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Chapter Six
Kate felt like she'd been running around in circles like a hamster in a cage on the wheel. A lot of running around, but seemingly no real progress. But now she was able to calm down a bit as she took a deep breath.
A quick planning session between her, Tom, and Javier had started it all. They all decided that they should take the opportunity to see if Miles Robinson would take Castle to where he had stashed the take from the jewel robbery after all. Once they were out, most criminals wanted to lay their hands on any monetary stash they might have hidden as quickly as possible.
So in order to allow some officers to follow them without giving away their presence, it was decided to conceal a tracking device under the car where it wouldn't be seen. She gave Demming the keys to the Mercedes that she drove to work, which was parked in her spot in the precinct garage. They were going to have the tracker installed while she went to see Sgt. Rodriguez in Vice.
Kate had to spend more time than she wanted to when she showed up in Vice for help. She wasn't thrilled with the outcome, but she had to admit that she didn't look like either Captain Beckett, nor like Detective Kate Beckett from a decade ago.
And she hadn't been thrilled about losing as much of her own hair as she had. But it had allowed her to wear the hideous wig. She was sure no one would recognize her. She worried Castle might not know it was her. Then she shook that thought out of her head. Rick would know her if she wore thick glasses under a grey haired bun wearing a burlap sack. On second thought, she might just prefer such a disguise over the hideous yellow wig.
After Kate had her meeting with Sgt. Rodriquez to obtain help with her disguise. She met with Demming and Esposito in her office. They both were startled by her new "look".
Esposito made some crack about blondes having more fun. She ignored him.
"Is the tracker on the car?" She had asked.
Tom nodded. "Yeah, it's been planted and hidden well under the car. It has a range of two miles, and my vehicle is being fitted with the receiver screen. We'll be able to follow you wherever you go, and we don't have to worry about being too close where we might be spotted."
She was now sitting in their Mercedes sedan driving toward the address that Castle had given her. But it had been an hour and a half of frenzy and anxiety to get to where they were now after hanging up on Castle.
She glanced out the side window toward the soon to be setting sun. She still had several minutes left before the sun would begin to disappear behind the larger buildings. She didn't expect a lot of traffic, but she hoped that she'd be able to find the correct address before it started getting too dark.
She took a left at the cross street and knew she was close, but not many of the address numerals were still on the main entrances of the buildings. She hoped she'd be able to know which one to pull up to.
Kate had to keep telling herself that Rick was pretending to be a thief by the name of Spencer Marlowe. She had to keep repeating it to herself so she didn't forget and call him Rick, or Castle. She decided that it would be best if she just called him "babe" most of the time. She wasn't too thrilled with the name he came up for her. Suzie! Suzie is a hooker's name. Why couldn't he just call her Susan? And what was her last name supposed to be? He never mentioned one.
She saw a placard with the number 1223 over a doorway that had no door. She slowed way down and crawled along looking at every door entrance. Castle had given her the number 1225. So did that mean it was just two doors down from 1223? Or were they only odd numbers on this side of the street as addresses often do.
She solved her problem by parking directly between the next two entrance looking doorways.
Now she needed to give Rick the set of signals she would give him to indicate that all was well. She put the car in neutral and waited exactly thirty seconds, beeped her horn once, then twice, then once again. She looked at her watch again and counted thirty seconds again. Then with her foot holding down the brake pedal she revved the engine.
It was then she saw three shadows let themselves out of a mostly glassless window slightly behind her. So they were odd numbered addresses.
Castle opened the front door and slid into the front seat while the other two slid into the back. Rick leaned over and kissed Kate on the cheek. "It's wonderful seeing you again Suzie my love."
There was a grunt in the back seat. "Get going." Kate punched the accelerator and glanced up at the rearview mirror.
"Where are we going? Just point me the way." Kate made her voice as calm and nonchalance as she could."
The voice spoke again. "Just go. I'll tell you when to turn and which way."
"Got it," was Kate's only response.
