Chapter 403: Chapter 403: Letting Go
At this moment, Peter Bockel, who was directing his team to search the entirety of Senator Gavin's estate on Long Island, had already confirmed that this was indeed where Vincent Adler had secretly taken refuge upon his return to New York. It was clear that Vincent and the estate's owner, Senator Gavin, were quite close. The fact that the senator had even gone so far as to dismiss all his staff to create a hidden and safe environment for Vincent to hide out spoke volumes about the depth of Gavin's involvement. It suggested that Senator Gavin played a significant role in Vincent Adler's ability to evade capture by federal authorities for the past ten years despite being a wanted man.
As the search continued, more evidence surfaced, confirming that Vincent had been hiding in this estate. Meanwhile, Hughes, who had been overseeing the situation at the warehouse where Vincent's body had been found, arrived at the estate with a representative from the Department of Justice. After all, aside from the empty submarine and Vincent Adler's corpse, which had been nearly split in two by a high-caliber sniper rifle, there was little of value left to search at the warehouse. After sending another team to seize the semi-submersible salvage ship registered in Panama, Hughes decided he couldn't let the situation at the estate go unattended. Accompanied by the Justice Department representative, Hughes came to personally oversee Peter and the federal agents as they collected clues and evidence.
Hughes had a clear goal. Initially, he had hoped to capture Vincent Adler, a fugitive who had evaded federal authorities for ten years, and confiscate the treasure from the submarine. However, now that both objectives had been thwarted, Hughes knew he needed to hold onto any leverage he could find. His next best option was to catch Senator Gavin, who had been secretly aiding Vincent Adler. Hughes realized that by pinning down the congressman, he could somewhat mitigate the blame for his own failures. After all, the fiasco of Vincent being assassinated right after his capture was something Hughes couldn't escape responsibility for.
What made the situation even more embarrassing for Hughes was that all of this had unfolded in front of the Department of Justice representative. Originally, Hughes had been excited to invite them to share the glory, but instead, he had ended up with egg on his face. It wasn't just Hughes who was humiliated—the entire FBI was now a laughingstock. If not for the anonymous tip that alerted Hughes to the involvement of a high-profile congressman, he wouldn't have had any plausible excuse to justify this debacle to his furious superiors.
Fortunately, the anonymous call had come just in time. Just as Hughes was at a loss after Vincent was mysteriously sniped, this tip provided a new direction: forget the missing treasure and the dead Vincent Adler for now, and focus the investigation on the obviously implicated Senator Gavin. Hughes had no illusions about the call—it was clearly made with ulterior motives. But as a way to deflect from his current predicament, it was quite effective.
Yes, Hughes understood that the anonymous tip was part of a well-orchestrated setup. The purpose was not just to muddy the waters but also to direct attention towards a congressman who was already deeply compromised. Hughes wasn't stupid—he could see through such obvious attempts to shift blame.
But he had no other choice. He had marched in with the Justice Department, expecting to take credit for a major bust. Instead, they had found an empty submarine and witnessed Vincent Adler being killed before their very eyes. This was an utter disaster for Hughes, who had spearheaded the operation.
Now, his only option was to grab hold of the congressman's involvement as tightly as possible and turn it into a political victory.
Meanwhile, just five kilometers away at Gianna's estate, Castle was bidding farewell to Gianna John. With the situation mostly resolved, Castle felt that his involvement was no longer necessary. Even if he wanted to stay involved, with the FBI now hell-bent on revenge after being humiliated, Castle knew it was better to step back and take a break. He had more pressing matters to attend to—namely, returning to New York to discuss with Beckett how to launch an investigation into Senator William Bracken and his associates.
Castle was now certain that the FBI, having been publicly embarrassed, wouldn't go easy on Senator Gavin. The congressman might not survive this without serious consequences. And with the FBI likely to turn their attention next to Senator William Bracken, it would be the perfect time for Beckett to take down Nick Coonan, the man who had killed her mother, and the drug lord Vulcan Simmons, who had been working with him.
With the FBI busy targeting Bracken, Castle and Beckett could strike while the senator was distracted, using drug charges as a pretext to arrest Coonan and Simmons. Then, they could confront Coonan, who might still be holding onto a sliver of hope.
As for the treasure, it was safely hidden in Gianna's estate basement. With no other pressing matters, Castle decided it was time to return to New York and help Beckett resolve the issue that had been haunting her. Ever since he had started dating the long-legged detective, they hadn't spent much time together. Castle had been too focused on taking down Vincent Adler, and now he wanted to solidify his relationship with Beckett. This wasn't right!
Castle had suggested taking the chubby guy back home with him, but the suggestion was flatly rejected by both Gianna and the chubby guy. The chubby guy was having too much fun staying at Gianna's estate, where he was treated like royalty. Being a homebody who used to rely on takeout, he couldn't believe how luxurious his life had become. With financial freedom now within his grasp, he was living his best life.
Gianna, on the other hand, enjoyed having a chubby, obedient hacker around to entertain her. While she loved John Wick, he was far too serious and boring compared to the fun-loving chubby guy. Whenever she wanted to know some secret information, the chubby guy would hack into classified departments without a second thought.
Moreover, the chubby guy had mastered the art of drone piloting, sending them out to spy all over New York City. This kind of thrill had become Gianna's favorite pastime during her pregnancy, and she had become completely addicted. There was no way she would let Castle take her new plaything away.
After being righteously refused by Gianna, Castle, who knew she wanted to keep the chubby guy for entertainment, didn't argue further. He said goodbye to a wryly smiling John and drove back to New York.
At the same time, Senator Gavin was in a state of panic, tearfully begging Senator William Bracken of New York State over the phone to save his life. Desperate and lacking any sense of dignity, the congressman even promised to be Bracken's loyal follower in the future. Essentially, he was pleading, "For the sake of the party, help a brother out, or I'm done for this time!"
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