The Judge
Kitty
She sits next to Aram, each of them laughing softly at Audrey's reaction to Lizzie's announcement.
"I didn't even know you were seeing someone. You never said anything when we would meet for coffee." Audrey says once the dumbfounded look on her face begins to fade. "How long have been seeing….?"
"Raymond." she supplies with a smirk trying not to laugh when Captain America and Vision choke on their drinks.
"We've been together about three months." Lizzie says looking at her, shaking her head, clearly trying not to laugh.
"That sounds about right." she says taking a sip of her drink.
"Man...Red doesn't wait around does he?" Ressler remarked taking another sip of his beer.
Lizzie just smiled.
"She went after him." she says with a grin at the look on both of the boys.
"And how long have you two been seeing each other?" Audrey asks looking at her and Aram while Ressler struggles not to choke on his beer.
"We're not…" she starts.
"She's like my little sister…" Aram states.
"They're not together." Ressler says a little louder than he probably should have.
Of course they all said this at the same time.
"Well...umm.." Audrey laughs awkwardly looking at each of them.
"Aram is like my brother. We don't see each other that way." she clarifies softly.
"Hmm, guess that means I need to find someone to set both of you up with." Audrey says with a giggle.
"I'm sorry." Ressler says with a grimace looking at her and Aram.
"Audrey..please don't.." she says with a grin.
"Fine." Audrey says with a grin, "So why didn't Raymond join us?"
"Ummm…" she, Aram, Ressler and Lizzie all look at each other.
"Red ...ummm... he... ummm…." Aram stutters looking at her completely lost.
"Red? I thought his name is Raymond?" Audrey says confused looking at each of them.
She laughs softly, "Red is his nickname. He likes having Lizzie to himself when they're together, so we steal her whenever we can."
Lizzie rolls her eyes at that even though it is partially true.
"Well, guess we take what we can get. So how far along are you?" Audrey asks with a soft laugh looking back at Lizzie.
"Eight weeks." Lizzie says with a soft smile.
"I agree with Don, your Red definitely doesn't wait around." Audrey says with a grin.
She and Lizzie nod in agreement.
"You are going to have to tell me all about him on our next coffee date...oh..you can't have coffee." Audrey exclaims.
"I'll be fine with tea." Lizzie says laughing.
"This is nice." Aram says quietly to her.
"What?" she asks not noticing that Audrey is staring at them with a cheshire grin.
"Spending time with family." Aram says.
She rests her head on his shoulder in agreement.
Red
He stares at the board on the wall in the dining room.
"I checked with Baz, Tom was not in town when this Jolene girl claims that he was with her. He checked, she's calling herself Jolene Parker and was recently hired at the same school that Keen had been at." Dembe says coming to stand next to him.
"Did anyone get a photo of her?" he asks.
"It's her." Dembe says handing him a photo of Lucy Brooks aka Jolene talking to Kitty outside the house.
"Call the Cowboy, I need to meet with him." he says glaring at the photo of the young woman. "What is she playing at?" he mutters.
"We have leftovers!" Kitty calls out as her and Lizzie enter the house.
"Hey you." Lizzie says walking around Kitty to stand in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He smiles and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly to kiss her.
"Have fun?" he asks against her mouth.
Lizzie nods and buries her head in his neck.
"So, Lizzie told Captain America and Vision about the baby. We also told Audrey but she doesn't know who you are, so it's safe." Kitty says loading the fridge with their leftovers.
"What's going on?" Lizzie asks looking at him and Dembe.
"That girl, Jolene? Have you seen her any place else?" he asks looking over at Kitty.
"No..why?" Kitty asks.
He nods at Dembe, who shows Kitty the obit about Lucy Brooks. "I knew her as Lucy Brooks. She tried to get close and when I refused to allow that to happen, she faked her death."
"Could she work for whoever hired Tom?" Lizzie asks taking the newspaper to look at it. "I've seen her."
"Where?" Dembe asks quickly, taking out his phone.
"She was at the coffee shop when we met with Audrey, a couple weeks ago." Lizzie says looking at Kitty.
He and Dembe exchange a look. He needs to know what the hell is going on now.
Slowly he makes his way across the street in front of the apartment to the black Cadillac. He smirks at the man in the driver's seat before getting in.
"What year is this?" he asks the Cowboy, who he know hates him with a passion.
"Picture." the Cowboy says holding out a hand.
