As mentioned earlier, Frank Moses was never a saint. After realizing that the people attacking him were not sent by Vice President Andrew to silence him, but rather were Charles Hahn and Johnson working behind the scenes, he and his companions still decided to target Andrew. This was primarily due to a mindset of "offensive defense" and a proactive strategy. However, this didn't mean Frank would remain indifferent when faced with the real culprits who disrupted his peaceful retirement.
After all, Frank had been living quite comfortably, spending his days casually flirting with Sarah over the phone. Though the recent events had finally brought them together, and Sarah found excitement in the thrilling life Frank led even in retirement, this was no excuse for Johnson to ruin Frank's plans.
Thus, when Frank accidentally spotted Johnson, he decisively paused his investigation and quietly stalked him, vowing to make Johnson pay.
Marvin and Victoria fully supported Frank's decision, even considering it a stroke of luck. With tensions running high between the elephants and donkeys—neither side willing to make the first move—Johnson's appearance gave the group a perfect opportunity to take out one of the mastermind's pawns, satisfying their anger.
Colonel Johnson had no idea that the plot he and Charles Hahn had meticulously crafted was exposed before it even began. When he rushed to New York to cover up his tracks, he ran straight into Frank Moses, who was scouting the area.
After coordinating with the others by phone, Frank quietly infiltrated the building where Johnson was hiding.
Johnson, caught off guard and without a contingency plan, had little security. He only brought three men with him to New York to handle matters close by. In their haste, they let their guard down. By the time Frank and Marvin reached their location, Johnson's men were oblivious to the danger.
For two seasoned operatives like Frank and Marvin, quietly taking out Johnson's men was child's play. In fact, when Frank stood behind Johnson, who was observing the FBI's New York field office through binoculars, Johnson hadn't even noticed him.
However, Johnson, a former CIA chief for African affairs, felt something was wrong as a strange tension filled the room. When he lowered his binoculars and turned around, he was shocked to see Frank Moses and Marvin Boggs standing behind him, staring at him coldly as if he were already dead.
The unexpected turn of events almost made Colonel Johnson wet himself. In the movie Shooter that Richard Castle had seen in his past life, Johnson had been defiant, even in front of the Attorney General. But that was because Johnson knew the Attorney General had to play by the rules of law. Now, faced with Frank and Marvin—two men who had no respect for rules or laws—he was terrified.
As Johnson racked his brain, trying to come up with a reason to save his life, Marvin cut him off by raising his gun. With a dissatisfied tone, Marvin said to Frank, "Why are you even talking to this scumbag? Do you really want to hear how he planned to ruin our retirement?"
Just as Johnson opened his mouth to plead, a gunshot rang out. His vision went black, and he knew no more.
Frank was a bit stunned. He had intended to question Johnson about his plan with Senator Charles Hahn from Montana, but Marvin, acting more erratic than ever, had simply shot Johnson dead—right across the street from the FBI's New York field office, no less. This was asking for trouble!
Without wasting time to reprimand his increasingly unhinged partner, Frank quickly searched Johnson's body, found a satellite phone, and then he and Marvin swiftly left the scene.
Things were now unfolding in a way that even Richard Castle hadn't anticipated, and it was unclear whether this turn of events would be good or bad.
Castle had no idea that the unlucky Colonel Johnson had been killed by Frank and Marvin in a nearby building. At the moment, Castle was on the phone with his daughter. Thanks to Beckett's reminder, he realized he hadn't been paying enough attention to her lately. So, he decided to invite her to the estate for the weekend.
Since the estate was large and he wasn't going to be personally involved in anything over the next couple of days—Frank and his team were handling the Vice President Andrew's fundraising dinner—Castle figured it was the perfect time to spend some quality time with his daughter. He also planned to introduce her to his friends Mozzie and Neal.
If Castle's hunch was right, Beckett would return later that afternoon with Bob Lee Swagger, who was going to testify at the FBI. Castle was already imagining hosting a small party on the estate's lawn.
But then a call from Beckett shattered his plans: "Castle, there's been an incident. A murder occurred just across from the FBI's New York field office, and the victim is none other than former CIA Africa chief Colonel Johnson. Bob has positively identified him as the one who lured him out of the mountains."
Castle was stunned. "What? Colonel Johnson is dead? Right across from the FBI building? What happened?"
Beckett explained: "We had just arrived at the FBI when agents responded to a report of a gunshot from the building across the street. When they went to investigate, they found Johnson dead, shot in the head, and his two bodyguards knocked out. After reviving the guards, they confirmed the dead man was indeed Colonel Johnson, the mastermind behind yesterday's shooting. It looks like he was spying on the FBI's security setup, possibly targeting the five suspects we arrested yesterday.
"Some witnesses reported seeing two old men leaving the scene. One was bald, around sixty, and the other had white hair, at least in his sixties as well. Although the agents handling the case are skeptical, the witnesses were adamant. Strangely, despite all the cameras in the building, there's no footage of these two suspects."
By now, Castle understood perfectly. Those "old men" were undoubtedly Frank and Marvin, who had somehow tracked down Johnson and taken him out. But now that Johnson was dead, Charles Hahn could distance himself from the entire mess. How had things gone so wrong?
Castle was silent for a long time. Beckett, sensing something was off, asked, "Castle, are you hiding something from me? Do you know who those two suspects are?"
Castle had no intention of hiding the truth from Beckett: "Remember the old man who came to my estate last night, the one I treated with the utmost respect? I'll explain everything when you get back..."
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