23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

While Kate was at home making up with her husband, Hal Lockwood was paying Roy Montgomery a late night visit. He gave Roy instructions that the next night, he was to call off Beckett's protective detail and have her meet him at the hangar where they left the helicopter…and then he was to leave Beckett to them. When Roy was resistant, Lockwood told him he could have Beckett or his family, but he couldn't have both. Then he gave Roy a meeting time and left quietly.

The following morning, Roy Montgomery had a plan of action. He saw his family off to work and school, letting them know he loved them, then went and packaged a set of files for mailing and loaded his gun before going to work himself.

xxxxx

On the same morning in the Castle home, Kate was making coffee when Alexis came down to have breakfast, and Alexis got straight to what was on her mind.

"You left last night," she said with an accusing tone.

"I'm sorry I worried you." Taking her in her arms, Kate told her, "I promised you I would be here for you as long as I live, and I will. For your father and grandmother, too. I will not voluntarily leave this family. No divorce, understand?"

"Is somebody trying to kill you?"

Pulling back, she stroked one hand soothingly on Alexis's upper arm. "I said I'd tell you the truth, too. We're not sure of his exact target, but it's possible. We're trying to find him before he can do that…to me or anybody else."

"Please be careful, Kate. I don't want you to die. We need you." Then she looked down and back up at Kate again and asked hesitantly, "Will he try to kill my dad, too?"

"I don't know why, but he doesn't seem to be interested in your dad. I'm sorry I brought this kind of worry into your home. If I had known last year what this case has uncovered this week, I probably wouldn't be here. I love all of you too much, and I hate that I've exposed you to it. You shouldn't have to worry about things like this at your age."

Alexis put her arms around Kate again, holding her tighter this time. "I don't want to think about the past year without you. I don't want to think of any of my life without you."

"Then I'll do my best to see that you don't have to. But this is a dangerous man, and it's my job. We need to get him back in prison…the sooner, the better." She held her stepdaughter for another long moment and then encouraged her to help make breakfast before school.

They were starting the meal when Castle came in, already dressed for the precinct, wrapped them both in his arms and kissed each of them on the head. In a few minutes, Martha joined them, asking, "Do I smell coffee…oh, and is that sausage? Special occasion?"

"Call it an apology to you and Alexis," Kate told her. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Just be safe, Darling. We all want you around for a long time."

"Why don't you dress for school, Pumpkin? I'll help Kate finish here, and you can set the table when you come back."

Alexis reluctantly turned and went back to her room.

When they heard her door close, Martha brazenly asked her son and his wife, "So, was the make-up sex as stupendous as the argument?" Hearing a simultaneous, "Martha!" and "Mother!" she said with a smug smile, "No need to answer. That blush tells it all." She was pointing at Kate.

Castle put an arm around his wife, and she buried her face, as well as her smile at the memory, against his shoulder for a moment before they finished their tasks and Alexis was back to set the table.

They saw to it that Alexis had a good dose of their normal, loving responses to one another before she left for school. The specter of a man with a gun possibly going after her stepmother was certainly enough of a burden. There was no need to have her worrying about a divorce as well. In a brief family meeting, Martha and Alexis were told that there was no reason for either of them to expect problems, but they were asked to be more careful of strangers or disruptions to routine.

Castle closed with, "I'll take you to school this morning, Honey, and I'll pick you up this afternoon. Until this man is in custody again, I want to be cautious. I've arranged for security, and I'll talk to the doorman before I leave.

"Richard, do you think all that is necessary?"

"Maybe not, but I'm not leaving it to chance."

"We love you, too, Darling," Martha told him indulgently, standing and kissing the top of his head before going back to her room.

"Are you ready to go, Pumpkin? We'll drop you off on our way."

"I thought I was, but I left my math book upstairs. Be right back."

While Alexis retrieved her book, Castle and his wife stood to wait for her to come back; and he asked, "Are we okay, Kate?"

"We're okay. You laid some heavy thoughts on me last night, but you were right. I needed to think them through. We have to keep working the to get Lockwood off the street, though. Neither he nor his employer seem to have a conscience, and we can't just leave him out there."

"That still leaves you in the crosshairs."

"That's why I want you to stay home today. If I do end up in the crosshairs, I don't want you close enough to be there with me. Your daughter needs you. I've accepted the truth that she needs me now, too…that I can't operate the way I used to; and I expect you to accept that she needs you even more. Just give me today without having to worry about that…please. It should make it easier for me to stay in some kind of control. I promise I'll stay at the precinct…off the street as much as possible. I'll even order lunch there if it would make you feel better."

"It would. Don't expect not to hear from me, though."

"Thank you for trusting me, in spite of myself."

"That isn't as easy as usual right now, Kate. I love you so much, and I'm afraid for you."

