Missing
Disclaimer: I, sadly, don’t own Castle.
Summary: Alexis has been kidnapped. Castle is at a loss. And Beckett promises to make it right.
Missing-
-A Story
“A refill, Miss?”
“Why yes, please.”
Rick Castle watched as a waiter filled his mother’s wine glass to the brim. The young man turned towards the writer and offered the wine to him. Castle waved away the offer; the waiter nodded and walked off.
“A refill Mother?” Castle asked. “I just got here, how long have you been waiting?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Martha replied after swallowing a mouthful of wine. Castle raised his brow. “Oh don’t give me that look. Sorry to break it to you, kiddo, but mummy is a grown adult who can have as much wine as she pleases.”
“On my dime, of course.”
Martha merely smiled, tipping her glass towards her son in a mock toast.
Castle smiled and shook his head, choosing to look around the restaurant than engage his mother in more banter.
It was another Friday night in New York City. Alexis had suggested, the week prior, that they all go out to dinner; something they hadn’t done as a family in a long while. He chuckled silently, wondering why on earth anyone’s teenage daughter would want to spend a Friday night with her father and grandmother instead of with her friends doing who-knows-what-kids-did-these-days. Though he constantly goaded his daughter for not acting like the typical rebellious teenager, Castle took comfort in the fact that she actually wasn’t.
Somewhere in the restaurant, a clock sounded, chiming in the six o’clock hour.
“Didn’t Alexis say she would be here by six?” Martha asked.
Castle narrowed his brow, “Yes.” It wasn’t like his daughter to be late. Though she had said she would meet her family at six, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had shown up at five. “Perhaps her study group ran late, I’ll call her.”
Castle quickly pulled out his phone and dialed his daughter’s cell number; impatiently tapping his fingers as the first ring went by. Then the second. Then the third. The ring echoed through his ear, until finally, it went to voicemail.
Nothing.
“She didn’t answer,” Castle said, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking at it as if seeing it for the first time.
“That can’t be right, Alexis always answers,” Martha replied, taking another sip of wine. “Try again, you probably miss dialed.”
Castle quickly did as her mother suggested, swallowing the quick gibe of a retort that had bubbled on his lips as a sense of dread began to fill his stomach. The same thing happened, one ring following another until he was met with the computer voice of voicemail.
“Something isn’t right,” Castle said, setting his phone on the table. His eyes quickly scanned the restaurant, hoping that his daughter was seated at another table, waiting for her father and grandmother to join her. But her fire red hair was nowhere to be seen among the dining guests. “Something isn’t right.”
“Oh darling, you’re jumping to conclusions I’m sure everything is fine,” Martha said, though even she didn’t sound so convinced.
Castle tried to let his mother’s words comfort him, but he couldn’t. This wasn’t like his daughter. And no amount of positive thinking was going to be able to quell the dread that was beginning to run through his veins.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate Beckett sighed as the sound of running water filled her senses.
There was no more perfect a sound then that of a filling bathtub. It was calming, reassuring, and quiet; something she cherished after a long week of working the City streets. Especially when that sound promised the beginning of a quiet weekend off; something she hardly rewarded herself with.
There would be no calls for her help, no paper work to fill out. Nothing but the quiet of her apartment and a good book. Or maybe a movie. She hadn’t gone to the theater in---she couldn’t even recall.
Kate let the water fill in the tub as she began to light the candles around her bathroom. She supposed she should feel sorry for herself. She was a grown woman, single for longer than she liked to think about, and yet she was spending her Friday night alone. But she didn’t feel sorry for herself. She didn’t even really care. She wasn’t in the dating mood, unless-no she wasn’t in the dating mood as of late and she was okay with that.
She quickly turned off the water and shimmied out of her robe. She had just placed one foot in the hot, relaxing water when a chiming sound interrupted the serene quiet of her apartment. She sighed. Why her? Why now? Why did someone have to call now.
She had half the mind not to worry about it, once the ringing stopped her voicemail more than likely taking over. But then there was a loud ding that meant she received a text message, followed once again by the ringing of an incoming call. She cursed and picked up her robe, hastily putting it back on.