Internally, he rolls his eyes and hands over the Lucy Brooks obit.
"She's alive?" Cowboy asks.
"Calling herself Jolene Parker." he tells him. "This is different than normal."
The Cowboy rolls his eyes, "Do I tell you how to do you job? Don't tell me how to do mine. I'll find her, don't worry."
He smirks, "I don't need you to find her. I have a good idea where the slippery little devil is. I want to know where she's been. Safe houses, aliases...I want to know it all. She faked her death to get away from me and is now circling my Queen. I want to know everything about what she has been doing." he says, he waits a breath to annoy the Cowboy only to have someone knock on his window.
Lizzie is standing there, with just one of his jackets over her lounge pants and tank top that she threw on when they woke up.
He rolls down the window.
"You should be inside." he states, he looks in the side mirror, noticing Baz standing there pretty much laughing his ass off.
"I was just wondering why you are doing this out here when we have a nice warm house right there." she says pointing at the house with the hand that isn't holding a travel mug. Kitty is standing in the doorway with a knit sweater wrapped around her and jumping to keep warm.
"Lizzie…" he sighs.
"Here, I wasn't sure how you like it so I kept it black but there's room if you want to add milk or something if you would like to come in." Lizzie says leaning in to hand the Cowboy the mug.
He was trying to hide his smirk at the Cowboy looking awestruck at Lizzie.
"Thank you." The Cowboy says taking the mug from her.
"I'll be waiting." he says getting out of the car and pulling Lizzie into him. "Let's get you inside, my Queen." he says softly.
The Cowboy watched as the man he hated walked the young woman he had called Lizzie into one of the houses where another young girl was waiting for them. One of the guard dogs nodded at him as he turned the car on and drove off.
Ressler
He looks at the address one more time before going inside only to be stopped just inside the door.
"Who are you?" a Colossus wannabe asks.
"Ressler. I was told to come here." he says standing straighter.
The man cocks his head to the side before smirking, "Ahh..Captain America. Go on in." Colossus says getting out of his way.
He walks inside. Only to find himself inside a very spacious gym, where multiple groups are training. He looks around and sees Kitty is fighting one on one with a man twice her size, hand to hand. And winning.
"Donald..glad you could make it." Red says from a seat on the sidelines.
He turns and notices Liz doing yoga with Dembe.
"Ummm...what is this place?" he asks as Colossus takes the place of Kitty's challenger.
Kitty just smirks at Colossus as another man gives her training weapons.
"A gym...of sorts." Red says, his eyes on Liz.
"Yeah...congrats…" he mutters.
"Hmmmm." Red says taking his eyes off Liz to look at him.
"On the baby. Congrats. I think Liz can do better though." he says sitting down next to Red.
He notices that Red has a good spot. He can watch Lizzie doing yoga moves and see Kitty winning against Colossus.
"Have you seen the paper today?" Red asks handing him the paper.
"No. What about it?" he asks taking a sip of his coffee.
"Mark Hastings, U.S. Attorney from Maryland. Twelve years ago, he indicted the head of the Reynoso Cartel. A week later, he went missing." Red says as he reads the article.
"I remember that. We assumed it was a retribution killing." he states as Liz joins them.
"It appears the Bureau was wrong." Liz says as Red hands her a water bottle and towel.
He watches as Liz leans down and quickly kisses Red.
"Not in front of me, please. I want some deniability if this is found out." he says with a straight face, knowing that there is zero way this will ever be found out if Red has anything to do about it.
An exclamation of excitement distracts whatever Red or Liz were going to say. He looks over to see Kitty standing over Colossus with a grin on her face.
"Rook! Could you please go easy on my guys!?" an older man yells from the office in the corner.
"Sorry Baz!" Kitty yells with a grin and looks over towards where he, Red and Liz are. "Captain America! When did you get here?!" she exclaims coming towards them after handing off the weapons to someone nearby.
"Kitty, Red is trying to give us a name on the list." Liz says with a grin once Kitty reaches them.
"Thank you, my Queen. Where was I... oh yes, Mark Hasting was found wandering some random road in Pennsylvania a few days ago." Red says taking Liz's hand in his and kissing it.
"Could he have been in hiding?" Kitty asks taking his coffee out of his hand and taking a sip.
"Hey!" he says with a laugh taking it back. "Get your own."
