Neil was handling it better, considering he knew his own background. Although his memories before the age of three were quite fuzzy, the narration on the videotape by Aunt Ellen triggered some recollection about his past. Even though his memories of his father were faint, Neil, who had encountered all sorts of monsters and demons, quickly calmed down.
Mozzie, on the other hand, was in a different situation. It wasn't until today that he learned his close friend, a world-renowned art thief, was actually the son of a cop—a cop who had been wrongfully accused of being corrupt thirty years ago. Mozzie was astonished to discover that Neil had grown up under the witness protection program.
And now, things had gotten even crazier.
A relative who had watched Neil grow up, upon learning that Neil was now serving as a consultant for the FBI, had sent him a videotape recorded thirty years ago. This tape revealed that Neil's father had been falsely accused. They hoped Neil could clear his father's name. However, Aunt Ellen probably had no idea that the chief culprit who framed Neil's father back then, the head of the corrupt cops in the precinct, Terrence Pratt, was now a New York State Senator, far removed from his days as a small precinct chief.
This made Mozzie feel the world was utterly unpredictable. He couldn't help but think it was absurd that his close friends seemed to have a grudge against senators. After all, another one of his friends, Castle, was currently helping his girlfriend, Detective Beckett, plot revenge against another New York State Senator, William Bracken. Mozzie wondered, "Is the world really so ridiculous? Do my friends all have a vendetta against senators?"
There were only two senators in New York State—one was Beckett's mother's murderer, and the other was the one who ruined Neil's family by framing his father. Mozzie couldn't help but think, "What's with these guys? Do they have to do something heinous to become a senator?"
Things were about to get very interesting!
Mozzie could already foresee that once Neil learned the truth, he would never follow through with the original plan to head to the West Coast, pick up Kate, and then hide out in the Bahamas.
Mozzie felt that the past six months of his life had been incredibly intense. One moment he was scheming with Castle to outsmart the cunning Vincent Adler, and then helping Castle get revenge for his girlfriend. And now, before they'd even finished with that, it was clear Neil was about to stir up trouble with another enemy on the same level as Beckett's nemesis. Mozzie felt a mix of tears and laughter, but deep down, he couldn't help but feel a thrill.
"Damn, who else can say they've provoked high-ranking officials like senators back-to-back? Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!"
It wasn't out of fear, but excitement!
Unlike Mozzie, Neil Caffrey wasn't experiencing that mixture of excitement and anxiety. After watching the videotape, he remained silent, lost in thought as he recalled the distant and blurry memories of his childhood that the tape had stirred up. Though he was very young when his father got into trouble and couldn't remember many details, he had a vague memory that his dad really was a cop.
Things he thought he'd forgotten for good now resurfaced in his mind thanks to the tape.
Mozzie, being perceptive, didn't interrupt Neil's reverie. Instead, he quietly stood up, poured a glass of red wine, placed it carefully on the coffee table in front of Neil, and then sat silently on the sofa, waiting for Neil to come back to reality.
Fortunately, Neil Caffrey was a world-renowned art thief and a top-tier con artist and forger. These titles weren't just about Neil's immense professional knowledge but also represented his extraordinary psychological resilience. After a brief period of silence, Neil snapped back to the present.
Before Neil could speak, Mozzie jumped in, saying, "No matter what you decide to do, whether it's to completely forget about this or to seek justice for your father and get revenge on Senator Pratt, I support you. I think Rick would feel the same way if he knew. You know that guy is currently busy planning revenge against another New York State Senator for his girlfriend. I'm sure Rick would be more than happy to include Senator Pratt in his plans too!
I definitely wouldn't say no either!
Damn, going up against two senators at once—this might be the craziest thing I'll ever do!"
Mozzie's words warmed Neil's heart, but unlike Castle, who would charge headfirst into any situation without much thought, Neil was a true strategist. So, if he were to seek justice for his father and get revenge on Senator Terrence Pratt, he certainly wouldn't go in guns blazing. Instead, he would do it in the way he knew best—by setting traps and slowly leading Pratt to his downfall.
He wasn't going to charge in like Castle, rallying the troops like a warlord. No, the first step Neil believed he needed to take was to visit Rhode Island, find Ellen, and have her explain the situation from back then so he could have a complete understanding before making any further plans.
Neil, deciding to discuss his plan with Mozzie, shared his thoughts. Mozzie immediately agreed, knowing that this was the proper way for people like them to scheme—unlike Castle's brute-force approach of charging in, using drones and surveillance, and then relying on force to muddy the waters.
Mozzie felt that partnering with Neil allowed him to fully utilize his underhanded schemes, rather than being relegated to a logistical role as he was when working with Castle because he couldn't fight on the front lines.
"Neil, I think we should find some time to let Rick know about this. After all, his intelligence network is extensive. And you know he'll be upset if he finds out you didn't tell him about this," Mozzie cautiously reminded Neil, who was preparing to head to Rhode Island to find Ellen.
"I know, I'll tell him. But isn't that guy fully occupied with taking down Senator William Bracken, his girlfriend's nemesis? Are you sure he has the time and energy to focus on what's going on with me?"
Mozzie couldn't help but laugh. "Haven't you figured out this guy's nature by now? He thrives on chaos. The more things he has on his plate, the happier he is. If you let him sit around all day solving routine murder cases with his police captain girlfriend, he'd be bored out of his mind. His ambitions have grown beyond that, and regular cases don't interest him anymore."
Neil nodded. "Alright then, I'll head to Rhode Island, talk to Ellen, and get the full story. We'll discuss the next steps after that. I'm off…"
Watching Neil's light steps, Mozzie couldn't gauge whether Neil was angry or not, but from his years of knowing Neil, Mozzie was sure that the calmer Neil seemed, the angrier he was. Mozzie couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Senator Terrence Pratt. Senator, you're in trouble. If it were just Neil and me, we might not have been able to take you down, but now, with Castle's help—someone who not only thrives on chaos but also has a reliable intelligence network and experience taking down senators—you're done for. I can already see the image of you stepping down in disgrace!
While Neil and Mozzie were dealing with their situation, Castle had no idea. He had just parked his car outside the 12th Precinct and was about to go upstairs to update Beckett on the latest developments and discuss the plan he and Gianna had come up with. They wanted Beckett to decide whether to arrest Nick Coonan herself or follow their plan, which involved leaking Coonan's location to Congressman Gavin, who would then apprehend him. This would allow Gavin to see Senator Bracken's true colors—a man who promised to rescue him but secretly sent assassins to eliminate him.
As Castle walked into Beckett's office, he saw her buried in what seemed like an endless pile of paperwork. Beckett, who used to lead the Homicide and Robbery Unit and only needed to solve cases with her team, now realized just how many things a precinct captain had to manage daily. She was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the endless stream of documents. If it weren't for the determination to do her job well, Beckett might have already broken down.
So when she saw Castle walk into her office, she let out a long sigh of relief, grateful for a legitimate reason to take a break.
Castle, knowing how close Beckett was to losing it, quickly closed the office door and sat down in front of her desk, ready to explain the latest developments in the case…
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