Chapter 243: Team

When they returned to the police station, Esposito and Ryan, who had been sent by Beckett to investigate the victim Sam Parker's previous work at an environmental company in Connecticut, brought back good news. Castle's suspicion about the victim's sudden departure from that company was correct. Additionally, the job application materials Sam had submitted to New York Recycling under the alias Jack Holland revealed discrepancies, further confirming that his move to the current company was premeditated.

Excited, Esposito approached Beckett, who was standing in front of the whiteboard, with the job application materials Beckett had given him earlier. He reported, "Our speculation about the victim's motives for applying to New York Recycling has been confirmed. This guy was indeed sent by his former company to go undercover at New York Recycling. Look, he completely hid his previous employment at the Connecticut environmental company on his resume, and the contact number listed for his previous job is actually his old boss's phone number. This indicates that the victim colluded with his former boss to fabricate his employment history to ensure he could smoothly infiltrate New York Recycling."

Beckett took the materials from Esposito and examined them carefully, agreeing with his assessment. She said, "This explains why the victim declined a promotion at his previous company and suddenly resigned from the Connecticut environmental company. His wife was telling the truth; Sam didn't apply to New York Recycling on a whim. He was sent by his boss to infiltrate New York Recycling and obtain their advanced battery recycling technology."

"This also perfectly explains why he deliberately got close to Sarah Reed, the company's chief technology researcher, and got engaged to her. The quickest and safest way to obtain New York Recycling's latest technology was through Sarah, who had full access to it."

At this point, Beckett paused, slightly puzzled, and hesitantly continued, "So, did Sam Parker's cover get blown, leading Sarah to shoot him out of revenge? But even if Sarah discovered that her fiancé, under the alias Jack Holland, was an undercover agent sent to steal company secrets, it doesn't make sense for her to shoot him."

Castle interjected, "Exactly. For Sarah, who neither invented the technology nor owned the company, there's no reason to kill him just because she found out he was a spy. But you forget, we just met someone who meets both conditions I mentioned earlier—the one who owns both the technology and the company."

Beckett was surprised, "Are you suggesting the New York Recycling owner we met earlier, Carl Borg?"

Castle, once again employing his play-dead tactic, said, "I'm just saying he has the motive and the opportunity. Whether he is indeed the killer is up to you to determine."

Frustrated with Castle's evasive behavior, Beckett snapped, "It's not that we lack leads, but your constant new theories are overwhelming us. We don't have enough manpower to chase every lead you suggest. You'd better spill all your thoughts so I can prioritize our investigation. Otherwise, shut up!"

Castle, intimidated by Beckett's outburst, conceded. Esposito and Ryan, showing no intention of coming to Castle's aid, enjoyed watching their boss reprimand him. They preferred the old Castle, who, despite his annoying tendencies, helped solve cases efficiently. Since Castle's recent shift in behavior, their team's effectiveness had suffered. They were eager for him to return to his usual self so their case closure rate could once again lead the precinct.

Realizing Beckett didn't mind him taking charge of their investigations, Castle decided to be more forthcoming. "Alright, I'll explain. Initially, I wasn't holding back to be difficult; I just wanted to interfere as little as possible in your investigation. But if I'm part of this team, as you said, I'll fully participate."

Beckett, ready to explode again, was interrupted by Castle's quick follow-up: "This case is actually straightforward. First, we eliminate the wife and fiancée as suspects—they lack strong motives to kill the victim. Affairs aren't usually worth murdering over, especially when it's work-related.

The victim's former boss would only have a motive if Sam had already obtained the desired technology, prompting him to kill Sam to cover his tracks. But our visit to New York Recycling didn't reveal any tech leaks, implying Sam hadn't acquired the technology yet. Do you agree?"

Beckett and her team nodded, agreeing with Castle's logic.

Encouraged by their agreement, Castle continued, "So the person most likely to kill the undercover victim is Carl Borg, the owner of New York Recycling. If you discovered a spy from a rival company stealing your technology, wouldn't you be furious? And here's the crucial point—I don't trust Carl Borg's claims about their advanced technology. If I had such groundbreaking tech, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops. Why is New York Recycling so low-key? Either their technology isn't as advanced as they claim, or there's something fishy going on."

Beckett hesitated to accept such a bold hypothesis. "Are you suggesting that the victim's death might mean he discovered the technology, and Borg, realizing his identity, killed him to retrieve it? Or perhaps the technology is a sham, and Borg killed him to keep the secret? Isn't this a bit extreme? We have no evidence Borg knew the victim's true identity or that he had a motive to kill him."

Castle smiled mysteriously. "You wanted a clear direction for our investigation. I'm giving you two: First, investigate the fiancée. She seems too young and not like a seasoned researcher. Have Esposito and Ryan dig deeper into her background. I feel she's hiding something. Second, investigate Carl Borg. I'll join you in this. We should also search Borg's residence and its surroundings. I'm convinced he's our prime suspect. Let's see if we can find evidence to support this suspicion. What do you think?"

Beckett hesitated briefly before agreeing. "Alright, I trust you."

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