A/N #1: They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, hoping for different results. I guess that's why I like to write about the same things over and over. I'm not changing much of what actually happened during these two episodes. The only thing that I'm going to change is one of the events leading up to Nieman getting Beckett. I'm also going to include a lot of things that we didn't see and hear during 'Reckoning.' Therefore, there will again be some spoilers from both 'Resurrection' and 'Reckoning.'
In My Veins
Chapter 5: A Living Nightmare
Kate opened her eyes and saw nothing but bright lights over her head. When she tried to open her mouth to speak, she was stopped by a gag. What had happened? Where was she? How long had she been here? Where was Rick?
Her head was so fuzzy. She had been drugged. She was sure of it. What she was unsure of was how and when. 'Think, Beckett,' she chastised herself. 'What is the last thing that you remember?'
She tried to employ the same technique that Castle had used when they had woke up handcuffed together a few years back. She wracked her brain trying to remember details of the last 12 hours or so. Amy, she remembered. She had spoke to the young woman some hours earlier.
Earlier that afternoon
"Beckett!" Ryan came running up to her desk, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "One of Michael Boudreau's credit cards was just flagged at a bistro in midtown!"
"Where?"
"A place called Café Julius! Here's the address," he handed her the slip of paper.
"Okay, I'll run with this. Let me know if you guys hear from Lanie!"
"Will do."
As she remembered, she hadn't found Michael Boudreau, but she had run into Amy Barrett leaving the bistro. "Amy Barrett?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm Det. Beckett. I need to talk to you."
"No," the woman tried to break away. "Leave me alone."
"Amy, we've been looking for you."
"Mike's lawyer already told me not to talk to you," she once again tried to break free.
"Did you just use his credit card?"
"Yeah. He gave me permission. Now, leave me alone!"
"Amy, the man that you know as Michael Boudreau isn't who you think he is. His real name is Jerry Tyson and he's a serial killer. Your life could be in danger right now. If you don't get away from him, you will be his next victim." She pressed one of her cards into Amy's hand. "Please call me."
"Will you back off!"
***CCC***
What had happened after Amy? She had returned to the precinct, but she hadn't stayed long. 'The prison,' she remembered.
***CCC***
Kate was working on paperwork when her cellphone rang. "Beckett," she answered.
"Det. Beckett, this is Warden Myers from Five Points. Earlier this morning, someone attacked Carl Matthews in the yard."
"What?"
"Yeah, they did quite a number on him."
"Is he able to talk?"
"You can try, but he told my guys to go to hell when they tried to question him. We got one of the guys who did it, but he isn't exactly chatty."
"Okay. I can be up there in a few hours," she sighed as she ended the call.
"What's going on?" Castle asked.
"Someone beat Carl Matthews in the prison yard this morning. I'm going to go up there and try to talk to him."
"I'll come with," he offered.
"No. You need to stay here. I'm going to talk to Gates and then I'm going."
***CCC***
Beckett's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing. "Oh, good. You're awake," her eyes went wide in terror when she instantly recognized the voice of her captor. 'Now, I'm going to remove the gag. But please don't scream. It's tedious and no one will hear you. So be good, and the gag will remain off. Do you understand?"
Kate nodded, so Nieman removed the gag. "Where am I?"
"Now, why would I tell you that?"
"You were at the precinct," Kate suddenly remembered. "Castle called and told me."
"True. I was at the precinct. I've been to several places tonight, but right now, I'm here with you."
"What did you do to Rick?"
"I haven't done anything to Mr. Castle. I haven't even seen him since I left the precinct with Jerry, but that was hours ago."
"He has Castle?"
"No," Nieman shook her head. "As far as I know, Mr. Castle and your other friends are still at the precinct. They're spinning their wheels, but none of them are injured. It's more fun this way, you know? Jerry told me years ago how much fun he had torturing your husband. But I never quite understood that until now. He's right. It is very entertaining."
"He is going to find you and he is going to kill you," Kate threatened.
"Oh, please. Now you're just starting to bore me. Back on with the gag."
"No, no. Please," Kate shook her head back and forth, but Nieman grabbed her firmly under her chin. The look in her eyes was enough to force Kate to stop moving.
