Chapter 90: Return to Sender

Early the next morning, Castle walked into the 12th Precinct, still holding two cups of coffee.

Last night, after learning that his crazy ex-wife Meredith had gotten an irresistible audition opportunity and had rushed back to Los Angeles, Castle finally had a good night's sleep. However, because he had secretly taken the case files on Beckett's mother's murder from the precinct's archives yesterday, Castle came to the precinct early to find an opportunity to quietly return the files, which he and Hank had already copied.

"Castle, why are you here? Didn't I tell you yesterday that I won't be assigning any cases for a while? I need to focus on organizing the Jeff Horn murder case files to submit them to the DA for prosecuting Larry Horn and Nesbitt."

Castle handed Beckett the skim latte he was holding and explained his purpose for coming today, saying he wanted to check out some old case files in the archive room. He also mentioned that he had completed the outline for his first Nikki Heat novel and just needed some interesting cases to start writing.

Busy with the seemingly endless paperwork on her desk, Beckett absentmindedly allowed Castle, who had already received Captain Roy's permission yesterday, to go to the archive room.

"Hehe... Turns out it's easiest to sneak past Beckett when she's buried in paperwork..."

Pleased with how easily he had gotten past Beckett, Castle wasted no time heading to the archive room. He knew that Beckett would normally be suspicious of his motives for visiting the archive room two days in a row, especially when he had never shown interest in old case files before. If it weren't for her current preoccupation with paperwork, Beckett would have used her uncanny sixth sense to detect his abnormal behavior. That's why Castle chose this particular time to return the four case files he had taken yesterday.

Once inside the archive room, Castle immediately put the four files back in their original places. After completing the task, he pretended to browse through a few old files, sitting down at a desk and faking interest in them.

He knew that Beckett, curious as ever, would likely sneak over to confirm that he was indeed looking through old case files.

Sure enough, within ten minutes of Castle's fake browsing, Beckett's figure flashed past the archive room door.

"Knew you couldn't resist checking up on me. Good thing I was prepared..."

Catching a glimpse of Beckett passing by the door, Castle smiled to himself. The final step was complete. Beckett's suspicions about his back-to-back visits to the archive room were dispelled. Now he just needed to stay here for another twenty minutes before leaving. Mozzie had arranged to meet him later that morning, and he mentioned that Neal had reached an agreement with the FBI and would likely be released today.

Mozzie's invitation was probably to help Neal find his missing girlfriend, Kate Moreau. Should he take the opportunity to tell Neal and Mozzie about Vincent Adler's plan to find the U-boat treasure in advance? If he did, it could earn Neal's gratitude and save Kate from being killed by Vincent's bomb. But was there something he was missing? Perhaps it was better to wait until he met Neal in person to see if the system triggered any side missions.

Castle pondered these thoughts in the archive room, his mind far from the file in front of him. His deep contemplation, however, would make any observer believe he was lost in thought about incorporating certain cases into his novel. This inadvertently cemented Beckett's belief that he was genuinely researching old cases, eliminating any remaining doubts.

After nearly an hour in the archive room, Castle decided to wait and see what unfolded when he met Neal. Leaving the room, he wandered over to Beckett's desk to say goodbye, explaining that he had gathered the necessary research and wanted to use the precinct's downtime to work on his novel.

Beckett, now free of her suspicions thanks to Castle's unwittingly perfect performance, agreed without hesitation and promised to notify him immediately if a new case came up. She then returned her focus to the mountain of paperwork on her desk as she watched Castle leave the precinct.

"Mozzie, where are you? I've finished at the precinct. Where should we meet?"

Castle called Mozzie as he started his car.

"Rick, you're done already? I'm at the FBI office. I just signed an agreement as Neal's lawyer. Neal will serve as a consultant for the White Collar Crime Division, helping solve art and financial fraud cases in exchange for a reduced sentence. Neal's with me now. Are you coming over to meet him? It's been four years since you last saw each other, right?"

Castle smiled, recalling the sharp-dressed man who always wore impeccable suits: "Alright, let's meet in front of the FBI office. We'll decide where to go from there."

Mozzie hung up the phone, standing beside a handsome man with brown hair and a lazy smile. His blue eyes were deep and charming, a face that could instantly win a woman's affection. This was Neal Caffrey, the world-renowned con artist.

Hearing Mozzie's conversation, Neal maintained his casual smile and said, "Was that Rick?"

"Yes, like you, he's also working with the police. He just finished at the precinct. But unlike you, he wasn't forced into it. He pressured the mayor to get the police to cooperate with him. I heard that the detective he first worked with wanted to shoot him."

Mozzie's amused expression showed how happy he was to reunite with his old friend.

Neal's smile turned slightly awkward as he sighed, "I lost my composure when Kate disappeared. Please don't keep teasing me about it."

"I'm not teasing you. I admire your determination to find Kate. But I can't believe you agreed to help the FBI catch other criminals. Neal, we're criminals ourselves. How could you want to help the people who hunt us?"

"Mozzie, it's the only way to get out of prison quickly. I need to find Kate and ask why she left!"

Neal's face showed determination, willing to betray his own principles to work with the man who had captured him, Agent Peter Burke.

"Alright, Romeo. It's your decision. As your friend and lawyer, I won't interfere. But remember, if the FBI benefits from your help, they might try to prevent you from leaving. Keep that in mind."

"I trust Peter. He wouldn't do that."

"Maybe Peter won't, but he's just the head of the White Collar Division. Are you sure no one higher up will take an interest in you once they see your value?"

Mozzie's words made Neal think deeply. After a moment, he replied, as if convincing himself: "No, I won't let that happen!"

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