Castillo turned up the volume as they watched the end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. This had been a tradition in the Castillo household for as long as they were married. It was a tradition that Sharon’s family had always done and Castillo had embraced, adopting it as theirs as well. They sat in silence watching as Santa Claus passed by, waving at the parade goers. And with that, the official start of the Christmas season began.
Once the parade had ended, Castillo muted the television and turned the remote towards the home stereo system where an assortment of Christmas music waited. As Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song echoed through the room, Sharon and Jessica returned upstairs, while Castillo turned the muted television to the NFL pregame show. The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles were set to square off in about a half hours time.
Castillo reflected on the many lives he and his partners had saved. There were people at the parade and at the football game who had no idea how close they came to having their lives in imminent peril.
Thank God those were averted; as well as the attacks in California, Chicago, and Minnesota.
*
The parade had gone off without a hitch, just as Sergeant Galvin had promised. It was not only an enjoyable detail to work, but they were being dismissed early enough to have Thanksgiving dinner with their families. Keegan backed the white and blue van into the parking lot of the Six-Seven precinct before two o’clock. Before anyone of his officers had the chance to get out, Galvin turned around. “Guys, have a great dinner with your families. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“You too, Sarge,” was said almost collectively.
The rookies went in different directions. Some hurried to the locker room, others took their time. Andre Williams didn’t even bother to head to the locker room. He went directly to the parking lot in full uniform. Keegan figured he must have really wanted to get home quickly.
Keegan, Cathy Quinn, and Sergeant Galvin walked into the precinct together. Quinn addressed the question that many of the other cops shared. “Do you think anybody realizes what could have happened today if it wasn’t for you guys?”
Galvin shook his head. “Some do, Cathy. Most don’t, and probably never will. Now that the parade is over and there have been no terrorist attacks, I’d bet the government will release a statement saying that it thwarted an attack, but the citizens were never in any danger.”
Quinn seemed to take offense to this. “Well, that’s bullshit! If it wasn’t for the two of you…”
Galvin interrupted her. “Cathy, you have to realize how the game is played. We are on the frontlines and every now and then we become involved in something a lot bigger than us. We pass it along to the top brass…or in this case Washington DC. They’ll spin it however it needs to be spun.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let it get to you. The sooner you see how things are really done, the better off you’ll be on this job.”
She nodded although not convincingly as he continued. “Go home and be with your families now. You two are going home to your families, aren’t you?” he asked with a grin.
Keegan felt his face go a bit flush at the insinuation. He thought back to the look on Galvin’s face when Cathy walked out of his bathroom in nothing more than a towel. Still, he had to be a good sport about the good natured ribbing. “Yeah, Sarge, we’re going home to our families. I’m going to Cathy’s house, and she’s going to mine.”
Galvin laughed. “Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow evening.”
Galvin approached the desk to sign out as the two cops said their goodbyes and parted ways for their respective locker rooms.
Keegan had barely started to get changed when he heard an unfamiliar voice calling from the doorway of the locker room. “Keeeegaaan?”
Keegan walked towards the stairwell where a uniformed cop called out to him. The cop worked the four to midnight tour, although Keegan couldn’t remember his name. “Sergeant Galvin told me to come down here to get you. He said to make sure you see him before you leave.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Keegan closed his locker and walked back upstairs. He was still in full uniform sans his gunbelt. He approached the desk, where Galvin was on the phone.
Galvin clearly noticed Keegan approaching, hung up the phone, and handed Keegan a piece of paper. Keegan read it:
Notification to appear
Police Officer Timothy Keegan
Office of the Police Commissioner
Friday November 28, 0900 hours
He stared at the notification for a lot longer than it took to read, trying to figure out the implications. “What’s this about, Sarge?”
Galvin shook his head and offered Keegan another piece of paper. “I don’t know Tim, but I have one too.”
Keegan’s heart beat a little faster. His mind began to race. “Why would we have to go see the PC? Did we do something wrong? Maybe we shouldn’t have told anybody about the terrorist plot at the parade.”
Galvin didn’t seem nearly as nervous. “I don’t think that’s it, but whatever it is, you can bet your life that it does have something to do with all of this and the incident last week where that guy tried to kill us…or at least you.”
A lump settled in the back of Keegan’s throat at the thought. A week later, and it was still quite unnerving that he had been the target of a suicide bomber. What if there were others out there who still wanted him dead?
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see tomorrow, Tim.”
Then Keegan had an idea. “Maybe there’s someone who I can call that may know.” Keegan took out his wallet and retrieved a business card. He then dialed the cell phone number of Louis Castillo.
*
It was midway through the third quarter, when Castillo’s thoughts were interrupted. Sharon called from upstairs. “Louie, your cell phone is ringing.”
Castillo glanced at the screen to see a score of ten to seven, and he realized that he had no idea how either team had scored. “I’m coming, Sharon. Answer it for me.”
Castillo reached the staircase with Sharon already halfway down holding the phone out to him. “Who is it?”
Sharon shrugged her shoulders, “He said to tell you it was Tim calling.”