"We'll talk more later. If you behave."
With those words, Nieman walked out of the room, leaving Kate alone with her thoughts. She had said that Castle was unharmed, but how long would he remain that way? If Nieman had her, then she knew that Tyson had Castle in his sights. How had he just walked out of the precinct?
Earlier in the day
Tyson was still in a holding cell, but he knew that it was only going to be for a few more hours. He knew what was going to happen when the M.E. got the results from the DNA test on the baby tooth that the detectives had delivered to her the night before. Kelly was a genius! He was almost sorry that he had doubted her after the fall from the bridge.
His thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. "Mr. Castle, right?"
"How hard is it for you to keep up this charade that you don't know who I am? I have to give you props for maintaining the ruse. You haven't slipped up, yet. But you will."
"I know that I haven't done anything to piss you off because I don't even know you."
"You don't remember visiting me in this holding area about two years ago?"
"No," he shook his head. "I've never been in this police station before."
"Let me ask you something. Why the blondes? Amy Barrett, Susan Watts?"
"I like blondes. I don't know who Susan Watts is, though. I get that you think that I'm Jerry Tyson. But I'm Michael Boudreau. I can give you a mini biography if you'd like."
"Castle," Castle turned to see Ryan approaching him. "Get away from him. Now."
"Come back when you can stay longer, Mr. Castle," Tyson taunted him.
"Castle, what're you doing?" Ryan asked when they walked away from holding. "Don't give his lawyer more ammunition. Besides, we have another problem," he nodded toward a nearby interview room.
"What is she doing here?" Castle asked, seeing Dr. Kelly Nieman patiently waiting in the room.
"We don't know. She just showed up. Something's up."
"Did you guys frisk her?"
"Are you kidding?" Ryan asked. "We don't have probable cause to search her."
"Can I talk to her?"
"Knock yourself out."
Castle took out his cellphone and called Beckett. "Beckett," he heard her voice come over the line.
"Kelly Nieman just walked into the precinct, Kate."
"What?"
"She just walked in. Right now, she's sitting in an interview room."
"Doing what?"
"Waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"Look, I'm about 15 minutes away from Five Points. I'll call you when I'm on my way back."
"Be careful. I love you."
"I will. I love you, too. You be careful, too."
When Castle ended the call, he went into the interview room. "Dr. Nieman? Is there something you need?"
"I'm waiting for Michael Boudreau."
"What is your relationship with him?"
"He's a patient in need of support."
"Wow. You really do go the extra mile."
"When is Mike being released?"
"Not as soon as you were hoping. The DA has agreed to wait for our M.E. to run some additional tests. He might be here another night."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning just that. Let me know when Mike is released, would you?"
Castle exited the interview room just as Ryan was moving Tyson from holding and back into an interrogation room. "His lawyer called the chief, who then called Gates. We were ordered to move him into an interrogation room."
"Espo, they're up to something," Castle reported to his friend.
"Like what? Neither of them is armed."
"You don't give either of them the credit that they deserve. They're up to something. I would bet the advance of my next book on it."
***CCC***
"I've got nothing to say," Carl Matthews muttered through a badly split lip. "She knows that I talked to you!"
"Who? Dr. Kelly Nieman?"
"Go away!"
"What's going to happen to him when he gets out of the infirmary?" Kate asked the warden.
"We'll move him to protective custody, but that'll only protect him short term."
"Did you know Dr. Kelly Nieman when she was working here?"
"She was a volunteer, not a paid doctor. I didn't work closely with her, but I'm aware of her reputation."
"What kind of reputation?"
"Lets just say that some inmates got more of her bedside manner than others."
"Was Jerry Tyson one of those inmates?"
"Yeah. The two of them were thick as thieves after he got attacked in the prison yard. As a matter of fact, Dr. Nieman never volunteered here again once you guys got Tyson released."
"Thanks. If Matthews decides that he wants to talk, you know how to reach me."
***CCC***
Castle entered the interrogation room. "What brings you here?" Tyson asked.
"Oh, I just thought you might like some company."
"Sure. Pull up a chair. The waiting is killing me. What are we waiting for?"
