Unexpected Appearance Chapter 56
"First 911 call came in at 8:42," Ryan announces as Rick, Kate, and Esposito watch video footage, "just after our victim crash landed. So our guy probably made it to the corner a minute or two later."
Kate points at the screen. "There! That's gotta be him!"
"He's wounded, he knows the cops will be after him, and he's looking for a place to go," Rick conjectures.
The feed continues to roll, showing the murderer forcing a woman into a taxi she'd hailed.
"He's got a hostage! Track the taxi off its medallion number and see where it goes," Kate orders.
"The blood drops lead to this door," Rick notes. "This must be the hostage's apartment."
"Right," Kate agrees. "Let's get in there."
As Esposito kicks in the door, Tina Massey screams. The hostage taker sits calmly, eating a sandwich.
"NYPD!" Esposito shouts, echoed by a uniformed officer.
"Show us your hands!" Kate commands.
The suspect gazes mildly at the invaders and takes another bite of his sandwich.
Gun cocked, Esposito moves in. "Hands on your head. Now!" The man casually lays down his sandwich and places his hands on his head. "On your knees!"
Wincing slightly at the twinge in his leg, the sandwich eater does as ordered. Esposito applies his cuffs as tightly as the mechanism allows.
"Let the medics take a look at him," Kate says, "then have the unis transport him to the 12th." She turns to Tina. "Ma'am, are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine," Tina says. "Actually, once we got here, he was almost polite. He asked me to bandage his leg and get him something to eat. When I told him all I had was leftover deli, he said it would be fine and that he doubted he'd have time to finish it."
"So he knew we were coming?" Kate queries.
"He didn't say he did. You surprised me. That's why I screamed. But I guess that's what he meant."
"The paramedics are right downstairs," Rick says. "Are you sure you're OK?"
"Sure, I am, but I think that guy's leg is going to need stitches."
"He'll get what he needs," Beckett assures Tina. "Unfortunately, his victim isn't that lucky."
As she enters Interrogation One, Kate glares at the suspect. "Thomas Gage, for the record, have I advised you of your rights?"
"Yes," Gage replies calmly.
"Including your right to an attorney?" Kate continues.
"I won't need one," Gage says.
"And why is that?" Castle asks.
Gage regards him with a hint of recognition. "Oh, I think you'll figure it out soon enough, Mr. Castle."
"What do you mean by that?" Kate demands.
"You'll find out," Gage asserts.
"Mr. Gage, we're not playing games here." Kate shoves a photo of the murder victim's broken body in front of him. "Do you recognize this man?"
Gage glances at the photo. "Looks like he took a nasty fall."
"Well, he had a little help," Kate returns. "Fingerprint evidence will show that he was thrown out a window – by you."
"After which you kidnapped Tina Massey in full view of a security camera," Rick chimes in, holding up the security photo. "Overall, not the brightest move."
"Murder plus kidnapping equals more years in prison than you have left. Unless you cooperate," Kate adds.
A confident smile tweaks Gage's mouth. "Everything that you have on me, or think you have on me, it's all going away. And we're done here."
Kate gazes through the glass at Gage. "He should be sweating bullets. This doesn't feel right."
"It's like he knows something we don't. And somehow, he seems to know me," Rick says.
"Maybe he watches late-night television. You've done plenty of Kimmels."
"I don't think that's it. But there's something….
"Ryan," Kate calls across the bullpen, "I want you to pull everything we have on Thomas Gage."
"I tried, Beckett," the detective reports. "The problem is that isn't his real name. His driver's license is phony, and his prints aren't in the system. Bottom line is, we have no idea who this man is."
Rick strokes his growing stubble. "Hmm."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Massey," Kate apologizes as she and Castle join Tina in the interview lounge.
"It's all right." Tina takes an appreciative sip from her coffee mug. "The coffee here's better than what I make. I think it's better than Java Hut makes. Was someone around here a barista?"
Kate's lips twitch. "No, but he has some unusual skills. I need to go over your statement with you. You said your kidnapper was calm the whole time."
"That's right," Tina confirms. "But he wasn't big on chitchat. The first thing he said was, 'Get your ass in the cab, or I'll kill you.'"
"And what about when you got back to the apartment? What did he talk about?" Kate asks.
"He promised not to murder me before he asked me to patch up his leg. He had a real gash."
"Could you tell how he got his injury?" Kate queries.
"He said he got slashed with a knife – while he was killing a guy."
"He admitted that to you?" Kate questions.
"More like he just made a statement," Tina considers.
"Did he say who this guy was or why he killed him?" Rick inquires.
"All he told me was that the man doesn't exist," Tina replies.
Rick levers out of his chair. "Beckett, I need to make a call."
Lanie meets Kate and Rick in the hallway outside the autopsy room. "As far as I can tell, the man doesn't exist."
"You mean you haven't ID'd him yet?" Kate asks.
"Look, I'm trying, but his fingerprints aren't in any database, which is weird because his body looks like it would belong to someone with a criminal record – a long one."
"How so?" Rick probes.
"It's not the first time this guy has mixed it up. He's got old gunshot wounds, calloused hands from martial arts training, and more broken bones than Evel Knievel. You're not gonna believe his x-rays."
"Does the way he received treatment for his healed injuries look typical of what you'd see in the US?" Rick inquires.
"Now that you mention it, Castle, no. The rod in his femur isn't the type I'd usually see in similar injuries. It could have been implanted elsewhere, Eastern Europe, maybe. Come into the lab. I'll show you."
Lanie stares at an empty autopsy table and turns to Alexis. "Where's my John Doe?"
Alexis looks wide-eyed at the bare stainless steel. "He was right there when I left. I-I was only gone a minute."
"I know he was right there," Lanie says. "I was just about to cut him open."
"Now, he really doesn't exist," Castle says.
"Dad, it's not funny," Alexis protests.
"I know it's not, sweetheart. And it's not your fault," he assures her. "There are obviously greater forces at play."
Kate lays a hand on his arm. "Did you make the call I think you made?"
"Probably. But I haven't gotten a callback yet. Still, it looks like the answer is coming into focus. Thomas Gage, or whoever he is, was right. Exhibit one of what we had just went away. His pals have been busy little bees. Hard to accuse someone of murder without the murderee."
"He's still guilty of kidnapping," Kate points out. "And he told Tina he killed someone." She pulls out her phone. "Esposito, has Gage been transferred to central booking yet?"
Esposito's voice comes through the cell's speaker. "No, he's still in Holding."
"He's gonna fill in the blanks," Kate declares. "Come on, Castle. Let's get back to the precinct."
Kate stares into Gage's empty cell. "He's gone!"
Castle nods. "Yup. Very busy little bees."