Chapter 116: Setting the Pace

After receiving Assistant Federal Prosecutor Candice "Hard Candy" Robinson's promise that she would personally question Jimmy in his safe house and provide Beckett with an answer by the end of the day, Beckett and Castle left the Federal Prosecutor's Office.

With the investigation progressing, Castle saw an opportunity to reveal more clues. As they sat in the police car heading back to the precinct, Castle subtly steered the conversation.

"Beckett, how do you think the Soprano family identified Dr. Joshua Leeds as the one who performed Jimmy's plastic surgery? Dr. Joshua hid the surgery record deeply. Besides the federal marshals and Candice, no one should have known that Dr. Joshua was the one who operated on Jimmy. So how did the Soprano family figure it out?"

Castle's question jolted Beckett. She realized she had overlooked this obvious lead since taking over the case. Beckett's reliance on Castle's uncanny insights had made her overlook some basic investigative steps. She reflected on how she had issued all her investigative orders based on Castle's information. Damn, how had she become so slow?

Castle noticed Beckett's reaction, unsure if his words had upset her. He turned to check on her, concerned. Beckett quickly composed herself, realizing she wasn't overly reliant on Castle, but rather that his insights had built her trust in him.

She signaled for Castle to continue his line of thought. Relieved, Castle continued, "I've been thinking, Jimmy is under tight federal protection, so he can't be our killer. The killer's use of Jimmy's signature method to murder Dr. Joshua might be to send a message to Jimmy: no matter how well you hide, we will find and kill you. This could be to scare Jimmy into not testifying against the Soprano family.

But the key question remains: how did the Soprano family identify Dr. Joshua? If the federal marshals and Candice didn't leak, could someone from his clinic have tipped them off? Or is there someone in the clinic secretly in contact with the Sopranos?"

Beckett, now fully understanding Castle's implication, responded, "You mean we should focus our investigation on Dr. Joshua's clinic staff?"

Castle, who knew from the original series that the killer was nurse Carla Dante, who was using a stolen identity to infiltrate Dr. Joshua's clinic, wanted Beckett to focus on the clinic staff to easily unmask Carla. However, he also knew that, unlike the original series where they caught Carla during an attempt on Jimmy's life, they needed a new plan to catch her now that Jimmy wouldn't be exposed.

Castle replied confidently, "I believe focusing on the clinic staff could yield unexpected results. But this is just my opinion. It's up to you to decide."

Beckett smiled, "Most of our leads so far have come from you, and we don't have anything concrete from Jimmy. Even if Candice questions him, it might not help much. Since you've pointed us in a new direction, why not follow it?"

Beckett immediately called Esposito and Ryan, instructing them to conduct detailed background checks on the three employees at Dr. Joshua's clinic.

Castle, knowing that a thorough police background check would unmask Carla, warned Beckett to tell Esposito and Ryan to be careful and to conduct their investigation from the precinct first, using police databases, to avoid potential danger at the clinic.

Castle's caution reassured Beckett of his knowledge. His suggestion indicated there was a real threat at the clinic. Beckett didn't question Castle's source of information, focusing instead on getting back to the precinct quickly to verify Castle's lead.

As Beckett increased their speed back to the precinct, Castle received a call from Mozzie, who informed him of an interested buyer for the Tutankhamun scepter from Adam's collection. Castle was torn; he wanted to help Beckett solve Dr. Joshua's murder but also needed to complete the urgent transaction with Mozzie's buyer.

Beckett noticed Castle's dilemma and told him he could attend to his business since the background checks would take some time. She assured him he could rejoin the investigation afterward.

Grateful for Beckett's understanding, Castle told Mozzie he would meet him soon and asked Beckett to drop him off. He watched as she drove away before hailing a taxi to Mozzie's safe house in Brooklyn.

On the way, Castle remembered his promise to Abraham to let him pick some items from Adam's collection before selling them. He called Abraham, inviting him to choose some items. Abraham was delighted but told Castle he was busy preparing for Abigail's funeral with Henry and invited Castle to the ceremony, recognizing Castle's crucial role in recovering Abigail's remains.

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