Case 19 - Shedding some light on Ben's time undercover

LA: <Events before The Rookie S1E12, Modern Family S9E13, SWAT S1E10>

NY: <Events 99 before Brooklyn S5E11, Suits S7E12, 1.5 years after Castle S8 finale>

"Is it really necessary to antagonize Mister Specter so much?" Ben asked in a low voice with just Gibbs and a resting stenographer in the room.

"He's a cocky, no-good sleezebag trying to stop us from bringing justice to someone YOU know to be involved in human trafficking," Gibbs countered with a frown.

"You're a US attorney. You, of all people, should respect that even irredeemable criminals deserve representation. It falls on us to prove that they deserve the harsh sentences we know they deserve."

Gibbs looked Ben up and down and commented, "Aren't you a boy scout? I dislike Mister Specter, not because I think Kraft doesn't deserve a lawyer. I dislike Mister Specter because he doesn't play by the rules you respect so much."

Ben still didn't really like the argument, and Anita Gibbs wasn't really his kind of person either, but they idly talked about the cases Ben's mountain of evidence jump started instead of getting personal.

Almost an hour later, Harvey Specter and Katrina Bennett came back into the meeting room with another young, blonde lawyer accompanying them.

"Mike Ross. I never heard back from you about Reform Corp. Did doing the right thing suddenly become too hard?"

"You told me not to bother you because of privilege," Ross countered Gibbs' accusation with furrowed brows.

"Plus, the right men paid for what they did," Specter added with a raised brow.

Gibbs turned to Ben and pointed at the two saying, "Told you. Allegedly, a corporation kept criminals incarcerated illegally to defraud the US government. Yet no charges were brought forward, and they 'know' for sure the right men paid a fair price anyway."

"Yeah, well, you didn't want the case because you said it was a favor for Mike, so you're not going to see me care. And it is not what this deposition is about," Specter argued and turned the camera on again. "Let's continue."

"Detective Weiss. Have you met Christoph Kraft in person?"

"I have."

"Describe the circumstances," Ross instructed.

Ben thought for a moment and answered, "I met Christoph Kraft in person twice after I gained Martin's trust fully. The first time was New Year's Eve 2016 at a party held by Martin Kraft in international waters close to the California coast. Other than him ordering me to bring him a bottle of wine, we didn't talk at all. He did know my code name to be Fuchs, though, which means Martin introduced me as part of the White Front. The next time I met Christoph Kraft was May 31st, 2016, alittle under half a year later, in Camp May, New Jersey. Martin loaned me out to install a security system at a warehouse Christoph bought for his company, CK Energy LTD, since I was on the East Coast for a weapon's delivery. I wasn't able or rather I didn't have the stones to use the backdoor in the system since it would have been illegal corporate espionage and Agent Ford wasn't able to give me the warrant signed by a federal judge... because, you know, Agent Ford was dead at the time. All I did was leave behind the same configuration for a gateway I planted into the systems I configured for Martin. Except, it was dormant and still needed someone with the right expertise to open the gateway on one of the deep web servers I mirrored most of the feeds to."

"Were you paid by Christoph Kraft for services rendered?"

"No, I wasn't. It was part of a deal between the two cousins. And, he got an actual security system installed by an on-the-books company once I was done."

"Did you work as a favor a lot during your time undercover?" Bennett asked, and Ben shrugged.

"I'll tell you what. Martin Kraft did not pay proper taxes or gave us a dental plan. So no, most of the money I used in the five years undercover was petty cash distributed to the group. My standing salary was around a grand for every delivery of a certain size that passed through our group," Ben answered with a small frown. "I've since donated it all to a worthy cause."

"Which has nothing to do with why we froze Christoph Kraft's assets. Get back to what we're here for," Gibbs sternly ordered.

"Did you know what the warehouse was used for? The one in Camp May that you worked in?" Ross inquired after giving Gibbs a look.

