Aside from the question of when/if Kate and Castle will ever get together, it's the most pressing issue facing fans of this ABC hit these days?

Will we see the Triple Killer again?

Yes, creator Andrew Marlow tells TV Guide, but not until the latter part of the season. In the meantime, however, it's not as though his presence won't be felt.

"There are ways to deal with the storytelling where you're not necessarily confronting the character head-on," Marlowe says. "It's possible his character ends up being a puppetmaster."

That's an intriguing tease.

In whatever form 3XK takes, this character's freedom will continue to haunt Castle.

"Castle feels a responsibility that this guy is out there," Marlowe says. "If he'd just been a little bit smarter... then whatever might happen in the future wouldn't have happened. Castle is going to feel that burden."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.