Another Chance

Chapter 39

Alicia hates this time of year. She always gets sick, and she is today, but she has important work to carry out. She's gone to great lengths to make sure that her time in the West hasn't made her too soft, but she has not been activated often and is anxious to serve her true purpose.

The cell has provided her with all that she needs to complete her tasks, she'll just have to be careful that she places the bombs where they won't be discovered. After all her time working for Richard Castle, she knows every inch of the decadent loft. She will choose precisely the correct locations.

Donovan does not like the direction of Kate's investigation into Kenny Barton's death. It's bad enough that she put out the word to Gangs to pick up any information about a hitter that would fit the phenotype CSU obtained from the DNA on the body. She could very well get lucky. Worse than that, she's looking into Kenny's financial and work history.

Bracken always took advantage of vulnerabilities. Barton's had been his mother, who had been disabled by a stroke. Barton had put every cent he could toward her care. He'd had to take time off as well, which Bracken granted in turn for a firmly zipped mouth. Those records would still exist, providing a basis for Kenny's loyalty even in the face of Bracken's questionable dealings. Mother Barton is long gone, loosing that hold, a motive for Bracken to remove Kenny. Beckett is more than smart enough to figure that out.

Donovan had his own Achilles' heel. From the time he was very young, he wanted more money. He hadn't exactly grown up in poverty. He couldn't remember missing a meal. But he was always just on the edge of keeping up with the other kids in the neighborhood and his classmates at school. His clothes were hand-me-downs from his older brother and never the cool thing. He didn't have the funds to hang out at malls, and he rarely saw a movie while it was still in the theaters.

He became determined to come out ahead of everyone he'd grown up with. He managed to get through City College while picking up extra money writing papers for other students and keeping files of tests to be used as study guides. He even managed to cover a semester's expenses by stealing and selling the answers to a final exam. When he graduated college, he entered the academy. He'd heard there were crooked cops who made out like bandits. A lot could be hidden behind a badge, just as it could be covered by scholastic achievement.

The academy was tough. Sergeant Ortiz was immune to bribery or flattery. He was only interested in turning out the best police officers he could. Donovan really had to hump it, but his written test scores got him through near the top of his class, and from then on, his path to a fatter wallet meant taking every exam the moment he was eligible, and moving up through the ranks.

At each stage, he grabbed whatever opportunities he could to make a score, and soon learned IA was a paradise. He could dig up something on almost anyone, and that would give him an in on anything going down. When Bracken enlisted him to cover up the misdeeds of the cops in his service, Donovan was more than happy to oblige, as long as the price was right. It still is, for keeping tabs on the department - even if that bitch Beckett is a major pain in his ass. She won't be around much longer. Donovan is sure of that. No one can piss off Bracken and survive very long.

Castle can see how frustrated Kate is. Barton's background points to Bracken, but there is no hard and fast evidence of the Senator's involvement in his murder. Gangs is still working on it, but so far, they haven't come up with any likely Russian suspects either. Castle wishes that he could veg out with Kate in front of the fireplace with her pregnant lady's feet in his lap and glasses of her favorite red wine in their hands. He can still take care of her feet, but the wine is out. At least he can fluff her favorite pillow. He hardly remembers that Micah's new gadget is on the coffee table until it asks if he or Kate is feeling better.

Castle is puzzled and feeling a little silly as he turns toward the device to ask why. Thera's synthesized, but sweet voice says she heard coughing and wonders if someone is feeling better now. That makes no sense to Castle. Neither he nor Kate have been in the loft all day, and neither one of them has a cough. "Thera, when did you hear a cough?"

"9:06 a.m. Eastern Standard Time."

Castle knows that both he and Kate were at the precinct by eight, Alexis has morning classes, and Mother is touring with her play. That would only leave Alicia with free access to the loft, but it isn't her typical day to clean, and the usual tidying up hasn't been done. Still, unless Thera has a glitch, and Castle isn't about to count on that, someone, a visitor with a cough, has been in the loft. "Kate, we need to get out of here, now!"

Castle remembers Captain Mahoney. How could he forget the head of the bomb disposal unit at the time when Beckett was almost blown to smithereens. Clearly, Mahoney remembers that near tragedy too. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle you do seem to find a way to be the targets of bombs."

Kate clenches her jaw. "At least I'm not standing on one this time, but you should be talking to Castle. He owns the loft."

"So I understand. Obviously, Mr. Castle, someone doesn't want you to own it much longer. There are multiple incendiary charges planted where they can do the most damage. If we can't defuse them, you will be left with nothing but ash. If they'd gone off while you and Detective Beckett were there, you would have both been cremated. Whoever did this didn't want to leave any traces behind."

Castle gazes down grimly, at the sidewalk outside his home. "I have a pretty good idea who it was, although I hate to believe it. My housekeeper Alicia's been with me for over 15 years. But, she was the only one who would have had a key and the code to the alarm system."

Kate presses her head against his shoulder. "The boys are looking for her now. We'll know soon."

A trace of a smile quirks Castle's lips. "At least our bomber didn't know how to turn off Thera."

"A secondary alarm system?" Mahoney asks.

Castle shrugs. "Something like that. My daughter or her boyfriend can explain it better than I could. But its monitoring of the health of the occupants of my loft gave the perpetrator away."

Mahoney claps Castle on the back. "I'd like to hear about that sometime - after we get your loft cleared."

This time Castle grins. "I can assure you, you'll hear about it. You'll be hearing a lot about it indeed."

Ryan and Esposito drive up in their unit, with Alicia handcuffed in the back seat. Ryan gets out of the car with a lollipop between his lips.

Castle points at the candy. "Rewarding yourself for collaring our suspect?"

Ryan pulls the pop out of his mouth. "Zinc and echinacea. Jenny makes me keep a couple in my pocket to fight off any germs I get exposed to while on duty. Your suspect has been coughing up a storm."