Time to wrap up things.
Thank you for following us on this new adventure. Your comments have been truly appreciated. We hope to meet you again in a future story.
A special thanks to all the "guests" that I cannot thank personaly.
Epilogue
Day 6 - Burkes' house, 8:00 pm
Peter turned the engine of his car off. He had finished the preliminary reports, Kramer was behind bars. He was exhausted but happy this case was finally over.
Kramer… He still found it hard to believe. He had lost his confidence in his former mentor a long time ago, but that had been due to his conduct regarding Neal. He would have never thought he was implicated in the theft from the beginning. No surprise then that the case had never been solved. Must have been quite a thrill conducting the investigation while you knew exactly who was behind it.
Sure, some remarks had bothered him, but he had made sure his personal feelings didn't interfere with the investigation. He hated Kramer for personal reasons; he couldn't allow them to take precedence over the job. He should have followed his instinct. Elizabeth would have probably confirmed it.
He shivered remembering the scene from the previous night. John had made it there just in time. Always there at the right time. Who was exactly detective Riley? Thanks to him, his family was safe and sound. A new shiver shook his body as he remembered Elizabeth's frantic face, her arms reaching out for Neal. Neal Jr.
He had never thought he would need to differentiate them someday. The idea was Elizabeth's. The day the ultrasound had revealed she was expecting a baby boy, she had asked him, in an unusually shy voice, if he would be okay to name him Neal. Peter hadn't been able to hold back his tears and Elizabeth had immediately back-pedalled.
"But it was just an idea. He could have your father's name," she had said swiftly.
Unable to talk, his throat choking, he had kissed her.
"I hope he'll have your eyes," he had whispered watching her, his eyes full of love.
"And your sense of honesty…"
"Certainly hope so. I'd hate to have to throw him in jail," he had answered with an amused smile.
Elizabeth had let escape a surprised scream when the baby had kicked. "I think he doesn't like being teased. A lot like his uncle already."
Peter had placed his hand over his wife belly to feel the little kicks. And baby Neal was born with his mother's blue eyes.
Peter looked toward the house. The lights were on in the living room. Elizabeth was waiting for him. Mozzie was most probably around too; he really enjoyed spending time with the baby. And Peter was determined to do just the same. He had left a message to his secretary informing her that he wouldn't go to the office the following day. He had just solved a major case; he deserved a day off.
He left his car and entered his home in silence.
He hung his coat in the hall and saw Neal's hat hanging there. He smiled in happiness. He hadn't expected Neal to come back so soon.
He entered the living area. Elizabeth was sitting on the couch, holding Neal Jr. Baby Neal was holding the teddy bear with the blue tie his "godfather" had gifted him. Sweeping the room with his eyes, Peter saw that Elizabeth was alone. As he watched her more closely, he could see her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying not long ago.
He felt a cold dread engulf him.
Neal wasn't there.
The hat was just a message. A last farewell…
Swallowing the sob he could feel rising up, Peter went to sit by his son, putting his hand on the teddy bear to play with him.
After a chapter that would sound totally surreal in a few days, their lives would go back to normal. The shadow of his former CI would float forever above them, but more as a ghost. No one would ever see him again.
"Did I ever tell you how I met your godfather for the very first time?" he asked his son. "I was in front of the bank…"
THE END