After a hearty dinner, Alexis took her favorite little white lab mouse and headed upstairs to his room to study, leaving the downstairs space to his father, Richard Castle, and Castle's girlfriend, Beckett. Alexis, who had mostly been raised by Castle alone since childhood, didn't really care about her father's love life. In fact, Beckett was much better than her unreliable biological mother, and far easier to accept than Castle's second wife, Gina.
Once Alexis went upstairs, Castle finished tidying up the kitchen and went to his study with Beckett. He wanted to discuss some recent developments, including his plan to buy an estate on Long Island. Although financial matters between couples are typically kept separate in this country, Castle, who still held traditional values at heart, felt that since he and Beckett were destined to be married, there was no reason to hide anything from her.
After Beckett took the tea Castle made for her, he started with the issue Beckett was most concerned about: "Beckett, I think relying solely on the police to search for Marcus Gates might be difficult. After all, New York City is so big, and if this guy is determined to hide, he's going to be hard to find."
"So I think we should prepare for an alternative."
Beckett, sitting comfortably on the couch, didn't respond, knowing that Castle would tell her everything even without prompting.
As expected, Castle continued: "Do you remember Jerry Tyson, the guy we visited in Sing Sing prison? You asked me back then, and I told you that he might know more than we think. Now that we've confirmed Marcus is the killer of Linda Russo, and that he might strike again soon, why don't we strike a deal with Tyson, who likely has valuable information about Gates?"
"Tyson shared a cell with Marcus for four years. He might know exactly where Marcus is hiding. Offering Tyson early release in exchange for that information seems like a fair trade, especially since he's only in for drug use, not violent crimes. Such a request would easily pass approval. Once we get the information, catching Marcus, who only preys on defenseless women, will be a piece of cake."
This wasn't the first time Castle had suggested this. After their visit to Sing Sing, Castle had already floated the idea, but Beckett, confident in her team, had initially dismissed it.
However, things were different now. The 3XK killer's M.O. involved killing three victims within a week, and they were already on the fourth day since the first murder. Last night, Marcus had been scared off by Beckett and Castle while lurking outside a victim's apartment, and now he was missing. Who knew if he might change his methods or flee the city altogether? If Marcus escaped, Beckett would be deeply frustrated.
Castle's argument was sound, and Beckett finally began to take the suggestion seriously.
Still, she hesitated. "Castle, is there really no other way to find Marcus? Not even through your informant channels?"
Castle was straightforward: "It's not impossible, but we can't predict how long it would take. And what if he kills someone else in the meantime? It's better to get accurate information from Tyson and end this quickly. After we scared Marcus last night, who knows what a psychopath like him might do next?"
Castle had hit the nail on the head. The last thing Beckett wanted was news of another murder, so after hearing his well-reasoned explanation, she made up her mind. She would visit Sing Sing first thing in the morning and arrange for Jerry Tyson's release to get the information they needed.
Once she had decided, Beckett relaxed a bit and curiously asked, "You said there were a few things you wanted to discuss. What else?"
Castle, sitting at his desk and typing on his laptop, turned the screen toward her. "What do you think of this estate on Long Island?"
Confused about why Castle suddenly brought up an estate, Beckett got up and looked at the listing on a luxury real estate website. Knowing Castle well, she immediately guessed what he was planning and widened her eyes in shock. "You're not saying you're going to buy it, are you?"
Castle flashed his usual mischievous grin. "Haha, I knew you'd figure it out. Yes, my lawyer finalized the deal this afternoon. The previous owner had to sell it due to losses from the recent financial crisis. He was heavily invested in Wall Street and needed to sell the estate to cover his debts."
"And, well, not many people have the money for such a purchase right now, but I do. So, the day after tomorrow, the estate will be mine. How about I take you to see it sometime?"
Beckett looked at Castle with a mixture of shock and disbelief. She knew he was wealthy, but buying a huge estate on Long Island so soon after donating $15 million worth of equipment to her precinct? It was hard for someone with a salary of just over $100,000 a year to wrap her head around.
Luckily, Beckett wasn't the type to be overly impressed by money. After the initial surprise wore off, she was more intrigued by Castle's openness. In the U.S., even married couples often keep finances separate, so Castle's candidness was unusual.
Before Beckett could ask about it, Castle explained: "I just wanted you to know what I've been up to. You spend so much time focused on your cases and the precinct that I thought I should let you know. You're my girlfriend now, and you have the right to know these things."
Castle's unexpected gesture struck a chord with Beckett, softening her heart. She looked at him with teary eyes. Sensing the moment, Castle didn't waste any time. He scooped her up and carried her to his bedroom.
The night was filled with warmth and passion.
The next morning, Castle, refreshed from their night together, accompanied Beckett to the precinct. After receiving updates from Esposito and other officers, as well as FBI agent Diana, confirming that there were still no leads on Marcus, Beckett finally made the call. She presented her plan to make a deal with Jerry Tyson to the district attorney and the judge. After convincing them, she got the necessary authorization.
Later, accompanied by Castle, who was eager to see how things would unfold, Beckett went to Sing Sing prison to meet Jerry Tyson once again.
Tyson had been expecting them. Though he tried to hide his satisfaction, he feigned fear of Marcus's revenge. It wasn't until Beckett produced the pardon signed by the judge that Tyson pretended to reluctantly agree to cooperate with the police.
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