Jack and the great writer hadn't seen much since their adventure in France. Even the heartless Cassel took a while to process the fact that he suddenly had a new father.
Of course, this could also be because he had been repeatedly warned by someone that even the female detective he liked must remain secret for the time being, and he couldn't even use this adventure as material for his own novel, which made the great writer very frustrated.
Jack was actually quite busy. After scheduling a detailed discussion the next day, he went to Staten Island overnight. Danny's leg injury had almost healed, and his mental health issues were gradually easing with the company of his family.
The main issue was PTSD from his time in the battlefield. A close comrade, two years his junior, had been killed by an IED while on patrol.
Trapped in the deformed police car, Danny had watched the driver and the mounted policemen die helplessly, bringing back painful memories of his military service.
Fortunately, he had a gentle and understanding wife, a father and grandfather willing to listen, and two sensible sons by his side. Over the past two months, he'd gradually emerged from his trauma.
This was a relatively normal situation. After all, just because everyone has mental health issues doesn't mean everyone is mentally ill. However, American society today seems to use mental illness as a common excuse.
Even if someone is shot dead in the street by police, they'll drag in the politically correct community, give a good son and good neighbor speech, and then attribute everything to the individual's mental crisis.
In fact, having many mentally ill people in the United States is normal; having fewer is abnormal. Whether it's cocaine, narcotics, or other drugs like opiates, each one has a strong psychoactive effect.
Even drugs marketed as "harmless" can induce mental illness far more than tobacco and alcohol.
While this seems to be true, a country where nearly 20% to 30% of the population is mentally ill (drug addicts) seems even more terrifying.
After confirming that Danny had returned to his former self, Jack felt relieved and drove back to Long Island.
He was greeted by two beautiful women dressed as Sherlock Holmes and Watson. They were wearing
black three-piece English suits, deerstalker hats, and capes. It was actually getting a bit hot in New York at this hour, and Hannah's beautiful, straight nose was covered in beads of sweat.
Jiejie was wearing a lighter-colored plaid suit, and she was playing with Watson's iconic bowler hat, a half-smile on her face.
"Halloween's still more than half a year away, what are you doing?"
Jack glanced at the pile of colorful novels on the living room table. The top one was titled "Please Don't Leave Me, The Billionaire's Secret Daughter," and a cold sweat broke out on the spot.
Hannah, with her ridiculous mustache, pretentiously tapped the corncob pipe she had just been smoking on the table. It must have been a souvenir of Ma Chao that she had taken from Jack's bedroom upstairs.
"Where do you want to go, Ms. Joan Doe?"
Jack froze in his tracks as he wanted to close the door and pretend nothing had happened. He glanced behind him in feigned surprise, "I swear I came back alone."
Jiejie tried hard to control the upward curve of her lips, "Agent Tavolar, you don't want other people to know that you secretly wrote this kind of novel, do you?"
"."
Jack raised his hands in surrender, "Just be clear. Uh, just tell me what you want me to do to make this disappear in the wind?"
-
"Why did you ask me to meet you at the door of the funeral home so early in the morning? Didn't we have a lunch date?" Although he saw the long-legged beauty who appeared with Cassel, Jack still asked knowingly.
"I have a similar question. Aren't funerals usually held after the investigation is complete?" Castle asked Kate Beckett, the beautiful NYPD detective beside him, earning a playful eye roll.
The great writer, as usual, made a dull joke before explaining to Jack, "Since you asked me to go to Las Vegas this weekend, and it's already Thursday, I think we'd better solve this case within two days."
Jack wanted to roll his eyes at him, as he was treating him like a tool.
Castle then noticed the Audi R8 beside him and reached out to touch the shiny hood. "Wow, you changed your car again, and it's a sports car. Is this the standard for FBI agents these days?"
"No, this is a trophy," Jack said, rubbing his sore waist and secretly giving himself a healing spell, which earned him a subtle look from Castle.
"Wow, looks like someone had a rough night last night."
"Of course I did. I was forced to finish a 20,000-word opening for a screenplay in one night."
Thinking of what happened last night made someone feel awful. What author was being coerced into writing under the threat of social death? If they couldn't finish, they'd post on their social media accounts claiming they were the famous "shuangwen" author "Joan Doe.
" Hannah and Jiejie had asked him to write a shuangwen based on them, featuring two female protagonists. Ideally, one that could be adapted into a film or TV series, and they wanted an intriguing opening.
Jack sat at his computer all night, revising three versions before satisfying the female Sherlock Holmes and her assistant, Watson.
This was thanks to his countless TV series in his previous life. "Rizzoli & Isles" is a rare and high-quality detective drama with two female protagonists.
Jack added a sideline to the sexy female medical examiner—a psychic medium—and incorporated the setting of another classic American drama with a female lead, "Ghost Whisperer," creating a detective drama with fantasy elements.
Upon hearing he'd published a new book, a unique mystery novel with two female protagonists, Detective Beckett couldn't help but cast a curious glance. "Are you still planning on turning it into a short series? That previous one, 'Chuck', was really good."
"This time, we should stick to the traditional TV format. It's got a lot of detective stories in it. A ten-minute short would be too fast-paced for the audience."
The three chatted as they entered the funeral home. Beckett's burly Latino detective, Esposito Javier, was already waiting outside the cordon, while another detective, Kevin Ryan, was busy taking statements nearby.
"What exactly happened?" Beckett quickly got to work, asking Esposito, who had arrived first.
"Mourners found a body in the coffin."
"Isn't that perfectly normal?" Castle's joke was completely inappropriate for the situation, earning a roll of the eye from Esposito.
"As the deceased's family was holding a farewell ceremony for Mr. Manke's body, the handle slipped and the coffin fell to the ground. Then everyone realized that he was not the only one lying inside."
(End of this chapter)