Mathew Rhinehardt walked leisurely down the busy New York street. He was walking back from lunch. His eyes glanced over his surroundings, people walking back and forth, cars darting around each other, a municipal utilities van parked on the curb with workers making their way down a manhole.
That was when he saw it. A young man walking down the street that brought back memories of the past. Rhinehardt stared at the young man.
"Nick?" He asked.
"Nick!" He called and tried to walk to the man he swore he had killed years ago. Rhinehardt then bumped into a bald man with glasses.
"Oh I'm so sorry sir," He said and Rhinehardt looked back up and the man was gone.
"Damnit!" He cursed and looked around.
Inside the utilities van Jones sighed as he dung through his pockets. He retrieved his phone and called Peter.
"Hey Peter, I'm staking out Rhinehardt like you asked and Caffery's here," Jones said.
"Outside his office?" Peter asked.
"Yeah and the little guys with him," Jones added.
"Damnit Neal…alright I'll be there in a few minutes," Peter said and hung up.
Peter put on his coat as he headed for the door. He had been waiting for Neal to get in because he couldn't get a search warrant for Rhindehardt yet.
"Exigent circumstance is only going to work so many times!" Peter grumbled to himself as the elevator doors closed.
Rhinehardt walked into his building. The lobby was decorated with beautiful mirror sculptures. He played it off as modern art but it was so he could see around every corner from where ever he stood in the building. And as he did everyday he glanced at the mirrors and froze. There he stood, Nick Lafferty, not having aged a day.
"Nick?" He asked. Those eyes bored into him with an accusing look. Richard whipped around and didn't see him.
"I'm going crazy," He said and he turned back around and bumped into a delivery man carrying a vase of flowers and water sloshed all over them both at the collision.
"Oh Jeez! Great, now I'm going to be late for my delivery and the arrangement is ruined! Thanks a lot buddy!" The man shouted at him.
"Hey I'm sorry, here how much did it cost?" Mathew asked. The man balked at him.
"Oh! You think you can just fix everything with money don't you! These flowers were meant to brighten someone's day, make them feel better!" The short, deliver man ranted, adjusting his thick glasses. Mathew pulled a hundred from his wallet. He gripped the man's hand and put the money in it.
"Trust me, money does the same thing. Now excuse me I have to see if I can dry myself off in the bathroom. You better hope plant food doesn't ruin Armani!" Mathew snapped and walked down the hall.
Mozzie smiled to himself and pocketed the money. He walked quickly to a maintenance closet where he met Neal. Neal was standing in there rubbing his eyes.
"Leave them alone," Mozzie said as he set the 'ruined' flowers down.
"I can't help it," Neal said.
"You're up, he's headed for the bathroom," Mozzie said. Neal nodded and opened a panel in the wall that led to the men's bathroom.
Rhinehardt took off his coat as Neal snuck into a bathroom stall. Neal peaked through the crack and saw a gun tucked into the back of Rhinehardt's pants. Neal took a deep breath and opened the stall door.
Rhinehardt put his jacket under the hand dryer and took his gun from his back and tucked into his pants in front of him in case someone else came into the bathroom. He heard someone behind him and looked up into the mirror and back down to his jacket. He did a double take when he saw 'Nick' standing behind him.
"Nick?" He questioned.
"Mathew," Neal spoke. Rhinehardt reached down for his gun and turned around. Again no one was there. There was a stall there with the door shut.
"Come out here! Who are you! Nick is DEAD!" Rhinehardt yelled.
"Because of you!" Neal yelled back and it sounded like it came from every direction. Rhinehardt kicked in the stall door and it was empty. He then kicked open every single stall and found no one. He aimed his gun at the door when it opened and a man entered. He saw the gun and raised his hands.
"I can hold it," He said and darted back out the door. Rhinehardt drew ragged breathes before putting the gun back in his belt and picking up his jacket. He then ran for the elevator.
Peter walked into Rhinehardt Industries and found the receptionists desk.
"Peter Burke, FBI, I need to speak to Mathew Rhindehardt," Peter said.
"Take the elevator to the top floor and turn right." The receptionist said.
"Thank you," Peter said and looked around. He was distracted momentarily by all the mirrors but found the elevator. All the while looking for Neal.
"Really?" Peter asked as he found the elevator to be mirrored too. He took a deep breath and waited patiently for the elevator to go to the top floor.
When Peter arrived at Rhindehardt's office his knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A man snarled. Peter opened the door and found a very disheveled Mr. Rhindehardt standing by his desk.
"Mr. Rhindehardt?" Peter asked, stepping into the office.
Mozzie looked around the corner with his maintenance trolley.
"Neal, Peter's here," Mozzie said over their ear piece and turned around before Peter could notice him.
"Abort!" Mozzie said as he ran.
