Beckett's team had already escorted the five suspects, arrested at the scene for attempting to assassinate the vice president, to the police cars and prepared to take them back to the station. Beckett felt no sense of urgency. The NYPD forensics team had arrived and was collecting evidence from the room, giving her confidence as she faced the intense demands from both the Secret Service and Hughes, the head of the FBI's New York office, to hand over the suspects and evidence. With the timely arrival of Deputy Chief Montgomery, Beckett remained calm.
"...And that's what happened. While the 12th Precinct was conducting security checks for the event, we inadvertently discovered a group of suspicious individuals in one of the rooms in this building. After securing the perimeter, I led my officers to investigate. Just as we got off the elevator, we heard a clear shot from a sniper rifle. I immediately ordered my team to breach the door, and we arrested five suspects before they could escape.
We later learned via communications that these suspects were responsible for the death of the African guest who was meeting with Vice President Andrew today. As you can see, the sniper rifle used in the assassination is still intact at the scene...
And here's another thing—when my officers arrested these suspects, they identified themselves as CIA agents, but they failed to provide a reasonable explanation for why they were trying to assassinate the African guest in the vice president's presence!!!
Since the incident happened in my jurisdiction and I was the first to arrive and apprehend the suspects, I am not going to hand over the investigation easily!!!"
Was Beckett telling the truth?
Of course not!
She had long been aware that the situation was the result of a fierce political struggle between two factions. She and Castle had planned everything in advance. Her officers had caught the culprits red-handed right after the incident, and as long as the suspects made a brief stop at the police station without providing any statements, it wouldn't matter much to the NYPD. They had "taken the first sip of the soup," so to speak.
However, with Senator Charles Hawn from Montana and Colonel Johnson from the CIA involved behind the scenes, Beckett, who had already informed Deputy Chief Montgomery of the deeper waters surrounding this case, had no intention of truly keeping the investigation. Whether it was the humiliated Secret Service or the FBI trying to take over the case, whoever did so would have to deal with the political fallout of going against Senator Hawn.
Meanwhile, the NYPD could gracefully step back, having already collected crucial evidence at the scene. After all, the NYPD, under Beckett's leadership, had captured the culprits in the immediate aftermath—what could they be criticized for?
Hughes, the savvy FBI director in New York, was filled with doubt. He didn't believe the NYPD was capable of such an impressive performance. But Beckett, the youngest police captain in the NYPD, had already proven her abilities during the investigation of a recent serial killer case. Having heard from both Diana and Jones about Beckett's prowess, Hughes suspected the NYPD might have acted on some inside information, which explained their swift action. However, his priority now was to seize control of the investigation, especially after a major blunder where the African guest had been killed by a .408 caliber sniper rifle right in front of the vice president. If Hughes didn't secure control of this case, he knew the consequences for him would be dire.
The Secret Service agent in charge of the president's security detail was also furious. He had already warned the vice president that Times Square was a complex and dangerous area. For security personnel like him, it was a nightmare location. He had urged Vice President Andrew to consider a safer venue, especially given the political tension after the recent ousting of Senator William Bracken, a key figure supported by the Republican Party. Andrew, a Democratic vice president with a strong chance of becoming the next president, was under intense scrutiny.
But Andrew wasn't just any politician. A former military man with a reputation for being headstrong, he gravitated toward danger and ignored the agent's warnings. And now? He had narrowly escaped being shot right after shaking hands with the African guest, who was the actual target of the assassination. The Secret Service, unaware that the intended victim had been the African man and not Andrew, simply saw the incident as a blow to their reputation. Naturally, they wanted to collaborate with the FBI to wrest control of the case from the NYPD.
Little did Hughes and the Secret Service know that behind the scenes, this entire incident was rooted in a political battle between Montana Senator Charles Hawn, representing the Republicans, and the Democrats.
With Montgomery now present, Beckett had the full support of the NYPD. In the end, the frustrated Secret Service and FBI officials had no choice but to agree to escort the suspects back to the station before discussing the issue of jurisdiction.
The situation at the scene was clear. The NYPD wasn't going to relinquish its leverage easily, and with the forensics work nearly completed and the suspects already in custody, Hughes and the Secret Service officer understood that taking control of the case on-site was no longer possible. They begrudgingly followed Deputy Chief Montgomery downstairs and got into their respective cars, heading to NYPD headquarters.
The scene had been secured, and Montgomery's arrival meant that the FBI agents and Secret Service personnel hadn't even had a chance to go upstairs, let alone fight for jurisdiction. With the NYPD firmly in control, Hughes and the Secret Service head, dejected, reported to their superiors, hoping that once they reached the police station, they could pressure the NYPD into handing over the case.
Meanwhile, Castle had quietly slipped away during the standoff upstairs, taking with him Ryan and the most crucial witness in the case, the unfortunate Bob Lee Swagger. Even Swagger's "Intervention" sniper rifle, which had been left behind in the building, had been examined by a separate forensic team, confirming it hadn't been fired. The rifle was also brought back to the 12th Precinct.
These pieces of evidence would be critical in implicating Colonel Johnson. Although they wouldn't be enough to take down Senator Charles Hawn, they could certainly bring down Johnson. Swagger still had the serial number of the vehicle Johnson had used when he visited him in the mountains, and now, with five suspects caught red-handed, even if they remained silent, Beckett, who knew the full story and had solid evidence, was in an unbeatable position. Her current stance was just for show.
According to Beckett and Castle's plan, the case would eventually be handed over. The situation was too big, and it ultimately boiled down to a political battle between two parties. Beckett had no interest in fully uncovering the truth—her main goal was to ensure the NYPD emerged unscathed in the media frenzy that would inevitably follow.
Thus, Hughes, still trying to figure out how to wrest the five self-proclaimed CIA agents from the NYPD, was in for a rude awakening. Just like the 3XK serial killer case, where he had taken the case from the NYPD only to come up empty-handed, Hughes would soon realize this case was an enormous trap.
But Hughes was too preoccupied to notice the warning signs. He knew the assassination attempt on Vice President Andrew had happened right before everyone's eyes, and for the FBI, responsible for internal security, this was a major embarrassment.
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