Theodore Hayek, the seemingly fierce yet inwardly gentle and kind-hearted Eastern European man, couldn't believe how quickly his situation had changed. He had been in the depths of despair, but now, thanks to this self-proclaimed writer, he was climbing back up from his lowest point.
He leaned over the table, eyes wide with hope, and asked Castle, "Mr. Castle, is it true? My son isn't dead?"
"Shh… I told you to keep it down, didn't I? What I'm telling you is confidential. If that lady detective finds out, I'm done for. Please, calm down and sit back. I'll tell you everything, but rushing won't help," Castle reassured Hayek, looking around nervously like a thief.
Castle, whose compassionate heart had flared up, was unaware that Beckett, who he thought was reporting the case to Captain Montgomery, was actually standing behind the one-way mirror, watching him with a cold smile. "Hmph, I knew this jerk was up to something. He's been keeping such important information from me. Good thing he felt the need to comfort Hayek; otherwise, I wouldn't have known he had already figured things out! Let's see what he has to say."
"Mr. Hayek, I can't tell you all the details, but based on what we know so far, your wife, Eslica, might have encountered your son by accident or in some specific setting. We don't know how she identified him as your son, but she likely took the child's DNA for comparison at Madeline Labs. Don't ask questions yet; I can't answer them. What I can tell you is that I believe your son isn't dead.
The only way this could happen is if your child was switched at birth in the hospital. My conclusion is based on your account: neither you nor your wife has a history of Niemann-Pick disease, a clearly hereditary condition. So, your son having it is suspicious. This is just a hypothesis, but at least it gives you hope rather than despair. Don't you agree?"
Hayek, tears in his eyes but smiling with hope, clung to Castle's words like a lifeline. "Yes, Mr. Castle, you're right. Your words have given me new hope. But, Mr. Castle, can you be sure my son isn't dead?"
Castle's aim was to reignite hope in this unfortunate man. So, unlike his earlier ambiguous statements to Beckett, he firmly told Hayek, "Trust me, my judgment is sound. From the moment you said you and your wife's families have no history of Niemann-Pick disease, I was 90% sure. Your wife likely found the child switched at birth, leading to her murder. The best thing you can do now is to stay strong. Once we catch the murderer, the truth will come out."
"Thank you, thank you for your encouragement, Mr. Castle. You truly are a good person…" Hayek, this towering Eastern European man, wept tears of gratitude.
"Alright, calm down. The police will let you go soon. Just don't let them know I told you anything. That lady detective with me has a nasty temper. If she finds out, I'm dead…" Castle, thinking Beckett was with Captain Montgomery, had no idea she was watching everything and hearing their conversation through the interrogation room's microphone. She was now grinding her teeth, ready to give Castle a piece of her mind.
After calming Hayek for a while, Castle reminded him, "Don't think too much right now. Go home, rest, and let the police do their job. Once we catch the killer, I'll make sure you get the answers you need. Trust me!"
Hayek, teary-eyed like a child, nodded. "Mr. Castle, I trust you. Don't worry; I won't let anything slip."
Seeing Hayek was stable, Castle left the interrogation room, only to be stunned by the sight of Beckett, arms crossed, smirking coldly at him. "Come with me," she said icily.
Noticing the open door of the monitoring room beside the interrogation room, Castle realized Beckett had likely heard everything. Resigned, he sighed and followed her to an empty break room.
"Are you crazy? Why did you tell the victim's husband those things? Don't you know giving false hope is worse than despair? He now believes his son is alive. How will you produce his son? You're representing the police! Don't you know that?" Beckett exploded as soon as they entered, furious at Castle's reckless behavior. She had thought he had finally decided to step back, but now it seemed he had just gone from bad to worse, deceiving people with false hope. What would they do if Hayek sued the police after the case was solved, and the outcome wasn't what Castle promised?
Realizing Beckett was only pretending to be angry to extract a confession, Castle stopped hiding. "Alright, I don't believe you don't understand why I did it. I said I wouldn't overshadow you in solving the case, but I sympathize with Hayek and couldn't help giving him some hope."
Seeing Castle admit he had drawn conclusions, Beckett dropped the act and asked seriously, "Do you really think Eslica's death is connected to the child in the photo? Why?"
Castle cursed himself for his loose tongue. He had pushed himself into a corner, having to concoct a story to satisfy Beckett. Just then, Esposito appeared, saving him from his predicament.
"Beckett, we found where Eslica worked. You won't believe this, but we also found the boy and his mother from the photo. They live in the same residential hotel where Eslica worked. We just learned that Eslica was fired five days ago because the boy's mother complained about Eslica giving her son inappropriate food. And the candy wrapper we found on Eslica matches a type of Czech lollipop, the same one she gave the boy."
Beckett, thrilled by the news, immediately focused on finding the boy and his mother, abandoning her questioning of Castle. If Castle's hypothesis was correct, the boy could indeed be Eslica's son. Beckett needed a DNA sample from the boy to compare with Eslica or Hayek to solve half the case. Confirming the boy's identity would narrow down the suspects to those who wanted to cover up the child switch, either the boy's parents or the accomplices who helped switch the children at the hospital.
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