By the time she got to her phone the ringing had stopped. She flipped it open to see four missed calls from Castle. She scowled. It was eight o’clock and she had specifically made it clear that he was not to call her this weekend. It was hers. She opened the text she had received, that too from Castle.
The message: Answer your phone! screamed back at her. Her phone jumped to life, the ringing continuing as Castle called her once again. She sighed and hit the answer button, knowing that the only way to get the writer to stop was to actually speak with him. “What do you want, Castle?”
She received no response. Only the faint sound of ragged breathing greeted her. “Castle?” she asked again, pressing the phone closer to her ear.
“Detective---,” Castle’s voice finally responded. Kate instantly felt her blood run cold; there was something about the way he said the word that seemed-off. The sound came out broken and shaky. “She’s-I---something isn’t right---she’s gone---I---.” He quietly began to speak, jumbling together sentences and fraises that Kate could hardly understand.
“Castle,” she said firmly, interrupting his speech. “What are you talking about?”
Castle took in a deep ragged breath. “Alexis. She’s-she’s missing.”
Kate didn’t wait for Castle to finish. “Are you at your apartment?” she asked, the idea of a weekend off quickly fleeing from her mind. Rest could wait.
“Yes,” Castle responded and she could practically see him nodding on the other end of the phone.
“I’ll be right there,” she said. With only one thought in her mind, Kate quickly hung up. As fast as she could, she blew out the candles in her bathroom, emptied the tub, and dressed. And still she didn’t seem to be moving fast enough.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate impatiently tapped her foot as she rode the elevator to Castle’s floor. After what seemed like far longer of a ride than necessary the doors finally dinged open. She all but sprinted to the apartment door and was about to burst into the apartment, unannounced when she paused. If anyone would be entering the apartment without knocking, it would be Alexis. And, given the circumstances, Kate didn’t want to give Castle any seconds of false hope. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately. Castle greeted her and Kate instantly made a note that it was a sight she never wanted to see again. Here was a man who drove her crazy. Beyond crazy. He drove her up a wall. And yet, she had never seen a human being look more broken. He was absolutely hopeless.
Before she knew what was happening, she was in his arms, his face buried deep in the crook of her shoulder. She froze for a second, before relaxing and allowing him this small moment of comfort. She let her hand rub against his back in a slow circle, offering more comfort. Slowly, he pulled away and rubbed his eyes, obviously trying to keep the tears at bay.
“What happened?” Kate asked shrugging off her coat as Castle closed the door.
The man shook his head. “I don’t-I don’t know,” he said, walking into the kitchen. Martha sat at the counter, her head in her hands; a half empty glass of wine before her. She looked up when the two entered and offered a smile, quickly hiding the frightened demeanor she had before-no doubt trying to keep strong for her son.
Kate smiled back and sat down; Castle quickly poured her a glass of wine as well.
“We went out to dinner and Alexis was supposed to meet us at six at the restaurant, but she never showed,” Castle began, speaking slowly and avoiding Kate’s eyes. The detective felt her own heart rate speed at the sound of an all too familiar scene. “She didn’t answer her phone when I called and she still isn’t picking up.”
“Where was she supposed to be before she was going to meet you?” Kate asked, instantly falling into the role of Detective.
“At the library, studying with her friends,” Martha piped in before taking a sip of wine.
“I called everyone she was supposed to be with,” Castle continued. “They all said they left her at the library around four. She was going to stay longer to study for her French test before she was going to meet us.
“We went to the library and didn’t see her, so we came back here, hoping that maybe she had forgotten about dinner, but she-,”
“Wasn’t,” Kate filled in the blank.
“Then I called you,” Castle finished, taking in another deep breath.
“Okay…okay,” Kate said, trying to organize her thoughts. “Have you called anyone else?”
“Owen, he hasn’t seen her since school got out.”
“Okay,” Kate said again. It was clear that something wasn’t right and this wasn’t just a father jumping to conclusions. She knew Alexis, had anything in her plans changed her father would have known. “You haven’t called the police?”