"Children." Liz says with glaring look perfect of any mother.
"Damn….only eight weeks and already has the Mom look down." he mutters taking a sip of his coffee.
Red smirks, "I have a feeling that Hastings was held captive but not by the Reynoso Cartel. It's said that he is too traumatized to speak. But if what I believe about Hastings is true, if he has been held captive all these years. Then it would confirm that the myth is true. The Judge is real."
"The Judge?" he, Liz and Kitty asked.
"Every culture has a justice myth, an avenging angel who exacts retribution for the weak and innocent. Golem for the Jews, Tu Po for the Chinese." Red told them.
"We have the Judge?" Kitty asks looking over at him.
He shrugged.
"The Judge is a prisoner's last resort. When all the legal avenues have been exhausted and there is no hope left, you can make a final plea." Red states.
"What kind of plea?" Liz asks.
"Prisoners can state their case, argue for their innocence. They can explain why they were convicted unfairly and who is responsible."
"Where does this demand go?" he asks.
"Supposedly, it's passed among inmates until it finally reaches some book depository at the Federal Penitentiary in Monroe, Virginia."
"What happens after that?" Kitty asks, stealing his coffee again.
He just rolls his eyes and lets her have it.
"Nobody knows for sure. No one has ever met him or at least admitting to meeting him. Somehow, the appeals make their way to him. He reviews the case, and if he thinks you're innocent, he evens the score. If freedom or life were taken unfairly, he demands the same in return….an eye for an eye." Red states.
Lizzie
"Reddington says Mark Hastings was held captive?" Cooper questioned as the team stood in the bullpen.
She nodded, "Yes but not by Reynoso. He thinks it might've been payback for a different case Hastings prosecuted."
Kitty does some typing and brings something up on the screen overhead.
"Leonard Debs, sentenced to 14 years for armed robbery when he was 28." Ressler says passing a folder to Cooper.
She, Ressler and Kitty had come right to the Post Office after leaving the gym and got all the information they would need for a briefing.
"So according to the Judge, he was innocent?" Meera asks.
"A witness allegedly came forward at the time saying Debs wasn't at the scene. Hastings never told the defense." Kitty says.
"Debs got out two months ago. He served twelve years of his fourteen year sentence." she says.
"Hastings took twelve years away from Leonard Debs, so The Judge evened the score." Cooper said solemnly.
She nodded and Kitty brought more things up on screen, "According to Red there have been others. A New York homicide detective, an appellate court judge, two prosecutors all missing and presumed dead, all involved in cases in which some impropriety was alleged, which made them targets for The Judge."
"An underground criminal court of appeals." Cooper said in slight disbelief.
"There's reason to believe that the appeals are being processed through a book depository run by a prison–literacy project." she said nodding at Aram.
"Kitty and I pulled the files of everyone who worked at the depository and it's possible that we found something." Aram then brought another picture onto the screen. "Frank Gordon, a civilian now, but he's a convicted killer. He now works for a prison–literacy project at their book depository in Monroe, Virginia."
"So he takes the letters from the returned books, screens them for The Judge." Ressler stated, clearly thinking aloud.
"Find him. And see if you can get anything out of him." Cooper nodded decisively before walking toward his office.
Slowly, she looked around at the book depository which was overflowing with old, torn, beaten books. Many of the boxes of books were stacked in piles on the floor and tables around the area, gathering dust.
"Frank's been with us for almost six years now, ever since the court reversed his conviction." the employee that had greeted her and Ressler was saying as the woman lead them through area.
"Does his job require he interact with prisoners?" Ressler asked.
"Well, n...not directly, but he does respond to their requests. Our program is one of the many that provides inmates with reading materials." the woman stated as she flicked a light switch at the top of a stairwell and led them down into the basement. "Frank?" The woman called out.
Ressler looked back at her. "Who else knows Frank stays here?" he asked the woman brusquely, looking around the room.
"Is he in some kind of trouble?" the woman asked nervously.
She frowned slightly at the woman's tone.
"What's back there?" Ressler questioned, walking into a small area where a bare bones bedroom was situated and motioned to an area that was gated.
"Oh, I..I really feel we should wait for Frank to come back. This is his space. It's ..." the woman stutters out.
Ressler rummaged through the desk and finds a flashlight, flicking it on, he nodded at her. "Stay here." he murmurs before walking into the gated area.
She stops the woman next to her from saying anything.
