Chapter 66: Sealing the Deal

Feeling reassured about leaving Moz alone at Adam's house, Castle remembered the French souvenirs he had promised Renata. He asked the resourceful Moz to arrange for five unique souvenirs from France before he left. With that handled, Castle said his goodbyes and strolled leisurely out of Adam's apartment building, hopped into his car, and called Abraham.

"Abraham, have you settled Adam properly?"

The tone of Abraham's voice on the other end of the phone seemed relaxed and slightly joyful, possibly due to settling a major vendetta: "Rick, we've placed Adam in a private sanatorium owned by an old friend of Henry's, not far from Long Island. What about you? Any progress? Did you find the dagger?"

"Of course, not only did I find Adam's dagger, but I also prepared Henry's gift. When will you be back home? I'll wait for you at the entrance of your shop!"

Castle, having fully planned to resolve the Adam situation, was in high spirits and chatted merrily with Abraham.

"Alright, wait at the shop entrance for a bit; we'll be right back!"

Abraham spoke briefly with Henry beside him, agreed to Castle's request, and then hung up.

Starting the car, Castle muttered to himself: "Now, I just need to figure out how to deal with Beckett and Martinez..."

Castle didn't wait long outside Abraham's antique shop before he saw Abraham driving up with Henry.

Henry looked relaxed, possibly because he had finally let go of a burden that had plagued him for over two decades. Compared to his usual demeanor, there was less cold indifference and more warm friendliness. Seeing Castle standing with his arms crossed at the shop entrance, a smile couldn't help but spread across his face.

"Rick, did you wait long? Come on in!"

Following Henry, Abraham, all smiles, warmly greeted Castle and hurried to open the door.

Castle, seeing the relieved father and son, felt genuinely happy for them. Some people may only ever have a superficial relationship, even after a lifetime, while others form deep bonds quickly. Henry and Abraham's feelings toward Castle felt just like that, greatly influenced by their inherently kind natures. Regardless, in Henry and Abraham's eyes, Castle was now a top-tier benefactor.

Upstairs in the drawing room, Abraham went to pour drinks for the trio, while Henry sat down on the sofa with Castle to discuss their separate journeys and findings.

Casually accepting a glass of whiskey from Abraham, Castle waited for Henry to grab his, then raised his glass: "Henry, Abraham, congratulations on avenging your great grievance, and here's to Abigail finding peace!!!"

Without hesitation, Henry and Abraham raised their glasses, "To Abigail/Mother, may she rest in peace!!!"

After a big sip of whiskey, Castle put down his glass and pulled from his bag the dagger that belonged to Adam, handing it to Henry: "This is the dagger that killed Adam years ago and turned him into an immortal. According to the intelligence I've gathered, it's highly likely this can inhibit Adam's resurrection. That means if he's killed with this dagger again, he'll really die and not come back..."

Henry and Abraham examined the blade, over two thousand years old yet still sharp, and marveled, "Rick, are you sure? We can't take any risks!"

Henry, regaining his usual composure and rationality, quickly weighed the options: maintaining the status quo with Adam as a living dead or completely eliminating him, the latter reassuring him more. Henry was kind, but not weak. Having fought in WWII at Normandy, he was no stranger to tough decisions.

However, he was also cautious, so his hopeful gaze turned to Castle, looking for a definite answer.

"Don't rush, Henry, I have something else here..."

Castle grinned mischievously, reaching into his bag again and pulling out an item that struck Henry like lightning.

"This... How is this possible? Is it? Is it really..."

Even after two hundred years, Dr. Henry Morgan instantly recognized the flintlock pistol in Castle's hands, hardly believing what he saw. How did Castle get this? From Adam's collection?

"Yes, this is for you, Henry. I brought this from Adam's house as a gift for you. Honestly, I was surprised to see it too. Adam really went out of his way for you, and I think, to him, you might have been his true love..."

Castle continued, passing the flintlock pistol to Henry, half-jokingly.

Henry quickly handed Adam's dagger to Abraham and shakily received the flintlock pistol, the cause of his immortality, overcome with emotion and immediately lost in memories.

Castle didn't interrupt Henry's reminiscence but quietly signaled Abraham to step aside.

"What's up?"

Abraham, already immune to Castle's dramatics, knew that if Castle was

 pulling him aside, it must be for something Henry shouldn't hear.

As expected, Castle's words confirmed Abraham's suspicions: "I've been thinking... we can't just leave Adam like this. What if there's an accident and he dies? If he dies, he's off the hook, and now that he knows about us three, if he escapes, he'll surely seek revenge. I have a mother and daughter; I can't and don't want to take that risk. But Henry is too soft-hearted; I'm afraid he can't make the tough call.

What do you think?"

Why did Castle choose to discuss eliminating any future threat with Abraham while Henry was lost in his memories? Because in their brief interaction, Castle saw that Abraham was the real hardliner, while Henry was too indecisive. It had to be Abraham he consulted.

Hearing Castle's plan, Abraham got excited: "Right, I was thinking the same. We'll leave Henry out of this. To truly settle Adam's matter, we'll handle it ourselves..."

Castle, proud of his precise judgment, continued, "Also, I spoke to you in private because I discovered many treasures in Adam's house... understand?"

With typical Jewish acumen, Abraham grinned, "Hehehe... I understand... Don't worry, I won't let Henry know. Shall we split them fifty-fifty?"

"No problem. I also have a friend who can help us deal with these art pieces... He can handle the money laundering too. And about Adam, if he has the ability to resurrect, killing him with the dagger will leave a corpse. We can find a 'cleaner' for that; I have connections..."

The conspiring Castle and Abraham quickly settled their plans while Henry was distracted, chuckling mischievously as they returned to the sofa to wait for him to come back to reality.

Henry, having exacted his revenge and then confronted with the weapon that transformed him into his current ageless state, was emotionally turbulent and deeply lost in his memories. Castle and Abraham had already arranged everything concerning Adam and the collected treasures, and after several more glasses of whiskey, nearly an hour passed before Henry snapped out of his reverie.

Smiling apologetically at Castle sitting across from him, Henry had actually overheard their plans. Although his reverie was deep, his hearing was fine, and he knew these two were planning to seal Adam's fate completely.

But Henry had no intention of stopping them, merely stating calmly, "Do what you must. That private sanatorium is owned by a friend of mine. Just let me know before you go, so I can make arrangements!"

Castle chuckled, "That's exactly what I was waiting to hear!"

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