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White Collar: The Eye of Sita
Chapter Twenty-one
Sara woke gently with Neal's breath brushing rhythmically against the back of her neck. After the long night that had lasted until nearly dawn he had fallen asleep quickly. Sara had heard the entire conversation, but she didn't have much context to place it in. Daniel's relation to Neal was still a mystery and the mention of an abusive adoptive father was a terrifying thought. Whatever Neal and Daniel's relationship had been it clearly had ended in blood.
Illustrating the traumatic past that had been brought back to into the light Neal jerked spasmodically in his sleep. They were both lying on their sides and he had his arm around her ribs. Sara took his hand and held it against her heart. Neal nuzzled the back of her neck and fell back into a more peaceful sleep. It was getting close to nine in the morning and Sara was wide awake, but she stayed lying in bed to keep from waking Neal. He needed the sleep.
Laying awake in bed Sara had a little more time think about the idea that 'Neal Caffrey' was an alias. She had always suspected that it was, but now that she had confirmation of that fact she found she had mixed emotions about learning the truth. In the end Peter probably had the right idea of letting this one lie slid.
Neal suddenly stretched out like a cat in a sunbeam. Sara yelped in surprised as Neal used his purchase on her to take her with him when he rolled over on his back. At least partially awake Neal brought his other arm up and hugged her tightly to his chest. Sara chuckled as Neal sank his teeth playfully into her shoulder. She twisted around in his arms to face him and was instantly greeted with a warm kiss.
"You do remember that Peter is right on the other side of that door, right?" Sara reminded Neal when he ran his hand down her side.
"I was just being friendly."
"Well don't." Sara teased.
With his eyes still closed Neal smiled and looked as thought he wanted nothing more than to just fall back asleep. Making herself comfortable on his chest Sara waited for him to decide it was time to face the day. Eventually Neal groaned in defeat and opened his eyes. Sara got up out of bed and went over to the closet to find something to wear.
"What time is it?" Neal asked disoriented.
"Nearly ten."
"You should have woken me sooner." Neal said as he swung his legs out of bed.
"You wouldn't have been any good to anyone as tired as you were."
"Good point."
Sara got into one of her more professional business suits while Neal complained about having to crawl back into his ruined shirt from last night. When they stepped out into the living room Peter was on his cell phone with an odd expression on his face. Sara looked to Neal, but he just shrugged. Peter said good bye and hung up the phone.
"That was Walters." Peter announced.
"I was hoping we could talk more about that before you asked him for help." Neal said.
"I didn't call him, he called me, and he wants your help."
"Me?" Neal asked surprised.
"Trust me there was pain in his voice when he made the request."
"What does he want?" Sara asked.
"He wouldn't talk about it over the phone, which makes me think that he's come to the conclusion that he needs a diamond thief to catch one."
"I have never been convicted of diamond smuggling."
"Who said anything about smuggling?" Peter asked.
"No one." Neal said quickly with a bright smile. "Can we go back to our hotel and change before meeting with Walters?"
"I could use a shower myself." Peter admitted.
"Yes you could." Neal teased.
"Nice to see your feeling more like yourself." Peter huffed.
"We should get going." Sara pointed out.
"We?" Peter repeated. "Walters is brin..."
"Don't think for one second Peter that you're cutting me out of this search just because Walters came to you before you could go to him. It is just as much my job to find the Hope as it is yours."
"Peter, just give in now." Neal suggested. "You're not going to win against her."
"Sara, I know the bounty on this rock must be extraordinary, but I can't have you risking this investigation with personal gain on your min..."
"I'm looking for the Hope as a personal favor for my boss, since the theft hasn't been publicized there is no reward for getting it back. Other than the lavish thanks of my boss. I don't care if I get a hold of the stone or if the FBI does, it doesn't make a difference."
Peter gave Sara a look as though he didn't believe her. Sara just smiled and gathered her purse up to leave. She noticed the 'she's your responsibility' look that Peter gave Neal. She was impressed how easily the pair communicated without words. Neal in return just shrugged in a 'I have no control over her' manner.
The trio stopped by the other hotel long enough for the boys to get showers and change into fresh clothes. Sara waited out on the patio with some coffee watching the tourists on the grassy Mall. The Smithsonian was visible from the patio and from here it looked like business as usual. Sara briefly wondered how often secrets went covered up in this city. She was shaken out of her thoughts as Neal came up from behind and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"Don't worry," Neal said softly "we'll find the stone, and Daniel's son."
"So you believe this psychotic strangler has a son?"
"I've decided that there is far more risk in not believing him. I don't see any reason for him to lie to me at this point."
"I don't see any reason for the kidnappers to hold his kid now that they have what they want."
"To keep him from coming after them." Neal explained simply. "Daniel is not an enemy you want to have. He's dangerous even as a friend."
"Clearly. How's the back of your head?"