"Hello? Mr. Gordon? FBI. We'd like to talk to you." Ressler calls out before the sound of thuds emanated from the dark.
"What is it?" she calls out, slightly worried since she can't see anything.
"Stay where you are." Ressler shouted back.
She let out a huff in frustration. "I'm still capable of protecting your ass." she whispers and rolling her eyes.
The clear sound of fighting makes her start forward. "Ressler? You okay? Ressler!" she runs into the area, luckily grabbing the other flashlight and un-holstered her gun.
"Ress-" her cry was cut off as someone knocked into her as they ran past. She fired off two shots at the person fleeing but between the disorientation and the darkness, she knew she missed.
She walks past the employee giving her statement.
"Aram is setting up checkpoints on all major roads and highways. Kitty sent Frank Gordon's photo to State and Federal." she says joining Ressler at Gordon's desk, which is now covered with sheets of paper.
"You're not gonna believe this. Pleas from inmates, all handwritten from prisons all over the country – ADX, Marion, Pelican Bay. And look at this. Alan Ray Rifkin. It's a case folder – research, evidence. Frank was reviewing trial transcripts for The Judge." Ressler barely looked up from what he was reading as he spoke.
"Let's bring it back to the office...have Kitty and Aram help us go through it." she states.
Ressler nods, both of them wanting to get away from that basement.
"Alan Ray Rifkin. American college student, dropped out, joined the army, deployed to Afghanistan. In 2003, he was tried and convicted as an enemy combatant. Seems he fought alongside the Taliban. He's scheduled for execution tomorrow. According to the charges, Rifkin and a few dozen Taliban fighters raided an Afghan village, killing dozens of civilians. At his trial, Rifkin's lawyers claimed it was friendly fire, that the American military destroyed the village, from the air, mistaking it for a Taliban outpost. Of course the military denied it." Kitty reads looking up at her and Ressler from a spot on the floor of their office.
"So the Judge thinks Rifkin is innocent." Ressler says reading over Kitty's shoulder.
"But why…." she starts.
"Guys…" Aram says poking his head in. "I just found that the investigating officer was….it was Cooper."
Kitty
"I doubt this is a coincidence. Reddington gives you the Judge and I just happen to be next on the lunatic's list?" Cooper says.
"We should take it seriously." Lizzie says.
She, Lizzie, Meera and Cap were all in Cooper's office.
Cooper scoffs, "No we don't. The federal prosecutor on the case is Tom Connolly. His reputation speaks for itself. As should mine."
"Rifkin admitted to treason." Meera states.
"That's right. We're not saying that he's innocent but if you or Connolly are in danger…" Lizzie says.
"What does the Judge think we missed?" Cooper asks.
"Aram is currently going through the case file with a fine tooth comb to see if we can find what they think they could have found." she says stepping forward. Like the others, she thinks there has to be a mistake somewhere that Gordon found.
"Alright. Do what you need to do...but I'm telling you, that man is guilty. I will not lose any sleep watching him pay the ultimate price for his sins." Cooper states.
They all nod and leave the office.
"Lizzie...maybe someone should go see Rifkin...get any idea at what he might have told the Judge. It would help narrow the focus on going over the file." she says when they all reach Aram in the bullpen.
"You two go." Meera says pointing at her and Lizzie.
"Me?" she asks confused.
"She's right. You have a way of getting things out of people." Cap says with a nod.
"Let's go." Lizzie says nodding at her.
She follows behind Lizzie into the prison interview room.
Rifkin and an older woman are waiting for them.
"Mr. Rifkin, I am Agent Scott and this is Kit. We are with the FBI." Lizzie said as they sit down at the table.
"Well..I'd stand and applaud…." Rifkin states holding up his hands that were chained to the table.
"Be nice, Alan." the older woman says.
"I thought Mr. Rifkin had decided against representation?" she asks.
"He has. All of his legal claims have been exhausted." the woman states.
"And you are?" Lizzie asks looking at the woman in slight confusion.
"Oh, Ruth Kipling…." Ruth starts.
"The Amnesty Collective." she says in slight surprise. She had read up on all other known legal ways that the Judge could have gotten a hold of prisoners information.
"Yes. Death row inmates are allowed a designated spiritual adviser." Ruth says with a serene smile.
Lizzie nods in understanding.
"Why are you here? I'm not stupid enough to think that you are reconsidering my case." Rifkin says snarky.
