The crime scene was not far from the police station. As Castle sat in Beckett's car, he noticed they arrived at the murder site after driving less than five blocks from the station.
The body was discovered in a sewer in an alleyway. A woman, about thirty-five years old, had been thrown into the sewer. When Beckett arrived, Renee had just reached the scene and was preparing to instruct the uniformed officers to help retrieve the body from the sewer.
After getting out of the car, Beckett surveyed the surroundings and then instructed Esposito and Ryan, who had just gotten out of another car: "Esposito, you and Ryan canvass the area to see if you can find any witnesses, either to the murder or the disposal of the body. Ask the surrounding shop owners if they noticed anything unusual."
"Yes, ma'am," Esposito and Ryan acknowledged and left. Castle curiously approached the sewer to closely examine the body still inside.
Seeing the plainly dressed woman in her thirties, Castle immediately had a suspicion. He had seen this episode in his previous life. If he remembered correctly, the body belonged to an immigrant from Eastern Europe. At a hospital, her child and another child, who had a congenital genetic disorder, were born on the same day. The doctor, whose child had the disorder, swapped his baby with the Eastern European woman's healthy child. The woman, unaware of the swap, took the doctor's sick child home, only to see him die before the age of three due to the rare genetic disorder.
Heartbroken, the woman left her home and husband. To survive, she found work in a luxury apartment hotel in Manhattan, where by chance, she encountered her biological son, who had been taken home by the doctor. The mother and child quickly bonded, possibly due to a natural maternal instinct. However, the boy's mother misunderstood the situation and complained to the hotel management about the Eastern European woman's inappropriate behavior, resulting in her dismissal.
The worst was yet to come. The doctor who had swapped the children noticed the woman getting close to his son and feared his secret might be exposed. To protect his reputation and medical license, he ruthlessly murdered the poor woman to cover up his crime.
Castle silently watched as uniformed officers and Renee's assistants retrieved the body from the sewer, his eyes showing a trace of sadness. In New York, many lower-class citizens, like the victim, struggled just to survive and were often oppressed by those in power.
By this time, Beckett had finished speaking with the uniformed officers who had found the body and approached Castle. She looked at him curiously: "Don't you have any strange theories or comments about this case today? What do you think?"
Immersed in his emotions, Castle forced a smile: "I don't have any special theories right now. Let's wait for Renee's autopsy results first."
Beckett noticed Castle's unusual demeanor and was concerned: "What's wrong? Do you know the victim, or are you involved in this?"
Her joke failed to make Castle laugh. He shook his head and explained: "No, it's just that life is unpredictable, and I feel sorry for the victim. It's nothing. It's just a writer's tendency to be sentimental."
Beckett nodded, not entirely convinced by Castle's explanation. She knew him to be somewhat eccentric and prone to dramatic outbursts.
Esposito and Ryan returned after questioning the nearby shop owners, but they had found nothing. The alley was usually deserted, and there were no surveillance cameras, so they had no leads.
Beckett wasn't worried. They had only just found the body and didn't even know the victim's identity yet. She believed Castle would soon return to his usual self and might come up with a brilliant theory to guide their investigation.
For now, the priority was to identify the victim and see if Renee's autopsy would reveal more clues. After instructing the crime scene team to continue collecting evidence, Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct. As Beckett added photos and notes to her large whiteboard, she glanced at Castle, puzzled by his strange behavior.
Sitting at Beckett's desk, Castle noticed her occasional glances. Having thought things through, he decided to break the silence: "I'm fine, really. Just had a moment of sentimentality. Where are Esposito and Ryan?"
Beckett sighed in relief, hearing the normal tone in Castle's voice: "I asked them to search the nearby blocks for witnesses or anyone who might recognize the victim. You're feeling better now, right? Do you have any thoughts on this case?"
Castle chuckled: "I can't divine anything from the air. We don't know who the victim is, where she lived, or what she did. How could I guess anything?"
Castle had decided to play it safe. He realized he couldn't always rely on his knowledge from the original series to reveal everything. While it was satisfying to have Beckett depend on him, he knew it was unsustainable. If he were ever unavailable, they wouldn't be able to maintain their high case-solving speed. It was better to start gradually returning control of the investigations to Beckett.
Although he would no longer take the lead in every investigation, he planned to guide them subtly when necessary, without being overt.
Beckett, focused on the whiteboard, didn't find anything odd about Castle's reluctance. After all, he had a point. It wasn't realistic to expect him to know everything without more information.
Seeing Beckett absorbed in her work, Castle couldn't resist suggesting: "Can you really figure anything out with the current clues? I think you should check with Renee. She might have some new leads."
Castle knew that the victim's dental work, made of stainless steel, was a clear indicator of her Eastern European origin, a detail that could be crucial in identifying her.
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