Castle's partner

Leprechaun Part 2

I hand him the note.

While he reads it I open the drawer underneath to make sure the money Connor gave me is still there, and that Tyson didn't take it. I counted it and it is almost two grand.

"I assumed you were the leprechaun because you are the only Irish person I know. And it talks about height. It basically says even the shortest person can't avoid the bomb so I also assumed it was on the floor or under the floorboards. It was weight sensitive. Any weight on top, bomb goes off."

"I can't believe you got there in time. Thank you."

I bite my lip. If it weren't for me, the chance of that happening would have been non-existent.

"It's not your fault." Ryan says, like he read my mind.

"Would you still say that if I found your dead body? Or Jenny's? Would you blame me then?"

He stops for a second.

"No. I wouldn't blame you because it wouldn't be your fault unless you put the bomb there. But look what he's doing to you! He's messing with you, don't you see?"

"He's trying to get to me by using you. The others need to know, I think he might try to hurt them too."

"Ok. Let's go."

Beckett and Castle are at the precinct when we get there. Espo is watching the landlord get a guy to fix his apartment.

They look up to find us standing next to them.

"Ryan how'd the call go?"

He points to my cheek.

"Had to call bomb squad after she detonated one."

She has a horrified look on her face, and it makes me laugh.

"Ok you forgot a key word here, safely. I did it safely."

"Story, now."

I proceed to tell her about the note and what happened afterwards, about the bomb and everything else.

"That means he was in the apartment. He had to get that note in there somehow."

"He could have just killed me then. Why didn't he?" Asks Ryan.

"It's a game to him. He likes it better when there's a challenge, like him losing to me. He wants me to play the game, otherwise..."

I can't finish my sentence.

"Otherwise one of us dies." Castle finishes for me.

I give him a look of regret.

"I'm sorry. I wish he would just kill me and get it over with."

"Hey! No! He's not going to kill you, or any of us." Exclaims Beckett.

"Ok. Whatever let's just move on. Ryan can you connect anything here as to why-wait why were you going there in the first place?"

He pauses for a second.

"An anonymous tip. They said they thought they saw something suspicious inside."

He cocks his head. "Tyson?"

"It had to have been. Trace the call and see where it came from?" I suggest.

He nods and wanders over to the computer.

It doesn't take long until he calls out an address.

"That's in the Upper East Side. Are you going?"

"Yeah, Espo won't be back for awhile so I'll go alone."

"No you won't. You never go without backup. I'm coming too."

"It's too dangerous. You stay here."

"Ryan if he wanted me dead I would be already. If I go with you he won't touch us."

He debates in his head before reluctantly agreeing.

"Fine. But you listen to me. I go in first, I come out last. I tell you to run, you run. Do you understand?"

"Yea let's go."

"Ross, I'm not playing."

Seeing the serious look on his face, I agree to his terms. "Ok. We'll do this your way I promise. I won't try anything."

"Thank you. Now get a vest on."

I smile to myself as I turn away.

The building we pull up to seems normal. It's big, looks like an old industrial warehouse.

Ryan finds a side door and walks through.

A few seconds later he calls me in.

I follow, and it's almost completely empty except for a few shelves and boxes covered in dust and cobwebs.

"There's nothing. Is that the phone he used?" I point to the landline attached to the wall.

"That's the only one he could have used."

I let out a sigh.

"Well there's nothing else we can do here." I say, before everything goes black.

And Ryan screams as I fall to the floor.