"Just today, Rick…to get myself together without worrying about you. You were right. We can't get whoever this dragon is yet. I'll settle for getting Lockwood back behind bars for now. We need to do that. Then I'll back off until something new comes up, and then I'll be smarter about it. And if I start losing it, you can tear into me again."

"I'll still worry, but I'll look forward to seeing him back in prison. Then I'll feel like I can breathe again."

"Me, too. I love you, and I promise to be careful…and sensible." As Alexis came back down the stairs, Kate whispered, with a flirty little twinkle in her eye, "And the make-up sex really was stupendous."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed with a grin. "Be careful."

"I will. See you later. Bye, Alexis." She kissed him, he pulled her back for one more, and then she left.

After Castle took Alexis to school and spoke to the staff to be sure they knew there was a possible security issue, he was at loose ends. He took Beckett lunch, just to assure himself she was okay, and picked his daughter up from school, stopping to get ice cream on the way home. He suspected that, with all the concern and uncertainty, comfort food might come in handy later. And he checked in with Beckett often enough she had to start ignoring his calls in order to get her work done.

It was a quiet day. They had no new leads; and as well as a lot of worry, Lockwood had generated a lot of paperwork. Around dusk, Ryan and Esposito got a phone call that gave them a lead on the retired records cop. Having noticed that Beckett seemed more in control that day, they decided to check on it before telling her anything that might set her off again. They arrived at the man's bar just after dark and were devastated to find that Montgomery was their third cop, and that they no longer knew what to expect from him. The dark alley they were in as they forced themselves to come to terms with it was an appropriately dismal place for dealing with such a revelation.

Not too long after Ryan and Esposito left, Beckett received a call from Montgomery saying they had a lead and asking her to meet him at the hangar in New Jersey. She sent Castle a quick message, but Castle was almost there by then. Roy Montgomery had called him, too. It was already dark when he arrived, and Castle pulled his SUV near the back door of the hangar…out of sight, as Montgomery had requested.

"You said you needed me to meet you and Beckett here. Where is she?" Castle asked when he arrived and only saw Montgomery.

"She's on her way. When I call you, I need you to come in and get her out of here any way you have to. If this goes the way I intend, Lockwood won't be a threat to her anymore."

"What's going on? This doesn't feel right."

"I made some mistakes when I was a lot younger, listened to the wrong people, made some bad decisions; and I'm trying to clean up some of the mess I left behind. Lockwood came by the house last night…talked to me about my family while he was holding the teddy bear one of my girls sleeps with. He had been in her room, Castle. He's a cold, heartless SOB; and, among other things, he told me I could have Beckett or my family, but I couldn't have both. Tonight is about trying to be sure he's wrong. None of them should have to suffer for my mistakes."

"What mistakes, Roy? You're not making sense."

"The short story is that I had a deal with him. Beckett was safe as long as I kept her away from her mother's case; but then we caught Lockwood, and she made herself obvious again…pushing...seeing him every week. When they got him out of prison, I couldn't rein her in. She was doing exactly what makes her such a good detective, and he knew. And I realized it was finally time for me to face it all. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"You had a deal with him? Are you a part of this?" Then Castle had a revelation, and with a disheartened look, he said, "You were the third cop."

Montgomery nodded sadly. "Before I met Beckett, they threatened my family if I didn't keep quiet…then they threatened Beckett. Her mother was already dead because of what we set in motion. I couldn't let him have her, too. As long as I live, my family will be used as blackmail...in danger because of me. If it weren't for them, I'd have turned the guy in back then and let them kill me. Otherwise I've been a good cop. Try to believe that. I'll tell Beckett the whole story if there's time. I just need to know that you'll get her out of here before they see her. Stay out of sight. Give me time to talk to her; but when I call you, come right then and get her out. I know what I'm doing, Castle; and it's for the best."

"This plan of yours, how can I help?"

"By doing exactly what I told you. I don't want Lockwood to know either of you are here. Understand? That's how it has to be."

"I don't like the sound of this."

"Well, if you like the sound of keeping your wife alive, do what I told you," he snapped, again assuming the reins of command.

"Got it."

They paced around each other uncomfortably until they heard a car approaching. When he was sure it was Beckett, Montgomery sent Castle out to wait at the door until he was called…said the element of surprise might make it easier to deal with Beckett.

From behind the door, he heard Beckett call for the captain, and could tell from her response when Roy appeared from the shadows.

Beckett received a text from Ryan and Esposito only moments after entering the hangar, one that identified Montgomery as the third cop. She asked Roy to drop the gun, but he was having none of it, entertaining no intention of allowing his family to see him go to jail. He explained the situation with Pulgatti and the FBI agent, and admitted that her mother's death happened because of what he and the other two did that night…told her about the man who hired Lockwood blackmailing the three of them, demanding the ransom money, and using it to build his power.

"Give me a name. You owe me that, Roy."