"Probably just some paperwork," Castle bluffed.
Out in the bullpen, Ryan and Esposito were watching through the window into Capt. Gates office where they could see her talking on the phone. "It's gotta be the M.E.," Ryan tells his partner.
"Yeah, gotta be," Espo agreed.
At that very moment, they looked toward the interview room where Kelly Nieman had been waiting and noticed her rising to her feet. "What's going on?" Ryan wonders out loud.
Gates opened her door and walked out, making her way to the interrogation room. "Sir, what's going on?" Espo asked as they followed her into the room.
Castle looked up when Capt. Gates entered the room and walked over to where Tyson is sitting handcuffed to the table. "Mr. Boudreau?" She addressed him.
Castle knows that something is wrong. Very wrong. Why is she calling him Mr. Boudreau?
"Yes, ma'am?" Tyson looked up, his face all consideration and politeness.
"You're free to go. We're sorry for the inconvenience."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Walking out of the interrogation room, Tyson is quickly joined by Kelly Nieman as the two of them strolled to the elevator. Castle almost expected them to join hands like school kids at recess. "How is he leaving?" He asked Capt. Gates.
"The DNA on the tooth wasn't a match."
"No," Castle shook his head. "That isn't possible."
"Dr. Parrish ran the test twice. It didn't match."
"They're up to something," Castle watched them step into the elevator and saw Neiman take a call on her phone. Then, looking at Tyson, he saw the son of a bitch wink at him.
Castle took his phone and called Beckett. "Castle, what's going on?"
"Where are you?"
"On my way back to the precinct. What's wrong?"
"The DNA didn't match, Kate. Tyson's walking out of here right now. He and Nieman. They practically skipped to the elevator."
"How did the DNA not match? Castle, tell Gates that I'm going to the M.E.'s office. I want an explanation from Lanie."
"Okay."
***CCC***
'Okay. Castle called. The DNA didn't match.' Kate was still going over everything in her head. 'Did I talk to Lanie? No.'
She vaguely remembered pulling into the almost vacant parking lot of the OCME. She remembered getting out of her car and walking toward the building, but that was the last thing she remembered. 'No, wait!' Her phone rang an unfamiliar number. She answered and heard that Vera Lynn song. The one from the USB drive. Then she felt something sharp in her arm and everything went dark after that.
***CCC***
"Has Det. Beckett returned from the M.E.'s office, yet?" Gates asked.
"No, sir," Ryan answered.
"Mr. Castle, when did you last speak to her?"
"Shortly before I told you that she was going to speak to Dr. Parrish."
"Call her and tell her that I want her back here ASAP."
"Yes, sir," Castle called Kate's number, but it went straight to voicemail. Thinking that she might still be talking to Lanie, he called her phone.
"Hey, Castle," Lanie's cheerful voice came over the line.
"Lanie, is Kate still there with you?"
"Still here? Castle, I haven't seen Kate."
"When I spoke to her an hour and a half ago, she was on her way to the OCME to talk to you about why the DNA on Tyson's tooth wasn't a match."
"Sweetie, hold on for a second."
"Okay."
"Castle, something's wrong," Lanie returned to the line a minute later.
"No kidding."
"No. I'm standing at the security desk. I can see Kate's car on the CCTV feed."
"Don't touch anything! We're on our way! Capt. Gates!"
"What's going on?" Gates ran out of her office.
"They're got Kate. Her car is at the OCME, but Kate isn't there."
"Go!" She told the three men. "I'll have CSU meet you there!"
"How can they have Beckett? We saw them leave together," Ryan pointed out to his friends.
"They're using Amy Barrett. Nieman got a call when they were on the elevator. I saw her take it right before the doors closed. That's when the motherfucker winked at me. They've been playing us all along! And now they have Kate! And they will kill her!"
"Bro, we're going to get her back," Espo assured him. "Come on, let's get to the OCME."
When they arrived at the OCME, their first stop was to look at Beckett's car. What they discovered was troubling. Castle could clearly see Kate's phone and car keys on the dashboard. "Can we get into her car?" Castle asked.
"Not until CSU gets here. They'll dust for latent prints."
"They aren't going to find any prints," Castle argued.
