Chapter 7: Takedown
Anton was sitting in the interrogation room the next morning, when Kate and Hunt walked with a purpose. He looked up at the both of them. "Detective, Agent, what can I do for you now?"
"Who took this photo Anton; because I have the paper work waiting for the President's signature and a jet waiting for me a private airfield." Hunt told Anton as Kate put the photo of her in front of him.
"Sergei Vlaskoff handles all surveillance for Illyana, and also drives for her too." Anton said pushing the picture back away from him. He saw the looks of Kate and Hunt wanting more from him. "He spent a couple years with FSB with their counter surveillance, and security before he was discharged for corruption."
"Then how come he didn't go her to Switzerland?" Kate asked taking a seat in the chair.
"Illyana didn't want to attract too much attention when she meets with our arms dealer. She wanted to make it look like a regular business meeting" Anton replied. He then looked at Hunt and Kate. "What about that paperwork and jet?"
"You saved your neck again." Hunt said walking away from the table and out the door with Kate behind him. He waited for the door to close. "He's not stupid, and he is worried about a black site trip so he was willing to give up who took the photo."
"Yeah, too bad it would get thrown out in court." Kate remarked as she walked towards her desk when she thought of something. "It would get thrown out wouldn't it?"
"I'm going to check my email to see if my people have finished looking at those papers we found yesterday." Hunt replied with a smile as he walked into the conference room.
Kate stood there for a moment, but decided not to press the subject, so she went to her desk. There she found Ryan waiting. "What did you find out Ryan?"
"That flash drive that Esposito found was an electronic backup to the paperwork we found." Ryan stated as he looked at the notes. He then set a printout on his desk. "Also a list of properties that were purchased through a dummy corporation but linked back to Volkov Investments."
"Get a warrant and have ESU check them out." Kate told Ryan who nodded and walked towards his desk. She put her head in hands. She didn't sleep well in the chair in Castle's room, and going back to the loft to change and shower before coming to work didn't loosen up her tight muscles any either. "Esposito where are we on those weapons that we found?"
"Lab ran them, don't match any open homicides, but ran the serial numbers came back to Interpol alert for a batch that was stolen from a Russian Army base a couple years ago." Esposito replied handing over a printout to Kate who stared at it for a moment. "The weapons were meant to go to Iran as part of an arms deal."
"Got to love international arms trades despite sanctions." Hunt answered coming out from the conference room and over towards Kate's desk. He handed her a summary of what was learned. "Those are definitely shipping invoices. A lot of these weapons were purchased legally through a company called Greg's rifle and gun ranges but it's a subsidiary of Volkov investments."
"So the weapons are purchased legally, which means they go through all the checks necessary for that large of a purchase." Kate replied getting up and posting it to the board. She then turns and looks at the team. "Then she brings the weapons here to New York where she uses slave labor or cheap labor to convert them to fully automatic rifles or package up the pistols."
"That makes sense, so Illyana gets an order from the arms dealer, orders up a purchase through this dummy gun and rifle ranges." Esposito stated getting nods from Kate and Hunt. He then looked at the board. "Where would they convert these weapons?"
"Ryan, bring that list of properties that you said were purchased." Kate said as Ryan got off the phone and brought them over. She looked over the list and went to her computer to bring up a map. She typed up all the addresses. "These places are all over the city."
"Very smart, keeps the assets separated and doesn't shut down production." Hunt stated as he looked at the map. He pointed to one on the screen. "That one is closest to us."
"Warrants for all places listed are the way, which one do you want them to meet us at?" Ryan asked Kate who was still looking at the screen.
"The one that is closet to us." Kate replied, getting up and grabbing her stuff. She looked at Ryan who was doing the same. "Ryan email this stuff to Castle, maybe he can help us out by finding something we may have missed."
Ryan nodded as he handed off the paperwork to a uniform to scan and email to Castle. Hunt looked at Kate as they waited for the elevator. "Thought you wanted him to rest?"
"He's bored out his mind so I am trying to keep him from driving the nursing staff nuts, and I don't know, he maybe actually useful." Kate replied with a smile and a laugh as the doors opened. "After all he is ruggedly handsome and smart."
