Detective Vale led the way into the apartment building, with Bradford, Chen, Lopez, Jackson, and Bishop close behind him.
"Hiroshi Yoshida is on the second floor," Vale said. "Apartment 2C."
The lobby smelled of damp plaster and stale cigarette smoke. Half the ceiling lights were dead, and the remaining ones flickered as the officers crossed toward the stairs.
They moved quickly but quietly. Bradford took the lead beside Vale, one hand resting near his weapon. Lucy followed with Jackson, while Lopez and Bishop watched their rear.
They were running out of time.
Nine hours remained before the ransom deadline.
Jackson kept his voice low as they climbed.
"How did Adler know Yoshida was our safecracker?"
Vale glanced back without slowing.
"It was Adler's head of security. I know his kind. He must have had a hand in it. I'm sure of it."
"So Adler's been conducting his own investigation," Jackson said.
"Looks that way."
Bishop nodded. "Nolan told me they were looking into their own leads."
Bradford's jaw tightened.
"I can't believe they beat us to him."
Lucy gave a quiet laugh.
Bradford looked back at her.
"What?"
"I'm just enjoying how personally you're taking this."
"They didn't beat us," Vale said. "Yoshida was already under surveillance. Adler's people only confirmed that he was involved."
Lopez looked between them.
"Focus."
They reached the second floor.
The hallway was narrow, with stained carpet and doors close enough together that a loud conversation would carry through half the building. A television played behind one apartment door. Somewhere farther down the hall, a child was crying.
Vale pointed toward the third door on the right.
2C.
Bradford moved to one side of the door. Lopez took the other. Lucy and Jackson positioned themselves behind them while Bishop watched the stairs.
Vale knocked hard.
"Hiroshi Yoshida! LAPD!"
No answer.
Vale knocked again.
"Mr. Yoshida, open the door!"
Lucy heard movement inside.
Not footsteps approaching them.
Something scraping across the floor.
Bradford heard it too.
"Police!" Vale shouted. "Open the door now!"
A crash came from inside the apartment.
Bradford stepped back.
"He's running."
Vale nodded once.
"Do it."
Bradford drove his boot into the door beside the lock. The frame cracked but held.
He struck it again.
The door flew inward.
Bradford entered first with his weapon raised.
"LAPD! Show me your hands!"
Lucy followed him into a cramped living room littered with takeout boxes, electronic components, and safe-locking mechanisms. An open toolbox sat on the coffee table.
The room was empty.
Then Lucy saw movement through the bedroom doorway.
"There!"
Hiroshi Yoshida was halfway through the window.
"Stop!" Bradford shouted.
Yoshida shoved himself outside.
Bradford ran after him.
"Tim!" Lucy called.
He reached the window and looked down. A metal fire escape ran along the rear wall.
Yoshida was already descending.
Bradford holstered his weapon and climbed through. Vale pointed toward the door.
"Chen, West, downstairs! Lopez, with them. Bishop, secure the apartment."
Lucy was already moving.
She and Jackson raced into the hallway with Lopez behind them. They took the stairs two at a time while the fire escape rattled outside.
Bradford landed on the next platform as Yoshida dropped to the level below.
"Stop running!" Bradford yelled.
Yoshida ignored him.
He vaulted over the railing, caught the ladder below, and slid down toward the alley.
Bradford followed.
The old metal groaned beneath his weight. Yoshida kicked the release mechanism at the bottom, and the final ladder dropped with a violent clang.
Yoshida reached the alley first.
Bradford jumped the last several feet and landed hard. Pain shot through one ankle, but he kept moving.
Yoshida sprinted past overflowing dumpsters and toward the street.
Bradford chased him.
"LAPD! Stop!"
Yoshida looked back once and nearly collided with a delivery truck entering the alley. He twisted around it, knocking over a stack of empty plastic crates behind him.
Bradford hurdled the first crate and kicked another aside. The delay cost him several steps.
Yoshida reached the end of the alley.
For a moment, Bradford thought he had lost him.
Then Lucy burst through the building's side entrance.
She saw Yoshida immediately.
"Jackson, left!"
Jackson moved without hesitation, circling toward the street while Lucy ran directly at Yoshida.
Yoshida tried to change direction.
Jackson cut him off.
He turned back toward the alley, where Bradford was closing in fast.
Lucy launched herself at him.
She caught him around the waist, but Yoshida remained on his feet and dragged her several steps across the pavement.
Jackson hit him from the side.
All three went down.
Yoshida fought beneath them, twisting one arm free and trying to crawl away.
"Hands behind your back!" Jackson shouted.
"I didn't do anything!"
Lucy forced one wrist down while Jackson secured the other.
Bradford reached them and dropped to one knee beside Yoshida.
"Stop resisting."
"I'm not resisting!"
Bradford pulled Yoshida's arm behind his back. Lucy snapped one cuff around his wrist, then locked the second.
Yoshida finally stopped struggling.
Lopez arrived seconds later with her weapon drawn. She checked the alley, then holstered it once she saw Yoshida restrained.