"Castle, you need to get yourself together," Ryan tried consoling his friend. "You're not going to do Beckett any good if you lose focus. Let's go inside and see what we can get from CCTV."
"Okay," Castle took a deep breath. He knew that Ryan was right, but it didn't make things any easier. Beckett was missing, and he wasn't sure which of the two psychos had her. This whole thing had been meticulously planned, down to the very last detail. He was sure of that now. Which told him that Tyson and Nieman had an endgame in mind, as well. The trick was figuring out what that endgame was, and how to beat them at their own game.
When they entered the front lobby of the OCME, Lanie was waiting for them. "Can we look at security footage from around 7:30?" Ryan asked.
"No problem," the security guard typed in a few keystrokes, and the footage from that time came up on the screen. For several minutes, all they saw was an almost empty parking lot without any cars coming in or going out.
At 7:47, that all changed when they saw headlights pulling into the parking lot. "That's Beckett's car," Castle pointed out. Within a couple of minutes, they saw another set of headlights entering the lot. These belonged to a white minivan. The minivan parked several spots away from Beckett's car.
Within a minute, they saw Kate walking toward the front entrance of the building. Right before stepping onto the sidewalk, they saw her take out her cellphone. That was when they saw someone approaching from behind.
"What are they pushing?" Espo asked.
"A wheelchair," Ryan answered.
Castle heard Lanie gasp when the person pushing the wheelchair appeared to stick something into Kate, causing her to slump toward the ground almost immediately. "That's how she was able to overpower her," Castle muttered. "Can you zoom in on the minivan?"
"Yeah," the guard punched a few more keystrokes.
"The plates are covered in mud and dirt. It's an old school trick for obscuring a license plate," Ryan was now angry, as well. "Son of a bitch!"
"Sir, it's Esposito," they could hear Espo on his phone. "Beckett was taken from the parking lot of the OCME." They could hear Gates' voice over the phone. "I don't know, sir. It's a white minivan, but the driver obscured the plates. It's a handicapped van, though. We suspect that it was probably Amy Barrett who grabbed her. Probably on direct orders from Kelly Nieman. Yes, sir. Will do," he ended the call. "Gates wants us to wait for CSU, and then return to the precinct. We can get Tory to work on Amy Barrett. Hopefully she has her phone turned on, and we can ping her whereabouts."
"I'm willing to bet she has a burner phone. We need to find Nieman and Tyson."
"Okay. Once CSU is done with Beckett's car, we can split up. You two take Tyson and I'll go talk to Nieman."
"What if they're together?" Ryan wondered out loud.
"They're not together," Castle answered him. "They have Beckett, and they're smart enough to know it isn't a good idea for them to stay together."
"Castle, why was Kate coming here?" Lanie wanted to know.
"She was hoping that you could explain why the DNA on the tooth that the boys found wasn't a match for Jerry Tyson."
"Do you know Michael Boudreau's blood type?"
"B positive."
"We don't have Tyson's medical records, but if he had the same blood type as Boudreau, it's possible that Dr. Nieman performed a bone marrow transplant on him. If she did, then Jerry Tyson would now have Michael Boudreau's DNA. It's diabolical, and a few killers have gotten away with murder the same way. But it's the only conceivable reason for the DNA not matching."
"But do you think that the tooth belonged to Jerry Tyson?"
"Yeah, but you wouldn't be able to prove it in court. I would get on the stand and all that I could testify to is that the DNA didn't match the man that you had in your precinct. No jury would convict him, Castle."
"CSU's here," Esposito said as the three men left.
As predicted, Beckett's car was clean. Espo put Beckett's phone in an evidence bag to take to Tory at the precinct. "I'm going to take this to Tory, and then I'm going to see if I can find Dr. Nieman."
"Okay. Castle and I will swing by Tyson's apartment to see if he went back there. We'll meet up at the precinct in a while."
"Sounds good. Watch yourselves."
"You, too."
***CCC***
Tyson knew that all he had to do was wait. Castle was a man who lived by his emotions. He had learned that all too well when he'd framed him for Tessa Horton's murder. Almost losing his beloved Beckett on the Triborough that night had unleashed something primal in his foe.
