Another Chance
Chapter 43
Hunt rubs a sore spot in his lower back. He may be getting a little old to travel in the net of a military transport. Still, it was the fastest way to get to the Ukraine. His surveillance of Kilimnik's machine-building plant revealed several points of entry. The EMP generators he's brought with him will do the rest, especially set off in series. The need for continuous fixes should bring the boss. He has a spot already picked out for when that happens. He'll be shooting from a quarter mile away, but he's hit targets at a much greater distance than that, and he'll be gone before anyone can get close to him.
Now it's a matter of waiting for the cover of darkness. There are workers there around the clock, but the late shift is the thinnest of them and the least able to cope with a lights out. It's time to seek out the chicken Kiev he's been looking forward to, and maybe even some of the local dessert known as angel wings, as long as he's eating them, not wearing them.
On his way, he checks in on the minders he has on his family. Everything seems quiet. That is of some comfort.
Victor doesn't mind that his father-in-law is taking off to investigate the continuing shutdowns of his pet project in the Ukraine. He's relishing taking on more responsibility for New York operations and is looking forward to flexing his muscles even more.
He enjoyed shoving Donovan into the flames. He had been a useful idiot, but his usefulness had come to an end. Unfortunately, that leaves Victor out of touch with the day-to-day progress or lack of same, of the investigations of the N.Y.P.D. As far as he knows, they have made no progress in the disappearance of Donovan or the murder of Kenny Barton, but that's from indirect reports, not direct knowledge. That leads to some discomfort in his gut.
Regardless, things appear to be going well. Any investigations by the DOJ seem to be limited to Frankfort Bank, and paying the fines for the transgressions of his favorite laundry is only a minor annoyance. Real estate in New York is booming, and the investments of his community along with it.
Florida is of some concern. The weather is becoming increasingly destructive. Soon he will be obliged to shift the organization's acquisitions more inland. His wife won't be happy about that. While she adores the shopping in New York, she prefers to spend much of the winter in the warmer weather of the majestic southern retreat he bought off a debt-laden developer the leader is grooming for some future service. The children also have a great time at Disneyworld. Masha will just have to go along with what's best, and he can always find another playground for his family. If the leader has his way, more and more of the world will be theirs with each coming day."
In Esposito's opinion, Ryan has a shit-eating grin on his face. "I finally traced the truck," the blue-eyed cop announces. "It took some doing, too. Who would have thought there would be so many layers of shells around a simple shipping company? But you're going to love this, and Beckett and Castle are going to love it even more. The shipper is controlled by a Russian company and was bought with financing by the Frankfort Bank. One of the principals is a Victor Chumak." Ryan holds up a picture. "Dark hair, light skin, scar on the forehead. We've got our guy, Bro. Chumak's behind both Donovan's disappearance and the attack on Castle's loft. Feel like picking him up?"
Esposito drops the jelly doughnut he was eating, on his desk. "Hell, yes!"
"Kate are you sure you should do this?" Castle asks. "You know what Dr. Lyra said about stressors. This could be one with a capital "S."
"I'll be a lot more stressed if I can't question Chumak. This is my chance to expose the support behind Bracken for what it is, the interference of a foreign power in our democracy. It will give me a chance to go after him not just as a murderer but a traitor to his country. And knowing that Gates doesn't intend to drag Montgomery's memory into the mix, will make it that much easier."
"All right," Castle agrees, his gut twisting uncomfortably. "But promise me you'll let the boys jump in if you need a break or something."
Kate presses her hand to his cheek. "Babe, I promise."
Victor knows better than to say anything without leave from his attorney. He has one sitting right beside him, but Petrov is an expert primarily in financial matters. They're both waiting for criminal lawyer Sokolov to arrive.
Katherine Beckett is sitting opposite him, accompanied by her shadow, Richard Castle. She seems patient enough, flipping through the pages of a file and humming to herself. Castle is glaring at him as if he wants to tear him apart. Fortunately, the rules of American justice don't allow for truly effective questioning. Victor can keep his peace and let Sokolov handle the situation when he arrives.
Sokolov looks anything but formidable, but looks can be deceiving. In Castle's estimation, the attorney can't be over 4-foot-10, and he walks with a limp, but he issues an immediate challenge. "What, if any charges are being brought against my client? In my preliminary evaluation of the situation, I have seen no evidence that he has committed any crime."
Kate smiles at the diminutive lawyer. "Mr. Sokolov, at present, Mr. Chumak is here only for questioning. As you know, that requires no accusation of any kind. He was identified as being on the scene of the disappearance of a police officer, and he has been seen on a regular basis in the company of a foreign national who did commit a serious crime - one that might even be considered terrorism. That puts us into another ballpark entirely. The fact that Mr. Chumak is also a foreign national is of concern to the Department of Homeland Security as well as to the N.Y.P.D. To cut to the chase, Mr. Sokolov, we can invoke the Patriot Act to dump your client in a hole and keep him there until he tells us what we want to know."
Sokolov draws himself up in defiance. "I'll fight you all the way."
"Mr. Sokolov, you are welcome to try, but the DHS is already issuing national security letters that will enable them to dig into every dirty little secret your client has, and we are sure that he has plenty of them, as is the U.S. Attorney's office. So your best move right now will be to play "Let's Make a Deal."
Kate shakes back her hair as she sips a strawberry milkshake she and Castle picked up on their way back to their hideout.
"That felt good, didn't it?" Castle asks.
"It felt fucking great! Sokolov is going to sweat over every word Chumak says, but in the end, the man is going to flip - big time. He's not at the top of his organization, but for sure he knows enough for us to get Bracken. We just have to keep things under wraps until the case is solid."
"That's not going to be easy to do," Castle points out. "Anyone who receives a national security letter has to keep their mouth shut. I know that from my research. But there are so many agencies involved in nailing Chumak and his cronies, there may be a leak somewhere."
"If there is," Kate declares, "we'll just have to plug it."
A/N If you are interested in "The Rookie" stories, I have another on up called "Alert!"