Chapter 8
"When Hughes retired he was really sick. He only lasted about 6 months. Diana had been the next logical choice. Well, actually I had been the next logical choice. But I had already chosen to retire. Diana was ready. She…it worked out well for her. No more dangerous field work, great for Theo, and regular hours, also great for Theo."
"Jones got a promotion, too?" Neal asked.
"He did." Peter answered. "He took over my old job."
"Wow, how is Jones doing?"
"Wonderfully," Peter replied. "he's taken well to Diana being his boss. Which I didn't anticipate that being a problem. He has a great respect for women."
Neal paused, but he had to ask. "FBI know I'm here? Am I still on the radar?"
"I made sur they knew that you were the one who returned the treasure. That helped your case. And, good news, your sentence would have been commuted accordingly, which means a year in jail, no deals. A year in prison, then you'd have been a free man."
"I guess that they were surprised that I turned up alive." Neal said.
"You don't get it." Peter said shaking his head. "I told them I found all this out after you had passed. You left me a note, I found later. So in essence, you're still dead." Peter saw the look on Neal's face. "It's not completely inaccurate. The note you sent me changed my life. You told me about the treasure in a note, both times."
Neal shook his head. "It's for the best, I guess. I can't go back to prison. It's like…you look out the window and see the world go by. But inside…inside that place the world stops and one hour, one day feels like ten."
Peter nodded, remembering his short stent in the joint.
TBC