Castle and Martha both stared at her, their faces blank. She felt herself blush. “Right,” she said, taking a sip of wine. “I mean, you haven’t reported her missing?”
“Don’t you count?” Martha asked.
“Not officially,” Kate said. She paused, wondering what their next move should be. “Why don’t we go back to the library, see if anyone else can tell us if they might have seen her? Maybe she was in a spot you missed. If nothing comes of that then we’ll file an official report.”
There was silence as Kate waited for Castle or Martha to respond. Martha looked to her son, who stared at the counter as if it held the answers to the world. “What if I can’t find her?” He spoke quietly, his eyes unmoving from the hard surface.
“We will,” Kate said firmly.
“But what if I can’t?”
Martha took a large gulp of wine, blinking back the tears that finally began to form in her eyes.
Kate looked from mother to son before she stood and walked around the counter. As she passed Martha she let her hand trail across the older woman’s shoulder; offering quiet comfort. She stopped short when she reached Castle, standing close enough to invade his personal space.
“Castle, we will find her. But you’re going to need to stay positive.” Castle made no sign of hearing her. He simply continued to stare at the counter. “Castle.” Still nothing. “Rick,” Kate softly said, gently placing her hand atop his. Slowly, the man turned to face her. “We will find her, I promise.”
Kate had long since learned that the only thing a detective should promise was that she would do her best. Usual cases were never a guarantee and promises usually ended up broken. But this was not just any case and her best would not be good enough.
“I promise.”
Castle nodded, before looking down at their combined hands. He turned his palm up so they connected and Kate was certain her hand had never fit as perfectly with someone else’s before. She was all too acutely aware that Martha’s eyes were glued to their hands as well, but that fact didn’t seem to matter now. Normally, Kate would have blushed; but now was not the time.
“I--,” Castle began to speak but he was interrupted by the ringing of the house phone. He quickly reached for it with his freehand, holding tighter to Kate as if he actually thought she would let go. “Hello?”
Castle’s grip tightened even more as the other person began to speak and his face darkened to the tenth degree. Not knowing whether it was instinct or the mere desire too, Kate laced her fingers with his, providing the most contact and comfort she could.
“Listen I don’t---who do you think---what have you done with my-Let me know she’s o--.”
There was a loud click, as the other person hung up the phone on their end so forcefully that even Kate and Martha could hear the disconnect.
“Who was it?” Martha asked, her voice breaking through their held breaths.
Castle shook his head, staring at the phone. “I don’t---they have Alexis and they are demanding a ransom.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty minutes later they were at the library. Having reported the ransom, Martha had stayed at the apartment to assist the police with any information she could, while Kate and Castle were joined by Ryan, Esposito, Captain Montgomery, and an FBI team (Kate took small comfort in the fact that Will was not part of said team).
It was a long shot, coming to the library, but as it was the last place anyone had seen Alexis it had to be their starting point. As they had arrived, the last employee had been locking the building and reopened it to allow them to look both inside and out.
The FBI was heading the search in the building, while Ryan and Esposito led the search around the perimeter. And Kate. Kate was doing her best to help, but her focus continued to break as she surreptitiously listened to Castle, who was currently giving the Captain and the FBI Agent in charge what for.
“I don’t care if the FBI has jurisdiction over child abductions. I don’t care if the Secretary of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over them. Alexis is my daughter and I want Detective Beckett leading this investigation,” Castle said loudly, oblivious to the fact that his voice was carrying. “I will do what ever I have to do. I’ll even pay you if you want me to, or sign forms. She’s leading it, and that’s that.”
Kate smiled slightly, glad that the man whom she had been spending so much time with had faith in her skills and abilities. The Captain finally responded; keep his voice away from prying ears.
“Fine,” Castle replied. Captain Montgomery clapped the man on the shoulder and walked towards Kate; who quickly did her best to appear as if she hadn’t been eaves dropping.
“Castle just volunteered you to head this investigation,” he said. “Given the circumstances I think it’s a good idea, however--.”
