Chapter 426: Exposure

Beckett's eyes lit up. "They'll definitely seize William Bracken's scandal and dig deeper. They'll try to end his momentum, which currently has him far ahead of the 'Donkey' party's candidate. If they're extreme enough, they could destroy Bracken, the 'Elephant' party's star. Once it's revealed that Bracken sent a hitman to assassinate a congressman, he's finished!"

Castle chuckled. "It's more than that. I believe the 'Donkey' party won't let this opportunity slip through their fingers. They won't just stop at exposing Bracken. You're underestimating how ruthless these politicians can be. They have Nick Coonan, a key asset, in their hands. Do you think they'll just let him go?

You know as well as I do that William Bracken is the 'Elephant' party's top pick for the next presidential candidate. His approval ratings are far higher than the 'Donkey' party's candidate. The 'Donkey' party has been desperate, not knowing how to close the gap. Now, with Bracken's assassin in their custody, and with Nick Coonan spilling all of Bracken's secrets, they're digging up every bit of dirt on him. They won't stop until they've completely discredited and taken him down. This way, the 'Elephant' party won't have enough time to find a new candidate with Bracken's popularity. Mark my words, the tide is about to turn!"

As Castle and Beckett were fervently discussing this at the 12th Precinct, elsewhere in a secret location in New York, Senator William Bracken was standing by a window, his expression shifting between anger and anxiety as he took a phone call from a contact deep within the 'Donkey' party—a contact who had also secretly allied with Bracken. The news he received made Bracken furious.

Who would have thought that Nick Coonan, the hitman he sent to eliminate Congressman Gavin, would get captured? And worse, under interrogation, Coonan spilled all the dirty work he'd done for Bracken over the years to their enemies. To add insult to injury, the capture happened because of an anonymous tip-off to Gavin—a mysterious caller with no traceable leads.

After ending the call, Bracken's face lost the warm, Mickey Mouse-like smile he usually displayed in public. His face darkened as he stood by the window, staring out at the scenery but feeling a deep chill inside. He knew he was now in serious danger. If he didn't act quickly, he was as good as done—not just a possibility, but a certainty.

Bracken was all too familiar with the nature of 'Donkey' party politicians, as he was one himself. Political battles could be more brutal than any battlefield, where it was truly a matter of kill or be killed. Now, with Nick Coonan captured due to some mysterious anonymous tip, Bracken could easily guess that Gavin, who must hate him to the core, would retaliate. What made Bracken even more uneasy was that Coonan had handled many of his dirty jobs over the years. Now, having broken under torture, Coonan had confessed everything, which was the real reason Bracken felt so cold inside.

His opponents had been desperately seeking ways to take him down, hoping to close the gap between him and their candidate. And now, because he impulsively sent Coonan to eliminate Gavin, it was like handing his Achilles' heel to his enemies. He had set himself up for a colossal failure.

Given the dire situation, Bracken knew he had to act immediately to save himself. Whether by sending someone to eliminate Nick Coonan before he could say more or by quickly covering up his past misdeeds—such as silencing Vulcan Simmons, who had been laundering money for him—he had to act. If the 'Donkey' party found Simmons, they'd have all the evidence they needed to bring him down without resistance.

Then there were those corrupt NYPD officers still loyal to him. They were like ticking time bombs. To navigate through this crisis, Bracken knew he had to eliminate these officers who knew too much about his rise to power.

Bracken stood by his office window, running through everything he needed to do to survive the political storm that was surely coming, a storm that the 'Donkey' party would use to create a scandal of epic proportions.

As he was lost in thought, his secretary entered the office with more bad news.

"What did you say? The captain of the 12th Precinct is planning a secret investigation into the four officers who know about my past? How reliable is this information?"

The secretary respectfully replied, "Yes, this information came directly from Officer Philip of the NYPD's Internal Affairs. According to him, the newly promoted Captain Kate Beckett has a deep personal grudge against you. She's been investigating those officers ever since she took over at the 12th Precinct, but he didn't give me details over the phone. When I told him you were on another call, he said he'd wait for you to call him back. Should I connect you now, or would you like to call him later?"

At the mention of the name "Beckett," Bracken felt a flicker of recognition. After a moment of recollection, he remembered that a decade ago, there had been a relentless lawyer named Beckett who had been closing in on him until he sent Nick Coonan to eliminate her. Along with her, a few others who were investigating his corrupt officers had also been killed. He had ordered their deaths to cover up the trail leading back to him.

Bracken was stunned that after ten years, the lawyer's daughter was still pursuing the case. The investigation had been closed as a random robbery-murder, so why was Captain Beckett now investigating those officers still within the NYPD?

Something wasn't adding up. Bracken's instincts, honed by years in the cutthroat world of politics, told him that the call from Washington and the developments in New York were somehow linked, even if it wasn't immediately apparent.

Signaling his secretary to leave, Bracken needed time to piece everything together.

In truth, Bracken was in a bind. He did have dealings with Vincent Adler, and he had indeed helped Adler when he returned to New York to retrieve a submarine. Bracken had used his influence to smooth things over with the U.S. Coast Guard, ensuring that Adler could conduct his operation without interference.

Adler had brought in a massive semi-submersible salvage ship to retrieve the submarine from waters near New York, a feat that required Bracken's connections to pull off without drawing attention. In exchange, Adler had promised Bracken a cut of whatever treasure they found in the submarine.

Initially, everything had gone smoothly. According to the reports Bracken received, Adler had located the submarine and successfully brought it aboard his salvage ship, transporting it to a warehouse near the New York docks.

But that's where their luck ran out. From that point on, everything started to spiral out of control. The situation had taken bizarre turns at such a rapid pace that Bracken found himself unable to keep up, let alone defend against the incoming threats.

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