CBs

Chapter 40

"Bollocks!" Hayley exclaimed.

Castle pointed at Kate's phone. "Who was that?"

Kate sighed. "It was Gates. A message came down from the higher ups, she couldn't say from whom, but we have to let Tomov go. He's protected. The D.A. is going to refuse to charge him. Gates wasn't sure, but she thinks he's some kind of informant, maybe FBI or CIA. She's furious. She said she protested, but there's nothing she can do. Whoever is pushing the buttons has some real juice."

"There must be something you can do, Kate" Castle insisted.

"Damn straight there is," Kate declared. "We may have to put him back on the street, but he won't be alone. Every minute he's out there, everywhere he goes, there will be people on him. If he did kidnap the others who disappeared, he'll lead us right to them. I'm going to borrow some of the people Morano and Lopez work with, maybe even some of Lubens' guys. That way we'll run less of a risk of having Tomov recognize anyone or see the same people twice. We'll get those people back, Castle, and we'll get Tomov too."

"And I need to get back to sorting out that stolen painting," Hayley interjected. "At least that's something the bureaucracy can't cock up. And the finders fee will be considerable too."

Castle nodded. "Go ahead, Hayley. I need to talk to Kate about something."

The Castles went into Kate's office and Castle closed the door. "Tomorrow is a short school day for Emily, staff in-service. We're supposed to take her out in the afternoon. Are you still up for that?"

"Unless something breaks on the case. Did you have something special in mind?" Kate queried.

"Maybe more like something ordinary," Castle responded. "We'll only have a couple of hours before we'll have to get her back. It will be a school night. So I was thinking we'd take her to the playground near the loft, where I always used to take Alexis. We can go for pizza and maybe ice cream afterward. It would be a little preview for you of everyday parent stuff."

Kate did her best to ignore the butterflies that materialized in her stomach. "That sounds good Castle. It would only take me a few minutes to get to the playground from the precinct. If you pick her up, I can meet both of you there."

Emily was wearing her fish jacket and again displaying her prowess on the swings when Kate arrived and surveyed group of children enjoying an afternoon of freedom. The other swings were all full so the Castles occupied a bench together, where they could watch Emily's joyful flight. "Anything new on Tomov?" Castle asked.

"No, he's been at his apartment, a pretty nice one by the way, on the West Side. Vostrov came to visit him, but that's all the activity we've seen. It's been less than a day since he's been released," Kate offered. "He'll move and so will we."

Emily began to slow down. "Looks like the champion pumper is pooping out," Castle observed.

When Emily was low enough, she dragged her feet against the ground to slow herself down and dismounted. She approached Kate. "Can you push me on the merry-go-round?" Kate nodded and got up, standing at the edge of of the play equipment while Emily climbed on. When the girl had a firm grip, Kate grabbed a handle and began to push. Emily squealed happily as the landscape whirled by.

Kate jumped on to join her. "Castle, get over here and keep us going!" she shouted at Rick.

Castle ran over, pushing the handles in turn as they came by. Kate's hair flew and she joined Emily with joyful whoops. As dizziness began to set in, Emily asked Castle to stop, and slightly wobbly, went in search of another activity.

Emily was making her way to the slide when Kate noticed a hefty teenager barreling down it at full speed. Hurling herself forward, she grabbed Emily out of the way before she could be hit by huge onrushing feet. Kate's heart was beating a mile a minute and she couldn't get her breath. "Are you too all right?" Castle asked.

Emily nodded vigorously. "Captain Beckett saved me. She's a hero."

"Yeah," Kate managed to get out. "They shouldn't allow kids that big on the slide."

Castle pointed to a prominently posted sign. "They don't. But who's ever accused teenagers of following rules? Kate you did what parents do, what parents are here for, protecting their children."

"You were right behind me," Kate realized. "You would have grabbed her if I hadn't."

"But you did," Castle pointed out. "You didn't have to think about it. You didn't have to ponder the pro's and cons. You acted out of instinct. That's what we do."

Emily tugged on Kate's sleeve. "Can we go for pizza now? Mr. Castle said we could go for pizza."

Kate scooped Emily up in her arms. "I think pizza is just what we all need right now."

Castle led the way to Rockos, a pizza joint new to Kate. There was no wine list. There were no candles on the tables. There were, however, video machines, which Castle told Emily she could play after they ate. There was a buffet of pizza all ready to go, allowing Emily to immediately pick her favorite, which was unadorned cheese. Castle grabbed a couple of slices of sausage and pepperoni but Kate opted for the salad bar, nibbling thoughtfully at the greens. When she finished her pizza, Emily filled a child sized waffle cone at the automatic custard machine. Most of the treat disappeared quickly down her throat, the remainder being wiped off her chin with a paper napkin, by Kate.

Finally, Castle purchased ten dollars worth of tokens for Emily to use in the games. He and Kate sat at a table sipping refills of their soft drinks while Emily played. Castle took Kate's hand, making little circles with his thumb. "It hit you, didn't it?"

"What?" Kate asked.

"The lightning bolt. When you grabbed Emily from out in front of that idiot kid, it hit you. You love that little girl and you'll do anything, give anything, to protect her."

Kate put her icy cup down on the table, tracing patterns in the condensation. "I guess it did. I never expected that. I thought if it happened, it would be gradual, something I'd have to work my way into. But now I understand why you've always acted the way you have about Alexis; why you were willing to walk into a den of Russian spies to save her. I get it now, Castle."

"So I can tell our lawyers to put pedal to the metal?" Castle questioned.

"You can tell them to use a supercharger. Castle, let's give that little girl a real home as soon as possible. But you know Castle, I know you want to be over there playing, as much as Emily does. Why don't you go?"

"Kate, better still, why don't we go together? Loser owes the winner a kiss - or something more energetic."

"Castle, if that's the prize for the winner, it's like strip poker, there is no loser."

"That, my wife and mother to be, is just what I had in mind."