Beckett saw Marcus throw down his toolbox and flee into a nearby alley. In a panic, she didn't even wait for Castle's car to come to a full stop before trying to jump out and chase him. However, the car had automatically locked its doors after starting, and in her urgency, Beckett failed to unlock the door in time. She watched helplessly as the suspected serial killer disappeared into the alley, vanishing from sight. Furious, she turned to Castle, glaring at him so intensely that she almost wanted to punch him for ruining the operation with that smug smile on his face.
Castle, secretly pleased with how perfectly his "scare the snake" plan had worked, parked the car near the spot where Marcus had dropped his toolbox. He then explained seriously to Beckett, "Didn't you see? He was on the phone, probably tricking the victim into unlocking the door to the apartment. Think about it. If we had waited until he got inside to catch him, we might not have made it in time. Haven't you noticed how meticulously this guy plans?"
Castle pointed to the apartment door, adding, "If he had gotten inside and shut that door, we might not have been able to stop him in time."
Beckett, contemplating his words, looked at the apartment door Marcus had been heading toward. Castle was right. The building had no doorman, only an intercom system that allowed tenants to buzz people in from inside. The person Marcus had been speaking to on the phone was likely today's intended victim. If they had opened the door and let Marcus, dressed as a gas company worker, inside, she and Castle might not have been able to get in quickly enough to stop him.
Realizing this, Beckett's frustration began to ease. Marcus's guilt was becoming clearer, and while he had escaped, she had prevented yet another murder. More importantly, she now had a solid suspect to chase. Castle had also taken several clear photos of Marcus, providing crucial evidence of his intent to kill. Once they caught him, convicting him would be much easier.
As Beckett's mood improved, she and Castle got out of the car and approached the toolbox Marcus had left behind. Beckett carefully put on gloves and opened it, and immediately knew she'd hit the jackpot. The first thing she saw was a length of green and white twisted rope—the signature weapon of the 3XK killer!
Overcome with excitement, Beckett quickly called the station, requesting a forensic team to come to their location. She also called Esposito, who had already left for the day, instructing him to rush over to help protect Kim Foster, the woman Marcus had almost killed.
Beckett was worried that Marcus might return for Kim after the police left, and she couldn't risk losing her to his revenge. If she failed to protect the victim, it would be a failure too great to bear.
Castle, not wanting to disturb Beckett in her moment of triumph, quietly contacted "Little Fatty," a tech-savvy associate who had been tracking Marcus for them. Little Fatty had deployed a drone and hacked into the city's traffic system, ensuring that Marcus couldn't escape their surveillance.
After confirming that Marcus was still being tracked, Castle softly reminded Little Fatty to stay vigilant and not let Marcus slip away. He then hung up and stood behind Beckett, watching as the newly arrived officers began processing the scene and interviewing Kim Foster, the near-victim of the night.
It was then that Beckett realized Castle had been right. According to Kim, she had received a call from someone claiming to be a gas company repairman. He'd told her that there was a gas leak in her building, and he needed to check her apartment. If their conversation hadn't been cut off by some unexpected interruption, Kim would have opened the door for Marcus, letting him inside.
If Beckett had stuck to her original plan of waiting until Marcus was inside the apartment to arrest him, they might have missed their chance. The building's locked door could have delayed them, and Kim might have been killed. That would have gone against everything Beckett had set out to do.
As Beckett and her team continued working the scene and interviewing the victim, Castle quietly started scheming. He recalled that in the original case, Marcus Gates had used Paul, a coworker of Linda Russell (the victim from two days ago), as an alibi. Paul had pretended to be Marcus, creating a fake alibi that allowed Marcus to evade suspicion and get released from police custody with the help of a lawyer. This had led the police to enlist Marcus's prison friend, Jerry Tyson, from Shinnecock Penitentiary in a desperate attempt to take Marcus down, only for Jerry to escape under the watch of Ryan and Castle.
But now, Castle had changed the timeline. He had stopped Marcus from killing Kim, scaring him off. How could the police now think of bringing in Jerry Tyson if Marcus had fled? The only way to ensure that things unfolded as they should was to make Marcus disappear. If Marcus vanished, the police would eventually turn to Jerry Tyson for answers.
The more Castle thought about it, the more it made sense. He had no qualms about eliminating scum like Marcus Gates or Jerry Tyson, men who preyed on vulnerable women. The world would be better off without them.
With his mind made up, Castle realized Beckett wouldn't be heading home with him tonight. With the case advancing so quickly, she'd likely return to the station to plan Marcus's capture. Castle, on the other hand, could leave without raising any suspicion. With Little Fatty tracking Marcus, now was the perfect time to take him out.
Castle quickly approached Beckett and told her he'd be more useful trying to track down Marcus's location than sticking around at the scene.
Given how valuable Castle's "homeless" informants had proven, Beckett didn't hesitate to agree, focused as she was on planning the next phase of the investigation.
After exchanging pleasantries with the officers at the scene, who treated him with the same respect as their boss, Castle got into his car and called Little Fatty.
"Little Fatty, where's the guy I told you to follow? Uncle Rick is planning to finish him off and head home for some sleep," Castle said casually as he started the car.
"..." Little Fatty was speechless at how audacious Castle had become, but he quickly relayed Marcus's exact location. "Uncle Rick, he's at a bar called 'The Boar,' having a drink. I can't tell if he's alone since there are no cameras in the bar, or the ones they have aren't online, but I'm sure he's still inside."
Castle was surprised to hear that Marcus had gone to the same bar as in the original storyline. With his target confirmed, Castle turned the car around and headed off—to kill.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]