She looked at Jackson.
"Good work."
Jackson was breathing hard, but he smiled.
"Thank you."
Bradford gave Lucy a small nod.
She returned it.
Yoshida lifted his head from the pavement.
"I didn't do anything. Let me go."
Detective Vale emerged from the building with Bishop behind him.
Vale looked down at Yoshida.
"We'll talk more at the station."
"I want a lawyer."
"You have the right to one."
Vale motioned for Bradford and Jackson to bring him to his feet.
"Let's go, Hiroshi."
"So," Ellen said, "I hear you have a little feud going on with Daniel Adler."
Ryan closed his eyes and released a long, exhausted sigh.
The audience laughed.
Ellen leaned forward. "What is happening there?"
"He stole my parking spot."
"That's how this started?"
"Like all great feuds start, Ellen."
More laughter moved through the studio.
Ryan gestured with both hands as he explained.
"So, there I was, driving over to play some golf, and I have a parking spot there."
"Okay."
"And when I got there, I saw Daniel Adler parked in my spot. So I asked him, 'My friend, this is my spot. Could you move the car?' And he was like, 'Fuck off,' and walked away."
The audience booed.
"So what did you do?"
"I did the reasonable, mature thing."
"I had his car towed."
The audience erupted. Ellen stared at him before bursting into laughter.
"You had Daniel Adler's car towed?"
"Yes."
"And he hasn't forgiven you?"
"He has not."
"That's it?"
"That's it. He stole my parking spot, so I had his car taken away. Daniel somehow thinks I was the unreasonable one."
Ellen shook her head, smiling.
"You know, I've tried to get Daniel on this show many times, and he still hasn't come on. I'm always told he's too busy."
"It's because he hates you."
The audience reacted immediately.
"Oooh!"
Ellen's mouth fell open.
"What?"
Ryan leaned back, looking almost pleased with himself.
"I don't know what to tell you, Ellen. I've heard he doesn't like you."
Ellen placed one hand against her chest.
"What did I do?"
Several people in the audience murmured sympathetically.
Ryan lowered his voice as though revealing a closely guarded secret.
"I've heard, and this is true, I'm not making this up, that he thinks you're too nice."
The audience responded with a mixture of surprised laughter and disapproving noises.
Ellen blinked.
"Wow."
Ryan nodded solemnly.
"I know."
"I didn't realize I was too nice for Daniel Adler."
"Apparently, that's your problem."
"Well, I'll try to be worse."
The audience applauded as Ellen smiled toward the camera.
"I'm sorry my kindness has offended you, Daniel."
@FilmUpdatesDaily
Ryan Reynolds claims Daniel Adler refuses to appear on Ellen because he "hates" the host and thinks she is "too nice."
@adlercentral
This is just Ryan making stuff up, and Ellen seems to be taking Ryan's side in the feud. It's a damn hit job.
@PopCultureMia
Does Daniel Adler actually hate Ellen?
@Ainephil993
Daniel has never appeared on her show despite being invited repeatedly.
Ellen even joked a few seasons ago that he was "too busy for her."
Maybe he really doesn't like her.
@Adlnarfficial
So Daniel Adler refuses to appear on a show hosted by one of the nicest people in Hollywood? What a surprise. He probably cannot stand being around someone who does not worship him.
@Hwoodatcher
The weird part is that Daniel has appeared on almost every major late-night show.
Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert, Graham Norton, Conan.
Never Ellen.
@NoMooldenoy
First the penthouse rumors, now this.
People are finally starting to realize Daniel Adler might not be the charming genius everyone thinks he is. It's all PR.
@celebydeepdive
Theory: Maybe Ellen made a joke about Daniel years ago that he took personally.
He is famously petty. That's the impression I get from this whole feud with Ryan, which started over a parking spot.
@EllenShowclub
Ellen looked genuinely hurt when Ryan said it.
@EntertainmentWire
Daniel Adler's representatives declined to comment on Ryan Reynolds' claim that the filmmaker dislikes Ellen DeGeneres.
@Bficeerracle
Daniel's PR team must be having the worst week of their lives.
First the burglary.
Then the domestic-violence rumors.
Now he has somehow become the man who hates Ellen.
@JutAkins88
What does Daniel know about Ellen that the rest of us don't?
@AdlerSnarkficial
The Adler drones are already claiming Ryan was joking.
Funny how everything damaging to Daniel is always "just a joke," "taken out of context," or "a misunderstanding."
@PopCrave
"WHO HATES ELLEN?" trends after Ryan Reynolds claims Daniel Adler refuses to appear on her show because he dislikes the host.
=========
"You dumb bitch. You have no idea what's coming, do you?" I muttered at the screen.
Castle, seated beside me, glanced over. "From where I'm sitting, this entire feud is becoming very childish."
I looked at him. "It is childish. But in a way, I've already won. I just need to shut the idiot up before he keeps doing things like this."
Nolan stood behind the couch, watching the segment with his arms folded.
