Castle didn't stay on site to wait for Beckett and her team to finish their thorough investigation. He made an excuse about needing to go home to think about how to get his gang leader friend to divulge secrets about New York's mafia assassins and quickly left. Beckett agreed that Castle was no longer needed on site, as the next step was a detailed search rather than further investigation. She waved him off, signaling that he should leave.
Once Castle leisurely returned home, he didn't consider his next steps as he had said. He was exhausted from a full day: scaring Santino out of the safe confines of the Continental Hotel, monitoring Santino's movements from his car all afternoon, killing five people after dark, and then terrifying Santino once more. Castle was thoroughly worn out.
As for Beckett's current case, Castle had all the information about its cause, process, and outcome in his mind. The real challenge was how to leak this information to Beckett without raising suspicion, not actually investigating.
So, why bother thinking about it? Instead, Castle decided to take a bath and get a good night's sleep. He planned to visit the police station closer to noon the next day, claiming he had obtained the information Beckett wanted from his friend. Then, he would reveal what he knew using this excuse.
Satisfied with his plan, Castle whistled and went to take a bath.
The next morning, nearing eleven o'clock, Castle finally strolled into the 12th precinct of the NYPD. Given the late hour, he didn't carry his signature two cups of coffee.
Upon exiting the elevator, Castle saw Beckett standing in front of the large whiteboard, intently staring at the data and some crime scene photos related to the previous night's victim, Joshua Leeds.
"Beckett, I'm here, and I've got good news!" Castle called out, proud of himself. Beckett snapped out of her thoughts and turned around, delighted. Esposito and Ryan, who were sitting at their desks, immediately gathered around to hear Castle's news.
"Did you get the information?" Beckett asked eagerly as she approached Castle.
Seeing the hopeful looks on their faces, Castle felt immensely satisfied. Playing the wise old man, Castle wore a smug expression. "Of course, when I step in, what can't be found?"
"Spit it out," Beckett urged impatiently, not wanting to indulge Castle's ego. She was desperate to solve the case quickly.
Esposito and Ryan watched the interaction with amusement, staying silent and preparing to enjoy the show.
Castle didn't keep them in suspense any longer. He started relaying what he knew, using the pretext of information from a "friend."
"This morning, I consulted a veteran in the New York mafia about the method used in our case last night. Luckily, he knew it belonged to a guy nicknamed 'The Rat,' real name Jimmy Moran. Jimmy Moran, aka The Rat, belongs to a mafia family called the Soprano family. He's apparently the second-in-command.
The family's leader, old Soprano, died recently, and his son, young Soprano, took over. It's said that young Soprano doesn't get along with Jimmy and has been planning to get rid of him. Recently, The Rat disappeared. Rumor has it that young Soprano killed him, but others say he's trying to exchange his knowledge of the Soprano family's crimes for immunity from the FBI.
The method used in last night's case—binding with tape and suffocating with a plastic bag—is Jimmy Moran's signature. He's used it for decades to eliminate rivals for the Soprano family."
As Castle explained, Esposito pulled up the police database and quickly found Jimmy Moran's criminal record and identity, verifying Castle's information.
However, when Esposito tried to access Moran's criminal records, he discovered they were locked. This could only mean one thing: a higher authority, like the Department of Justice or the US Attorney's Office, had sealed the records to protect a witness in the federal witness protection program. This made Castle's claim about Jimmy cooperating with the FBI highly plausible.
Beckett, shocked, looked at the 'locked' sign on Esposito's screen. "Jimmy Moran is in the witness protection program? Does this mean the rumors are true? But if he's in witness protection, how could he have killed Dr. Joshua Leeds?"
Castle, seizing the moment, hinted, "If Jimmy Moran is in witness protection, and Dr. Leeds was a plastic surgeon, do you think he might have given Jimmy a new face?"
Beckett, enlightened, replied, "That's possible. But if Dr. Leeds performed the surgery, why would Jimmy kill him? To silence him? But if Jimmy's in witness protection, he would always be under federal marshal protection. How could he have had the chance to kill Dr. Leeds?"
Castle continued, "If any witness in the protection program lacks freedom and is always under guard, can we reverse the thought? Maybe someone is searching for Jimmy Moran, someone he's testifying against. Otherwise, why join witness protection?
Maybe Dr. Leeds was tortured to reveal Jimmy's new identity, not to silence him."
Castle's analysis sparked a realization in Beckett. His reasoning was logical and provided a clear investigative direction. Beckett immediately instructed Esposito and Ryan to visit Dr. Leeds' clinic, question the staff, and check if he performed the surgery on Jimmy Moran.
Castle knew the police had to follow procedures and couldn't arrest someone based solely on his revelations. They needed to piece together the evidence step by step. Therefore, he didn't stop Beckett from sending Esposito and Ryan to gather information.
As Esposito and Ryan left, Beckett turned to Castle, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. "Great job, Castle. Your information and analysis might just give us the right direction. Thank you!"
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