Season 9, Episode 5
A Cop Tale
Chapter 9 - The Player in the Game
NYC Alderman Milton Cospy was worried. The 12th precinct was poking into the neighborhood activities worked by his crime partner, Vince Simmons. They had a lucrative extortion racket going on in that neighborhood, along with drugs, illegal gambling, and prostitution, that made profit for the Simmons gang in spite of the large cut MIlton took to finance his public office bids. It had gained him an Alderman chair in the local city council years back. Now Milton was shooting to become vice mayor and then eventually mayor. He had already collected enough extortion money to pay for his campaign, assuming the cops did not blow his illegal operations with Vince Simmons. Something had to be done about this lady cop, and he had told Vince to handle it.
Milton had grown up in that 'hood, but had managed to stay out of the gang. He did so by doing favors for the gang. When they initially met, Vince had been running cash and drugs for the gang that his uncle, Vulcan Simmons, was heading up. When Vince got collared by one of the uniforms in the 'hood, he had somehow slipped to Milton his stash of drugs and the weapon in his possession. When Vince got picked up and searched by the cop, Vince was clean, because Vince had passed the drugs and his weapon to Milton.
Back then Milton had the reputation of being the neighborhood geek and thus had the squeeky clean image that did not attract the beat cops in his 'hood. Milton had told Vince that he needed to keep that clean image by not being in the gang. He could however continue to work for the gang while not being part of the gang. Milton had even told Vince that one day he would be in a political position to help Vince even more than he had done, but that being a gang member could ruin it for him. This had kept him out of the gang. From that time to the present, the relationship with Vince had indeed lasted thru the years. When Vince took over his uncle's gang, Milton had become their 'go to' political partner in crime. As a city alderman, Milton had done much to keep the gang from being on the beat cops' radar. And Milton had profited with campaign funds to run for public office.
As a youth, Milton had been the studious type and got good grades in high school and college. His desire to political office was inspired from his readings of political figures who were his heroes. In his readings, he was introduced to the now dead and convicted U.S. Senator, William Bracken. Bracken's success as a politican had feed the notion that Milton also could become a powerful NY politician. Like Milton, Bracken was a New Yorker, a kid from the 'hood, who rose from humble beginnings to the U.S. Senate. At one time, Bracken was even making a bid for U.S. President, but his conviction stopped that.
Bracken's story as told on the street was one of climbing from the depth of insignificance to the heights of political position and power. Bracken had graduated from law school, clerked for a powerful lawyer and eventually became a junior partner in the same firm. Then he became an ADA for NYC and that is when his political position had led him to connecting with Vulcan Simmons and other notorious gangs. Rumor was that his initial seed money had come from crooked cops who were extorting the gangs. As an ADA he had discovered the extortion and demanded a cut of the action for keeping quiet on the matter. Using this money, he was able to climb the political ladder to become the state AG and eventually the U.S. Senator from New York.
Unfortunately, Bracken's political career had been ended by one lone female cop, Katherine Beckett. She was now the C.O. of the 12th precinct and wife to the rich and famous author Richard Castle. Now for some reason he had yet to learn of, Captain Kate Beckett Castle was looking into the illegal gang activities in his neighborhood. This had to stop, Milton did not want to become like Bracken. It was troubling that the same lady cop who had stopped his now disgraced hero, William Bracken, now had her detectives investigating in Milton's own neighborhood. So he had directed Vince Simmons to watch her and put an end to her if she dug up information that needed to remain hidden.
12th Precinct
Detective Javier Esposito rub his eyes trying to relieve the strain on them. He had spent the last two hours going over the list of NYC local politicos who were rumored to have gang connections. It surprisely was a long list and researching each one of them was slow and tedious work.
"What do you do to reduced eye strain from staring at a computer screen too long", Espo had asked his 'special' cases partner CI Rick Castle.
"Have you thought of maybe shortening your list, Espo?" was Castle's reply.
"And how do I do that Mr Castle?"
"Well, how many of those on your list are from the neighbor we are looking at, or had some tie to that neighborhood?"
Once again Castle had suggested something that actually made sense. Espo kicked himself for not thinking of it first. He quickly googled a list of politicos know to be from the neighborhood in question or have ties to that neighborhood. He came up with three names. A list far shorter than the one he started with: one was assistant director of the Mayor's council on Public Works, another was special assistant to the Vice Mayor, and the last was a five year Alderman on the city council. In the same time it took him to research the first ten people on his long list, he now had extensive dossiers on the three connected politicos. Calling the team together, he had Anne and Tori look into the assistant director, handing them that person's file, Ryan and him were to take on the special assistant to the Vice mayor, and Castle got the file on the Alderman. They all farmed out to talk to various people from the 'hood. Castle had called his favorite neighborhood informant and promised him fifty dollars if he had good info.
An hour later Castle was meeting his informant in a coffee shop where he had the coffee and pastries ordered. As his informant enters the coffee shop, he comes to Castle's table.
"Leonard, my man, come and join me with some coffee and pastries", Castle greets Leonard shoving a donut his way.
"Don't mind if I do", Leonard responds biting into the donut and taking a sip of the coffee, "what do you want to know and what's it worth to you Inspector?"
Castle takes out a wad of bills and pulls out a fifty dollar bill, flattens it out on the table in front of Leonard.
"What's the word on the street about Milton Cospy?", Castle asks placing his finger tips on the fifty to hold it in place as Leonard reaches for the bill, "not so quick Leonard, the info first"
Leonard has his finger tips also on the fifty but can not retrieve it as Castle holds it in place.
"You want the obvious news that particularly everyone in the 'hood knows?"
Castle nods in the affirmative.
"The man's dirty, with ties to the Simmons gang", Leonard says and tries to pull the bill in, but Castle is not giving it up.
"Got to give me more than that if you want the bill."
"Look man, if I tell you any more I may become a target for Simmons."
Castle pulls out another fifty dollar bill, flattens it, and places it on top of the bill already on the table. Leonard gives him the stare that is like the 'deer in the headlights' look. At first he hesitates, but then speaks up.
"Not known to many is that Cospy is running scared with the investigation by the 12th on the gang activity in the 'hood. He's put a marker out with the Simmons gang on your C.O."
Castle releases the two fifty's and Leonard pockets the bills.
"I know the C.O. is your old lady, so if I were you I would keep her close. Rumor has it that low life Lebron Williams is the gang's man in this. Let's just say Bron likes to play with his female kills before he offs them. Words has it what happened to that missing banker and his model wife was his doing. He apparently had his way with the wife before he killed her."
Castle pulls out another fifty and places it in the palm of his hand and offers the hand to Leonard for a shake. As they both shake hands Castle says, "Nice doing business with you Leonard, you're always a good source for intel."
After the handshake they part ways.