(Chapter 2)
Peter went home but he took the long way, stopping off to park across from June's as he sat in the Taurus and stared up at the terrace at the top of her home. He sat there for a good hour before he finally got out of the car, crossing the street towards her front door. The agent wasn't sure what he was going to do when someone opened up the door and stared up at him. It was Mozzie, the bespectacled conman quiet before making a small flourish for him to enter. They walked in silence as the door closed and they moved towards the large foyer and stairs. As Mozzie started up Peter paused and leaned heavily against the banister, head bowed.
"Is June here?"
He didn't look at the con, guilt at having left his partner and friend behind eating at him. He looked up when he heard nothing and saw the man shake his head.
"She's with her daughter. She knows about Neal missing."
Peter swallowed hard. Mozzie didn't know what really happened or was he being subtle?
"Missing? Mozzie, Neal..."
He couldn't bring himself to say it even after a week of knowing it was truth. Neal was dead. He couldn't be alive after all this time with the blood he'd seen. There had been no breath. No pulse and worse of all the young man had looked waxy, his skin cool to the touch. He sat on the steps and tried to catch his breath feeling faint suddenly. Mozzie sat beside him worriedly.
"Suit... what's wrong? What about Neal? He is just missing isn't he?"
Hughes had insisted the consultant was missing and that Peter was wrong but now... It had been a week and all the blood he'd seen... He must be dead!
"He's dead. I know he's dead. I saw him and I had to... Mozzie... I left him there!"
Peter didn't know why but he had to tell the man the truth. Mozzie had helped him and he had always been there for Neal. He deserved to know what he'd seen. He saw the color drain from the con's face.
"Dead? No... Neal can't be. Peter... you're lying!"
The con stood and moved away into the foyer, pacing in a circle a moment while talking softly to himself.
"Neal... dead? No... it's a mistake... a lie... a lie yes. It's a terrible lie..."
Peter watched the little guy suffering with the truth as he had when he felt a sudden chill, an ache in his temples and a small wind around him.
Peter... can you hear me? Peter...
The voice was faint but he knew who's voice it was. He must be hallucinating.
"You're dead... Neal I'm so sorry."
He whispered to himself, Mozzie looking at him curiously.
Peter... my body... can you hear me? Peter... they're going to move it... Peter?
The voice was cutting in and out, his head hurting as he rubbed at his temples and he saw Mozzie had moved closer.
"Suit, you don't look so good."
He noticed the little guy shiver slightly and then the voice again spoke in his head.
Tell Mozzie... tell him about my... moving soon... not much time...
Slowly the ache in his head dissipated and he noticed the chill had left. He looked around as if someone else should be there as Mozzie watched him.
"Suit... who are you looking for?"
Peter didn't know but he'd heard him. He'd heard Neal in his head a moment. Was he just grieving?
"Nothing... thought I heard something."
Peter got to his feet and slowly moved up the stairs with Mozzie following. He really didn't want to go upstairs but something drew him there. The agent walked with a heavy heart as they approached the door and entered the room. Nothing had changed since his last visit but that had been over a week ago when Neal had still been alive. He swallowed hard as he moved out onto the terrace and peered over the side.
"Suit... I'm sure it wasn't your fault."
Peter turned at that comment, curious why Mozzie would trust him so much. They had been friends in a way because of Neal but the man was coming out and saying it wasn't his fault. Something had changed as the little guy moved closer.
"I had a strange dream while I was napping here earlier. I thought I heard Neal talking to me but... well the important thing is he told me to tell you it wasn't your fault."
Peter blinked at the man wondering if he should share his own odd feelings but it was too weird for him and out of the norm to share much less about this or with Mozzie.
"Not my fault? I dragged him to the case and it was just us. I should have insisted Jones or another agent come with us. I left him there, Mozzie. He was so pale and lifeless..."
His voice trailed off but both men turned with a start at the sound of something crashing to the ground. Peter still had his gun on him from work as he moved cautiously into the main apartment and peered around. Mozzie took up the back and looked around him nervously till they realized nobody was there. They were wondering what had crashed when Peter felt a chill and turned to see something near the fireplace. He moved closer although Mozzie looked nervously at what had caught the agent's attention.
