Chapter 148: The Investigation

As long as Renee discovered that the woman's false teeth were made of stainless steel, her professional expertise would quickly reveal that the woman was an immigrant from Eastern Europe. Once Beckett had this lead, she could trace the victim's family. With this information, Beckett's skills would likely lead to the downfall of the doctor who had switched the babies, especially with Castle providing occasional hints.

Although Castle had decided to gradually return the lead in investigations to Beckett, it didn't mean he would be indifferent to the case. This particular case had deeply affected and alerted him. As a gesture of gratitude for the reminder from this unfortunate woman, Castle wouldn't let the selfish doctor get away.

Castle's suggestion struck a chord with Beckett, who was nearly out of leads. The resolute and efficient officer immediately took Castle to Renee's forensic lab, hoping to find useful clues.

Beckett hurried to Renee's forensic lab, prompted by Castle's reminder. She realized there was no point in staring at a nearly blank whiteboard. Renee's autopsy results could provide vital information, such as the time and cause of death, which could offer a direction for the investigation.

As they entered, Renee was just about to make a phone call. She turned around with a broad smile when she saw Beckett. "Hi, Kate. I was just about to call you…"

Beckett, seeing Renee's smile, knew her friend had important information. Without wasting time, she asked, "What good news do you have? Spill it!"

Renee glanced at Castle behind Beckett. "Hey, writer, I heard your new book is finished and about to be published. Make sure you send me a signed copy, or I'll never let you into my morgue again!"

Without waiting for Castle's response, Renee continued to Beckett, "Follow me. I just found something odd about the victim's dentures. Upon closer inspection, I discovered they were made of stainless steel. No American dentist uses stainless steel for dentures. This material was only used in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This means our victim was likely an immigrant from that region. Also, I found this piece of candy wrapper in her coat."

As Renee described her findings, she handed a plastic evidence bag containing the wrapper to Beckett.

Castle leaned in and confidently identified the writing on the wrapper. "This is Czech. Look at the separators between the words. That's a hallmark of the Czech language!"

Beckett and Renee turned to Castle, their expressions questioning how he knew this. Castle shrugged. "I almost ordered a Czech bride once. You know, there was a trend where you could order a bride by phone, and they'd send one speaking Czech right to your door. Alexis stopped me, though…"

Castle's voice trailed off under Beckett and Renee's disapproving glares until he fell silent.

Despite disapproving of Castle's antics, they didn't doubt his statement. They now had a strong lead: the unidentified woman, based on her dentures and the candy wrapper, was likely an immigrant from the Czech Republic.

The next step was to search around the crime scene to find her residence and possibly identify her through neighbors or other contacts. They could also check immigration records for more information.

Beckett asked Renee to conduct a thorough examination of the victim's body for any other identifying clues. She then took Castle back to the precinct. Esposito, returning from canvassing the area around the crime scene, brought surprising news: six blocks away, there was a cheap apartment building rented out to Eastern European immigrants. Elated, Beckett seized this lead and immediately took Esposito and Ryan to the building, suspecting the victim might have lived there.

Sure enough, the landlord identified the victim from a photo. Her name was Aislika Sokol, a 35-year-old immigrant from the Czech Republic, who lived alone in apartment 502 and worked nearby, paying her rent in cash weekly.

The landlord let them into Aislika's room, a sparse space with just a bed, an old armchair, a small bathroom, a wardrobe, and a refrigerator. The room's simplicity suggested Aislika had no friends or social life.

While Beckett and Esposito began searching for clues, Castle went straight to the wardrobe. Behind it, he found many photographs, with one prominent gap. On the floor behind the wardrobe, he picked up the key photo: a blonde boy playing on a park horse, smiling at the camera, with his mother's face in the background slashed beyond recognition. The boy in the photo was Aislika's son, switched at birth by Dr. Cameron Talbert.

Castle handed the photo to Beckett. "Notice anything odd about this picture?"

Beckett examined it closely. "It seems Aislika was fond of this child but harbored hatred towards his mother, slashing her face in the photo. Did Aislika have a child? Why such animosity towards this woman?"

Seeing that his subtle hint had sparked suspicion and awareness in Beckett, Castle decided to step back and let her lead. "How should I know? That's your job. You can investigate whether Aislika had a child or if she had a grudge against the woman in the photo."

Beckett noticed Castle's different behavior today. Since staring at Aislika's body, he seemed changed, less inclined to dominate the case, more reserved. Her keen intuition sensed Castle was deliberately holding back, subtly guiding rather than taking over.

Beckett, though sharp, didn't mind the shift. Investigating was her responsibility, and Castle's previous habit of taking the lead had sometimes irked her. His decision to return control pleased her, though she couldn't deny a slight sense of loss. She had grown somewhat dependent on Castle's swift case-solving abilities.

Shaking off these thoughts, Beckett handed the photo to Esposito. "Esposito, you and Ryan go back to the precinct and retrieve Aislika's information from the immigration database. Check if she had a child, especially a son, and find out about her husband. Ideally, locate her husband and get a detailed background on her. Castle and I will continue searching here and join you later. Go now!"

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