After Beckett left, Castle, along with Ryan—a fellow Irish officer who often appeared like an easy target—arrived at a nearby motel with Jerry Tyson, who was carrying a green duffel bag. Ryan, typically inseparable from Esposito, was now working with Castle to watch over Tyson. They checked into a room on the second floor.
Before leaving the precinct, Castle had discreetly instructed Ryan to activate the hidden body camera he wore. Though Ryan wasn't entirely sure of Castle's intentions, he followed the instructions. Unbeknownst to Jerry Tyson, both of their body cameras were continuously transmitting footage directly to the computer in Beckett's office.
As the trio entered the motel room, Beckett was simultaneously leading her team to an apartment near the Brooklyn Bridge. Despite signs that the apartment belonged to Marcus Gates, it had clearly been unoccupied for some time. The moldy pizza left in the trash suggested Gates hadn't been there in days.
Disappointed, Beckett couldn't help but recall Castle's subtle hints before she left the precinct, where he implied that Jerry Tyson might not be trustworthy. However, Beckett didn't rush to join Castle and Ryan at the motel. She had full confidence in Castle's plan. If Tyson tried to escape, it would be foolish to think he could outsmart both Castle and Ryan. Though Ryan often appeared mild-mannered, he was a trained officer. And Castle, who frequently hid his cunning behind a carefree demeanor, wasn't one to be underestimated. If Tyson had any ill intentions, he would surely end up paying the price.
Beckett wasn't too disheartened by the dead-end at the apartment. In fact, identifying the real identity of the elusive serial killer 3XK within just a few days was already a significant breakthrough. It seemed almost expected that they wouldn't catch Gates so easily—his reputation alone suggested that.
After gathering evidence at the apartment, Beckett left a few officers to monitor the place, just in case Gates returned. She then took Esposito and two FBI agents back to the precinct. Beckett remembered Castle had mentioned earlier that both he and Ryan would be wearing body cameras, allowing her to monitor their interactions with Tyson from the safety of the precinct. She wanted to return and see for herself if Castle's instincts were right.
Meanwhile, at the motel, Castle had begun testing Jerry Tyson.
Castle was already aware that Tyson had revealed details to the FBI earlier that only the real 3XK killer would know. Therefore, instead of waiting for Tyson to slip up like in the original case, Castle decided to confront him directly, believing that Tyson thought he had the situation under control.
Ryan stood guard by the door while Castle sat casually inside, watching Tyson as he unpacked his bag. Out of nowhere, Castle asked, "Marcus Gates isn't really 3XK, is he? He's just a decoy you used to mislead the police and negotiate your release, right?"
Tyson froze, his face betraying a moment of shock as Castle continued, "The real 3XK is you, isn't it? You know the details of the cases not because you heard them from Gates, but because you committed the murders yourself. You've been hiding well, but I figured you out."
Tyson was taken aback. Even Ryan, stationed at the door, was stunned by Castle's bold accusation.
Jerry Tyson, a man known for his impeccable psychological composure, quickly recovered. He scanned the room and calculated his next move. Seeing that Ryan was the only armed person in the room and that he was less than ten feet away, Tyson readied himself to strike.
In an instant, Tyson's demeanor changed. He dropped his façade of innocence and looked at Castle, now lying relaxed on the bed, with a sinister smirk. He finally admitted, "How did you know? I thought I did a pretty good job covering my tracks. What gave me away?"
Ryan was still reeling from the revelation—this ordinary-looking guy, Jerry Tyson, was the real 3XK? What about Marcus Gates?
In the brief moment of Ryan's shock, Tyson seized his opportunity. He swiftly attacked Ryan, knocking him to the ground with a punch and a kick, then snatched Ryan's gun from his holster. Tyson now aimed the weapon directly at Castle.
Surprisingly, Castle didn't react. He calmly watched Tyson disarm Ryan and point the gun at him. Tyson didn't know that this was all part of Castle's plan. If Tyson didn't resort to violence and grab a weapon, Castle wouldn't have a legitimate reason to kill him. Now, with Tyson disarmed and threatening them with a stolen gun, Castle had all the justification he needed to act in self-defense.
Tyson, now sneering, demanded, "Tell me—how did you know it was me? Where did you get this information?"
Castle adjusted himself, sitting up straight, and even made a point of directing the hidden camera in his shirt toward Tyson. He replied calmly, "Because everything seemed too perfectly staged. When Beckett and I visited you in prison for the first time, you acted terrified of Marcus Gates, like you thought he'd come after you. But the next day, when we told you we could help you get an early release if you cooperated, your attitude changed way too quickly. It just didn't sit right with me.
I began to suspect that all you wanted was to get out of prison early.
So, this afternoon, I did a little digging into your and Marcus's backgrounds. I found something interesting: Marcus, though he has a history of violent crimes, is more of a brute force criminal. There's nothing in his past that suggests he could have pulled off the meticulously planned crimes attributed to 3XK.
So, how could he suddenly become so cunning and methodical after getting out of prison? The only explanation is that he's just a pawn, following someone else's plan. That someone is the real 3XK… you."
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