“I’ll do it,” Kate said quickly, having already decided that she would take charge no matter what was said.
“However,” the Captain said again, “Given the circumstances I’m not so sure.”
Kate furrowed her brow. “But, Sir, you just said--.”
“I know, but this one’s a little more personal for all of us…especially you.” Kate’s brow furrowed even more. What did he mean by that? “If this were to end badly…”
“It won’t,” Kate said firmly.
The Captain sighed. “But if it were, the effect it could have--.”
“It wont,” Kate said again, matching her determined gaze with the Captain’s.
The man sighed. “Detective,” he began to warn, but was interrupted by the arrival of Ryan and Esposito.
“We found something.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“That’s hers,” Castle confirmed in a solemn voice, as the group huddled around a backpack that was hidden in the bush.
“And this?” Kate asked, picking up a discarded cell phone; the metallic device slipping in her gloved hands. She didn’t need to wait for an answer, a long list of missed calls from “Dad” flashed back at her.
“Yes,” Castle said, proving her right.
Kate hit the clear button and the call screen popped up, the numbers nine and one standing out against the blue background. “She tried to call for help.”
“Good girl,” Castle whispered, staring at the phone as if it were Alexis herself. The light of the phone illuminated the area around them, giving Castle’s face a haunted glow. Kate had to look away.
“Which means there was probably a struggle,” she deducted. “See if you can find anything else.” Ryan and Esposito nodded at the instructions given to them. “Get this back to the lab and have everything checked for prints that don’t belong to the immediate Castle family,” Kate finished, handing the cell to a uniform and indicating he should take the backpack as well.
The teams dispersed to do as they had been told.
“What are we going to do?” Castle asked looking to Kate with the most trust she had ever seen anyone give her.
“I’m going to take you home.”
“But--.”
“No buts, Castle, we’re going home.”
Castle opened his mouth to respond and Kate could almost hear him responding with some half-witty remark about her butt…or his butt…of both of their butts. But he quickly closed his mouth; sighing, he relented. “Okay.”
Part Two
Summary: Alexis has been kidnapped. Castle is at a loss. And Beckett promises to make it right.
Missing-
-A Story
“A refill, Miss?”
“Why yes, please.”
Rick Castle watched as a waiter filled his mother’s wine glass to the brim. The young man turned towards the writer and offered the wine to him. Castle waved away the offer; the waiter nodded and walked off.
“A refill Mother?” Castle asked. “I just got here, how long have you been waiting?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Martha replied after swallowing a mouthful of wine. Castle raised his brow. “Oh don’t give me that look. Sorry to break it to you, kiddo, but mummy is a grown adult who can have as much wine as she pleases.”
“On my dime, of course.”
Martha merely smiled, tipping her glass towards her son in a mock toast.
Castle smiled and shook his head, choosing to look around the restaurant than engage his mother in more banter.
It was another Friday night in New York City. Alexis had suggested, the week prior, that they all go out to dinner; something they hadn’t done as a family in a long while. He chuckled silently, wondering why on earth anyone’s teenage daughter would want to spend a Friday night with her father and grandmother instead of with her friends doing who-knows-what-kids-did-these-days. Though he constantly goaded his daughter for not acting like the typical rebellious teenager, Castle took comfort in the fact that she actually wasn’t.
Somewhere in the restaurant, a clock sounded, chiming in the six o’clock hour.
“Didn’t Alexis say she would be here by six?” Martha asked.
Castle narrowed his brow, “Yes.” It wasn’t like his daughter to be late. Though she had said she would meet her family at six, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had shown up at five. “Perhaps her study group ran late, I’ll call her.”
Castle quickly pulled out his phone and dialed his daughter’s cell number; impatiently tapping his fingers as the first ring went by. Then the second. Then the third. The ring echoed through his ear, until finally, it went to voicemail.
Nothing.
“She didn’t answer,” Castle said, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking at it as if seeing it for the first time.
“That can’t be right, Alexis always answers,” Martha replied, taking another sip of wine. “Try again, you probably miss dialed.”