It was like driving in a maze. The growling voice had her turning one way, then another at practically every block. Kate didn't know if he was trying to make sure no one was following them, or he just really wasn't that sure of where they were going.
Kate was trying to split her concentration between where they were going, and the two men in the back seat. She assumed at least one of them had a weapon. Of course, she wasn't always able to keep her mind on the two things she felt were the most pressing. She had Castle in the front seat with her, and since she was supposed to be his girlfriend, Rick just had to play up the part.
He constantly snuck his hand over to her side and would place in on her leg, or run his finger up her side. She kept giving him her glare, but he just answered her scowl with a grin.
Rick reach up and ran his fingers through her shorter blonde wig. "I like the new hair style. Somehow it seems to suit you." He smiled and let his finger trail down her cheek."
"Hey lover boy." An annoyed Ted called out. "Leave the squeeze alone. I'd rather not be in an accident because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."
Castle turned and smirked at the slender Ted who'd been the driver of the hijacked unmarked car which had been used to transport Castle to the courthouse.
"Why so crabby?" Rick countered. "Been a long time since you were able to see a real woman close up?"
"Both of you shut up." That comment came from the larger shadow in the back seat. Kate realized the deep authorative voice belonged to Miles Robinson. The former robbery detective and a captive jewel robber who had arranged his freedom, and was now on the way to gather up his long delayed ill-gotten loot. Kate wasn't able to get a good look at him when he got in the car, but she did sort of recognized his gravelly voice.
From that point on, everyone didn't bother to express themselves unless necessary for most of the rest of the trip.
The night had turned fully dark, and the pin points of the stars were fighting to be seen in an ongoing battle against the ever present city light pollution. They had left the outer boroughs and left the housing tracts that dotted the area.
They now found their selves being surrounded by behemoth buildings that once indicated large manufacturing and industry. Now most of them were empty.
They seemed to be heading toward a large complex that stood dark and abandoned.
Kate was directed toward the main gate which was missing one of the large wired doors on the front gate. The sign hung on a diagonal, being held by only one corner bolt. Much of the wording was worn away by years of weather abrasion, but they were still able to make out the writing on some of the signs. One told the name of the plant, and the others were large warning signs that had been plastered over the weather worn original signage.
They were out front of New York Atomic Light and Power. It was one of the first nuclear power plants built to provide a large part of the needs in the northwest sector of New York City. The problem was, it was one of the first nuclear power plants built for the needs of the large Eastern Coastal cities. And as such, they didn't really have all the possible problems worked out in advance.
This particular plant only provided power for the area for about twelve years. By then the flaws in their original plans had reached such a dangerous level, that they had to shut down the multi-million dollar operation. And here it now sat, since the early eighties, empty. Just waiting for Mother Nature to eventually erode away the puny work of mere men.
Kate stopped the car just outside the broken gate. "Why are we here? This place is supposed to still have pockets of radiation and other dangerous chemical spills scattered around the compound." She glanced up at her rear view mirror. "Only a crazy person would hide something in there."
Robinson's deep growl broke the nights quiet. "What better place to hide something than in a place where nobody goes."
Castle looked back at Robinson. "What good is having all those jewels if they glow in the dark, as will you if you go in there?"
He chuckled, then nodded at Ted. The slim henchman pulled out his gun and pointed it at the pair in the front seat as Robinson continued.
"Well you better hope I chose a good hiding place. I believe I chose a spot away from most of the known toxic areas."
"It's the unknown toxic areas that I'm concerned about." Kate grumped.
Robison growled and indicated that 'Suzie' should move forward. "Trust me, before I planned to place the jewels here, I did a great deal of study on the construction of this plant, and the locations of the various areas in here and what they all did. I have taken precautions."
Kate put the car in gear and slowly crept in along the broken blacktop pavement.
Rick frowned. "Precautions… that would have been a good idea. Like radiation suits."
Kate looked over at Rick. "I swear if all my hair falls out, I'm going to be really pissed off."
Castle gives her a weak smile. "If it does, I'll get you a wig just like the hair you have now." She just glared at him.
