Papa Jack Chapter 51
O'Hare Airport in Chicago never fails to fill Richard with a sense of wonder. Almost a small city in itself, it offers everything from nurses manning tables to administer flu shots to a chapel for quiet contemplation amidst the hubbub. The airport also provides endless opportunities for people-watching. As he takes the long walk from his arrival gate to the area where transportation to his hotel is waiting, he notes characters that will make good background for scenes in his books. There's a woman with amazing hair – not by the efforts of a stylist, but because her casual ponytail held in place by two scrunchies reaches almost to her knees. A man paces, keeping an eye on the display announcing departures while talking overloudly on his cell phone. A woman tries desperately to comfort a child whose senses are assaulted by the crowds and the noise. Populating a scene with people like these imbues it with a reality that his readers can relate to their own experiences and makes the super-spy stuff easier to accept. At least, Richard hopes so.
At the foot of an escalator, a man dutifully holds up a sign reading "Richard Castle." Richard nods to him and follows him out to a comfortable town car. It's not the latest model, but it's clean and has more than enough trunk space for Richard's carry-ons. After a couple of experiences with lost luggage, Richard learned the hard way never to go on tour with more than he could take on the plane with him. If an unexpected need comes up, hotel shops and concierges can be very accommodating.
During the 20-minute ride to his hotel, Richard makes his obligatory call to Black Pawn to check in with Gina. After hanging up as quickly as possible, he wonders if he should call Beckett. The flight from New York to Chicago was short. It's only been a few hours since he had his cab drop Beckett off at the 12th Precinct before returning to his loft to grab his luggage. After his big reveal at lunch, they don't have anything new to talk about. That doesn't stop him from wanting to speak to her. But he should probably wait until she's had time to decompress from her cop business and settle in at her apartment for the evening. By then, she might have some cop anecdote to share. And until then he should at least get started on making arrangements for their trip to Venezuela. That, at least, would give him an excuse for calling.
Sitting restlessly on the couch in her apartment, Beckett checks her watch. Castle should be in Chicago by now, probably even at his hotel. She could call him, but what can she say that she didn't say over lunch? She hadn't done anything for the rest of her shift except finish up her paperwork. That was hardly exciting enough to merit a call to her observer. But, there was the victim that Ryan interviewed. When she heard the man's Irish brogue coming at her from his chair beside Ryan's desk, the Lucky Charms leprechaun immediately flashed in her mind. The man's appearance did little to dispel her first impression. His overlong hair was red, and his shoes were unusually pointy. He was even wearing a green coat. But the wildest thing was he was complaining that a murderer had stolen his marshmallows.
Ryan and Esposito had been assigned the case of a truck driver who was murdered and his truck stolen. The vehicle had been picked up by a camera and the license plate recorded when the thief was stupid enough to run a red light. Marked units had tracked it across town to a garage holding a stash of stolen goods. Ryan and Esposito had arrested the hijacker, who was sitting in a corner of the garage drinking a beer and waiting for his fence to arrive. Back at the 12th Precinct, they hadn't even started to put together an inventory of the stolen goods before the leprechaun arrived in the bullpen. Still, Ryan patiently assured the redhead that if the marshmallows showed up, he would expedite the process for their return. Kate is just picking up her phone to call Castle with the quirky tale when it rings. She can't help smiling at the sound of Castle's voice.
Richard reclines his seat as far as it will go for the flight back to New York City. It's been a long three weeks. His fans have been appreciative, and no interviewer has asked anything but softball questions. Still, he's been impatient to return home – and to Beckett.
Despite an assist from a travel consultant, Richard's been wrestling with the arrangements for the Venezuela trip. If he books it as immediately as Beckett wants to go, they'll be departing almost at the height of the holiday tourist season. Of course, not many tourists are interested in touring prisons. The Venezuelans wouldn't encourage them to, either. Even credentialed journalists who visit and report on prisons face threats of intimidation and violence.
According to the information that Richard's father gathered for him, Bracken is in Vista Hermosa, a prison where rampant gang violence kills hundreds of inmates. It houses three times as many prisoners as it was designed to hold, making living conditions poor at best. Corruption makes them even worse. The prisoners with connections and power control whatever resources there are. The rest of the prisoners fend for themselves. As an outsider, and an American politician at that, Bracken would be in no position to bargain. At best, he could try to keep his head down and remain unnoticed. But Richard doubts that someone who has played lord of the manor for much of his life would be capable of that type of posture. As the writer studies the information about Vista Hermosa, he almost feels sorry for Bracken – almost. For someone responsible for so much suffering and death, the punishment may very well fit the crimes.
Getting into Vista Hermosa will be difficult but not impossible. As an author, Castle can flatter Crizuela, the gang leader who actually controls the facility, into giving an interview trumpeting his power. He doubts Crizuela would object to the presence of a woman as beautiful as Kate Beckett. Richard's hoping that once he gets Crizuela talking, he can get him to brag about what happened to the big-shot American politician and give him and Beckett a glimpse of how the mighty have fallen.
The trip will be expensive, with airfare and hotels being the least of the costs. Richard is sure there will be bribes involved. His father warned him of as much, as well as advising him to brush up on some Venezuelan idioms. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could get Richard and Beckett killed.
"Why the hell are you doing this?" Richard mutters to himself as he begins to solidify his plans. He doesn't need to write about a Venezuelan prison. He's never used Central or South America as a primary backdrop for his novels. He has no reason to start now – except for Beckett. She needs the peace from seeing for herself that justice finally caught up to William Bracken. Castle isn't about to deny her that peace. Maybe he's been on the road too long, but right now, he wonders if he could deny Beckett anything.