Early the next morning, as Castle was about to step into his kitchen to make breakfast, he received a call from Henry, inviting him to share an English breakfast at Abraham's Antique Shop and to commence their plan for revenge.
With Alexis still traveling with her mother and Martha not at home, Castle happily accepted Henry's invitation. Grabbing his laptop loaded with tracking software, he quickly drove to Abraham's Antique Shop.
Upon entering, Castle set down his laptop and headed straight for the dining table. He was eager to see if Henry, who had lived for over two centuries, maintained his elegance and aristocratic demeanor through something as telling as his choice of breakfast.
Castle was not disappointed. The table was set with whole wheat bread, bacon, ham, butter, and jam, all meticulously served on what looked like expensive antique dinnerware, filling the table with a variety of options.
"Wow, Henry, is your breakfast always this lavish?"
Unabashed as ever, Castle sat down immediately as Henry poured him a cup of coffee.
"No, usually Abraham and I eat quite simply. It's only because we're hosting you today that we have all this."
Having lived nearly a century in America, Henry's manner of speech had long since shed any British reserve and had become as direct as any American's.
After quietly and quickly finishing the lavish breakfast, each man took a cup of post-meal tea to the sofa to begin discussing their strategy against Adam.
Castle powered up his laptop to show Henry and Abraham his progress from the previous day. He had not only installed a tracking device on Adam's car but had also set up real-time video surveillance in Adam's office, allowing the trio to monitor Adam's whereabouts at all times.
Henry was amazed at Castle's efficiency; accomplishing all this in just half a day was no small feat. For a semi-recluse like Henry and an elderly man like Abraham, Castle was proving to be an indispensable ally in action.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed by his own uncharacteristic success, Castle realized just how close Henry was to being outmaneuvered by the cunning Adam without his intervention.
Setting aside his astonishment at the high-tech gadgets, Henry asked Castle, "Rick, we've discussed your proposal from the other day and think it's the best approach for our revenge. Should we confront Adam today, or should we wait a couple more days to better prepare?"
Henry trusted Castle implicitly and was acutely aware that without him, he and Abraham, slightly out of touch with modern society, would hardly be a match for the elusive Adam.
Castle was pleased to have earned Henry's trust but was also mindful of his limitations. His plans, based on foresight from plot knowledge rather than tactical expertise, had often led to unforeseen complications. Thus, he advocated for a straightforward assault on Adam before the latter could sense anything amiss.
"We can't give Adam any chance to detect us or react. If he realizes something is wrong and decides to kill himself decisively, our plan will be ruined," Castle explained. "So, I support launching a surprise attack today while he's unaware. He might not fear death, but his body is likely as vulnerable as anyone else's. We should use a strong anesthetic to capture him swiftly. Let's act today!"
"But who among us should take the lead? Adam will be alerted the moment Abraham or I appear before him!" Henry noted, looking to Castle, knowing he was their only option.
"Ha, when it comes to taking action, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Castle responded with a grin, finally having a chance to impress Henry.
Henry, profoundly grateful, had no choice but to rely on Castle.
"Wait here, I have an anesthesia gun in my car. I'll fetch it!"
In reality, Castle planned to retrieve the anesthesia gun from his personal storage space, using his car as a cover. After saying this, he hurried downstairs.
"Once this is over, we really need to properly thank Castle," Abraham, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.
"Yes, without Castle's help, we would never have found Abigail so easily, nor would we have known that her killer was another immortal who has lived for two thousand years..." Henry reflected deeply. Who would have thought that a simple search for a missing woman with Detective Jo Martinez would end up fulfilling a long-held wish buried deep in his heart?
Castle returned quickly, preventing Henry and Abraham from dwelling on their emotions, carrying a small leather case.
He placed the case on the coffee table and opened it to reveal the anesthesia dart gun he had never really studied before. He planned to familiarize himself with it before the operation to avoid any mishaps.
Curious, Henry watched as Castle handled the intricately complex anesthesia gun, suggesting, "Rick, let me see the anesthetic's composition. Because in my experience, anesthetics don't work on me instantly. If your anesthetic doesn't incapacitate Adam immediately, there could be a problem."
"Right
, of course, you're the Chief Medical Examiner of New York! You know this stuff!" Castle handed over the vial of anesthesia to Henry.
After examining it, Henry proposed, "Rick, this anesthetic might work on regular people, but our operation must be flawless. How about I use a more potent anesthetic that I've developed myself?"
"Absolutely, if you have something better, I couldn't ask for more!" Castle was all too happy to agree.
With Castle's approval and encouragement, Henry quickly went to his laboratory to fetch a bottle of colorless, potent anesthetic. "Rick, I can load this into your anesthesia gun's darts. Once it hits Adam, it will knock him out in three seconds, and it won't have any side effects."
Even faced with his wife's murderer, Henry maintained his integrity as a doctor.
"Does it matter if there are side effects for Adam?"
Castle admired Henry's meticulousness. If it had been him, he would have exacted a much more ruthless revenge on his wife's killer.
After Henry finished replacing the darts with his potent anesthetic, the three men stood up, ready to act. Castle, looking into Henry's eyes, said, "Let's go, Henry. Let's catch that bastard today and get our revenge!"
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