"We know you're not stupid." she says leaning forward.
"We're here to see how angry you. Are you angry enough to want revenge? We know that you filed a demand for justice with the Judge." Lizzie says watching Rifkin closely.
"All his legal appeals have been exhausted." Ruth states.
"Not the legal ones." she says noticing that Rifkin isn't looking them in the eye.
"Since when does FBI listen to prison yard fairy tails? It's nothing but a rumor, the Judge doesn't exist. All I will say...I have a sacred duty to battle the evil that put me here." Rifkin all but hisses at them.
"Who put you here?" Lizzie asks leaning forward.
"You must have read his file before coming here. You know that he confessed." Ruth stated.
"Not of my own free will." Rifkin mutters.
"Are you saying that you were coerced?" Lizzie asks.
"I'm saying that I was beaten." Rifkin snarls.
"By who?" she asks hoping that he is annoyed enough that he might give up the name or names.
"That FBI guy...Harold Cooper, he beat me under the orders of Assistant US Attorney Thomas Connolly." Rifkin hisses out.
Ressler
"Okay….so he is claimed that Cooper beat him on behalf of Connolly?" he asks completely confused by what Kitty is telling him and Meera.
"That's what he said." Liz states.
"Okay so what was found that makes the Judge thinks that this has any truth? That Rifkin is innocent?" he asks.
"Aram and I worked the timeline that you found...and there is a problem." Meera says looking at Aram.
"When Rifkin was caught, Cooper had him flown from Bagram to Andrews Air Force Base in Virginia. From the Base, the transport took them to federal holding in Alexandria." Aram tells them.
"This trip should only take thirty minutes." Meera states.
"At trial, the Marshal supervising the transport said it arrived on schedule." he says reading the transcript.
"We found an event log. It shows the actual time that the Marshal swiped in." Aram says showing him, Liz and Kitty.
"It took two and a half hours." Meera says.
"Why wasn't this shown at trial?" he asks taking the file from Meera as Liz and Kitty look over his shoulder.
"A different log was shown..one that matched the thirty minute timeline." Aram says.
He flips through the folder until he finds the two logs.
"One is fake." Kitty sates.
"We need to find the Marshal. Ask him directly what happened." Liz states.
He nods in agreement.
Lizzie
"William Munson?" she calls out as she hurries across the parking lot towards the man leaving the building.
"Yes." the man says when she reaches him.
"Agent Scott, FBI. I'm looking into a case that you are connected too. Alan Ray Rifkin?" she says watching as the man's demeanor changes instantly.
"Get in." Munson looks around. "I don't want people that I work with knowing I'm involved with this."
She looks behinds her and gives Baz a signal so that he knows what she is doing before getting into the car. Baz had told her and Red point blank that he would be following her and Kitty anytime they weren't with Red.
"Mr. Munson, I'm running out of time.." she starts hoping to get him to open up.
"I know, it's the reason I came forward." Munson states.
"Came forward? To whom?" she asks confused knowing there isn't a thing in the file about this.
"That group that fights the death penalty...the um… the Amnesty Collective." Munson told her.
She takes a deep breath a little nervous that there was zero knowledge about Munson reaching out to the Collective. "You were at Andrews with Cooper when Rifkin landed. You drove?"
"Not just me and Cooper. That prosecutor, Connolly...he was waiting."
"Connolly was with you?" she asks.
"Yeah..and he was pissed. Ranting the case was assigned to him. Kept saying there wasn't enough to convict. That he was going up and nothing was going to make him lose a high profile case."
"You heard this?"
Munson nods, "Yeah. He said that he needed a confession. He told Cooper to….he told him to take Rifkin to one of the hangers and not let him out until he confessed."
"Did...did you see Cooper do this?" she stutters slightly.
"Oh yeah...He beat him. I swapped out the entry log, made the timeline make sense, and I had Rifkin treated in his cell instead of the infirmary to avoid any record. Everyone said he was betraying our country. But now, if he's really gonna die." Munson looks out the window and sighs.
Red
Dembe hands him the phone. It's the Cowboy.
"What do you have?" he asks.
"I found a flash drive and some stuff that this girl has. Found her passports. She's been in Havana, Port-au-Prince and Miami. She has various aliases. Also according to this she wasn't anywhere near your girl's place when she claimed to be."
