Shared Obsession Chapter 93
The woman who knocks on the door of the loft appears dressed more for a hike than a day at the office. Her jeans are well-worn, rather than pre-stressed. Her button-down shirt is simple, except for the twin breast pockets that don't often appear on women's clothing. She wears low-heeled boots clearly made for walking. When Castle peers over the threshold, she flashes a badge. "Lilah Mayer, Attorney General's Special Task Force. May I come in?"
Joining Castle, Kate regards the woman's ID. "Excuse me, Ms. Mayer, but I've been in law enforcement for over a decade and I've never heard of your task force." She looks up at Castle. "Has it popped up in your research?"
"Can't say that it has," Castle replies.
Lilah responds with a surprisingly pleased smile. "Glad to hear it. We pride ourselves on operating under the radar. But" – she pulls a card from one of her pockets and hands it to Kate – "if you call this number, you can verify my identity."
Kate tugs her personal cell phone from the pocket of her slacks and enters the number on the card. A voice answers immediately. "Task Force. Can I help you, Detective Beckett?"
"You can start by telling me how you know who I am," Kate retorts. "I'm calling you from a blocked number."
"We have a white list of numbers that we'll accept," the voice on the other end explains. "You've recently been added to it. So, what can I do for you?"
"I have a woman here claiming to be Lilah Mayer of the Attorney General's Special Task Force. I need confirmation of her identity – and of the existence of the task force. Anyone can phony up a badge and set up a phone number."
"Quite true, Detective," the voice responds. "And we appreciate your caution. I imagine it might help to talk to someone you know. Hold on, please."
A rich baritone comes through the speaker. "Hey, Lieutenant Chloe, how are you doing?"
"Captain Max, I mean Yancy?" Kate questions.
"Yancy Danner and your Nebula 9 commander at your service. It's less exciting, but I also command the Attorney General's Special Task Force. We tackle problems that for one reason or another have a high degree of political shielding. So, you've managed to collar Dick Coonan and he's negotiating to spill his guts about his boss, yes?"
"Yes," Kate agrees. "How did you know?"
"A little bird told me. Actually not so little, more like a snowy owl. We have connections we've vetted for years throughout the other agencies. I only know the bare bones of your case, but Lilah Mayer is my deputy. You can talk to her, and we can pull the strings you need to engineer a deal. But Kate, we'll have to do this fast and get Coonan under wraps. Every minute is a chance for some mole, and there are a lot of them throughout law enforcement agencies, to try to get to Coonan. We need to make sure that he's where no one else can get to him, as soon as possible. So, are you up for that, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Then may fortune guide your journey."
"Beckett, can I talk to you, privately?" Castle asks after Kate waves Lilah Mayer to a seat on a couch.
Urging Kate into his office, Castle closes the door behind them. "How do you know Yancy Danner?"
"I met him the year I was at Stanford. We were both pre-law. We were also both members of the Stanford chapter of the Nebula 9 fan club. We all dressed up as characters. He was Captain Max and I was…."
"Lieutenant Chloe," Castle fills in. "So you were a cosplayer."
"For a while. Chloe was strong, brilliant, and confident – all the things I wanted to be. I was 3,000 miles from home and Nebula 9 gave me a way to fit in."
"As I recall Lieutenant Chloe's uniform, there wasn't that much to fit into. But you have the legs for it. Better than the actress who played her, actually. And I'm sure Yancy appreciated that. Were you two….?
"A thing? No. We were crewmates. And Yancy stayed in character. He'd never violate his command trust by having a romantic relationship with a subordinate. But he was a very supportive commanding officer."
"And you trust him?"
"I do."
"And you think we can trust Ms. Mayer out there?"
"If Yancy does, I think we can too."
"All right," Castle agrees. "But when all this is over, I want to see you in your Nebula 9 uniform."
"You've got it," Kate promises.
Lilah Mayer stands as Kate and Castle return to the great room. "I hope you're ready to proceed. As Director Danner pointed out, we don't have much time."
"So what's our first step?" Kate asks.
"We have to transport Coonan somewhere no one can get at him," Mayer explains.
"Our previous experience would indicate that's easier said than done," Castle comments.
"Yes, it is," Mayer confirms. "Which is why we're going to do it right away before anyone can gear up to prevent it. I already have the paperwork so we can pick up Coonan from the 12th Precinct right now."
"How about his lawyer, Hoffsinger? Wouldn't he have to be in on any deal negotiations?" Kate queries.
"Only if Coonan insists. And we can make it clear to him that the less he communicates with the outside world, the better for his health. If necessary, we can transport Hoffsinger in a shielded vehicle by a circuitous route or include him by video conference. But we can work that out later. Our first step is to relocate Coonan."
"I want to go along," Kate declares.
Mayer shakes her head. "I can't let you do that, at least not from the 12th. There's too much chance you'd be recognized by someone watching the place and followed. Same for Mr. Castle. But I can get a message to you later."
At almost the same second, Kate and Castle begin pacing. "I don't like it," Kate says. "Coonan is our best hope to bring down a man behind multiple murders, including my mother's. I can't just send him off to God knows where."
"There has to be some other way to handle this," Castle asserts. "A decoy, maybe? Or, wait! Beckett, remember when you told me how you snuck into the archives in the 12th's basement? Didn't you say there was an old coal chute?"
"Yeah, dating back to when the building was heated that way. But Castle, that was sealed off a few years ago at the same time the department had to do asbestos remediation down there. And I barely fit through it."
"But you did fit through. Given the budget-mindedness of the NYPD, sealed off how well? I mean did they weld it shut or just put a padlock on it?"
"One of those metal bar locks that only opens from the inside."
"Which would make it very hard to sneak in but easy to slip out. What if Beckett goes back to the 12th and is seen there after Coonan is picked up, but then leaves covertly from the basement and meets you on a double back of your route?" Castle proposes. "Then she can accompany Coonan wherever you take him."
"That might work," Mayer considers.
"How about you, Castle?" Kate asks.
"If you barely fit in that chute there's no way I could get through it. But I'll be waiting for you to contact me when you can."
"That could take a while," Mr. Castle," Mayer cautions. "We'll have to make sure Coonan is completely secure. That means a blackout on anything but high-level encrypted messages."
Castle gazes at Kate as if to memorize her features. "We've waited a long time for this. Just get it done."