of the security tapes." Kate informed her. "There's a lot of footage to sort through."
"Ah." Jordan said. She'd grown fond of the young detective. He'd impressed her with his handling of the earlier incident at the hospital. "Well, I think I know what BB was looking for, but more on that in a moment. As for the bomb, we were right. It was made locally and albeit effective, was not very sophisticated. Any Tom, Dick or Harry could have made it with some help from the internet. Luckily, we've got a hit on where the ball bearings were manufactured, so my people are running that down as we speak."
"You've got to love the internet." Castle muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. They all agreed with him. Technology, when in the wrong hands, made their jobs that much harder. They worked to brush off the slight stench of defeatism briefly wafting through the room.
"Cheer up gang," Jordan told them. "For all is not lost – now comes the good part. CSI recovered a little something I think you'll find very interesting – I know I did." She said, the smile dancing in her eyes. She pulled out a stack of photos and handed them to Beckett. Esposito and Castle huddled close, looking over her shoulder so they could see.
"It's a picture of a box." Castle said, stating the obvious.
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Castle." Jordan replied, dryly. "It is, indeed - a box. More importantly, it's what they found inside the box that interests me." Beckett flipped through the pile to view the other photos.
"They found a gun in Jenkins' apartment?" Esposito said, with surprise.
"You mean Kris'," Castle corrected. "Kris' apartment."
"Whatever." Esposito replied, his posture straightening, as he prepared to face-off, once again, with Castle.
"It's not his." Castle said, with conviction, although he was racking his brains as to why it would have been found in Kris' possession. "It can't be Kris' gun." There had to be a logical explanation.
"Maybe you're right and it's not Kris'." Kate replied pausing at the stunned look Espo was giving her.
"Kris?" He said, with his brows raised. "Really? You too, Beckett?"
"What?" She defended. "It's his nickname, Espo. No harm in calling the man by his nickname. Jeeze, lighten up." She said, brushing off his incredulous look. "Anyway, as I was saying, maybe the gun's not Kris', maybe it belongs to Timmy or Tommy."
"Nope." Jordan smiled, like she had a secret. "On a hunch, I had ballistics check something for me. This smoking gun, my pretties, belongs to none other than Bernie Balboa."
This news was followed by a round of "Say what's, hush's, and no ways."
"Oh, but there's more." Jordan continued. "It's the same 9mm police searched for back when Balboa was suspected of shooting Jimmy Russo in that bar fight years ago. We've got him. There's a BOLO out on Balboa now. Unfortunately, there's still no word on Russo's whereabouts, but we'll find him. Won't be long now."
"Guess now we know what BB wanted back from Tommy." Esposito said.
"Yeah, that makes more sense, then a couple of numbers, but I'd like to know how the gun turned up in Kris' apartment after all these years." Beckett replied, perplexed. There were still so many unanswered questions - too many for her liking, but at least they now had a solid lead - and one not based in fairytales, to boot. A smile broke from her lips. "Sounds to me like a plausible motive for murder, boys." She quickly turned to Castle. "Please don't say 'clausible'."
He'd come close to saying just that, but refrained, biting down on his lower lip. He had to agree with Beckett. The evidence against Balboa was stacking up, which in turn, was a good thing for Kris, whom he wanted to see exonerated of any wrong-doing. Obviously, Balboa and the Mangosa's were in this thing up to their eyeballs. And there had to be a logical explanation as to why the gun was in found in Kris' apartment. It would be a relief once Balboa was behind bars, but the Mangosa brothers, they would still be out there, and to keep Kris safe they'd have to get them all, not just Balboa. Castle was becoming more and more concerned for Kris' safety, worried he was a sitting duck in the hospital. He'd be relieved once they got the man back to the loft where he and Beckett could protect him themselves. And then, together, they would work on getting Kris back to the North Pole in plenty of time for Christmas Eve.
As he listened to Jordan converse with Beckett he realized this new development in the case had put Jordan in a seemingly excellent mood. Both women seemed almost invigorated. He decided now would be the perfect time to pitch his idea about moving Kris. He jumped at the first lull in their conversation.
"Hey, Jordan?" He said, getting her attention, ignoring Epso's bulging eyes and Beckett's panicked expression. "There's something I've been meaning to run by you..."
After witnessing Castle somehow manage to convince Special Agent Jordan Shaw of the FBI into agreeing to his self-proclaimed genius plan, Beckett vowed, from that day forward, to keep a flask in her desk drawer at the precinct.
XXXXXXXXXX
Bernie "BB" Balboa received a call from his source at the hospital telling him the Feds were getting ready to move Henry Jenkins from the hospital in a few hours. He immediately placed a short outbound call from his cell phone. "It's done." He announced, hanging up.
Vinny, who was in the middle of watching a Temptation Lane rerun, was so absorbed in his show he hadn't been paying attention to his partner's phone conversations "What's done?"
"What do ya mean, what's done?" He yelled back. "Feds are moving Jenkins out tonight, moron. Pay attention!"
