This was a final, decisive plan that Richard Castle had devised early on, designed to utterly ruin Vincent Adler. The plan was so comprehensive that even a backup strategy had been prepared in case Neal or the FBI failed to deliver. If necessary, Castle would summon Beckett, now his girlfriend, to seize the opportunity to arrest Vincent Adler, the FBI's long-elusive top target. After all, Beckett had just taken over as captain of the 12th precinct, and capturing a criminal like Adler, who consistently ranked among the FBI's top three most-wanted con artists, would be a significant achievement.
This could be a huge feather in the cap for the newly appointed captain.
However, if Beckett were to get involved in capturing Vincent Adler, it could lead to complications.
First, everything Castle had done against Adler had been kept secret from Beckett. If things spiraled out of control and Beckett, representing the police, intervened, it would inevitably expose all of Castle's actions.
Second, Castle had already planned that once Adler was captured by the FBI, he would find an opportunity to end Adler's life. Castle knew all too well that Adler was wealthy and influential. In the USA, everyone knew how things worked: if O.J. Simpson could walk free despite a first-degree murder charge, then what hope did the justice system have against someone like Vincent Adler, a financial fraudster?
Though Adler had swindled a billion dollars through a Ponzi scheme ten years ago, he had been smart enough to target only those he could afford to anger. He never touched the powerful financial conglomerates. Therefore, even though Adler was wanted by the FBI, he knew that if caught, he could easily buy his way out of trouble, at most losing some time and money.
If that didn't work, Adler could simply hire a team of high-powered lawyers. For someone like Vincent Adler, getting caught by the authorities was not a major issue—money could always buy his freedom. The justice system in the USA was a joke for people like him.
This was what concerned Castle. He knew that even if Neal informed his partner about Adler's whereabouts and the FBI successfully captured him, taking Adler to court wasn't the right approach.
Castle had planned all along to steal all the valuable art and jewels from the submarine—treasures Adler had spent a lifetime pursuing.
Adler had invested unimaginable effort and resources into finding that submarine. Would he really accept an empty vessel as the final outcome?
For someone like Adler, who had sacrificed everything for this submarine, discovering it empty would be intolerable.
Once Adler found out that the submarine was devoid of the treasures meant to be transported to South America by the Nazis, he would stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
And Castle wasn't discreet when planning to double-cross Adler. There were too many people in the know—John and his wife, Mozzie, Neal, Alex, and even the chubby little Harry. With so many involved, secrecy was impossible. Even if Adler were captured by the authorities, the matter wouldn't be truly settled.
The submarine's treasures were worth billions of dollars, a fortune Adler had dreamed of since childhood. After so much effort, risking his life to retrieve this "gift box" from the depths of the ocean, only to find it empty—how could he possibly accept that?
Given the situation, Adler would never give up until he found the missing treasures. He would relentlessly hunt down anyone involved.
To prevent Adler from launching a vendetta against Castle and Neal, the only solution was to put a bullet in Adler's head—total elimination.
Therefore, Beckett was only a backup plan, one that Castle hoped he would never have to use. The ideal scenario was for Neal and Peter to be captured by Adler, forced to help him disarm the explosives on the submarine. This would allow Peter to arrest Adler right then and there. The only concern was that when Neal and Peter opened the submarine, revealing it to be empty, Adler might lash out in a fit of rage, possibly endangering Neal and Peter.
Castle had discussed this risk with Neal, but Neal wasn't too worried. He believed that taking some risk was part of the plan he agreed to. Besides, he wouldn't be alone—Peter would be with him.
According to Castle and Neal's plan, Adler would likely lose his composure and become enraged upon discovering the empty submarine. This moment of irrationality would be the perfect opportunity for Neal and Peter to escape.
If Adler kidnapped Neal and Peter to help him disarm the explosives on the submarine, the situation would be very different from what Castle had seen in the original series. This time, Castle and Neal were fully prepared, just waiting for Adler to take the bait. Once Adler kidnapped Neal and Peter, Castle would immediately notify Peter's colleagues, Jones and Diana, of their location and the kidnapping. They would then lead a large team to surround Adler and rescue Neal and Peter, minimizing any risk to them.
In Castle and Neal's plan, they estimated that Adler's kidnapping would give them about a half-hour window. Neal needed to disarm the explosives in front of Peter, then enter the submarine. This was essential to clear Neal of any suspicion. Regardless of how much Peter or Adler doubted the outcome, they wouldn't suspect Neal after witnessing him dismantle the explosives and enter the submarine themselves.
This was the crux of Castle's plan: have Neal pretend to be kidnapped, disarm the explosives, and show Adler and Peter that the submarine held no treasure. Then, using the kidnapping as a pretext, Castle would leak Adler's location to the FBI, allowing them to capture Adler. During the arrest, Castle—or perhaps John Wick—would take the opportunity to finish off Adler, minimizing the risk of exposure.
As long as Adler was eliminated, Castle wouldn't fear the FBI's investigation into the missing submarine treasures. The FBI would have to follow proper procedures and gather evidence, and Peter, the key witness, would vouch for Neal. As long as Neal wasn't under suspicion, Castle and his associates, including Mozzie, would be safe. Even if Peter had doubts, he would have no reason to suspect the renowned author Castle, who was closely connected with the police and dating the captain of the 12th precinct.
This plan was neither intricate nor foolproof—it had its share of flaws. But Castle chose it precisely because of its simplicity. The more complex the plan, the lower the margin for error. In contrast, Castle's seemingly rough strategy was more likely to succeed.
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