"Shut up, both of you. I need to concentrate on where we need to go." Miles was getting touchy.
Kate paid close attention to Miles' directions, but since he was going on a nine year memory, she felt she had the right to be uncomfortable.
They crawled along for about ten minutes when they came upon what looked like some kind of tank, like a smallish water tank that had fallen of its legs onto the roadway they were driving on.
A stream of cussing and swearing burst from the back seat. Both Kate and Castle looked back at the enraged Robinson.
"We have to get around that tank. We need to follow this road for at least for another half mile!"
Kate looked around the fallen tank as best as she can. Then she looked at the soft sand that caressed the roadway on both sides.
"There's no way that we'll be able to drive on that sandy soil on either side." Kate shouted back at Robinson. "If we had a large 4-wheel drive truck maybe we could push it aside enough to get by." She glared into the rear view mirror.
He held out his hand to Ted who, without hesitation, handed over his revolver to his boss. He then grabbed Rick by the collar and pulled him tight against the back of the front seat. Miles placed the barrel of the gun against Castle's temple.
Miles took a breath to calm himself. He turned toward Kate. "Your boy toy here was quite complimentary of your skills behind the wheel. Impress me." He pushed the gun tighter against Castle's head.
Kate glared at Robinson, but knew she would do whatever he wanted.
Kate backed the car back several yards and looked at both sides of the blocked roadway. She gave Castle a look that he read like one of his books. Without any words she warned him that it was going to be a rough ride, but she'd get them through. He just smiled at her.
"Hang on!" She shouted as she stomped on the gas pedal and yanked the steering wheel clockwise. The car nearly leapt off the pavement as the front wheels shot them out to the right, and off the pavement.
They hit the soft sand and began to slide out of control. Kate fought with the steering wheel cranking it one way then quickly to the other. She didn't want to allow the tires to move in a straight line forward. That would just allow the treads to dig their way down into the soft soil and sand.
She kept the speed gradually accelerating to gain momentum but not so much as to spin the wheels. Once they were past the downed tank she carefully guided the vehicle back toward the blacktop.
There was a momentary slide to the right, but she didn't lose all her traction and was able to get the Mercedes aimed back to the roadway. The front wheels hit at a significant speed, but that speed with the weight of the engine was what she needed to get and keep the momentum and get them back on the broken pavement.
Once she had the car fully back on the blacktop she brought the vehicle to a stop. She needed to catch her breath.
"Nicely done." Robinson's voice never betrayed any fear or concern. "Apparently, Mr. Marlowe wasn't exaggerating when he bragged about your abilities."
Kate glared at him. "Well, we made it this time." She waved at the soft sand that seemed to be everywhere. "I wouldn't bet on our chances of doing it again on the way back."
"I have faith in you." She couldn't actually see his expression in the dark, but she knew he had a smile on his face. He was getting close to his dream.
Kate drove in silence for about another five minutes when she could see something that looked like a storage shed of some kind. It was a good hundred yards into the sandy soil. There were signs plastered all over the tiny building, but there was no moon out to let them see what they said.
"Stop." She did. Miles pointed at the little shed. "That's where we have to go."
Kate just shook her head. She could feel the hair of the short blond wig brushing her cheeks. "There's no way we can drive out there and get back."
She could see Robinson's shadow shrug his shoulders. "So we walk. It isn't that far, and we have all night." He actually chuckled.
They all got out of the car and stood at the edge of the pavement, staring out at the dilapidated shed. Actually, it was nothing but a shack on the verge of total collapse.
Kate turned toward Miles. "So, how badly do you think this ground around that shed might be irradiated?"
He stared down at her. "I guess we'll find out." He stepped behind them as he waved the revolver. "Let's go."
Kate and Castle were in front, with Robinson and his skinny flunky Ted following behind.
Kate turned to Rick. "I'm serious. If all my hair falls out, you are sleeping alone for a long, long time."
A poke in his back from the barrel of Robinson's gun got Castle moving. Kate walked next to Rick. Ted and Miles followed a couple feet behind them.
