CBs

Chapter 39

Detectives Jackson and Moore watched as Yuri Tomov exited the nondescript industrial building that housed the poker games. Yuri's black Mercedes pulled out right behind a silver Optima. "He's following that guy," Jackson observed. "Get on his tail."

Moore drove the unmarked unit smoothly out onto the largely deserted street in Washington Heights. With little traffic as cover, he had to keep his distance. Jackson pulled out his phone to call Kate Beckett.

Sleepily answering her cell, Kate came to full awareness at Jackson's report. With a questioning look, Castle pulled himself up beside her. "Hayley sent a signal to the two detectives I had on surveillance," Kate relayed. "Tomov is following someone and they're following him."

Castle reached for his own phone. "I should call Hayley."

"You can't Babe," Kate reminded him. "She's still in place undercover. I'm sure she'll be in touch as soon as she can."

Tomov's quarry headed South, toward Harlem. He parked in a neighborhood that had been rescued from its slum history by re-gentrification and walked toward a small brownstone. Tomov parked as well and waited. Jackson and Moore found a place down the block and also waited, while Jackson updated Kate.

"Babe, you feel like a ride to Harlem?" Kate asked. "Tomov is stalking someone there, and detectives Jackson and Moore are staking out Tomov."

Castle pushed back the hair failing over his forehead. "Jack Moore, hmm, good name for a character. You go ahead and join them. Hayley should be finishing up soon, I think I'll meet her and make sure she's all right."

"Okay Castle," Kate agreed. "but stay close."

"Always," Castle assured her.

As Kate neared Harlem, Jackson reported that Tomov hadn't moved. Kate found a place to park a couple of blocks away and tried to get comfortable."

At the end of the gaming session, Hayley's floor boss Viktor, in a small change in procedure, handed her a container for her vest and tie and watched while she removed them. Hayley wondered if she should try to palm the tiny transmitter in her tie or leave it in place and hope that it would go unnoticed. She decided on the first course, but wasn't quite quick enough. Viktor grabbed it away. "What the f**k is this?"

Viktor reached for Hayley but she twisted away and ran, only to be stopped by two of Viktor's men as she tried to leave the building. Viktor joined them, pointing a gun at Hayley's head. "We'll have to see what Yuri wants to do with you. You and I are going to take a little ride." Viktor forced her out of the building.

Castle consulted his watch for the tenth time before looking back through his binoculars. Most of the cars had departed from the lot around the building. The door opened. For a moment Castle was relieved to see Hayley, then he spotted the gun pointed at her. He had no time to call for help. He pulled his car in front of Hayley and Viktor. He got out, and stumbling as if drunk, flashed the contents of his money clip. Am I too late? I really feel lucky tonight."

The distraction was enough for Hayley to knock the gun away. She kicked Viktor well below the belt and again in the head. Castle grabbed the gun from the pavement. They both hurried into Castle's car and he hit the accelerator hard. "You all right?" Castle asked.

"Right as rain," Hayley answered. "Thanks."

"I don't think I could say the same for the gun wielding thug you left curled up on the asphalt," Castle quipped. "Remind me to never get you mad at me." He thumbed a button on the steering wheel. "Call Kate."

"Babe, something wrong?" Kate answered anxiously.

"Nothing Hayley and I couldn't handle, but there is a guy in the parking lot at the game location. You might want to send some unis to pick him up. And in saying pick up I'm being literal. Never put yourself in the way of Hayley's feet. How are things in Harlem?"

Kate stared up the street. "Quiet for now. Tomov still isn't moving. Are you two coming down here?"

Castle threw a questioning glance sideways at Hayley. "You bet your arse!" Hayley responded.

As daylight approached, Kate dismissed Jackson and Moore and called in Ryan and Esposito.

Finally the player Tomov had been watching emerged from the brownstone. "Heads up guys," Kate ordered through a walkie talkie just as the door of Tomov's car opened. Keeping to the shadows, Tomov followed the man to his car. Kate could see Tomov draw a gun from beneath his waist band. "Move in, move in!" she shouted.

Kate rushed from her car, as did Ryan and Esposito. Tomov had put a gun to the head of the man he was following. "Drop it, scumbag!" Esposito yelled, with Tomov in his sights, "or I'll drop you."

Kate and Ryan joined the circle of guns trained on Tomov. "He'll die," Tomov warned, jamming his gun into his victim's temple.

"Then you'll be dead too," Kate responded calmly. "Put the gun down and get on the ground, now."

Tomov looked at three gun barrels and three sets of determined eyes trained on him. He knelt down, lay his gun on the ground and put his hands behind his head."

Hayley came out of the break room at the 12th freshly invigorated by a shower, nap, change of clothes, and one of Castle's best espressos. "Are you questioning Viktor now?" she asked Kate.

"He's lawyered up," Kate answered. "His lawyer claims that Viktor has a concussion and doesn't know what happened."

"His fingerprints on the gun that Castle recovered should fill in the gaps," Hayley responded, "but he's just a tosser anyway. How about the would be kidnap victim from last night?"

"His name is Brian Boswell and he claims he never met Tomov before last night. He concedes he was playing poker but insists he has no idea why Tomov wanted to grab him. I'm inclined to believe him," Kate replied. "We really had no reason to hold him except an illegal gambling charge and no one really cares about that. So I sent him home and there's a unit sitting outside his brownstone to make sure no one bothers him."

Castle joined them, carrying two steaming mugs. He handed one to Kate. "What about Tomov?"

"He asked for his lawyer and we had to wait for him to show up. We're putting him in the box now." A teasing smile curved Kate's lips "Would you like to watch?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Castle declared.

While Castle and Hayley observed through the mirror, Kate sat opposite a defiant Yuri Tomov and his attorney, Nicolai Vostrov. "Mr. Tomov, three cops and two civilians saw you try to kidnap Brian Boswell at the point of a gun. That is more than enough to put you away for five to twenty-five. We could even throw in that the gun was unlicensed. The only way you can make this better for yourself is to cooperate. If you do that, I could put the D.A. In a good mood."

Vostrov put a hand on Tomov's arm and shook his head. "My client is asserting his fifth amendment right to refuse to answer. Go ahead and try to bring whatever charges you think you have."

Kate leaned over the table, staring into the lawyer's eyes. "Believe me, Mr. Vostrov, we will." She turned to L.T. who was standing near the door. "Take him back to holding until we ship him to Central Booking."

Kate joined Castle and Haley in observation as L.T. led Tomov away. Castle shook his head. "Something's not right. You have Tomov dead to rights but he and Vostrov are confident, cocky."

"The cell phone in Kates pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and listened for a moment. "You called it, Castle. Something is definitely not right."