Castle quickly did as her mother suggested, swallowing the quick gibe of a retort that had bubbled on his lips as a sense of dread began to fill his stomach. The same thing happened, one ring following another until he was met with the computer voice of voicemail.
“Something isn’t right,” Castle said, setting his phone on the table. His eyes quickly scanned the restaurant, hoping that his daughter was seated at another table, waiting for her father and grandmother to join her. But her fire red hair was nowhere to be seen among the dining guests. “Something isn’t right.”
“Oh darling, you’re jumping to conclusions I’m sure everything is fine,” Martha said, though even she didn’t sound so convinced.
Castle tried to let his mother’s words comfort him, but he couldn’t. This wasn’t like his daughter. And no amount of positive thinking was going to be able to quell the dread that was beginning to run through his veins.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate Beckett sighed as the sound of running water filled her senses.
There was no more perfect a sound then that of a filling bathtub. It was calming, reassuring, and quiet; something she cherished after a long week of working the City streets. Especially when that sound promised the beginning of a quiet weekend off; something she hardly rewarded herself with.
There would be no calls for her help, no paper work to fill out. Nothing but the quiet of her apartment and a good book. Or maybe a movie. She hadn’t gone to the theater in---she couldn’t even recall.
Kate let the water fill in the tub as she began to light the candles around her bathroom. She supposed she should feel sorry for herself. She was a grown woman, single for longer than she liked to think about, and yet she was spending her Friday night alone. But she didn’t feel sorry for herself. She didn’t even really care. She wasn’t in the dating mood, unless-no she wasn’t in the dating mood as of late and she was okay with that.
She quickly turned off the water and shimmied out of her robe. She had just placed one foot in the hot, relaxing water when a chiming sound interrupted the serene quiet of her apartment. She sighed. Why her? Why now? Why did someone have to call now.
She had half the mind not to worry about it, once the ringing stopped her voicemail more than likely taking over. But then there was a loud ding that meant she received a text message, followed once again by the ringing of an incoming call. She cursed and picked up her robe, hastily putting it back on.
By the time she got to her phone the ringing had stopped. She flipped it open to see four missed calls from Castle. She scowled. It was eight o’clock and she had specifically made it clear that he was not to call her this weekend. It was hers. She opened the text she had received, that too from Castle.
The message: Answer your phone! screamed back at her. Her phone jumped to life, the ringing continuing as Castle called her once again. She sighed and hit the answer button, knowing that the only way to get the writer to stop was to actually speak with him. “What do you want, Castle?”
She received no response. Only the faint sound of ragged breathing greeted her. “Castle?” she asked again, pressing the phone closer to her ear.
“Detective---,” Castle’s voice finally responded. Kate instantly felt her blood run cold; there was something about the way he said the word that seemed-off. The sound came out broken and shaky. “She’s-I---something isn’t right---she’s gone---I---.” He quietly began to speak, jumbling together sentences and fraises that Kate could hardly understand.
“Castle,” she said firmly, interrupting his speech. “What are you talking about?”
Castle took in a deep ragged breath. “Alexis. She’s-she’s missing.”
Kate didn’t wait for Castle to finish. “Are you at your apartment?” she asked, the idea of a weekend off quickly fleeing from her mind. Rest could wait.
“Yes,” Castle responded and she could practically see him nodding on the other end of the phone.
“I’ll be right there,” she said. With only one thought in her mind, Kate quickly hung up. As fast as she could, she blew out the candles in her bathroom, emptied the tub, and dressed. And still she didn’t seem to be moving fast enough.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate impatiently tapped her foot as she rode the elevator to Castle’s floor. After what seemed like far longer of a ride than necessary the doors finally dinged open. She all but sprinted to the apartment door and was about to burst into the apartment, unannounced when she paused. If anyone would be entering the apartment without knocking, it would be Alexis. And, given the circumstances, Kate didn’t want to give Castle any seconds of false hope. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately. Castle greeted her and Kate instantly made a note that it was a sight she never wanted to see again. Here was a man who drove her crazy. Beyond crazy. He drove her up a wall. And yet, she had never seen a human being look more broken. He was absolutely hopeless.
