Finding the Fit Chapter 80
As Brian answers, Rick puts his cell phone on speaker. "Hey, Rick, what do you need?"
"Do we have a customer named Nick Lakos?" Rick asks.
"Lakos, Lakos," Brian muses. "Oh, right, Nick! Yeah! He turns up pretty regular. What about him?"
"What time does he come in?" Beckett questions.
"Detective Beckett, is that you?" Brian asks.
"It's Beckett," Rick confirms. "Tell her what she needs to know, Brian."
"Yeah, sure, Boss. Nick usually comes in around seven for a couple of beers. Sometimes, if he's going to stick around to watch a game or something, he orders wings."
"How long does he stay if there isn't a game?" Kate probes.
"Maybe forty-five minutes or an hour."
"So forty-five minutes would be the least time he's there?" Kate presses.
"About that," Brian agrees.
Rick quirks an eyebrow at Kate to see if she wants to ask anything else. She shakes her head. "All right, Brian, thanks. And don't mention to Nick that I asked," Rick quickly adds.
"Mum's the word. And Boss, the new hot and spicy cocktail is a big seller."
Winking at Kate, Rick fans his face with his hand. "Whatever makes the customers happy. Keep up the good work, buddy. See you soon." Rick stuffs his phone in his pocket. "So, another stakeout?"
Kate nods. "We should probably have a van outside the bar by five, just in case Lakos decides to knock off work early. That will still give me time to pull his DMV and get a picture."
"In case we don't spot him, I can have Brian call me with a heads up when he arrives."
"Maybe. Let's see how good the picture is."
Kate regards the printout from the DMV. I've seen some bad pictures before, but this one…."
"Really sucks," Rick fills in. "You put a hat, glasses, or beard on him, and he'd be completely unrecognizable. Should I tell Brian to give us a heads-up?"
"Yeah, but tell him to make sure he keeps it subtle. We don't want Lakos rabbiting on us."
"I will instruct him to be the soul of discretion."
Rick sinks into one of the seats bolted to the floor of the surveillance van. "Well, it's five o'clock. We've probably got two hours to wait. Want to practice our trivia? We could sweep the next competition instead of merely winning."
Kate leans toward the screen, which shows the entrance to The Old Haunt. "I want to concentrate on the camera feed, Castle. I'd rather not have to depend on a heads-up from Brian. There's no reason Lakos would suspect we're after him. He probably isn't wearing anything to disguise his looks."
Rick shrugs. "All right, but we could be GOATs."
"GOATS, Castle?"
"You know, greatest of all time, like Ken Jennings on Jeopardy."
"I don't know about Jeopardy, but I thought we came pretty close after the verdict came in on Bracken."
Rick grins. "You've got that right. But you know, we haven't really talked about where we want to go from here."
"We have to get through Bracken's sentencing and his SDNY trial."
"I know, Beckett. But even if Judge Michaud goes easy on him and makes the sentences for all his murders run concurrently, he's still behind bars for life. The SDNY trial will expose a lot of dirt to the country, especially to Bracken's followers. Still, it won't essentially change anything for us. You have your answers. You know who was responsible for your mother's death and that he's going to pay for it. There's no reason you can't figure out how you want to move ahead with the rest of your life – assuming that you do."
"You don't have all your answers, Castle. You still don't know who your father is."
"True, but I may never find out, and I'm not about to put my life on hold, hoping that he'll suddenly surface somehow. Beckett, I want to move ahead, and I want to move ahead with you."
"What do you want me to do, Castle?"
"You could move into the loft with me, for real. You're there most of the time anyway. There's no reason you should have to keep stopping back at your place to get clothes and stuff."
"Castle, if I move in with you, I'll have to put my new address on record with the department. It may not be a secret anymore that we're dating, but that's a much bigger step. I'm not sure I'm ready for it. And what if I give up my apartment and we break up? The way apartments are in New York right now, I could never find another decent place, especially not near the 12th."
Deepening lines replace any traces of a smile on Rick's face. "You think we're going to break up? Kate, I love you. I thought I'd found - I mean, you're the woman I've been looking for my entire life. I can't picture myself with anyone else. I hoped you felt the same way."
"Castle, I love you too. But right now I can't see my future beyond making sure every damn thing Bracken did is exposed to the light. Maybe then, I can move ahead – and move ahead with you. Are you willing to give me that time?"
Rick reaches for Kate's hand. "I told you I can't picture my life without you. So I guess I'll have to. I wish that there was…."
"Castle, wait!" Kate jabs her finger at the screen. "Isn't that Lakos now?"
"He's early, but it looks like him."
"I'm going to call the boys to move in as backup." Kate hides her badge in her pocket. "But, let's get in there now."
Brian has his cell phone in his hand when he sees Rick and Kate follow Nick Lakos into the bar. As Rick nods his acknowledgment, Brian drops the phone in a pocket of his Old Haunt apron.
Kate chooses a stool a few feet down the bar from Lakos, and Castle sits beside her. Brian brings Lakos a beer and moves on to Rick and Kate. "What are you drinking?"
Kate giggles and grabs Rick's arm. "The wine that makes my head all sweet and fuzzy. What's that called, Honey?"
"She means the Rosato Dolce Rosso," Rick tells Brian with a play-along look. "Do you have any?"
"We have a couple of bottles, but they're in the back," Brian responds. "We don't get that much call for it."
Rick flashes a couple of bills. "Well, go get a bottle. Got to keep the lady happy."
Brian nods. "Of course, Sir. I'll be right back."
Apparently, in the middle of a loud discussion about who the better darts player is, Ryan and Esposito come into the bar and take stools next to Lakos. "As soon as we get our beers, I'll show you just how pitiful your game is," Ryan proclaims.
"In your dreams," Esposito counters. "And where the hell is the bartender anyway?"
Kate bats her eyelashes. "He went to get the wine I like. Wasn't that sweet?"
"Then maybe we should just get on with our game," Ryan suggests. "Isn't that right, buddy?" he says, turning to Lakos.
"I don't play darts," Lakos claims. "I just want to drink my beer."
Esposito displays his badge. "That will have to wait. We need to have a little talk over at the 12th Precinct."
"I don't want to go to no police station," Lakos complains.
Kate slips off her stool and shoves her badge in front of his face. "I'm afraid, Mr. Lakos, that you don't have a choice."
"Hey Rick, what do you want to do with this?" Brian asks as he emerges from the back room, holding up a bottle.
Rick waves at him. "Stick it under the bar for next time."