A Gift For The Van
Mozzie was sitting at Neal's table, tidying up a stack of papers.
"You better get going if you plan to keep the suit happy"
Neal checked the clock and said, "Thanks, I think I have time to meet him at the coffee shop before he gets in."
Neal grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door, he turned and asked, "You have everything, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it all. I won't leave anything behind."
Neal bounced down the stairs and snatched his hat from the banister, opened the door, stopped and flipped his hat through his hands and on top of his head, then took off at a quick pace.
"Give me a large, oh,uh...mmm, a Venti coffee. Italian roast."
"Hey, Hi Peter." Neal said, "I need a coffee too."
"Buy your own."
"I intend to, a venti caramel macchiato half caff low foam, please."
"Thought you were getting a coffee."
Neal gave Peter a smirk, "Ha"
They both paid the cashier and started walking towards the office.
Peter took a sip and made a sound , "mmm"
Neal just looked at Peter
"Know anything about electronic chip forgery?" Peter asked
"You mean like the Intel 500P server chipset.."
"Why do I ask" Peter moaned.
"... the Chinese are pushing offshore, or like the Fast Crypto Motorola chips guys down in Jersey did a couple years ago?"
"Yeah like those."
"Well it's not something I ever dabbled in, but I know someone who knows someone that might have some info. What's going on?" Neal asked.
"Ooo that's hot." Peter winced, "We believe someone is diverting shipments, stealing the product and off loading fake chips. This is happening on guarded shipments headed for government contractors. They build a system and it's failing. Calls to the manufacturer has alerted them that their products are being swapped out."
They stopped and waited for the crosswalk sign.
"Hmm that doesn't seem to be a thing you'd do for money." Neal thought out loud.
A lady on a cell phone bumped into Peter just as he was sipping his coffee, A little sloshed out and onto his tie. Peter was confused momentarily as he didn't know if he was upset about the tie or the lady that bumped him.
The lady just looked at Peter and kept on talking, the light had changed and she kept walking.
Peter shook the coffee off his hand and thought about throwing his coffee in the trash on the corner but he was enjoying it.
"No we don't think anyone is doing it for money, we think it's espionage, but we'd like you to take a look at the process and give us your thoughts on how or where this switch is taking place."
"OK, Peter", Neal said, "When you have time I think I might have a lead on Fowler's boss"."
"His OPR boss?" Peter asked.
"No, Fowler was a pawn and someone was getting him to do the things he did and that's beyond OPR."
They turned into the FBI office doors and headed towards the elevators.
Neal sat at his desk and pulled out his cell phone as Peter walked up the stairs to his office.
"Hey, Mozzie, happen to know anything about someone making fake Crays?"
Mozzie was sitting in a diner with a large breakfast plate, he was chewing on some bacon, thinking and asked, "You do mean the supercomputers, right?"
"Yes"
"No, but I'll see what I can find out"
They both hung up. Neal sat his phone down and Peter plopped a three inch thick file on Neal's desk. "Here is what we know about the shipping process."
"Thanks", Neal opened it and started reading.
Peter stood there.
Neal glanced up, "What?"
"I just got something and I think you should see it."
Neal closed the file and put it in his desk drawer and followed Peter to his office.
"As you would probably expected we are also trying to track down Fowler's 'boss', we've told you about the 'Patchwork man'..."
Neal interrupted, "Yes, but I now believe Patch, Juilan Larssen, and Fowler were more or less teammates and there is someone that oversaw both."
Peter continued, "we were able to do a search on his name and found he is connected to some people pretty high up in the government"
Neal had this same info and they both said at the same time, "Senator Jonas Appleton, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."
Susan from research heard this and said "Jinx" as she dropped some folders onto Peters desk.
"Thanks, Susan."
Then when she was clear, Peter said, "Get the door, Neal."
"We have started doing all we can to find out if this is the 'boss' we're looking for or if they just happen to know each other. Diana is working on this, so I want you to know I am taking this seriously. We will get this guy, whoever it is."
Peter took a breath and then added, "I don't want you to get all worked up, Neal, we will work on this, but I want you to focus on who is taking these chips, and how."
Peter opened his door, not seeing El, he yelled, "El, I'm home"
He pulled off his jacket and undid his tie, leaving his holster on.
"Hi Honey, I'm doing laundry"
"Oh good", Peter started unbuttoning his shirt.
El said, "You spilled coffee all over yourself" and helped him out of his holster and shirt.
"I didn't spill it"
"Looks like coffee to me."
"It is coffee" Peter confirmed. El made a questioning face.
"I missed you." El said, pulling Peter close, clasping her hands on his bare back.
