A White Collar Fiction
"Neal Caffrey, a crafty, witty, devious, and charming conman that just can't stay out of trouble, even though his best friend is the FBI . . ."
Consume Or Touch?
Chapter 2: No ShowNeal and Mozzie spent all day talking to their contacts in Manhattan, trying to find any news about Jonas Martinis. After several hours, Mozzie and him met back at the house. Mozzie got home first, sitting at the table with a glass of wine.
Neal climbed the stairs slowly and entered the room. His face was drained of all color and his eyes were drowsy looking. Mozzie looked up at him.
"Hey Mozzie. How'd it go?" Neal said, taking a seat beside him.
"Sorry Neal, I got nothing." Mozzie replied, taking a sip of wine.
"Does Peter suspect anything?" Mozzie asked, filling a glass for him.
"Nothing, he's just a bit curious about how Jonas conned me." Caffrey answered, taking the glass graciously.
"It takes many good deeds to build a reputation, and only one bad one to lose it." Mozzie quoted then finished the rest of the wine in his cup.
"Benjamin Franklin?"
"Very good padawan." Mozzie smirked, filling his glass again.
Peter was at home, eating dinner with his lovely wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth noticed he was quite distracted, he had told her about the death of Agent Birch, but she didn't know it would keep his mind so distracted.
"Honey, do you want to help me clear off the table?" She asked, getting to her feet.
"Sure thing Hun." He replied, picking up his dishes and carrying them to the sink.
After they cleared off the table, a loud knock came from the door. Satchmo wagged his tail happily as Elizabeth let Neal inside of the house.
"Honey, there's someone to see you." She called over to Peter. Burke walked around the corner and saw Caffrey give him half a smile.
"Neal, what are you doing here?" He asked, gesturing him to sit on the couch. Caffrey nodded his thanks and sat on the couch opposite of him.
"Mozzie and I couldn't find anything on Jonas. But I think I know how to lure him out." Neal said, tensing up a bit.
"How?" Burke asked, his eyes narrowing down at him, like a sniper targeting its prey.
"I didn't tell you everything . . ."
"Caffrey?!" Burke snapped, tightening his hands into fists. Neal swallowed hard before continuing.
"Look Peter, I didn't think this was relevant at the time, but now it is. Martinis and I ran a con together before he conned me. At the end of the con, I didn't hold my end of the bargain."
"That's why he conned you." Peter smirked, Neal just nodded his head.
"But you got away and now he's trying to kill you. So how can we find him?"
"If I purposely let word slip out that I'm selling the Scheveningen." Neal replied, stretching a yawn.
"Wait, the View of the Sea at Scheveningen by Vincent van Gogh? And the Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen? Those went missing during 2002!" Peter yelled, making his angry face at him.
"Please don't tell me you have possession of it." Peter said wagging a finger at him, Neal cringed.
"Actually Peter-"
"I said don't tell me. I don't want to arrest you. But do tell me one thing."
"What's that?"
"How did you get Octave and Henk's DNA on the hats?" Peter asked, but Neal just smiled.
"You conned them didn't you? That was the con you did together!"
"Let's just say that Jonas didn't get the award when he tried to con me." Caffrey said with a smile and graciously accepted the cup of coffee from Elizabeth.
"Alright, now back on subject. So you let word slip you want to sell the painting and you alert Jonas. Now we just need a time and place." Burke said, looking deep in thought.
Neal Caffrey went home that night. Mozzie seemed to have disappeared to who-knows-where, but Neal didn't care. He didn't want Mozzie telling him to get some sleep all night long.
Caffrey came to the blank canvas and pulled out his paints. Once decided on what to paint, he got out the right colors and then started to paint. Neal painted until the sun rose up.
When he realized daylight was streaming through his window, he sighed loudly. He was still wearing the same clothes so he washed up and changed quickly into something Nick Halden would wear.
When he finally got to the Bureau, he was ten minutes late. Burke gave him suspicious glances as he climbed up the stairs.
"Time and place right here. We have the whole mission planned out and we don't want you to screw it up." Burke said, slapping down an open file. Neal leaned over and saw descriptions of an old school where he would be selling the painting.
