Chapter 1
'When In Rome...'
Neal Caffrey got out of a taxi, looking up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and grinned at the two gorgeous Roman women walking by. They both smiled back, then walked into the museum, whispering to each other. Neal shook his head, then opened his cell phone and pressed speed dial #3.
"Hey, Moz, it's me." He said by way of greeting. Immediately, Mozzie's voice came through the speaker.
"Neal do you have any idea how little security a hotel room has? Why don't we have a safe house in Rome yet?" He asked. Neal smiled.
"Lighten up Mozzie! Go meet a beautiful woman and soak up some of the local flavor!" He said, walking down the sidewalk emitting stares from women. Indeed, in his black Armani suit and red tie, he looked like an ordinary man there in business, albeit a very handsome one.
"Listen Mozzie," He said, interrupting the man on the other end. "Please just tell me that you have the info on the museum."
"Do I have the info? Of course I have the info!" Mozzie's outraged voice came through the phone. Neal grinned once more.
"I'm sorry I doubted you Moz. I'll be there in a few." Neal said, entering an upscale hotel made to look like an old Roman inn.
"May I take your bag, sir?" A young bellhop asked. Neal shook his head, holding onto his suitcase a little tighter.
"No thanks." He replied and walked up to the front desk, where a perky young blond stood. Neal nodded at him.
"Listen, my friend rented a room and failed to tell me which one. Is there anyway you could tell me and give me a room card?" He asked smoothly. The woman pursed her lips then nodded.
"I suppose I could do it as a special favor." She said flirtatiously. He grinned at her.
"The name is Harold Manning." He said, then glanced around the room. After noting that there was no one who looked remotely like any kind of policeman, he relaxed enough to flirt with the woman until she handed him the room key with a wink.
"Thank you very much." He said, then started upstairs, still carrying his suitcase. Glancing at the room key, he saw that the room number was 209.
"Not exactly the penthouse." He muttered as he pressed the elevator button.
Upstairs, he quickly opened the door and slipped in, then glanced around the room. No one was there, which he already knew. Manning had an established routine, even after only a week, and he always went to lunch at this time of day. Pulling a stethoscope out of his bag, he glanced at the safe in a corner and grinned.
Meanwhile, in the U.S...
Peter Burke looked down at the papers in front of him, trying to make sense of it all. So far there had been twenty alleged sightings of Neal just today. Obviously Neal was planning something big, but what? Sighing, he grabbed a map of the world and started highlighting the cities where the sightings had been.
An hour later, he sat back and stared at the map. Ten more sightings had been called in while he worked and he had added those as well. There were pink highlighted spots all over the map, except in one place. Rome. Peter grinned and logged onto his computer. It was time to learn what Neal was up to now.
In a hotel room in Rome...
Neal Caffrey looked down at the blueprints he had stolen from the safe. They outlined the entire museum, from entrances and exits to where the exhibits and security cameras were. The blueprints were an art thief's dream. He thoughtfully tapped one of the exits.
"This door has minimal security. All we would need was a security code and I could handle the cameras." He said, but Mozzie shook his head.
"No, we need something a little more obvious. After all, you wanted this to say hello to the suit." He replied, then pointed at the main entrance. "You can go in here while the museum's open. I'll get some custodian clothes and you can get a cart from the supply closet. You should be able to find a place to stay until the museum closes. After that, you should be able to move around freely as long as you avoid cameras." He said. Neal nodded, serious for once.
"That should do it. Good work Moz!" He said, then got up.
"Where are you going?" Mozzie asked as Neal put on his jacket.
"To go find some custodian clothes." Neal replied with a wink. Mozzie sighed heavily and sat back in his seat.
"Yeah, and I'm an ardvark." He muttered. Neal shrugged.
"When in Rome..." He said in a sing-song voice as he walked out the door.