It had been three days since Castle received the message from Hunt, and the team was still struggling to make a definitive connection between Bracken and the Vice President. In true Beckett fashion, Kate had stubbornly insisted on going back to work the day after her hospital discharge, and she had been working herself to the bone ever since. Even though Castle thought she should slow down and take a break, he could only imagine how she must be feeling right now. The case had unearthed demons Kate thought she had finally put to rest, and she was struggling, both mentally and physically.

"Damn it," she cried after her third attempt at fastening the buttons on her blazer. She was completely over both the cast on her wrist and boot on her foot and just wanted everything to return to normal.

"Let me help," Castle said, approaching her slowly. She hated being dependent on others more than anything and had been taking her frustration out on Rick more times than not. He hadn't said anything, though. He just let her vent, knowing that it wasn't personal.

"I hate this."

"I know. Here," he said, handing her the to-go mug of coffee that had arrived with their breakfast tray. She had been feeling a little shaky this morning, so she eyed the beverage warily. If she drank the coffee, it might make her nerves worse. "It's decaf," Castle assured, sensing her internal struggle. With a grateful nod, she accepted the warm beverage.

"You've got to stay positive, Kate," Castle said as they approached the Justice Department. "You can't let them win." A little cloud had settled over Kate around noon yesterday when the Attorney General rejected their warrant request, and it was ever present this morning. "It's only been a couple of days."

"Good morning," Daniels greeted when Kate and Rick arrived on the tech floor a few minutes later. Castle's jaw had nearly hit the floor the first time he had walked into the high-tech space, but by now, he had grown used to the vast array of gadgets. When this was put to bed and they were finally able to return home to the precinct, with its dated computers and white boards, he was going to think he had traveled back in time.

"Morning," Kate said with a small smile. On Kate's desk, she had constructed a small murder board of sorts, with names, dates and photos all linking Bracken and the Vice President. It wasn't enough, though. As the Attorney General had pointed out yesterday when he rejected the warrant request, it was all circumstantial. Did it look suspicious? Yes. But the fact that they were close working acquaintances during the correct time window didn't prove anything. Both men had myriad other contacts and acquaintances during that time, as well.

Willing the answers to appear magically in front of her, Kate settled herself in front of her photos and began to walk through the evidence they had once more. On the other side of the space, Daniels was looking through photo and video archives with a techie. Their other team members were off working on other things. "We need the file, Castle," Kate whispered quietly. "I know I said that we didn't have time to go through all of those papers, but I'm starting to think it's our only chance."

As much as Castle relished the idea of a weekend at the loft, he was afraid to leave Washington. Kate had a target on her back, and as long as she was in D.C., she had federal protection. As soon as they left, they would be sitting ducks. "We can't leave, Kate. It's not safe."

"We don't have a choice. They're going to win, Castle. If we can't find the evidence to support our claim, they're going to win." She sank back into her chair with tears in her eyes while Castle tried to think of a solution. They were both brought out of their thoughts a few minutes later when Agent Rodriguez came running over to Beckett's desk.

"We have a name on the bank account," she yelled triumphantly.

"I thought the account was determined untraceable," Daniels said, confusion and hope in his voice, as he joined the huddle.

"The offshore account is completely untraceable," Rodriguez agreed. "But I did find something. On a whim, I had tech run the account number through the U.S. database. The same numbers appeared on a U.S. account that was closed in 1987. The account belonged to an elderly woman named Mary Tidmore, who died that same year."

"Does Mary Tidmore have any relation to Bracken or the Vice President?" Kate asked as she stared at the page in front of her.

"Indirectly."

"Define indirectly," Kate said with bated breath.

"We did a background search on Mary Tidmore. She was the maternal grandmother of the Vice President's wife, Melanie."

"That can't be a coincidence," Castle whispered quietly.

"Is that enough? Can we do something with that?"

"Possibly," Daniels said. "It should be enough for us to be able to request Mary Tidmore's financial records."

"The account was closed more than 20 years ago. Wouldn't those records have been destroyed by now?" Castle asked, sensing they had reached another dead end.

"Not necessarily. Banks are required to keep records on file for at least 5 years if the account had more than $100 in it at any point while it was open. After that, the records become archived. They never actually disappear."

"I didn't know that," Castle said, impressed.

"See, working with us does have some benefits," Daniels said with a smile. "Come on, let's go talk to the Attorney General."

