As for whether Beckett's officers could successfully apprehend Reese in the act of vigilantism, Castle wasn't worried at all. Reese might be highly skilled and potentially suffering from severe PTSD, but his mind was sharp enough not to resist a police blockade.
Even if Reese dared to resist, the advanced equipment Castle had painstakingly donated to Beckett's precinct wasn't just for show. With the omnipresent monitoring power of the Eye of God and aerial support from drones, it wouldn't matter if Reese was just a retired special forces or CIA operative—or even Jason Bourne himself, the CIA's most elite operative who nearly dismantled their European branch. He'd still have no choice but to surrender.
Having settled on a strategy to "handle" the stubborn Finch and Reese, Castle felt reassured and decided to let the matter rest. Confident in the Eye of God system's capabilities, Castle chose to sit back and wait. He brought the two youngsters—whose worldview had been thoroughly shattered by his antics—back to reality and got them to help him continue working in his supercomputer lab. Their task was the completion of a project concerning stealth technology's control codes, a project that had been delayed but was of great interest to the military, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
What Castle didn't realize was just how much trouble his earlier phone call had caused Finch.
Inside his luxurious Manhattan home, Finch was holding the phone, questioning everything.
Castle's call confirmed Finch's suspicions: the person who had mysteriously hacked into his private computer earlier that morning was indeed the writer he had suspected. However, the writer's motivation left Finch speechless. Castle had targeted him solely because Finch and Reese had been conducting their machine tests in Castle's girlfriend's police precinct.
By now, Finch had an inkling that Castle possessed some sort of advanced technology—something that might be comparable to or even on par with his own machine. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how Castle had found him so accurately. After all, Finch had always ensured that his involvement remained hidden, relying solely on phone contact with Reese during their operations. Reese was the one who handled everything on-site.
Yet Castle had still managed to find him and hack his private computer without leaving any trace.
Though Finch's personal computer wasn't particularly fortified—it contained nothing confidential, after all—its defenses weren't so weak that just anyone could breach them. The fact that Castle had done so undetected revealed not only the sophistication of his methods but also the comparable strength of his hardware and technical support.
After hanging up, Finch rushed to the server location housing his machine, thoroughly inspecting its programs and access logs. Only after confirming that Castle hadn't hacked this server did he feel somewhat at ease. But his anxiety soon deepened.
During the downtime, Finch delved deeper into investigating the writer who had caused him so much trouble that morning. The more he learned about Castle, the more Finch was astonished.
Castle was nothing short of an anomaly.
A little over a year ago, he had been a high-profile writer whose Storm series dominated the New York Times bestseller list. He was also a media darling. But for some inexplicable reason, Castle's trajectory shifted dramatically a year and a half ago when he "personally" killed off his bestselling protagonist by shooting them in the head.
After that, Castle's behavior took a bizarre turn. He inexplicably joined the NYPD as a civilian consultant—ostensibly because he had fallen for Beckett, a detective who had sought his assistance on a case. She was now the captain overseeing Manhattan's central precinct.
Then, as if some latent switch had been flipped, Castle began demonstrating extraordinary talent in information technology and advanced research. Even more shockingly, he successfully leveraged this talent by partnering with Northrop Grumman, quickly amassing a fortune.
From there, Castle's path became increasingly strange. Using his collaboration with Beckett as inspiration, he wrote another bestselling novel based on her, all while successfully winning her over. With Castle's financial support, Beckett became precinct captain and upgraded her department with cutting-edge equipment.
Rumor had it that the police drones now patrolling New York City were Castle's brainchild, developed in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Beckett's precinct was the first in the world to deploy drones operationally.
And as if that weren't enough, Castle was reportedly one of the biggest financial backers of the current U.S. president. In short, over the past year and a half, Castle had seemingly transformed into a multi-talented force of nature—simultaneously a bestselling author, tech mogul, and political powerhouse.
Finch could only marvel at this newfound understanding of Castle's resume.
"You're a literary and tech genius, a financial powerhouse, and a political player? Wow."
But even this realization wasn't enough to shake Finch's resolve to continue his vigilante mission.
Castle might be impressive, but so what? Finch was no pauper either. Both men were members of the nation's elite. Why should Finch, after a lifetime of hard work and success, submit to Castle's whims?
Despite recognizing that the police drones in Beckett's jurisdiction could pose a threat to his and Reese's activities, Finch wasn't about to abandon Manhattan—their operational base—just because Castle said so.
After reviewing all the information, Finch concluded that Castle's intrusion into his private computer and subsequent phone call lacked malicious intent. Castle simply didn't want Finch playing superhero in his girlfriend's precinct.
Still, Finch decided to carry on with his plans, undeterred by Castle's warnings.
Unbeknownst to Finch, this decision would soon lead to a series of events that would repeatedly shake his confidence, forcing him to question his choices.
That evening, Beckett returned home and learned that Castle had already contacted the tech-savvy vigilante operating in her jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Castle admitted that his initial blunders had angered Finch, making it impossible to resolve the issue smoothly.
Although Castle made a valiant attempt to explain his strategy and proposals to Beckett, her frustration got the better of her. As a result, Castle spent the night in "house arrest" as punishment for his incompetence.
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