Early the next morning, after making breakfast for his daughter, Castle headed to the 12th Precinct with Beckett. It wasn't until they were almost at the station that Castle suddenly remembered the shipment of weapons and gear he had arranged through a high-ranking executive at Northrop Grumman. The batch of powerful firearms, communications equipment, and bulletproof vests had arrived at the New York docks. Realizing this, Castle quickly grabbed Beckett and asked her to immediately assign someone to retrieve the equipment and bring it back to the precinct. Once sorted, it could be distributed to all the officers at the 12th.
Beckett already knew that Castle was planning to donate a batch of gear to the precinct, but she was surprised that he had only just remembered the shipment had arrived. She quickly stepped outside the station to call Esposito and Ryan, instructing them to gather a team and head to the docks to retrieve the equipment.
After making the call, Beckett turned to Castle with a suspicious look. "Aren't you planning to hold some big donation ceremony, with reporters and all? This doesn't seem like your style—just quietly bringing the stuff back here?"
Castle grinned. "All I need is the donation receipt. I'll use it to offset my taxes—you know, tax season is just around the corner. I made quite a bit last year, and without a donation receipt, the IRS will come after me! Trust me, I fear nothing and no one, but I'd never dare cross the IRS."
Then, with a mischievous smile, he added, "Oh, and I forgot to mention—I'm thinking of buying a mansion on Long Island. It's twelve acres with a private beach. Buying something like that will help with my taxes too. Want to come see it with me? Thanks to the recent economic crisis, I'm getting it at a bargain price."
Beckett rolled her eyes at Castle's casual display of wealth, saying nothing as she led him into the precinct.
It had been over a month since Castle had gone on a rampage in Central Park, and this was his first visit to the 12th Precinct since immersing himself in his drone and missile research. As he walked in, every officer who greeted Beckett turned to him with a grin, many teasingly calling him "Mr. Captain." While no one dared to joke openly in front of Castle anymore, everyone respected him, especially after he had taken down a hitman with an automatic rifle in Central Park.
Castle, ever the charismatic figure, greeted the officers he knew as he followed Beckett into the elevator. When they stepped out, they ran into Esposito and Ryan. Esposito, the first to greet Castle, turned to Beckett. "So, what are we picking up at the port?"
Before Beckett could answer, Castle proudly spoke up. "Remember how jealous you were of my automatic rifle? Well, I've got a hundred and fifty FN-SCARs for the precinct, all the latest models. Not even SOCOM has fully equipped their special forces with these yet. I had to call in a favor to get them from Belgium. They're top-of-the-line—only started production in July 2007."
Esposito's eyes lit up. "SCAR? Are they the L model with the lightweight barrel or the heavy barrel?"
Castle continued to brag. "Of course they're the L model with the lightweight barrel. You're using them in the city, not turning Manhattan into Fallujah. Oh, and I've got M1014 shotguns with non-lethal beanbag rounds, and bulletproof vests made in China—the best in the world. Make sure to save one for me. I want mine marked 'Writer'."
Esposito, now too excited to respond to Castle's request, grabbed Ryan and bolted for the elevator, eager to gather a team and head to the docks. Castle had given clear instructions on where the shipment was located, and the Northrop Grumman staff at the port would ensure they retrieved everything.
Once the precinct had this state-of-the-art gear, the 12th Precinct would become the best-equipped department in all of New York. Even the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit didn't have FN-SCARs, but Castle had managed to procure 150 of them. Esposito couldn't wait to finally ditch his old Glock 17 and Remington M870 for some real firepower.
While Esposito and Ryan rushed off to fetch the equipment, Castle and Beckett stood before the familiar whiteboard in the precinct, which was covered with crime scene photos and analysis from the recent case. Castle appeared to be focusing on the board, but in reality, he was trying to conceal his true intentions—to set the stage for a series of calculated moves in the near future. Meanwhile, Beckett was fully engrossed, carefully studying the information on the board. Despite her role as captain, Beckett still preferred working cases firsthand.
As they examined the case details, Diana and Jones, the FBI agents Beckett had partnered with, entered the precinct. While officially investigating the serial killer case, their true mission was to covertly observe Castle and determine if he was connected to the missing treasure from Vincent's submarine and Vincent's subsequent death.
Castle watched the familiar agents approach, struggling to suppress his amusement. He knew exactly why they were there, but he couldn't let on. Fortunately, both Diana and Jones were highly competent, and despite their primary expertise in white-collar crime, they could still contribute significantly to the case. After all, they had detailed records of 3XK's crimes across multiple states—information that was invaluable to Beckett.
While Diana earnestly discussed the case with Beckett, Jones kept a close eye on the silent Castle. His boss, Peter Borkell, had specifically instructed him to observe Castle, who had recently become involved in the arms trade and was now a shareholder in Northrop Grumman, the third-largest weapons manufacturer in the U.S. If Castle hadn't had such powerful connections, the FBI would have issued a subpoena and brought him in for questioning long ago. But since they couldn't go after him directly, Peter had resorted to these roundabout tactics.
Castle, fully aware of Jones' scrutiny, wasn't concerned. His new status as a Northrop Grumman shareholder meant the FBI couldn't easily touch him. His focus was entirely on the real 3XK, Jerry Tyson, still in prison. Castle needed to guide Beckett's attention toward the copycat who had been brainwashed by Tyson, but doing so required some finesse.
While the four of them analyzed the case at the precinct, Esposito and his team successfully retrieved the three shipping containers full of weapons and equipment from the docks and returned to the precinct. Esposito wasted no time expressing his gratitude to their generous benefactor, Castle.
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