"No, Kate. I know you. I give you a name, you'll run straight at him. I might as well shoot you where you stand."

In their next exchange of words, Beckett realized that the captain intended to face more than Lockwood…alone. He was there on a suicide mission. She told him she forgave him, begged him not to go through with it. Castle was called in; and in spite of his own misgivings, he did what he promised Roy he would do. He wrapped his arms firmly around Beckett and took her, literally kicking and screaming, out the back door of the hangar. Then he held her against the SUV, keeping her quiet until the gunshots ended and she broke away to run back in and fall to her knees, sobbing over the lifeless body of her long-time friend. The bodies of Lockwood and the others were scattered around them.

The New Jersey police were called, and were given a story that didn't stray too far from the surface truth, a story Castle and Beckett had agreed on before those detectives arrived. They were backed up by the brief, not fully explained messages from Montgomery on their cell phones. Then they took on the unenviable task of telling Evelyn Montgomery. Afterward, meeting with Ryan and Esposito in the seclusion of Kate's apartment afterward, the team agreed to allow Roy to be remembered as a hero. By the time they got home to the loft, Castle and Beckett were both emotional wrecks.

Alexis, who was on her way to bed took one look at them and knew something was terribly wrong.

"Dad? What is it? Is everybody okay?"

"We're fine, Honey."

Martha was on her way downstairs at the time, and feeling the same concern Alexis did, she asked, "Richard?"

"Roy Montgomery was killed tonight. He took Lockwood and three of his cronies down with him. We let Ryan and Esposito know, and we've just been to see Roy's wife…to tell her."

"You poor dears," Martha sympathized. "Sit down. Let me pour you some wine."

"I think I want something a little stiffer," he answered.

"What happened?"

"Can we talk about it tomorrow, Mother? Right now, it's…"

"Of course, Darlings. Just get some rest. I'm sure you need it by now."

Alexis started to say something, hesitated, then blurted out, "I know it's a bad time to ask, but does this mean Kate is safe?"

"We think so."

She hugged Kate and said, "I'm sorry about Captain Montgomery. I know he was your friend…but I can't help being glad you're okay."

Kate's tears started falling again as she hugged her stepdaughter; and Castle put his arm around his daughter's shoulders, telling her Kate needed some time to deal with everything that happened. Alexis understood.

"If Grams and I can do anything that would help, Let us know."

Kate just nodded appreciatively and pulled away, too emotional to speak, and anxious to get to their bedroom and close the door.

Castle put his arm around her waist and guided her into the study, closing the door behind them. While she went to their room and removed her jacket and shoes, he poured them glasses of his best scotch and joined her.

"What do you need from me?" he asked. "I can listen, help you with a shower, hold you,..or go away and let you have some time for yourself. Whatever you need."

"You. I need you," she answered through her tears. "And a shower. I need to wash it away…and I don't want to be alone."

They stood in the streaming water, and he held her as she mourned her captain and mentor…and yet another devastating betrayal of her trust.

"Is there anybody I can believe in?" she sobbed. "He knew, Rick. All these years, he knew who killed Mom; and even tonight, he wouldn't tell me."

"You can believe in me, Kate. Always. I promised you I'll never lie to you…or hide anything from you, no matter how much I might be tempted; and I intend to keep that promise."

"He was like a father figure when I needed one...someone in authority taking an interest. He was a mentor. But he made a deal with this man. He was protecting him. Then tonight he was protecting me from him. And now he's gone…and I don't know how I'm supposed to feel." A sorrowful growl echoed through the large shower stall, and Castle held her tighter as the water sluiced over them, washing away the remnants of the hangar and hiding most of the sounds of her sorrow from the others in the household.

"He was saving more than you, Kate. He said Lockwood gave him a choice…you or his family, and he wasn't going to allow any of you suffer for his sins. He did it for all of you."

They finished their shower, and he took her to bed and held her close through the night.

xxxxx

The next day, the precinct was a somber place. Beckett's team went in early and took down the murder board and boxed it before others started asking too many questions. It would end up in records storage where it could easily disappear if someone were given the right incentive, so they quietly made copies of everything they had found. They had no idea who to trust.

Evelyn asked that the team, including Castle, serve as pall bearers; so Beckett asked for other volunteers for that job and appointed two more from the many possibilities. She saw that the wheels were set in motion to arrange a funeral with full honors and to arrange for a skeleton crew to man the precinct while the majority of its staff attended the funeral the following afternoon. Necessary work that day was accomplished in an atmosphere of grief.

When they left that afternoon, Castle and Beckett stopped at her apartment to pick up her dress uniform and took it to be pressed. Afterward, they spent time with their family, then went to bed and made love before they both fell into a deep sleep fueled by both physical and emotional exhaustion.

