The Mirror

Chapter 2: Mind Games

Sterling-Bosch Headquarters. February 11, 2005. Friday morning.

"Mr. Bosch will see you in a few minutes, sir."

The secretary outside R.W. Bosch's office invited Peter to take a seat in one of the burgundy-red leather chairs in the reception area. Peter pulled out a file from his briefcase to read while waiting.

On Friday morning, he'd driven straight from his home to an appointment with the CEO of Sterling-Bosch. This was his first visit to the insurance giant's headquarters in the New York Life Building on Madison Avenue. The gold pyramid on top of the building glinted in the rays of the early morning sun when he pulled up. The architect reportedly had been inspired by Salisbury Cathedral for the design. Sterling-Bosch was one of the largest players in the global insurance business with many of the art museums for clients. The setting matched its importance.

Peter had met Bosch on an earlier case, but he couldn't have spent more than five minutes with the man. He felt fortunate that Bosch was in town and available for a meeting. The subject matter was too confidential to be handled by a phone call or written communications.

Last week the White Collar team had staged an elaborate sting at a ski resort to access the data files of Max Rinaldi, a crooked real estate developer. All went according to plan until the last moment when someone made a phone call to Rinaldi and tipped him off. That Neal and Peter hadn't wound up being killed was due more to good luck than anything else.

Rinaldi was now being held for real estate fraud in addition to attempted murder. So far he'd refused to talk about who called him. Despite his denials, his files proved he was in bed with Ydrus, a criminal organization with ties to international terrorism.

The FBI was working on the assumption that whoever called Rinaldi was a mole for Ydrus, and the long list of suspects included not only Bureau personnel and officials at the Justice Department who'd arranged for the search warrant, but also Sterling-Bosch employees. Rinaldi was suspected of commissioning a forgery of a Corot painting. The forgery had been authenticated as genuine by Sterling-Bosch. During the ensuing investigation, Sara Ellis had liaised with Peter's team and was in charge of researching any transactions Rinaldi might have conducted with the company. During her inquiry, she undoubtedly spoke with several company employees, any of whom might have alerted Rinaldi.

The reception area was quiet and luxurious. Large oil paintings hung on the wood-paneled walls, and Chinese vases were displayed in lighted glass cabinets. Peter felt like he was in the lounge of an expensive hotel. He glanced at his watch. He'd also scheduled a briefing for the team with Tricia this morning. He hoped he wouldn't have to delay it.

Peter didn't have to wait for long before he was called in. Bosch was sitting behind an ornately carved walnut desk when Peter entered but he promptly strode across the plush oriental carpet to greet him. With his patrician white hair and expensive suit, he could have been an ambassador, but his handshake was warm and his words surprisingly cordial as he insisted that Peter call him R.W. He led Peter over to a sitting area and had his secretary serve them coffee.

Peter had relayed the bare minimum of information to make the appointment so he spent the first several minutes explaining the background of the case. When he described how their operation had been compromised, he could see the throat muscles working in Bosch's neck.

R.W. didn't mince words. "Do you believe the informant was someone in Sterling-Bosch?"

"Either here or the FBI," Peter confirmed.

He grunted assent as he put down his porcelain coffee cup on the walnut side table. "You've identified Rinaldi as working for Ydrus. That leads to the inescapable conclusion that the informant is also working for Ydrus. I understand now why we needed to meet in person."