He cracks his neck, "What is this girl doing?" he wonders out loud.
"Red, best I can tell she's tracking someone when she's not causing trouble. She either has lots of little targets or one big one."
"And circling Lizzie….." he mutters.
"You or someone connected to Lizzie could be of interest."
Kitty
"Sir...ummm…" she says entering the office and shutting the door behind her. Part of her knows that she should let Lizzie or Captain do this but she's hoping that he'll talk to her since technically she isn't an agent.
"Kit, this isn't a good time." Cooper says not even looking at her.
She swallows, "Sir. We need to talk about the Rifkin case."
"I already told your sister everything I have to say on the subject." Cooper says finally looking up and past her.
She looks behind her and notices that someone else is in the room.
"I didn't realize that you had company." she says.
"Kit, this is US Attorney Tom Connolly." Cooper stated.
"Harold was just telling me about you and your sister. How tenacious the two of you are." Connolly states.
She bites her lip, thinking about what Lizzie had told her. "Sir, is it possible to speak privately?" she asks looking back at Cooper.
"Miss Scott, the Rifkin case...the decision has been made. It's done." Connolly says as if she hadn't said anything.
"Kit, whatever you need to say, can be said in front of both of us." Cooper says.
"Fine...Lizzie has a witness that says that he heard you," she points at Connolly, "order you," pointing back at Cooper, "to beat a confession out of Rifkin. That he saw it happen. On top of the true log sheet that shows it took two hours instead of thirty minutes to bring him in from the airport." she says showing Cooper the copy of the log sheet.
Cooper takes the sheet from her, "I did not railroad an innocent man. There were witnesses, first hand accounts."
"That might be right...but did you beat him?" she asks trying to keep her voice steady.
Cooper swallows, "Yes….Kit, Alan Ray Rifkin deserves the sentence he received for his crimes."
She shakes her head and leaves the office, dialing her phone to let Lizzie know.
Red
"Cooper's gone." Lizzie tells him.
He sighs, not liking the turn of events.
"When?"
"He and Connolly were taken moments after Rifkin's execution."
"Rifkin?" he asks.
"Yeah, Alan Ray Rifkin. We were looking into the Judge and found that Cooper was the next target."
"What about the guy The Judge released? Hastings? Has he been any help?" he asks glancing at Dembe as he starts writing something down on the pad of paper in front of him.
"We're getting a court order to talk to him over his doctor's objections. He's worried about further trauma."
He can hear the eye roll though the phone. "You need to get Hasting to talk, my Queen."
"I know….I wish you were here." she says the last part softer.
"I should be home tonight. I need to go." he doesn't tell her that he loves her just on the off chance that someone is listening in.
"Alright." she hangs up.
He hands Dembe the piece of paper, "Dembe, let Edward know that there is going to be a change in the flight plan."
He walks up the grand stairs of the Quantico Naval Base's main hall, stepping in front of an admiral according to his stripes, as he descended.
"Richard. Say something, Richard. I keep meaning to attend our academy class reunions, and I remember how pinched I look in dinner dress blues." he greeted with a tilt of his head.
"What the hell do you want?" Richard hissed under his breath, looking around them more than likely nervous to be seen talking to him.
"How's your family?"
Richard glared at him. "My wife left me, thanks. You made a hell of a mess when you left. Nobody believed we couldn't see it coming. Maybe we helped you. Maybe we facilitated your treason. Even without any evidence, it was enough to destroy some careers."
"Yes. Richard, I need to know about the Rifkin case. He claims civilians were fired on by soldiers from a Black Hawk that CENTCOM says it never deployed." he says ignoring the small twing of guilt in the pit of his stomach.
Richard reared back in disbelief. "I can't help you."
"You were operational in the Guldara District. If there were choppers in the air, you knew about it."
"Rooming with you was the worst thing that ever happened to me."
He clicked his tongue before continuing. "I'm offering you an opportunity, Richard. The men who want this information can be very helpful. If you help them, it could put you back on track."
Kitty
She watches as Lizzie sits down in front of the Hastings. None of them wanted to cause this man any more harm but they needed answers.
Meera had thought that her and Lizzie were the most sympathetic of all of them so they had been the ones to come.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Hastings." Lizzie says softly. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. But there are others ... still there, being held. I need to know where you were held."
She watches as Mr. Hasting slowly stoic face trembles and tears start to roll down his cheek.