"I saw the paperwork for the storage of fossil fuel. But it would have been by the barrel since there were no tanks installed. Admittedly, those could have been installed at a later date. And no, by the time I was finished wiring up the camera server and set it all up, the warehouse was entirely empty."

"Prosecution alleges that the warehouse was used as a distribution center or temporary storage for illegal weaponry. What is your take on that?" Ross asked with another look to Gibbs Ben didn't like.

"I wouldn't know. The use of the warehouse, in my memory, was never provided in my letters to Agent Ford since neither Martin nor Christoph ever told me. I can tell you that the White Front had weapon deliveries that arrived on the East Coast, but I was never able to provide an uniterrupted chain of custody because I didn't do the surveillance for ports, trucks, and, well, the warehouse of Christoph Kraft."

"So, in your own words, you do not know if Christoph's warehouse ever had anything illegal stored?"

"Yes, that's what I just said."

"Alright. Let's summarize: Other than Christoph Kraft knowing your code name in the terrorist group, Mister Kraft was not involved in anything illegal to your knowledge?" Specter inquired with a self-assured grin.

"He didn't fraternize with any of the abducted girls, didn't take any drugs, and never once held an illegal weapon in his hand. So no, he did not do anything illegal in front of me," Ben confirmed with a solemn nod.

"Then, since the video evidence the prosecution has provided was obtained illegally by using a dormant back door you left in all the other systems, meaning the warrant for the bank accounts was provided under false pretenses, you would agree that our client should not be under such scrutiny?"

"The FBI tapped into the video feed without a warrant?" Ben asked as he turned to Anita Gibbs as his eyebrows raised into his hairline.

Gibbs stood up with an annoyed expression and walked outside for a phone call after sitting there with a stunned look for a moment.

"Well, isn't that exciting?" Specter quipped but quickly stopped when he saw Ben's troubled look.

"I admit I truly don't know if Christoph was involved. But the White Front finances illegal militias, sells guns to kids, and, worst of all, bought girls abducted or sold in their home villages, mostly from Eastern Europe, sometimes tourists, and sold them to rich patrons to boost their sales and gain connections or kept them like pets to be abused by the animals of the front. I hope you know what you're doing," Ben supplied with a haunted look. "I only ever managed to free a few of them..."

All three lawyers in front of him looked at Ben with furrowed brows, Mike Ross and Katrina Bennett more so than Harvey Specter.

"Yes, well, but you still don't know if Christoph Kraft knew about it or worked with his cousin," Specter eventually argued, though without his usual bravado.

"Like I said, I hope you know what YOU are doing," Ben countered with a deep-seated frown.

"How many girls?" Ross asked in a quiet voice after he reached to turn off the camera and gave the stenographer a look.

"In five years, I saw 21, heard about 37, and freed only 4 if we don't count the three from the shop in LA," Ben explained and leaned forward, continuing to speak in a whisper, "And if you ask me again, I'll deny it, but I killed three of the worst animals of the front when I could get away with it on international waters. It was the only thing that kept me sane. And yet, I still see all of them whenever I do nothing for too long, at least a few times a week."

The four pairs of eyes on Ben widened considerably at his admission.

"How could you get away with it without blowing your cover?" Bennett asked after her horrified look slowly settled into a similarly haunted look that Ben had before.

"By tampering with digital evidence, secretly handing out burner phones to the girls and giving instructions on deliberate holes in the security of the places those girls were held," Ben mumbled while reminiscing about the few times he failed to get the girls out with a sad look.

"You're done here," Gibbs ordered Ben as she got back into the room with a tight frown a minute later.

The LAPD detective looked at the lawyers sitting opposite him and shrugged.

"I'd look into whatever idiot at the FBI got the videos without the warrant or whoever ordered that idiot to do it. If Special Agent Ford didn't open the case for the White Front on the up and up, he did it because someone in the FBI was in Martin Kraft's pocket. They got to a senator, a state governor, and Marine colonels. I never had reason to suspect they had someone in law enforcement because Special Agent Ford never said anything about it," Ben advised as he passed Gibbs on the way outside. "Look if there's any connections between those fools and the ones who investigated Governor Murray. Only Murray's secretary was arrested, but I know for a fact Murray knew everything his secretary knew."

