The setup for the next meeting with Hunt was conveyed much like before. She had arrived at her usual morning coffee shop before heading to the precinct when Rita walked in and got in the same barista line. After purchasing her drink, she moved to the additive bar, and that's when she felt another incursion into her outside pocket just like before. She immediately left the shop and retrieved the message. The meeting would take place two days hence in a different apartment between 6:00PM and 7:00PM. Kate could barely contain her glee at the prospect of finally unmasking her nemesis.
When she arrived, Hunt ushered her into a room that was setup just like before including a bottle and three glasses. Hunt noticed that she eyed the bottle and said, "Your taste in scotch is much like mine, and I just couldn't resist another indulgence." As she was about to discard her coat, Rita came in doubly armed just like before. Kate couldn't help but wonder just how good her mother-in-law might be in a confrontation. She doubted Jackson would be with anyone who was not as fit and lethal as he was.
After filling each glass quite generously, Hunt opened the discussion by saying, "This guy is very good, but in the end, we are better. He is a former grade school chum of the late senator, and somehow in his misspent youth met up with the likes of Vulcan Simmons. He was directly recruited by the agency out of college and trained all around the world by some of the best including some we know."
"He had remarkable knack for organization, and he cut his teeth in South America before being assigned to an embassy in one of the Pacific Rim countries. That's where he got an insider's view of the drug trade, the corruption, the violence, and the obscene profits waiting to be had. Soon, his real job became a side job, and he opted to leave. After cultivating a robust group of quality suppliers, he turned to shady former agency contacts to build his delivery system. Add that to the well-oiled local distribution network run by his old pal, Vulcan Simmonds, and a clandestine billionaire was born."
"All this was working great when our boy and Bracken got reacquainted. Bracken had a slew of dirty cops at his disposal, and the obvious question was why not have them arrest the competition and let their dealers fill the void. It was a win-win situation from their perspective. That collaboration was humming right along when the unintended murder of Bob Armen created an exposure none could afford. That's when your mother started to nose around, and LOCKSAT couldn't have that because anxious cops could lead directly to his operation. Your mother was a loose end, and you have been living with the results ever since. Then, your naïve query at the FBI caught his attention, and he responded with similar violence."
Kate was still considering her reaction and wondered how many times Hunt and or Rita had given similar dark briefings like this before. With her main question still unanswered, she commented, "This is a nice walk down memory lane, but who is this guy, where he is now, and how do you propose to take him out?"
Hunt took a long sip from his glass, and said, "Knowledge of his name and whereabouts are beyond what you need to know. He is currently in semi-retirement in a country with no US extradition treaty. He has three rings of security around him most of the time. The grounds and the mansion each have state of the art security systems, and he employs a 24/7 body team. Rita will disable the both systems. We will both eliminate the security team, and I alone will finish the job."
"For your part, you need to opt for a long overdue vacation to DC to understandably recover from your sudden break with Castle. It will be warm this time of year, and I expect you to pack some colorful clothing for all the cameras to document your every move. You're a cop, and you need to be just familiar enough with the surveillance video to cross your name off any likely suspect list."
Kate interrupted and said, "How will I know when the deed is done?"
"You will get an unwanted solicitation call from a bank. You will dismiss the call like we all do knowing that the deed has been done. After that the recriminations within his organization will begin, and there is an off chance you will be interrogated. If that happens, the less you know - the better."
The following day she announced her impending vacation starting on the Wednesday of the following week. She opted for the train rather than endure the congestion of four hour road trip on her Harley. The weather cooperated for the trip, and her slinky outfits played well for the cameras. The ride back home on the train was uneventful except for the call.
For Hunt and Rita, the operation went off flawlessly. The only remarkable thing was the aghast look on LOKSAT's face when Hunt unveiled a picture of Johanna Becket just before firing the kill shot. The resulting blood pool confirmed that he would bleed out in seconds, and Hunt was not a bit remorseful about the life he had just taken.
The next week was full of catch-up work and thoughtful consideration of how to end her separation from Castle. The former was just a matter of putting in the time; the latter needed far more preparation. On her way home on Friday night, she looked forward to her weekend off when the sudden prick of a needle stopped everything.