Chương 119: Roosevelt's Late Night Living Room

2: 30 a. m., 49 East 65th Street, Manhattan.

The rain was still falling, but the Roosevelt family villa was brightly lit.

Since the Westbury Inquiry Commission was launched, the governor has been working late into the night almost every day.

He was waiting for an opportunity, one that could utterly destroy the Tammany Association without triggering a full-blown backlash from Irish voters.

Two cars parked one after the other at the entrance.

The housekeeper was startled when he opened the door.

Arthur stood at the front, followed by two bodyguards as tall as iron towers, who were dragging three men covered in mud and tightly bound.

Arthur calmly introduced himself: "I am Arthur Kennedy. I have urgent business with Mr. Franklin Roosevelt."

The butler recognized Arthur, but hesitated for a moment upon seeing the commotion: "Mr. Kennedy, what's going on? I need to report this to you."

Arthur pointed to the three men on the ground: "Please tell the governor that I've caught the arsonist, Danny Costello. And there's evidence that Walker hired someone to commit the murder."

Five minutes later, the door opened.

Arthur had Danny, the short man, and the driver dragged into the foyer, then took the envelope and went into the living room.

Roosevelt sat in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs, a cigarette holder in his hand. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Arthur, you always manage to surprise me. What's going on?"

Without a word, Arthur stepped forward and handed the rain-soaked envelope to Roosevelt.

"Governor, these are the men Walker sent to kill me half an hour ago, and these are the ones we found on them."

Roosevelt took the envelope.

He first noticed the glaring words "Mayor's Office, City Hall," frowned, and then pulled out the contents.

Two train tickets to Chicago for 6 a. m. tomorrow.

A stack of brand-new US dollar bills with consecutive serial numbers.

Roosevelt stared at the evidence, gently stroking the envelope. Then, he looked at Arthur and calmly analyzed, "This looks like Jimmy Walker's work. It seems our Sir Mayor is in a hurry. Your report on detonators has driven him to a corner. He's trying to solve the problem in the most foolish way possible."

Arthur pointed towards the foyer, his tone still tinged with anger: "Of those three, Danny had a gun with a silencer. If I hadn't been on guard, I'd be lying in an alley on 42nd Street right now."

Roosevelt nodded. He knew this was more than just a criminal case; if made public, it would be a high-explosive political bomb.

Walker used public funds to hire a killer and even planned an escape route. The evidence is irrefutable, leaving no room for denial.

"Louis!" Roosevelt called over his advisor, Louis Howe.

This advisor had been a follower of Roosevelt since the early days of his political career and was one of his most trusted advisors. He later became the director of the White House Secretariat and was a core figure in Roosevelt's close "White House clique."

Roosevelt ordered him, "Call Samuel. Call LaGuardia. And call Elizabeth. Tell them to come over immediately. Tell them we're closing in ahead of schedule."

At four o'clock in the morning, Roosevelt's living room was filled with key figures of the anti-Tammuni forces in New York.

Samuel Sibyl, wearing gloves, carefully examined the envelope and the banknotes.

"The seal is fine; it's from Walker's office. I'll have someone check the transaction number tomorrow morning. It's highly likely the money was withdrawn from that so-called 'Mayor's Special Relief Fund' account. That account has always been Walker's personal ATM."

LaGuardia looked at the two train tickets on the ground and sneered, "Make it clean, leave tonight. Ha, he's dreaming."

Elizabeth Harrison looked at Arthur, a hint of lingering fear in her eyes: "Arthur, you took too much risk tonight."

Arthur simply expressed his gratitude and explained, "I know what I'm doing. With Sean and Liam around, they can't get close."

He didn't mention his own fighting skills, but attributed the credit to his bodyguards' protection.

All eyes turned back to Roosevelt.

LaGuardia asked, "What do we do now? Call the police?"

Roosevelt shook his head: "No. This case happened in New York City, and in principle, it should be handled by the city's police department. The current police chief, Mulroney, is unreliable. If we hand the men over to him, these three might commit suicide in custody, or the evidence might be lost."

"Those three people—" Samuel stated firmly, "Leave it to me. The investigation committee has the power to subpoena witnesses. I can take them to my safe house on Long Island, where they will be guarded by the state troopers until the hearing begins."

"As for this envelope—I want to publish it in the newspaper," Arthur said, taking the small notebook out of his pocket.

Roosevelt looked at him: "How do you want to write it?"

Arthur explained, "We printed the photos of these three people tied up, along with close-ups of the envelope, the train ticket, and the US dollar bills, all on the front page."

LaGuardia asked, "What about the title?"

Arthur looked at the crowd and slowly said, "The Mayor Uses Public Funds to Hire a Killer: Is it Administrative Expenses or a License to Murder?"

Silence fell over the living room for a moment.

This headline is incredibly harsh. It not only confirms Walker's crimes but also completely exposes the entire Tammany Institution system—the system that uses public funds to support thugs and administrative resources to cover up its crimes—to the public.

Roosevelt laughed.

"Okay. Let's do it that way."

He expressed his approval of Arthur.

Then, Roosevelt turned his wheelchair and went to the window, looking out at the dark night.

"Walker is finished. As soon as the papers come out tomorrow morning, I will immediately move a motion to formally initiate the impeachment process against the mayor of New York City on charges of corruption and premeditated murder."

According to the New York State Constitution and laws, the Governor of New York State has the power to recall the Mayor. The specific process includes: After the governor files a written complaint and serves a copy to the mayor, allowing the mayor to question witnesses and present their arguments, the governor can make a decision to remove the mayor from office, which may be suspended for up to 30 days.

Historically, Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated impeachment proceedings against Jimmy Walker in 1932, ultimately forcing Walker to resign and flee to Europe before the formal impeachment.

Now, Roosevelt intends to use this power to prepare to bring charges against Jimmy Walker.

He turned around and looked at Arthur.

"Arthur, go write your report. Write down every single detail. Let all of New York know that the mayor they elected used taxpayers' money to hire a murderer."

Arthur nodded and turned to walk towards the door. Sean and Liam immediately followed.

In the living room behind him, a political battle for control of the New York City mayor was officially reaching its climax.

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