White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 1

Romantic Gestures

Peter called for Neal.

"Shut the door. Need your help with this." He pushed a pile of papers across the desk. Neal sat down in the visitor's chair.

"Is this information on Hagen?"

"No. Diana's on her way with that." Neal gave him a look and read the top sheet in the stack.

"This is your wife's Visa bill."

"Yeah. I got it all." Peter was proud of how fast he had pulled this all together. "Her eBay bids, video rentals, library books. Thank you, Patriot Act."

"So you're stalking your own wife." Neal sounded surprised. He even had a tone of rebuke in his voice.

"Wanna compare notes?" Peter gave him a look. Neal accepted his defeat.

"Touché. You figured out what she likes?"

"Yeah. It's all in the summary." Peter read the list: "Pottery-making. Nancy Drew mysteries. Scented candles. Oleander. Harrison Ford. Old jazz. Anything Italian except anchovies." Neal did not seem as impressed as Peter thought he would.

"Yeah, I don't think you're gonna find your answer tucked into a list of her eBay bids." Neal was right. He could not buy her an oleander candle for their anniversary.

"Help me out here, all right?" Peter felt desperate. He did not understand these things. "You're the romantic. I mean, what's the deal with the bottle?" Neal stared at him.

"It's an '82 Bordeaux." As if it explained it all.

"Yeah. Costs 800 bucks a pop."

"It does when it's full. I got it empty."

"Empty?" Was that the thing? Neal's pose relaxed.

"When Kate and I met, we had nothing. I got that bottle, and I used to fill it up with whatever cheap wine we could afford. And we'd sit in that crappy apartment and drink it over cold pizza and pretend we were living in the Côte d'Azur." Peter saw the young couple in his mind, dreaming, full of hopes, in love.

"How did that work out for you?"

"It didn't. Because that bottle was a promise of a better life. What Kate got was a guy locked away for half a decade." Neal gazed at Peter, but there was no blame in his eyes. Just sadness. Peter could not help feeling with the kid. Not that he regretted catching him, but he could understand the killed hopes. "Made Elizabeth any promises, Peter? Or you think what she really wants is oleander candles?"

Diana came into the room and Peter noted Neal rose to leave the seat for her. Neal was as any member of the team but if he did not behave as such, his teammates would not see him as one either. Diana did not sit. If she had seen what Peter saw or simply did not need a seat Peter did not know.

"Hey, Diana. What do you got?" Peter greeted her.

"Hagen is leaving the country. He booked a flight through a charter company in Barcelona for the 19th." What? No, no no! Not when they had come so far in such a short time.

"One week. Damn it, Neal. Seeing you must've tipped him off." Hagen had probably learned through his connections that Neal worked for the FBI and put it all together.

"He's going to Spain. That's something." The optimistic Neal. Well, they could need some optimism right now. This did not look good.

"Is there any connection to our books, the bonds, the murder?" Peter asked Diana.

"Hagen's impressive as hell. A lot of international holdings but he keeps himself out of the muck."

"Get every available agent on this. You know the good ones. I wanna know every single thing about this guy and I don't want any excuses. Anything gets in your way-"

"I forge your signature. Always do." Diana grinned all over her face.

"That's what I wanna hear." Diana left. Peter was on his feet. "If you're right about Hagen we have one week to connect him to the bond. If we lose him on the 19th..." He turned and faced Neal. By the look on Neal's face, he already knew. Peter said it anyway: "Neal, if we lose him, you're back in. I can't save you." Damn. He liked Neal. The kid was smart and focused. It could have worked out so well.

Neal swallowed. He had not blamed anyone for the situation. Peter had been quick to tell Neal it was his fault, but Neal had not objected. Peter knew he himself had a habit of putting the blame on others. Neal could deal with his mistakes. Good for him. Peter sighed. They had to solve this, and fast.

"What do we need to catch him?" Neal asked. He had not given up which was a good sign.

"If we shall be able to stop him from leaving the country we more or less need him to catch him in the act."

"Meaning Hagen and the printing of the bonds on the same spot?"

"Yeah." Not likely to happen.

Mozzie was waiting for him when he got back to June's. Neal sent his hat across the grand piano. Mozzie caught it.

"You're late" his friend blamed him as he put the hat on his bald head.

"Hey, give me a break. I'm a working man now."

"So?" Mozzie wanted to know if their discussion the previous night had been fruitful.

"We were right about Hagen," Neal told him. He wished he could do so with pride and a smile.

"Of course we were right."

"And I was stupid and impulsive, and he saw me," Neal admitted. "I have one week to link him to the bonds."

"One week, or what?"

"I go back."

"No, no, no."

"Yeah." Nothing more to say about it. "Did you find anything about Kate?"

"Aha. Apparently, if a tree falls in the forest, it does make a sound." He brought out a photo and slid it across to Neal. It was black-and-white and quite blurry. It was Kate. Neal's felt his heartbeat. She had someone's hand on her shoulder. Like he was leading her, dominating her.

"I may lose her again, Moz."

"Lose her? I just found her."

"So did he. So did he." Who was he? And what was he doing with Kate? His heart ached. He loved her so much. And not to know if she had left him because she wanted to or was forced to was unbearable.

"Don't do anything stupid now." Mozzie was studying his face. "It's not like she is dying or anything. No need for rash actions."

Neal nodded. Mozzie was right. He had to stay calm, not running. If he helped Peter with the Dutchman, maybe Peter could help him in return.