CBs

Chapter 8

When Castle arrived at the waiting room, Kate was there with CB Sergeant Carl Lubens, Tom Demming, and several other detectives from robbery. Castle stared at Demming for a moment while unconsciously rubbing his wedding ring, then turned his attention to Kate. "How's he doing?"

"Ray managed to take the mugger down but they ended up in the street. He got hit by a truck and his femur is broken in four places," Kate explained. "The breaks are bad. Some of the bone is missing. It's not life threatening and they're doing their best to put him back together, but they told his wife that if he's ever going to be a hundred percent again, it may take multiple surgeries and maybe months or years to heal."

"Where is his wife?" Castle asked.

Lubens pointed down the hall. "She couldn't get a sitter, so she's in the family room with their kids. Her mother is coming to take them, but she has to come up from South Jersey. Miriam and my wife are friends. Judy's on her way over now to help with kids until Miriam's mother gets here."

"Can I help? Do they need anything in there?" Castle asked.

"Maybe something to eat," Lubens suggested. "Miriam is glatt kosher, you know, the really strict kind. Nothing around here will work for her. Her mother is supposed to be bringing something but she's a ways out yet."

Castle nodded, pulling out his phone. "I know a guy." Castle headed for the family room to take Miriam's order. He returned a few minutes later. "It's going to be all dairy. That's the only thing He could do fast. But the food's on its way."

"Babe, where did you get a guy?" Kate asked. "It's not your usual research thing. There's nothing like that kind of kosher in any of your books."

"Kellerman introduced me," Castle explained. "He threw a bash and this guy catered. Best blintzes I've ever had in my life. I've had him do a couple of parties. He's a good guy. He was more than happy to help."

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Castle, your circle of friends continues to amaze me."

Castle sat down beside her. "And you always continue to amaze me. What are you going to do about Robbery Division.? 1PP isn't going to let you pull in another lieutenant right now, are they?"

"No. Carl will be picking up the slack. Robbery isn't a component of the team's current case and may not be for many of them, so I think he can handle it. I'll get him all the help I can, maybe a retired detective. And when Edelson comes back, he'll be stuck behind a desk for God knows how long. But I have an idea about that. I'll just have to see how it goes. Right now we just have to support him and the family through his recovery."

"Anything they need, you just have to let me know," Castle told her.

Kate squeezed his hand. "Yeah Babe, I know."

At midnight Hayley Shipton had about decided that Ted Merchant was probably in for the night, when she saw a figure on her monitor. The entrance to the building was lit well enough that she could make out her quarry. "And just where are you off to?" she muttered to herself, taking her place behind the wheel. Merchant climbed into the driver's seat of a Cadillac Escalade and took off going north. Hayley followed. Merchant drove to a warehouse in the Bronx and entered with the swipe of a key card. Hayley called Castle to report what she'd seen.

Castle arrived at the warehouse with Kate, followed shortly by Esposito and Angela Lopez. Kate threw Castle a look he immediately recognized as a warning that if he said anything about the couple, he was in serious trouble. "Merchant is still in there," Hayley assured them. There hasn't been anyone in or out."

"What do you think he's doing in there?" Esposito asked.

"No idea," Kate responded, "But going to a warehouse in the middle of the night? It can't be anything good."

"We need a look in there," Castle insisted. "What if he's got the kids?"

"Castle, we don't have a warrant." Kate reminded him.

"You may need one, but I don't," Castle asserted. "Merchant hired me to pursue this case and that's what I'm doing. He told me he'd help me anyway he could. Well I'll hold him to that. I just don't know how to get in."

"I have fiber optics in the van. We can steal a look under the door and decide where to go from there," Hayley suggested.

"Alright," Kate agreed.

Hayley threaded the tube under the door. Not much was visible, but what was, looked more like an opulently furnished home than a warehouse. There was no sign of Ted Merchant or any of the missing teenagers.

"Well that's freaky," Castle commented.

"But not very helpful," Kate added.

"Look, that lock isn't much. I've defeated many that are a lot more complex. I can get in there," Hayley proposed. "I'm working for Castle, not the N.Y.P.D.. If I see any of the kids, I report it and you've got probable cause."

"C'mon Kate," Castle urged. "There's no way to know. Ted could go wacko at any minute."

Setting her teeth, Kate nodded. "Do it Hayley, but be careful."

Hayley pulled some tools from her van and with Castle holding a flashlight, set to work on the locking mechanism. Within two minutes it was open. Carefully she slipped inside to what looked like a formal drawing room. Antique furniture held a high polish. Paintings graced the walls and not a speck of dust was evident anywhere. She continued beyond to a gourmet kitchen. Stainless steel appliances gleamed. Fresh fruit was artistically arranged on a counter and canisters were perfectly aligned on shelves. She continued through to a hallway containing a number of doors. She thought she heard soft weeping behind one of them. It was locked, but she picked it quickly and slowly peered inside. One of the missing girls lay red-eyed in bed. The girl gasped when she saw Hayley, who quickly put a finger to her lips and whispered she was there to help. Hayley asked how many teens were there and was told there were seven being held. The teen added that Matthew was probably there and Martha, the woman who kept them prisoner when Matthew wasn't around, was always there. She pointed to the electronic circlet on her ankle. "If we try to leave or get too near an outside door, an alarm goes off. Martha has a taser."

"We will take care of that, no worries." Hayley assured her. "Where are Ted and Martha?"

"They're usually in the room at the end of the hall." The teen replied.

"Okay," Hayley acknowledged. "I'll be back. I promise."

Hayley eased out the way she came in. "They're in there," she announced, and explained about the anklets and the taser.

Esposito's mouth hardened in a line. "We don't know what weapons might be in there the girl didn't know about. I say we call ESU. We go in there, get the kids out and take out whoever else is there before they know what hit them."

"I'll call them," Kate agreed, "You coordinate, Espo. Make sure they understand we don't want any kids getting caught in the crossfire."

Esposito's eyes flashed with determination. "Count on it, Captain."