The sandy soil slowed down their walking speed, but it didn't take long until they got to the ramshackle little shed. They all stood in front of the door, which amazingly, was still in one piece.
The shed was probably in better shape than most of the buildings they'd seen so far even though it looked pretty shabby from a distance. It probably was in better shape because it was mostly built of concrete blocks with no windows. But a lot of the blocks were covered with cracks and chips. So its sturdiness was in question. There was a rusty metal vent over the single wooden door. A door that had a padlock securing it to a metal frame.
Castle turned toward Robinson. "You have the key?"
Miles just gave Rick an expression of disgust. He shook his head, stepped up and kicked the door off its hinges. Even though the frame was still quite sturdy, the hinges were pulled out of the rotting wooden door.
Castle looked into the pitch blackness inside the little shed. "I don't suppose you brought a flashlight?"
Miles reached out his hand toward Ted who fished a small survival style flashlight from his pocket, flicked the switch which provided a surprisingly bright circle of light, and handed it to Robinson as Miles handed the gun to Ted.
He smirked at Castle. "You were saying?"
Castle leaned in close to Kate. "If we live through this, remind me to get one of those." She just rolled her eyes at him.
Robinson had handed the revolver back to Ted who held it on Rick and Kate.
Rick gave Miles questioning expression. "So what? You don't trust me anymore? I told you I wasn't going to be greedy." He glanced over at Ted, then back to Robinson who was standing in the doorway. "Do you really think that you would have had any chance of being here now if it wasn't for me." He got a poke in the ribs. "And Suzie."
Robinson let a slight smile turn his lips up a bit. "She definitely has been an asset. I'll let you know what I'm thinking when I get back out." Miles turned toward the interior of the shed and disappeared in the dark. All anyone could see from the outside was a small pool of light jumping around as Robinson moved toward his goal.
The former detective only took a couple minutes wandering around in the little shed. After ascertaining exactly where he was in the shed from the door. There were a few wooden boxes mostly rotted away along one wall. The opposite wall was mostly empty. Then there were three steel barrels lined up against the opposite wall. Robinson made a beeline toward the middle barrel. He tipped the large metal can over and let it roll away toward the far wall.
Robinson knelt down and reached for a small hole in the floor. He stuck his finger into the hole and pulled. A two by two chunk of the flooring came up from where it had been sitting. He tossed the square piece of flooring aside, and eased himself to his knees in front of the opening he'd revealed.
Miles pulled what seemed to be a rectangular metal box. It wasn't more than the size of a portable cash box. He clutched the box tightly to his chest as he came out of the rickety shed.
Ted noted the box that Robinson was carrying so carefully. "I thought that it would be something bigger, boss. Like a big sack or something."
Robinson just shook his head back and forth. "Why waste all that space with cheesy settings that don't have much real value when you can use the space for something more valuable. All that is in this box are loose rubies, emeralds, and diamonds."
Rick nodded. "Smart man."
Miles gaze locked on Castle. "Now it's time to make another smart move on my part."
Castle put his hands up in front of him. "Hey, let's not be hasty now. I said I didn't need a lot for helping you out of the trouble you were in. A couple rubies, an emerald, and maybe one diamond for the lady." Rick grabbed Kate's hand and kissed her on the back of her hand. "Admit it. We wouldn't have been able to even get out here without her."
Miles stared at Kate for several moments, then turned his gaze onto the Castle. He nodded. "I can see the advantage of having the young lady with us. She's is one good driver, and she did bring us a getaway car."
He stared at Rick for a few more moments. "Okay, I think I'll keep Suzie for a while. She has come in handy more than once so far."
It was obvious to Castle that his name hadn't been mentioned for a reason.
He held up one hand. "As former cell mates, you could, at least, grant me one last favor."
A suspicious Robinson glared at him. "What."
Rick grabbed Kate's hand. "At least let me have one last kiss from my love. That way I can leave this world with a smile."
Ted, who was holding the gun chuckled at Castle's hokey speech.
