Aside from the chubby guy who was grinning foolishly while holding a gold brick emblazoned with the Third Reich's eagle insignia, Mozzie, Gianna, and John were all taken aback by Castle's "generosity." Judging by his tone, it seemed like this guy had no desire to keep any of the valuable artifacts in the fully loaded carriage?
Gianna couldn't help but speak up: "Rick, are you serious? Do you even know how much all this stuff is worth? Are you really planning on letting us split it all up?"
Castle gave a wry smile and revealed his plan: "Take a good look at these things. Except for the jewelry and gold bars, which can have the Third Reich's eagle insignia removed during the remelting process, every single item—whether it's a painting or a sculpture—has been defaced with that twisted cross symbol by those compulsive maniacs. Trying to sell them would be a real hassle. Honestly, I don't have the means or the patience to deal with this stuff one by one.
Besides, we're a team, aren't we? Shouldn't the spoils be shared equally?"
Gianna was at a loss for words at Castle's response. So, this guy found dealing with all this wealth too troublesome, and even though he knew how valuable it was, he preferred to stay lazy and just let everyone split it up? What kind of logic was that? It was the epitome of laziness!
Mozzie felt uneasy. After all, Mr. Vincent Adler had valued these items more than his own life. But to Castle, they were just a burden and a nuisance? Where was the justice for poor Vincent, who had painstakingly gathered these treasures?
Castle really didn't want to continue discussing this outside the chubby guy's building, so he turned to Gianna and said, "Shouldn't we first unload the stuff from the truck and inventory it before discussing anything else? I'd like to temporarily store these things at your estate, if that's okay?"
Gianna exchanged a glance with John and sighed, "Looks like I won't be returning to Rome anytime soon. Alright, drive the truck over to my main residence. This place isn't suitable for storing these things; the basement of the main house would be better. But Rick, there's something I need to ask you first. I've recognized a few items here and I know who their original owners were. I want to return them to their descendants, who have been searching for these family treasures ever since they were stolen by the Third Reich.
If I can return these items, it would greatly strengthen our relationship with these families. These people have significant influence, both in the underground world and in politics. Building a good relationship with them would be highly beneficial for us.
Of course, I will make it clear that you were the one who recovered these items. What do you think?"
Castle waved his hand dismissively: "I never intended to keep any of it for myself. If you can use some of it to return to the rightful owners and earn their gratitude, why not?"
Gianna gave Castle a long look, seeing that he genuinely didn't care. She then smiled warmly, "Rick, I feel like I've gotten to know you in a new light today. Alright, no more pretense. Just know that you'll always be a friend to the D'Antonio family!"
Mozzie didn't pay much attention to Gianna's request to return some of the artifacts to their original owners. To him, the treasures in that truck—aside from the gold bars—were all exquisite works of art. Mozzie, being a person with refined artistic taste, was almost overwhelmed by the beauty of these items. Even if they didn't belong to him, just being able to admire them was a joy. Especially since, according to Castle, he would get a share of these treasures. Mozzie was currently captivated by a Monet painting, utterly absorbed in the master's brushwork, completely oblivious to the deal between Gianna and Castle.
It wasn't until Gianna asked Mozzie to stop admiring the painting for a moment and have Castle drive the truck to the main residence to unload the treasures into the basement that Mozzie reluctantly tore his gaze away, though he still clung tightly to the Monet painting. "Rick, if this painting doesn't have an original owner, could I have it? It's all I want; I don't need anything else!"
Castle didn't need to drive the truck because Gianna had already summoned several of her trusted men to do the heavy lifting. Hearing Mozzie's request, Castle laughed, "Mozzie, you know I have no clue about these things. I don't even know who painted that. If you want it, take it. Oh, and save some for Neil and Alex. Didn't you say there were Picasso paintings too? Don't you want those?"
Mozzie scoffed, "Picasso wasn't all that famous during World War II, and most of his work is abstract, which I don't particularly care for. While his paintings fetch high prices at auctions now, in terms of artistry, they're nothing compared to this Monet. Neil probably won't like Picasso's work either; he's more likely to appreciate those Van Goghs!"
As Castle and Mozzie, who was still clutching the Monet painting, walked towards the main residence, Castle casually remarked, "Do whatever you want. Pick what you like first, and we'll figure out how to deal with the rest later. We can't exactly bring these items out into the open right away, especially if Vincent finds out—it would be a disaster!"
Mozzie chuckled, "Of course, these things won't appear on the market for at least a year. I'm keeping this painting for my own collection, and Neil knows the risks too. Don't worry!"
When they arrived at the main residence, they found the heavily pregnant Gianna at the entrance, overseeing the unloading of the treasures with her butler. John had already gone down to the basement to keep an eye on things, ensuring that nothing inappropriate happened among the workers, so Castle wouldn't be put in an awkward position.
Both Gianna and John were truly impressed by Castle's nonchalance. An entire truckload of valuable artifacts, and he just handed it off without a care? But precisely because of this absolute trust, Gianna and John felt an immense responsibility. Castle trusted them completely, and if any of their men did something foolish, it would be a huge embarrassment. So, despite being pregnant, Gianna insisted on standing guard at the entrance, while John was down in the basement, waiting to help Castle and Mozzie with the final inventory.
While Castle and Gianna were cheerfully discussing how to return the items Gianna had identified to their original owners, the 12th Precinct was welcoming its new captain.
The new captain had actually worked at the 12th Precinct for six years, so everyone was familiar with her. However, they were used to calling her Detective Beckett, but now she was Captain Beckett.
Esposito had smoothly taken over as the head of the Homicide Robbery Unit after Beckett's promotion, and Kevin had also been promoted to sergeant. The two of them were currently arguing over who would get Beckett's old desk in the captain's office. In the end, Esposito, being the stronger and Kevin's superior, claimed the spot.
After making Beckett's old desk his own, the two sat down to gossip. Kevin, curious, asked Esposito, "Hey, why isn't Castle here today for Beckett's big day as captain? Do you think they're having a fight?"
Esposito looked at his clueless partner like he was an idiot: "You really don't know what's going on between them?"
Kevin was puzzled, "Know what?"
Esposito, who was secretly dating the medical examiner Lanie and therefore knew Beckett's personal news, had a smug look on his face as he replied, "That idiot Castle finally won over our captain. How about that for some juicy news?"
Kevin's eyes widened in shock: "You're kidding! That jerk Castle actually hooked up with Beckett?"
Esposito had the look of someone holding all the insider knowledge, enjoying his partner's shock, "Yeah, that's right. Want to know how it happened? Beg me, and I might just tell you!"
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