"I still don't believe what you said about Ellen."
I picked up my phone and showed him the trending page.
"See this? Ellen is trending under 'Who Hates Ellen?'"
Nolan and Castle both nodded.
"My team is going to hijack that hashtag," I said. "Then some of her former employees are going to start telling their stories. Trust me, by the end of next month, she'll be finished."
Castle raised an eyebrow.
"When your entire brand is built around kindness, what happens when people discover you're the exact opposite?"
Nolan frowned.
"Are you planning to make things up about her?"
"No. I don't need to. There is some wild shit happening behind the scenes on her show, and it's all going to come out soon."
I looked back at Ryan's smiling face on the television.
"As for Ryan, like I said, I've already won. Vigilante in The Suicide Squad has already done too much damage to his Deadpool dreams. Now I only need to shut him up and invalidate everything he said about me."
Castle looked interested.
"How?"
"I'll worry about that later."
I turned away from the television.
"Right now, I want my fiancée's ring back."
I looked at Nolan.
"Have you heard anything from your officer friends? Any leads? We practically found the safecracker for them. All they have to do is catch him, unless we need to do that too."
Jim stood near the door.
"Just say the word, boss."
Nolan immediately shook his head.
"No. Catching suspects is police work."
Jim looked at him.
"It's also what we do."
"No, it isn't."
Nolan's phone rang before the argument could continue.
He checked the screen and answered.
"Nolan."
He listened for several seconds.
His posture changed.
"You have him?"
Everyone in the room fell silent.
"Understood. We're coming in."
He ended the call.
"They caught Yoshida."
"Finally." I stood. "Let's go."
Castle rose beside me and clapped his hands together.
"Well done, everyone. We solved the case."
Nolan stared at him. "The police arrested him."
"Yes, but we found him."
"Daniel's security found him."
"It was a team effort."
"You did nothing."
Castle pointed toward his own head.
"I provided deductive energy."
"Come on," I said. "You can argue about credit in the car."
=========
By the time we reached the station, Captain Andersen, Sergeant Grey, and Detective Vale were already waiting for us.
None of them looked pleased.
Vale led us into a conference room and closed the door.
Captain Andersen remained standing.
"Mr. Adler, before we discuss Yoshida, we need to address your decision to conduct an independent investigation."
"I found him, didn't I?"
"Your security personnel approached a criminal suspect without informing us."
"No, they didn't. They just observed him. Then you caught him."
"That does not make it acceptable," Sergeant Grey said.
"It worked. Now can we move on? Where is my ring?"
Grey's expression hardened.
Vale sat down and opened the file in front of him.
"Hiroshi Yoshida claims he does not have it."
"Then he's lying."
"We don't believe he is."
I stared at him.
"He admitted to entering the apartment and opening the safe," Vale continued. "He was hired for the burglary, but he handed everything over afterward."
"Who hired him?"
Captain Andersen answered.
"Yoshida only dealt directly with one of the men involved. He knows him as Jeremy."
Fuck. Not that idiot.
I remembered two old enemies of mine, two men who had once tried to end my involvement in Hollywood altogether.
"Motherfucker."
I stood so quickly that my chair scraped across the floor.
Sergeant Grey looked up.
"What?"
"Jeremy," I repeated.
Castle watched my face carefully.
"Do you know someone by that name?"
"Jeremy Wesker." The name came out through clenched teeth.
Nolan leaned forward. "Who is Jeremy Wesker?"
"Jeremy Wesker and Jacob Stein," I said. "They were shareholders in Stardust before the merger with Nebula."
"What happened between you?" the captain asked.
"They tried to push me out of the company after The Blair Witch Project succeeded. Stardust barely funded it because they thought it would fail, so I paid for most of the production myself and kept the majority of the profits."
"And they objected afterward?" Vale asked.
"They wanted the contracts changed once the movie became successful. When I refused, they threatened lawsuits and tried to pressure the board into stripping away my creative control. They wanted me under their control."
Sergeant Grey studied me.
"So you pushed them out instead."
"Yes."
"How?"
"I convinced them Stardust was about to collapse and that another studio was preparing to poach me. They panicked and sold their shares."
Castle smiled faintly.
"That sounds like you."
"They received fair value at the time," I said. "More than fair, considering the company's position."
"But if they had kept those shares through the merger?" Andersen asked.
"They would be very rich."
"How rich?" Nolan asked.
I considered it.
"A lot, Nolan. A lot."
The room fell silent.
Grey looked toward Vale.
"So these could be our guys."
Vale was already reaching for the door.
"Run both names. Passports, addresses, financial activity, known associates, business records, everything."
He looked at me before leaving.
"If they are involved, we'll find them."
========
Hours passed.
I remained at the station as the deadline crept closer.
Castle stayed with me. Nolan moved between the conference room and the bullpen, relaying whatever fragments of information he was permitted to share. Jim sat near the door, looking increasingly annoyed that the police were taking so long.
Eventually, Captain Andersen returned with Grey, Vale, and Nolan.
