The Mirror

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Valentine

Peter nodded. "That was the conference where Interpol reported on Ydrus."

"The museums held Interpol's hands to the fire," Hughes said. "Art crimes are the third highest-grossing criminal trade, but the amount of resources Interpol devotes to it is pitifully inadequate. The Bureau's no better."

"I agree." And if he hadn't, Neal would have hammered it into him. He'd been on a one-person campaign for the past few months to make art crimes a higher priority for White Collar.

"Interpol's finally decided to do something about it. They've set up a task force to coordinate art crime investigations. John Hobhouse has been appointed to lead the new effort. Are you familiar with him?"

"He's from Scotland Yard, isn't he?"

"That's right. Good man. We worked together on the Barclays Bank robbery back in 1993. John's an Oxford graduate. His wife was an art professor at the Courtauld Institute in London. My wife Ilsa became a close friend of Laura's." Hughes paused, his creased features softening. "Ilsa took it hard when Laura died. That must be over five years ago now. This is a job tailor-made for John's expertise. He'll do well in it."

"Have you spoken with him about it?"

Hughes nodded. "We talked early this morning. The appointment just came through and he's in the process of building his team. John has already contacted the Bureau Director. Because some of the art crimes are being used to fund terrorist activities, the FBI is eager to have representation on the task force."

"Will the members be transferred to Interpol?"

"No. They'll serve part-time in an advisory capacity—working with museums and local police authorities, assisting on security matters, and coordinating responses to threats. John's coming to the States this week to meet with Bureau officials and interview candidates. He's already scheduled a meeting with Kramer in D.C."

Peter nodded. The FBI Art Crimes Unit was led by Philip Kramer, his former mentor. He'd no doubt mount an aggressive campaign for a seat on the new task force.

"John also wants to come here. He'd like to meet with you. Azathoth was a topic of discussion at the conference. The museums are clamoring for something to be done about the cybersecurity threat he poses. And now with Ydrus"—Hughes paused, tapping with his pen on his desk—"Some have raised the question if Azathoth could be part of the Ydrus organization."

Peter shrugged. "If he's not a member, he unquestionably would consider them a prime buyer for his malware. We know he supplied Klaus Mansfeld. I imagine he'd sell to anyone who can afford it. Do you know when Hobhouse is arriving?"

"Friday, most likely. He'll give me a firm date later this week."

Once the meeting with Hughes was concluded, Peter called Neal into his office. Before discussing Henry, Peter told him the news. Neal's reaction was predictably enthusiastic.

"I wouldn't be surprised but Hobhouse will want to include you in the meeting," Peter said.

"I'd love to be on it." Neal looked at him hopefully. "What do you think our chances are?"

"Not great. Kramer's going to campaign hard to be on it, and I doubt the Bureau will be allocated many slots. Hughes estimates there may be twelve people appointed altogether and because of the global nature of the work, the Bureau could be restricted to only one or two seats."

Neal fixed his eyes on him. "Do you think my past will knock me out of consideration?"

Peter winced. "You're asking me a tough question. Honestly, I don't know. Other factors could count against you. You've been working here for barely a year and you're a consultant, not an agent. On the other hand, your track record at the Bureau has been excellent and your studies at Columbia should carry some weight."