Chapter 14

Peter finished up his second cup of coffee and had just begun to straighten up the kitchen when it occurred to him that he hadn't given the house the full once over on his frantic search for El's ring. After all, this was where the whole sordid story had begun, the place where Elizabeth had reluctantly taken off her wedding ring and handed it to him for safe keeping. What if it had fallen out of his ripped pocket even before he'd left the house that morning?

He thought briefly of the dream he'd had, realizing he'd never look at an apple pie quite the same way again and he began to retrace his steps from that fateful morning earlier in the week. He remembered that El had taken off her ring as she sat on the edge of the bed up in their bedroom. He had already been fully dressed at the time and he recalled grabbing a couple of tissues from the bedside table to carefully wrap the ring in, depositing it delicately in his right jacket pocket.

Peter climbed the stairs, two by two, arriving in the bedroom and immediately diving onto his poor, old, weathered knees in order to start foraging around and under the bed for the coveted item.

Nothing.

Satchmo watched his master on all fours with interest, his tail wagging furiously in unrestrained joy. Surely this must be some new game he wanted to play and he stuck his wet snout in Peter's face, eliciting a groan from the FBI agent as he promptly pushed him away. So much for reading the signs, thought the dog. Peter got to his feet, moving carefully around the room, taking in every inch of every surface – after all, wasn't this was Agent Peter Burked did better than anyone else, search for clues to solve a crime. Only this time, he was the criminal, the one who had inadvertently stolen the precious ring from his beloved wife. His search turned up nothing but some clumps of dog hair, compliments of Satchmo and a stray earring from a pair he never remembered seeing El wear – probably because she only had one left!

He continued his investigation in the bathroom, back in the hallway and he finally made his way downstairs, eyes searching as he went. After thirty minutes of thorough exploration, Peter flopped down on the couch, dejected, as he realized the ring was simply not there. It could be anywhere between the house and office, probably scooped up by some passerby on a busy street, he realized with sadness. He was going to have to come clean with Elizabeth; he sure as hell wasn't going to wait for her to stand there with a rolling pin in her hands, asking him about where the precious ring was. He would have to pick the perfect time to tell her and make damn sure he had a brand new (and even more beautiful) ring in his hand ready to put on her finger.

He walked into the kitchen, glancing briefly at the broken down garbage disposal and instead of tending to it, he opened the refrigerator door, grabbing a beer in one swift motion. He turned away defiantly, returning to the living room, turning on the television set and putting his legs up on the couch. There was only one thing that could make him feel better; thank God the Rangers had an afternoon game.

WCWCWC

'Caffrey, your reputation precedes you' said Shawn Sullivan as he introduced himself and shook Neal's hand

Neal took the man in – well dressed, early forties, looking quite dapper for a crime syndicate family member. A younger man stood next to him, looking like he might be learning the ropes and following in the illustrious family's footsteps.

'This is my nephew, Max' said Sullivan as he introduced the young man who couldn't be more that 20 years old and looked terrified to be there

Neal nodded in response, trying to keep an air of mystery about him. The young man looked absolutely out of his league, standing there awkwardly, next to his uncle. Neal wondered if this poor hapless youngster knew what he'd been born into and he momentarily felt sorry for the kid who would undoubtedly be pulled into the underworld crime scene against his free will.

'I hear you're in the market for some help' Neal said as the three men sat in what was obviously a very temporary office

A desk, a couple of chairs and some sundry 'mystery' boxes littered the small space which had obviously been rented hastily to give them some meeting space, away from prying eyes.

'Well, we hear you're the best at what you do and that you're open to new 'projects' said Sullivan

'I am indeed, if it's the right project' said Neal as he looked the man up and down

'Well, I think you'll find we can be very generous when we're satisfied with the services we acquire' said Sullivan

'So, what's the job, exactly?' Neal asked, cutting to the chase

'Well, we have a couple of items we wish to acquire from a couple of local museums and we have access to some manpower, although no one of your, ahem, 'caliber' the man answered to Neal's delight

Even after all these years, Neal still loved it when his talents and skills were recognized as the best – after all, they were the best. He knew it and everyone else knew it. He'd acquired a reputation on all five continents and he'd proven he could be cunning and clever while getting results. Of course, in his heyday, Neal would never have considered carrying out a job for someone else. Why take the risk if you couldn't fully benefit from the fruits of your labor?

Neal sat and listened. He didn't want to look overeager and he briefly thought of Alex who would be none too pleased to hear someone refer to him as the master thief and forger he'd been; she liked to think of herself as being in the same league although everybody knew Neal had always been the mastermind behind the jobs they'd ever carried out over the years.

'So, we're looking to offer you a very lucrative contract to oversee the thefts and to 'liaise' with the fences after the fact' Sullivan said without batting an eye, as if he were discussing some above-board business dealing

'Oh yeah?' Neal finally said 'How lucrative?'