Two hours later, after heated discussions with both the Attorney General and representatives from JP Morgan & Chase Company, the sealed bank account records belonging to the late Mary Tidmore were finally on their way. While Kate was still feeling pessimistic, the thought of having at least something to look into was making her feel a little better.

"Here we go," Daniels announced when he finally received the archive link. "There are more than 15 years' worth of records here. According to this news article I found, Leader met his wife in 1981, the same year he was elected to the Senate, and they married in 1984. So, let's start with the year 1981. If we feel we need to go back further than that, we can." Daniels printed off six years' worth of records and divided them evenly among the team members. From the stacks of papers in front of them, it looked like they had a long day and night ahead. Still, if they were able to find even one glimmer of evidence, it would be worth it.

"When did Mary Tidmore die?" Kate asked for a point of reference. Her stack included January 1986 through December 1987; the account was closed on December 12, 1987.

"Mary Tidmore died on January 23, 1987," Rodriguez replied helpfully, referencing the information from their background request.

"Why would the account have been kept open for nearly a year after her death?" Kate asked quietly so only Castle would hear.

"Maybe they had to probate the will," Castle supplied. Digging into the evidence in front of them, they worked quickly and quietly, not even bothering to acknowledge their growling stomachs. At 6:30, Daniels and the rest of the team decided to call it a night. Castle hoped Kate would do the same, but she was insistent.

"We're going to stay and work a while longer," Kate said. "I want to know by the end of the evening if this is a bust or not."

"Suit yourself," Daniels said with a shrug. Kate watched the rest of the agents file out until she and Castle were the only ones left in the space. As soon as they were gone, Kate grabbed the stack of papers she had put in what Castle had assumed was the discard pile and began making copies. There was a devilish gleam in her eyes, which could only mean one thing.

"What are you doing?" Castle asked.

"Making copies," Kate said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You found some…"

"Not here," she mouthed harshly to quiet him. "I didn't fine anything. My head just hurts," she said, loudly, her tone returning to normal. "I'm making copies, so we can take these forms home to look through. I also need to ice my foot."

"Is that allowed?" Castle asked, playing along.

"Rodriguez was taking evidence home. I saw her walk out of here with a folder. It's fine, Castle. No one will mind. We used to work from home on NYPD cases all the time, remember?" Rick marveled both at his girlfriend's intelligence and acting abilities. He knew exactly what she was doing. She had found something of note, and she was making herself a copy just in case the evidence had a way of disappearing. She was stating loudly for the record, though, that she was just tired and wanted to work from the comfort of their hotel in case anyone caught wind of what she was doing. Grabbing a file folder from the supply table, Kate shoved the contents inside and put the folder in her bag, along with a few scrap pieces of paper, a pen and a highlighter. She then placed the original, unmarked files from the bank on her desk in a neat stack.

"Are you going to take your stack home?" Kate asked. To anyone else, the conversation seemed completely innocent, but Castle and Beckett had always possessed an uncanny ability to speak volumes in subtext. "Did you find anything?"

"Should I?" "No, I didn't find anything of note in my stack."

"It's up to you. If you want, you can just help me finish these tonight, and then, I'll help you with your stack in the morning." "I'm just blabbing for the record in case we're being watched. This is a government building after all."

"Sounds good. We'll get through the stacks faster that way. You ready?" The pair linked hands and headed out, and their little charade continued – and even involved a quick stop for takeout - until they reached the privacy of their hotel room.

"What did you find?" Castle asked, the takeout abandoned on the table. He was too excited to eat.

"Food first," Kate said, feeling lightheaded. They ate quickly and quietly, and once Kate felt a little more grounded, she pulled out the papers and lined them up on the table in order, beginning with March 1986 and ending with December 1987. Castle noticed she had also made a copy of the background report for Mary Tidmore. "Mary Tidmore entered a nursing home in February 1986 after suffering a stroke," Kate explained, referencing the background report. "Melanie's parents both died in a car accident in 1978, and she had no siblings. She was the sole heir of Tidmore's estate, which didn't include much, except for an apartment in upper Manhattan and $20,000 in savings."

"Okay," Castle said, not quite sure where Kate was going with this.

"In February, when Mary suffered the stroke, Melanie was granted power of attorney, which allowed her access to Mary's financial assets. After Melanie received power of attorney, Mary's savings and checking accounts were drained, most likely to pay for her medical care. For a month, the account was dormant, and there were no deposits coming in or out. Look at what started happening in April 1986."

