As Neal spoke, he revealed the ankle monitor on his leg to Peter and quipped, "I think relying solely on this thing to track down Vincent Adler is unrealistic. We both know that if Vincent is truly determined to kidnap me, this will be the first thing his men remove once they have me. Right now, we're on the defensive. Figuring out how to prevent his men from succeeding is one thing, but if they do manage to grab me, finding Vincent through that event is a whole other challenge!"
Peter Burke was now convinced that the guy standing in front of him, spouting off his theories, definitely knew why Vincent Adler wanted to kidnap him but was deliberately withholding the information. Peter also sensed that Neal was hiding something important from him. After years of dealing with Neal, chasing him around the world, Peter knew that prying answers from this sly fox was almost impossible. The only good news was that Neal understood his situation well enough to know that he couldn't handle Vincent Adler on his own, so he had come to Peter.
What puzzled Peter was that, given Vincent Adler's sources and connections, he had no reason not to know that Neal was now working with the FBI. In fact, Neal was currently a consultant for the FBI. So why would Vincent take such a huge risk to kidnap someone with FBI ties? Could it be that Neal was hiding some big secret that Peter didn't know about?
As a seasoned agent who had spent nearly twenty years with the FBI and was now leading a team of elite crime investigators, Peter found Neal's confession that Vincent Adler was planning to kidnap him extremely strange. Peter knew that back when Vincent was a major player on Wall Street, Neal was one of his most trusted associates. But after Vincent disappeared ten years ago with the ten billion dollars from his Ponzi scheme, Neal had distanced himself and become a solo operator, quickly making a name for himself as an art thief and top con artist, which led Peter to take over the case and begin his worldwide pursuit of Neal.
What Peter couldn't understand was why Vincent would target Neal now, after they had supposedly severed ties. Sure, Vincent had once directed Fuller, a man within the FBI, to threaten Kate and force her to break up with Neal, which led to Neal's escape from prison. But after Neal found Kate, he had clearly stated to Peter that he was no longer connected to Vincent. So, what was going on now?
Neal, who was highly attuned to Peter's thoughts, could sense the wheels turning in his mind. He let out a bitter smile, realizing that his simple reasoning wouldn't fool the man who had chased him across the globe. Peter's sharp eyes caught that brief look, and a lightbulb went off in his head—Neal really did know why Vincent wanted to kidnap him.
But Neal wasn't planning to keep this a secret forever. As he had discussed with Mozzie, Neal intended to tell Peter the real reason why Vincent had returned to New York. By revealing this, Peter and the FBI would be drawn to the treasure hidden in the Nazi submarine from World War II, ensuring that they would relentlessly pursue Vincent Adler. The reason Neal hadn't disclosed everything right away was out of habit, but given the circumstances, it was clear that relying on the FBI was the only way to protect himself and deal a blow to Vincent.
Neal also believed that once he shared the real reason for Vincent's return, the FBI, especially those higher up, would go crazy over the treasure supposedly inside that submarine.
With that thought in mind, and seeing the suspicion on Peter's face, Neal decided to come clean. "Peter, I know you're wondering why I'm Vincent's kidnapping target. My source did tell me, but I was hesitant to believe it myself, which is why I didn't tell you right away. But now, I realize that if I don't share the truth, you'll keep doubting me. Just know, I can't guarantee this is absolutely true—it's just what I've heard…"
Peter was intrigued, eager to hear what Neal had to say. What secret could this sly fox be hiding?
Seeing Peter's keen interest, Neal sighed and said, "Do you remember why Vincent had Fuller from your office threaten Kate to break up with me?"
Peter didn't hesitate. "Wasn't it because Vincent thought you had some kind of music box and wanted to force you to hand it over by threatening Kate? Didn't you say that had nothing to do with you, and that Kate was found by your friend? Is Vincent after you again because of that music box?"
Neal felt a strong urge to laugh at Peter's words, but he suppressed it for the sake of the plan he had devised with Mozzie and Castle. He needed to stay serious and reveal the full story to his partner.
"Peter, the truth is, that music box holds a huge secret… Inside the music box is a code hidden in a musical comb. If you play the right notes, they form a fractal symbol that can be used to create a passive sonar beacon—a device that can respond to a submarine's rescue signal. The submarine in question was sent out by the Nazis in 1945 when they knew the war was lost. It was supposed to carry away treasures that Hitler considered vital for a future resurgence. This submarine was scuttled by its crew off the coast of New York, filled with those treasures. If someone can find that music box and use the comb to create the signal beacon, they can locate the submarine filled with Nazi treasures buried at sea off the coast of New York…"
"Wait, wait… Neal, are you telling me that the reason Vincent had Fuller threaten Kate was because he thought you had a music box that's the key to finding a submarine loaded with Nazi treasures from 1945?" Peter was shocked by Neal's revelation. Nazi treasures? An entire submarine filled with priceless artifacts and jewels looted from across Europe by the Nazis? Was this some kind of joke?
Seeing Peter's disbelief, Neal felt a twisted satisfaction. This was what you get for doubting me and wanting to know the truth—now you're the one who's shocked!
Suppressing his urge to laugh, Neal kept a serious tone. "What else could it be? Why do you think Vincent would risk getting caught by coming back to New York? It's all for that submarine."
Peter, seasoned as he was, quickly recovered from his initial shock and regained his calm, analytical mind. "Don't tell me… Vincent came back to New York just to find and recover that submarine?"
Neal's smile was bright and confident. "Yes, his sole purpose for returning to New York was to locate and salvage that submarine."
Peter's face turned grim as he realized the implications. "Don't tell me…"
Neal, fully enjoying this moment of surprise, said with a touch of smugness, "Yes, my source informed me that Vincent Adler has already found the submarine and successfully salvaged it right under your noses. That submarine is now somewhere in New York. So, Peter, do you have any more doubts?"
Peter stared at Neal for a long moment, speechless, before finally rasping out, "That still doesn't explain why Vincent wants to kidnap you!"
Neal shrugged nonchalantly. "My source uncovered one more detail that might be useful: the submarine Vincent recovered was rigged with military-grade explosives by the crew when they scuttled it. And apparently, I'm the best person Vincent could find to safely disarm those explosives and open the submarine. Do you think that's a good enough reason?"
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