Chapter 160: Changes

Looking at Larsen lying on the ground with a piece of his skull blown off, Castle's initial excitement quickly turned to calm. Damn, the 9mm Parabellum round might not have the stopping power of an 11.43mm bullet, but when it hits the forehead, it can still take a significant chunk of the skull with it.

The shot Castle had fired at Larsen's head had blown off the back of his skull, splattering brain matter all over the place. Although this didn't disturb Castle much, the scene before him was beyond his ability to clean up alone.

Faced with the mess, the experienced Castle took out his phone and called the Continental Hotel: "Hello, I need to order a rush one-person dinner. The address is the woods by the small lake in Central Park. I need you to get here in ten minutes."

The Continental's cleaning crew didn't disappoint. In less than ten minutes, four burly men arrived, pushing a sizeable cart to Castle's location.

Just like before, the four men worked silently and efficiently. Two of them wrapped Larsen's body in plastic and loaded him onto the cart they had brought because cars couldn't enter the park. The other two meticulously cleaned the area, using spray cleaners and bleach to gather all the blood and brain matter into plastic bags. They then disinfected and bleached the ground, thoroughly erasing all traces of the murder.

Castle was impressed by the efficiency of these professional cleaners. Even if someone called the police and Beckett herself came to the scene, there would be no evidence left to link Castle to the killing. As long as Castle didn't confess, the shooting of Larsen would remain a mystery, erased by the skilled cleaners.

Standing silently and watching the cleaners work their magic, Castle realized why assassins found it hard to leave the services of the Continental Hotel. With everything handled so perfectly, all they needed to do was focus on the killing. The cleaners' professionalism was on par with, if not superior to, the police's forensic teams. They knew exactly how to counter forensic methods, which would likely leave police forensic experts crying in frustration if they ever encountered a cleaned-up scene.

While Castle stood there lost in thought, the cleaners finished their job quickly and effectively. One of them, the leader, approached Castle to collect their payment.

Extremely satisfied with their work, Castle, living up to his reputation as a wealthy patron, pulled out a ten-thousand-dollar gold coin and handed it to the leader. Ignoring the surprised expression on the leader's face, he said, "I'm very satisfied with your work. Take it."

The standard fee for disposing of a body and cleaning up was one gold coin worth a thousand dollars. Encountering such generosity, the leader smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your generosity, sir. We look forward to serving you again."

The cleaners, thrilled with their windfall, swiftly left, pushing the cart with Larsen's body. Castle finally felt relieved. He wondered if he was out of his mind to stage a murder in Beckett's jurisdiction in Central Park. Without the cleaners, he might have had to store Larsen's bloody body in his personal space, making a mess of it.

Now that the cleaners had tidied up, it was time to send a warning to Vincent Adler, who was likely waiting for Larsen to report Castle's death.

Castle thought about calling Vincent directly but decided against it, preferring to let Vincent discover Larsen's fate on his own. This would likely cause more paranoia and uncertainty for Vincent. Castle figured that it was better to play dumb for now, letting Vincent wonder and worry.

Aware that he wasn't skilled in such intrigue, Castle decided to discuss today's events with Mozzie and Neal, seeking their opinions and strategies.

Having decided on his next steps, Castle stashed his weapons and accessories back into his personal space. With hands in his pockets, he leisurely walked out of the park towards his car. He wanted to see if the two obvious followers were still there, imagining Vincent's reaction when he learned of Larsen's disappearance.

As expected, when Castle reached his flashy red Ferrari and opened the door, the two men tailing him looked as if they had seen a ghost. Castle smirked and gave them a cheeky whistle before driving off.

The two thugs, utterly confused, had followed Castle all morning as per Larsen's orders. After Castle entered Central Park, they reported his location to Larsen, expecting a reward once Larsen killed Castle. But to their shock, Larsen vanished like he had been swallowed by a black hole, while Castle emerged unharmed.

Realizing Larsen must have failed, possibly even died, the two thugs decided to report the strange turn of events to their superiors immediately.

Castle, uninterested in Vincent's reaction to Larsen's fate, called Mozzie. Mozzie was shocked to learn that Vincent had sent a hitman after Castle. Ten years ago, Vincent played mind games, but it seemed he had evolved into a ruthless warlord willing to kill his adversaries.

Mozzie knew this change meant they had to revise their plans. Clinging to old strategies would be dangerous, risking their lives if they failed. Realizing the severity, Mozzie urged Castle to pick him up in Brooklyn, planning to contact Neal and discuss the implications of today's attack.

Agreeing with Mozzie's plan, Castle hung up and drove towards Brooklyn to fetch Mozzie.

Meanwhile, Mozzie urgently called Neal: "Neal, there's been a complication. Vincent sent a hitman after Rick. Rick's fine, but this shows Vincent isn't the same person we knew. We need to rethink our plans. Can you come home now? Rick and I are on our way to your place to discuss this."

Neal, idling in the FBI's New York office, quickly stepped out: "Mozzie, is Rick okay? Alright, I'll tell Peter I need to leave and head home. See you soon."

Ending the call, Neal prepared to leave, knowing that the game with Vincent had just become deadlier.

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