Hunt laughed as Ryan and Esposito caught up to them and boarded the elevator. Esposito looked at Kate. "ESU will meet us there. What about Castle, and what are you doing about the picture?"
"I asked for extra police protection at the hospital, inside the room and outside the room." Kate replied to the question. She was just as worried as they were, but solving this would end the threat. "Alexis and Martha also have protection too. I'm with you guys, so I'm safe."
Everyone nodded as the doors closed. It took them 20 minutes before they arrived at the site. It was old warehouse that was purchased by Volkov Investment group. ESU banged opened the door and they poured into the room. The warehouse had long rows of tables set up in the middle of them, and packaging from conversion kits and the greased cover packing from weapons. "Clear."
Hunt went over and looked at the packing on the table. He picked looked around and saw a cigarette butt on the ground and motioned over the trio. "This is hasn't been here long. Maybe since last night."
"So we just missed them maybe." Esposito stated as he looked at some of the trash on the tables. He picked up on packing for a conversion kit. "This is for an AR-15."
"ESU found a couple on the table for AK's, Uzi's." Ryan also added in as he held up the evidence bags.
Before anyone could add in, Kate's phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. "Hey Castle, now's not a good time."
"I was looking over the stuff you sent me, just to get an idea of where or when you may want to look." Castle said into his phone from his now heavily protected hospital room. "Volkov investments doesn't own any pier space, but you can lease areas within the city. They lease a space on the Red Hook Container Terminal."
"You have to pass customs inspections to get anything on board ships Castle?" Esposito stated as they heard what Castle had said.
"True, but they probably bribed some customs agent or dock worker to forge the reports." Ryan added in.
"Castle, did they mention anything about a ship or freighter?" Hunt now asked into the phone as they stood around, while ESU milled about waiting for their next orders.
"There is a freighter name Kamenev scheduled to depart Red Hook at 6 tonight." Castle reported as he looked at the information he had received while they were enroute to the warehouse.
"This is Agent Hunt, Identification number 115185-Alpah, I need any surveillance assets, satellite or UAV to provide air intelligence at the Red Hook Container Terminal." Hunt said into his phone just a few moments after Castle told them about the ship. "I also need the Coast Guard to stop the departure of a ship called the Kamenev with possible weapons destined for terrorist on board."
"Thanks babe, stay safe. Love you" Kate said to her husband.
"Love you too. You stay safe." Castle said disconnecting the call.
Kate looked at Ryan who was already on the phone, and giving her the thumbs up as a warrant had been approved by the court that was assigned to this investigation. She looked at the ESU commander. "Load them up Sergeant, we're heading to Brooklyn."
The ESU commander acknowledge the order and yelled at his team and they began to trot outside as the crime scene folks arrived to begin processing the scene. Even with lights blazing, it took the small convoy another 25 minutes to arrive at the Gate of Red Hook Container Terminal. Kate got out and held up a photo to the security guard. "You see her, maybe with others here?"
The security guard looked at the picture closely and nodded. "Yes ma'am, about her and 30 others are at the northern end of the terminal by the Freighter Kamenev."
"Thank you." Kate replied as the guard opened up the gate and allowed the small convoy to come in. Another ESU van had met them near the terminal before they had arrived and joined the procession. Kate pulled the car into a stop near some containers to hide them from view.
As everyone pile out of the vehicles, Hunt held up what look like a tablet that had been attached to the side of his vest. He held it up. "Alright folks, Coast Guard has delayed the Kamenev citing a vessel distress in the channel. We also have a predator overhead providing us real time intelligence."
"How did you get around the invasion of privacy?" Ryan asked as he adjusted his vest.
"National security dog. Weapons going to terrorist so invasion of privacy gets tossed aside." Esposito mentioned as he checked his weapons.
"Actually as long as we are going after our targets, and nothing else, it's legal." Hunt stated as he set the IPad on the roof of the car. The group and ESU commander gathered around the car. "These containers here will shield us from their view till about here."
"We have harbor patrol that will come in as soon as we move towards them." The ESU commander mentioned as he pointed to the screen.
