Castle looked at Henry's smile and realized he had said something foolish. However, understanding the danger posed by the hidden assassin, Dick Coonan, and the ultimate boss, Senator William Bracken, Castle had to seriously remind Henry to be careful. The mastermind had both power and influence, and if he and Henry were exposed, they could face severe retaliation from Senator Bracken.
"Henry, I'll find a way to get the files on Beckett's mother's case. Once I have them, it will be up to you to perform the forensic analysis!"
Henry was actually happy to help Castle. He knew about Castle's interest in Beckett, and Henry himself had a good impression of her. So, he assured Castle that he would not let him down.
Having completed the task of teaming up with Henry and getting his agreement to secretly assist in investigating Beckett's mother's murder, Castle declined Henry and Abraham's invitation to dinner. He explained that his daughter had just returned from a trip to the Maldives with her mother and that he had promised to have dinner with her. Satisfied, Castle bid farewell to Henry and his father and left the antique shop to go home and join Alexis and Meredith for dinner.
At the same time, Beckett was in the interrogation room at the police station, holding records of Larry Horne's bank transfers. Along with the confession of the private investigator who had been blackmailing Jeff Horne, she aggressively questioned Larry Horne, whose psychological defenses were beginning to crumble, about the truth behind her husband's murder.
Larry Horne, who had been pretending to be grieving, might have fooled voters with her fake tears and sorrow on camera. But her act stood no chance against Beckett. Armed with concrete evidence, Beckett left Larry Horne no room to struggle and completely shattered her defenses, leading to her confession of colluding with campaign manager Nesbitt to murder her husband, Jeff Horne.
Upon learning from the devastated Larry Horne that the real murderer was their campaign manager, Nesbitt, Beckett immediately sent Esposito and Ryan to arrest Nesbitt at the campaign office. Esposito and Ryan apprehended Nesbitt without giving him a chance to resist. Driven solely by his political ambitions, Nesbitt had killed his scandal-ridden boss and manipulated Larry into continuing the campaign to secure his own political future.
While Castle was enjoying a lavish meal with his daughter and troublesome ex-wife, Beckett reported the successful resolution of the case to Captain Roy Montgomery, holding the confessions of the two culprits.
"Well done, Beckett. I didn't expect you to solve this high-profile case within a day. The commissioner called to commend our efficiency, which also eases the pressure on us from the serial killer case. You've worked hard..."
Captain Montgomery was elated. The commissioner's call not only praised the precinct's efficiency but also gave them public recognition in New York, significantly easing the pressure from the public. Looking at his top detective, Montgomery felt proud of his decision to assign Beckett to the case.
Beckett, humbled by the praise, admitted that the true credit for solving the case quickly belonged to Castle.
"Sir, the biggest credit goes to Castle. From the moment we notified Larry Horne last night, he suspected her. And this morning, he got the crucial evidence from Congressman Jason—those scandalous photos of Congressman Jeff Horne. Plus, he helped me get the private investigator to talk, which led us to Larry Horne..."
Captain Montgomery patiently listened to Beckett crediting Castle and gently reminded her, "I know Castle helped you a lot, but he's not a cop. We can't publicly claim that he solved the case, can we? We're not denying his contribution, but this case has drawn public attention. We can only promote the police's achievements. Understand?"
"Yes, sir..."
Beckett knew the police wouldn't credit Castle publicly. She also suspected that Castle didn't care about recognition; otherwise, he wouldn't have left so easily, even if his daughter had returned from a trip. She thought he might have been confident that the police would solve the case quickly, which explained his relaxed departure.
Beckett silently noted Castle's actions and, after saluting the captain, left Montgomery's office.
Esposito and Ryan, waiting outside the office, saw Beckett's relieved expression and knew their team's speedy resolution of the case was acknowledged. Meanwhile, Castle, dining with his daughter and ex-wife at a Michelin three-star restaurant, was trying to dissuade Meredith from moving back to New York. Even Alexis, usually well-behaved, was signaling her dad to persuade Meredith not to move back.
"Rick, why don't you want me to move back to New York? If I move back, it will be easier to see our dear daughter, Alexis, more often, won't it?"
Meredith, with her princess complex, didn't realize the fear Castle and Alexis had of her entitled behavior. She directly questioned Castle.
Alexis, looking pitifully at her dad, hoped he could come up with a perfect reason to dissuade her mom from moving back.
Castle, pressured by his daughter's pleading eyes, racked his brain. "Meredith, you see, New York is on the East Coast, and you're an actress. Your career should be focused on Hollywood on the West Coast. If you move back to New York, what if you miss out on opportunities for auditions in Hollywood?"
Castle hoped his impromptu reason would persuade Meredith to drop the idea.
"Oh, dear Rick, thank you for your concern, but I still want to be closer to my darling Alexis. I've already notified the real estate agent, and I'll start looking for a place tomorrow. By the way, you'll co-sign my mortgage, right? I don't have enough cash to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side!"
Meredith's words made Castle and Alexis sigh in unison, their heads dropping in despair.
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