"No more...Please...go." Mrs. Hasting says trying to comfort her husband.
"I'm sorry...we needed to try." Lizzie says standing and they turn to leave.
"Good night, mother." Hasting says just loud enough for them to hear.
She freezes, knowing that she has heard that phrase.
"No, Mark..it's me. Donna." Mrs. Hasting says as Lizzie leads her out of the house.
"Lizzie...that phrase…"
"Rifkin's last words." Lizzie says pulling out her phone and placing it on speaker..
"Anything?" Aram asks as she and Lizzie get into the car.
"Aram, the paper said that Rifkin's last words were, "Good night, mother." He said them to his spiritual adviser, Ruth Kipling." Lizzie tells him.
"That's right?" Aram says clearly confused.
"We just heard Hastings say it." she says.
"It could be a coincidence." Aram says.
"Possible if that marshal hadn't said that he went to the Amnesty Collective with what he saw." Lizzie tells him.
"Alright, Ruth Suzanne Kipling. Single, sixty-two, attended Vassar and co-funded the Amnesty Collective." Aram tells them after a few moments.
"Which could be how Kipling found out about the entry log." she says.
"I've got an address. Ressler says he will meet you there."
"Where?" Lizzie asks turning on the car.
"Mercer County, Pennsylvania."
Lizzie
Her phone rings on their way to Kipling's address.
"Red." she says answering, ignoring the smirk on Kitty's face.
"Lizzie, have you located Harold?"
"Yes. We're almost there." she says as she starts speeding up.
"There's been a development."
She pulls in to see Ressler telling the SWAT team to move back.
She approaches the barn, her badge held high over her head.
After a few moments, a phone starts ringing.
Ressler hands it to her.
"Ruth, this is not a tactic. I'm not trying to negotiate. There is new information on the Rifkin case. Someone with high-level access is en route." she tells the women.
She nods at Ressler when Ruth agrees to wait.
Red
He slowly walks down the aisle of the barn, trying not to appear affected by the bangin from the horse stalls as he passes the men being held.
As he stepped forward, he laughed. "Of course. A woman."
He shook his head as he sat in the chair across from Ruth Kipling.
"If you came to advocate on behalf of Agent Cooper…." Kipling starts.
He barely glances over to where Cooper is sitting. A chair that has been made up to appear as an electrocution chair. He wouldn't wish the kind of death that contraption would give on his worst enemy, certainly not on Cooper, who has become as a father figure to Lizzie and Kitty.
"No, I came to advocate on behalf of you. After devoting your life to a pursuit of the truth, to making things right, it would be such a shame in your last act to get it so wrong." he stared at Kipling a moment, watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair before handing over a thick folder. "This is a classified Pentagon file on the Rifkin case." Kipling slowly opens the file. "In the spirit of full disclosure, it's a felony for me to have it or for you to see it. But under the circumstances, who are we to quibble? It states that on October 3, 2002, US military intelligence officers deployed a unit by helicopter to the village of Guldara in the Kabul Province of Afghanistan to extract an asset whose identity had been compromised. The Taliban in the area with whom Alan Ray Rifkin had aligned himself got word of the informant and advanced on the village. But they were too late. The boys had extracted their asset and left. Angry and suspicious of others, the Taliban and Rifkin set fire to the village and executed inhabitants. Dozens of women and children were killed at the hands of the Taliban in response to US military intelligence in the area. I guess, fearing more headlines, the Pentagon wanted no association with the incident, so they covered it up. That is what happened. That is the truth. That's why you're not gonna light up Agent Cooper today. Alan Ray Rifkin wasn't executed because of a beating or because of a cover up. He was executed because of the truth. Now, you and I could talk for days about the whys and why nots of an execution, but at the end of it all, in the final moment, the only irrefutable fact is you better be right. And I'm betting you're not so sure."
Kipling's eyes narrowed as she sat primly in her chair. "How could you possibly know what I'm thinking?"
He smirked darkly. "Mark Hastings. You let him go because he had served his time, because this has always been about justice in your eyes, not blind revenge. The day you started this, you knew it would inevitably end, that when you released your first prisoner, you would get caught. You don't want to diminish your legacy of righteousness because of him which is why you're going to surrender." Though his words and tone were dark, he sprang up out of his chair as if a flip had been switched and tossed his hat back atop his head as he smiled over at Cooper. "Harold, don't look so glum. Come on." he said jovially, winking at the man and walking out.