"mmm I miss you everyday." Peter said as he leaned into the kiss.
Neal was laying on his bed in only his boxers reading through the FBI file when there was a knock on his door.
Neal jumped up and said towards the door, "It's a little late, Mozzie, what's up?", as he flung the door open he saw Sara standing there.
Sara looked Neal up and down and said, "I thought I might find you in this state."
She stepped in and put her arms around Neal's neck.
"I'm not talking about any painting."
"That's fine you don't have to say a word." Sara closed the door with her foot.
Sara put her hand on the back of Neal's head and pulled him in for the kiss.
Neal started unbuttoning her blouse. Her clothes tripped them, but the couch caught them. Sara couldn't get out of her clothes fast enough.
"I have been wanting this for too long."
"Mm me too." Neal said in a half whisper.
"Shhh, no talking."
Neal was at his desk trying to look busy, he had almost promised to be through this file, but his mind kept going back to last night.
He was sure he knew how it was being done.
Peter came in, looking tired.
"Good Morning, you OK?" Neal asked.
"Didn't do a lot of sleeping last night."
"Everything alright", Neal probed.
"There are no problems." Neal understood.
"You look a little haggard yourself."
"I think I know where they're doing it.", pointing to the file.
"Oh you read this all night?" Neal didn't correct him.
"City Secure Storage, in the Bronx", Neal said.
"Really?"
"The warehouse they use has an old security system that a ten year old could break. Plus they unlock the truck and move everything into a cooler to regulate temperature."
Neal continued, "That same ten year old could make off with the parts in under thirty minutes"
"Ten year old... really?"
"Ok, so I'm exaggerating for the story, any thief could do this, it's not hard. There is probably an inside man to tell them when the shipments are going."
Peter said "Alright, hang on.", and started trotting towards his office.
That's fine Neal thought, he could go back to daydreaming about Sara and last night.
Peter stepped out of his office and gave Neal the two finger wave command to come upstairs.
"We have asked for a special shipment of twice the normal supplies be shipped today. It'll make the warehouse tonight and we can stake it out."
The van or a car?" Neal asked.
"Why?" Peter asked back.
"I want to know if I should bring an air freshener."
Jones heard the sound of plastic."
"What's that?", Jones asked.
"A present" Neal said hanging a green Christmas tree air freshener on one of the many radio knobs.
"We don't need that" Peter said.
"Oh yes you do, trust me on this." Neal tapped the tree so it swung on the knob.
Peter and Jones looked at it and made a face. "Now it smells like a tree" Jones said.
"And that is better than before!" Neal said.
Around 2 AM a work truck pulled up. A guy in a grey coat and ski hat with a little ball on top jumped out, using a key FOB he disabled the alarm and opened the loading dock door.
"No one is supposed to be here now", Peter said.
"Didn't think it might be an inside job.", Neal said
Peter got on the radio, "Keep you eyes on this guy."
"Agent Burke, this is Barrett, I've got eyes on him and he is headed for the cooler."
There was static and they waited.
Barrett came back on, "He's wheeling a cart out of the cooler loaded full of the Cray chipsets."
"OK, everybody GO!" Peter yelled into the radio.
A number of people were yelling commands and the guy in the ski hat was surprised
"Freeze!"
"Don't Move!"
"Hands over your head"
Not sure if he should freeze or put his hands over his head the guy just didn't move.
Two big agents tackled him to the ground and cuffed him and then searched him.
"Here is 'ski hats' wallet sir, he's not talking."
Peter had a questioning look.
The tackler said. "We knocked him out when we took him to the ground."
Peter shook his head in the slightest and opened the wallet.
"Hey Neal" Peter said as Neal walked up next to him, "guess who this guy happens to know?"
Peter showed Neal a picture of the ski hat guy and a well dressed older man.
"Senator Jonas Appleton."
Peter left Hughes a message, "This is bigger than we thought, Sir. I left a report on your desk. It's late, so I'll be in late tomorrow. See you then."
His next call was home, "Hi Honey, sorry to wake you up."
"Oh that's OK, I was dreaming about what we did on the washer." El whispered.
"I've been thinking about that too, I think I have some more laundry I need your help on."
Neal felt like he was stumbling as he opened the door to his room.
He had already pulled off his shirt when he noticed his bed.
Sara said, "Don't stop, I have things I'm going to do with you and you need to be naked."
As tired as he was, Neal perked up at the sound of Sara's voice, "I've been thinking of you all day."
All of his clothes came off in one move and then he jumped on Sara's naked body, "I'm not going in tomorrow"
"Me neither", she said.
~End~