Another Chance

Chapter 58

Kate stares at the pickled vegetable she chose from the third platter of appetizers she and Castle ordered. "These are great, but I don't think I can eat any more of them."

Castle shifts in his seat to gently joggle his daughter. "Aletha is getting restless too. The Benders certainly do go in for leisurely lunches."

"Ivan does. His father finished half an hour ago. He's just talking, and we can't stay here much longer. If something… Ivan's getting up from the table, but it looks like Nicholas is staying. Ivan's probably just going to the men's room."

"After the three glasses of whatever that is that he downed, I'm not surprised. If you take Aletha, I can follow him."

"No way, Castle! If someone is going to grab Ivan, the men's room could be the place they'd do it, and I don't want you anywhere near that. Aletha needs her father, and I need my husband. If someone wants to use Ivan as a bargaining chip, they won't kill him - at least not right away. But they might have no hesitation about taking you out. Let's stay here as long as we can and see what develops."

Castle can feel the minutes slowly ticking by as Nicholas waits with increasing impatience for his son to return. Finally, the elder Bender answers a summons from his cellphone. Castle can see the color drain from his face. "Kate, I think someone snatched Ivan."

"I think you're right, Castle, and I don't see Nicholas making a move to call the authorities, but he did write something down. It could be a drop or a meet. And it looks like he's leaving now."

"Should we follow him?"

"Maybe, but we need to call for some support."

The Island police were hesitant to accept a theory about a possible abduction from a honeymooning detective on leave from the N.Y.P.D. but considered the damage that would occur to the tourist trade if harm should befall a figure like Nicholas Bender and his son. Adding that potential for revenue losses to the possibility of a decrease in bookings from negative comments Castle's large number of fans could post about the island on social media if the local cops screwed up, Clancy Bullrush, the captain in charge, agreed to check out the situation personally.

"So how'd your dancing lunch with Lanie go?" Ryan asks, carefully stirring stevia into his coffee.

Esposito slams his hand on the counter in the break room. "It sucked! Lanie knew about stuff that Cheryl hasn't even mentioned to me yet. And she kept talking about her teacher, this Taylor guy. She even sent me a link to a video of him dancing the Nutcracker. He's a nutcracker all right."

"Good looking?"

Esposito snorts. "More like pretty." He pulls out his phone and puts the video on the screen. "Check out at this guy!"

"He looks like some of the dancers the women like so much on the TV dance shows. It sounds like Lanie likes him."

"Too freakin' much! I have to get my game on."

"So do it. We've won the talent show two years in a row. You had the steps down cold, but we trained every minute we had. Maybe you should book more time with Cheryl."

"Man, even in the Bronx, those lessons add up."

"So isn't Lanie worth it?"

"Yeah, Bro, I guess she is."

The Beckett-Castles meet Clancy Bulrush across the road from a building Nicolas Bender entered, about a ten-minute walk from the hotel. Unlike the surrounding storefronts, it doesn't appear to cater to tourists. It is painted white, unremarkable in the locale, and unlabeled with either a name or a street number. "Do you know what that place is?" Kate queries.

Clancy nods. "It's one of the properties with off-island ownership. There are a few of them. Some rich tourist comes and decides a little piece of paradise would make a good investment. They usually employ local managers, but I don't know who's handling that one. The ownership should be in the official property records. I can have it looked up if anything unlawful is actually taking place. So far, there's no evidence of that."

"Captain Bulrush, how long have you been a cop?" Beckett asks.

"Fifteen years on the island and five years before that with Scotland Yard."

Beckett nods. "Then you must have some pretty good instincts by now. I have instincts too, and mine tell me that something happened to Ivan Bender. That something wasn't good, and Nicholas knows it."

"Hey!" Castle interrupts. "That's Nicholas Bender coming out again now. His is not the face of a happy man."

"No it isn't," Clancy concedes. "I can give him greetings from the department and see what he says - or doesn't say."

"Well?" Kate prompts after Clancy has finished his exchange with a very anxious to depart, Nicholas Bender.

"He says everything is fine, but he has an urgent business matter he must attend to."

"Do you believe him?" Kate presses.

"No, detective. I do not."

Castle checks his watch. "The ship is due to sail in four hours, and we have to be back aboard at least an hour before that. Not much time to figure out what's going on."

Aletha lets out a yowl, and Clancy smiles knowingly at the infant. "That's an 'I'm cranky, and I want to get out of here,' cry if I've ever heard one," Clancy offers, "and I have four of my own. You should go back to your ship, take care of the little one. I'll be in touch when I find out anything."

Kate and Castle exchange looks as Aletha gives out with another protest. "Fine," Kate agrees, "but call me if you find out anything, anything at all."

"Did you get a chance to talk to Mr. Beckett's friend?" Micah asks, returning from a foray to an electronics warehouse.

"For about two seconds. She's as snowed under as Mr. Beckett said she is, but she is willing to talk with me for a little while if I go to her office tonight around seven."

"I'd like to go with you, but I'll be at work."

"I know, but it's only a short cab ride from here, and I don't think I'll be with her long. It sounded like she was stretching it to give me time at all. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Text me the highlights, and you can tell me all about it when I get home."

"I'll do that. Want to order a pizza before you have to leave? Giovanni's is having a special. Two extra toppings free. I was thinking mushrooms and banana peppers."

Micah leans down to grab a quick kiss. "You read my mind."

Clancy scans the surveillance video from the Grand Island Hotel. Ivan Bender is being ushered down the hallway to a rear exit by two men, one of whom has his hand on a very suspicious bulge in his pocket. Ivan looks scared. More than scared. He looks terrified. The New York detective and her writer husband were right on the money. Ivan Bender was kidnapped.

Clancy has no idea who the two men who took him are, but he has a fair idea where they might have been heading - either to the undistinguished building Nicholas Bender visited or the Fun Festival ship that will soon be leaving the harbor and Clancy's jurisdiction. The cop needs to get teams to both, ASAP. And he'll also have to admit to Kate Beckett-Castle that her instincts are solid.