American TV Writer

Fortunately, despite all the bumps and obstacles, Vincent finally obtained the music box and completed all the preparations before salvaging the submarine. Once everything was ready, Senator William Bracken officially stepped in to help Vincent. First, he secured the necessary permits for the 10,000-ton semi-submersible salvage ship to operate off the coast of New York. He also arranged docking at the New York harbor for Vincent's crew and even went so far as to ensure that the Coast Guard wouldn't interfere with the Panamanian-registered salvage ship, allowing Vincent to retrieve the submarine without issues.

Initially, everything was going smoothly. After long preparations, Vincent successfully located the submarine and managed to secretly stash it inside the semi-submersible ship, bringing it back to a warehouse in New York harbor. It wasn't until this point that Senator William Bracken learned that he wasn't the only one colluding with Vincent. Another person, a Congressman named Gavin, had also been closely involved with Vincent Adler, even more openly than Bracken. Gavin had even lent his Long Island estate to Vincent as a base and hiding place in New York. Upon learning this, Senator Bracken made a point to review Congressman Gavin's background, intending to strengthen ties after the whole affair was over. He hoped to bring Gavin into his camp to support his upcoming presidential campaign.

But everything fell apart today. The first call Bracken received from Congressman Gavin was a plea for help. Gavin reported that Vincent, after kidnapping two people and attempting to open the submarine, had been caught in an FBI sting. Vincent was shot dead by snipers as he was being escorted out of the warehouse, and the submarine turned out to be empty.

Gavin, who had lent his estate to Vincent, was now the prime suspect in Vincent's murder and the theft of whatever was supposedly on the submarine. What frustrated Bracken even more was that Gavin only learned of the FBI's raid on his estate an hour after it happened.

What was the point of talking about it now? Without solid evidence, would the FBI dare storm a Congressman's private estate? Did Gavin think this was still the J. Edgar Hoover era? The fact that the FBI acted so boldly meant they already considered Congressman Gavin as an accomplice to the federally wanted Vincent Adler. Bracken, savvy in the harsh realities of political battles, could easily guess the FBI's motive: they had failed to find the treasures in the submarine, and with Vincent dead, they needed a high-profile target like Gavin to answer for the failure.

Quick-witted as he was, Senator Bracken immediately grasped the situation. He was astounded by Gavin's stupidity but had to admit Gavin was right about one thing: Bracken couldn't let the FBI find out about his connection to Vincent. His dealings with Vincent wouldn't hold up under scrutiny. If the FBI caught even a whiff of evidence, they'd uncover all the skeletons in Bracken's closet, despite his efforts over the years to clean up his past. Though much of his history had been buried, he still couldn't risk exposure.

Realizing this, Bracken knew the first step was to calm the panicked Gavin. He needed to keep Gavin under control to manage the fallout. With this in mind, Bracken gently reassured Congressman Gavin, promising to use his influence and connections to help him through this crisis. To further gain Gavin's trust, Bracken hinted that after this ordeal, Gavin should align himself with Bracken's political faction, which would increase Bracken's chances in the upcoming presidential election.

Hearing that Senator Bracken wasn't going to deny his relationship with Vincent and was even willing to help a fellow "trenchmate," Gavin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he couldn't handle this alone. Any action on his part would only raise suspicion. He needed Bracken's support to navigate this mess.

However, Gavin wasn't foolish enough to rely solely on Bracken's promises. While Bracken's assurance brought some comfort, Gavin still planned to implement his own contingency measures.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, as soon as Senator Bracken hung up, his demeanor changed. Anger surged as he fumed over Gavin's nerve to threaten him. Gavin's claim that the submarine was empty struck Bracken as a blatant lie—surely a scheme by Gavin and Vincent to pocket Bracken's share.

With Vincent dead, the only person who knew about Bracken's connection to him was Gavin. So, if Gavin were to be permanently silenced, wouldn't that sever any link between Bracken and Vincent Adler, the federal fugitive?

Sitting in his office, Senator Bracken fell into deep thought. Silencing people had always been his specialty.

Moreover, with his presidential campaign approaching, it was time to clean up some of the skeletons from his past. Some of the "cleaners" who had handled his dirty work over the years needed to be phased out. He could use some of those who hadn't been active for a while to ensure Gavin would never speak again, then eliminate those who carried out the hit to cover his tracks.

Ten years ago, he had someone named Nick Coonan handle the elimination of some lawyers investigating corruption and rogue cops. Afterward, Bracken had arranged for him to work with Vulcan Simmons in the drug trade. Bracken wondered if Coonan was still up to the task. It didn't matter; he would contact Vulcan Simmons tonight to arrange a meeting. Time was of the essence. If the FBI got to Gavin before Bracken could eliminate him, killing a Congressman inside FBI custody would cause a much bigger scandal.

The FBI was already on edge after failing to recover the treasure from the submarine and losing Vincent Adler, their only scapegoat, to a sniper. Bracken couldn't afford to push them further by having Gavin killed under their watch. He needed to act quickly while Gavin was still free.

Having made up his mind, Senator Bracken picked up the phone again and called Vulcan Simmons, the drug lord who had been secretly laundering money for him, to arrange a late-night meeting. Bracken's position meant he could no longer afford to be seen meeting people like Simmons in broad daylight.

While the two Congressmen were embroiled in their schemes, the man responsible for starting it all, Richard Castle, was completely unaware. At that moment, he was at the 12th precinct, waiting for Beckett to get off work so they could spend some time together and discuss Beckett's upcoming plans for revenge.

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