Beckett was also asked to give the eulogy at the captain's funeral two days later, and she asked Castle to stand with her as she did. As they stood before the crowd assembled for the funeral, he noticed a glint from a row of tombstones a number of rows away; and a split second too late, Castle realized the glint he saw in the distance was a sniper's rifle. Almost simultaneously, there was a shot, and he shouted his wife's name and pushed her to the ground to get her out of the line of fire…too late. She had already been hit.

There were sounds of confused, frightened mourners and Ryan's voice above the fray shouting, "Beckett's down. Beckett's down."

Castle lifted himself away from her, only to find blood on her uniform. He held the back of her neck, supporting her head, begging her, "Stay with me, Kate. Don't leave me, please. Stay with me, okay? I love you, Kate." Then her eyes closed and she went limp in his arms…and he thought he might be in danger of dying, too.

Lanie was there in less than a minute, pushing Castle out of the way to assess her friend's injuries, barking orders for him to follow until the medics arrived.

Not that they didn't normally respond quickly, but word of a police detective being shot while giving the eulogy at the funeral of a police captain, who himself had been killed attempting to arrest a known assassin added a sympathetic fire to the response from a nearby station. Beckett was in the ambulance as quickly as possible, Castle and Lanie riding with her.

On reaching the hospital, Lanie was still on the gurney where she worked to keep her friend's heart beating, and had to be talked off it to give Kate over to the care of people she didn't know. Castle had run in behind them, and they were both left to console one another as they watched a medical team rushing Kate away to try to save her.

As they walked through the seemingly endless hallway to a waiting area, Esposito and Ryan were heading their way, each on their phones, sounding demanding and unhappy with the answers they were getting. Just as they ended their calls, they saw Castle and Lanie crossing at the intersection of the halls.

"How is she?" Esposito asked.

"They just took her to surgery, but…" Lanie answered. At that point, she finally allowed herself to melt into Esposito's arms and let the tears fall freely.

"What about the shooter?" Castle asked.

"Gone," Ryan told him.

"Gone? How can he be gone?" he questioned angrily.

"We don't know, but he left his weapon behind."

"It's a Mark 11," Esposito added from over Lanie's shoulder. "A modified sniper rifle. Favorite of Special Forces. Checking for prints now."

The simultaneous sounds of "Richard" and "Dad," suddenly echoed in the hall, and Martha and Alexis were there, throwing their arms around Castle. He did his best to comfort them.

Jim appeared close behind them, asking, "How is my daughter?"

Castle kissed each of his redheads and said softly, "Give me a minute. Let me talk to Jim."

Taking Jim aside and speaking quietly, Castle answered, "Jim, she flat-lined in the ambulance, but they brought her back. It's bad. I assume she's in surgery by now."

"What happened?"

"What we were afraid of, I think. The man we talked about the other night…Roy Montgomery killed him before he died himself, but…"

"So this was somebody else like him…finishing the job?" Jim asked incredulously.

"It looks like it. Who is this guy?" Castle hissed quietly in frustration. "Does he keep a full stable of hired killers on call? I have the feeling your wife's murder is only the tip of the iceberg."

"If I knew who he is, I might kill him myself," Jim answered, following with a deep breath as he pressed his fingertips to his forehead in both anger and sorrow.

"The worst of this is that Kate had seen reason. She had told me she would drop it as soon as Lockwood was back in prison. We thought she'd be safe for a while if she stopped." Tears filled Castle's eyes, and he ran his hands through his hair trying to pull himself together before facing his daughter again. "It's my fault. If I hadn't looked into her mother's case…"

"It isn't your fault, Rick." Jim assured him, placing a comforting hand on his son-in-law's arm. "That case with Coonan would have come up anyway. Lanie would have noticed the similarity. Either she or Katie would have followed that up. You know they would. Raglan would still have called her. She would have fallen back into it with or without you. You did everything you could, including risking a bullet of your own trying to get her out of the way. I don't blame you, and Katie won't, either."

"Thank you for that, but you don't need to be comforting me. I can't imagine what I'd feel if it were Alexis in Kate's place."

"I think you probably can," he answered, "and given the way I know you feel about your wife, I appreciate that you can think of it right now. Thank you for being honest with me." He gave Castle a fatherly pat on the arm before they returned to the others.

Castle told them, "We understand the waiting area is up here on the left." He put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and guided her in that direction, and Jim did the same for Martha. The rest of their entourage from the twelfth followed them.

As they all sat down, Castle asked Jim and his family, "How did you get here so fast?"

"When we went back to the town car, one of the motorcycle escorts for the funeral asked who we were, cleared our leaving, and told Darrell to follow him…brought us all the way here, siren blaring the whole way."

"We take care of our own," Ryan answered matter-of-factly.

Castle sat with his arm around his daughter, who leaned her head on his shoulder for comfort; and they all pulled their chairs into a small grouping, sitting near one another for support until someone from the medical staff could return to tell them something.