Shared Obsession Chapter 84
Through fuzzy eyes, Castle sees the two armed men grab the body and take it from the van. "Castle!" he hears Lanie calling from what seems far away, "are you with me?"
Castle's vision begins to clear. He gingerly fingers a bump on his head. "Present, but that's more than can be said for the body, isn't it?"
"Yeah, they took him. But what would they want with a body?"
"I don't know. But the answer may point to why he was killed in the first place."
Perched on a desk at the 12th, Castle flinches as Lanie shines a light in his eyes. "He didn't lose consciousness but he had signs of a slight concussion," she reports to an anxious Beckett. "Someone should keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours."
"How about you?" Castle asks Lanie. "You were thrown around pretty good back there too."
"I've got some bruises but I didn't bash my head against anything," Lanie explains. "I'll take my hit when I have to explain to my boss how I lost a body."
"It wasn't your fault," Castle insists. "Who expects a coroner's van to be highjacked? And your assistant and the reporter, Amy Saunders, are they OK?"
Ryan strides across the bullpen. "The medics said they are both fine but the reporter chick was shaken up. So we took her statement and sent her home."
"At least she's got a story," Castle figures.
"But not the one the Chief had in mind," Montgomery says, coming from his office. "We're going to have to find out what happened and do some damage control, fast."
"We've got an APB out on the sedan that blocked the van. CSU is combing the rooftop and we've got unis looking at surveillance footage of the crash site," Ryan offers.
"You know what I don't get. Who would steal a dead body?" Esposito says.
"Plenty of people," Castle responds, "organ harvesters, cadaverless med students, Satanists, mad scientists looking to create their own monster."
Kate gazes from Castle to Lanie. "Are you sure he's all right?"
"His mind may still be a little scrambled. You should take him home," Lanie suggests.
"But as soon as there's someone to watch him, get back to work," Montgomery orders. "We've got to find that body and wrap this case up – yesterday."
"The guy wasn't even dead yesterday," Castle objects.
Kate puts an arm under Castle's elbow to help him down from the desk. "Come on. Let's get you back to your loft."
As soon as Kate pulls out into traffic, Castle pulls out his phone. "What are you doing?" Kate asks.
"Responding to a signal from Agent Gray. I sent him a query just before Montgomery sicced that reporter on us. He replied with the code for a meet. I'm sending my code for the loft. Now I've got a perfect excuse to be there. So do you if you want to hang around for a while. Alexis won't be home from school for hours and Mother's working with some ingenues at the theater. We should have some time to hand over a copy of the accounting forensics and figure out a next step."
"Castle, a few minutes ago you were babbling about mad scientists. Are you sure this meeting will be for real?" Kate asks.
"I've got a whale of a headache but I'm compos mentis enough. I just had to get out of the precinct. Maybe I've got some of Mother's talent. Did I really have you convinced?"
"You had me worried about you. So how soon do you think Gray will show up?"
"With him, I can never tell. But I don't think it will be long."
Kate's just handed Castle a bag of frozen peas for his head when a sharp rap sounds on the door. Springing up, he drops the peas on a table near his chair and quickly crosses the cavernous room. The man standing on the threshold is at least a foot taller than Agent Gray, with an impressive head of white hair above dark brows and eyes. Castle can't help feeling there's something familiar about the eyes, but…." "You're not Gray."
"I stand between the candle and the star," the man replies.
Checking that the hallway is empty, Castle urges the man inside. "Who are you?"
"The person you need," the man replies. "For the purpose of this mission, you can call me Anderson Cross."
Kate hurries toward the men. "What's going on, Castle?"
Cross flashes her an engaging grin. "Detective Beckett, I've read your dossier – interesting stuff."
"Let's get back to you being the person we need," Castle interrupts. "Why didn't Gray come and aside from your name, who are you?"
"More to the point, who is Anderson Cross?" the man responds. "He has skills and contacts in the international banking arena that a liaison like Gray doesn't possess. So, if we're going to get a handle on someone moving that much cash, as well as drugs, across continents, Cross is the man you need."
"So the agency's been monitoring our investigation?" Castle demands.
"We always keep an eye on persons privy to certain information, Castle. I'm sure you learned that in the time we instructed you," Cross replies.
"And is Anderson Cross a legend?" Castle presses. "The name sounds made up."
"It is," Cross confesses, "but the knowledge and contacts are real enough. And we can't just go charging after Bracken like a bull in a china shop. He can shut down routes, sever connections, and maneuver Brinkman into demanding senatorial oversight on our interventions. I've already taken steps to embed Cross in his organization. When I gather the kind of irrefutable intelligence I need to bring Bracken down, we can tighten the noose."
"And what about us?" Kate asks. "While all this is going on, are we supposed to sit on our hands?"
"No, you aren't," Cross replies. "No one could ever believe that top homicide cop Kate Beckett would. I take it you're aware of a drug dealer by the name of Vulcan Simmons."
"I am," Kate acknowledges, "but no one's ever had enough on him to put him away."
"Well, you will, more or less. My intelligence says that Simmons is getting too greedy, wanting too big a cut on the drugs Bracken brings in from Afghanistan. Bracken's going to send someone to take him out. You solve that murder, grab the hitter, and you'll get more information than you ever thought you'd have on your mother's killer."
"But I can't let someone get murdered," Kate protests, "not even scum like Vulcan Simmons."
"It's already in process. You can't stop it."
"But you can," Kate accuses.
"I don't know the exact time or place. But I'd advise you to solve your present case as quickly as you can, so you can investigate Simmons's demise when it occurs." Cross pulls a small vial out of his pocket, shakes out a pill, and hands it to Castle. "For the headache, special company formula. Kills the pain and keeps you sharp. Get yourself some water and get that down."
Castle grabs some bottled water from the fridge and swallows Cross's offering. "How did you… never mind. I know the agency has eyes everywhere. How can I get in touch with you? Go through the process of reaching Gray?"
"When necessary, I'll get in touch with you," Cross returns, his long legs rapidly covering the distance back to the door. "Now get moving. You've got work to do."
Kate pulls her unit in front of the building housing John Allen's apartment. "You sure you're OK, Castle?"
"I feel fine. Whatever was in the agency's magic pill worked better than anything that the doctors gave me for my arm."
"Which is probably because the doctors wanted you to get some rest. I'm not sure what Cross wants."
"Whatever the agency wants him to want. But apparently, their purposes line up with ours. And you want to solve this murder, don't you?"
"Of course, I want to solve the murder, Castle, but…."
"You've also got to give Mrs. Allen the bad news. And that always sears your guts. I wish I could help."
"You'll be there. That does help."