Their expressions told me the news was not good.
Vale placed a new file on the table.
"We may have a problem with your theory."
"It isn't a theory."
"We checked both men," he said. "Jeremy Wesker and Jacob Stein have lived in France for several years. Wesker has an apartment in Paris. Stein owns property outside Lyon."
"So?"
"Their passports show no recent entry into the United States. Their known bank accounts remain active overseas, and French records place both of them there within the past month."
"They could have faked all of that."
"They could," Vale said. "They could also simply be in France."
"They aren't."
Captain Andersen folded her arms.
"You cannot know that."
"Yes, I can. It has to be them."
"Yoshida knew one first name," Grey said. "Jeremy is not uncommon."
"It's them, Sergeant. I can't think of anyone else who would go to such lengths."
Vale looked unconvinced.
Castle, who had been unusually quiet, leaned forward.
"What if Daniel called him?"
Everyone turned toward him.
Vale's expression became even less friendly.
"Why?"
"Because from what Daniel has told me, Jeremy is arrogant, emotional, and desperate to receive credit."
Castle tapped the ransom letter.
"He believes Daniel cheated him out of billions. A man like that does not want to hide forever. He wants Daniel to understand who beat him."
"And you think he'll confess over the phone?" Vale asked.
"No. But we can still try."
Vale glanced at me.
"The man might not even have the same number, but why not? Do you have Wesker's number?"
"Give me a minute."
I took out my phone and called Graves.
She answered almost immediately.
"Daniel?"
"I need Jeremy Wesker's contact number. It should be in my old phone."
"Got it."
She ended the call.
We waited.
Vale connected my phone to the room's recording system while Andersen contacted the technical team. Within minutes, they were prepared to trace whatever they could from the call.
My phone vibrated.
Graves had sent the contact.
I looked at Vale.
"I'm going to call."
He activated the recorder.
"Put it on speaker."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
I entered the number and pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
A man answered.
"Hello?"
I recognized the voice immediately.
"Jeremy."
Silence.
Then came a quiet breath.
"Daniel."
Every officer in the room became more attentive.
I leaned back in my chair.
"It's been a long time."
"Not long enough."
Castle lifted his eyebrows as if to say, See?
"You took something from me, Jeremy."
For a second, there was only silence.
Then Wesker began to laugh.
It was not the reaction of a careful criminal trying to protect himself. It was loud, delighted, and almost breathless.
Everyone in the room stared at the speaker.
Vale looked as though he could not believe his luck.
I leaned back and decided to give Jeremy exactly what he wanted.
"The police don't believe you took the ring."
Jeremy laughed again.
"Of course they don't. I planned it all."
Sergeant Grey closed his eyes and slapped one hand over his face.
Nolan looked down at the table, his shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh out loud.
Captain Andersen pressed her fingers against her forehead.
Bradford and Lopez, who had entered during the call, exchanged a bewildered look.
Even Vale briefly turned away from the speaker.
Jeremy was an idiot. There was no way he had planned any of this alone. Jacob had always been the smarter one.
"So it was you?" I asked.
"Yes."
Jeremy sounded pleased with himself.
"And it feels amazing. You know, I'm wearing the ring right now."
My amusement vanished.
He laughed again.
"It's such an ugly thing. I cannot understand why she likes it."
Vale immediately signalled for me to remain calm and keep him talking.
Jeremy did not need much encouragement.
"You always believed you were the smartest person in every room," he continued. "Even when you were a child, you looked at everyone else as though we were already beneath you."
"I don't remember thinking about you much at all."
His breathing changed.
"You stole our company."
"You sold your shares and left."
"You forced us."
"I did no such thing."
"You lied to us. You told us Stardust was finished."
"And you believed me."
Jeremy's voice rose.
"You think that makes you clever?"
"I think it made you easy."
Castle covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
Vale gave me a warning look, but Jeremy was already too angry to stop.
"Jacob and I waited for years," he said. "We watched you take everything that should have belonged to us. Stardust. Nebula. You stole everything from us."
His shout crackled through the speaker.
"We waited, Daniel. We planned. We found the right people, and we took something that mattered to you, just as you took everything that mattered to us."
Around the table, every officer had gone completely still.
Jeremy laughed once more.
"And now we're taking the money too."
Then his voice hardened.
"But I've changed my mind. You're bringing it yourself now."
Vale's head snapped up.
I kept my voice even.
"That wasn't the agreement."
"I have altered the agreement."
"You said Bitcoin."
"You will transfer it when you arrive."
"Where?"
Jeremy gave me an address.
"That dumb fuck," I heard the captain whisper.
The address was local. Jeremy apparently wanted me to walk directly into whatever trap he had prepared.
"Come alone," he said. "No police. No security."
"Of course."
"I'll know if you bring anyone."
"I'm sure you will."
Jeremy lowered his voice, trying to sound threatening.
"See you soon, Daniel."
The line went dead.
For one second, the room remained completely silent.