"Great, now I'll have Mozzie spread the word and I'll work on that forgery." Neal smiled at him and then went for the door.
"Neal!" Burke called over to him and he turned sharply around on his heels.
"Peter?"
"Don't try anything." Burke stated, giving him a glare.
"You know me Peter." Neal replied and walked out the door; Burke just chuckled silently and got back to his paperwork.
Neal texted Mozzie as he left, telling him to spread word of him selling the Scheveningen at West Harlem's 145th Street at 10 pm, which was an abandoned school.
Caffrey then went home and started on the painting, he had twelve hours to finish it, which didn't seem like enough time, but he managed to finish it. Mozzie and him then aged it and put it in a proper frame. Once ready, Neal called Peter to swing by and pick him up.
Burke picked him up and took him back to the Bureau, he then held a meeting.
"Alright, Caffrey will be selling the painting here, at West Harlem's 145th Street, we'll have six FBI agents posing as Neal's bodyguards. Jones, you'll be posing as a buyer inside for protection. Diana and I will be in the van, which will be parked on the other side of the road. We wait an hour, then Caffrey reveals the painting and hopefully we get Martinis' attention to come out. We want this man alive, understood?"
"Yes sir." Everyone replied to Burke and got up from their seats. Neal snatched his coat and put it on.
"Neal?" Peter said to him, approaching him slowly.
"Yeah?" He smirked, trying to act like he had plenty of energy.
"Careful on this one. This Martinis guy looks dangerous."
"I'll be fine Peter." Caffrey smirked and brushed past him, through the door.
"Don't worry sir, I'll keep a close eye on him." Jones said reassuringly, giving Burke a smile.
"Thanks Jones." Burke said and followed him out the door.
Nick Halden felt nervous, he had never gotten this nervous before, but he knew that Peter was right. Martinis is a dangerous man, a man that will not be conned by Nick Halden again. Halden knew that Martinis will only show up to kill him. So for a start, he decided to avoid drinking any liquids or touching anything and especially his own face.
The van pulled over to the side and Peter tossed Neal a watch.
"There you go and now off with the anklet." Burke said taking off Neal's tracking anklet.
"Thank you." He said and hopped out the van, carrying the painting with him. Jones was already inside of the school along with the ten FBI agents, but Nick still felt a tingling in his fingers. Halden entered the building slowly and found around ten people inside, excluding Jones and the agents that surrounded the room. All of them glanced his way when he entered.
Nick made his way to the front of the crowd.
"Can I have your attention please?" He shouted over to them and all the people turned his way.
"Thank you and sorry about this place, but it was the only thing I could get a hold of at the time. And I'm assuming you're all here about the Scheveningen?" Nick said with a smile placing the Scheveningen on display.
"As you can tell, I have ten bodyguards surrounding this place, so don't get any ideas. Now, shall we begin the bidding?" Nick said, a fake smile spreading across his lips.
Peter sat with Diana in the van.
"Jones, any sign of Jonas?" Peter asked through the coms.
"Sorry sir, no sign of him." Jones answered quickly, still scanning the room for him.
"Hopefully he'll show up soon because Caffrey's already selling the painting." Jones added and continued to look around.
"Peter, someone's coming up to the front!" Dian gasped, squinting at the computer screen.
"Jones, another buyer is coming through the door, hurry and go see who it is." Burke ordered, watching the stranger open the door and enter.
"Yes sir." Jones replied and made his way through the crowd.
"And sold to the woman in the redcoat!" Nick Halden shouted over to her, the lady came up slowly, her smile sly.
"Thank you Mr. Halden, but of course before we close the deal, I would like to inspect the painting." She said, brushing up to him.
"Of course Mrs. . . .?" Nick trailed off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.
"Mrs. Kentucky." She said, glancing over her shoulder to see him.
"It's a negative on Martinis Peter, he just probably got the wrong time." Jones said over the coms to Agent Burke.
"Alright, Neal's had enough time. Time to bust the party." Diana said, snatching her pistol and followed Peter out of the van.