Kate sat back while Rick reached for the papers on the table in front of him. Kate was right; on February 17, Melanie was granted power of attorney, and the checking account was drained of its contents. It remained at a zero balance until April 3, when a $10,000 deposit was made to the account. The deposit was made via a check, which came from Sal's Furniture. Subsequent checks continued to come in during the next 20 months, varying in amounts as low as $4500 and as high as $15,000. "Look at this," Kate said, referencing several phone calls from the bank. "Apparently, the bank thought the cashing of these checks was suspicious. Bank representatives made contact with Melanie four times throughout the 20-month period, and she acknowledged the checks and said they were donations from local businesses Tidmore supported to help pay for Tidmore's nursing care and final expenses."

"Sal's Furniture is still in business. I bought a custom-made mahogany table that I use in the Hamptons house there."

"And who owns Sal's furniture?"

"Sal Marconi."

"Sal Marconi, legacy of...?"

"Vinnie Marconi, the infamous leader of the Marconi family, which has been linked to mob activity since 1948. God, Kate, what the hell did we just stumble into?" Castle asked, feeling uneasy.

"Do you see why I made the copies? I couldn't risk this getting away." Buzzing with energy, Kate began pacing in front of the little dinette table where everything was laid out. "So, it looks like they procured between $9,000 and $30,000 per kidnap. I guess the price was dependent on the role the victim played within the family."

"How do you figure they made between $9,000 and $30,000?"

"Money was being deposited into two accounts - Bracken's and Tidmore's. I assume, being the 'boss,' Leader kept his entire share, and Bracken paid the cops doing the grunt work out of his. I guess, when the bank continued to grow more and more suspicious, Leader closed Tidmore's account and established the off-shore account using the same account number for ease of receiving ransom payments. Because Tidmore was Melanie's maternal grandmother, she wouldn't have even shared Melanie's maiden name, so I guess he thought he was safe."

"It makes sense," Castle agreed. "Let's try and establish a timeline. The Ledger article I found was from 1979, which is when Bracken and Leader met. They were trying to establish a task force to investigate organized crime, but it appeared to be a bust. The NYPD must have used the money for other purposes because there was no record of a task force ever being developed."

"Right," Kate said, picking up where Castle left off. "In 1981, Leader was elected to the Senate. He met his wife and then later married in 1984. During that time, he continued to become closer to Bracken. The two moved within similar social circles, and we know Leader gave Bracken a position on his staff. Behind the scenes, they were cooking up this kidnapping scheme, which seemed to take off in 1986. It continues until 1992 when things go south because Montgomery, Raglan and McCallister inadvertently tried to kidnap an undercover federal agent, which resulted in the agent's death. They pin the murder on Joe Pulgotti, and all of the evidence is thought to be erased. However, without anyone else knowing, Montgomery must have made a copy of the original file just in case he needed leverage, which must have been the file he sent to Smith before he died to keep me safe. With the evidence of their scheme gone, Bracken and Leader rest easy for six years until my mom was hired by Pulgotti to reopen his case. Her murder was written off by Raglan as random violence, and everyone rests easy once again until Coonan entered our precinct, cuing the events of the last four years."

Drained from this little exercise, Kate plopped back into her chair. "How are we going to get anyone to believe us?" Castle asked.

"I think we now have enough evidence to at least state our case," Kate said quietly. "I just don't know who we can trust."

While Kate and Castle were working through the evidence and trying to determine who in this twisted game they could trust, Agent Jacob Daniels was having dinner with his wife and daughter. They were just about to have dessert when the doorbell sounded. Perplexed, he answered the door and nearly fell over when he saw two security guards from the Vice President's entourage standing on his porch.

"Can I help you?" Daniels asked, nervously.

"The Vice President has requested a meeting," the man on the right answered.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"I'm sorry, but I am off duty," Daniels said, trying to stand his ground. "I will be back on shift tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I can meet with him then."

"He is leaving tomorrow morning on business and will be gone the rest of the week," guard number two answered. "This is his only opportunity to speak with you."

"Jake," he heard his wife, Julie, call from the dining room. "Is everything okay?"

"Give me a minute," he said to the guards. "Everything's fine, honey," he directed towards his wife who had entered the room and was now staring at the closed front door curiously. "I'm going to have to go into work for a while, but I shouldn't be terribly long." She nodded understandingly, no stranger to the long hours her husband was often required to work. "Give Chloe a kiss for me if I'm not home before she goes to bed, okay?"

She nodded and turned to head back to the dining room while Daniels took a deep breath and opened the front door. "Lead the way," he said quietly.