Neal's plan was meticulously crafted, but the FBI wasn't naive. When they learned from Neal that Vincent Adler was in New York City, planning something nefarious, the FBI's upper echelons—through Peter Burke's report—were electrified. Furthermore, when they discovered that Vincent had secretly salvaged a submarine off the coast of New York, filled with treasures looted by the Nazis during World War II, their excitement reached new heights. From a professional standpoint, capturing the long-wanted Vincent Adler was a priority, but from a personal angle, many were equally motivated by the potential riches on that submarine. This excitement spread among the FBI agents and higher-ups privy to this information, as well as some officials from the Department of Justice, who had to get involved due to the pardon Neal requested.
Castle, however, was oblivious to all this activity at his Long Island estate, and even if he knew, he likely wouldn't care. The whole situation was primarily about getting Neal out of his current entanglement with the FBI. Castle was busy with Mozzie, going over the treasures he had retrieved from Vincent's front hall.
"Rick, in the stash you brought back, there are 21 paintings. After setting aside the two Gianna needs, we still have 19 left. Among them, the most valuable are three Picassos and two Titians, but the total value of the remaining 14 paintings far exceeds our previous estimates. As you know, the value of these paintings has skyrocketed over the past few decades. What should we do with them?"
Mozzie was sitting seriously across from Castle, holding a list of the submarine's contents. The items listed were truly staggering. Besides the 21 invaluable paintings, there were at least ten sculptures, many of which had been looted from France, the art capital, during World War II. At least five of these sculptures had originally been displayed in the Louvre. Additionally, there were nearly fifty tons of gold bars stamped with Nazi insignias. Mozzie had been astonished by how Castle managed to secretly haul all this out in under two hours—something far beyond the capacity of a couple of people.
Fortunately, neither Gianna nor Mozzie pressed Castle on how he had accomplished this feat. After all, the goods were already in their possession, and probing into a friend's secrets wasn't necessary.
Castle accepted the list from Mozzie with some reluctance. The truth was, he hadn't thought much about what to do with the loot after the fact. When he initially decided to retrieve these items, his primary concern was getting them out of the submarine. He hadn't considered how to distribute them afterward. He simply didn't want them falling into the hands of Vincent Adler or the FBI. Castle knew better than anyone what the FBI would do if they got their hands on these treasures—much of it would likely vanish without a trace. Rather than let that happen, he figured it was better to keep it within his circle. After all, he had a massive personal storage space that could easily accommodate the entire haul.
However, now that the treasure was in their hands, Castle had to think carefully about distribution. The value of this haul was staggering, to the point of being frightening. The 19 remaining paintings, the sculptures, and especially the nearly fifty tons of gold bars, represented an incredible fortune. Castle's small group of seven—excluding Neal, who had been hampered by his tracking anklet, and Alex, who had been on the sidelines—had all invested significant effort. Even Gianna, who was pregnant, had been deeply involved.
Castle knew it was irresponsible to ignore the need for a fair distribution plan, but the sheer value of the treasure made it a daunting task. This wasn't just a small fortune; it was a treasure trove worth billions. He was torn between the idea of splitting everything evenly, which might cause problems given Neal and Alex's minimal contributions, and finding another way to handle it.
Mozzie, sitting across from Castle, could see the dilemma on his face. He knew that throwing this problem at Castle, who was naturally lazy, would give him a headache, but Mozzie had no choice. He couldn't take on the responsibility of deciding how to distribute the treasure. So, he passed the burden onto Castle, content to let him figure it out.
After much deliberation, Castle couldn't come up with a satisfactory solution. In the end, he opted to postpone the issue, deciding to deal with it after they had resolved the Vincent Adler situation.
Mozzie agreed with Castle's approach. With Vincent still at large, it wasn't the right time to divide the loot. Doing so could risk exposure to Vincent's intelligence network.
Having set aside this troublesome issue for now, Mozzie then shifted the conversation to Neal's plans. He informed Castle that the FBI had agreed to Neal's terms. Mozzie would accompany Neal to the FBI's New York office the next morning to act as his legal advisor when the Justice Department personnel arrived to issue Neal's pardon. However, once the pardon was signed, Neal would be obligated to fulfill his end of the deal by helping the FBI and Justice Department locate and capture Vincent Adler.
When the topic of Vincent came up, Castle's previous frustration evaporated. He enthusiastically discussed the plan with Mozzie for a long time, eventually concluding that they needed to keep a close watch on Vincent's movements. It was essential not only to ensure Neal and Peter's safety but also to guarantee that Vincent was captured by the FBI agents following them.
However, Castle didn't share with Mozzie his intention to ensure that Vincent Adler wouldn't leave this encounter alive. Knowing that both Mozzie and Neal preferred using their brains over brawn, Castle decided that eliminating Vincent was a task for him and John to handle. He would inform Mozzie and Neal only after the job was done.
As for how the FBI would react, that wasn't Castle's concern. After all, the FBI's eagerness to catch Vincent Adler wasn't just about his status as their top fugitive—it was also about the treasure Neal had told them about. If those agents knew that the treasure had already been taken and nothing was left, they might not be so gung-ho about capturing Vincent. After all, the man had been on the run for ten years, and his continued evasion suggested that he had powerful connections. The fact that he lived in a Long Island estate owned by a congressman was a testament to the complex forces backing him.
Moreover, if Peter and Neal found the submarine empty after helping Vincent unlock it, Vincent might get a chance to escape. Despite swindling billions, Vincent had never crossed those who truly held power in the USA, and with his wealth, he might even find a way to avoid punishment.
For these reasons, Castle had already decided that Vincent Adler couldn't be allowed to live. As soon as the FBI captured him, Castle and John would strike from the shadows and eliminate him.
Having finalized his plans for Vincent Adler, Castle stood up and went with Mozzie to the main house to say goodbye to Gianna. Castle was ready to head home for the night, while Mozzie had to return to the city to prepare for his role as Neal's legal advisor the next morning.
Castle dropped Mozzie off at his secret hideout in Brooklyn before heading home himself. Unfortunately, his plans for a peaceful night were interrupted by an urgent phone call from Neal.
"Rick, I just got a distress call from Alex. That bastard Vincent really did kidnap her. He's planning to use her life as leverage to force me to show up..."
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