Capítulo 142: Chapter 142: Top Secret
Mozzie was puzzled as to why Castle had dragged him to Neal's house again today. Castle hadn't had the chance to tell Mozzie about Vincent's phone call yesterday, so Mozzie directly asked, "Rick, why are we at Neal's place again today? You know Kate is back, and things aren't the same as when Neal was alone. We need to be more careful now. Things are different when Neal has company."
Castle glared at Mozzie for his needless suspicion. "I'm here today with some very important information. Are you sure you don't want to hear it? Mozzie, this intel involves a treasure worth billions of dollars. That's why Vincent went after Kate, threatening Neal to hand over that music box!"
"What did you say? A treasure worth billions of dollars? What's going on? Tell me everything!" Mozzie was so shocked that his jaw dropped. He knew Castle wouldn't exaggerate too much, especially considering it was something significant enough to make Vincent come out of hiding. However, Mozzie hadn't expected it to be a treasure worth billions.
Castle shook the folder in his hand, which contained some of the information he had gathered about the music box and part of the Imperial Restart Plan from the end of World War II involving German efforts to transfer wealth, technology, and personnel. "Take a look at this first, then I'll tell you and Neal about the big secret regarding this music box."
As they spoke, they arrived at Neal's door. Neal, having already heard them talking, opened the door and stood in the middle of the room, waiting for them.
Once inside, Castle noticed Kate wasn't around. "Neal, where's Kate?"
Neal smiled and motioned for Castle and Mozzie to sit down before explaining, "Yesterday, you told me to inform Peter about everything that happened to Kate and me, especially pointing out that the person controlling Kate was FBI agent Fowler. Peter took it very seriously. It seems Fowler's department is already unpopular within the FBI. After hearing Kate's story, Peter asked her to go to the FBI's New York office in Times Square this morning to make a statement. While this won't be enough to charge Fowler, once we catch Vincent, Kate's statement will be crucial in bringing Fowler down."
As Neal spoke, he noticed Mozzie was engrossed in the folder Castle had given him. Given the recent events with Kate, Neal had developed a certain trust in any information Castle brought. He suspected today's visit had to do with Vincent's threat to Castle yesterday and wondered if Castle had brought some earth-shattering news.
Mozzie had finished reading the materials Castle had found online. He had some guesses but didn't want to express them before Castle revealed the full story. He silently handed the folder to Neal, who quickly skimmed through it.
After reading, Neal looked at Castle with some hesitation. "Rick, are you trying to tell us that the music box Vincent is searching for is related to the Imperial Restart Plan from World War II Germany?"
Castle smiled triumphantly. "Yes, the music box is indeed related to World War II Germany. However, whether it's connected to the Imperial Restart Plan, I can't be certain. Let me tell you a story I pieced together from various intelligence sources last night. It might not be entirely accurate, but it's about 80% possible."
Neal and Mozzie, both eager for different reasons, urged Castle to continue. Neal wanted to understand why Vincent, after years in hiding, was targeting him so aggressively. Mozzie was intrigued by the prospect of a treasure worth billions and was eager to hear the details.
Seeing their anxious expressions, Castle decided not to keep them in suspense any longer and began to reveal the decades-old secret. "The story starts at the end of World War II. By then, Hitler's army was retreating on all fronts in Europe and the Soviet Union. With Germany's defeat imminent, Hitler decided to transfer a significant amount of Germany's military technology, looted treasures, and key personnel to Argentina in South America. He dispatched many U-boats, not recorded in official documents, as only submarines could break through the Allied naval blockade. Among them was a U-boat designated U-845, tasked with such a mission. However..."
Castle paused, not to heighten suspense, but because he was thirsty. "Neal, I need some of your finest wine!"
Neal was nearly thrown off balance by Castle's sudden demand but sighed and got up, picking a bottle of 1945 Château Cheval Blanc from his wine rack. "I happen to have a bottle of 1945 Château Cheval Blanc. Since you're talking about 1945, let's drink some 1945 wine and discuss 1945 events!"
As Neal poured the wine into a decanter and placed three glasses in front of them, he told Castle, "Go on, the wine needs to breathe a bit."
Castle, having extorted a fine bottle of wine, continued his story. "The U-845 was a Type XXI ocean-going submarine, the latest model of the German Navy at the time. Its underwater displacement reached 1,830 tons, and it could carry a crew of 64. According to the information I found, it departed Germany in early 1945 with a minimum crew to operate the submarine. Originally, its destination was Argentina, but for some reason, perhaps after hearing via radio that Germany had fallen and Hitler had committed suicide, the crew divided into two factions. One group wanted to continue their mission to resurrect the Third Reich, while the other sought to abandon the mission and start new lives in the sparsely defended United States, taking advantage of their proximity to the American coast.
The two groups couldn't persuade each other, leading to a fierce conflict on the submarine. The faction seeking new lives outnumbered the loyalists, ultimately killing them. However, the brutal fighting left only three survivors. With too few people to operate the submarine, they decided to scuttle it off the coast of New York and return later for the treasures aboard.
Each of the three took some portable, high-value items from the submarine's cargo before sealing it and scuttling it. They then went their separate ways.
One of these men was Vincent Adler's father!"
The revelation left Neal and Mozzie stunned. Neal asked, "Rick, did you find all this out in one night? How did you learn this? It's top secret!"
Castle had anticipated this question and had his cover story ready. "Neal, this wasn't all from last night. Strictly speaking, it took several days. I had help from Barry Street, gathered some info online, and got some from the Continental Hotel's global intelligence network. I just pieced it all together last night."
Even with this explanation, Neal and Mozzie found Castle's intelligence-gathering abilities hard to believe. Mozzie, in particular, was skeptical. "Rick, you say some of this is from the internet? How did you find it?"
Knowing he needed to impress them to ensure their trust in his intel, Castle smiled confidently. "Neal, lend me your laptop. I'll show you!"
Neal handed over his laptop, still in shock, and Castle, smiling, asked, "So, what do you want to see? Mozzie, want me to check the FBI database to see if you're on their radar?"
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