Vinny paused his show. "Can't you see I'm busy, for god sakes?"
"You care more about that damn show than your job!"
"That ain't true!" Vinny defended, tampering down the urge to slug BB for the 'moron' comment. "I care about my job, plenty. I just care more about my show than whatever the hell you're doing, is all. So what's going on about Jenkins?"
"It's all been arranged. Plan's in place. They'll tail the car with Jenkins, intercept, nab him and then bring him to, ya know, the place."
"Tell me this ain't gonna go down like last time at the hospital." Vinny said. "Drago's pissed at us enough."
"Not this time." BB replied. "Cost a shit-load, but I brought in the big guns, some real professionals - Drago's guys. No more using my relatives - Drago put the kabosh on that, said he don't care what the hell my mother says."
"You'd better pray this works, or it's our heads gonna be on a platter."
"Oh, it'll work. I told ya, dip-shit, Drago said these guys are pros. What could possibly go wrong?"
XXXXXXXXXX
It was fairly dark in the parking lot outside the hospital, despite the decent lighting of the lamps by the main entrance. Two men sat silently waiting in a parked car, as far back in the parking lot as possible, watching the front doors, while his boys, meanwhile, manned stations at various other exits their target might possibly be brought through.
The man in the driver's seat, the man running the show, had been hired by the Mangosas to nab some old guy named Jenkins - didn't even have to kill him - if he didn't feel like it. Piece of cake; especially with this not being his first ride at the rodeo. It was child's play, far as he was concerned, plus the money was good - real good, which was never a bad thing. There were other benefits as well. First, like how it'd keep him in the good graces of one Drago Mangosa, and he'd found, in his line of work, you could never have enough friends in high places. Second, business had been slow lately, the economy being what it was, so he couldn't in good conscience, be too choosy. Even bad guys had mouths to feed.
The only thing standing in his way, far as he could tell, was that the Feds and police had this guy under protective custody. Minor obstacle, more of a nuisance really. The feds and cops might think they're smarter but he was confident he'd brought more than enough back-up to out-wit them, and he'd made a promise to get this guy for Drago, a favor among men he planned on keeping. He'd had jobs of this nature before and truth be told, the challenge appealed to him. Besides, he thought, running his hand over the cold heavy metal gun at his hip; he and his boys had come prepared.
He glanced again at the photo he'd been given of their target. Guy was head to toe in a Santa suit - pretty authentic actually. He'd never understand what the hell that was all about, but it didn't make no difference. A mark was a mark - didn't really matter how he came dressed, and so what, the guy was a big fan of Christmas - too bad for him, it might be his last.
He'd strategically placed five teams of two at various exits surrounding the hospital. Each man wore an earpiece allowing them to communicate freely with one another. No unusual activity was reported by any of the teams, who in his eyes were all consummate professionals. The main lot of the hospital was filled with parked cars, but his boys had reported only what appeared to be a few employee vehicles scattered in the small parking lots outside the other exits they'd been casing.
Another hour or so went by. Traffic in and out of all doors including the front entrance where visitors entered appeared to be minimal with no sign of any cops, Feds or their mark. It was quiet. Almost too quiet, he thought. A moment later, all hell broke loose.
Each team called in simultaneously reporting activity at the doorways they'd been watching. They were talking over themselves, reporting multiple elderly men wearing red Santa suits, carrying canes, were headed into waiting parked cars. Their original instructions were to apprehend or follow their target, but with so many targets at once they stayed in position and called in to the Boss, awaiting new orders.
The Boss frantically radioed back to his teams reminding them to remain calm and stick with the plan; keep their perspective targets in view and hold their positions until it was safe to follow the mark. He tried to remain calm, confident he'd brought more than enough back-up with him. He'd made a promise to get this guy for Drago, a favor he planned to keep. Unfortunately, his men were yelling over each other as they called in their status and he was quickly losing all semblance of control.
"Holy crap. Um, Boss?..." Said the man sitting next to him in the passenger seat trying to get his attention.
"Not now! I'm a little busy!" He hollered in frustration, before resuming barking orders to his guys. "
"But, Boss..." The man tried again, tapping him rapidly on the shoulder.
The Boss stopped yelling and looked up at the main entrance of the hospital to where his partner was now pointing. He couldn't believe his eyes. "What the fuck..."
It was a blur of red. A sea of Santas. All marching out together. Over a hundred of them, each dressed in full costume, each carrying a cane. They watched in shock as the Santa army wobbled their way towards the parking lot, piled by groups into waiting parked cars, started their engines and then convoyed out slowly, in their very own Christmas parade, exiting the premises and then driving off in various directions.
The Boss and his partner began to panic as the mass exodus blocked the only two exits of the parking lot leaving them no choice but to wait until the traffic thinned out. They were trapped where they sat. The Boss tried reestablishing radio contact with his men for help, but one by one, he heard them apprehended by authorities.
"Son of a Bitch!"
"Every exit's blocked, Boss. This is bad." His partner said. "Real bad."
