776. Chapter 776

After The Double Down

Episode 2.02

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I know I'm connected to Castle, but I don't own it. Rating: K Time: See above

Author's note: This is a sequel to chapter 752 and follows immediately after it.

Rick Castle and his wife, archeologist Kate "Idaho" Castle, took the young Russian Countess, Alexandra Oblonsky back to their hotel. Luckily, they had a large suite with two bedrooms so that the teenaged Alexandra would have a room of her own.

When they arrived, Alexandra began to cry. "I have lost the fabled Black Orlov diamond. With the money from its sale, I could have helped my people. Gotten them out of Asia and safely to America. But it's gone. What can I do?"

Kate put her hand reassuringly on the young girl's shoulder. "We can help you. In addition to being an amateur archeologist, my husband, Rick, is a writer. He's quite rich."

"Is he as rich as the Black Orlov diamond would have made me?" Alexandra asked bitterly.

Rick shrugged. "Sorry. I'm not that rich. But we can help."

"Perhaps I can help as well." Said a familiar, but unexpected voice.

"Professor Royce!" Cried Alexandra.

"Royce!" Kate yelled, looking for her Colt.

"Please don't shoot, Katherine. I was only trying to help."

"Trying to help? By running away with the Black Orlov diamond? Do you expect any of us to believe that?"

"I believe him." Said Alexandra. "He's always been a friend of my family."

"He was my mentor." Kate said bitterly, "Until he turned to drink and betrayed me. Hand over the diamond, Royce."

"I'd love to. In fact that's why I came to your hotel as soon as I escaped those assassins. But…"

"But what?" Kate demanded.

"I was robbed."

"I don't believe you."

"Search me. I don't have it. It was stolen from me."

"You've probably sold it already." Kate said angrily.

"I believe Professor Royce." Alexandra said.

"I'll help you get the gem back, Countess Oblonsky." Royce said, bowing.

"No, Rick and I will get it back for her. Can you tell us anything about how it was stolen, or were you too drunk?"

"It was stolen by a "Colonel" Tyson. He's a deserter from the British Army who never got higher than lance corporal. But he is as ruthless and cruel as they come. He's gathered a band about him, the scum of the Earth: White Russians, Chinese, Germans, French and who knows what others. He stole an armored train, complete with cannons and machine guns, and uses it to terrorize the countryside going inland along the Pearl River from Canton. He's back on his train by now."

Countess Alexandra stood up. "I will go with Professor Royce and retrieve the diamond."

"Please, Countess, stay with us. Royce can't be trusted." Kate said to her retreating back. But the countess and Royce walked out of their suite. "I should have shot him."

"No, you're not a murderer, Kate." Rick said, holding his wife in his arms.

When Alexandra and Royce left, they had no real plan, but the Countess soon came up with one. Royce was, unfortunately, known as a scoundrel and Alexandra was virtually unknown in China. They would go to Colonel Tyson and seek refuge. Tyson could always use an extra person or two and it would appeal to his bizarre sense of humor to have the man from whom he'd stolen the fabulous Black Orlov diamond working for him. Working for him in a menial capacity.

"Aren't you done peeling those potatoes, you lazy girl?" Tyson's girlfriend, Kelly Neiman, asked. Neiman was the daughter of a drunken Irish street walker and a drunken German sailor. Her father had left them, leaving Kelly to make her way as best way she could. Her best way was usually the worst way.

"Almost done, ma'am." Alexandra said. She hoped that Royce, who now shoveled coal into the engine was doing better than she was. As soon as she was done with the potatoes, she went to help the cook prepare Tyson's dinner.

Alexandra also helped serve the meal. As she did so, Orsini, an Italian with supposed ties to the Mafia ran his hand over her ass. Oddly, Alexandra had a protector of sorts in Kelly Neiman. Not that Neiman liked Alexandra, but she was so vain she hated to see anyone else get attention from a man other than herself. "This wine is awful." Neiman complained. "Girl, get a better vintage and make sure it's a good vintage. None of this slop."

Orsini glared at Neiman, but when Tyson glared back, he quickly looked away. By the time Alexandra got back, Tyson was discussing tomorrow's operation with his officers. Alexandra stood by, waiting for orders, but Tyson snarled at her. "Get out of here, girl. This has nothing to do with you."

But, later that night, she was able to tell Royce what she had heard. "Tyson is taking the train back closer to Canton tomorrow. About fifty miles from the city, he's meeting with someone named van Osteen, a buyer of illicit goods. He'll have to get the diamond out of the safe he keeps it in. Then we can grab it and run."

Royce nodded slowly. "Not the best or safest plan, Countess, but it's all we have."

Very early the next morning as the train ran towards Canton, Tyson took the diamond from the safe, planning to jump off of the train, sell the diamond and live a life of luxury and ease someplace without splitting any of the proceeds. As he turned around, he faced an angry Kelly Neiman. "Going somewhere?"

Tyson smiled. "Of course. I'm of to Europe with you."

"Liar." Neiman said softly, driving a stiletto into Tyson's heart. But as Neiman turned, she found Alexandra behind her. Alexandra hit the other woman with all her might, knocking her down but not out. She did grab the diamond and ran to the end of the car where Royce waited. Neiman grabbed Tyson's pistol from his holster and fired at Alexandra, missing her.

"I have the diamond. Jump, Royce." Alexandra yelled.

"We can't. We're crossing a bridge. If we jump, we'll hit the bridge girders and be killed."

They turned to see Neiman advancing on them with Tyson's pistol in her hand. "Oh, you'll be dead, all right. But not from jumping and I'll take my diamond from your lifeless hands."

She aimed and as she did, there was a mighty explosion and the train jumped the tracks, knocking Neiman down and throwing Alexandra and Royce off the train, where they landed in a rice paddy.

"Very good, Sergeant Esposito." Rick Castle said to the US Marine beside him. After finding that Tyson was heading back to Canton to sell the diamond, Rick had at once contacted Captain Montgomery, who commanded the US Marines stationed in Canton. As Tyson and his bandit train had robbed and killed Americans, the US government was happy to send a company of Marines to take him out. A few sticks of dynamite under the locomotive, derailing the train, had been the first step. Now the Marines had opened up with an anti-tank gun, machine guns, BARs and Springfield rifles at the bandit train. "Be careful. Don't shoot the two in the rice paddy. They're friendlies." Castle yelled.

Kelly Neiman watched as the two made their way through the rice paddy with the diamond that would have set her up for life. Every time she tried to take a shot at them, a hail of bullets drove her back inside the armored train.

As the Marines moved towards the now disabled train, Alexandra and Royce stumbled out of the rice paddy and headed towards Rick and Kate.

"See!" Cried Alexandra. "Royce and I got the diamond back."

"You did?" Rick replied. "We got the Marines out here, set up the ambush that knocked out the train and took care of the bandits inside it. Without us, you're a pair of corpses and the diamond is gone."

"Without us, you'd be chasing after the diamond with no idea who had it." Royce shot back.

The argument went on, good naturedly, for many years with neither side ever admitting defeat.