Then everyone broke.
Nolan laughed first.
Jackson followed him.
Lopez shook her head, smiling despite herself. Bradford leaned against the wall and covered his face. Captain Andersen tried to maintain her composure but failed, while Sergeant Grey released a deep laugh and sat back in his chair.
Castle looked delighted.
Vale stared at the silent speaker.
"Oh my God," he said. "What a fucking idiot."
I shook my head.
"I'm fairly sure he's on cocaine or something."
"He confessed to burglary, extortion, conspiracy, possession of stolen property, and implicated an accomplice," Vale said. "Then he provided the location where he wants the victim to meet him."
Captain Andersen's amusement faded as quickly as it had appeared.
"We have an operation to plan."
I stood and walked toward the other officers.
Nolan moved beside me.
"You've met Bishop," he said. "This is Officer Tim Bradford."
Bradford offered his hand.
"Mr. Adler."
I shook it.
"Thank you for your help."
"It's our job."
Nolan gestured toward Lucy.
"Officer Lucy Chen."
Lucy smiled.
"I'm a big fan."
Bradford looked at her.
"Chen."
"What? I'm still being professional."
I shook her hand.
"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy my work."
Her smile widened. "Very much."
Nolan moved on.
"Officer Jackson West."
Jackson looked slightly starstruck.
"Sir."
"Daniel is fine."
"Yes, sir. Daniel."
I studied him for a moment.
"You know, you have a good face for the screen."
Jackson blinked.
"Really?"
Before I could answer, Lopez spoke up.
"Hey, don't poach him from us. He's a good cop."
Jackson smiled, clearly pleased despite trying to hide it.
Nolan gestured toward her.
"And this is Officer Angela Lopez."
Lopez greeted me with a calm nod.
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Officer."
"Thank you," I said, looking around at all of them. "For everything you've done."
Bradford shrugged.
"Like I said, it's the job."
"After this is over, I'm buying drinks for all of you. All night."
Nolan smiled.
"We're holding you to that."
A middle-aged officer wandered into the room carrying a cup of coffee. He saw me and stopped.
"Oh. It's you."
Nolan's expression changed immediately.
"Smitty, no."
Smitty looked me over.
"Okay, I have to ask. How many women are actually in your harem?"
The room went silent.
Captain Andersen turned toward him with a sharp glare.
Sergeant Grey slowly rose from his chair.
I laughed.
"I've lost count, actually."
Smitty pointed at me.
"See? I knew it."
"Officer Smitty," Grey said, "please come with me."
"What? I was just making conversation."
Grey placed a firm hand on his shoulder and guided him toward the door.
I watched them leave, still smiling, before walking over to Detective Vale.
"Detective, we need to talk."
=========
Everything moved fast after that.
Jeremy wanted to meet near an abandoned warehouse in West Hollywood. By the time Nolan and I arrived, the police had already surrounded the entire block.
I watched the building from inside an unmarked car parked across the street.
Half the windows had been boarded over. The remaining glass was cracked or filmed with years of grime. Rust streaked the corrugated walls, and weeds pushed through the broken pavement around the loading bay.
A black case rested on the passenger seat.
Inside was a hardware wallet provided by the police and linked to a controlled Bitcoin account. It looked real enough to convince Jeremy, but the actual transfer could not occur without authorization from Vale's team.
Police covered every exit. I could not see most of them, which was apparently the point. Bradford and Chen were positioned near the rear. Lopez and West watched the loading bay. Bishop and another officer waited near the front, close enough to move once Vale gave the order. Ortega coordinated the surveillance teams from an unmarked van farther down the street.
Castle and Nolan sat behind me while Vale stood beside the open driver's-side door.
I looked at him.
"I have an idea."
Vale's expression immediately became cautious.
"What?"
I turned toward Castle and Nolan.
"It's time."
Castle frowned. "Time for what?"
"For you to admit that you look exactly alike."
Castle stared at me.
"Danny, now is not the time for this."
"Now is the perfect time."
I pointed at Nolan.
"I take Nolan inside with me. I tell Jeremy my friend refused to let me come alone. He won't know Nolan is a cop because he'll think he's either Castle or Nathan."
Castle folded his arms.
"That is a stupid plan."
Vale studied Nolan's face, then Castle's.
"No," he said slowly. "It's actually not."
I looked at Castle triumphantly.
"You hear that?"
"I heard him."
Vale ignored us.
"If Jeremy believes Nolan is a civilian, it gives us an officer inside without revealing police involvement."
I pointed at Castle again.
"So admit it."
Castle looked toward Nolan.
Nolan sighed.
"Yes. We look alike."
I smiled.
"And?"
"It is very weird, okay?"
"Thank you."
I turned to Castle.
Castle shook his head.
"Fine. Yes, we look alike."
"And Nathan?"
"Yes, Nathan Fillion also looks like us."
"And?"
"It is freaking me out."
I raised both hands.
"Victory for Adler. The first of many to come in the coming months."
Vale stared at me.
