Divide and Conquer

Rated "T" to be safe

Post-Episode "Free Fall," with spoilers through that episode.

I don't own anything to do with "White Collar," but I sure wouldn't mind borrowing Matt Bomer or Tim DeKay (hee hee)! This is total speculation on my part of why Peter was in Kate's room and what might be happening with her. We'll find out Jan. 19, 2010 if I'm right or not. If I'm close, can somebody hire me since I'm jobless right now? Okay, back to the regularly-scheduled escapism!

"Hello, Kate."

"Hello, Peter."

Peter squinted his hazel eyes, which had become darker with anger.

"We need to talk about Neal."

Kate's breathing was shortened by fear. Why was Peter here? What did he know?

"You've been busy leaving quite the trail of bread crumbs for our boy to pick up," Peter began. "You tell him you're being held by someone, but you won't say who. You tell him you need him to turn over everything he's got in hiding, but you won't say why except that he's got something that's important to someone. Yet from what I can tell, you've been free to roam the streets of Manhattan."

"What are you doing bugging Neal's phone? I suppose you've got bugs in his room as well. What are you going to do next, knock him out and implant one behind his ear?"

"I doubt the bureau would spring for that, but not a bad idea," Peter retorted as he rose from the chair and approached Kate. "I know the game you're running. You're making him paranoid so you'll be able to get everything and run. What kind of cold-hearted bitch runs a con on the man she says she loves? Or was four years too long to wait, Kate?"

Kate breathed louder now, mere centimeters from Peter's face.

"I'm willing to bet you even tipped off OPR so they'd start investigating me so Neal would stop trusting me, when you're the one he shouldn't trust. You set up the diamond heist and erased the tracker data to get me to stop trusting him – a little "divide and conquer" action. You got someone to wear a ring like this and grab you from behind so an ATM camera would catch it at just the right moment and scare the hell out of him. Know where I got this ring? I borrowed it from the evidence room, and I know its significance just as well as you do."

Peter picked up his coat and started for the door, but turned around to give Kate a final warning.

"I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. You've got 12 hours to come clean with Neal, or I'll bring you in myself. I can track him, and I can track you. It might break his heart, but if I have to bring you down to keep him from going back in, I'll do it. He may be a criminal, but he deserves better than you."

After Peter shut the door, Kate quickly dialed a number.

"Yeah, it's Kate. The plan is starting to fall apart."

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