White Collar – Medium Exchange – Chapter 11
First, they started with Michelle's apartment. They wired it so that the lights would flicker intermittently. Second they made loud noises in the walls and ceilings at night. They played with the air conditioning so that a cold draft would blow across the room at certain times of the day.
They heard Michelle and Sebastian reacting to these things. As expected Michelle dismissed them as natural occurrences, while Sebastian was more easily spooked.
Then, with Mozzie's help, they took things up a notch. They got footage of the Agent that was killed and Mary's father Tony and projected images into the apartment when Sebasian was on his own. Just quick flashes so he would see the images for a second or two. Just enough to spook him. Predictably Sebastian freaked out and wanted to move out of the apartment. He and Michelle argued and she slapped him, telling him to pull himself together. When she left the apartment to do some readings and follow up on leads to Sarah and Mary, she told him to stay there and pull himself together.
It was time for Neal to make his move. Peter had taken all the precautions he could to keep Neal safe, he and the team were outside and they would have ears on Neal the whole time through the audio monitoring watch he would be wearing. Even so, this would be more dangerous than Peter liked.
"We'll be right outside. If things aren't going right, just say the word and we'll be there." Peter told Neal who nodded impatiently.
"I'll be fine Peter." Neal reassured him. He was touched by Peter's concern but impatient to get this done.
Sebastian opened the door when Neal knocked. He reached for his gun when he saw Neal and kept it trained on him.
"I'm here to help you." Neal told him coming into the apartment keeping his hands visible as Sebastian kept the gun trained on him.
"What are you talking about." Sebastian asked distrustfully looking out into the corridor to check Neal was alone.
"You found out I was a consultant with to the FBI right?" Neal asked. "Well I'm a psychic consultant and you are in serious danger, Michelle is going to kill you." He told Sebastian who looked at him uncertainly.
"She's done it before. You remember Sarah's boyfriend Tony? Michelle asked him to prove himself to her by taking out a local competitor. Tony did it but then, when Mary was born, he started wanting out of the life. Michelle wasn't going to risk him taking Sarah and Mary away. She had you take out Tony as your initiation." Neal told Sebastian.
"How do you know that?" Sebastian asked.
"Tony told me. He's here right now." Neal told Sebastian looking over Sebastian's shoulder as if seeing someone standing right behind him. The air conditioning chose that moment to spit out the cold air. Sebastian gasped and looked behind him holding his gun up, but of course there was nothing there.
"He's angry with you, but I think I can convince him it's Michelle who deserves his anger more, especially as she's planning to do the same thing to you. You screwed up the hit on me and now she needs you out of the picture, Sever any ties to her. She is out organizing it right now." Neal told Sebastian who was looking pretty shaken. He still had the gun in his hand but it was pointed at the floor now.
Neal's phone pinged. He glanced at it.
"Michelle is on her way back" the text message said. That meant they would have to speed this up.
"There's someone else here as well, another angry spirit." Neal told Sebastian.
"It's that Fed I shot, I saw him." Sebastian told Neal, who almost laughed at how easy this was. Confession one in place.
"No, he says he's your father. He says he is sorry Seb, sorry that you have inherited your poor health from him, together with his temper. He wishes he had treated you better. What he is most sorry about it that he taught you better than to work for a woman." Neal told the man, rubbing his head and looking up as if listening to silent voices.
Neal is silent. Sometimes it's better to let people talk themselves into the con. Tell them what they want to hear, what they really believe in their hearts.
The lock on the door clicked and Michelle came in.
"What's going on here?" Michelle demanded, looking from Neal to Sebastian.
Neal kept quiet. Letting things play out.
"He's come here to warn me about you. He's a psychic for the FBI, that's how they were a step ahead of us, why they weren't at that safe house like you told us. He's been telling me about how you are planning to have me killed, just like how you had me kill Tony." Sebastian told her.
That was confession two, tying Michelle to the murder of Tony, Neal thought. Halfway there.
"Don't be ridiculous." Michelle told Sebastian angrily. "There's no such thing as psychic powers." She told him. That was three, Neal thought with satisfaction, she had admitted she wasn't psychic.
"Baby, I wouldn't ever you." Michelle told Sebastian going up to him and looking at him seductively. He looked torn.
"I can prove what I am saying is true. The spirits say there is evidence in this room that Michelle was planning to kill you. An envelope, with proof in it. Your photo and the payment for the hit in it. It's in her bag" Neal told Sebastian. "Take a look for yourself." He suggested.
Sebastian snatched the bag off Michelle, waving them both back with the gun. Michelle looked puzzled, since as far as she was aware there was no such thing in there.
