Ten:
John Raglan was finishing his third double shot from what he liked to call the three wise men, also known as Johnny Walker, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels. He normally wouldn't be this drunk this early in the day, but today was special. Two hours earlier, the oncologist had informed him that he had three months to live. Pancreatic cancer. Stage four. No treatment available. All the physician could offer was his condolences and suggest that he take what little time he had left to put his affairs in order.
He places the third empty shot glass down on the bar and glances around the nearly empty cop hangout he had frequented for over twenty years. The bartender, a retired cop, asks if he wants another drink. Raglan nods in response and tells the man to surprise him.
With no wife (actually two ex wives that wanted nothing to do with him), or children, there was no one to get his affairs in order for. His former partner hadn't spoken to him since they retired two years ago. It was just as well. His partner was a constant reminder of the terrible things that he had done in his life.
Tossing back the fresh drink before him in one gulp, he waits as the slow burn of the alcohol washes over him. Another round and he would stagger back to the one room apartment above the bar that has served as his home since he retired. Things had certainly not gone the way he planned with his life.
Back in the room that felt more like a prison cell than a home, he lays on the sofa that also serves as his bed and stares at the ceiling. The true meaning of the diagnosis starts to hit him and the fear of dying nearly consumes him. His fear wasn't death itself, it was what happened after. He knew for sure that if there was a heaven and hell where he would be spending eternity.
John wonders if there is anything that he could do, an act of contrition that would prevent an eternity in hell. He hated how William Bracken had manipulated him for twenty years, forcing him to help as the now corrupt Senator committed crimes including extortion and murder. He never thought that the kidnapping of mobsters that he, McCallister, and rookie cop Roy Montgomery committed for nearly two years as a crime. No, he saw it as a way of getting even with criminals that seemed to have taken over the city at the time.
The fines they demanded in exchange for the release of those that they kidnapped was thought of a simply the cost of doing business and no one ever went to the cops about it. Things were going well for the three and they all had acquired enough money to set them well on their way to an early retirement.
That was until they decided to 'detain' an up and coming drug dealer by the name of Vulcan Simmons. After paying his fine to secure his release, an assistant district attorney contacts them, saying that he knows all about their illegal activities, but would not prosecute them in exchange for a percentage of everything that they had. Having no real choice the three agreed and ended up doing Bracken's bidding.
It was Bracken that chose Joe Pulgotti as their victim that night. All of the mobsters in the city by then understood that the cops were somehow involved in these kidnappings and as long as they cooperated, nobody would get hurt. Unfortunately, Bob Arman didn't know this and decided to protect his boss from the kidnappers, lunging at Roy who had his gun pointed at Pulgotti.
A single shot rang out and Arman fell to the ground. The three would be kidnappers flee as Joe tries to tend to his fallen bodyguard. As Arman takes his last breath in Joe's arms, a cruiser with lights flashing and siren blaring appears. The two patrolmen in the car arrest Pulgotti and call for the ME as Arman was clearly dead.
It wasn't until the next day that everyone learned the true identity of Bob Arman who was using the alias Bobby Andretti with Joe. The Feds swooped in anxious for a conviction, but concerned by Pulgotti's claims that Arman was a victim of a botched kidnapping attempt. He had managed to secure the services of one of the best mob attorneys in the city who had begun to retell Pulgotti's story to the media.
Fearful that his two partners would let him take the fall rather than admit their own complicity in Arman's death, Roy contacts Bracken, demanding his assurances that would not be the case. Unlike his partners in crime, Roy kept records of every dollar given to Bracken to guarantee his silence. Montgomery assured them that he would take them all with him if anything happened to him.
Using his contacts in the NYPD, Bracken not only arranged for Roy to be transferred to another precinct as a new recruit, all records of his time with Raglan and McCallister were altered to the name of a man who didn't exist. Like his former partners, Roy was forever tied to Bracken after that, much like many others on the force, the DA's office, and city hall.
In spite of multiple plea bargain offers made by Bracken and the FBI to Pulgotti, he stuck to his story, forcing a jury trial. Because there were no records of the other kidnappings, the jury rejected his story and found him guilty. The media attention on the case made Bracken a local celebrity and interest from the political power brokers in the city suggesting he run for recently vacated state Senate seat.
That served as the platform for Bracken who quickly used his connections to launch a bid for the US Senate. His moral ambiguity and willingness to exchange favors for cash made him quite popular with the many of the lobbyists in DC. His positions on several committees that selected defense contractors helped to fatten the war chest that he was amassing for his ultimate goal, the White House.
The thought of Bracken actually becoming President angered John, mostly because of his role if Bracken were to succeed. He thought that if he could prevent it from happening, an act of contrition, it might prevent him from the hell he was sure to face.
There was only one problem, unlike Montgomery, he kept no records of any of his dealings with Bracken, thinking that if something ever went sour, there would be nothing to tie him to the Senator. He wasn't sure who he could go to that wasn't part of Bracken's network of corruption.
He then remembered the Coonan case from a few months earlier and the fact that they had somehow connected the murder of Johanna Beckett to him. It wasn't a coincidence that the cop in charge was none other than Kate Beckett. The fact that she had somehow tied Coonan to her mother's case meant that she had been working the case. More than likely still working it.
He could give her the closure she needed by revealing who had hired Coonan and in a small way clear his conscience. An act of defiance before he died.
