Chapter 74: Beckett's Surveillance

"Rick, is what Abraham said true? Beckett actually followed you? Why?"

Henry was shocked. He and Castle had put on such a convincing performance today to divert the attention of the two exceptionally astute female detectives. Could it be that Castle had slipped up in front of Beckett? Otherwise, why would she suddenly start tailing Castle?

"Don't worry, Henry. This was part of my plan. Her following me will only make Beckett more convinced that we aren't up to anything secretive. She'll just think I got close to you because we share common interests."

Castle, lounging on the sofa, reassured Henry without a hint of panic. Instead, he looked rather pleased with himself, which eased Henry's initial alarm.

"What exactly is going on? You need to tell us our current situation. I followed your instructions with Martinez at the precinct today, but now you need to explain if what we're doing will affect your upcoming plan."

Henry's concern stemmed from the chaos of Castle revealing that Adam was responsible for Abigail's death, which had thrown Henry into disarray. Castle had taken charge of the revenge plan, which was full of holes, forcing them to scramble to cover their tracks and deceive the police.

Hearing Henry's serious tone, Castle dropped his casual demeanor. He realized it was time to clarify the situation.

"Henry, you're right. The initial plan was a bit rough. While I covered our tracks with Adam's kidnapping, I overlooked the fact that my unusual behavior regarding the case would raise Beckett's suspicions.

But, I can assure you, her suspicion is only because I didn't follow her lead with my usual enthusiasm in investigating such a bizarre copycat murder. Instead, I disappeared and started hanging out with you.

I've already used today's performance to mislead Beckett into thinking I'm just like a kid with a new toy, fascinated by you because of our shared interests or your position as Chief Medical Examiner. She thinks I'm ignoring the case because it's not as interesting to me compared to learning about strange cases from you."

"Wait, Rick, what do you mean by 'not enough clues to investigate'?"

Henry interrupted Castle's rambling, sensing something amiss.

"Oh, that's referring to Adam's case. Do you really think we can help the police find clues and solve it? Adam planned to mimic the Black Dahlia case next, but we acted quickly, preventing him from continuing.

Because he didn't get to continue, the police only have minimal leads from the Jack the Ripper imitation. There's a clean crime scene meticulously arranged by him, leaving no extra clues. The police know he used an alias at the New York Public Library to look up the old reports and that he specifically targeted the victim using the alias Mary Kelly, a name from the Jack the Ripper case. That's it—very few leads.

We haven't even found the primary crime scene yet. How can the police find Adam in such a vast population with just these scant clues?

This is our chance. The police must realize that due to the lack of clues and evidence, they can't sustain their investigation. They might shelve the case as a cold one, reducing our exposure risk."

Even Henry, with his usual calm demeanor, was irritated by Castle's verbose explanation. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he summarized, "So, you're saying we need to lure the police into finding some traces left by Adam, but ensure these traces aren't enough to continue the investigation, right? Any other plans?"

Castle, not bothered by the interruption, continued, "Yes. That's why I came here immediately after leaving the precinct to discuss with you. I think we should wrap up Adam's matter tonight while Beckett and Martinez are busy following up on the fake signature clue from the library. They won't be watching us.

Beckett thinks I'm here to gather stories from you for my new book. For at least a day or two, they won't pay attention to us. Let's take this opportunity to finish off Adam and ensure our plan remains hidden."

"Henry, I think Rick has a point," Abraham suddenly voiced his support.

Seeing Henry deep in thought, Castle added fuel to the fire, "Henry, I think you and Abraham shouldn't come to the hospital tonight. I'll go alone. Not only will it be less noticeable, but I'll also need some help from people in the underground world afterward. Your presence wouldn't be appropriate."

Henry looked at Castle, "Can you handle it alone?"

Castle laughed, "You forget, who took down Adam in the first place? That was all me."

Henry and Abraham exchanged glances and eventually agreed to Castle's plan. Henry also instructed Castle to have his friend at the private hospital arrange Adam's transfer to avoid unnecessary attention when Adam disappears.

After finalizing their plan, Castle retrieved the dagger that could nullify Adam's resurrection ability from Henry. Ensuring everything was in place, he bid the two farewell and drove away.

Castle didn't head home but instead made a call to Italy. He needed assistance from John Wick, who was in Italy, relaxing after settling a personal vendetta.

"John, I need to ask you something. You mentioned that we could use Continental Hotel's gold coins to hire cleaners to dispose of bodies, right?"

John Wick, in high spirits after reclaiming his blood oath medallion and eliminating a major threat, was surprised by Castle's question.

"Rick, what trouble have you gotten into now?"

"Nothing, it's not me. Don't jump to conclusions," Castle quickly denied, then explained, "I need to dispose of a body tonight, one that's inconvenient for others to find out about. But I don't know how to contact the cleaners. I can't just call Winston, can I? He'd give me a lecture."

John, sensing Castle didn't want to divulge details, didn't press further. Everyone has their secrets, after all. He laughed, "Rick, to hire cleaners, just call the Continental Hotel, specify your request and the number of people needed. They'll handle the rest. Just make sure you pay them with the gold coins, specifically the ones worth ten thousand. Don't mix them up!"

"Got it. Thanks, John!"

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