"Gee, ya think?" The Boss hollered back.
"What should we do, Boss?"
He pulled out a sig from the glove compartment, felt for his other gun at his hip. "We're getting out of here. Let's make a run for it."
They opened the door and jumped out of the car, only to find themselves surrounded on all sides by police and federal agents, dressed in full Santa regalia, guns raised.
XXXXXXXXXX
"All Clear." Sounded loudly through the radio speakers of the unmarked police car. Castle removed his Santa hat, tugged down on his fluffy white beard, and then glanced in the rear view mirror. "It's safe now. You can relax." He said, grinning at the passenger lying low in the backseat.
Popping upright, the passenger let out a hearty laugh then turned to look out the back window of the vehicle, relieved to find the hospital reduced to a mere spec on the horizon. As instructed, he'd kept his head down until being told the coast was clear, although he'd been somewhat disappointed to have missed even a single minute of the adventure. "Oh, my, that was splendid!" He chuckled. "Mrs. C. would have loved that!"
"I don't know, Santa. I'm not so sure Mrs. C. would agree with you. It's been my experience that woman are much more practical when it comes to matters of safety." Castle replied. "And those were some very bad men."
"Oh, poppycock!" He laughed. "I'd say we outnumbered them, wouldn't you?
And as for the misses, the old girl loves a good adventure almost as much as I do - it's why I married her!"
Fascinated, Rick grinned back. He could talk to this amazing man for hours and had a hundred questions, but it had been a long day and he knew he should leave the hard ones for when Beckett was present. Besides, he thought, careful to mind the road, right now he needed to stay focused, ensure they made it home in one piece. "She must be an amazing woman." He replied, simply.
"She is indeed, my boy, she is indeed. Actually, I'd call her quite... extraordinary. She'll be enchanted by the tale of my travels upon returning home!" Santa smiled. "And she'll insist on hearing every detail, I assure you."
It thrilled Castle to hear they both had extraordinary women in their lives. "You miss her, don't you, Kris?"
"Yes, why of course, I do." He replied.
"I have to ask..." Castle said, figuring one question couldn't hurt. "Then why do you stay? You and I both know you can leave at any time."
Santa's eyes twinkled, though he carefully pondered his reply. "I have my reasons, son. Always such a smart young man, you were, Ricky." Kris said, not bothering to deny his magical ability to return home on his own if any time he wished. "But allow me to pose a question of my own. You're a writer by craft, so why is it you choose to put yourself in danger time and time again assisting Katie? Oh, pardon me, I do mean Detective Beckett." He smiled.
The standard answer flew from Rick's lips. "Research?" Unfortunately, it came out as a question rather than a statement and they both knew it was a lie. Kris let out a belly laugh, as did Rick.
"And funny, Ricky - you were also always quite delightful. Like the time you crept from your bed on Christmas Eve and ate my cookies and milk."
"What? Wait. I would never do that!" Rick denied, automatically. He then tried, but failed to recall the incident, which in all likely-hood was accurate. "Did I really do that?" He asked, having the decency to look remorseful.
Kris chuckled. "Yes. But don't feel too bad. I get my fill of cookies and milk on that night, I assure you. What I found most amusing was the very imaginative, albeit, questionable, apology note you'd left in your wake. I believe it went something like this, 'Dear Santa Claus, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but Mother ate your cookies. Please don't be angry with her, she's a really great mom. She just couldn't help herself. You see she's an actress so she doesn't eat much. I wanted to stay up to meet you so I only pretended to go to bed. I saw Mother eat the cookies I'd left out for you. And then she drank the milk. (They do go together.) She simply couldn't resist. They were really good. I mean, from the noises she made when she was eating them, I could tell they must have been really good. I went to replace them, but there weren't any more left. Sorry. Anyway, I hope you can forgive her and me (for not reminding her to buy more). Merry Christmas. Your friend, Ricky Rodgers.'"
"Wait a minute!" Rick yelled. "I do remember seeing Mother eat your cookies!"
"Really, Ricky?" Santa said, shaking his head and raising his brows. "Are you actually sticking with that story?"
A glance through the rear-view mirror told Rick he was busted. "Um...no."
"Good decision, son." Santa replied. "By the way, I'm curious, wherever did you find all those Santas?"
"I've got a guy..."
"You've got a Santa guy? Fascinating..."
Castle shrugged. "I've got a guy for pretty much everything, Kris."
Kris was astounded. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous - and quite flattering really! They were an impressive lot."
The conversation turned serious. "So tell me, has Tommy come forward yet?"
"No, not yet. And we haven't had much success locating him."
"Yes, well, he'll turn up. Mark my words." Kris assured him. "He's taken off before when he's found himself in a jam, always comes back. He always comes back."
Castle studied Kris through the rear-view mirror and desperately prayed the man was right. Every instinct told him finding Tommy Frost was not only the key to solving this entire case, but that it was essential to saving both Kris and Christmas.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading. - Karen