Before he reached the elevators, Mike Ross stopped him.

"In your opinion, how would you rate the chances that Christoph Kraft knew nothing about the human trafficking?" Ross asked in a low voice.

"Are you asking me as a concerned citizen or his lawyer?" Ben countered as he looked Ross up and down.

"Look, you see me as a corporate lawyer ready to suck some blood and sell my soul for money, but I see myself as a genuinely good person. And I don't want to work for someone who helps sell girls to rich psychopaths," Ross argued back a little more hotly than he wanted.

Ben considered for a moment and answered with a sigh, "I want nothing to do with anyone named Kraft in this life or the next. He might be what he says he is. He might even be the one who financed Martin in the first place. What I do know is that I would never take anything Christoph Kraft told me at face value. Even if we stood outside and he told me the sky is blue. His cousin Martin made sure of that."

As they waited, Ben added in a mumble, "This world is a dark place. I wish Christoph is not involved because otherwise it would mean he got away with it thanks to whoever helped him in the FBI and hired you. I wish Christoph was simply born into the wrong family and didn't build his fortune by bribing the right people with innocent girls his cousin stole out of their homes."

The elevator came up, and Ben entered it with a short, final nod toward Ross.

"I feel like dropping CK Energy as a client," a blonde woman told the lone lawyer standing in front of the elevator as she appeared behind him as the door closed.

"Did you get a look at his face, Katrina? I almost want to quit and join the attorney's office myself to prosecute Christoph Kraft," Ross countered with a tight frown and shuddered. "I'll have to talk to Harvey to see if we can drop them after this. I feel like I need to take a shower."

"You and me both, Mike," Harvey Specter interjected as he appeared behind the two with his coat in his hand.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked.

"To get some answers."

-----

With a severely dampened mood, especially since chances were high that Christoph Kraft was in New York with his lawyers getting him involved in his trial preparation, Ben thought about what his options were. As he walked down the busy Manhattan street outside the highrise admist light snowfall, Ben took out his phone.

"*Hicks.*"

"Hey, Commander. I just learned that the FBI fumbled the investigation into Christoph Kraft, and all evidence against him is tainted and inadmissible like it happened with Governor Murray. Do you know anything about that?"

"*I hadn't heard, but I'll reach out to my contacts at the FBI. How did you find out?*" SWAT Commander Hicks asked back.

"A big corporate NYC law firm took over the case for Kraft. They deposed me since the trial against Kraft was about to start before a grand jury in early March."

"*That means Kraft is in New York. Look out for yourself, Ben,*" Hicks advised and dropped the call.

Just as Ben wanted to call Emilia to get a confirmation on Anna's well-being, a black limousine with tinted glasses stopped next to Ben.

"Ugh, again?" Ben mumbled as the window at the back started opening.

<Cast: [special guest star] Christoph Waltz as Kraft>

Christoph Kraft, an impeccably dressed man with leisurely swept back, greying hair and neat beard, finished a phone call and turned to Ben with a friendly smile.

"Fuchs, or should I call you Detective Weiss? Please join me for a short moment. There's some bad air between the two of us that I feel like we should get rid off, and the cold is not suitable."

Ben subconsciously checked the gun on his side and kept the phone in his pocket, though he dialed Hicks again and turned down the volume so nothing would be heard from his pocket.

"Mister Kraft, I still need to get to work, and I don't have time for a trip down memory lane," Ben countered in palpable apprehension.

"We'll stay parked. It won't take long. I promise," Mister Kraft shot back and opened the door - his friendly smile ever-present.

Gritting his teeth, Ben did as asked.

