Another Chance
Chapter 14
The commissioner himself waves Kate and Castle into his office. "I don't need facial recognition to tell me that's Merri. There's a scar on her neck, barely visible in the photo. I remember how she got it. When she was eight, she was playing in a tree at our house upstate and accidentally gouged herself on a sharp tree branch. The way she bled, my wife and I thought she'd hit a vein or an artery. We called the paramedics. It turned out that it was just a deep cut, but I can't remember being that scared again - until she disappeared. And I don't know how to thank you for locating her. My people weren't even close."
Kate lifts her hand, warding off the praise. "The N.Y.P.D. have to follow every lead they have. So does the FBI. I've been there. Sometimes the deluge of tips and false trails gets in the way of finding the real clues. The vital thing now is to get Merri back, safe and sound."
"Your people have every image our drone captured, and the plans of the building where Merri is being held," Castle adds. "Also everything we know about Swinson and Larkin. If there's anything else we can do, we'll help in any way we can."
The commissioner grasps Castle's arm. "Listen, both of you. Without what you did, my task force, this department, would still be nowhere. I want you to be there for whatever operation SWAT executes. Go over the scenario. Make sure they don't miss anything."
Kate nods. "Yes, sir. It would be an honor to do that."
Alexis had utterly lost track of time. She and Micah talked for hours, walking and sitting on a bench before finally retreating into the warmth of buffet restaurant where, as a mild atonement for the day's earlier Jujube sugar rush, they chose a very late supper of just soups and salads.
Micah looked surprised when she divulged her name. He told her that he'd actually met her father at a con. They'd been standing next to each other in line to meet a group of scientists who'd shown up for a panel discussing the real science - or lack of it - in science fiction movies. The speakers had used the example of "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" which had both come out at about the same time. The science in "Armageddon" was laughable, with a fire burning in the vacuum of space. Nevertheless, the movie had been a hit. While "Deep Impact," which had been saluted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for its accuracy, was a more limited success.
Micah had understood how disturbed the scientists were by the public's preference for star-powered action over any semblance of reality. He remembers Richard Castle telling him that he sympathized with the savants' feelings and that for himself, he tried to do enough research to make his books as accurate as possible within artistic constraints.
As she spoons her minestrone, Alexis can still picture the grin that lit Micah's face as he recalled the incident. He is smiling almost as much now as he gazes at her. She's never thought of eating soup as doing anything attractive. Right now she's just working hard to keep the savory liquid from dribbling and staining her blouse.
Micah is trying his best not to slurp. Alexis seems to like him, and he doesn't want to blow it now by sounding gross. Earlier, he was amazed by her reaction to his story about her father. Most of the girls he's met couldn't care less how good the science in a movie is as long as the male lead is a babe and the film gets a multitude of likes on social media. When he and Alexis compared their tenures in high school, they realized that they'd both taken AP Chem and AP Physics. They'd also both studied creative writing, and as yet, in college, neither one of them can see a clear career path.
Unlike Alexis, Micah doesn't come from money. He attended a technical high school, but a public one, requiring an exam to get in, but demanding no tuition. He'd earned a Regents scholarship and chosen to go to City College because between the low cost per credit, his scholarship, and working summers at whatever odd jobs he could fit into his schedule, he'd graduate without the heavy load of student debt that will weigh down so many of his generation. He just isn't sure what he'll do when he's out of school. He's tentatively a chemistry major, leaning more toward physical chemistry, but jamming in writing classes whenever he can, pondering ending up as a technical writer. He pens science fiction, but just because he loves to do it, not because he imagines that he can earn a living that way. He's posted a few novellas on Smashwords but doubts that he's made enough money in royalties that way to pay for more than a couple of hamburgers. He does have one particular story that he's never allowed anyone to read, but right now he'd like nothing better than to have Alexis see it.
SWAT has kept its distance from Suds and Spin and the apartments above it. They did send a small team into the flat next door to Swinson's to plant devices that could pick up a conversation through the wall. They've also used a silent drill to make holes for fiber optic cameras. Kate and Castle are there with the tactical officers, listening and observing.
So far Merri is safe, but Larkin is never far from her and Swinson is rarely any distance from Larkin, who has a knife stuck in the top of his high boot. There's no sign of a gun. A heavily armed team wouldn't be endangered by performing a full breach, but if the rescue is not carried out with the utmost finesse, Larkin could wound or kill Merri before the SWAT members could stop him. The time it would take to smash through the door would give him the deadly second he would need to slash her throat.
"If you can't break in, can we get them to come out?" Castle wonders. "How about setting off a fire alarm?"
Team leader Lieutenant Moore clenches his jaw and shakes his head. "They might ignore the alarm. If Larkin and Swinson don't feel that anything threatens their lives, they might decide that it's safer to stay put than risk getting caught with Merri. They have to know the whole city is looking for her."
"Then we make it look real," Kate interjects. "You have smoke bombs, right? You could put one in the hallway and let the smoke start seeping under the door. Then when the alarm goes off, Larkin and Swinson will believe it's a real fire."
"They'll probably head for the back stairs," Castle adds. "Those would take them to the door into the alley. With any luck, they'll count on escaping unseen in the smoke and the darkness."
Kate continues. "If you have your men waiting for them there, they can grab them before Larkin has a chance to react."
Moore strokes the salt and pepper stubble forming on his jaw. "That could work. That smoke can be pretty nasty stuff, but it shouldn't do Merri any lasting harm. OK. I'll get my people in place, and we'll follow your plan. We have the ordnance we'll need in the van, so we should be ready to go in about 10 minutes. If you have a favorite prayer, now might be the time to say it."
Castle already has one in mind.