"Neal's hidey hole. Why would the panel fall off like that..."
Peter moved closer to the panel to pick it up and noticed something else was underneath it. He moved the wooden plank as he picked up the item and saw it was a passport.
"Nick Halden..."
Peter didn't say anything else as he put the passport back in the hiding place and put the panel back. He had already known about it from when Sara Ellis had tried to arrest Neal for supposedly breaking into her place. The agent walked away, his feet moving him towards the door when he felt a sudden chill and his headache returned.
Peter...
He perked up and turned at the sound of the familiar voice. It had sounded clear as day for a moment as he turned and saw a funny look on Mozzie's face.
"It's suddenly very cool in here, isn't it Suit?"
Peter went back to look at the con who just blinked at him.
"You look like you saw a ghost, Mozzie."
The little guy shrugged but shook his head.
"Heard something maybe."
His cell phone took that moment to ring as Peter pulled it out to answer and heard his wife's voice.
"Honey, Hughes told me you went home early. Where are you?"
Peter felt badly, moving towards the door and stairs.
"I'm headed home now. Had to stop off and do something. I'll see you in a few, hon."
He was going to down the stairs as he hung up the phone when his ankle twisted and he lost his balance. The agent fell and rolled with a thud down the stairs, the sound of someone running down after him and calling.
"SUIT!"
Peter slumped at the bottom and passed out.
()()()
Elizabeth hung up with Peter, sitting in the living room on the sofa and worrying about her husband. Hughes had told her what had happened with Peter being on the roof and being depressed. She couldn't blame her husband considering the circumstances. Being taken off this case must have broken his heart. She sighed, missing her husband and knowing he must be right about Neal. The con couldn't still be alive if what he had said was true. It had been six days since the incident and she still was thankful her husband had survived.
She yawned, petting Satchmo on the head before she curled up on the sofa and closed her eyes.
El?
She thought she heard a familiar voice. Someone was talking to her, Elizabeth shifting slightly in her sleep. She thought she heard Satchmo make a noise, a snuffling noise he only made with certain people.
El... go to June's.
She frowned in her sleep, a strange feeling coming over her that made her worry as she suddenly woke up. She heard a small whine from Satchmo, shivering as she pulled a nearby throw over herself.
What an odd dream. She hadn't really dreamed anything but heard Neal talking to her. She started to wonder about it when she stared at her cell on the coffee table and it suddenly buzzed.
"Elizabeth Burke... Mozzie? Calm down... what... How?"
She was up on her feet immediately, slipping on her shoes and running towards the door as she grabbed up her purse and was outside and hailing a cab.
Elizabeth reached June's home, her mind racing at what Mozzie had told her. Peter had fallen down the stairs and hit his head. The con had tried to wake him but the agent wasn't responding. She paid the cabbie and rushed from the vehicle, running to the front door where Mozzie was waiting for her before she hit the bell.
"El..."
His voice was cracking as he led her to the slumped form of her husband at the foot of the stairs. Peter was unconscious, a large lump on the side of his head. She felt for a pulse and didn't feel one at first then let out a relieved gasp when she found one. He was breathing but it was shallow at best.
"Call 9-1-1 Mozzie..."
The little guy looked nervous till she glared at him and he did as she asked. El looked at the unconscious form of her husband and nudged him gently, caressing his face and hair as she tried to rouse him.
"Peter... Peter honey, It's me. Wake up."
She gently laid his head on her lap, kissing his forehead. Peter didn't move, his face slack as she worried about him and the huge knot on his head. Mozzie quietly walked over to see how they were.
"I called them. They said they're on their way."
El nodded looking at him curiously as the little guy seemed to be glancing around the room.
"Mozzie... what happened?"
She saw the little guy pacing still, eyes looking around the room and then up the stairs in a curious manner.
"Neal... we were... talking about him. I thought I heard him. I think your husband did too. Maybe it was mass hysteria but then he left. You had called him and he was putting away the cell when he tripped and fell down the stairs."
Mozzie looked upset at the memory of the scene but he seemed freaked out more about something else, his eyes still looking up and around the room.
"Mozzie... you said you heard Neal?"