Hunt, and Kate nodded at each other. Kate held up a photo. "We need her alive, along with as many as possible."
"This guy right here is the arms dealer, I need him alive." Hunt told the group passing around the photo. "It's a matter of national security."
Everyone nodded and they began to move out towards the area where Illyana and her group were located. As soon as they reached the containers, they split up into two teams. Each taking the separate routes that they noticed in the predator footage. They reached the end of the containers and Kate did a quick peek around the corner. She saw the group about 50 yards away. Most of what can be described as security was arranged in a semi-circle while others were close by to Illyana and the arms dealer. Kate turned to Hunt and pointed to her eyes and behind her. Hunt nodded and chambered around. Kate keyed her mic. "Hit in 3, 2, 1, now."
The group burst out from the safety of the shelter of the containers. "NYPD Freeze."
Yet as soon as the Russians noticed the large group of cops coming at them, they started to raise their weapons and fire at the cops which got the cops returning fire. A number of Russians were dropped right away as the rest continued to return fire, but they were starting to lose numbers due to the superior marksmen ship of the ESU members, along with Kate, Ryan, Esposito and Hunt. Illyana and her arms dealer made a break with Sergei towards a black Lincoln Navigator nearby. Hunt, and Kate noticed this and started to run after them, behind the wall of police fire. It was a race, in which Illyana and her small group had a head start, but they had to driver a pretty good distance to get to a gate. Yet as they reached the SUV, they had to slow down a bit to get in, and this allowed Kate and Hunt to gain some valuable ground. As the SUV started to pull away, Hunt and Kate fired rounds at the side of the SUV and tires, which shredded two on the passenger sides and causing the SUV to slam into the side of a container. Hunt and Kate rushed over and pulled open the passenger door.
"Illyana Volkov you're under arrest for murder, attempted murder, extortation, and blackmail, arms trafficking, and aiding international terrorists." Kate said as she slapped the cuffs on Illyana Volkov. She stood her up and looked at her. "Just answer me this why?"
"Come on detective, family is everything for a Russian, but also so is making money, that is important to me." Illyana stated as she smirked. She looked at her arms dealer friend, despite a round through his arm, he was ok. "Two bird's one stone. Revenge and make a fortune selling weapons. If it cost you someone you loved dearly, then so much better."
Kate wanted to slap her, or pull out her pistol and put a round into her forehead and end it. But as Hunt came around, Kate pushed Illyana towards her. "She's all yours Agent Hunt."
"FBI, hmmph, what makes you think I'll see trial." Illyana scoffed.
"Not FBI Illyana, a little government agency known as the CIA." Hunt replied to the scoff. Illyana and her arms dealer turned their heads. "We are going to have a nice little chat."
"You can't, I'm American." Illyana said in higher tone.
"Maybe for the next couple hours you will be." Hunt said as passed over the two of them to a man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Hunt walked over to Kate. "Take care of Rick."
"I will." Kate answered as she gave a kiss to Hunt on the cheek. She turned as she heard the noise of squad cars coming towards her, along with Ryan and Esposito with a couple of ESU tagging along. She turned back around to find Hunt was gone.
"Another disappearing act huh?" Ryan asked as he got up to her.
"Yep with what he came for." Kate replied as she came around to see that Sergei was stirring after being knocked out during the crash. "Cuff him Ryan."
Ryan nodded as Kate walked away from the SUV and back towards her car. An hour later after being released from their temporary assignment and receiving congratulations from the high brass from One Police Plaza, she made her way to Bellevue. After arriving at the floor, she walked into her husband's room, which still had a policemen standing guard outside, and saw Rick talking to Martha and Alexis.
"Kate dear, we just saw the news congratulations." Martha said beaming with huge smile.
"We are proud of you Kate." Alexis also stated with another smile.
"I agree with them Kate. I love you." Rick agreed with his daughter and mother. Then he saw the look on Kate's face. "Babe what's wrong?"
Kate busted a smile as tears came. She rushed over and gave Rick the deepest kiss she has ever given him as Martha and Alexis looked on with tears in their eyes as well.
==========================================A epilogue is coming folks for this story. Thank you everyone for the reviews.========================