Chapter 83: Daughter's Return

After a quick lunch at the precinct, Beckett hurriedly took Castle to the detective agency of the private investigator hired by Jason, who had taken the intimate photos of Jeff and Tiffany.

Unfortunately, the private investigator initially refused to cooperate. Despite the evidence, he vehemently denied ever blackmailing Jeff. Due to the tight schedule, Beckett hadn't yet retrieved the personal account information of Jeff and the investigator, causing a temporary standstill.

Frustrated, Beckett once again unleashed Castle to work his magic. Castle's charm and tactics quickly shattered the investigator's facade, leading him to admit to blackmailing Congressman Jeff.

Furthermore, this confession revealed that the ransom money indeed came from Jeff's wife, Larry Horn.

Back at the precinct, while Beckett was recording the investigator's detailed statement, Castle called her out of the interrogation room.

"What's going on?"

A puzzled Beckett couldn't understand why Castle had pulled her out at this critical moment.

"Look at this..."

Castle pointed to the TV news in the precinct's lobby.

Beckett looked up to see Larry Horn giving a speech on TV. As Castle had predicted, Larry was leveraging public sympathy, announcing her intention to continue her late husband Jeff's legacy by running for his seat in the upcoming election.

"See? I knew Larry Horn had issues..."

Castle's face was full of triumph, but Beckett didn't mind his gloating. She was impressed by his uncanny intuition once again.

"Yes, your prediction was spot on. I'll immediately arrange for someone to get Larry Horn's bank account records. Once I finish questioning the private detective, we'll go see her..."

Beckett decisively shifted her focus to Larry Horn based on Castle's prediction. She instructed Esposito to head to the bank. If they could find the ransom withdrawal in Larry's account, it would prove that she lied to the public to cover up her husband's scandal. This evidence might break Larry's psychological defenses and reveal the truth about Jeff's murder.

Beckett quickly directed Esposito and Ryan to Larry Horn's family trust bank, then went to Captain Roy Montgomery's office to request a search warrant.

Seeing the investigation heading in the right direction, Castle smiled smugly and leisurely sat at Beckett's desk with a cup of coffee, ready to watch the drama unfold. He knew that once Beckett focused on Larry Horn, the truth would soon come out, thanks to her skills. Now, he could relax and just enjoy the show.

Castle watched Beckett return from the captain's office with a search warrant. She quickly briefed Esposito and Ryan and then rushed back into the interrogation room to finish questioning the private investigator. Castle figured he was no longer needed and debated whether to stay and watch the case wrap up or head to Henry's place to complete his own task.

While pondering, his phone rang at the perfect moment.

"Dad, I'm back. Just got off the plane. Where are you? At the precinct? We have a lot of luggage. Can you come pick up Mom and me?"

Alexis's cheerful voice on the phone made Castle immediately surrender to his daughter's request.

"Alexis, are you and your mom at Kennedy Airport? Wait for me. I'm at the precinct. I'll head over now to pick you up."

Castle stood up and gently knocked on the interrogation room's one-way glass, signaling Beckett to come out.

"What now?"

Beckett assumed Castle had another lead and quickly stepped out.

"Oh, it's Alexis and her mom. They just got back from their trip and are at the airport with a lot of luggage. I need to go pick them up. Just giving you a heads up—I might not be able to join you in bringing Larry Horn back to the precinct."

Castle explained that it wasn't about the case but rather about picking up his daughter, whom he missed dearly, and her excessive luggage.

Beckett smiled. "Alright, you go ahead. If there are any new developments in the case, I'll call you."

Bidding Beckett farewell, Castle hurried to JFK Airport to pick up Alexis and his ex-wife, Meredith.

Castle, who missed his daughter terribly, sped to JFK and arrived just in time to see Alexis and Meredith coming out with their luggage.

Seeing them loaded with bags and pushing two luggage carts, Castle's head began to ache. He wondered if letting Meredith—a shopping fanatic with a credit card—take Alexis on this trip had been a drunken or ill-advised decision.

Meredith, his ex-wife and Alexis's mother, was not an easy person. Although she had given him the best gift in the world, Alexis, Meredith herself could drive Castle crazy.

"Hi, Dad. You're here... Sorry, Mom and I bought too much stuff..."

Seeing her dad, Alexis immediately ran over, gave him a kiss, and apologized for their excessive luggage.

"Alexis, no need to apologize. I know this is all your mom's doing..."

Castle comforted his beloved daughter and quickly identified the culprit.

"Hi, Rick. Thanks for coming to get us. This trip with our darling daughter was absolutely fantastic..."

Meredith, finally arriving with the help of three airport porters, greeted her ex-husband.

Looking at the mountain of suitcases and large bags, Castle was grateful he was still financially stable. Otherwise, his two shopaholic ex-wives—Meredith and Gina—would have bankrupted him long ago. If it weren't for the royalties from his bestselling novels, he'd have jumped off the Empire State Building by now.

Resigned, Castle directed the porters to load Meredith's myriad purchases into his car. When it didn't all fit, he had to rent a truck from the airport to haul everything back to his place.

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