As Sharon Castillo handed her husband the phone, curiosity got the better of her and she listened to her husband’s side of the conversation from the top of the staircase.
“I assure you that it’s nothing bad.”
After a brief pause, “Santoro summoned me into his office already. He’s probably going to remind you to keep your mouth shut about this case and once again tell you that it’s a matter of national security. Nothing more than that…and certainly nothing bad...I promise.”
Castillo’s face slowly reddened. “No, Tim! That’s not something that you can ask the Police Commissioner about! Remember who he is and remember—hero of the day or not—you’re still nothing more than a cop.”
It was obvious to Sharon that her husband was beginning to breath a bit more deliberate as he continued, “Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Tim.”
Castillo hung up after what was less than a three minute phone call yet all of the stress which had left his body had returned. He could feel the angst building up. He walked up the stairs and looked at Sharon in disbelief. “Do you know who that was?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Tim?”
“Yeah, it was Tim…as in Timothy Keegan.”
Castillo could see from Sharon’s eyes that she now understood. “James Keegan’s son?”
“One in the same.”
“What did he want?” The concern was evident in her voice.
He began to pace the floor. “He called under the pretence of wondering why Commissioner Santoro had summoned him to headquarters tomorrow morning, but then he went on about how since he was already there and in good graces right now because of how everything turned out, that he would ask Santoro about reopening his father’s murder case.”
�
��Oh my God. That’s not good!”
“Tell me about it. I think I convinced him for now not to bring it to Santoro’s attention. I promised Santoro that I’d keep Keegan under control, but this kid is hell bent on putting his nose where he shouldn’t.”
Castillo shook his head as he reflected on the past. “Do you know the irony here, Sharon?” He continued as the question had been rhetorical. The decision to cover up his father’s murder was mine and mine alone. They all knew that I was lying, but went along with it. But we had different reasons for maintaining our lies. They were all politicians once they got that high up in the department. Had the truth come out, they would all have lost their jobs and the NYPD would have had a huge scandal on its hands. That’s why they lied.”
Castillo walked past his wife to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed feeling defeated. “I lied because even though I hated James Keegan and what he was doing, he’d been murdered. If I came out and told the truth, his family would have forfeited all of his pension and benefits. I didn’t think it would be right to make them pay for his sins. In essence, I lied to protect a seven or eight year old Timothy Keegan and the rest of his family. The quirk of fate is that the very same child I protected, is going to be the once to cost me my pension.”
Before Sharon could even offer her comfort the doorbell rang. Jessica called out from the living room. “Grandma and grandpa are here.”
Castillo looked up at his wife and put his best game face on. “Happy Thanksgiving love; let’s go greet your parents.”
Castillo offered his hand which Sharon accepted, and they walked back downstairs to the living room. Castillo’s eyes softened and he put on a big smile. As Jessica finished giving her grandparents a kiss, Castillo welcomed his in-laws. “Hey Jack…Rose, great to see you. How was the traffic?”
Chapter 18
For Brooklyn born Ray Santoro, being named the Police Commissioner of the greatest city in the world had been a dream come true. Ever since the day he’d raised his right hand and took the oath of office to become a New York City Police Officer (nearly thirty years ago), he had set his sights on the position. He wasn’t unrealistic though. He knew that it was going to be a long shot, but with each promotion his dream came one step closer, culminating with his appointment last January.
Santoro was somewhat surprised at his appointment as the prior Chief of Department seemed to have the inside track after the Mayoral election. Santoro was the first Chief of Detectives in the history of the department to become the Commissioner. Santoro knew that there was no denying his credentials though. He was well spoken, a good leader, and knew what it took to run the department. None of that mattered right now.
So far, his tenure as Commissioner has been largely problem free. But it only takes one problem to unseat even the most competent politician, and Santoro realized that his job was one of politics as much as it was one of policing.
Unfortunately, Santoro was now wrestling with two major dilemmas; the first was the threat of a terrorist attack. It seems like the threat had been neutralized and all parties arrested, but the threat still remained. The second dilemma was much trickier; the cover up into the murder of a police officer—the bag of shit which Detective Castillo dumped in my lap.
While the terrorist attack clearly took precedence, the conspiracy to hide Lieutenant Keegan’s involvement with a terrorist organization was just as dangerous for Santoro, maybe even more so he felt.
The people of the city would not hold him personally accountable for a terrorist attack. In truth, depending on how he handled the aftermath, he could even be hailed as a hero and a great leader by the public once the smoke cleared. A police cover up, however…he knew that the buck stopped with him on that. Had he never been made aware of it that would be one thing, but courtesy of Detective Castillo, he was made all too aware. If there was any way to eschew the issue, he would, but Castillo had made that option seem rather unlikely.
Santoro picked up the phone on his desk and placed a call. Once it was answered, “Phil, as soon as Sergeant Galvin and Officer Keegan get here, let me know.”
He set the receiver back down and glanced at the old fashioned clock on the wall of his office. The big white face and black numerals reminded him of the clocks they’d had in the elementary schools which he’d attended so many years ago.
