That evening, Beckett didn't return to Castle's home. Instead, she was at the police station, deeply involved in interrogating Vulcan Simmons. Meanwhile, Senator William Bracken had already been brought to NYPD headquarters by the Chief Assistant District Attorney for his first round of questioning. With Bracken now suspended from his duties, if the criminal charges against him were confirmed, Congress would swiftly revoke his senatorial status. As a result, the NYPD was working tirelessly to verify and secure the evidence Beckett had provided, leaving her with no time to go home.
Castle knew what Beckett was busy with. After calmly preparing dinner for his daughter and eating together, he retreated to his study. There, he called Northrop Grumman's aerospace development director, who had been eagerly awaiting his call, to set up a time to begin negotiations on the drone technology transfer.
The director, Mark, was overjoyed to receive Castle's call. Northrop Grumman had long wanted to negotiate with Castle to acquire the highly advanced drone he had developed. Castle had already authorized another company—a small Italian aircraft manufacturer—to participate in an upcoming European Union military procurement bid using the drone technology, making Northrop Grumman even more eager to secure the deal. However, Castle had been difficult to reach recently, causing considerable stress for Mark, who had personally advocated for giving Castle a set of the previous generation's military reconnaissance equipment.
Now, finally receiving Castle's call, Mark was ecstatic. They agreed to meet the next morning at 10 a.m. at Northrop Grumman's Manhattan office. When Castle mentioned that he wasn't interested in cash but preferred to acquire some shares in Northrop Grumman, Mark quickly reported this to his superiors.
Given the internal pressure Mark had faced recently, this development was a huge relief. During the call, Castle had candidly expressed his desire to quickly finalize the transfer of technology and drone designs. This honesty reassured Mark, who had been under considerable pressure from within the company. Moreover, Castle had revealed that he was a huge fan of Northrop Grumman's F-14 Tomcat and wanted to support the company financially by taking shares instead of cash in the transaction. This sentiment greatly improved Castle's standing with Northrop Grumman's executives, who were impressed by his loyalty to the company.
After the call, Castle finally relaxed. Now that everything was set for the next day's meeting, he believed that his lack of interest in the transfer fee and his desire for Northrop Grumman shares would significantly expedite the negotiations.
Once the deal was closed and Castle owned shares in Northrop Grumman, it would be far more difficult for the Republican Party to target him openly, regardless of their resentment. After all, the Republicans' biggest donors were defense contractors like Northrop Grumman. If Castle became a shareholder in such a company, the party wouldn't dare to antagonize one of their own financial backers, no matter how small his stake. Castle was confident that this move would protect him from any further retribution.
Pleased with his calculations, Castle spent the rest of the evening in his study, forgetting his earlier plan to work on his manuscript. Eventually, he retired for the night.
While Castle was comfortably coordinating with Northrop Grumman, Beckett was finally face-to-face with her mother's murderer, Senator William Bracken, in the NYPD's interrogation room.
Despite his current situation, Bracken remained composed and unshackled, given that he was still a sitting senator and had been brought in under the guise of "assisting with the investigation." When he saw the tall, model-like female detective enter the room, he immediately recognized her.
"You think you can take me down with the evidence you've got? You're incredibly naive, Detective Beckett. We have nothing to talk about," Bracken sneered, mocking Beckett as soon as he recognized her as the person responsible for his predicament. Since their conversation wasn't yet being recorded, he took the opportunity to try to undermine her confidence.
Seeing the man who had ordered the murder of her mother a decade ago, Beckett was filled with a desire to shoot him dead. Yet even now, Bracken was still delusional, believing she couldn't take him down. How naive!
With a cold expression, Beckett stared at the senator, who was unaware that Nick Coonan, the hitman who had murdered her mother and who had been sent to kill Congressman Gavin, was now in NYPD custody. "I'm not here to interrogate you, Senator," Beckett said icily. "I'm here to inform you that the assassin you sent to Peanut Island to kill Congressman Gavin, the same man you ordered to kill my mother and her colleagues ten years ago—Nick Coonan—has just been brought back to New York. If you're still dreaming that we can't bring you to justice, you're sadly mistaken. Enjoy your last moments of freedom."
With that, Beckett turned and left, leaving Bracken, whose expression had darkened upon hearing the news, to the two senior officers who would handle the interrogation. Due to the personal nature of her mother's case, Beckett had to recuse herself from interrogating Bracken and leave it to her colleagues.
However, Beckett was in no hurry. She was confident that this time, Bracken wouldn't escape justice. The fact that the DA's office had secured authorization from Congress and the Department of Justice indicated that even the Republican Party wouldn't openly interfere with the criminal investigation led by the NYPD and the DA. With the evidence from the four corrupt cops, Nick Coonan's testimony, and the documents Castle had found, Bracken's downfall was inevitable.
Furthermore, the Democrats were already preparing to unleash a media storm, revealing more of Bracken's misdeeds. This time, Bracken was done for.
After leaving the interrogation room, Beckett didn't return to the Twelfth Precinct but instead headed towards the holding cells to see Nick Coonan, the man who had killed her mother. However, she was intercepted by Captain Montgomery, who had been lingering at the station. "Beckett, come to my office. I need to talk to you..."
Out of respect for Montgomery, her mentor, Beckett followed him to his office at NYPD headquarters. It was only then that she learned what Montgomery really wanted to discuss.
Leaving Montgomery's office, Beckett was in a daze. She had never known that her old boss, the man who had mentored her and helped her rise through the ranks, had known all along who had killed her mother. But because he hadn't had the power to take down Bracken, Montgomery had kept silent, using the evidence he had collected to blackmail Bracken and protect her. It turned out that all the evidence Castle had found had originally been collected by Montgomery to keep Beckett safe from Bracken and the corrupt cops.
This revelation was too much for Beckett to process. She no longer felt like confronting Nick Coonan. All she wanted now was to talk to Castle.
So, as Castle was finishing his shower, he received a call from Beckett, saying she was coming home to discuss something important. Realizing that his plan to go to bed early was now out the window, Castle prepared himself to offer some much-needed emotional support. He could tell that Beckett was feeling lost, especially after she told him she had just spoken with Montgomery.
Sitting on the couch in his living room, waiting for Beckett to come home, Castle reflected on what a good man Montgomery was. Despite Castle's assurances that he had destroyed all the evidence implicating him, Montgomery had still felt compelled to tell Beckett the truth. This reinforced Castle's determination to ensure that Montgomery survived this ordeal. He needed to talk to Beckett about how best to protect Montgomery from any fallout.
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