"No, Mozzie that guy's got a gun!" Neal said back to him.
"I'll go get the other suits in the van then I'm out!" Mozzie said as he got to the service elevator and went down.
"Alright Mozz," Neal said as he stepped out into the hallway.
"Yes, and once again who are you?" Rhinehardt asked. Peter glanced down at Rhinehardts hand and saw a scarred mess. That was what he needed for his warrant, to have proof he has scars in order for them to be examined by the Jeffersonian. Peter held up his badge.
"Peter Burke, FBI, I'd like to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of Nicholas Lafferty," Peter answered him.
"Question this," Rhinehardt growled and pulled out his gun. He fired before Peter could make a reach for his weapon.
Neal heard the gun shot and ran down the hallway. He heart lept when he saw Peter hit the ground.
"PETER!" Neal yelled. He slid to his knees beside Peter and made Peter look at him.
"Oh Jesus! Peter!" Neal said and looked down at Peter's body. The bullet struck him in the chest.
"Neal," Peter choked. Neal reached for Peter's gun but Rhinehardt was behind him. Rhinehardt grabbed a handful of Neal's hair and put the nose of his gun against Peter's forehead.
"Take out the gun and slide it across the floor." Rhinehardt growled.
"Peter I'm so sorry," Neal said.
"Do it!" Rhinehardt yelled. Neal pulled out Peter's gun and slung it across the floor. Rhinehardt slung Neal in the opposite direction and Neal landed on the floor. Rhinehardt stood up and kept his gun trained on Peter.
"Neal? Neal Caffery?" Rhinehardt asked. Neal nodded as he looked back to Peter.
"Call him an ambulance and you can have whatever you want, please!" Neal begged as Peter began to choke. Blood began to seep from his lips.
"I don't think so, you're Nicks son aren't you? Well let me tell you kid, your old man would be proud of you, until you turned Fed!" Rhinehardt said.
"They found his body!" Neal said.
"I would imagine it was in a basement somewhere in Georgretown," Rhinehardt said.
"You killed him," Neal said as he tried to get to his feet.
"Stay on the ground!" Rhinehardt snapped, emphasizing with his arm that his gun was still aimed at Peter.
"Alright," Neal said and stayed down on his side. He looked to Peter, Peter looked at him but he really couldn't do anything that required breathing.
"Where is it?" Rhinehardt shouted. Neal was still looking at Peter, his mind was focused on the trail of blood that dripped from the corner of Peter's mouth.
"WHERE IS IT!" He shouted and fired a bullet, inched from Peters head. Neal jumped.
"WHAT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!" Neal screamed at him.
"The tiger's heart where is it!" Rhinehardt yelled.
"That…That's just a bedtime story! You killed my parents over a made up rock!" Neal yelled.
"No, I killed your mother because she was distracting your father from his true nature. I killed him because he betrayed me. I guess I should have just killed him, at least then you would have had a mommy and your badge friend here wouldn't be in this predicament." Rhinehardt answered.
"Where is the Tiger's heart, you father said he gave it to his son, that would be you. And your old man did a damn good job of hiding you, seeing as you're thirty fucking years old!" Rhinehardt said.
"I don't know what you're talking about! I don't even know what it looks like!" Neal said.
"My jacket in the breast pocket! Crawl!" Rhinehardt demanded. Neal got onto his hands and knees and crawled over to the desk. He got the jacket and found a polaroid in the breast pocket. It was a picture of Neal and his father, Neal was holding a large purple diamond in his tiny hands. He had to of been six at the time.
"You've got to be kidding me! That was real?" Neal remembered it. He genuinely thought was a fake diamond his father let him play with. Then he realized he remembered the diamond set they found on his father's body. He played with those when he was a kid too. He remembered dressing up like pirates and it was their treasure.
"Good, Good where is it?" Rhinehardt asked. Neal thought about the purple diamond and shook his head.
"It's…hidden and you have to call an ambulance for him." Neal said. Peter tried to sit up.
"Neal Don't!" he sputtered and began to choke.
"Shut up!" Rhinehardt kicked Peter back to the ground. Rhinehardt turned the gun onto Caffery.
"Where is it?" Rhinehardt asked.
"It's hidden in Green wood Cemetery," Neal answered. Rhinehardt looked down to Peter and back to Neal. Peter didn't say anything, he knew what Neal was doing, that cemetery was way outside his radius.
"On your feet, bring the jacket, come on, we're going to go get it," He said. Neal got up and walked to the door. He looked down to Peter.
"I'm sorry Peter," Neal said. Rhinehardt put his food on the gunshot wound and dug in. Peter cried out.
"What the hell is your problem!" Neal yelled and shoved him. Rhinehardt put the gun in Neal's face.
"Move it!" Rhinehardt yelled and Neal hurried out into the hallway. Rhindehardt stepped over Peter and followed Neal down to the elevator.
