Robin's estate gradually became lively after Castle and his group arrived. At the same time, Castle set up a temporary command center in the estate's study using the equipment he had brought along. Despite its simplicity, the setup was highly advanced, consisting of a desktop computer, several laptops, and large monitors displaying satellite images covering a ten-kilometer radius.
He had already repositioned one of his satellites over Hawaii, while another remained stationed over New York to monitor his home. The two satellites used direct encrypted communication, allowing Castle to maintain real-time contact with the chubby tech expert back home and Beckett, despite being thousands of miles away in Hawaii.
Just as Castle had predicted, the idiots from the Tri-Nation Alliance indeed set their sights on his estate in his absence. According to encrypted communications intercepted by Jarvis, they had dispatched a three-man team—one agent from each of the three countries, demonstrating their mutual distrust to an extreme degree. The team consisted of a Turkish and a Japanese operative responsible for the infiltration, along with an Indian so-called "computer expert" to execute the data theft.
This trio was the first to depart from Bangalore, flying directly to New York. Their plan was to wait for the main attack in Hawaii to distract attention before attempting to sneak into Castle's estate and steal his technology.
It was a clever plan—attacking on two fronts simultaneously. Unfortunately for them, all their so-called encrypted communications were under Castle's surveillance. No matter how the Japanese attempted to use their domestic satellites for secure communication, Castle had already compromised the encryption on all three nations' satellites. With artificial intelligence assisting him, he had effectively achieved one-way transparency in information flow.
As Castle exchanged intelligence updates via video call with Moz in Washington, Ray sat beside him, both fascinated and horrified by what he was witnessing. Meanwhile, Castle continued discussing how to deal with the Turkish, Indian, and Japanese agents planning to infiltrate his estate. It was turning out to be an eventful first day in Hawaii.
As for John? He had already wandered off on his own. As a hitman, he was accustomed to attacking rather than defending, so this kind of strategic counter-defense was unfamiliar to him. Wanting to familiarize himself with the terrain, he decided to scout the surroundings before giving those would-be kidnappers a taste of their own medicine.
Meanwhile, Sonny and his team were inspecting the estate's security. This property, much like Castle's Long Island estate, was also by the sea—except with an even longer coastline, making it more vulnerable to amphibious attacks. Their primary concern was preventing an assault from the sea, where the attackers could capture Castle and escape by boat.
On land, while the estate was surrounded by mountains on three sides, the FBI, led by Heinz, along with a CIA joint task force, had already secured the area. With Steve gathering reinforcements from his special unit, it was highly likely that any land attack would be merely a diversion. Thus, the Navy SEALs focused their attention on securing the coastal approach.
Ray, meanwhile, remained in the study with Castle, still reeling from what he was witnessing. He had never imagined that the so-called classified intelligence they received mostly came from Castle himself. Watching this writer converse so familiarly with the President's National Security Advisor, Moz, and casually share updates on the enemy's movements, Ray's worldview was starting to collapse.
Wasn't gathering intelligence supposed to be the job of the CIA? Why was a writer the one feeding them information?
Castle, unaware of Ray's existential crisis, continued his video call with Moz, discussing how to handle the three agents currently en route to New York. Since the overall operation depended on precise timing, they couldn't have Joe and his team apprehend the agents the moment they landed at JFK Airport. Instead, they had to maintain surveillance and wait until the operation in Hawaii was in full swing before making their move.
However, this presented another problem. What if these three agents acted unpredictably and failed to synchronize their actions with their Hawaiian counterparts? If Castle's attention was divided, and something went wrong, could Joe's joint task force handle it alone?
Moz asked Castle for his opinion. Castle's answer? Find something for Beckett to do.
After all, Beckett was worrying about him but couldn't do anything about it. Now that their son and John's daughter were being taken care of by Gianna at home, and since Beckett was no longer breastfeeding, she had returned to work at the NYPD. However, with the support Castle had provided, the 12th Precinct was now so well-equipped that even its beat cops had access to advanced weaponry. Routine cases were resolved quickly, and even difficult ones were tackled efficiently with the intelligence Beckett provided. Compared to the past, the precinct was running more smoothly than ever—even more so than during Captain Roy Montgomery's time.
But Beckett herself was feeling a bit idle. She wasn't on the front lines anymore, and with Gianna handling childcare during the day, she had little to do.
So why not let Beckett deal with these three fools?
Not only would it keep her occupied, but it would also help alleviate some of the resentment she harbored toward Castle for putting himself in danger.
Moz listened as Castle spouted his nonsense with a straight face. Meanwhile, Ray, sitting nearby, was dumbfounded. Was this writer insane? He actually wanted his wife to handle three trained agents? Sure, those agents might be idiots, but they were still professionals—not something a local cop could easily deal with.
But that was where Ray was mistaken.
As Castle had just explained to Moz, in New York, Beckett was practically untouchable.
On the legal side, she was the head of the most well-equipped and technologically advanced precinct in the NYPD. While other precincts' officers were still using outdated Remington shotguns, Beckett's officers—thanks to Castle's sponsorship—were patrolling in brand-new Dodge police cruisers equipped with FN SCAR automatic rifles, the same weapons used by U.S. Special Forces. Not to mention, her precinct had its own drone division. Who would dare cross her?
On the underground side, apart from petty criminals, every major player knew exactly who she was. Beckett was the woman who had personally taken down Senator William Bracken, with Castle later toppling Senator Pratt. She was also the mother of Castle's child and the daughter-in-law of the legendary Sean Connolly.
Who in the criminal underworld would dare disrespect her?
After finalizing the plan with Moz, Castle called Beckett and briefed her on the situation. He informed her that three foreign agents—one each from Turkey, India, and Japan—were currently on a flight to New York, planning to infiltrate his estate while all eyes were on Hawaii. He then told her that he wanted her to handle them.
Beckett's eyes lit up immediately.
Castle was right. Now that their son was in Gianna's care, and with her maternity leave over, Beckett had found herself increasingly bored at work. The 12th Precinct was running like a well-oiled machine—thanks in large part to Castle's influence. Even when cases arose, they were solved efficiently. Her detectives knew their boss had powerful connections, so whenever they hit a dead end, all they had to do was report to her, and by the next day, she'd provide new leads.
Everyone in the precinct knew their captain had unparalleled resources. As a result, the workload had lightened significantly, making the 12th Precinct more relaxed than it had been in years.
Beckett, however, was itching for something more exciting.
Now, thanks to Castle, she had something to do.
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