When Peter burst through the door, Mrs. Kentucky accidently crashed into Nick.
"FBI everyone clear out!" Peter shouted checking every face for Martinis.
"Looks like you got caught." Mrs. Kentucky said and rushed out the door, leaving Neal on the ground.
"Halden, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, theft and multiple accounts of forgeries." Peter said, slamming cuffs onto Neal and shoving him out the door. Diana and Jones searched the rest of the school, but failed to find Martinis. The ten FBI agents cleaned up the area, snatched up the painting and everyone met back at the Bureau.
Caffrey sat at the briefing table, his head resting in the palm of his hand. Diana angrily drummed her fingers against the table and Jones sat silently, waiting for pacing Peter to say something.
"Caffrey, you said this would work. Martinis was a no show. And we still haven't found the girl!" He said angrily, glancing Neal's way every now and again.
"For the hundredth time, I'm sorry!" Neal said frustrated, rubbing his burning forehead. Burke sighed.
"Okay, what now?" Burke asked, but no one had an answer.
"Alright everyone go home, get some rest. We'll think of something tomorrow." Burke said, dismissing them all.
Caffrey and Burke walked over to the car and they both got inside, closing the car door at the same time.
"Let's get you home." Burke said with a sigh and sped off. Once he dropped Caffrey off, he went to his own home and got ready for bed. Neal on the other hand didn't find sleep, again.
It was three in the morning and Caffrey felt himself become nauseas suddenly. He went to the toilet and puked out what little things that were in his stomach. Neal then took a very cold shower and then got dressed, only wearing some sweats.
He seated himself on the couch, his head spinning like the Tasmanian Devil. His hands shook and his fever spiked up to 109°. Neal lied down, praying that Mozzie would come home soon. Caffrey's breath was shaky and he closed his weary eyes.
Mozzie came home later that night, but what he found wasn't pleasant. He first noticed something was wrong when he texted him and he didn't reply and when he was heading up the stairs, he noticed the lights were still on.
When Mozzie opened the door, a wave a sickness hit him. It smelt terrible and there on the couch Neal lay, his figure disorientated.
"Neal!" Mozzie gasped and rushed to his friend's side. Neal was shaking badly and was wheezing loudly.
"Neal what happened?! Don't worry, I'll call Peter." Mozzie said, not waiting for his sick friend to reply because he already knew what happened. Martinis got to him first; Neal has been poisoned and now it was only a matter of days before he would die.
Neal heard Mozzie talking over the phone, but didn't understand any of it. His vision was blurry and his head spun. He had tried to call Peter earlier, but his hands were too shaky to dial or even to hold the phone steady.
"Mozzie . . .? Mozzie?" Neal muttered, rolling his head back and forth. Mozzie turned around to his sick friend and kneeled down beside him, grasping his sweaty hand.
"It's alright Neal, I'm here." He reassured him. Neal started to cough loudly and Mozzie's eyes widened. He didn't know what to do for his friend.
"What should I do Neal?" Mozzie asked, leaning over his sick friend.
"Call Peter." Neal replied miserably and grasped the edges of the couch to stop his body from convulsing.
"I did Neal. I called him." Mozzie said, his heart pounding in his ears. He had never feared this much for Neal's life before.
"Call Peter . . ." Neal mumbled again and then cried out in pain as his body rebelliously convulsed. What came next none of them could predict. Jonas Martinis came bursting through the door, his gun pointed at Mozzie.
"Step aside Mozzie." He sneered and Mozzie almost froze. This was impossible! How did he know he was here? Mozzie slipped free of Neal's grip and stepped aside.
"Ah, Halden. You look sick. Let me help you." Martinis chuckled, grabbing Neal by his hair and tossing him onto the floor. Mozzie could only watch as his friend curled up into a ball and started coughing.
"What are you doing here?" Mozzie snapped, anger lashing out.
"I just wanted to pay a visit." Said the blond, taking a few steps closer to Mozzie.
A few moments later Peter came bursting through the door, but Martinis was the last thing he expected. Martinis pointed the gun at Peter, but Peter already had his weapon out.