Sebastian opened the bag and pulled out the sealed envelope Mozzie had planted when Michelle left earlier. Sebastian opened the envelope and to find his picture and the money, just as Neal had told him. He raised the gun to aim at Michelle.
"What the fuck is this Michelle? He was telling the truth. You put a hit on me?" Sebastian demanded angrily mainly pointing the gun at Michelle now.
"What are you talking about you idiot. Don't waive that thing at me. " Michelle told Sebastian "Just take him somewhere deserted and shoot him, like you were meant to a week ago" She ordered pointing a shaky red manicured fingernail at Neal.
That was two, Neal thought she had just admitted she at least knew about the hit.
"It's a plant" Michelle told him. "This is all a set up. We have to get out of here" Michelle told Sebastian urgently.
"What about those FBI Agents. They aren't going to just let killing their agent go." Sebastian asked.
"It's fine. There's nothing to tie it to us." Michelle told him, but it wasn't convincing and Neal saw Sebastian look at the gun in his hand. Neal couldn't believe he was stupid and arrogant enough to keep the murder weapon but it would be extra evidence if so.
"She's lying." Neal told Sebastian, though it was almost unnecessary at this point. One of Mozzie's quotes popped into Neal's head – 'those that trust no one are apt not to be trusted'. Sebastian took the envelope back from Michelle and keeping the gun trained in her moved to the door.
"I'm leaving and if anyone comes after me, I'm coming after you, but not until I've come after Sarah and little Mary." He threatened her. He left, putting the gun away as he exited the apartment, leaving Michelle and Neal alone. He figured there was probably about 60 seconds at most before the team came storming in to arrest Michelle. Michelle went over to the table and retrieved her handbag and pulled out a gun of her own then she turned on the television loud.
"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" She told him aiming the gun.
60 seconds suddenly seemed a very long time.
"You shouldn't have killed those FBI agents. It was a mistake." Neal told her.
"No, the mistake was not killing you the first night I met you, which I am about to rectify." She told him, flicking through the channels finding a Cop show where a shoot-out was happening and turning up the sound
"That would be another mistake." Neal told her. If he sounded a little nervous he hoped no one noticed. He had pushed Michelle hard, there was every chance she might shoot him, witnesses nearby or not. He hoped Peter and the others were on their way.
"The FBI are right outside, they've been listening to everything we say and they will arrest you." Neal told having to raise his voice to be heard over the TV. Michelle smiled nastily.
"Your ghost friends tell you that? Tell them I said hello" she told him raising the gun. Neal held his breath, there was a loud bang, he dived across the room hoping he wasn't hit. He realised it wasn't the gun but the sound of the door being kicked in.
"FBI Freeze!" Came the clarion call as the team stormed in.
Michelle quickly surrendered once it was clear the choice was surrender or be shot.
Peter came in behind SWAT looking for Neal. Smiling in relief when he saw he was unharmed.
"Did we get it?" Neal asked as Peter helped him up.
"Every word. Michelle will be going away for a long time and thanks to her admission of not having psychic powers we should be able to return all the money she took too. Plus the weapon on Sebastian is the same model as the one used to shoot my agents, we've sent it off to ballistics to see if we can get an exact match." Peter told Neal with satisfaction.
They both watched with pleasure as Jones handcuffed Michelle, read her rights to her and marched her off to the offices for interview.
"How did you know about Sebastian's father, that wasn't in the files?" Peter asked. Neal smiled slightly
"I'm psychic." Neal told Peter straight faced, walking out ahead the apartment ahead of Peter before he gave himself away by laughing.
"No, Really, how?" he heard Peter calling after him.
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June held a party to celebrate Michelle Morgan's arrest and her and Neal's safe return to the home.
"It's good to be home." Neal told her clinking his wine glass to hers, as they watched Peter and Mozzie having a friendly argument about the Department of Defence's experimentation into mind control via Twitter and Elizabeth trying to mediate.
"I won't argue with that." June told him taking his arm and steering him out onto the balcony for a more private conversation.
"Neal, I just want to thank you. I'm didn't mean to put you and Mozzie in such danger." June told him, he tried to interrupt reassure her that it was nothing but she put a hand up to stop him.
"Please, forgive me." She asked. Neal gave her arm a squeeze and smiled
"June, there's nothing to forgive and for all that I owe you, this was just a tiny repayment." He reassured her smiling reassuringly. She gave him a slightly worried smile back but before they could say any more they were called by the others, both Mozzie and Peter seeking Neal's back up on their side of the argument. June went back inside. Neal hesitated for a second glancing up at the night sky and appreciating what he had right here and now. He might not be psychic but on nights like this he sensed it might be sensible to give thanks to someone up there – just in case.