Chapter 17: The Personal Grandpa Experience

At the 12th Precinct, Richard Castle stood before a large whiteboard plastered with various photos and analyses related to the case, pretending to study the details. He watched as Beckett, deep in thought, walked out of the interrogation room.

"How did it go? Did you get anything?" Castle asked, though he already had a guess.

"No, he didn't confess to killing those three victims. Are we missing something?" Beckett's tone carried a hint of hesitation.

"May I offer my opinion?" Castle was ready to kick into 'Personal Grandpa' mode.

"Of course, that's why we brought you on as a consultant." Although Beckett wasn't very hopeful, she was curious about any different suggestions Castle might have.

"Well, I believe that the person you just arrested isn't the real killer!" Castle made a startling statement, then quickly explained.

"Look, if the killer were truly a fan of my books, then the first victim should have been hanged with a rope, not strangled with a tie; the second victim should have been covered in big roses, not spray roses; and the last victim should have been wearing a blue evening gown, not yellow!

What does that tell us? It only shows that the real killer was merely imitating the scenarios from my books superficially, framing the person you just brought in.

According to your investigations, the guy you just arrested is a hardcore fan of mine. Do you think a hardcore fan would make such obvious mistakes?

Also, if you look at the whiteboard with the three victims, a lawyer, a social worker heiress, and a white-collar worker, do you notice anything odd?"

"They don't seem to have any connection, and we've already checked. The guy we just brought in seems to be a serial killer who chose his victims at random."

Beckett was surprised by Castle's inference but still didn't understand what he was trying to imply.

"Exactly, they don't have a direct link, but that's precisely what the killer wanted!" Castle shared his deduction.

"Look, if there were only one victim, you'd look for the killer's motive;

If there were two victims, you'd look for a connection between them;

If there are three or more, you might think the killer is just a psychopath.

But what if the killer actually only wanted one of these three people dead?" Castle carefully guided Beckett's thoughts closer to the truth.

"Are you saying that the killer's real target was just one of the three, and the other two were just to mislead our investigation?" Beckett was stunned by Castle's wild theory.

"Have you spoken with her family?" Castle pointed at Allison Tisdale, the second victim, the trigger that allowed him to join the investigation.

"We contacted her family yesterday. Her father is the boss of the Tisdale Group, and he's on his way back now. She also has a brother who's returning from a business trip in Canada."

Determined to spoil everything, Castle flipped the table: "Check her brother's financial status; I believe there will be findings!"

Beckett was puzzled: "Why?"

"The first lawyer and the third white-collar victim were completely to cover up the murder of the second victim, Allison Tisdale, the wealthy heiress. She's key to this case. Trust me, check her brother, especially if he has a second passport." Castle was adamant in his instruction to Beckett.

"Why? You can't just make us do this based on nothing!" Beckett was already intrigued by this new direction but needed a solid reason as police couldn't act on whims.

"You want to know why? Come with me to the Tisdale Group to meet the victim's father, and you'll understand." Castle took out his phone and dialed the Tisdale Group, arranging a meeting with the elder Tisdale.

"I'm coming with you!" Beckett was curious to see if Castle really was as impressive as he seemed.

Their conversation with old Mr. Tisdale didn't give Beckett any useful leads.

At the entrance of the Tisdale Group, Beckett looked disdainfully at Castle, who had confidently promised insights: "You said meeting old Tisdale would clarify everything. What now?"

Richard Castle, the personal grandpa, distracted her: "I feel like having a hotdog, want one?"

"Give me a reason! Tell me your reasons!" Beckett, sensing that Castle might actually know something, impulsively grabbed his nose in frustration.

"Ah... let go, I'll tell you! Did you notice just now that he (old Tisdale) was unnaturally thin and kept fiddling with his hair unnaturally during our conversation? Because that's a wig! He's probably undergoing radiation therapy!

He's likely got cancer and is dying!" Castle hurriedly revealed, pleading for Beckett to let him go.

"You mean, if he dies, then the inheritance

..." Beckett caught on to Castle's line of thought.

