The writer scoffed at the kid's worried expression. "Hah, kid, don't stress about it. Sure, Vincent told his men not to bring along FBI agent Peter when they kidnap Neal, but that doesn't mean our plan has a flaw. You haven't noticed Mozzie sitting here calmly drinking wine, have you? Mozzie, did you discuss the plan with Neal beforehand? Or did you forget to clue the kid in? Look at him worrying—how can you let such an innocent kid stay in the dark?"
The kid was completely confused. He had been right next to Mozzie when he was on the phone with Neal, but he didn't seem to have discussed how to handle Vincent's specific plan to kidnap Neal alone.
Mozzie, still relaxed, even took a sip of his wine before responding to Castle's 'accusation'. "The kid was right next to me when I discussed the plan with Neal. How was I supposed to know he didn't catch on to the arrangements we made?"
The kid was even more bewildered. He had a series of existential questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Seeing the confusion in the kid's eyes, Castle chuckled and asked Mozzie to explain the plan, curious if Mozzie and Neal's approach matched his own rough ideas. After all, these two were the real masterminds and experts in planning, so he decided to listen rather than risk embarrassing himself with his own plan.
Mozzie, not one for suspense, laid out the strategy. "I told Neal to come clean with Peter right away. He's to tell him that Vincent Adler, a fugitive wanted by the FBI, is in New York and plotting to kidnap him. Neal is probably in Peter's office right now, sharing this news. We're taking a direct approach—Vincent thinks he can quietly kidnap Neal without Peter noticing, but we'll expose the fact that he's back in New York and up to no good. That way, the FBI, who have been after him for ages, will know he's back and planning something. Problem solved. Do I really need to come up with another plan?"
Castle interjected, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Mozzie's confidence. "We want to send Peter and Neal to Vincent quietly, so Neal has the chance to open that submarine in front of Peter and clear his name. But if Neal just tells Peter that Vincent is in New York planning to kidnap him, where does that information come from? How do we explain the motive? Can we justify all this?"
Mozzie gave a faint smile. "Rick, you're overthinking it. The FBI has never given up on the case since we helped Neal get Kate back, and they're still interested in the music box incident. Why do you think they haven't come after us? They've been using this case to fish for information, specifically from Neal, to lead them to Vincent Adler!"
Castle had to admit Mozzie was right. He knew the FBI hadn't focused too much on him because they understood he wasn't aligned with Vincent. They were likely aware of the past conflict between him and Vincent, but they didn't approach him because they knew they wouldn't get any useful information. His status as a bestselling novelist also provided him with some protection.
However, this didn't mean the FBI wasn't keeping an eye on him. Mozzie's words made Castle realize he'd been a bit too complacent due to his system and had underestimated the FBI's power.
Realizing this, Castle didn't push the topic further and instead asked Mozzie for practical advice. "So you've told Neal to inform Peter about Vincent's plans. What's next? Is Peter just supposed to monitor Neal, waiting for Vincent's men to make a move? But how does this get Peter to the scene when Neal dismantles the explosives and enters the submarine?"
Mozzie chuckled. "We're not in a hurry, but Vincent is. He's itching to get inside that submarine, but the door is rigged with high-powered military explosives, so he can't get in without someone like Neal to disarm them. We know Vincent won't look for someone else just because Neal is always with Peter. So, we let Neal stick with Peter all the time, even staying at his place at night. How long do you think Vincent can hold out? That submarine is his lifelong dream!"
Castle finally understood Mozzie's strategy: They were counting on Vincent's desperation to get inside the submarine. Castle remembered how, in the original show, it didn't make sense why Vincent was so adamant about having Neal disarm the explosives in front of him. It was almost like he wanted to show off to Neal. That vanity ultimately led to Vincent's downfall, allowing Mozzie to switch the treasure and blow up the fake loot. It seemed almost absurd that a usually sharp Vincent would get stuck in such a narrow-minded plan.
But here they were, once again relying on Vincent's obsessive behavior to work in their favor. Castle and Mozzie could prepare their countermeasures with ease, knowing Vincent would likely play right into their hands.
Meanwhile, in the FBI's New York office on the 22nd floor of the Manhattan center, Peter Burke sat in his office, staring seriously at Neal, who appeared quite relaxed across from him. Neal had just dropped a bombshell: Vincent Adler, the mastermind behind a massive Ponzi scheme, was back in New York and plotting to kidnap Neal. But Neal claimed he didn't know why, which made Peter suspicious.
"Neal, are you sure you don't know why Vincent Adler wants to kidnap you?" Peter couldn't help but ask again. The kid sitting in front of him was too tricky to trust completely. Peter suspected Neal knew more than he was letting on.
Neal responded with a helpless smile. "I really don't know why Vincent wants to kidnap me. My friend only just told me this, but he didn't know the reason either. However, there's something suspicious: my friend said Vincent has been back in New York for a while, but we didn't know. And don't forget, the guy who forced Kate to break up with me is still in the FBI. Do you think my friend would risk telling me everything when he knows how leaky the FBI can be?"
Neal's jab made Peter look a bit embarrassed. He was guilty of not pursuing the matter of Fuller, who was connected to Kate's disappearance, due to lack of evidence and Fuller's position in Internal Affairs.
Peter decided to let that slide for now and focus on the immediate issue. "So, do you think we can use this kidnapping plot to finally catch Vincent Adler?"
Neal pretended to ponder before cautiously replying. "Even though I don't know why Vincent wants to kidnap me, I think he needs me to do something he can't do himself. That means I'm likely to face him directly. As long as you can keep track of me, you might just be able to use my kidnapping as a chance to catch Vincent Adler, who's been on the FBI's radar for ten years!"
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