'We're looking at 15% of the fenced value...' Sullivan began before being interrupted by a loud scoff coming from the ex CI

Neal rose in an attempt to show his displeasure and Sullivan immediately spoke up again.

'Tell me then, what would it take to secure your services?' he asked, trying not to look too keen

Neal stood confidently, puffed up like a peacock, cockiness oozing from every pore in his body as he spoke.

'You expect me to take all the risk and walk away with 15% of the profits' he said, his voice dripping with arrogance

'Well, I am authorized to negotiate' explained the man as the youngster looked on totally overwhelmed by the discussion

Neal stood his ground, signaling he was listening but was most certainly not convinced as to the merits of the proposition.

'After all, we've scoped the targets, done all the preliminary work, checked out security systems, the best windows of opportunity' continued Sullivan 'That's worth a lot. All you have to do is sweep in and carry out the actual job'

'Yes, and be the one left holding the bag if it all goes south' said Neal with assurance

'It won't. We've done our work. But we do lack the talent to actually carry out the job – that's where you come in'

'Make me a better offer' Neal said, authoritatively

'Alright, let's make it 20%' said Sullivan in a staring match with Neal, neither man wanting to show any sign of weakness

Neal laughed sardonically.

'Make it 25 or I walk out right now, leaving you with nothing' Neal declared, defiant

Shawn Sullivan looked thoughtful for a moment then stood up suddenly, putting out his hand towards Neal.

'Deal!' he said with finality as Neal relented and reached out to shake the man's hand

'So, who are these 'trainees' you want me to work with?' Neal asked, hoping to hear the mobster's plans for Alex Hunter

'All in due time' said Sullivan 'We'll be in touch, keep your calendar open'

Neal nodded in acceptance; over time he'd learned that the more people talked, the more they showed their vulnerability. A nice, cold, stoic stare always conveyed a clear and confident message. He turned without a second glance and strutted out of the room.

WCWCWC

Elizabeth placed the key in the door of Burke Premiere Events as she held her breath. For all they knew, the loan shark might already be inside, lurking around. It wasn't the case, however, and she let out an audible sigh as she and Mozzie stepped into the office, turning on the lights in the small room. Mozzie was wearing an air of unusual confidence – all spurious, in fact. But for El's sake, he had to look like he knew what the hell he was doing and he silently wished Neal was standing next to him. His partner in crime was always been much better than he was at projecting an air of confidence in these types of situations but today it was down to him and Mozzie gave El a small encouraging smile.

'It's going to be fine' he said with fake conviction although Elizabeth was too terrified to pick up on the lack of self-assuredness

She smiled back nervously. He might be used to dealing with hoodlums but she most certainly wasn't and just as he had done a moment ago, she thought about her own support system and she silently wished she had strong, strapping Peter Burke standing next to her to defend her honor. Her honor? Really? Who was she kidding? She'd been deceitful and fraudulent and she didn't deserve the support of such an honest and loyal man. She pushed the thought away; she had to be strong for now and get through this meeting with a semblance of her pride intact – and all her limbs in one piece.

'Do you really think he'll go for taking some of your loot instead of the money?' she asked Mozzie as they continued to wait for the loan shark to make his appearance

'I don't know, El. But I do have a back-up plan. That painting is worth a lot and I've put feelers out to see if there's a market for it. But it might take a couple of days to get a bite' he cautioned

Elizabeth nodded as she realized with horror that she was suddenly well-versed in all this criminal vernacular which a few years ago would have seemed so foreign to her. How had she become embroiled in such a situation? Her pride, that's how. She wanted Peter to be proud of her and she'd taken great satisfaction in setting up the company and running it so successfully all those years. To have to admit that she didn't have very good judgement when it came to money matters was just too much for her damn, misplaced pride. Her talents lay in her people skills, her wonderful sense of style and her extensive knowledge of venues and other resources. Why, oh why hadn't she just hired a book-keeper all those years ago?

Mozzie looked at El fondly as he ran through the many scenarios which might be playing out imminently. She didn't deserve all this; she was good people and she deserved good things. He would make certain that no harm came to her even if he had to step out of his comfort zone to do it. He sure hoped Eddie was in a good mood. The man was notorious for flying off the handle at the slightest sign of a disagreement and he'd demonstrated that he did not have the patience when it came to people not carrying out his wishes. That was exactly what had put Eddie in Mozzie's bad books: his inability to be reasonable and to listen to other's points of view. He thought briefly of the conflict he'd had with the man the last time their paths had crossed and how he had finally given Mozzie the evil eye before leaving in a huff.

They felt a cool breeze as the door opened and suddenly, there stood Eddie with his two thugs on either side.

TBC