"Put the gun down Jonas." Burke said, his gaze resting steadily on the man's face and not his dying friend on the floor.
"I'm sorry, but you know my name, but I don't know yours." Martinis said slowly, keeping the gun pointed directly at Peter. Mozzie in the background slowly shuffled over and found an empty bottle of wine.
"The name's Peter, Peter Burke. Now where's the girl? And how did you find him?" Burke snapped, keeping him distracted while Mozzie snatched up an empty wine bottle.
"The girl's dead and Neal Caffrey isn't very hard to find." Martinis stated, his hands grasping the handle of the gun tightly. Mozzie then came up from behind him, but Martinis figured their plan and kicked Mozzie and shot Peter before he could make a move.
Peter slumped over, blood welling up from his side. Before Mozzie could get back up, Martinis slammed the bottle against his head and made for the balcony. Burke scooped up his gun and shot at Jonas, but Martinis still managed to get away without a scratch on him.
Mozzie lay unconscious against the wall and Neal fidgeted in a tight ball. Burke coughed loudly and got to his feet. He immediately called a medical team while he managed his wound. Once he hung up his cell, he then continued to fix his gunshot wound.
A few minutes later, Burke came to his friend's side. Neal was pasty and hot, his hands were shaking and his lungs gasped for air with each movement.
"Oh god Neal." Burke gasped, bringing the conman into his bloodstained lap. He held his only friend close, grasping his shaking hands.
"P-Peter . . . ?" He stammered, his dull blue eyes half closed.
"It's alright Neal, you're gonna be alright." Peter tried to reassure him, stroking his head of sweaty brown hair. But Neal just chuckled, recognizing his defeat, (which was a very bad sign).
"H-he's good Peter. Ma-maybe even b-better . . ." Caffrey muttered, drowsiness taking over his mind.
"I'll . . . we'll get him Neal." Peter said, but now it was only to reassure himself.
"How did he find you Neal? How did he know?" Peter asked Neal, but it was practically like talking to a brick wall.
Neal's head was lolling back and forth now, sweat dripping down his face. Burke could feel ever quiver that climbed up his spine. It pained him to see him like this and it made him want to kill Martinis even more.
A few minutes later the medical team arrived, bursting through the door. Followed behind them were Diana and Jones.
"Peter! What happened?" Diana gasped rushing to his side.
"Jonas Martinis got here before I did." Peter muttered, watching the medical staff take limp Caffrey off his lap and onto a stretcher. The other staff checked Mozzie, who was just gaining consciousness.
Through that long night, Mozzie was taken care of, by giving him an icepack. Peter had surgery performed on him, followed by stitches, while Caffrey was sent into the emergency room.
Elizabeth sat in the chair by Neal's bed; on the opposite side was Mozzie, who muttered complaints about his aching forehead. Peter walked through the door slowly, his left arm in a sling.
"Oh honey! You had me so worried!" Elizabeth said, hugging and kissing her husband. Burke hugged her with his free arm and followed her to Neal's bedside.
"I'm not the one you should be worried about . . ." Burke pointed out, staring down at Caffrey.
"Yeah well, I was worried about both of you." Elizabeth said, her smile fading as she watched Neal take in a deep breath and exhale with a sigh.
"Hun, go catch that man." Elizabeth said suddenly, glancing towards her husband.
"Can do." He replied and went out the door.
Neal awoke two hours after Peter had left the room. Elizabeth had returned home and Mozzie went back to Neal's room to find out where Martinis might be hiding. When Caffrey jolted up, he was welcomed by Jones, who gave him a gentle smile.
"Hey Caffrey." He said slowly, gently pushing him back down.
"Take it easy, it's been a long night." Jones continued, not meeting the worried look Neal gave him. Caffrey opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, only a hoarse cough.
"Don't worry Caffrey, Peter's back at the Bureau trying to find Martinis. That man is going down." Clinton told him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Oh I can't wait to see the man's expression when we break down his door. It's going to be great and you'll be fine."
