Ever since Castle "sponsored" the 12th Precinct with a weakened version of the God's Eye system, the precinct had consistently ranked number one in case clearance rates across all New York police stations. After Castle drove out Harold Finch, a vigilante with a penchant for using big data, and his operative Reese from the precinct's jurisdiction, Beckett's tenure as captain had become relatively smooth.
Most cases were easily solved, thanks to the proliferation of surveillance cameras and smartphone recordings scattered across the city. Often, detectives didn't need to conduct extensive investigations since enough evidence could be gathered through these tools alone.
However, Beckett herself had not personally led any cases in the past six months, particularly after her pregnancy advanced. Esposito, who had taken over as the head of the Robbery-Homicide Unit, had grown into his role and was fully capable of managing his team. This allowed Beckett to gradually shift from the mindset of a frontline investigator to that of a precinct commander.
With this new perspective, her priorities and considerations had changed. As a detective, Beckett might have stubbornly fought for jurisdiction over a murder case, even if it involved foreign intelligence agencies. "If someone was killed on my turf," the old Beckett might have declared, "then it's my job to catch the killer—no matter who they are." She wouldn't have cared if the FBI or Homeland Security wanted to take over. Handling inter-agency disputes would have been a problem for her superiors, not her.
But now, as a precinct captain, Beckett understood the value of cooperation over confrontation. Power struggles between law enforcement agencies might occur at lower levels, but not at her level of authority. Moreover, Joe Martinez, the head of the joint command center and a former NYPD officer from the 22nd Precinct, was a trusted ally and personal friend.
Joe had called that morning to inform Beckett that the long-standing murder case troubling her detectives might involve foreign agents. She also wanted to use the case to assert her leadership over the recently expanded command center, especially with new groups like the CIA team vying for influence. For both professional and personal reasons, Beckett had no reason to hinder Joe's efforts.
However, Beckett saw no need to explain any of this to Castle, who was now seated in front of her, grinning like a child eager to "help" with the case. She knew perfectly well that his interest had nothing to do with justice. He was just looking for an excuse to avoid going back to his mechanical workshop.
Meanwhile, at the FBI's Joint Command Center on 26 Federal Plaza, Esposito and Ryan arrived in the precinct's state-of-the-art Dodge patrol car, a gift from Castle. Omar Zidan, one of Joe's top agents and a man with a thick beard, greeted them and led them to Joe's office.
Joe herself was practically glowing. Her relationship with Henry had blossomed, and with the FBI Director Peter Burke recently expanding the command center's scope, she was thriving both personally and professionally. Her confidence and charm rivaled Beckett's, and she wasted no time in diving straight into business with her NYPD colleagues.
After handing over the details of the unidentified corpse that had stumped them for weeks, Esposito finally learned why the case had gone nowhere. The command center's intelligence resources, particularly those of Homeland Security and the CIA, revealed that the victim was not an American at all. He was a member of a European military intelligence agency.
As Esposito stared at the screen showing the victim's identity, he realized how out of their league this case truly was. This wasn't something a local precinct like the 12th could handle. Following Beckett's instructions, he prepared to call her and recommend transferring the case to the federal authorities.
However, before he could make the call, the screen displayed additional information that left him speechless. The new data included the victim's covert mission in New York: to infiltrate and obtain classified information from none other than Richard Castle, the famous detective novelist.
Esposito was dumbfounded.
"What the hell…? How does this guy keep getting involved in our cases?" he muttered.
Joe was just as surprised. The data had updated in real-time, likely due to the command center's integration of multiple agency databases. She hadn't seen this intel earlier and would have summoned Beckett herself had she known Castle was implicated.
This was precisely the advantage of the joint command center. By consolidating resources and intelligence from various agencies, it minimized bureaucratic delays and improved response times to critical incidents. Each agency's on-site team acted as a liaison, streamlining communication and coordination.
Earlier that morning, when Joe contacted Beckett, she only knew that the victim's identity was suspicious. Now, thanks to the CIA's involvement, the center had uncovered not only the victim's identity but also his mission to target Castle.
For Joe, however, this revelation posed a new headache. Castle was well-known to many in the command center. His face appeared on the screen with a goofy, smiling portrait, instantly recognizable to everyone present. Beyond being a bestselling author, Castle had deep connections within powerful circles, including federal agencies and political figures.
Omar Zidan, who had previously worked with Beckett and Castle, vividly recalled how Castle had solved a case before he even had the chance to act. Omar knew from experience that Castle was far more formidable than he appeared.
Castle's profile listed a bewildering array of business affiliations. He held stakes in major defense contractors, including General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, and had ties to the DuPont conglomerate. On top of that, he was a campaign supporter of the current president.
The room grew tense as the implications sank in. This was not a case they could handle with the usual protocol. Simply issuing a request for "cooperation in an investigation" would not suffice when dealing with someone like Castle.
The agents exchanged wary glances. They all understood that their usual tactics wouldn't work here. Dealing with a high-profile figure like Castle required a delicate touch, especially since he had personal ties to their colleagues at the NYPD. Joe, aware of the political tightrope she was walking, sighed inwardly. She had hoped to use this case to solidify the command center's authority, but now it seemed she had walked straight into a minefield.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.