I lowered my hands.
"Sorry. The plan is good, though, right?"
Vale looked at Nolan.
"You ready to do this, rookie?"
Nolan nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Vale opened the rear door and leaned closer.
"You stay beside Adler. Keep yourself between him and any immediate threat if possible, but do not make any sudden movements unless you have no choice."
Nolan listened carefully.
"We still do not know how many people are inside," Vale continued. "Our surveillance shows two men entered earlier, but there are blind spots along the eastern wall and inside the warehouse."
He handed Nolan a small earpiece.
"Keep the channel open. Confirm the ring is present before we move. Once you see it, say, 'We brought what you asked for.' That gives us confirmation."
Vale looked at me.
"You do not provoke him."
"I won't."
"Do not threaten him."
"I understand."
Vale took the black case and handed it to me.
"If either of you sees a weapon, say the word 'problem.' Our teams move immediately."
Nolan adjusted the earpiece and checked the concealed weapon beneath his jacket.
I climbed out with the case.
Nolan followed.
"All right," I said. "You ready?"
He looked toward the warehouse.
"So, am I Castle or Nathan?"
"Let's see what Jeremy thinks."
We crossed the street.
The warehouse doors were partly open, leaving a narrow gap between them. No light came from inside except for the pale daylight filtering through holes in the roof.
I pushed one door wider.
The metal groaned.
We entered, and our footsteps echoed through the empty space.
Two men waited near the center.
Jeremy Wesker stood beside a folding table.
My God, he looked terrible.
He had lost so much weight. His cheeks were hollow, his skin pale and damp. His eyes moved too quickly, never settling on one thing for long.
Did he live on cocaine now or something?
Jacob Stein stood behind him. Jacob looked much better, even dressed almost exactly as he had been the last time I saw him.
The moment he saw me, he went rigid.
Then he noticed Nolan.
"What are you doing here?" Jacob demanded.
His head snapped toward Jeremy.
"What the fuck did you do?"
Jeremy spread his arms.
"Winning, my friend."
He grinned.
"We're finally winning."
Jacob looked horrified rather than victorious.
I lifted the case.
"I have the money. Where is my ring?"
Jeremy's smile faded when he looked at Nolan.
"I told you to come alone."
"He wouldn't let me."
Jeremy squinted at him.
"You brought Nathan Fillion?"
Behind me, Nolan remained perfectly serious.
"Yes," I said. "He's very protective, you see."
Jeremy glared.
I looked toward Jacob.
He had started edging backward.
Nolan spoke calmly.
"We brought what you asked for. Show us the ring."
Jeremy's attention snapped back to him.
"You were supposed to come alone."
His hand disappeared beneath his coat.
"Problem," Nolan said.
Jeremy pulled out a handgun and pointed it at us.
"Oh, fuck."
I took a step back.
Jacob recoiled.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Jeremy's arm shook as he swung the gun between Nolan and me.
"I told him to come alone."
"This wasn't the plan," Jacob said. "What the fuck are you doing, Wesker? This was not the fucking plan."
"Shut up."
"I'm not part of this."
Jacob turned and ran.
Jeremy watched him go.
"Coward!"
He laughed.
"Leave, then. I don't need you."
He turned back toward us.
Nolan and I stood with our hands raised.
Jeremy stepped closer.
"I waited ten years for this."
"Jeremy," I said, "you have the money. Just give me the ring. There is no need for this."
"No. Not yet."
His eyes were wide.
"Now you get to understand."
"Understand what?"
"What it feels like to have your life taken away."
Nolan kept his voice low and steady.
"You don't have to do this. Put the weapon down, and we can all walk out of here."
Jeremy laughed.
"No."
Vale's voice came through my earpiece.
"Get him forward. We do not have a clean angle."
I looked at Jeremy.
He remained too far inside, partly shielded by a support column and a pile of old equipment.
"Put the case down."
Nolan tried again.
"Jeremy, listen to me. You have what you wanted. You got the money. There is no reason for anyone to get hurt."
Jeremy looked at him.
"You think I'm going to kill him?"
His smile returned.
"No. That would be too easy."
He took another step.
Vale spoke again.
"A little more."
Jeremy gestured with the gun.
"I'm just going to hurt him. Permanently."
Nolan shifted slightly in front of me.
Jeremy noticed.
"And you too, Fillion."
"I'm going to take the money, ruin your life the way you ruined mine, and disappear. Maybe to the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands."
He kept talking, growing more agitated with every sentence.
Nolan continued trying to calm him, but Jeremy only became louder. His grip tightened around the gun as he waved it between us.
Then I looked at the weapon properly.
It took me a second to understand.
The safety was still on.
The fucking safety was on.
The idiot.
I stepped forward.
"Daniel, no!" Nolan shouted.
Jeremy flinched as I charged him.
I grabbed his gun arm with both hands before he could react. He tried to pull away, but his balance was terrible, and he was weak.
Jason Momoa had once taught me this hold during one of our training sessions. I twisted Jeremy's wrist outward, drove my shoulder into his chest, and forced his elbow across my body.