Before she knew what was happening, she was in his arms, his face buried deep in the crook of her shoulder. She froze for a second, before relaxing and allowing him this small moment of comfort. She let her hand rub against his back in a slow circle, offering more comfort. Slowly, he pulled away and rubbed his eyes, obviously trying to keep the tears at bay.
“What happened?” Kate asked shrugging off her coat as Castle closed the door.
The man shook his head. “I don’t-I don’t know,” he said, walking into the kitchen. Martha sat at the counter, her head in her hands; a half empty glass of wine before her. She looked up when the two entered and offered a smile, quickly hiding the frightened demeanor she had before-no doubt trying to keep strong for her son.
Kate smiled back and sat down; Castle quickly poured her a glass of wine as well.
“We went out to dinner and Alexis was supposed to meet us at six at the restaurant, but she never showed,” Castle began, speaking slowly and avoiding Kate’s eyes. The detective felt her own heart rate speed at the sound of an all too familiar scene. “She didn’t answer her phone when I called and she still isn’t picking up.”
“Where was she supposed to be before she was going to meet you?” Kate asked, instantly falling into the role of Detective.
“At the library, studying with her friends,” Martha piped in before taking a sip of wine.
“I called everyone she was supposed to be with,” Castle continued. “They all said they left her at the library around four. She was going to stay longer to study for her French test before she was going to meet us.
“We went to the library and didn’t see her, so we came back here, hoping that maybe she had forgotten about dinner, but she-,”
“Wasn’t,” Kate filled in the blank.
“Then I called you,” Castle finished, taking in another deep breath.
“Okay…okay,” Kate said, trying to organize her thoughts. “Have you called anyone else?”
“Owen, he hasn’t seen her since school got out.”
“Okay,” Kate said again. It was clear that something wasn’t right and this wasn’t just a father jumping to conclusions. She knew Alexis, had anything in her plans changed her father would have known. “You haven’t called the police?”
Castle and Martha both stared at her, their faces blank. She felt herself blush. “Right,” she said, taking a sip of wine. “I mean, you haven’t reported her missing?”
“Don’t you count?” Martha asked.
“Not officially,” Kate said. She paused, wondering what their next move should be. “Why don’t we go back to the library, see if anyone else can tell us if they might have seen her? Maybe she was in a spot you missed. If nothing comes of that then we’ll file an official report.”
There was silence as Kate waited for Castle or Martha to respond. Martha looked to her son, who stared at the counter as if it held the answers to the world. “What if I can’t find her?” He spoke quietly, his eyes unmoving from the hard surface.
“We will,” Kate said firmly.
“But what if I can’t?”
Martha took a large gulp of wine, blinking back the tears that finally began to form in her eyes.
Kate looked from mother to son before she stood and walked around the counter. As she passed Martha she let her hand trail across the older woman’s shoulder; offering quiet comfort. She stopped short when she reached Castle, standing close enough to invade his personal space.
“Castle, we will find her. But you’re going to need to stay positive.” Castle made no sign of hearing her. He simply continued to stare at the counter. “Castle.” Still nothing. “Rick,” Kate softly said, gently placing her hand atop his. Slowly, the man turned to face her. “We will find her, I promise.”
Kate had long since learned that the only thing a detective should promise was that she would do her best. Usual cases were never a guarantee and promises usually ended up broken. But this was not just any case and her best would not be good enough.
“I promise.”
Castle nodded, before looking down at their combined hands. He turned his palm up so they connected and Kate was certain her hand had never fit as perfectly with someone else’s before. She was all too acutely aware that Martha’s eyes were glued to their hands as well, but that fact didn’t seem to matter now. Normally, Kate would have blushed; but now was not the time.
“I--,” Castle began to speak but he was interrupted by the ringing of the house phone. He quickly reached for it with his freehand, holding tighter to Kate as if he actually thought she would let go. “Hello?”