X-X-X-X
Jennifer arrived at her precinct a few minutes later than normal which was still fifteen minutes before her shift began. The case she closed yesterday left her with the usual mountain of paperwork that would fill the better part of the day. Luckily for her, Roz would help without complaining too much, as her partner enjoyed this part of the job about as much as she did.
She had a few calls to make that had nothing to do with the case. Jennifer had a friend Human Resources that she trusted. She would learn who was working with Raglan and McCallister during the period when the kidnappings were happening. She suspected that it was Montgomery, but needed confirmation.
A week passes with no new information. Her friend's efforts to identify the third member of Raglan's crew revealed nothing of use. A name, Robert Johnson, the same name as two other patrolmen at the time, led to nothing. Nothing existed in personnel files for the man and the badge number used belonged to a patrolman who had been killed in the line of duty a decade earlier.
A search into Montgomery's records revealed a gap of nearly a year from his graduation at the academy and his assignment at the fifteenth precinct. His personnel records were spotless, filled with exemplary performance reviews that ultimately led to his rapid advancement up the ranks. Almost too good to be true.
The key to their case came unexpectedly and on two fronts. Bob Holly, a patrolman with thirty years on the force was finally calling it quits. A retirement party was haphazardly thrown together at the cop bar that he frequented and everyone at the seventeenth precinct was invited. Jennifer decided to invite Rick as well and the two arrived together.
After a few hours and several rounds paid for by Rick, everyone there was feeling no pain. Holly gave a speech thanking everyone for the send off while reminiscing about the 'good old days'. Taking a table near the bar with Roz, Jennifer, and Rick, Bob continued his journey down memory lane. Rick decides to test the waters, asking about the rumors of a group of cops that were 'detaining' mobsters in exchange for money.
Bob confirmed that the rumors were true and he had a pretty good idea who the crew was. Jennifer then continued the questioning, trying to get him to reveal their names. When he said that he was pretty sure that it was Gary McCallister, John Raglan, and Roy Montgomery that were behind the abductions, Rick then pressed him for details, citing it would be a great plot line for his novels.
Using the flirting techniques that they had used on men in the interrogation room on many occasions, both Roz and Jennifer work him for evidence. Enjoying the attention from the two women, he confides that all he had was stories of their exploits at the time and how everything came to an end after the Bob Arman murder.
Knowing that HR had no record of Montgomery working with the other two, Jennifer questions if he was sure that it was Roy. Bob gives her a leering look and gestures up towards the bar, remarking that he was pretty sure that there was a picture of the three of them together. Rick takes the opportunity to offer to buy another round and quickly makes his way to the bar.
Tending the bar was a man a few years older than Holly. If Rick was a betting man, he'd put his money on the guy being a former cop. Placing his order, he scans the mirror that ran the length of the bar, the outside edge covered in pictures like a frame.
"Looking for someone?" The bartender inquires as he places the drinks Rick had ordered before him.
"Yeah, an old poker buddy of mine." Castle replies.
"Your buddy got a name?" The old man counters.
"Montgomery. Roy Montgomery. Used to be Captain at the twelfth precinct when I worked there."
The bartender gives him a skeptical look and remarks. "You don't look like a cop to me."
"That's because I wasn't. I was a civilian consultant assigned to the homicide team." Rick replies while talking a sip from his drink.
Satisfied with Rick's response, the old man smiles and remarks. "I haven't seen or heard from Roy for nearly twenty years. Not since he was teamed up with Raglan and McCallister."
"You wouldn't happen to have a picture from back then up there?" Rick quickly counters while pointing at the mirror. "It would be great to have an old photo of Roy to embarrass him with at the next poker game."
The old man grins and turns to carefully examine the pictures taped to the mirror. After a minute or two, he calls out. "Aha! I knew I had one." Carefully peeling what appeared to be an old Polaroid picture from the mirror, he smiles and presents his find to Rick.
It appeared to have been taken in this bar as the decor looked untouched after all of these years. Flanking a hardly recognizable young Roy Montgomery were the two men he could only assume were Raglan and McCallister. All three were dressed in their uniforms enjoying a beer. While it wasn't the type of proof he needed, it certainly proved that Roy knew the men.
"Can I borrow it? I promise to bring it back." Rick inquires, hoping to make a copy.
"Take it. It's not like any of them ever come in here anyway." He remarks. Rick thanks the man and shoves a twenty into the tip jar before carrying the drinks back to the table.
Taking his seat, he passes their drinks around as Holly continues to regale the two women with tales from his career. Jennifer gives him a smirk that signals they had gotten everything from Bob that they could. Rick looks at his watch and remarks. "Would you look at the time. I've got an early meeting in the morning."
"Well I guess that's my cue, seeing as he's my ride." Jennifer comments as she quickly downs her drink.
"Can you give me a ride as well? I don't think that I should be driving." Roz adds as she gets up from her seat as well.
The three exchange best wishes with Holly as they leave the bar. Hailing a taxi, they climb inside as Rick gives the driver instructions for where to drop them off. Roz can't help but smirk when he gives the cabbie only her and his address, knowing that her new partner was spending the night at Rick's place.
She was happy for both Rick and Jennifer. They deserved a little happiness. Roz couldn't help but wonder if Beckett knew about them being a couple.
She did.