Miles rolled his eyes and wrinkled his brow. "Are you for real? This isn't a movie. What fantasy do you think you're living in?"
Kate, who knew exactly what Rick was trying to set up. They once had to play lovers in order to get past a henchman guard to get in and rescue Espo and Ryan, and capture Lockwood. It brought to her mind the memory of one of the best kisses she'd ever experienced in her life.
She glared at Robinson. "Oh don't be a dick. Let the man have his final wish."
"And what about you?" Robinson grinned.
"Face it. You need me to get out of here. Maybe by then I'll have convinced you that I'm more of an asset to you than that incompetent moron whose screw ups have forced me to be here in the first place." She glanced at Castle with a shrug. "I should probably be able to do better."
"Point taken." Miles waved at the two of them. "Go ahead."
Kate, while talking back to Robinson, had maneuvered herself closer to where a scowling Ted was standing, the revolver in his hand. She reached out and grabbed Castle's hands and drew him in closer to her.
They stared into each other's eyes for several moments. Their breathing became more rapid as they anticipated the locking of their lips. Rick leaned in closer as Kate went on her tip toes to be able to meet his lips with hers.
The sheer wonder of the kiss was such that she found herself falling deeply into the ecstasy just as she had that time in the alley behind the building that 'the boys' had been being tortured in. Kate had to pull her feelings back under control.
She allowed herself one last moment of the love she felt for this man. In the corner of her eye she was able to lock in on the location of skinny Ted. She could feel the coiling of her muscles as she was just about to unleash her circle kick.
Suddenly the quiet was shattered by the sound of a bullet being fired, then the scream that was ripped from Ted's throat as blood fountained from his shoulder and the revolver flew from his hand.
Castle was stunned by the gunshot and he found himself looking around. Kate acted immediately and pounced on the gun now laying on the ground a couple feet away. Robinson had been stunned by the explosive situation and found that Kate had beaten him to the revolver and now had it pointing at his chest.
Kate glanced over her shoulder just long enough to see a couple of gentlemen running toward them as quickly as they could through the soft soil.
"Castle, get that box from Robinson." Kate barked out.
Miles looked at Rick as he came over and pulled the box out of the grasp of Robinson.
"Castle?" He stared at him, then at Kate, then back at him. "You're Richard Castle… the writer?"
Rick just grinned at him. Miles moved his glare over to Kate. "And you are… Detective Kate Beckett?"
"Capitan Beckett," she reached up and pulled the uncomfortable wig from her head. Her natural dark hair fell out along the sides of her head, but only to just below her jaw line once it was free. She was thrilled to finally have the overly tight, ugly yellow mop off her head.
"And here I thought you'd forgotten me." She gave him a wink.
It took a couple more minutes for the two men she saw running their way to reach them. As expected, it was Demming and Esposito. Both stopped next to Kate, wheezing with the loss of breath.
Kate grinned. "What took you so long?"
Esposito shot her a glare. "We were in time you save your butts."
Kate dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "We had it covered."
Demming rolled his eyes. "Funny," he pulled cuffs out of his pocket. "We had to get around some downed water tank."
She glanced back at the vehicle that they had come from. "You had a four passenger, four wheel drive truck. It should have been a snap for you."
Espo grinned. "We took the time to push the tank off to the side so you'll be able to get your vehicle back more easily."
Demming had to bite down on his lip. "We saw your tracks in the sand."
Kate watched as Espo and Demming cuffed Robinson and Ted. Demming took a couple minutes to shove Ted's handkerchief over the wound in his shoulder. Then Robinson and Ted were shoved across the sand back toward the vehicles.
Kate felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and up into the grinning smile on her husband. He was holding the small box full of gemstones.
"Should we go?" He nodded toward the blacktop roadway.
She glanced down at the metal box he was holding then looked up grinned. He grinned back at her. "Or should we head for the border?"
They both laughed as they hurried to catch up with their friends, and their captives.
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A/N: Just a wrap it up Epilogue left. Rick and Kate still have some "stuff" to talk about.
All Readers are Appreciated, Review if you wish