"Caffrey . . . you don't mind if I leave for just a few moments?" Jones said, scanning his face for a response.
"Go ahead Jones. Just leave, go catch him." Neal replied hoarsely and watched Jones mutter his thanks and dash out the door, for he knew how badly Jones wanted to get out there.
As soon as Neal knew Jones was gone, he started to disable the cables so they wouldn't sound an alarm when he pulled out the wires connected to his arm. Once done, he yanked out the wires and stumbled towards the door.
Mozzie sat at the table, a glass of wine by his side when Neal came bursting through the doorway. His eyes were glossy with pain and his hair was matted with sweat. He wore some jogging pants and a light jacket.
"Neal? What are you doing here?" He questioned, staring at him suspiciously as he snatched the wine bottle and drank down several swallows.
"You know me Mozzie, there's no way I was gonna stay back there." He muttered and took another gulp of wine, which Mozzie cringed as he saw that the bottle was almost depleted now. Neal coughed as he pulled of his jacket and Mozzie gave him looks as he saw sores that climbed up from his chest to his neck.
"Well since you're here, let me get you comfortable before we start." Mozzie said, getting up from his seat.
"Start on what?" Neal asked and then stumbled backwards into Mozzie's arms.
"Thanks." He muttered and let himself be led over, stumbling half the way.
"Start on finding Martinis. He went into hiding after he broke into our apartment." Mozz explained as he led Neal to the couch.
Neal lay down on the couch while Mozzie soaked a towel in ice cold water. He squeezed the excess water out and draped it over Neal's burning forehead. Mozzie then tossed a light blanket across him and made sure he had plenty of pillows. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Neal could die any moment, just whenever the poison decided to finish him off.
On the table, Neal's phone started to vibrate.
"Who's calling?" Neal rasped from the couch.
"It's Peter!" Mozzie replied and looked at the phone like it was the devil.
"Well answer it!" Neal pointed out and then clutched his forehead in pain.
"I can't talk to Suit on your phone!" Mozz complained and then looked towards his sick friend.
"Well I can't answer it, I'm supposed to be in the hospital. Remember?" Neal said then coughed into the blanket. Mozzie sighed and shrugged his shoulders,
"Fine . . . but now you owe me more wine." Mozz muttered and then placed the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" He said into it.
"Mozzie, Where's Neal? He isn't in the hospital." Peter voice came through the speakers.
"I don't know where he is, but hypothetically speaking, if he was here, he would be better off here than in that awful hospital." Mozzie said, nodding his head just to agree with himself.
"Mozzie, I'm coming over in ten, we need to discuss our situation." Burke said, the sound of people chattering in the background could be heard.
"Okay Suit, but just one thing you need to know. I don't think my hypothetically speaking was really hypothetical." Mozzie muttered, glancing towards groaning Neal.
"I know Mozzie." Peter replied and hung up.
Burke was over there in ten minutes, just like he said. He wasn't at all surprised to find a sick Caffrey laying on the couch, but it did in fact annoy him that a man like Martinis could do this much damage.
It made sense now why Neal was so afraid of him. Neal usually didn't get hurt or even touched, but this time it looks like his cons got the best of him.
"Alright Suit, make it quick." Mozzie said, snatching up a bottle of wine and a glass.
"We need to talk about Martinis." Burke replied, approaching Neal slowly, he pulled the damp towel from his forehead and touched the sides of his face. His face felt clammy and hot.
"I thought Neal already told you about Martinis." Mozzie pointed out, taking a seat at the table and pouring the wine into his cup.
"He didn't tell me everything like he said." Peter answered and soaked the towel again and placed it back on Neal's forehead.
"Alright, then what do you want to know?" Mozzie asked then took a sip of wine.
"I need to know where I can find him." Burke said, taking a seat beside him.
"Yes, me too, but obviously I don't know where he is." Mozzie stated, offering him a glass of wine, but Peter rejected it by the wave of his hand.
"Maybe something about his past may tell us where he is." Peter pointed out and Mozzie squinted at him, like he usually does when he's trying to decide if it's a dumb or intelligent idea.