Back in the conference room, the mood had become slightly subdued. There were so many pieces of the puzzle still missing, so many questions unanswered. The White Collar Unit had used Sally "the Vulture" on a case before and while her computer hacking skills were truly amazing Peter doubted that she could have pulled off something this complex. As far as he knew, Mozzie was still involved with Sally. Could they have engineered this together with (or without) Neal's direct involvement? And if so, what exactly had they engineered and why? Peter's emotions bounced between admiration and anger. Part of him wanted to find Neal and hug him, while the other part wanted to smack him and cuff him.
Diana and Jones joined Peter and Hughes and pooled the information they had managed to gather from the hospital and the FBI's computer people. A felon from the prison named Neal Caffrey had indeed, been signed into and out of the ICU, and his records matched those of their Criminal Consultant. Dr. Mansfield had signed the death certificate and a dead body had left the hospital, headed first for the Haversham Funeral Home, but was diverted en route to another mortuary in Queens where it was cremated and the ashes given over to a Sally V. Caffrey. None of the White Collar team believed any more that Neal was dead but where was he? Slowly a theory started to form in Peter's mind. Following his gut had served him well when dealing with Neal Caffrey during their cat-and-mouse years and their crime-solving partnership. "Diana, did Dr. Mansfield identify Neal from the medical records?" he asked. "Yes, Boss." Diana replied. "Was there a photograph of Neal in the records?" "I doubt it, let me go check."
When Diana returned, she was smiling widely. No one was surprised when she announced, "Dr. Mansfield could not say that the dead man was Neal. She could not recall him clearly, having only seen him with breathing equipment obscuring his face. However ….." she paused dramatically, "She had no problem identifying the handsome face in the photograph I texted her, as a current resident of the ICU, Mr. Daniel Peterson!"
Peter sighed and shook his head. "Apparently, his recovery is going so well that he is being prepared for transfer to a private room off the main ward. He's been so charming and they are all going to miss him!" Peter now had his head in his hands and was groaning. Hughes patted him on the shoulder, a slight smile playing across his lips. "Oh, I'm not finished." Diana continued, "His dear devoted brother, Mr. Hugh Peterson, has been with him throughout the day. As we speak he is taking a well deserve lunch break at the cafeteria, and according to your visa card activity Peter, you are paying for it!"
TBC
Your feed-back is appreciated, and will (per Mozzie) be taken under advisement!