American TV Writer

Neil remained calm, leisurely sipping a glass of red wine, showing no signs of anxiety. In contrast, Alex, sitting beside him, was practically glowing with excitement, her gaze fixed on Moz, eagerly hoping he would satisfy her nearly explosive curiosity. She had never imagined that Neil's writer friend, who seemed so unreliable, could be so formidable and resourceful, managing to easily determine whether the submarine really held the legendary treasures, and confidently concluding that it was originally loaded with countless artworks and gold.

Alex had a unique background. Her grandfather had served alongside Vincent's father on the sunken U-845 submarine, and he was the radio operator on that submarine. It was because Alex's grandfather had hidden the passive distress signal receiver inside a music box, encoded as musical notes, that all of this was set in motion.

Like Vincent, Alex had grown up hearing stories about the submarine from her grandfather. They both shared the same dream of finding the submarine and bringing its treasures back to the surface. However, unlike Vincent, who was bold and resourceful, even going as far as orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme on Wall Street to fund the search and recovery of the submarine, Alex, being a woman with no power, influence, or money, could only keep her childhood dream buried deep in her heart.

But she hadn't expected that not long ago, Neil Caffrey, with whom she had a past relationship, would suddenly seek her out, asking for a key she had secretly kept. This key was crucial to unlocking the music box that held the secret location of the submarine where her grandfather had served.

It was only then that Alex realized Neil Caffrey, who was still being tracked by the FBI with a locator anklet, was secretly scheming to seize the submarine before Vincent could recover it, planning to double-cross him once he did.

Without hesitation, Alex joined Neil's team, both to fulfill her childhood dream and out of desire for Neil. After all, Neil had sent his girlfriend Kate to the West Coast to lay low, and she had shared a bed with Neil before. Besides, all she needed to do was give up a key to sleep with Neil and have a chance to realize her dream of seeing the mountain of artworks her grandfather had described. Why not?

However, due to the restrictions of Neil's locator anklet, and her own desire to be with Neil, Alex inevitably attracted the attention of the FBI, who had been keeping an eye on Neil. So after handing over the key and successfully spending the night with Neil, Alex remained in the dark about the true nature of Moz and Neil's writer friend's plan. She didn't even know what stage the plan was at, which, in a way, protected her. Not knowing the details meant she couldn't leak any secrets.

When Vincent kidnapped her and the FBI interrogated her for an entire afternoon, Alex's ignorance about the true plan allowed her to convincingly play the role of a clueless mistress, just in it for Neil's good looks. Her performance was so perfect that she not only fooled Vincent Adler, who made a living out of deceiving others, but also the FBI agents, who dealt with criminals daily, and they couldn't extract any useful information from her.

But now, back home, Alex couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. She simply couldn't believe that Neil, Moz, and an unreliable writer friend had actually pulled off such an incredible plan.

With her mind buzzing with questions, Alex was desperate to know how Moz and the writer had managed to pull this off, especially under Vincent's nose, and empty the submarine of its treasures. That was something beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, right?

Neil shared Alex's curiosity, but out of trust in Moz, he refrained from asking too many questions. After all, he had known about the plan since the night it was executed, unlike Alex, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious about how Castle had managed to accomplish something that seemed impossible.

In reality, even Moz, who had kept watch outside the warehouse with the drone that night, didn't know how Castle had pulled off the trick. Moz and his partner hadn't spotted any vehicles outside the warehouse, and Castle had gone in alone. Moz's curiosity was no less than Neil and Alex's, but respecting Castle's privacy, Moz hadn't pressed for details.

Now, with both Neil and Alex staring at him eagerly, Moz could only hide his uncertainty by taking another sip of wine.

Finally, it was Alex, whose curiosity was burning so intensely it could no longer be contained, who broke the silence and asked Moz how Castle had done it.

Facing Alex's inquiry, Moz could only sigh and honestly admit, "I don't know what to say. Honestly, I really don't know how Rick managed to get those treasures out from under Vincent's heavily guarded submarine. All I can tell you is that the treasures are safely stored in the basement of Gianna's estate on Long Island. According to Rick, each of us can choose one of the 19 paintings that were originally among the 21 on the submarine—two were claimed by Gianna because they were connected to her family, the Bernard family of France. Rick also promised to give each of us a ton of gold. As for the jewels and other valuables, Rick wanted me to tell you that you can go to Gianna's estate and pick whatever you like once the FBI stops following you."

"But I have a suggestion for both of you, and it's up to you whether to follow it…"

Moz was interrupted by Neil, who said, "You're suggesting that Alex and I leave New York for a while to lay low, right?"

Moz nodded in agreement. "Yes, now that Vincent is dead and the submarine's treasures are missing, you're the prime suspect. The FBI is too preoccupied with the congressman who helped Vincent to investigate you right now, thanks to Rick diverting their attention. But once they find nothing at the congressman's place, they'll likely turn their focus back to you and Alex. So, for your safety and to avoid further harassment from the FBI, I think you should leave the country for a while."

Neil exchanged a glance with Alex before replying, "I've known for a while that Rick wouldn't let Vincent live to avoid any loose ends, but I didn't expect him to use such drastic measures to get rid of him. While Vincent's death does make things easier for me, as you said, the FBI will likely suspect me again once they come up empty-handed with the congressman. So, I agree with your plan. Alex and I will leave New York in the next couple of days. I'll head to the Bahamas—I've been wanting to see those pink sand beaches for a while. Alex will go to Europe, probably Spain. We've already prepared for this."

Moz wasn't surprised that the clever Neil had already made plans. He continued, "Alright then, I'll quickly handle the gold Rick promised you and transfer the money to your accounts. As for the painting, we can deal with that once you're back after laying low for a while. How does that sound?"

Alex was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected that just by playing a minor role, she would not only get a painting but also a ton of gold. Grinning with delight, she replied, "No problem. I trust you guys, so let's wait until after we've gone abroad to lay low, and then we can deal with it."

From Neil's earlier words, Moz could tell that Neil, ever the player, planned to abandon Alex and reunite with Kate on the West Coast before heading to the Bahamas. Moz gave his friend a meaningful look. "Splitting up is the right move, but be careful. You need to remember that the value of those treasures is enough to make anyone take extreme risks. Once you leave New York, stay vigilant…"

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