Moments after he left and Kipling gave herself up, SWAT entered the barn and released all of the Judge's prisoners.
He nods at Lizzie as he passes her.
He watches as she rests her hand over where he knows her necklace rests. He places his hand on his chest where his pendant rests.
Kitty
Cooper sighed as he took down the pictures of all of the victims from the evidence board. "Five prosecutors, a federal judge, two cops, there were 10 people in that bunker." He stated, looking over at Kitty as she walked forward. "What's this?"
"Pleas that Lizzie and Captain found in Frank Gordon's room from prisoners all over the country." she says placing them on the table.
"Send it to the Justice Department for review. Walk with me?" Cooper asks heading down the hall.
She quickly moves to catch up with him.
"I do regret the methods that were used to obtain Rifkin's confession. If you feel like you need to report it, I understand." Cooper says the instant she reaches him.
She scoffs and shakes her head. "There's been enough judgement today. Also, I seemed to have forgotten everything we talked about." she says walking off with a sincere smile on her face.
Cooper watches as she disappears, he shakes his head suddenly thankful.
Red
He waits until after he knows that Lizzie and Kitty have gone before he enters the Post Office. Luckily, it's nearly empty save a few agents. He heads right up to Cooper's office.
Cooper sat back in his chair, gazing across his desk watching as he sat calmly in his own chair. "I'm not sure how but you must have known that this was gonna happen with me. The Judge. If you thought that by saving me you'd get some kind of leverage..." Cooper states.
"Harold, a war is coming." he stated grimly. "I believe the incursion of this facility and the rather sudden disappearance of Diane Fowler were just the beginning, and I'm certain that things will get considerably worse before they get better." he keeps himself calm, when inside he is worried. For the members on the task force, for Kitty and for his heart, Lizzie.
Cooper cocked his head to the side, his brows raised in sudden understanding. "You want my help."
He nodded once after a moment, "Not now. Later. But when I do, I hope you'll remember what happened today."
He stood up, placed his hat on his head and headed towards the door.
"Is that it?" Cooper calls after him.
He stops at the door, "No. I'd like you to reach out to Admiral Richard Abraham, he was very helpful in resolving the matters of the day. He's had a rough go of it for quite some time."
"Abraham." Cooper repeated the name.
"Yes. Admiral Richard. He's a good man. I wonder if you could pull a few strings."
Cooper nodded slowly. "I'll see what I can do."
He enters the house slowly.
Kitty and Lizzie are sitting on the couch looking at the laptop.
"What are you ladies doing?" he asks staring at them for a moment unable to stop the smile that spread across his face,
"Baby shopping." Kitty says with a grin, holding up a notebook.
Dembe moves around him to stand behind the girls.
"That is cute." Dembe says, smiling at the screen and placing his hand on Lizzie's shoulder.
"Now I need to see." he says and moves into the room.
Kitty moves down to the floor so that he can sit down next to Lizzie.
Lizzie has Babies-r-Us website up on the screen. Seems they were looking at nursery ideas.
"World travel?" he asks looking at the idea that was on screen.
"Yeah...I wanted to…." Lizzie says slightly at a loss for words.
"We couldn't find a good way to make a nursery with a chess theme, so after thinking we thought travel." Kitty says.
"I like it." he says dropping a kiss on Lizzie's shoulder.
She smiles at him softly as he slowly places his hand on her stomach, making small circles with his thumb.
"What else have you found?" he asks enjoying the smile that lights up her face as she starts showing him and Dembe everything that she and Kitty have found since they been home.
He slipped out of bed making sure not to wake her up when he heard a soft knock at the door. He quietly throws on a pair of pants.
He finds Dembe waiting for him.
"The Cowboy has something." Dembe says softly.
He nods and grabs a shirt before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He left the house, luckily the Cowboy was parked right where he had been the other day so he didn't have to go far.
"What have you found?" he asks moments after getting into the car.
The Cowboy inserts a thumb drive into a laptop and shows him photos of himself, Lizzie, Dembe, Baz, Kitty, Ressler and Aram.
There are even photos of Kitty and Lizzie meeting with Ressler girlfriend.
"Looks like she has been following you and your girls. You want me to bring her in?" the Cowboy asks.
"Not yet. Just watch her...for now I want to see how this plays out." he says taking the thumb drive.