Castle’s grip tightened even more as the other person began to speak and his face darkened to the tenth degree. Not knowing whether it was instinct or the mere desire too, Kate laced her fingers with his, providing the most contact and comfort she could.
“Listen I don’t---who do you think---what have you done with my-Let me know she’s o--.”
There was a loud click, as the other person hung up the phone on their end so forcefully that even Kate and Martha could hear the disconnect.
“Who was it?” Martha asked, her voice breaking through their held breaths.
Castle shook his head, staring at the phone. “I don’t---they have Alexis and they are demanding a ransom.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Twenty minutes later they were at the library. Having reported the ransom, Martha had stayed at the apartment to assist the police with any information she could, while Kate and Castle were joined by Ryan, Esposito, Captain Montgomery, and an FBI team (Kate took small comfort in the fact that Will was not part of said team).
It was a long shot, coming to the library, but as it was the last place anyone had seen Alexis it had to be their starting point. As they had arrived, the last employee had been locking the building and reopened it to allow them to look both inside and out.
The FBI was heading the search in the building, while Ryan and Esposito led the search around the perimeter. And Kate. Kate was doing her best to help, but her focus continued to break as she surreptitiously listened to Castle, who was currently giving the Captain and the FBI Agent in charge what for.
“I don’t care if the FBI has jurisdiction over child abductions. I don’t care if the Secretary of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over them. Alexis is my daughter and I want Detective Beckett leading this investigation,” Castle said loudly, oblivious to the fact that his voice was carrying. “I will do what ever I have to do. I’ll even pay you if you want me to, or sign forms. She’s leading it, and that’s that.”
Kate smiled slightly, glad that the man whom she had been spending so much time with had faith in her skills and abilities. The Captain finally responded; keep his voice away from prying ears.
“Fine,” Castle replied. Captain Montgomery clapped the man on the shoulder and walked towards Kate; who quickly did her best to appear as if she hadn’t been eaves dropping.
“Castle just volunteered you to head this investigation,” he said. “Given the circumstances I think it’s a good idea, however--.”
“I’ll do it,” Kate said quickly, having already decided that she would take charge no matter what was said.
“However,” the Captain said again, “Given the circumstances I’m not so sure.”
Kate furrowed her brow. “But, Sir, you just said--.”
“I know, but this one’s a little more personal for all of us…especially you.” Kate’s brow furrowed even more. What did he mean by that? “If this were to end badly…”
“It won’t,” Kate said firmly.
The Captain sighed. “But if it were, the effect it could have--.”
“It wont,” Kate said again, matching her determined gaze with the Captain’s.
The man sighed. “Detective,” he began to warn, but was interrupted by the arrival of Ryan and Esposito.
“We found something.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“That’s hers,” Castle confirmed in a solemn voice, as the group huddled around a backpack that was hidden in the bush.
“And this?” Kate asked, picking up a discarded cell phone; the metallic device slipping in her gloved hands. She didn’t need to wait for an answer, a long list of missed calls from “Dad” flashed back at her.
“Yes,” Castle said, proving her right.
Kate hit the clear button and the call screen popped up, the numbers nine and one standing out against the blue background. “She tried to call for help.”
“Good girl,” Castle whispered, staring at the phone as if it were Alexis herself. The light of the phone illuminated the area around them, giving Castle’s face a haunted glow. Kate had to look away.
“Which means there was probably a struggle,” she deducted. “See if you can find anything else.” Ryan and Esposito nodded at the instructions given to them. “Get this back to the lab and have everything checked for prints that don’t belong to the immediate Castle family,” Kate finished, handing the cell to a uniform and indicating he should take the backpack as well.
The teams dispersed to do as they had been told.
“What are we going to do?” Castle asked looking to Kate with the most trust she had ever seen anyone give her.
“I’m going to take you home.”
“But--.”
“No buts, Castle, we’re going home.”
Castle opened his mouth to respond and Kate could almost hear him responding with some half-witty remark about her butt…or his butt…of both of their butts. But he quickly closed his mouth; sighing, he relented. “Okay.”
Part Two