Chapter Ten
The early morning phone call from Neal was still on Peter's mind as he made his way to Agent Singleton's office. He had found himself thinking back to their brief exchange all day. In his experience as an agent, he knew that although it would have huge repercussions, the operation itself was not a highly dangerous one. The biggest threat had been security; the chance that something could be said to the wrong person and word could get back to the Cordero Organization. Everyone had taken great pains to keep the operation at the highest level of need to know. There had been no chatter picked up on current surveillance that indicated that any leaks had occurred. Neal had insisted more than once that this was a simple tag and trace.
Of course, even the most simple operations had been known to go awry, and the Philadelphia aspect was more problematic. But Neal was very capable of improvising if things got off course. He had wiggled out of tight situations, saved operations and worked nothing short of miracles many times before. He was well covered, and backup could be on site in minutes. Peter knew Neal felt comfortable with the plan. Compared to the risk he had taken in Venezuela, this was a walk in the park. The only difference was that Peter hadn't known about that one until it was over.
The call had surprised Peter but had been something Neal had felt compelled to do; he had heard it in his voice. As composed as Nathan Clay had consistently been, he had heard a bit of Neal Caffrey over the line during the early morning call.
Neal had changed; Peter had seen the subtle differences all along. Nathan Clay was steady; more sure of himself. Even when Peter had been angry with him at the meeting he had not responded in the usual way. There had been no heated retort or defense; there hadn't even been the briefest flash of hurt in the blue eyes before he closed them down and withdrew in silence. That was what had stifled Peter's tirade at the time; the way Nathan Clay had handled his disapproval with ease, completely unaffected. He was completely committed to what he had done, and Peter's anger hadn't shaken him one bit. That had been the moment he felt he really met Nathan Clay. He had found Neal again at the elevator but in the room, negotiating his terms of service and meeting Peter's glare without a flinch, it had been all Nathan.
Nathan lived in Paris, ran what appeared to be a very successful Art Gallery and kept his life very simple. He had made a point to distance himself from his past, and all the emotions that past evoked. According to Elizabeth, Mozzie was even kept at a distance. He had used that time to make changes in both his life and his personality; the result of those changes was the man he was now.
That man had set these events into motion and had planned every aspect before he ever brought it to Peter. He had created terms of service that were very clear and specific. Everything seemed to have been done methodically and deliberately except the term concerning Peter. That, Peter knew, had been emotionally motivated. The same thing had prompted the early morning call. The term had been about ensuring Peter wasn't physically hurt; this morning, the call had been to make sure he wasn't hurt in other ways.
It's all on me; he had said, You are not responsible for any of it.
It was important to him that Peter knew that if anything did go wrong today and things ended badly, it was not his fault. One of Neal's faults was that he didn't always think about the consequences of his actions; Nathan Clay seemed to think about them very much. He had tried to reassure Neal that he understood, as well as to remind him that he needed to learn to trust Peter to make his own choices as well. He looked forward to a longer discussion on that topic. Hopefully, over dinner tomorrow afternoon.
He had spent the morning at the White Collar office and had caught Jones looking at him curiously more than once. They knew the role White Collar was to play in the Cordero investigations, and he also knew Peter. For that reason, Peter's closer involvement with Singleton didn't really surprise anyone. Peter remembered Elizabeth's comment about the look he had had on his face for the past several days. She had correctly identified it as the I'm worried about Neal look, but since Jones thought Neal Caffrey was dead, he was probably at somewhat of a loss.
Peter joined Agent Singleton at his office just past three pm. Agent Elliott already had a team set up surveillance at the Hicksville location and from Singleton's office Peter would be able to observe at least the action that was to take place.
Elliot called in, testing their radio communication. Not only would they be able to hear and see what was happening inside the warehouse, they would also be able to follow the outside operational chatter as well.
"Clay sent the meet location about five minutes ago," Elliot's voice crackled through the machine. One of Singleton's tech people made an adjustment and the next words were clearer. "He will be arriving shortly himself to activate the tracking devices. How is the sound on your end?" He paused. "Is Burke there yet?"
"I'm here," As opposed to being out there, where I should be, Peter thought to himself. "We are getting clear sound and good images from the warehouse."
There wasn't much to see; the space was relatively small. The warehouse was sectioned off, and the number 52 was approximately nine hundred square feet. One camera had been placed out of sight in the air circulation vent located high up in the center back wall and the second in a mass of pipes and wiring that edged the top right wall. The second camera, placed near the center of the room, would catch a good image of everyone entering the room; the other had a wider view of the entire area. Two pole camera's had been set up outside the warehouse to get the make model and license number of each vehicle that arrived on the scene.
There were several containers in the space. Two appeared to be ten by ten shipping crates with no identifying markings on them. Three smaller ones had FRAGILE stenciled on them. Peter knew that one of the crates held the shipment Neal had been hired to bring in from South America. What the other contained was anyone's guess. He wondered if the space was one of the many that Neal Caffrey had rented in various cities to store his ill-gotten gains. After all, the Pre-Columbian artifacts Neal had come up with four months earlier had to have come from somewhere.
"That's good. We are set here as well. I have no idea which of these containers is holding sixteen million dollars in illegal drugs," Apparently Peter wasn't the only one whose curiosity had been fueled by the containers in the room. "Agent Burke, does your friend Mr. Clay do a lot of business in the city?"
That was his way of asking Peter if he had any idea what was in the other containers in the storage area. "I have no idea," Peter replied, "But I am sure he's making the most of his time here."