8:40, they should be here soon.
Santoro walked to the corner of his office and poured himself a cup of coffee from a freshly brewed pot. He added two sugars and just enough half and half to lighten it a shade or two. A quick taste to make sure it met his approval and he placed it on his desk. The consummate professional that he was, Santoro removed his light brown suit jacket from the coat rack behind his door and put it on before the officers arrived.
Santoro knew that the next half hour would give him good insight into the mind of Timothy Keegan. His assessment of Keegan would help him make the decision whether to heed Castillo’s advice, or to come clean to the press while making Castillo the fall guy—and in Santoro’s mind, rightfully so. He’d premeditated what he’d tell the officers the purpose for them being summoned was, and he was pretty sure they would buy it. The truth, however, was so that Santoro could gauge for himself what kind of threat Officer Keegan could be to his career.
Santoro picked up the phone as soon as it rang. “Send them in.”
Santoro adjusted his two-toned blue Duchamp tie and stood as the men entered, escorted by a uniformed Inspector.
*
Keegan and Galvin entered the Police Commissioner’s office, both with the hats of their dress blues in hand.
Santoro shook each man’s hand and then waved an open hand in front of his desk. “Gentlemen, have a seat.”
They did.
Keegan studied the man. He had seen Santoro almost on a weekly basis on television and once at his graduation ceremony from the Police Academy, but never this close up. Aside from the fact that he was shorter than Keegan believed him to be from television, Santoro was as impeccable up close as he was from a distance. He had a dark olive complexion with a strong jaw line and light brown eyes. Keegan figured with the amount of hairspray in Santoro’s full head of black hair, he’d be able to walk through a wind tunnel without a single hair flinching.
“I’m sure you guys have an idea why I’ve asked you to come see me today.”
Asked…we were ordered, immediately popped into Keegan’s head, but he knew better than to say it.
Galvin responded instead. “Yes sir. I’m sure it has to do with the incident that Officer Keegan and I were involved with.” Keegan noted a bit of shakiness in Galvin’s voice. Keegan realized that he wasn’t alone in being nervous to see the PC.
Santoro nodded. “You guys did a great job. Between stopping the suicide bomber and then getting the other terrorist in Chicago to cooperate, you guys saved many lives.”
As soon as Santoro mentioned the interrogation in Chicago, Keegan was conscious to his eyes tapering. He hadn’t intended to do so; it was more involuntary, but he was sure that Santoro had noticed it too as he paused and stared at Keegan momentarily.
Then he continued. “I don’t have to remind you that this is still an ongoing investigation and that it’s a matter of national security. With that being said, Washington will paint it however they feel is in the best interest of the country. Anything you may have heard or have been told while you were in Chicago may not be repeated…to anybody.”
He paused once again. “From our end, however, while we may not acknowledge publically the exact role you guys played…” Santoro looked directly at Keegan before he continued, “…especially you Tim and your trip to Chicago, we will recognize you two as best we can. I am personally going to make sure that you both receive the Department Medal of Honor at next year’s Medal Day ceremonies.”
Keegan could see Galvin’s eyes widen. While Keegan didn’t really know just yet about the different names for all of the medals that the NYPD had, he was familiar with this
one. It was awarded to his father, posthumously, the June following his execution, back in 1995. Tim Keegan had gone to the Medal Day ceremony and watched as his mother had accepted the medal on his father’s behalf. Even as a rookie, Keegan knew this was quite an honor. There was just something that didn’t seem on the level about it though. Keegan couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering him about the whole scenario. It was something about Santoro’s demeanor; nothing more than a hunch on Keegan’s part, but it just didn’t feel right to him.
Santoro continued. “They’ll be no mention of Chicago, what the terrorist said to you guys, or what he told the FBI. Like I said, that has to be kept confidential. Instead, I’ll award it to the both of you for stopping the suicide bomber and leave it at that.”
Once again Galvin was quick to respond. “Thank you sir; this is quite an honor.”
Keegan knew enough to follow suit. “Thank you, Commissioner. Did you know my dad received the same medal when he was killed by the Mid-Eastern radicals?” intentionally stressing Mid-Eastern.
“Yes. I’m aware of that.” Santoro’s response came at the same time that Galvin kicked him under the desk. That was followed by Galvin placing a cautionary hand on Keegan’s knee.
All Keegan wanted was the truth, but everyone seemed to be telling him not to search for it. Detective Castillo had been adamant that he not bring it up with the Police Commissioner and Sergeant Galvin had echoed those sentiments as well in the car ride to headquarters. Keegan weighed the pros and cons of being more direct.
I may never have another chance of speaking to the Police Commissioner face to face again. I have to ask. He’ll listen to me now…he’s calling us heroes. If not now, I may never get the chance again.
Keegan could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he tried to work up the nerve to ask if he could have the case reopened. Galvin’s kick had shut him up, if only temporarily. He didn’t know himself what he was going to do. He trusted Galvin’s instincts unequivocally though.
Legacy and Redemption Page 19