"Exactly, half an inheritance isn't as tempting as the whole thing, right? So I told you to check Harrison's financial situation, go on, there will definitely be unexpected findings.

Oh, and check if he has a second passport!" Castle was just short of directly accusing Harrison Tisdale of being the killer.

"Alright, I'll immediately get a judge to sign a search warrant!" Beckett was very action-oriented.

"No need for that hassle, I've already contacted a friend of mine who's a judge; everything's ready, we can just go and pick it up now!

On the way, you can arrange for someone to check what I just told you." Castle's smug expression made Beckett grind her teeth.

Later, they successfully obtained a search warrant from Castle's judge friend. Then, just like in the original storyline, Harrison Tisdale's plot to kill his sister and the other two to inherit the fortune, using a second passport to create an alibi, was uncovered. In his panicked escape, he even took Castle hostage.

Unfortunately for Harrison, this Castle was not the pushover from the original series. Before Beckett could catch up, Castle easily turned the tables on Harrison, who held a gun but hadn't even removed the safety.

Thus, when Beckett arrived, gun drawn into the alley, she found a triumphant Castle standing over a subdued Harrison, holding the confiscated gun.

"You might not believe it, but this guy tried to take me hostage without even unlocking his gun's safety. Isn't that underestimating me?" Castle's face bore a 'praise me, praise me' expression, which made Beckett want to punch him.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the car? Why did you act on your own?" Beckett was furious, knowing that any misstep by Castle could have brought trouble to her and the police department.

"I saw him running, okay? Look, if it weren't for me stopping him, you wouldn't have caught this guy." The shameless Castle wasn't afraid of Beckett's scolding. After all, hadn't he helped her catch the suspect?

"Harrison Tisdale, you are under arrest for suspicion of murder. You have the right..." As Beckett cuffed the collapsed Harrison and read him his rights, she glared at the seemingly innocent Castle, planning to give him a piece of her mind back at the station and then kick him out for good.

Castle, unfazed and thick-skinned, just grinned and followed Beckett's lead.

Back at the station, after Harrison was locked up, Beckett went to report to their boss, Captain Roy Montgomery, leaving Castle at her desk. Soon, two cheerful detectives approached.

"I'm Javier Esposito, and this is Kevin Ryan. We're all part of Beckett's team. We met yesterday but didn't really introduce ourselves. Nice to meet you, writer." A robust Hispanic man reached out his hand while introducing the handsome, boyish white cop beside him.

After shaking hands with Esposito and Kevin, Castle chuckled inwardly: "I know you guys better than you think!"

"Nice to meet you, Officer Esposito, Officer Ryan." Castle wore a sly grin, already plotting how to win them over to expedite his plan of sticking close to Beckett. He also needed to charm Renee and Captain Montgomery.

"How did you pinpoint the killer?" Esposito was curious how a writer had managed to find the breakthrough in the case faster than their experienced boss and even subdued the killer, leaving Beckett to merely handle the formalities.

When Castle heard a topic that could highlight his capabilities, he was energized: "Let me tell you..."

After reporting to Captain Roy, Beckett walked out to find the three men animatedly chatting by her desk, evidently praising each other.

"Writer, who knew you could not only write books and help our boss solve cases, but also handle yourself pretty well, huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Solving cases is just because my approach is different from the police, and no matter how good I am, I'm surely not as skilled as you front-line detectives!"

"Cough cough... Esposito, have you checked what I asked you to?" Hearing the shameless praise among the trio made Beckett feel exhausted. Why did she have to deal with this guy?

Sensing the hidden anger in Beckett's voice, the three quickly scattered.

Beckett, slowly returning to her chair, finally addressed Castle who was still sitting in front of her: "Mr. Richard Castle, thank you for your cooperation in solving this serial murder case."

Castle, about to humbly respond, was interrupted.

"However, regarding your various unauthorized and dangerous actions during the investigation, our captain needs to have a serious talk with you. Please, Mr. Castle."

Beckett decided it was best to be rid of Castle, directing him to deal with Roy.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter