Caffrey Flashback

Chapter 24: Switched

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Henry left Jacobi with mixed feelings. He wanted to help the FBI prove that Frank Churchill had tried to murder Neal, but at the same time he hated to leave him. Even though Henry knew his mother and grandparents would look after Neal, guarding him with their lives if need be, it wasn't the same. He'd felt responsible for Neal for years, and it was hard to trust anyone else to do the job right.

This was his third visit to the Federal Building, and he knew his way around. He sauntered into the White Collar division behind Peter and casually slid into the chair of Neal's desk. Agents paused what they were doing, and silence fell over the bullpen. Tricia Wiese walked up to ask, "Can you pull it off without the hat?"

Henry took off the fedora, giving it a flip that landed it on the middle of the desk. He grinned and put his feet up, and Peter automatically shoved them off the desk. "C'mon, Peter," he protested. "Cut me a little slack here."

Tricia nodded. "You've got the mannerisms and voice, and even the interaction with Peter. Any weaknesses we should be aware of?"

Thinking back to his encounter with Mozzie, Henry admitted, "I don't have Neal's laugh down yet. I'll get close if I have a chance to think about it, but if I'm surprised into a laugh I'll sound like me. But it's not like they were joking around in Churchill's office, and I doubt you have comedy in mind today."

"Right," Tricia said. "Not likely to be an issue. We have Churchill in an interrogation room upstairs. He's certain Neal is dead or at death's door. As far as he's concerned he succeeded in killing Neal and in making it look like an accident. He knows we have him recorded and that we can bring charges of illegal possession of a controlled substance, but he also knows he didn't explicitly say that he knew there was anything different about the drug in the blue box. What I'm counting on is that Churchill had a partner who supplied the drug, and whoever his partner is, it's someone Churchill is afraid of. He's willing to face the charges for having and using Flashback on Highbury clients rather than name his partner. If he sees Neal alive and well, he'll know his partner will be unhappy, and this is a partner who's willing to kill people. I think in that scenario Churchill may turn on his partner if we promise protection."

"He knows Nick Halden is really Neal Caffrey, so we won't bother with any subterfuge along those lines," Peter added. "We'll call you Neal and treat you like a member of the team. If we do this right, it will only take a few minutes."

"Mr. Winslow," Tricia said to Graham, "It's possible Churchill saw you at Enscombe yesterday, but is there any chance that he heard your voice?"

Graham shook his head. "I didn't say a word inside the estate. I have to admit, keeping up with Henry while he rushed through the building may have stolen my breath for a while there."

"I want to have someone acting the role of a therapist. We can make sure Churchill hears your voice but doesn't see you. I assume given your experience employing psychologists at Win-Win, you can play one yourself?"

"I've been doing undercover work since before you were born, young lady," Graham answered. "I could do this in my sleep."

"Good to know," Tricia said. "To keep this simple, we're going to call you Dr. Graham. We need to get you in place. Follow me."

After a quick overview of what Tricia wanted Churchill to see and overhear, her plan was put into motion. They had been giving Churchill plenty of coffee and water, and as soon as she returned to his room he demanded a restroom break. She called an agent to escort their suspect to the men's room. On the way, they made sure Churchill passed by the hallway that led to the conference room where they had ensconced Graham. Peter and Henry stood in the hall just outside that room, and their voices could be heard before Churchill could see them.