"You know, you have beautiful eyes," Castle said suddenly, leaning closer to Beckett, his gaze fixed on hers.
Beckett was startled, leaning back abruptly as she suppressed the urge to punch him. She quickly gathered the photos from the table. "I assume you won't object to the police going through your fan mail?"
"Be my guest. Is that all?" Castle asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice as Beckett rose to leave.
"If our celebrated author wants to experience dropping the soap in a prison shower, I'm sure Detective Beckett would happily arrange it." Jack appeared in the doorway, pushing it open and stepping aside to let Alexis enter.
"Dad." Alexis rushed over to cling to Castle's arm. She glanced at Beckett, her doe-like eyes brimming with innocence, instantly deflating the detective's frustration.
"Our questioning is over. Please take him and leave my sight immediately," Beckett said tersely.
She suspected these people had been eavesdropping from the adjacent room, but since this wasn't an official interrogation, she had no grounds to call out the FBI agents or the girl. Still, it felt like she'd been made a fool of.
---
Outside the 12th precinct, Castle was already pestering Jack. "Can you get me copies of those photos?"
"What photos?" Jack asked, confused.
"The crime scene photos recreating scenes from my novels. You know, when I play poker with my writer friends, they'd be green with envy if I showed those off."
Castle's expression was almost gleeful, his excitement bordering on the absurd.
"A deranged imitator! In the world of mystery novels, that's the highest honor, the ultimate badge of distinction," Castle proclaimed.
"Maybe we should just send your dad to jail," Jack said, turning to Alexis. "I'm sure some burly inmates would knock some sense into him."
Alexis gave a sheepish smile, silently conveying that she had long since given up trying to control her father, who seemed to thrive on creating chaos even when there wasn't any.
Although Jack had the option to involve himself in the NYPD case due to endorsements from Dana Mosier and Frank Reagan, he decided against it. Watching Castle and Beckett's comedic clashes was entertaining, but even he had limits. After all, the FBI wasn't that idle.
---
Early the next morning, Jack and Hannah were awakened by a call from Jubal, instructing them to head to Bedford, less than 50 miles north of Manhattan.
Bedford, to New York City, was what Beverly Hills was to Los Angeles—a haven for the wealthy, renowned for its safety, with violent crime incidents numbering fewer than five annually.
"To live in a place like this, you'd have to be a billionaire, right? Like Soros or someone," Hannah said, marveling at the sprawling castle-like estates along the way.
When they arrived, they found the area swarming with law enforcement vehicles from the FBI, county police, and state troopers. Jubal's call had been vague, mentioning only that someone had gone missing, with details still being gathered.
Jack parked the car, donned his FBI jacket along with Hannah, and approached a Black female county officer to inquire about the situation.
"About forty-five minutes ago, we received a 911 call from a witness walking their dog. They reported seeing a man force a young girl into a car before driving off," the officer explained.
Jack checked the time, then exchanged a significant look with Hannah. They had arrived with sirens blaring in under thirty minutes. If the abduction had happened forty-five minutes earlier, that meant something unusual was at play.
"Did the witness get the license plate?" Hannah asked.
The officer shook her head. "They didn't dare get close enough to see it clearly. All they could confirm was that it was a gray sedan, driven by a White male in his forties, armed with a gun."
"And the victim?" Jack asked, gesturing toward a well-dressed White man standing nearby.
"The missing girl is Chloe Ford, sixteen years old. Her father, Nathan Ford, is a billionaire—that's him over there. I suspect that's the motive behind the abduction."
Jack followed the officer's gaze and nodded. No surprise there—cases involving the nation's elite got the FBI involved within minutes.
---
"Thank you," Jack said, shaking the officer's hand before heading over to Nathan Ford with Hannah.
"Mr. Ford, good morning," Jack began, introducing himself and Hannah. Seeing the FBI arrive so promptly seemed to ease some of the man's tension, and he shook their hands.
"Chloe has a morning jogging routine. You know, Bedford's always been safe, so..."
Nathan Ford rubbed his face, trying to stay composed.
Hannah glanced between the scene the officer had indicated and the grand entrance to Ford's estate. The two locations were less than 200 meters apart.
"I noticed you have extensive surveillance around your property," she remarked.
"Yes. There are two cameras above the gate, one on each side. The butler has already pulled the footage for you to review," Ford replied.
"Thank you. I'll send the footage to our operations center. A tech team will be arriving shortly to monitor all your communications. We hope for your full cooperation," Hannah said.
She was more experienced in handling abductions than Jack, who had only dealt with two serious cases in his career. One had involved a delusional man attempting to kidnap twins to make them his "wives." This case, seemingly motivated by money, was a novel experience for him.
As Hannah left to handle the footage, Jack pulled out a notepad. "Mr. Ford, do you have any idea who might have done this?"
"I... I can't think of anyone. I'm sorry. My mind's a mess right now," Ford said, shaking his head, his face pale.
"What about Chloe's mother?" Jack suggested. In ransom cases, custody disputes were often the first angle to consider.
"She passed away three years ago in an accident." Ford lowered his head, a look of grief flashing in his eyes.
Jack winced, realizing his question had struck a nerve. He cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly apologized.
---
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]