No matter what you do, if someone puts your actions under a microscope, they're guaranteed to find flaws.
But if the FBI rigidly followed every single rule and regulation to the letter, they wouldn't be able to solve a single case. They might as well just disband.
Some things seem completely insignificant until you actually put them on the scale, and then suddenly they weigh a ton.
Neal glared at Saul. This blatant threat infuriated him, pushing him to the absolute edge of losing control.
Yet Saul just stood there wearing an incredibly smug, punchable smirk, practically begging Neal to hit him.
The second Neal threw a punch, Saul would seize the moral high ground and completely destroy the FBI in the press.
To suppress the resulting media firestorm, the FBI would highly likely cut a deal with Saul, leaving Neal holding the bag and completely ruined.
This was the classic playbook: if you can't solve the problem, solve the person pointing out the problem. Saul was an absolute master at it.
Ultimately, Neal chose to swallow his rage. He wasn't about to throw away his career for a few seconds of satisfaction.
As a result, Neal had no choice but to watch helplessly as Saul Goodman escorted Johnny Tran straight out of the Los Angeles FBI Field Office.
It was absolutely infuriating!
Just then, Neal's phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Lawson's number.
In an incredibly foul mood, Neal answered.
"Is uncle home today?"
"Uncle is in the hospital."
"Agent Neal, you sound a bit stressed."
"If you have something, say it! Stop wasting my time!"
Neal's tone was incredibly hostile.
"It's about what you mentioned earlier this morning."
That instantly flipped Neal's attitude completely.
"Lawson, you got a lead?"
"Uh-huh! I got my hands on a video involving the owner of that Korean restaurant. Interested?"
"What's on it?"
"The Korean guy executing a Bonanno family capo with a gun."
Neal nearly jumped out of his chair. Lawson's words completely stunned him.
"What? Are you serious? Where the hell did you get that video?"
"Don't worry about where I got it. I guarantee the footage is 100% legit!"
Neal looked through his office window at Saul Goodman and Johnny Tran, who were currently giving an interview to the press outside. He bit his lip hard.
"Send that video to my secure email right now! I need to see it immediately! Right fucking now!"
"Sir, what about my intel fee?"
"I'm wiring the money right now! Just send the damn video!"
Neal looked exactly like a desperate rookie begging for a pirated movie link on an internet forum. His face was twisted with intense urgency.
Lawson, currently standing right outside the FBI Field Office, watched this entire scene unfold perfectly.
Yeah, Lawson had witnessed Saul Goodman's little stunt firsthand.
The absolute best way to draw Francis's attention away from Megan was to stir up massive chaos around the Korean restaurant massacre.
Plus, Bonus Objective 2 for the 'Family' job explicitly required Johnny Tran to face appropriate punishment. Since Bonus Objective 1 had already failed because of Brian's arrest, Lawson absolutely couldn't afford to fail the second one.
If Johnny Tran got released and immediately skipped town, Lawson would be completely screwed.
Therefore, keeping Johnny Tran locked up inside the FBI building was the absolute smartest play.
Neal frantically rushed back toward his office, nearly plowing into a colleague on the way.
"Hey, Neal! Rushing to meet Jesus?"
"Shut up, Arthur! I don't have the time or the mood to deal with your shit right now!"
Sean Arthur threw his hands up, looking completely innocent.
"Acting like I actually want to argue with you! Heard you picked a fight with Saul Goodman? You have phenomenal luck!"
Like the old saying goes: good news stays home, bad news travels a thousand miles.
Saul Goodman hadn't been in the building long, but every single FBI agent already knew exactly what happened.
Sean and Neal had a long-standing rivalry, so Sean obviously wasn't going to pass up a chance to rub it in.
Unfortunately for him, Neal genuinely had zero interest in a dick-measuring contest right now, especially since he suddenly held the winning hand.
"Piss off! Get out of my way!"
Neal stormed into his office and immediately deadbolted the door.
That action left Sean genuinely confused.
"Weird. Did he take such a massive hit to his ego that his brain actually broke?"
Right then, Jane Banner walked up and greeted Sean.
"Sir, an informant just reported that the Bonanno family is actively hunting a Fox News anchor named Megan Kelly."
(Poor Franklin got completely ignored)
"Megan Kelly? The name rings a bell! She's that blonde news anchor, right? Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen her on TV lately. Is she a missing person?"
"Neither the LAPD nor our office has received a formal missing persons report."
"That's highly suspicious! Jane, this feels incredibly sketchy. Look into it immediately!"
"Yes, sir. I'll start gathering intel right now."
"Get on it. I'm going to grab a coffee, then I'll be right there."
Sean shot one last confused glance at Neal's locked door, then shook his head and walked away.
Inside his office, Neal logged into his secure email and opened the video Lawson sent.
The footage clearly showed Johnny Tran and his crew gunning down the Bonanno family capos. It also perfectly captured Alberto Bruno's presence, along with the capos aligned with Francis performing their blood oath executions.
This single video was more than enough to arrest every single person in the room.
However, the video had absolutely zero audio and contained obvious jump cuts.
This was a highly calculated move by Lawson. Heavily edited footage was notoriously difficult to use as direct evidence in court, but it was absolutely sufficient for the FBI to hold Johnny Tran in custody.
By stripping the audio, the footage completely failed to implicate Francis Ricci, ensuring Lawson's 'In the Name of the Father' job remained totally unaffected.
Watching the video, Neal became intensely excited. He instantly wired $10,000 into Lawson's account, transferred the video file to a laptop, and sprinted out of his office.
This time, Neal was going to drag Johnny Tran back inside right in front of Saul Goodman's smug face!
Incredibly lucky for Neal, the highly arrogant Saul was still outside soaking up the media spotlight. If they had just left, Neal would have had to waste serious time hunting them down.
Seeing Neal marching over with a squad of FBI agents, Saul actually tried to introduce him to the press.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the lead FBI investigator handling Mr. Tran's case. He is an incredibly reasonable man who understands exactly how things work."
Neal completely ignored the sarcasm. He wore a faint, chilling smile that made Saul's instincts scream that something was horribly wrong.
Sure enough, Neal's next sentence completely wiped the smug smirk off Saul's face.
"Mr. Goodman, I'm afraid you won't be leaving with Mr. Tran today. We require his continued assistance with our investigation."
"Agent Neal, what possible evidence do you possess that justifies detaining my client further?"
"I just received a highly interesting video. Care to take a look?"
Since the evidence was confidential, Saul had no choice but to follow Neal back inside the FBI building to view the laptop.
After watching the footage, the shark lawyer executed a flawless face-change, morphing from smug arrogance to intense outrage.
"This video has clearly been spliced and heavily edited!"
"True, but the continuous, uncut shot of Johnny Tran gunning down the victims is crystal clear."
Neal smiled triumphantly.
"I will continue to fight for my client's constitutional rights!"
"Be my guest! But Johnny Tran is staying exactly where he is."
(Jane Banner)