He knew that Castle would be looking for retaliation and he was more than ready. He had been waiting for this moment for two years. His plan was to drag the torture out for as long as possible. Beckett was only the first of his victims tonight.
When he heard the loud pounding on his door, he was more than ready. He got up and opened the door. The safety chain stopped the detective and writer on the other side from gaining entry.
"Mr. Boudreau, shortly after you and Dr. Nieman left our precinct this evening, one of our detectives went missing," Ryan said.
"So? We were at the precinct. You saw us leave."
"Where is Beckett, Tyson?" Castle demanded.
"I don't know. I was in police custody until an hour ago. Like I said, you saw me leave."
"Yeah, so you have the perfect alibi."
"I don't have an alibi because I didn't do anything wrong," he tried to close the door, but Castle steps up and places a hand on his chest.
"Then why won't you let us check for ourselves? Then we can get out of your hair once and for all."
Thinking about it for a minute, Tyson shrugs and takes the chain from the door, allowing them entry into the apartment.
"Beckett! Beckett!" Castle walks through the small apartment, calling out Kate's name.
"Come on, man! She isn't here! I'm the only one here!"
"What have you done to her, Tyson!" Castle lunges at Tyson, only to be stopped by Ryan.
"I haven't done anything to her, and for the last time, I'm not Jerry Tyson! My name is Michael Boudreau!"
"I know that it's you! I know it's you!" Castle screams at him.
"Castle, come on. Let's go. Have a good evening, Mr. Boudreau," Ryan practically drags Castle from the apartment.
"'Have a good evening, Mr. Boudreau!' Have you lost your fucking mind!" Castle turns his anger toward his friend.
"Castle, you're not helping her. Not like this."
"So, what are you suggesting? That we let him kill her?"
"No. But, Castle, we can't do anything if we don't have anything!"
"It's him, Kevin. He's Tyson."
"Look at me."
"Kevin, I'm not Sarah Grace."
"No, but you're acting a bit like her at the moment. Listen to me. We've both known Beckett for a long time, and I think the one thing that we can both agree on is that she's smart. Beckett can think on the sly. And so can you. Come on, let's go see if Tory has found anything about the call that Kate got before she got grabbed. Work with me here, man. Please?"
"What . . . what would you do if it was Jenny?"
"Probably . . . probably exactly what you're doing now. They have an Achilles heel, Castle. We just have to find it. We'll put units on him. Put him under the microscope. If it's him, he won't be able to make a move without us knowing it. We'll find her."
***CCC***
Jerry had texted her at St. Simon's, warning her that Castle and the Irish cop had been to his apartment. Which left her to deal with the Irish cop's partner, the one named Esposito. Which was sad, because she was really hoping to see how Castle was taking things in person. Jerry had told her that it wasn't pretty. That he was close to breaking. It was almost cruel, really. The way that Jerry was toying with the novelist the way that a cat would with a mouse.
Nieman glanced up from the charts that she was working on when she heard the elevator bell just down the hall. Esposito approached the nurses' station, followed by several uniformed officers. "Check everywhere! Every closet, every restroom, every empty room! Dr. Nieman, where is Det. Kate Beckett?"
"How would I know? She left the precinct before I did."
"Who called you when you were leaving the precinct? Mr. Castle saw you take a call on your cell."
"It was an emergency here at the hospital with one of my patients."
"Which patient?"
"I'm sorry, but that's confidential information. Look, you can search this entire hospital. Det. Beckett isn't here."
"What about Amy Barrett?"
"I gave you the information on Amy Barrett. I can't help it if that information was out of date."
"Yeah, I bet you can't. Just like you have nothing to do with Detective Beckett's disappearance."
"You seem to think that I'm something that I'm not. And how could I be involved? I was with you at the time."
***CCC***
The ride back to the precinct was silent. Castle was staring out the passenger window, trying to keep his emotions in check and failing miserably. He hadn't felt this helpless since Alexis had been taken to Paris.
Ryan pulled into the curb at the same time as Esposito. "How did it go?" Ryan asked, getting out of his car.
"I got nothing. What about you guys?"
"Same. Let's see if Tory got anything from Beckett's phone."