"You might think I'm some inhuman monster or that I despise you for your hand in my cousin's... downfall. But I assure you, I am a reputable businessman," Christoph explained cheerfully after Ben sat down next to him, and the cold air was warded off once more with the car door closed. "And Martin got what he deserved."

Any kind of confession he would get through clever wording would be counted as entrapment or be labeled as unlawful recording - Ben only called Hicks for his own protection - so Ben didn't even bother to fish for information.

"Is that what you wanted to tell me? Your lawyer deposes me, the FBI curiously gains all evidence against you unlawfully, and now I'm supposed to think you're a saint? You knew the White Front wasn't just like-minded racists finding other friendly neighborhood racists for BBQ events," Ben argued with a little more steam than he intended. Seeing Christoph Kraft made him inexplicably nervous.

"I implored Martin repeatedly to shut down his more unsavory business practices," Christoph countered with a small frown and a regretful tinge in his voice as he likely talked about the trafficked girls. "But I-"

Before he could continue, the door Ben entered through was opened, and Harvey Specter entered the car that was thankfully room-y enough to seat the three grown men for a talk.

"You told me nothing about a slave trade, and now you're threatening a witness working in law enforcement!? And minutes after you knew I had him appear in my firm for your case!?" Specter exclaimed angrily. "I knew it was too good to be true when you came to me with your entire business over a simple weapons smuggling charge!"

"Please, do calm down, Harvey," Christoph Kraft advised with a serene smile as if he wasn't talking to two people who were angry at him. "This is not some form of intimidation, bribery, or anything of that kind. In fact, I wanted to thank Mister Weiss here for being meticulous, above-board, and impartial. He knew my relation to Martin and still never embellished my involvement in the White Front's business in his letters."

"You still had weapons in that Camp May warehouse! I got the evidence thrown out just now, but someone in the FBI helped you cover it up!" Specter shouted back.

"Through no fault of my own, I assure you. Martin had Greif, his right hand leading the logistics of his operation, put those weapons there aided by one of his men - who had since been terminated from my employ - and who had leaked the empty status of this particular warehouse," Kraft somberly explained with a shrug.

"Very convenient," Specter sneered.

"I think I've heard enough," Ben noted with a small frown.

"Ah yes. Like I mentioned before, thank you, Detective Weiss. No hard feelings. Bitte vertrau mir, wenn ich dir sage, dass du keine Konsequenzen von mir oder meiner Fraktion zu befürchten hast. Du hast bloß deine Arbeit getan. Wichtige Arbeit, die die richtigen Leute zur Rechenschaft zieht... und nun beendet ist. Und wie ich bereits sagte, Martins Ethik hatte viel Raum für Verbesserung. [Please trust me when I say you do not need to fear any consequences from me or my faction. Providing all the evidence was simply your job. Important work that holds the right people accountable... and is now finished. And as I said before, Martin's ethics had a lot of room for improvement.]"

Specter exited the car together with Ben after Christoph Kraft's parting words and stood there for a moment.

"I'm safe," Ben said into his phone and hung up after Hicks acknowledged his safety.

"Believe me, I didn't share the exact time of this meeting with him so he could threaten you," Specter told Ben, who had a small frown on his face as he watched Kraft's car drive away.

"Yeah, well, I'll feature you in the suicide note I'll be forced to write when he has his men take me off the streets if you calling on me results in me being forced to take a part in the trial," Ben shot back in mock jest and walked away without looking at the conflicted look on the lawyer's face. "But maybe he was being genuine just now. I'll know if my family is alive when I'm in LA again."

"What happened?" Ross asked as he ran toward Specter, who was just standing there.

"We either got in bed with the nicest criminal in the world or a world-class sociopath who was actually taken advantage of by his sociopath family," Specter answered. "I don't know which one I dislike more..."

-----

Ben rejoined Rosa and Amy at the stake-out for Hector Fisher, the alleged drug supplier. But his head wasn't really in the game the entire day, which both NYPD detectives noticed.