Under and Over Chapter 28
"One more thing," Rick asks, showing Sherling the image on the screen of his phone. "Do you recognize this symbol?"
Sherling pushes his glasses up his nose. "The arrows are the wrong shape for Special Forces. I'd have to double-check my records, but it looks like KOFF's insignia."
Rick grins. "Thanks."
"So, you'll call if you make an arrest?" Sherling queries, turning to Kate.
"As soon as the information is cleared for release," she promises.
"Do we have enough for a warrant to arrest Philpot?" Rick asks as Kate clicks her unit's driver's side seat belt.
"Not to arrest him, but we have more than enough to get one to search his apartment for weapons. If we find anything that uses 5.56 X 45 mm ammo, we can hold him while ballistics checks for a match with the bullets Lanie dug out of Turnbull."
Spying Kate Beckett outside his door doesn't give Leonard the turn-on it did at her first visit. "It's not a convenient time," he replies to Kate's insistent knock.
"Mr. Philpot, I have a warrant to search your apartment," Kate informs the suspect. "I also have four armed members of the NYPD with me. We'll be coming in whether you unlock the door or not. You have one second to think about it before we knock it down."
A quick calculation tells Leonard that even if he could reach his rifle in time, the cops would be on him before he could aim it. Reluctantly, he opens the door.
"Take him into the hall," Kate instructs two uniformed officers. "Castle and I will take the bedroom. Ryan, Esposito, check out here."
Rick immediately points a gloved hand toward the back of the bedroom. "I'm surprised he has a closet, even a small one. A lot of the older apartments down here don't."
"Let's just see what he has in there," Kate suggests.
"We should be careful," Rick cautions. "These militia guys love their booby traps."
Kate inspects the closet for signs of triggers or trip wires. "I don't see anything. And Philpot really looked shocked to see me again. After we left the first time, he probably convinced himself he was off the hook." Kate slowly coaxes the closet door open, alert for any suspicious clicks. "We're OK. And look at that! Philpot built himself a mini armory in here. I count four handguns – and an assault rifle."
"Ballistics got a match," Kate announces. "Philpot's rifle killed Turnbull."
Rick raises his fist in triumph. "Booyah! Time for a little Beckett interrogation magic?"
Kate shakes her head. "Not yet. I'll have him put in the box but I want him to cook in there for a while before I go at him."
"For how long?"
"Long enough to hit the comfort food truck. I'm starved. Want to join me?"
"Are you kidding? Mac and cheese? Hot cocoa? Giant chocolate chip cookies? Lead the way."
Leonard stares around the room where the officers cuffed him to the table and told him to wait. He never expected this. And it's just not fair. He shoots one of the vermin infesting the city streets and gets arrested for it? He should get a medal. No matter what happens, KOFF will give him a medal. How couldn't they? He carried out his mission with honor. And the lawyer he was told to call if he got in trouble is supposed to be on his way. When his attorney gets there, Detective Beckett and all the corrupt cops will see just who's really in trouble. Ooh, maybe FIX news will put him on there with that blonde, the one with the great legs. His eyes drift closed with the fantasy and he wants to… reality hits with the bite of cold metal against his wrists. That lawyer better be good.
To Kate, the $5000 conservative suit, monochromatic tie and white handkerchief in the breast pocket say well-paid lawyer. The handmade leather briefcase shouts extremely well-paid lawyer. He offers his hand. "Detective Beckett? I'm Bill Moss, here to represent Leonard Philpot."
Kate's eyes sweep up the tall, moderately good-looking figure. "I wasn't aware that Mr. Philpot had requested counsel."
"The call came through only a few minutes ago," Moss explains. "Fortunately, I was in the area on other business. Naturally, I'll confer with my client to determine if I'll advise him to answer any of your questions."
"Of course," Kate allows.
"And of course, if any recording devices are active, even by mistake, I'll petition the court to exclude anything my client might say to me."
Annoyance colors Kate's face. "No recording devices will be active, Mr. Moss. I'll make sure they're turned off and you can join your client in our interrogation room."
"No lipreaders watching through the mirror, either," Moss adds.
Kate's jaw tightens. "Mr. Moss, even if we had the resources to do that, we don't make a habit of violating suspects' rights. You and Mr. Philpot will have privacy. You can let the officer outside the room know whenever you're finished."
"What's the matter?" Rick asks as Kate rushes into the breakroom while he's cleaning up the last of their snack.
"A lawyer a shelf-stocker couldn't afford in a million years just showed up to defend Philpot. But get this, Castle, his name is Bill Moss."
"Any relation to…?"
"I don't know but I'm going to find out. Want to help?"
"You know it!"
"Well, Bill's not Ben Moss' son," Rick reports. "Lydia, Bill Bracken's wife is Ben's only child. Checking for nephews and cousins. OK, here we go. Bill Moss is Ben's nephew, the son of Ben's brother, um, late brother, Asher. Hmm, this is interesting. There's another brother, Dan. He's apparently the family black sheep. He joined the Peace Corps out of college. After he did his stint, he established a commune in Central California. Most of those disappeared, but Dan's kept going strong and became a leader in organic farming. The workers all share in the profits, which are apparently considerable. And Dan stands against pretty much everything Ben is for, fossil fuels, guns, hawkish politics, the whole ball of wax."
"That would make for a great episode of Family Feud, but what does it have to do with taking down Ben Moss?"
"What it has to do with it is that Ben didn't build his evil empire from the ground up. He started with family money. And the funds are still co-mingled. That's money over which Ben doesn't have complete control. Dan has a say in it too. Dan already detests the way his brother does business. But if he can be convinced that Ben is soliciting murder, he could pull the financial rug out from under him. Family money is Ben's fallback if he can't access drug money and whatever business he does with the Russians. If that goes away, so do high-powered legal fights or years-long delays. He'll do everything he can to survive, which I'm betting will include turning on Bracken."
"That's a hell of a lot of ifs, Castle. You could be right, but what we've got in front of us is a homicide. We nail Philpot for Turnbull's murder and we go from there."
"So how do you plan to get around Bill Moss?"
"I'm not sure I have to. Moss will be fighting to protect his uncle. That means he'll advise Philpot not to say a word. But we don't need a confession. Philpot was at the scene. The murder weapon was in his closet. He belongs to an organization that advocates violence as a solution. That's more than enough for a conviction. He's not that brave. Sooner or later he'll realize Bill Moss can't save his ass, and he'll talk. I just have to plant the seeds."