The bullpen was a hive of activity when the three men stepped off the elevator. "I was able to pull some officers from the third and the eighth precincts to help us with the canvass. How did it go with Tyson and Nieman?" Gates asked.
"They both claim the same thing. That they don't have Beckett. Sir, I want to put some units on Tyson," Ryan told her.
"Okay. Espo, let's get some on Nieman, as well."
Castle walked into Tech Analyst Tory Ellis' office. "Were you able to find out who called Beckett before she was taken?"
"Unfortunately, no. Whoever called made the call from a pre-paid burner phone. I'm sorry, Castle."
"You gave it a shot."
"I've got Amy Barrett's photo out to every uniform in the area," Espo said, walking into the room.
"Amy's not going to be in plain sight. Not if she's working with Tyson. Wherever she is, she is probably watching over Beckett," Castle turned and left the room.
"Mr. Castle, I have a question," Gates walked up to the murder board. "None of this makes any sense. Why would Tyson let himself get arrested? Why would he risk returning to his apartment?"
"It's the thrill. He told me that once. That it's not the murder that he enjoys, but the thrill of the chase. He wants to see how close he can get to the flame. We had him and we let our guard down. That was his plan all along."
"It sounds like they've been planning this for months," Ryan said.
"More like years," Castle corrected him. "They started planning this when I shot him off the Triborough Bridge. Tyson never does anything without a well-executed plan."
"Mr. Castle, why is Tyson so fixated on you? If he's directing this at you, he may try to communicate. We should put traps and traces on all your phones."
"I'll set it up," Tory offered.
"Sir, he's already communicating! He's out there sitting in Boudreau's apartment, and he knows where Beckett is."
"And we can't touch him until we have proof," Gates reminded him.
"By then she'll be dead. Please, Captain, this is – she's my wife," Castle's voice broke on the last words.
"Mr. Castle, I know you're hurting. We all are. But we have to keep our wits about us. We have to work the evidence. It's the only way we can get her back."
"If it's all right, I need to go home and let my mother and Alexis know what's going on. I . . . I don't want them to hear this on the news."
"I can go with you, bro," Espo volunteered.
"No," Castle shook his head. "If it's all right, I need to do this alone."
***CCC***
Kate figured she must've dozed off, despite the glaring lights over her head. She slowly opened her eyes to find Nieman standing at her side, holding a bottle of water. "I thought that you might be thirsty," Nieman said, removing the gag, only for Kate to shrink away from her. "Oh, please. It's plain water. If I was going to poison you, I would've already done it. And I've drugged you as much as I intend to."
Kate hesitantly took a sip of the water. After a couple of minutes, she nodded as Nieman offered her some more. "Can I ask you something?"
"That depends."
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Not yet."
"Well, since you're going to kill me, maybe you can answer a few questions."
"I don't see why not."
"Why didn't the DNA match? I mean, Boudreau is really Tyson, isn't he?"
"Most of him is. Jerry didn't escape that fall from the bridge completely unscathed. I took care of him while he recuperated."
"That's when you planned the theft of his files," Kate guessed.
"It was perfect, really. You didn't know me, so I wasn't on your radar. Jerry is a special man. I've never known anyone more intelligent. But stealing the files wasn't enough. Jerry constantly worried about someone somewhere having his DNA. That's where Michael Boudreau came in."
"You killed him for his bone marrow?"
"It was ingenious."
"Like I told you earlier, Castle is going to find you and your sick boyfriend—"
"Let me tell you about your husband. He's losing it. He visited Jerry earlier and Jerry told me that he is losing it. The thought of not knowing where you are is eating away at him. And we're not even close to being done with either of you. We're not going to stop until we destroy both of you. Now, I think we've both chatted enough for right now," Nieman replaced the gag and left the room, closing and locking the heavy door behind her.
Kate knew that she was going to have to figure a way to get out of this. If she didn't, Nieman was going to kill her, and Tyson was going to kill Castle. Her feet were free, so she just needed to work on her wrists. She didn't know how much time she had, but she knew that she couldn't sleep until she was out of this hellhole.
A/N #2: If I didn't stop this here, it would easily run to seven or eight thousand words.
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