Something cracked.
Jeremy screamed.
The gun hit the floor.
Nolan moved immediately.
He kicked the weapon away, grabbed Jeremy from behind, and drove him down against the table.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Nolan shouted at me.
"The safety was on."
"Then why didn't you..."
"I couldn't exactly yell that out, could I?"
Jeremy thrashed beneath him, clutching his injured arm.
The warehouse erupted with movement.
Police poured through the entrances.
Bradford and Chen came in from the rear while Bishop and Vale entered through the front. Lopez and Jackson emerged near the loading bay.
"LAPD!"
"Hands where we can see them!"
Nolan forced Jeremy onto the ground and cuffed his uninjured wrist first.
Jeremy screamed when they moved the other arm.
I stood a few feet away, breathing hard.
My entire body had started shaking.
Castle ran through the doorway moments later.
"Daniel!"
"I'm fine."
He grabbed my shoulders and looked me over.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?" he asked again.
"Castle, I'm fine."
Across the warehouse, Jeremy continued shouting as Vale and Nolan secured him.
I looked toward Jackson.
"Jacob?"
Jackson nodded. "We got him near the loading bay."
"Good."
I closed my eyes.
"Fuck."
Bradford approached, his expression hard.
"That was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen."
Lucy arrived beside him.
"It was also kind of brave."
Bradford looked at her.
"It was mostly stupid," Nolan added.
I opened my eyes.
"Margot can never know about this."
Everyone stared at me.
"My mother can't know either."
Castle started laughing.
I tried to remain serious. Then the relief hit me, and I began laughing too.
=========
Crime-scene technicians moved through the warehouse, photographing every surface before sealing evidence into numbered bags.
I sat in the back of one of the police vehicles with a cup of terrible coffee warming my hands. Now that the adrenaline had faded, every muscle in my body had started to ache.
Nolan approached with Bradford, Jackson, and Chen.
Lucy was smiling.
"Good news," she said. "Your ring is fine. Stein had it on him when we caught him."
I released a breath I had not realized I was holding.
"Good."
Bradford folded his arms.
"The bad news is that it's evidence, which means you probably won't get it back anytime soon."
"How long is 'anytime soon'?"
"Could be weeks," Jackson said. "Maybe longer, depending on what the district attorney needs."
I looked at them.
"Is it really evidence, though?"
"Yes," Bradford said. "It's the stolen property at the center of the case. Without it, we can't exactly prove that they..."
He stopped as Vale walked toward us.
The detective carried a familiar ring box in one hand.
He held it out to me.
I took it with a smile and opened the box.
The red diamond rested inside, untouched.
For several seconds, I simply looked at it.
Then I turned the box toward Bradford.
Bradford stared at the ring before slowly looking at Vale.
"Sir, that is evidence."
Vale's expression remained perfectly neutral.
"We recovered the stolen material from the warehouse."
Bradford frowned.
"The ring is the stolen material."
"No," Vale said. "We recovered Mr. Adler's manuscripts."
Everyone looked at me.
I took a slow sip of coffee and winked at them.
Vale continued.
"Several unpublished manuscripts were found on the premises. Those are now being processed as evidence."
His eyes settled on mine. He gave me a nod, and I returned it.
"So you need to take the manuscripts."
"Yes."
"I can live with that."
Vale turned and walked away.
The officers watched him go, then they all looked at me.
Nolan pointed toward the ring.
"You."
I raised a hand.
"It was Castle's idea."
"Yes, it was."
Castle appeared beside us carrying another cup of coffee.
Lucy stared at him.
"That is corruption."
"I mean, is it really?" I asked.
"Yes," all four officers answered together.
Castle considered it.
"Perhaps a very small amount of corruption."
"There is no acceptable amount of corruption," Bradford said.
"What would it take for all of you to forget this happened?" I asked.
Nolan smiled.
"How about those drinks you promised?"
"Done. Tonight."
I closed the ring box and stood.
"And bring everyone. Bishop, Lopez, Grey, Andersen, Ortega, Vale, all of them."
Bradford glanced toward the ongoing crime-scene operation.
I looked between Nolan and Castle.
"And I have a big surprise planned for you two."
Both men immediately looked suspicious.
"What kind of surprise?" Nolan asked.
"You'll see."
I walked away, lightly tossing the ring box into the air and catching it again.
This was only the first part of the Daniel Adler revenge tour. Ryan and the tabloids were next, and I was looking forward to ending the feud on my terms.
=========
The bar was already loud and crowded by the time everyone arrived.
Most of the officers from the station had shown up, along with several detectives, support staff, and a few people I was fairly certain had no connection to the investigation at all.
That was probably because I had walked in and announced that every drink ordered that night was going on my tab.
It had instantly made me the most beloved man in the building.
I waited until most people had drinks before climbing onto the small platform beside the bar.
"Before everyone gets too drunk to listen, I want to say thank you."
The conversations around the room gradually quieted.
