Just like Beckett, Esposito and the others knew that although Castle usually seemed unreliable, he would never joke about something like this. Esposito, with his previous experience in the Navy SEALs, clearly understood how terrifying a sniper capable of shooting targets from extremely long distances could be, based on Castle's description. He didn't want to risk his life over a case that Castle had already dismissed as a "dog-eat-dog" situation, potentially getting his head blown off by a stray bullet. So, after hearing Castle's account, Esposito was the first to agree with Castle's suggestion to abandon the investigation.
Kevin was still a bit confused. "But we're cops. Can we just drop a case like that?"
Seeing Kevin's innocent look, Castle and Esposito exchanged a mischievous glance and chuckled. Castle put his arm around Kevin's shoulder. "Do you think any of the five bodies upstairs have families who will come demanding answers from the police? And the Indian woman who got shot in the head in that office building - why was she killed? Because she was an informant for the guy in the suit! These six victims weren't good people. Why should we risk our lives for them?"
Castle's tone grew serious as he reiterated to the two in front of him, "We absolutely cannot investigate this case. One-on-one, you don't stand a chance against those Assassin Brotherhood guys!"
Esposito and Kevin, having faced the harsh realities of the world, knew Castle's harsh words were for their own good. They nodded, indicating they understood Castle's warning. Meanwhile, upstairs, Lanie was briefing Beckett on her findings from the crime scene investigation. "These four men in work uniforms were clearly not construction workers; they were gunmen. You can tell from the weapons on the ground. But what's puzzling is the man in the suit. His hair has tiny fragments of high-strength tempered glass, which matches the shattered glass from the office building across the street. Did this guy really jump over from across the street? That's at least 35 meters. Who is he?"
Beckett, still mulling over what Castle had said about the Assassin Brotherhood, didn't answer but gestured for Lanie to continue.
Lanie continued, "Look at this antique flintlock pistol he's holding. The bullet from this gun matches the wound on one of the dead men in work uniforms. It's the murder weapon. The 9mm handgun in his other hand matches the wounds on the other three. Even without ballistics tests, we can confirm that this guy killed the four men in work uniforms. But the bullet wound on his head is from a caliber I've never seen before. Unless I can get him back to my lab, I can't give you an accurate caliber or describe the weapon."
Beckett, convinced by Castle's earlier information, had no more doubts that this was an internal conflict within the Assassin Brotherhood. She was also terrified by the sniper, Mr. X, who could kill from Brooklyn to Manhattan with an astronomical telescope and jet-propelled bullets. It was a terrifying, rule-breaking sniper. Sitting miles away and killing someone with a single shot, it was an unpredictable and unbeatable threat for her and her team.
Fortunately, Castle had informed her of the key details in time, preventing her from making a wrong decision. Lanie, having finished her work, did not disturb Beckett and quietly packed up her things, instructing the other officers to take the five bodies back to her lab. By the time Beckett snapped out of her thoughts, the scene was mostly cleaned up.
Knowing there were no more clues to find, Beckett collected herself and headed downstairs, where she saw Castle, Esposito, and Kevin chatting in the lobby. Urgently needing to report the situation to Captain Montgomery, Beckett grabbed Castle, the one most familiar with the case, and dragged him back to the precinct. She instructed Esposito and Kevin to stay at the scene until it was fully processed.
Back at the precinct, Beckett and Castle reported the case details to Montgomery. Castle played a crucial role, explaining the dangers of the Assassin Brotherhood and the specifics of the case. Montgomery, familiar with Castle's mysterious sources, didn't question him as Beckett had. After listening to Castle's detailed account, Montgomery decisively ordered the case to be made public.
This way, Beckett's solve rate wouldn't be affected even if she didn't solve the case. By making it a public case, any of the NYPD's 77 precincts could investigate, which practically guaranteed the case would go cold.
After instructing Beckett to be cautious and to follow Castle's advice, Montgomery dismissed them. Beckett, not letting Castle sneak away, pulled him into an empty break room to ask about another case she was concerned about.
Castle, after much reassurance and swearing he was diligently gathering evidence for her, finally managed to escape Beckett's questioning. Leaving the precinct, he felt a sense of relief. Knowing about the existence of an organization like the Assassin Brotherhood had initially terrified him, even though he had a system. But the system didn't make him bulletproof! The idea of a sniper like Cross who could shoot someone from 800 kilometers away was horrifying. Thankfully, the system assured him that the other members of the Assassin Brotherhood weren't as formidable as in the movie he remembered. Otherwise, he would never have been able to relax.
Castle decided not to seek out Wesley, now a down-and-out loser in Brooklyn, knowing Wesley would soon fall into Fox's trap. With no other plans, Castle decided to visit Abe's Antique Shop, hoping to find Abraham and maybe Henry there. He could at least tell Henry about his plan to help Beckett seek justice, considering Henry had once helped him examine Beckett's mother's case files.
At Abe's Antique Shop, Castle was warmly welcomed by the elderly Jewish man, Abraham. Henry wasn't there, as he was currently engrossed in playing detective with Joe Martinez. Abe jokingly hinted that Castle might soon have a new, younger, and prettier stepmother. Thanks to Castle's interference, Adam, the original mastermind, was quickly taken out, so Henry didn't have the same dark burdens as in the original story. With Castle's help, Henry and Abe had also easily found Abigail's remains, resolving Henry's major unresolved issue.
Castle and Abraham, like two peas in a pod, sat in the shop gossiping and plotting how to encourage Henry to pursue the beautiful Joe Martinez, completely disregarding Henry's feelings. Their sneaky conversation made them look very mischievous.
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