Chapter 114: Castle's Suggestion

Castle, who had been in a daze for a while, finally realized that his nonsensical rambling must have passed muster with Beckett. Overjoyed, he quickly stood up from his chair and followed Beckett into the break room to enjoy a coffee break together.

Meanwhile, Esposito and Ryan, who were searching for clues in Dr. Joshua Leeds' office, made a new discovery. They found a suspicious medical record with the patient's name and details blacked out, hidden in Dr. Joshua's desk drawer along with a checkbook. After confirming with everyone at Joshua's clinic that this record had never been entered into the medical database, and with the head nurse unaware of this secretive operation, Esposito and Ryan were thrilled. They knew they might have found the record of Dr. Joshua performing plastic surgery on the fugitive Jimmy, as Castle had suggested.

Elated, the two took the altered record and went to the head nurse, Joshua's assistant in his surgeries. When she confirmed she had no knowledge of any such secret surgery, Esposito and Ryan, now confident in their discovery, returned to the precinct with the record in hand.

Upon their return, Esposito and Ryan immediately sought out Beckett and Castle in the break room, handing over the altered surgery record and the statements from the clinic staff to Beckett.

For Beckett, this result was anticipated from Castle's earlier words, so she wasn't surprised. She took the record proving Dr. Joshua's involvement in Jimmy's surgery and instructed Esposito and Ryan to find out who had paid for the surgery. If it turned out to be the Federal Prosecutor's Office, she would have ample reason to request a meeting with Jimmy, who was in the Federal Witness Protection Program, to see if anyone else might use Jimmy's signature killing method.

If the Federal Prosecutor's Office denied or obstructed her request, Beckett was ready to play hardball.

Not long after, Beckett received a report from Esposito confirming that the surgery payment did indeed come from the New York Federal Prosecutor's Office. Esposito returned with a payment statement from Dr. Joshua's bank account, clearly showing the payer's information. As he reported this to Beckett, he couldn't help but marvel, "Beckett, Castle was right again. It seems likely Dr. Joshua was tortured and killed because someone was looking for Jimmy, who had changed his appearance with Joshua's surgery."

"So, what do we do next? Focus the investigation on the Soprano family? But wouldn't that interfere with the FBI's investigation and cause conflict?" Esposito asked.

Beckett smiled mysteriously, "Who says we have to do that? We can get the New York Federal Prosecutor's Office to help us!"

Esposito was surprised, "You mean you're going to see 'Hard Candy'?"

Castle was curious, "Who is 'Hard Candy'?"

Esposito explained to Castle, "Candice Robinson, Assistant Federal Prosecutor, nicknamed 'Hard Candy' because she always makes the bad guys cry. So, everyone calls her Hard Candy…"

Beckett waved the bank statement, "This time, I have a secret weapon! She won't be able to refuse. Come on, Castle, let's go meet New York's toughest prosecutor…"

Beckett turned towards the elevator, with Castle hurrying to follow, leaving Esposito and Ryan chuckling to themselves.

On the way to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Castle's hesitant expression was so exaggerated that even Beckett, who was driving, couldn't help but tease him, "What's wrong? This isn't like you. Do you have something to say?"

Castle, seeing that Beckett had taken the bait, stopped pretending. "I didn't say anything at the precinct out of respect for your authority, but Beckett, do you really think it's a good idea to confront the federal prosecutor and demand they bring Jimmy, who's in the Witness Protection Program, to the precinct for questioning?"

Beckett understood Castle's concern. She patiently explained, "I don't want to do this either, but since Jimmy disappeared into the Witness Protection Program, the only way to reach him is through the Federal Prosecutor's Office handling his case. Otherwise, we'd have to directly investigate the Soprano family, which would alert them and upset the FBI. So, it's better to be upfront with the prosecutor's office."

Castle's thoughts were more intricate than Beckett assumed. He carefully chose his words, pondering how to reveal his insights without arousing Beckett's suspicion. After a moment, he continued, "Beckett, have you considered that Dr. Joshua's murder might be the Soprano family's way of sending a message to Jimmy? By using his signature method to kill the doctor who altered his appearance, they're warning him that they can find and kill him no matter where he hides. If we confront Jimmy directly, he might get scared and refuse to testify against the Sopranos, causing friction between the police and the prosecutor's office."

Beckett found Castle's idea intriguing. It was logical and plausible, making her reconsider her plans. She decided to ask Castle if he had a better idea to solve the current dilemma without causing friction between the NYPD and the Federal Prosecutor's Office.

Castle was delighted. "I actually have a solution that meets your goals without damaging relations between the police and the prosecutor's office."

Beckett was surprised and pleased. "Really? What's your idea to convince Hard Candy to cooperate?"

Castle, enjoying Beckett's growing reliance on him, quickly shared his plan. "We can tell Candice that the Soprano family is already making moves. If she cooperates and lets us question Jimmy, we can quickly solve the case and provide a new angle for their investigation. If we catch the killer, the prosecutor's office will have another insider from the Soprano family. Working together, we could deal a significant blow to the Sopranos. I bet Candice won't be able to resist such an opportunity."

Beckett listened intently, considering Castle's proposal. His plan was sound and offered a way to work with the Federal Prosecutor's Office without creating conflict. She decided to give it a try, hopeful that it would lead to a breakthrough in their investigation.

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