"I see him as the opportunistic type," Elliot commented, "which does lead one to wonder what else he might have brought into the city with that shipment."
Of course he was opportunistic, Peter thought. That was the whole reason they had this opportunity to bring down one of the biggest drug rings on the East Coast.
"He is an entrepreneur," Peter adjusted the descriptive term slightly, "and the time for questions has passed, Agent Elliot."
"Yes, I guess it has," He heard the agent chuckle, "I just wanted to let you know that everything is still a go. I will be part of the detail that follows him to Philadelphia, too." He paused, his tone growing more serious. "I talked to him this morning, Agent Burke. We got some additional information on the men who are following him that I wanted to make him aware of."
Peter waited for Elliot to continue. "We've identified them as part of a four-man team that flew into Philadelphia two weeks ago. They do handle security down in Bogota, but they are also referred to as a cleanup crew."
"Cleanup crew?" Peter repeated even though he had a good idea what that meant. Two weeks ago was when Nathan Clay had also arrived in Philadelphia. "Do you think they were the reason for the chatter that was picked up down there?"
"A good chance of it," he confirmed. "The Cordero family is having problems in Philadelphia and these men have likely been sent to do some housecleaning."
"But they are here following Nathan; not in Philadelphia." Peter pointed out.
"Two of them are here," Elliot corrected, picking up on the concern in Peter's voice. "The other two stayed in Philadelphia. Look, Agent Burke, there is no reason to suspect that they are any threat to Clay. They're just following him to ensure the shipment gets to its intended recipients."
"It just gives more reason to suspect that things may get violent down there." Neal hated violence of any kind and Peter doubted that Nathan Clay felt any differently. He wouldn't want to be a part of, or witness to, any housecleaning activities the men had planned. Of course, as it was he might not have much of a choice. "So you told him all this?"
"I did," Elliot confirmed.
"Did he seemed worried?" He knew it was a stupid question; even if Neal was worried he wouldn't show it. Especially to Agent Elliot.
"Does he get worried?" Elliot asked seriously, "If so, he hid it well. He sounds confident that whatever is planned in Philadelphia will take place after his drop is made. I gave him another opportunity to back out and he again declined."
"Of course he did," Peter paused, suddenly compelled like Neal had been earlier to get his point across. "I can't be there, Agent Elliot," he said, "so I am counting on you to keep him safe."
The pause was slight. "I promise I will do my best, Agent Burke."
Peter and Singleton were able to see exactly the happenings in Hicksville, beginning with the arrival of Nathan Clay at 3:30 pm. He arrived early and activated the tracking devices, giving everyone an indication which of the containers was holding the product to be transported. He did not seem interested in the others, so the curiosity of what they held was not quelled in the least.
As he watched, Peter was again amazed at the calmness of Nathan Clay. He did not pace the small space in anticipation as he waited for the others to arrive. After activating the tracking devices, he approached a small table that was set near the right wall; two chairs were pulled up to it. Pulling one out, he sat down, reclining much the way Peter had seen him do so many times before. He smiled when Nathan Clay propped his expensive shoes up on the table and crossed his legs. Some things had changed; some had not.
"Considering there is a hit squad tailing him and who knows what's coming in Philadelphia, I'd think he'd be a little uptight," Singleton asked, studying the scene at the warehouse in disbelief. There was nothing in Nathan Clay's demeanor indicating he was anything but at ease with the situation. "Is he really that relaxed?"
"He probably is." Peter was already tired and the main event hadn't even started. He had forgotten how exhausting worrying about Neal could be. "And that's okay; I'm uptight enough for the both of us."
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Five men arrived at the warehouse between four and four-twenty. It was clear who was punctual; those with the most distant to travel. They could have been dinner guests by the way Nathan Clay greeted them, shook their hands and flashed them his best smile. They didn't seem exactly sure of how to take him; he obviously was not the type of courier they were accustomed to meeting. Three of the five simply grunted, took their packages and left. The other two actually engaged in a brief conversation with their host. As each shipment left the warehouse area, it was picked up to be tracked to it's intended destination.
Other than the deployment information, outside chatter had been minimum.
By four-fifty, Nathan Clay exited the warehouse, sending a bright smile towards the pole camera before securing the warehouse door. He was obviously pleased with the evening events so far. Peter was too; for a sixteen million dollar drug deal, it had gone amazingly well. Simple. Fast. Non-violent. He hoped the Philadelphia meet went as well but he had his doubts.
"Looks like this one is a wrap; on to the next one," Elliot said through the radio. "Those with me, get ready to move when Clay's comes through."
Having re-entered his car, Neal was now out of view, but not out of hearing. He utilized the watch Elliot had provided to take an opportunity to address Peter personally.
"I know you are listening, Peter," He said, closing the door. "Everything went just like I said it would. Simple. Without a hitch. With no surprises."
"Burke." Singleton's tone of concern was unnecessary; Peter saw that two men had suddenly appeared from just outside the camera view and were approaching Neal's car. So had Elliot.
"Who the hell is that? Where did they come from?"
"Now, we just have one more, minor-" The sound of the car door opening stopped Neal mid-sentence. One of the men slipped into the passenger seat beside him.
"Señor Clay," came a heavily accented voice. "I must insist that we join you." The second man entered the vehicle as well, taking his place directly behind Neal.
"Not to be rude," Neal's voice was calm but no longer amused, "but I don't like being in close proximity with people I don't know; especially when they carry guns and enter my car without an invitation."
So much for no surprises, thought Peter.