713. Chapter 713

After Like Father, Like Daughter

Episode 6.07

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Like I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: In the books, Jameson Rook doesn't have a daughter, but Nikki does have a niece. I'm betting if she ever shows up, she'll be a lot like Alexis. But maybe not entirely like her.

"Thanks so much for coming to help, Aunt Nikki. And you too, Uncle Jameson."

"You're more than welcome, Alexandra. We're always happy to make sure that justice is done." Nikki told her niece.

"And I always like helping my gorgeous wife make sure justice is done." Rook replied. "Who knows, I may get a story out of this." Rook thought for a moment. "Rook, wife and teenaged niece free wrongfully convicted man. The story practically writes itself."

"Here we are at Soggy Bottom State Prison." Alexandra said lightly.

"Interesting motto." Rook said, reading the sign over the grim portal of the prison. "Abandon hope all ye who enter here." He shook his head. "The only thing they could have done worse would be to have put "arbeit macht frei" over the gates."

"What?" Alexandra asked.

"German for work makes you free. However, it was posted at the entrances to a number of Nazi extermination camps, including Auschwitz. I assume some Nazi jackass was being sarcastic."

"Oh, that's the sign they have over the prison's west gate." Alexandra said happily. "And when they let the drawbridge down to let us in, don't touch the razor wire since it's electrified, and keep your hands at your sides. Sometimes the sharks in the moat will jump up. You don't have to worry about the alligators in the second moat. They can't jump."

Rook and Nikki were very careful crossing the narrow drawbridge.

"They have guard dogs here?" Rook asked, seeing some below him on a strip of land between the two moats.

"Oh, no. Uncle Jameson. That's a pack of rabid wolves. If there are no prison escapes, they'll be fed in another week."

At long last they reached the end of the drawbridge. They were greeted by a guard in full body armor, carrying a machine gun. "Mademoiselle Alexandra. 'Allo. 'Ow good to see you again."

"You're French?" Rook asked, sensing a story.

The man snapped to attention. "Sergeant-Chef Lejaune, at your service. I used to work at Devil's Island, but they had become despicably soft. I much prefer to work here."

"How nice for you." Rook said, moving smartly along.

They were led inside and after passing through innumerable steel doors and past endless heavily armed guard posts, they came to the prisoner they had come to see. He was chained to a wall by his wrists and his ankles."

"Aunt Nikki, Uncle Jameson, this is Tommy Demming, the innocent man I'm trying to help."

Demming was a huge, muscular man covered with tattoos. Rook examined the tattoos with interest.

"Um, Mr. Demming. I notice you have forty three tears tattooed under your eyes. In prison, doesn't that indicate the number of people you've killed?"

"No. It stands for the number of tears I shed when my little puddy tat, Tigre, died fighting some Crip bitch cat."

"And I see you have the name Psycho Cannibal Defilers on your chest. Isn't that the name of a violent prison gang?"

"No, that's the name of our choir here in prison." Demming snarled.

"Tommy is trying to better himself here in prison." Alexandra said cheerfully. "He's taking classes so that he can be a better person when he's released after we prove he's innocent.

"Isn't that the chemical formula for nitroglycerin on your right bicep and the formula for methamphetamines on your left?" Rook asked nervously.

"I don't know. My girlfriend asked me to get them done as a symbol of our everlasting love."

"Oh, here comes his girlfriend, Maggie, now." Alexandra chortled. "She's stood by her man for fifteen years now. She testified at his trial that he couldn't possibly have killed those men because at the time she was watching him repair a police car for the city. That's just the kind and generous kind of man that Tommy is."

"As I recall the city didn't need to have the car repaired and they didn't ask Mr. Demming here to do any repairs." Nikki said.

"Which just shows you what a wonderful, caring, kindly man he is. He saw a job that needed doing and just did it." Alexandra gushed.

Maggie arrived and was introduced to Nikki and Rook. Rook felt he had to ask Maggie a question. "Maggie, I can't help but notice that although it's rather dark in here, you're wearing dark glasses, carrying a white cane and have a guide dog. Are you blind?"

"Of course not." Maggie snapped. "These are a fashion statement. I saw Tommykins fixing that car when those men died. Tommypoo was never near any of those forty three men. The DA is just trying to win political points with his wealthy backers by suggesting I was lying." Maggie began to cry. "I feel so used."

"Speaking of being used, babe. How's the rest of the motorcycle club?" Tommy asked.

"Exhausted. They've really gone downhill since you've been inside, lover boy."

Rook thought about asking how the motorcycle club had become so exhausted, but thought better of it.

"Luckily for you, Alexandra, your Aunt Nikki can prove that Mr. Demming here was nowhere near those men when they were killed."

"That's wonderful, Aunt Nikki. I knew I could count on you."

"There's just one problem, Alexandra."

"What could that be?"

"The evidence consists of a video that shows that at the time that those forty three men were being murdered, Mr. Demming was in Texas exterminating an entire high school, including the high school's mascot, Ernie the Wonder Hippo."

"Is that going to be some kind of a problem, Aunt Nikki?"

Because of the exculpatory evidence, Tom Demming was released. However, Demming still had to go Texas to stand trial. Alexandra, Nikki and Rook boarded the plane with Demming that was to take him to Texas.

They were surprised to find the plane contained a judge, jury, prosecutor, defense attorney and the rest of the court officers.

"All rise." Cried the bailiff. "This court is now in session. The honorable Judge Isaac Parker, presiding."

Rook leaned over and whispered in Nikki's ear. "I've heard of Judge Isaac Parker, but where?"

"He's known as the hanging judge." Nikki whispered back. "For good reason."

Judge Parker looked around the court room. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict."

"Guilty, your honor." They chanted.

"Wait!" Nikki cried. "The defense hasn't had a chance to present their side of the case."

Judge Parker, smiled indulgently. "Young lady, this is Texas. We have our own ways of doing things."

"But you haven't left the ground. You're still in New York." Rook cried.

"It's just because we have a bunch of bleeding heart Damnyankees on the plane that we've allowed this man to keep breathing for as long as he has."

The plane began rolling and as soon as the plane crossed out of New York's airspace, a trap door opened under Demmming and he fell three miles into the New Jersey wetlands where one more body would hardly be noticed.

"Rutabaga, "Nikki said, referring to Alexandra by the nickname her demented father always used. "I'm so sorry."

Alexandra shrugged. "Win a few, lose a few. At last we get a free trip to Texas. Can we stop and have some Margaritas on the San Antonio Riverwalk?"

"Sure." Rook said. "I could use a drink."

"Me too." Nikki said, taking Rook's hand.