The little guy seemed more jumpy than usual as he nodded to her and she thought back to that odd dream. She had thought she heard Neal too. He had told her to go to June's and then Mozzie had called her about Peter. She was about to say something else when they heard a loud knocking at the front door and saw EMTs standing there. Mozzie went to open up the door and let them in as El continued to hold her husband. She worried over him as she thought about what had happened. Maybe it was just a coincidence she dreamed of Neal? She moved aside when the EMTs gently placed her husband on a gurney and started to check him out.
"Nasty bump. We'll take him to the nearest hospital to get it checked out. You can ride along."
El turned to Mozzie.
"Are you going to meet us there?"
He was still looking around the large foyer curiously before he nodded.
"Yes... but I need to check something first."
El nodded a bit disappointingly as she followed the EMTs with her husband and they left.
()()()
Peter didn't remember much as his head connected with the stairs and he blacked out. He knew he was cold, shivering as he tried to sit up and found he was in a cramped sort of cubby or box. He could feel his head hit the space overhead as he tried to sit up.
Cold... so coooold...
Someone was talking? He thought he heard a slight movement nearby as he tried to see in the gloom but couldn't.
Who's there?
He thought without speaking as he tried to get an idea where they were. The voice spoke again.
Cold... so coooold...
The person seemed like they couldn't hear Peter as he moved towards the sound of their voice and found his hand touching someone else's. Their skin felt cool and chilly to the touch making him flinch but he felt around in the darkness till he had their wrist under his fingertips. It took a moment but he felt a weak pulse.
Can you hear me? Hello?
Peter suddenly flinched as bright light flooded the small space and he could finally see where he was. It was in a kind of cramped root cellar, a metal panel opening outwards as he glanced up through the glare of light. Three men stood there, Gerald's men he realized from the other day.
Have to move him before they find the body. The Feds were getting close the other day but they're gone now. Gerald said we have to finish this now that Viconni's involved. He would have liked to kill the agent but that's no longer an option. They moved the case to another department.
He could hear them talking but they didn't seem to be aware he was there. Peter looked down at the hand he was holding to see it was Neal's. The con lay limply in the small space, unfettered. Neal's skin looked ashen, all the color drained from it. Peter was feeling that guilt wash over him again at leaving his friend at the mercy of these crooks when he saw the young man's eyes and his lips twitch ever so slightly, then he was still again. It not only surprised him but the three goons.
Shit! He's still alive? I thought you said he was dead!
Peter looked at the young man's body surprised before finding himself standing behind the three goons as they discussed Neal. They were still in the bottling plant as the agent walked back from the storage space and started making note of where he was. It was a loading dock from what he could tell, a sign in the corner talking about Safety hanging crookedly. His attention went back to the three men as one of them answered their cell.
Understood but he's still alive. Yes... alive!
The man sounded afraid as he nodded to the phone and then hung up.
We can't move him now. Too much heat. Lock it back up again. He said nobody knows about this storage space but us. We have plenty of time and with the condition he's in, we may not need to kill him... again.
The other two men nodded as they closed the metal panel back up, pulled another over it that matched up with the floor and walked away. Peter moved back towards the spot as the three men left, their voices fading into the distance. He crouched down beside the panel and made to move it when someone touch his shoulder.
Peter...
Neal stood there, his face pale and ashen but he was smiling softly.
Neal?
The figure nodded as Peter moved closer and hugged him.
You're not really...
Neal nodded, blue eyes glittering.
Follow me Peter...
They were walking away from the hidden storage area Neal's body was left in. He didn't want to leave but his partner had a firm hold on his arm. They walked through a maze of the plant's interior until he recognized some of the building they had gone through when they had been there just over a week ago. They were at the threshold of the plant when Neal stopped.
This is as far as I can go.
Peter grasped his friend's hand and started for the door.
Come on Neal. The car's just outside.
Neal didn't move, his face still pale as he frowned at the agent.
You have to go on without me, Peter. Tell them where I am.
Peter shook his head, pulling harder on the young man's arm but not getting him to budge.
I'm not leaving you behind again, Neal. Don't be stubborn...
He saw tears in the young man's eyes.
I can't... Peter. I've little time. Just... find me.
