Castle sighed deeply as he recounted to John the story of how Beckett's mother was murdered ten years ago, silenced by Nick Coonan under the orders of Senator William Bracken, after she began investigating corruption within the police force. He also told John about how he was now secretly helping his girlfriend investigate this New York State senator, and how they had uncovered significant leads and evidence. Castle explained that even though the evidence he had was enough to bring William Bracken down immediately, he preferred to wait and use the ongoing situation with Vincent to his advantage. By exposing Bracken to the FBI as a target during the Vincent Adler investigation, they could divert Bracken's attention, forcing him to destroy any evidence of his connections to Vincent. Then, Beckett could strike with irrefutable evidence, delivering a fatal blow to Senator Bracken.
After laying out his plans and the backstory, Castle looked at John and said, "Now you understand why I'm not really interested in those treasures? My focus is entirely on helping my girlfriend get her revenge. I don't have a place to store those treasures or a way to sell them, so I'm handing all of that over to Gianna."
John, known for his calm demeanor, couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration after hearing Castle's story. "Rick, I never took you for such a romantic. The old playboy has really fallen for that lady cop, hasn't he?"
Castle, with a teary-eyed expression, replied, "I'd love to be a playboy, but this damn System won't let me…"
After the light-hearted banter, John quickly turned serious. "Since killing Vincent is crucial to your plan—both to make the FBI believe that the missing treasure from the submarine was taken by Vincent's associates, and to shift their investigation toward the congressman and Senator William Bracken—we need to ensure that Vincent is killed before the FBI has a chance to interrogate him. Do you have a plan for that?"
Castle flashed a confident smile. "Of course. Don't forget, Neil worked as a consultant at the FBI's New York office for a long time. I've got the layout of that building right here…"
With that, Castle opened his laptop and pulled up a 3D blueprint of the FBI's New York office, specifically the 22nd-floor interrogation room, and began explaining his plan to John.
Thanks to his years of writing detective novels, Castle was not only familiar with various criminal methods but also adept at planning out schemes. By the time he finished, John was thoroughly convinced of the plan's soundness.
"Alright, Rick. With your plan and the two of us working as a backup, Vincent Adler won't make it out of that building alive. I get it now. I'll go prepare the weapons and wait for Neil's signal."
John stood up, fully endorsing Castle's plan and granting him command for its execution. He headed off to his weapons room to get the sniper rifle and other necessary gear ready.
Left alone in the living room, Castle half-closed his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts, and let out a series of sinister chuckles.
Meanwhile, at the FBI's New York office near Times Square, Neil was in a meeting room with Mozzie, representatives from the Department of Justice, and the FBI, where he was handed a pardon signed by the Attorney General himself. After Mozzie confirmed its authenticity, the FBI's New York office director, Hughes, couldn't wait to ask Neil for the information he'd been seeking.
As Mozzie carefully stored Neil's pardon and a federal marshal removed the ankle monitor symbolizing Neil's captivity, Neil began to cooperate, revealing what he knew.
He explained how Vincent Adler, with the help of an FBI mole, had pressured him into surrendering the music box, which was crucial for Vincent's search for the submarine filled with treasures looted by the Nazis from across Europe. Neil intentionally exposed the corruption within the FBI in front of the DOJ representatives and federal marshals, much to Hughes' silent frustration. But with Neil now a free man, Hughes had no choice but to endure the revelations.
However, Neil wasn't really looking to burn bridges with the FBI, knowing he still needed to collaborate with Peter one last time. So, after briefly mentioning the FBI mole, he quickly moved on to the main point.
The DOJ representative hesitated before asking, "So, you're saying that Vincent Adler has already salvaged the submarine, and it's currently stored in a warehouse near the New York harbor? But because the submarine was rigged with explosives when it was sunk in 1945, Adler needed you to help defuse the bombs and open the sub?"
Neil, appreciating the representative's succinct summary, nodded and added the latest information. "Yes, and to force my cooperation, he even kidnapped my girlfriend last night, hoping to pressure me into helping him."
The law enforcement officials were too focused on the treasure to care about Neil's girlfriend. After exchanging glances, they escorted Neil out of the meeting room and began discussing how to capture Vincent Adler and secure the treasure.
Mozzie and Neil were politely led to an empty office, but to avoid any FBI eavesdropping, they remained silent, waiting for the others to finalize their plans.
The allure of treasure is strong, and it didn't take long for the DOJ representative and the FBI director to agree on how to split the spoils. As the group emerged from the meeting room, Neil knew that his feud with Vincent was about to reach its final chapter.
Mozzie stayed with Neil to finalize the plan with the law enforcement agencies, confirming that this would be Neil's last operation with them. He then left the FBI office and immediately informed Castle, who was waiting at the Long Island estate. Afterward, Mozzie leisurely hailed a cab to Long Island, knowing that Castle and John would be setting up to ambush the FBI, ready to take out Vincent when the opportunity arose. Mozzie's job was to monitor Vincent and the FBI's movements in coordination with the chubby hacker.
Back in the office building, Peter Burke watched Neil with a conflicted expression. He never imagined that Neil would use this situation to secure a pardon from the DOJ. His task now was to accompany Neil, creating an opportunity for Vincent's men to kidnap Neil—and possibly Peter as well.
As Neil attached a tiny tracking device to his body, he recalled Castle's warning: Vincent's men would likely search him for tracking devices as soon as they kidnapped him. Even though Neil had already provided the FBI with the warehouse's location, and they had secretly placed personnel around it, Neil felt it was still a good idea to have a tracker on him. This way, when Vincent's men found the device, they would feel satisfied, believing Neil was still working as an FBI consultant. It would also help reassure Vincent enough to decide to kill Neil after opening the submarine, hopefully preventing Vincent from flying into a rage and shooting Neil on the spot when he found the submarine empty.
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