Henry sat in the car driven by Abraham, restless and visibly conflicted. His tormented expression caught the attention of Abraham, who was focused on driving.
"Henry, what's wrong? We've found the killer who murdered Mom. Aren't you happy?"
Abraham slowed the car and glanced at Henry, who was anxiously clasping his hands together in the passenger seat.
"Abraham, are you really sure about this? You know, what I'm doing now—this personal vendetta—is actually against the law. I'm already regretting getting Castle involved. Maybe you should drop me off at the forest and go home. Wait for me to finish this and then we'll talk."
Henry's good nature was causing him conflict again.
"No, Henry, no need to say more. I'm not going back. All your persuasions are useless!"
Abraham's response was emotionally charged, his voice unconsciously louder.
"…"
Henry did not reply, and Abraham also fell silent. The car remained eerily quiet until Abraham once again pulled up at the slope where Abigail's car had crashed off the road years ago.
"Henry, I'm nearly seventy years old. What do you think I'm afraid of? And not to mention, we are avenging Mom. Do you think I should go back?"
Henry's eyes had reddened unknowingly. After one last look at his foster son's determined face, he said nothing more and stepped out of the car to the trunk to unload the suitcase containing Adam.
The anesthetic Henry had personally mixed was extraordinarily effective, and Castle had taken no chances by using two tranquilizer darts as well. Adam might be an immortal old demon over two thousand years old and physically frail, weighing less than 120 pounds, but even an elephant hit with two tranquilizer darts would be knocked out.
When Henry and Abraham carried the suitcase to the small grave where Abigail had died and opened it, Adam was still deep in unconsciousness, shackled inside.
Seeing the man who had killed his wife still unconscious in the suitcase, and remembering how Adam had been relentlessly pursuing him, nearly exposing him to the police, Henry felt a mix of emotions: hatred for Adam's role in Abigail's death, fear of Adam's plots to lure him into a trap, and the thrill of being on the verge of avenging a great wrong.
"Henry, don't think too much. While he's still unconscious, let's get him out and tie him to a tree. Then we can wake him up. It will be easier to talk to him then. Also, should we wait for Castle?"
Abraham, seeing Henry staring vacantly after opening the suitcase, couldn't help but interrupt his reverie.
Hearing Abraham's question, Henry snapped back to reality, realizing this was not the time for sentimentality: "Oh, right, Abraham. Let's tie him up first; I have many questions for him. But let's not wait for Castle. This is a matter for us, father and son. There's no need to drag Rick further into this. I can explain everything to him later, but right now, our main focus is revenge, and this doesn't involve Rick."
Abraham agreed with Henry's reasoning. Castle had already done a lot for them, and he didn't want to drag him into what would surely be a personal injury case concerning Adam.
Without further ado, the father and son duo lifted Adam out of the suitcase and tied him up tightly with nylon rope to a large tree, ensuring that even upon waking, Adam would have no chance to escape or take his own life. Then, Henry pulled out a syringe filled with an antidote for the anesthesia he had prepared and injected it into the trussed-up Adam. After administering the antidote, Henry casually placed the syringe aside, knowing it would play a significant role in his plan.
As the antidote took effect, Adam began to regain consciousness within minutes, his mind slowly clearing, making him want to shake his still groggy head—a simple action that now proved difficult.
As his awareness returned, Adam realized he had been deceived by the novelist Castle. However, Adam was puzzled—having never interacted with Castle, why would he suddenly attack him using a Taser and tranquilizer gun? From this, it seemed less like Castle wanted him dead and more like he wanted to capture him alive.
Could it be that he also knew the secret of Adam's immortality?
Gradually regaining his senses but still uncertain, Adam could clearly feel he was securely tied to a large tree, and the surrounding environment didn't resemble some secret basement or lab; it seemed more like the outdoors.
Finally overcoming the dizziness, Adam looked up and was shocked to see Henry Morgan and his foster son, Abraham, standing in front of him. He recognized the location where he was bound—it was the same forest where he had interrogated the nurse named Abigail over twenty years ago!
In
an instant, Adam understood his predicament. Clearly, Henry Morgan had figured out that he was the one who had been calling and sending old photos to threaten him. Moreover, it was likely that Henry also knew about his involvement in Abigail's death; otherwise, he wouldn't have had that scoundrel Castle attack him and then bind him here.
"Hello, Henry. I've been looking for you for many years, and finally, we meet!!!"
Adam's psychological resilience was top-notch; despite facing the red-eyed, furious Henry and Abraham, he quickly regained his composure and even greeted Henry with enthusiasm.
Of course, Adam's calmness stemmed from his ability to resurrect. What did it matter if Henry killed him on the spot? He wouldn't have to wait eighteen years but could immediately come back to life!
"Adam? Is that right? Did you kill Abigail?"
Henry gritted his teeth for one last confirmation.
When Henry uttered the name 'Adam,' Adam knew that Henry had information on him, though he wondered how Henry had come by it.
Bound tightly, Adam seemed unconcerned about his disheveled state, instead curiously watching Henry, hoping to learn how his information had been discovered so he could cover his tracks when he resurrected.
"Henry, after I answer your questions, in the spirit of reciprocity, could you answer a few of mine?"
Adam smiled, trying to set a trap for Henry. Since he couldn't die, why not use this opportunity to find out who had been secretly scheming against him? Although he suspected Castle might have betrayed him, Adam felt that Castle couldn't possibly know his secrets.
So now, the best strategy was to provoke Henry and see if he could glean some clues from him.
Watching Adam, who was unaware of the severity of his situation and still smiling and laying traps, Henry inwardly sneered. Let's see who is more cunning: you, the old demon, or me, the seasoned coroner?
Fear of exposing his own identity had made Henry appear a bit reclusive and desperate, but that didn't mean he was foolish. How could a man who had been a doctor for over a hundred years, a military medic at the Normandy landings, and had risen to the chief coroner in the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, be considered foolish?
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