Chapter 49: Immortal Morgan

"Yes, this is a classic case of imitation murder. Look, the way the heart was removed and the other injuries on her body, all match the details reported in the 1888 London cases!

But how did you find such a hidden scene? And inside a slaughterhouse this far in?"

Castle was curious, remembering from the original show that it wasn't until Adam, another immortal, sent the victim's heart to Detective Jo Martinez's partner that Henry Morgan followed the clues to the Dorsett Brothers' Meat Shop.

"It was the Dorsett Brothers Meat Shop workers who found her. The slaughterhouse has been closed for a while, but workers still come monthly for routine inspections. This morning, one of them walked in and found the victim lying there," Esposito explained, having just finished questioning the slaughterhouse workers who discovered the scene.

"I'm Detective Jo Martinez from the 22nd precinct, and this is Dr. Henry Morgan, the medical examiner. We're investigating a case of a woman who went missing and was likely killed, with her heart gruesomely removed while she was still alive…"

As Castle and Beckett listened to Esposito's report, they heard a cool female voice near the door. Looking up, they saw a woman with a demeanor similar to Beckett, showing her badge to an officer at the door. Behind her stood an elegant middle-aged man in a bespoke suit—Detective Jo Martinez and the immortal medical examiner, Henry Morgan, from the show Forever.

"Let them in," Beckett called out to the officer at the door, recognizing her fellow law enforcement professionals.

Castle was less interested in the assertive Martinez and more intrigued by the calm Henry Morgan who followed her inside. After all, here was a real immortal, a living relic from over two centuries ago.

Of course, there was another immortal, the more daunting Adam who lived over two thousand years and was the culprit behind the current murder scene. Yet, aside from Castle, no one else present could possibly imagine that the killer was such an ancient being.

"Hello, Detective Martinez. I'm Detective Kate Beckett from the 12th precinct. You mentioned you were looking for a woman who had been murdered and had her heart removed while alive. How did you know the heart was taken out alive? Do you have any leads?"

Beckett, as the senior officer on site, naturally took the lead, addressing Martinez, who had been intently examining the corpse.

"Yes, this morning, my partner received a bleeding package at our station. When we opened it, we found a young woman's heart inside. Dr. Henry Morgan here confirmed that the heart was removed while the victim was still alive. We then checked recent missing persons records and followed the clues here. This is Dr. Morgan, the medical examiner who made the identification."

Lanie's eyes lit up. "Hi, Dr. Morgan, long time no see!"

Beckett turned to her friend: "Lanie, you know him?"

"Of course, Dr. Morgan is a legend in forensic medicine, arguably the best in New York!"

Lanie, acting like a fan, proudly introduced Henry to Beckett.

"Better than you?"

Castle seized the moment to interject, trying to make his presence felt.

Lanie rolled her eyes at Castle's quip, behaving like a star-struck fan. "Yes, Dr. Morgan is the best, but he's very low-key. Outsiders hardly know him. Like you, Mr. Castle!"

"I don't know him? I know exactly why he's so good, and even the deepest secrets of his heart, huh…"

Castle muttered to himself internally.

"And this is?"

Martinez, noticing the conversation veering off topic, looked at Beckett, hoping she would introduce the seemingly out-of-place man.

Beckett smiled and introduced Castle to Martinez and Morgan. "This is Richard Castle, a consultant and novelist working with our precinct. He's gathering material for a new book, so he's accompanying me on cases."

"Hello, Mr. Castle. I've read your books; they're fascinating!"

Martinez extended her hand to Castle.

After shaking hands with Martinez, Castle's attention swiftly returned to Morgan.

"Hello, Dr. Henry Morgan, I'm Richard Castle!"

Morgan, forced by his ingrained gentlemanly demeanor to reciprocate the handshake, sensed Castle's peculiar interest, a fascination that seemed to rival his own curiosity about Castle.

"Hello, Mr. Castle, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

After the handshake, Morgan immediately donned his gloves and knelt to examine the victim's body, his mind racing with implications of the crime.

Meanwhile, Beckett and Martinez were in discussion, each consulting their superiors via phone about the jurisdiction of the case. Once they hung up, having received orders to collaborate, they shared a smile.

"So, Detective Martinez, let's work together to catch this Jack the Ripper copycat," Beckett proposed.

"Agreed," Martinez responded, nodding with determination. "Hopefully, Dr. Morgan can give us some useful insights after his examination."

Kneeling beside the victim, Morgan had already conducted a preliminary inspection of the injuries. His eyes flickered with incredulity as he muttered to himself, "No, this can't be... How is this possible?"

Lanie, abandoning her own duties to squat next to Morgan, heard his mutterings and asked curiously, "Dr. Morgan, what do you mean by 'impossible'?"

Morgan, pulled back from his shock by Lanie's question, was about to answer when Castle interjected.

"Because, Dr. Morgan has found that the incisions on the victim, the size and direction of the cuts, are exactly identical to those from the 1888 Dorset Street Jack the Ripper case in London. There's not a single deviation! And here we are, at a place called Dorsett Brothers' Meat Shop—too much coincidence with Dorset Street and Jack the Ripper, don't you think?

So, Dr. Morgan is probably shocked, thinking it might be the same guy from 1888!

Of course, whether it is or not, the killer must have studied the original records from back then very carefully to replicate it this precisely. Right, Dr. Morgan?"

Morgan's eyes lit up, now not just interested in Castle but genuinely impressed by his deductive reasoning.

"You're right, Mr. Castle," Morgan acknowledged, standing up and dusting off his gloves. "If I were only to judge from the body, I might believe it was the work of the same killer from 1888. Of course, that's not possible. The idea that the current killer had meticulously studied the original cases is far more plausible."

Beckett and Martinez, standing behind the two men, simultaneously put their hands to their foreheads. Oh no, the combined force of these two, each with their penchant for drama and detail, could be more explosive than anticipated!

"Then it's settled," Beckett said with a resigned but amused tone. "Let's use all our resources to quickly profile and catch this imitator before he strikes again."

Martinez nodded in agreement, "Absolutely. With the expertise of Dr. Morgan and Mr. Castle's insights, I'm hopeful we'll make rapid progress."

As Morgan returned to the victim, meticulously examining every detail, Castle leaned in to share his theories with Martinez, who listened intently, both intrigued and slightly overwhelmed by the novelist's enthusiasm.

Together, the team began to piece together the puzzle, their diverse skills complementing each other in the hunt for a killer who was as fascinated with history as he was dangerous. The case, steeped in historical imitation and modern forensics, promised to be one of their most challenging yet.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter