Chapter 79: New Case

After discussing with Moz about discreetly handling Adam's remaining art pieces and dealing with Neil's situation, Castle finally bid Moz goodbye and went home alone.

On his way back, Castle marveled at Moz's valuation of the art pieces. Who would have thought that Adam's casually displayed collection could easily exceed nine figures in total value? According to Moz, if handled well, those precious pieces could fetch even higher prices.

Though Castle had already achieved financial independence, he was deeply impressed by this potential windfall. He planned to use these funds as a backup for his covert operations, making it harder for anyone to trace anything back to his accounts.

The last time he paid the Black Fox Squad in Paris, he withdrew the money from his account. Fortunately, he was cautious enough to use untraceable cash. However, for future situations, who knows what might happen? Having a secret account as a backup was necessary.

As he got more involved in shady activities, it was imperative to leave himself some escape routes and prepare accordingly.

Tomorrow, Alexis and her mom would return from their trip, and his mother Martha's 'spiritual retreat' would also be over. Having been idle for so long, it was time for him to work on a few cases with Beckett again. He needed to build rapport with Beckett to gain her trust, which would give him the opportunity and excuse to involve himself in her mother's murder case. Only by doing so could he protect Beckett and Captain Roy Montgomery, catch the killers Dick Coonan and Senator William Bracken, and complete his main task from the system.

Returning to his empty home, Castle pondered for a while and decided to call Henry again. This time, Abraham answered, informing Castle that Henry, having finally avenged Abigail, had gone out for a walk after receiving Castle's last call.

Unable to discuss teaming up with Henry, Castle didn't mind. He subtly informed Abraham that he had found someone to help sell Adam's collection. Given its immense value, Castle sought Abraham's opinion on giving their friend a 10% commission for the sale.

Abraham agreed completely, mentioning he had little time left, so money was of no importance to him. He only requested to select a few items to keep before they sold the rest. Castle readily agreed, planning to accompany Abraham to Adam's house to pick out a few treasures.

After hanging up, Castle realized he had accomplished his immediate goals and had nothing pressing to do. He was about to take a shower and rest before heading to the 12th precinct to shadow Beckett when his phone rang again.

Seeing 'Beckett' on the caller ID, Castle was puzzled. What could she want at almost midnight?

Putting aside his doubts, he answered the call.

"Castle, where are you?"

Beckett's cool voice came through the phone.

"I'm at home. What's up?"

"You told me to notify you immediately if there was a case. Well, there's a case now... Are you coming?"

Beckett sounded tired, likely from following the lead Henry and Martinez had found earlier. But as the homicide squad leader, she had to respond to new cases, even at midnight. Since Castle had asked to be notified of new cases, Beckett doubted his curiosity would let him stay away.

Hearing there was a new case, Castle's interest was piqued immediately. "Where? I'm on my way!"

"XX Street, XX Manhattan. I'll be waiting for you there..."

Beckett hung up, and Castle, now energized, abandoned his plan to shower, quickly changed clothes, and headed to the scene.

Midnight in Manhattan was still bustling. Despite the crowd, Castle hurried to the scene, where the apartment building was surrounded by flashing police lights.

After parking and securing his car, Castle ran to the building, greeted the uniformed officers guarding the scene, and headed to the third floor. He found Beckett listening to Esposito's briefing, while Lanie was examining a body on the carpet.

Nodding to Beckett and Esposito, Castle didn't interrupt but listened in.

Esposito continued, "They found the rug in a dumpster while moving and thought they could use it, so they brought it back. When they unrolled it, they found the body.

The victim had no ID, wallet, or watch. We initially think it might be a robbery gone wrong."

"This isn't a robbery..." Castle and Beckett said simultaneously, dismissing Esposito's theory. Their synchronicity surprised Lanie, who was examining the body.

"Why do you both think it's not a robbery?" Lanie asked, curious.

Castle confidently replied, "If it were just a robbery, the killer wouldn't bother wrapping the body in a rug. And most importantly, I recognize this victim! He shouldn't be here at this time!"

Castle's words shocked Beckett, Lanie, and Esposito. "What? You know him? How?"

Castle gave them a puzzled look. "Haven't you ridden the subway or bus? His campaign photos are everywhere. This is Jeff Horn, a two-term city councilman running for re-election..."

Lanie couldn't help but tease Beckett, "See, having this guy around has its perks. He's well-informed and saves us a lot of trouble."

Castle knew the victim's identity as soon as he walked in. The original storyline made it clear. The killer was the victim's wife, and now he needed to steer Beckett's investigation towards her to solve the case quickly.

Castle decided to let Beckett shine in this case to relieve some of the pressure from the unsolvable Adam case, easing her burden.

Lanie said, "The victim was shot at close range with a .38 caliber handgun, directly in the head. Now you need to find the primary crime scene. Maybe you can trace the rug's origin... Beyond that, we'll need a full autopsy to know more."

After considering Lanie's forensic opinion, Beckett instructed Esposito, "You and Ryan canvass the area for more witnesses. Castle and I will visit Councilman Horn's home to talk to his family."

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