Vale stood near the bar with Ortega. Captain Andersen and Sergeant Grey were beside them, while Bishop, Bradford, Chen, Lopez, West, and Nolan had gathered closer to the front. Castle remained near the edge of the group.
"You all had a part to play in what happened over the last few days," I continued. "Some of you tracked suspects, followed leads, searched buildings, and recovered stolen property."
I looked at Nolan.
"Some of you made sure I didn't do anything too stupid."
Vale raised his glass.
"That group deserves special compensation."
Several people laughed.
"I also want to thank Officer Bradford and Officer Chen. Their work helped identify the safecracker."
Bradford looked satisfied.
Lucy smiled and lifted her drink.
Then I turned toward Nolan.
"And Officer Nolan somehow managed to keep me alive while also avoiding being fired."
Nolan raised his glass.
"Barely."
Bishop looked at him.
"We're still discussing that last part."
"That sounds like a problem for tomorrow," I said.
Grey spoke from across the room.
"It is absolutely a problem for tomorrow."
I smiled and lifted my glass higher.
"To all of you. Thank you."
Glasses rose throughout the bar.
"And to free drinks."
That received the loudest response of the night.
We drank.
Over the next hour, the room relaxed completely.
Castle entertained Bradford, Lucy, and Jackson with increasingly exaggerated stories about his work with Beckett. Every story somehow involved him solving the case before the detectives or surviving some impossible danger.
Bradford clearly believed none of it.
Jackson looked as though he wanted to take notes.
I spent part of the evening talking with Lopez, who treated me exactly as she had at the station. I found that refreshing.
Eventually, I spotted Castle and Nolan standing together near the bar.
I checked the entrance and saw that my guest had arrived.
Perfect.
I tapped my glass against the microphone.
"Everyone, I need your attention again."
A chorus of complaints came from people who had already become comfortable.
"This will be worth it."
The front door opened.
Nathan Fillion stepped inside.
He spotted me first and began walking over. Then he saw Castle.
Then Nolan.
Nathan stopped.
Nolan turned toward him.
His mouth fell open.
"Oh my God," Nolan said. "It's like looking in a mirror."
I pointed toward Castle.
"This man has spent years gaslighting me into believing that he and Nathan don't look alike. Now there are three of them."
The room began to quiet as people noticed what was happening.
I brought Nathan over and positioned all three men beside one another.
The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
Even the way they looked confused was nearly identical.
Nathan stared at Nolan, then at Castle.
"There's another one?"
Castle looked offended.
"Why are you saying that like you're the original?"
I turned toward Nathan.
"You broke my trust, Nathan. I cast you as Guy Gardner, and you still joined Castle's gaslighting campaign."
Nathan smiled.
"It was funny."
"It was," Nolan said.
Castle nodded.
"Extremely."
"I gave you a superhero role."
Nathan looked between Castle and Nolan again.
"I admit this is a little weird."
"A little?" I asked.
All three men immediately straightened.
"It isn't weird," Castle said.
"Not at all," Nolan added.
Nathan nodded.
"It's fine. It's fine."
His face said it was not fine.
"Yes," Castle said.
"Completely normal," Nolan agreed.
"Cool, even," Nathan finished.
"Very cool," Castle and Nolan said at the same time.
They all froze.
The people around us started laughing.
"Then you won't mind meeting one more person."
All three looked at me.
I turned toward the stairs.
"Rainer! Come over here."
A man separated from the crowd and walked toward us.
Rainer Shine was a weather reporter from a town outside Los Angeles. I had met him at a charity event several months earlier. Rainer had thick, perfectly styled hair that looked as though it had been sculpted onto his head. It was the one thing that made him stand out among the four of them.
As he approached, the mouths of all three men slowly opened.
Nathan stared.
Castle looked as though reality had personally betrayed him.
Nolan was completely speechless.
Up close, the resemblance was uncanny.
It looked like four clones, except one of them had invested significantly more time and money into his hair.
Rainer studied Castle, Nolan, and Nathan.
Then he frowned.
"Wow. All three of you have terrible hair."
Nathan pointed at him.
"What the fuck?"
Rainer touched his own hair.
"This is professional television hair."
"There are four of us," Nathan said.
Rainer looked him up and down.
"I don't really see it, Daniel. They're all very good-looking men, but the hair changes everything."
"Exactly," I said, laughing. "The hair."
I turned toward the other three.
Everyone nearby was either laughing or staring in disbelief.
"What do you think, Nathan? Maybe I should cast Rainer as Guy Gardner instead."
Nathan turned toward me so sharply that I thought he might injure himself.
Rainer smiled.
"I do have experience working with green screens."
All three looked as though they were about to lose their minds. They were probably wondering whether they had the same father or were part of some government experiment.
"There's only one possible explanation," Castle finally said.
Nathan, Nolan, and Rainer turned toward him.
"What?" they asked together.
Castle slowly raised his glass.
"We've been Orphan Blacked."
The entire bar erupted into laughter.