Unexpected Appearance Chapter 14

Montgomery summons Ryan and Esposito into his office. "When Beckett and Castle opened a crate in Alhabi's storage unit, they were hit with a dose of radiation."

"How badly were they hit?" Ryan queries.

"We don't know yet. The Emergency Services guys are going over the unit now. But it's going to take a while. They send guys in wearing those spacesuit things, but they don't let them stay more than a minute or two."

"What can we do to help?" Esposito asks.

"Whatever can be done for Beckett and Castle, is being done," Montgomery assures the two detectives. "So what we have to do is keep working on this case. We know Amir Alhabi had a key to the storage unit, so he was into a lot more than driving a taxi. Dig deep into him. Get his wife and cousin in here. I'll call the Syrian Consulate and find out why Amir had contact with their chief of security."

A handsome but stiff-shouldered man strides into Montgomery's office. "They won't talk to you. Whatever Alhabi was into, the Syrians don't want it blowing back on them."

"Who are you?" Montgomery demands.

"I take it, you're Captain Montgomery. I'm Mark Fallon, Homeland Security. DHS sent me down here to act as liaison. I understand you have a situation."

"And how would you understand that?" Montgomery questions.

"An emergency radiation alert automatically triggers DHS attention," Fallon explains. "I need to know exactly what you have."

Rick gazes out through a clear plastic window. "They're only sending their guys in for a minute at a time."

"It's probably standard protocol," Kate offers. "If they don't know what's there, there's no reason to risk their people any more than necessary."

"That's not comforting, Beckett. But look, as long as we're waiting this out, we might as well try to figure out why there would be a crate with guns and C-4 inside a radioactive storage unit."

"Isn't that obvious, Castle? Alhabi was involved with a group planning a terrorist attack."

"Guns and C-4 aren't radioactive. Bombs, specifically nuclear bombs, are. And if they have one of those, the C-4 and the guns wouldn't be necessary. Using them might even prematurely alert the authorities. A bomb would spread more than enough terror on its own. And Beckett, Amir has a wife and a daughter. He just shelled out for the baby's surgery. He has a cousin. Why would he want to set off a bomb in the city where his family lives? You'd think he'd bundle them off to a Syrian enclave somewhere or maybe even send them back to Syria. And if Fariq Yusef was involved, he wouldn't be sticking around either. Something doesn't add up."

The sound of a heavy zipper opening vibrates through the shelter, and the emergency coordinator, minus a radiation suit, walks in. "You're free to go."

"What?" Rick questions. "Aren't you going to wash us down or something?"

The coordinator shakes his head. "No need. There were only traces of cobalt 60 in the storage unit. Not enough to cause any health problems."

"Thank you," Kate says. "Come on, Castle, let's get out of here."

Mark Fallon waits impatiently as Montgomery puts down his phone. "We have to assume Alhabi wasn't acting alone. Where are we on the wife and cousin?"

"I just got a report from the officers that picked up the wife," Montgomery responds. "They're on their way in. Jamal went out drinking. We're trying to track him down."

"Amir either had the radioactive material for himself, or he was holding it for someone," Fallon assumes. "Either way, odds are that's what got him killed. Check his phone call against the terrorist watch list."

"We're already doing that. Just so I'm clear, are you taking over?" Montgomery questions.

"This is your case. I'm just here to lend support when I can," Fallon assures him.

Esposito knocks on the door of Montgomery's office. "Yo, Cap, ICE just sent immigration papers for Amir Alhabi. He got a degree in electrical engineering from a school in Damascus."

"What was he working on in Syria?' Fallon asks.

Ryan comes up behind Esposito. "I've got that one. I just spoke with the State Department. They debriefed Alhabi when he first landed here. They say he was working on a weapons program for the Syrians."

"Nuclear weapons?" Fallon queries.

"Yeah," Ryan confirms.

"OK. Now I'm taking over," Fallon declares.

Rushing from the elevator, Kate and Rick join the group in Montgomery's office. The captain rises from behind his desk. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, we are all real glad you two are OK."

"Thank you, Sir, but I'm confused," Kate says. "We were told there were traces of cobalt 60 in the storage unit, but Castle and I only found a crate with guns and C-4. Where did the cobalt 60 come from?"

"We think there was a second crate in the storage unit which contained large quantities of cobalt 60," Montgomery explains. "The investigating team found wire and crimp-on connectors."

"Which they would need to make a bomb," Castle realizes. "They'd use the wires to detonate the explosives."

"And how would you know that?" Fallon demands.

"I'm sorry, I don't know you," Castle says.

"Agent Mark Fallon, Homeland Security. Answer my question, Castle."

"I'm a writer, Agent Fallon. Writers do research, which is why I work with Detective Beckett. But it doesn't take much research to figure out how to build a bomb. Anyone with internet skills can learn the basics in a few minutes. I would think a DHS agent would know that. But given that we're talking about cobalt 60, not uranium or plutonium, we're talking about a dirty bomb, not a nuclear one. Still, it would be a terrorist's dream. Minimal materials producing maximum panic."

"That's right," Montgomery says. "And panic is just what we don't need. So the lid stays on this, people, tight."

"And anyone saying anything said about the bomb to an unauthorized person will be considered guilty of a federal crime," Fallon declares. "That includes you, Mr. Castle."

"Mr. Castle has been keeping NYPD confidences for years," Kate says.

"Well, this is a step up from NYPD confidences. Mr. Castle, am I making myself clear?" Fallon presses.

"Crystal," Rick replies.

"Hey, Dad, late night?" Alexis greets her father as he lets himself into the loft.

"Uh, still going. I just came back to change my clothes."

"Well, bid my ego adieu. I'm off to Serenity – minus Alexis, of course," Martha announces.

"You know, actually, I've changed my mind about that," Rick says. "Alexis, I think you should go. It's important that you have time together."

"Dad, what about my physics test?" Alexis argues. "I can't just leave."

"Sure you can. Take your books with you. A relaxed mind and body will help you better absorb the mechanics of the universe."

"I haven't packed or anything," the teen protests. "I…."

"Oh darling," Martha interrupts, "everything is provided there. We're going to have so much fun. Come on, let's go get a bag."

Giving her father a dirty look, Alexis starts for the stairs. With a sigh of relief, Rick heads for his bedroom. In the master bath, he steps beneath a needlepoint spray. He needs a clear head to keep working on the case. But if God forbid, the city is going to be showered with cobalt 60, at least his family will be out of range.