Peter was about to protest when he suddenly found himself awake.
"Peter?"
He turned his head to see his wife sitting beside him. He noticed the blue curtain around them and suddenly realized where they were.
"Why are we in the ER? Did something happen?"
Peter tried to sit up as El pushed him gently back into the bed.
"You can't get up till the doctor returns with your test results. You got a pretty nasty bump, Peter. I was worried about you and so was Mozzie."
He perked up at the con's name, nodding his head and then regretting the action.
"Mozzie... I was at June's and then... I can't remember anything after that. We were talking..."
She gently kissed him on the lips and brushed at his hair as she tried to calm him.
"It's ok. He called me and then we called 9-1-1. You've been here a couple of hours already. I'm just waiting for the results."
El looked worried as he reached up and gently caressed her cheek. He hated to see her upset as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry. I don't remember what happened but I'm glad Mozzie called you. How did I... hit my head?"
He winced as he touched the bump and she settled him back, brushing gently at his hair.
"Mozzie said you hung up your cell after I called, was putting it away when you tripped on the stairs and fell. He called me in a panic and when I got there you wouldn't respond so we called 9-1-1. You were so still..."
She was hugging him now but something in what she said made him think back. He had checked Neal, the con's skin so cool to the touch he had shrunk back not really feeling for a pulse. Maybe...
"Neal... he's... alive. Elizabeth... I left him there and he wasn't dead!"
She was trying to calm him as he started to sit up in earnest now, the monitor starting to go crazy as he got excited. The curtain pulled back and a doctor stood there in green scrubs.
"I guess he's waken up. Mr. Burke, you need to relax. I have your test results."
Peter continued to sit up, pulling the monitors off of him.
"I need to go find him. He's alive. I know he is!"
Peter was ignoring the doctor, pleading with his wife when finally she nodded and looked at the doctor a moment.
"Is my husband scheduled to leave?"
The doctor blinked obviously keen on reading the results but nodded as he closed the folder up.
"It's just a minor concussion so he should rest, take some aspirin and stay away from anything that might make him excited."
The man emphasized the last part as he gazed between them with a pointed expression and then pulled the curtain fully open as Peter let El help him outside. He slipped his shoes on when she went back to get them and they were headed to sign paperwork. They were exiting the hospital, El holding up a hand for a cap when she noticed how agitated he still was.
"Honey, why are you talking about Neal? We're going home. You need to rest."
She was getting annoyed with him but he knew it was only because she was worried.
"Neal... I had a dream. We were back at the bottling plant. I don't remember the rest but he was trying to tell me something."
His head was aching as a cab finally stopped for them and they slipped inside. Elizabeth gave their home address as he leaned back in the seat and tried to remember. Neal was showing him something. Talking to him but now he couldn't remember what it had been. He had to ask Mozzie. He leaned forward before El could say anything and told the cabbie to go to June's.
"Honey... she's not home. Mozzie said she was out for the night and let him stay because of Neal. We can't just barge in like this."
He shook his head, regretting the action but dealing with it.
"He knows something... I need to speak with him."
El shook her head, telling the cabbie not to listen to Peter and keep going to their home, the man nodded obediently, watching them through the rear-view mirror.
"Peter... you can talk to Mozzie tomorrow. You're going home to rest and if I have to use your cuffs to keep you in place I will!"
The cabbie let go a snort of amusement, El glaring at him as he turned his attention back to the road.
"I don't want you hurt again, honey. Two scares in two weeks is more than enough."
She was hugging him close and he reciprocated. Maybe he was being silly. It had been a dream, right? With all the blood at the scene, could Neal still be alive? He tried to think back what it was he had dreamed, his mind fuzzy as he relaxed in his wife's arms and kissed her head.
"You're right, hon."
Peter leaned against the window and peered out at the city passing by as his wife held him close. Neal was gone. Plain and simple. Hughes was right to take him off the case. He was overreacting which was probably caused by his injuries. He felt a slight chill and then his head ached as he reached up to rub at his temples, eyes feeling a bit heavy. The pain from the knot on his head was still hurting him as he started to pass into a light sleep. He thought he heard a voice from far away as he passed out.
Pe... ter?