American TV Writer

Gianna's words thoroughly convinced Richard Castle because he understood all too well the true nature of the so-called justice-driven law enforcement agencies in the USA. If those guys found out that the treasure they had given up hope on still had a chance of being recovered, they'd not only go after a Congressman and a Senator but might even target the President himself. After all, in this country, money talks louder than anything else, especially when it involves a multi-billion dollar treasure.

Moreover, investigating Senators and Congressmen was practically a tradition for the FBI. Back in Hoover's era, the FBI dared to investigate everyone from the President down to ordinary citizens. So, if there was a chance to recover a treasure worth billions, these guys would undoubtedly pursue it with everything they had, even if it meant taking down a Congressman and a Senator.

The temptation of fame and fortune from uncovering such a case would be too much for the FBI to resist. Castle knew that if this investigation uncovered anything, it wouldn't just be about pulling down a Senator and a Congressman, but they'd also stand to gain a lot. With such a strong motivation, there was no way the FBI would let this opportunity pass.

However, Castle had his concerns about this plan. He worried about not being able to control the scope of the FBI's investigation. If they dug deep into William Bracken and Gavin but failed to find the treasure, they might widen their investigation out of frustration, and Neal would be caught in their net. If Neal became a suspect, it would inevitably lead to Mozzie and himself being scrutinized, and that would be a huge problem.

Castle's worries were not unfounded, so Gianna eventually agreed to hold off on the plan for now. They would wait and see how Congressman Gavin tried to save himself. Castle still believed that, for the moment, they could leak the information about William Bracken sending an assassin to D.C. to kill Gavin before the Congressman was arrested. This could provoke a clash between the two parties, as Gianna had suggested.

After they settled on this plan, the four of them were once again left with nothing much to do. The only task at hand was to quietly notify Congressman Gavin that he was now in William Bracken's crosshairs and that an assassin had already been dispatched to D.C. Beyond that, all they could do was sit back and watch. Castle, who usually preferred to stay out of such affairs, found himself embroiled in this mess solely because Nick Coonan, the man who killed Beckett's mother, had gone to D.C. He had to rack his brain to use this situation to their advantage.

Castle hadn't yet informed Congressman Gavin about the assassin because he was debating whether to reveal Nick Coonan's exact location to Gavin. If Gavin managed to capture Nick, it would confirm that Senator Bracken had no intention of helping him but rather planned to kill him to tie up loose ends.

This was Castle's dilemma: if he revealed Nick's location, the Congressman could very well capture him and extract the truth. However, if Nick ended up dead during the interrogation, how would Castle explain that to Beckett, who was hoping to capture Nick herself to avenge her mother?

The simplest and most direct method to spark a conflict between Gavin and Bracken was to hand over Nick Coonan, but Castle wasn't sure if it was the right move. Merely sending an email to warn the Congressman about the danger he was in—from both the FBI and William Bracken—didn't seem convincing enough. 

Of course, it wasn't out of the question that a politically savvy figure like Gavin might take a warning seriously. But handing over the assassin would be far more persuasive.

After much deliberation, Castle decided to return to New York and discuss the situation with Beckett. He needed to explain the current developments and the plan he and Gianna had come up with, letting Beckett decide whether to spare Nick for now and bring him back to New York for her to capture or to tip off Congressman Gavin, forcing him to realize the true danger he was in and triggering a confrontation with Senator Bracken.

With that settled, Castle said his goodbyes to Gianna, John, and the chubby guy, instructing the latter to keep a close eye on Nick Coonan and wait for his call. Then, Castle quickly drove back to New York, eager to update Beckett on the latest developments and get her opinion. Now that the treasure was in Castle's hands, it was up to Beckett to decide how to deal with Nick Coonan and William Bracken.

Unbeknownst to Castle, as he drove back to New York on the Long Island Expressway, he was about to run into another huge problem—one brought by Neal, who was currently at Mozzie's house in Brooklyn.

Earlier, Neal had received a strange package from Rhode Island. Upon opening it, he found an old videotape but no way to play it, so he headed to Mozzie's place to see what was on it. These days, VCRs were rare, and Mozzie was one of the few people who still had one.

After letting Mozzie know he was on his way, Neal, now a free man after more than four years, once again saw the Brooklyn Bridge and took a cab to Mozzie's little hideaway in Brooklyn.

Mozzie was just as intrigued by the mysterious videotape as Neal was. Being a fan of puzzles and mysteries, Mozzie had everything set up by the time Neal arrived.

When Neal handed over the tape, Mozzie wasted no time in playing it. But as soon as it started, they both realized they had stumbled onto something much bigger than they had anticipated.

The videotape had been sent by a woman named Ellen, Neal's aunt. The tape was recorded thirty years ago when Neal was just three years old. Ellen had been Neal's father's partner at the police department, but one day, Neal's father was suddenly accused of being a corrupt cop, and his service weapon was found at the scene of a murder—allegedly the murder weapon.

Neal's father was drawn into a mysterious case, and three-year-old Neal was placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Ellen, his aunt, was also placed under protection, as she had been Neal's father's close partner and believed he was innocent. She knew Neal's father had been framed by a group of truly corrupt cops, but their power was so overwhelming that neither Neal's father nor Ellen could fight back. The only option was to have Neal put into witness protection.

This videotape was Ellen's attempt to clear Neal's father's name. She was certain that Neal's father wasn't corrupt and hadn't committed murder. She believed that he was framed by a powerful group of corrupt cops led by their former police chief, Terrence Pratt, who was now a Senator for the state of New York.

Ellen had recently learned that Neal was working with the FBI and saw it as a chance to finally clear Neal's father's name. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ellen knew she didn't have much time left and wanted to ensure Neal knew the truth about his father and his own background. That's why she sent Neal the tape she had recorded thirty years ago.

After watching the tape, Neal and Mozzie were stunned. They never expected the tape to contain such explosive information!

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