Confession Chapter 45

"Beckett, this case had an interesting screw-up," Castle notes.

Kate looks up from the file she's studying. "We've been looking through a stack of screw-ups," Castle. "What's so interesting about that one?"

"Well for one thing the suspect was smart. He went for his getaway car, but he saw the police had set up a perimeter. So instead of trying to get through it, he did the unexpected and hid underneath. And when the cops started moving further out looking for him, he managed to breach the line and get away. He had studied police procedure and managed to take advantage of it. He almost made it to the Canadian border before he was picked up. And the only way the cops finally figured out what he'd done was that when the lab checked his shirt for gunpowder residue, they found transmission fluid. A car that had previously been parked in his spot probably had a leak."

"So is the moral of the story to check under cars, Castle?" Kate asks. "Most cops do that anyway. When I was a rookie, my FTO always made sure I remembered to."

"Right, you check under cars when you think someone is hiding, but not necessarily when you think they're trying to take off. And that would have gone double for this cop. He'd strained his knee playing handball the day before. He wasn't going to crouch down unless he absolutely had to, and he didn't believe he did."

"So the moral of the story is to check out every possibility, even if it hurts," Kate concludes.

Castle grins. "Something by which you seem to consistently live."

"But sometimes I need someone with a writer's imagination to recognize out-of-the-box possibilities."

Castle tips an imaginary hat. "Glad to be of service."

Under the cover of darkness and out of range of any traffic cams, Carmack and a trusted confederate slip beneath Trimble Place in Tribeca. His companion, Denny Mertraw, is a mercenary who served as an explosives expert in Iraq before Carmack brought him to the States. When Carmack needed an accident, Mertraw always achieved the desired results. Carmack expects nothing less now. The below-ground walk from their entry to the intersection of Thomas and Worth Streets is short and with the aid of high-powered flashlights, not difficult. Nor is it challenging to locate the natural gas line.

Carmack sought Mertraw's counsel about the devices best for accomplishing his assignment. They have to both release gas and ignite it. They also have to be small and simple enough to be consumed by the resulting inferno. Rather than sophisticated electronics, whose remnants might be discovered and traced, he'll use traditional blasting caps set off by electrical current induced by a radio signal. That choice will leave the least evidence behind – if anyone ever looks for it.

The boss' social media guru planted posts complaining of the smell of gas in the area. The concerned senator will make sure they are noted and the gas supplier, Consolidated Edison, gets the blame. Bracken may even push for a commission to investigate the utility's sins while playing his role as a clean energy champion. It will all go over very well on the campaign trail, with Bracken putting on the humble but determined act he has down to a science.

As they finish attaching the devices, Carmack glances toward Mertraw, who gives him a thumbs up. Without a word, the two men make their way back to their entry point. They quickly climb into a black SUV and take a route with the least number of traffic cams back to the hotel where they checked in under assumed names. Carmack is looking forward to some time in the hotel bar, and perhaps the company of one of the women who frequent it. It's been a busy night. He can use the release a talented, if expensive, partner will bring.

Castle gazes at Kate over a lazy mug of coffee at the loft. "I can't believe Gates gave you the day off."

"Well, we got through those files about twice as fast as she expected, so she needs some time to dig up something else she feels is worthwhile for keeping me at my desk. By having me use today as one of my days off, she has it. But the thing is, while I'm on Weston's leash, I can't go much of anywhere."

"Neither can I. But with Alexis at school and Mother off with Rafael – whatever they're up to – staying in could definitely hold some promise," Castle muses.

"We can't get too deep into anything," Kate reminds him. "Our calls could come any time."

Castle sighs. "True enough. We can't even bake brownies. We might not be around to pull them out of the oven. Still, we have plenty of opportunities for light entertainment. Buzzer Network is saluting the career of the recently passed-on Carter Bixby. They're running the best episodes of 'Beat the Genius.' We could gloat over knowing more answers than the contestants."

"Especially since you remember them from watching every episode before," Kate teases.

"Not every episode!" Castle protests. "But I suppose it would give me an unfair advantage. Ooh! I know! The Spaced Out Channel is running original Star Trek episodes, with commentary on the tech. Sometimes it scares me that the stuff the show predicted would be around in 400 years is already here. I freaked the first time I signed for a package the same way Kirk used to sign his log for Yeoman Rand. But the whole tech prediction thing is fascinating."

"Are you sure it isn't the short skirts and the go-go boots?"

"They do have their attractions," Castle admits. "But I really do find the analysis of the hits and misses of 1960s TV writers trying to portray the future, interesting. Or did you have something else in mind?"

"Nothing I'd be OK with stopping at a second's notice. At least I know that everyone except the red shirts in the landing parties will make it to the end of an episode."

Castle chuckles. "That is a great source of comfort."

"Beckett," Castle queries, staring at the screen. "Did you know that the deflector shield on the Enterprise was on the bottom of the ship?"

"I never thought about it. Why?"

"Because it's counter-intuitive. Unless they're talking about submarine warfare, most people think of an assault coming from ahead, behind, or even above. But they don't really think of it coming from below. Yet it can be a considerable vulnerability. I know 33 Thomas isn't over a subway line, but I wonder if it has a basement or maybe an underground bunker."

"Castle, why would an old AT&T building have an underground bunker?"

"Have you seen how mad some people get at the phone company? You never know where the frustration of being on hold for hours could lead."

"I doubt they'd need a bunker for protection from disgruntled customers, Castle. But even if they did, the FBI will have guards at all the possible means of entry including from below ground levels."

"You're probably right, but I think I'll see if I can find a description of the plans for the building, just in case."

Test alerts go off simultaneously on Kate and Castle's cell phones. She reads the message. "'Cheeseburgers.' No time for research, Castle. We have to go. I'll drive."

"Of course you will."