"Aren't you going to call an ambulance?" Neal asked, stopping at the elevator.
"I'm sure he has a phone," Rhinehardt said and pushed Neal down to the service elevator.
Neal walked onto the elevator and Rhinehardt took his jacket from him. He draped the garment over his arm and pushed the muzzle of the gun against Neal's back. Mathew
"If you cry out or signal anyone, I will paralyze you and go back to finish off your badge. So junior you may want to cooperate," Rhinehardt growled. Neal's mind was racing on what to do next.
Peter rolled to his side but it was so hard to breathe. He coughed and more blood speckled the floor. He reached into his pocket to find his phone. His strength was leaving him fast as he found it and dropped it. He tried to find it again but he rolled back onto his back as his head began to swim. He heard someone coming but he couldn't summon his head to move.
"Burke?" It was Booth.
"Booth? What are you doing here?" Peter asked as Booth knelt down next to him.
"I never bail in the middle of a case," Booth said and began to apply pressure to the wound.
"He's got Neal," Peter said and tried to struggle away from Booth.
"Easy," Booth said.
"He's got Neal!" Peter repeated. He then became aware Booth wasn't the only one there around him.
"Boss?" Diana was there, she knelt down on his other side.
"Diana…track Neal's anklet…Rhinehardt took him…'en Wood…Cemetery" Peter said and began to cough. Peter's head then slumped to the side as he lost conscious.
"I got him, You guys go," Jones said and took Booths place. Diana got her phone from her pocket and dialed the Marshals.
"This is Agent Barrigan, I need to know the location of an anklet…," Diana gave the number of Neal's tracking anklet as she and Booth got back into the elevator.
"Alright keep tracking him I need to know his every move," Diana said, holding the phone to her ear.
"He's right outside the building, we just missed him. No he's not running he's been abducted; make sure any responding Marshals know that if he breaches his radius!" Diana said.
"How accurate is that thing?" Booth asked.
"We can locate Neal down a square yard," Diana answered.
"Nice," Booth replied as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor.
Neal sat quietly in the taxi, Rhinehardt had the gun digging into his side under the jacket. They were coming to a bridge and Neal knew his anklet would be activated. His mind was racing about Peter. Neal froze when a series of beeps came from the vicinity of the floor board. The anklet beeped several times and went quiet again.
"What the hell was that?" Rhinehardt asked. Neal didn't say anything. Rhinehardt began to pat down Neals legs. He pulled up Neal's pant leg up and found the anklet.
"Son of a bitch!" He yelled. He pulled out his gun and pistol whipped Neal across the face.
"Hey!" The taxi driver yelled back at him.
"Everything ok back there?" The driver asked. Rhinehardt pulled the gun up and pointed it at the driver.
"Shut up and drive!" Rhinehardt said. The cabby nodded nervously and looked back at the road.
Rhinehardt gripped the anklet, angled the gun, and fired.
"Ahh!" Neal yelled out in pain as the bullet grazed along his leg, cutting open his skin. Rhinehardt yanked the anklet off and rolled down the window. He threw it out the window as Neal held the side of his face and put serious thought into tucking and rolling out the door. He didn't thought because he knew this trigger happy bastard could kill him before he could get the door open.
Diana cursed as she hung up the phone.
"What?" Booth asked. Neither agent was wearing their seat belts.
"They lost him. The anklets signal went out," Diana answered as she drove through traffic.
"He managed to turn it off?" Booth asked. Diana shook her head.
"No, the only way an anklet will stop reporting its location is if it's been destroyed." Diana answered.
"It's attached to Neal, how could it be destroyed?" Booth asked. Diana took a deep breath.
"I don't…know," She answered.
"Is he still wearing that watch?" Booth asked. Diana looked to him.
"What watch?" Diana asked.
"We lost track of Neal when they were in D.C. and Peter used his phone to find him. He said there was a tracker in his watch," Booth explained.
"You lost track of Neal in D.C.?" Diana asked.
"It's a big lab," Booth answered. Diana shook her head turned her blue tooth back on.
"Call Jones," She spoke and waited for her phone to obey.
"Jones! What do you know about Peter tracing a watch to find Neal?" Diana asked.
"Ok so grab Peter's phone and see if you can find Neal, the tracker went dead!" Diana said.
"Een Wood… Een wood?" Booth tried to pronounce. Diana looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Diana asked.
"Peter said something right as he passed out, He said Rhinehardt took Neal to a cemetery, Een wood…Lean wood? I'm not from New York!" Booth said. Diana reached to her dashboard navigator.
"Find Lean wood Cemetery," Diana said. The robotic voice answered.
"Did you mean Green Wood Cemetery?" The computer asked and highlighted the cemetery.
"Sure," Diana said and the computer began to give her directions.