"Painful," Neal admitted "but I've certainly had worse."
"Neal...is Daniel your brother?" Sara ask hesitantly.
"In every respect except blood."
"And you trust him?"
"At this point I trust Daniel the same way I trust swimming with a shark."
"What?"
"The odds of one turning on you are extremely low, but certainly not zero."
"Neal, no one in there sane mind swims with sharks." Sara pointed out.
"Sure they do, people pay good money to go swimming with them. Beautiful creatures, it's a real experience to see one in the wild."
"They're man eaters."
"That reputation is mostly undeserved." Neal replied. "More people are killed annually by falling coconuts than sharks."
"Yeah, but no one has nightmares about coconuts."
"I'll have to take you down to the Caribbean sometime, it's a beautiful place with plenty of sharks to swim with."
"That's a bit out of your two mile radius." Sara teased.
"I won't be chained to New York forever."
Neal's tone didn't suggest that he was counting the days or anything, but that he was still looking forward to the day that he could go anywhere he wanted, and do pretty much the same. Sara had the feeling that their own relationship would have about the same lifespan as his sentence. He may be eager to leave New York, but Sara had no intention of ever moving away. New York was home.
"You Kids ready to go?" Peter called out to the patio.
"We're waiting on you." Neal called back.
It was a quick ride to Federal Building and to Walters office. Walters looked Sara over for a second, but he made no protests to her being there. He even had one of the interns fetch a chair for her. Walters shuffled through some papers, it seemed in his nature to force people to wait for him.
"We don't have all day, Walters." Peter said with a touch of hoarseness.
"Burke?" Walters seemed to notice the bruising that was peeking out of Peter's collar for the first time. "What happened to your throat?"
"Autoerotic asphyxiation." Neal answered for Peter.
"What?" Peter and Walters asked together.
"Never mind." Neal shrugged. "What do you want Walters?"
"You will address me as 'Agent Walters', Mr. Caffrey." Walters growled.
"Fine, what do you want, Agent Walters?" Neal corrected. "Or did you just want to drag us down here to play scare tactics again?"
"Watch your tone, Caffrey. I always knew you had friends in low places, I just didn't realize you had them in high ones as well."
"What?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about." Walters snapped.
"I have no ide..."
"Boys," Sara interrupted "can we not turn this into a pissing match?"
Peter just closed his eyes and sighed with a sad shake of his head. Walters glared spitefully at Neal for another minute before composing himself. Neal had remained outwardly calm through the small spat, but Sara knew he was more tense than he was showing.
"Since Sterling-Bosh has insisted on joining you two here I can only assume that she has told you about the Hope Diamond." Walter said bluntly. "We have a lead on the thief."
"You do?" Neal asked in surprise.
"And, no, Mr. Caffrey, we do not think it is you." Walters said icily. "That's giving even you too much credit."
"Who is it?"
"Harold Glass."
"Glass? As in 'Glass Diamonds'?" Neal asked in surprise.
"Glass Diamonds?" Sara repeated. "That is the worst name for a diamond company ever."
"I've never even heard of them." Peter added.
"Glass Diamonds is not a jewelry company like DeBeers, or Cartier, they are purely a rough diamond mover. They buy whole mines worth of stones and resell them uncut to more well known names." Neal explained.
"Why am I not surprised that you know so much about them?" Walters asked rhetorically. "Do you also know that Glass Diamonds recently lost its largest supplier of diamonds."
"That's because they were Blood Diamonds, mined and sold for the sole purpose of raising money to support war lords in Africa. Glass should have spent time in a Federal Prison for his trade."
"For once you and I agree on something." Walters nodded. "However, he was good at washing his diamonds and we had nothing on him. Luckily the Ivory Coast was finally able to clamp down on Glass's supply line from their end."
"I don't understand what makes you think Glass stole the Hope." Peter said.
"Glass is looking for a new partner, in India."
"Of course," Neal smiled "he's trying to get in with the mines of Golconda. He wants to give them the Hope Diamond as a gift."
"That's quite the gift."
"The Hope Diamond came from the Kollur mine in Golconda, and there are those who believe that it was actually stolen from India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier."
"Stolen? I thought he bought it." Peter said.
"That's one story. However, Tavernier was the Indiana Jones of his time, although he was more of an anthropologist than an archeology. He was adventure seeking, loved to observe cultures across the world. He was also known to keep detailed note books. When he arrived back in Paris with the then 112.23 carat diamond his notebooks had sketches of the diamond but no information on where it came from or how he got it which is odd considering how into details he was."
"So there must be some out there that believe that the Hope Diamond still belongs to India."
"It is a known fact that Hindu gods and goddess sculptures were often sculpted with diamond eyes. The Tavernier Blue, later cut to be the Hope, was supposably part of a magnificent statue of Sita."
"The Eye of Sita." Sara recalled.
"Exactly."
"But it doesn't make much sense for Glass to be that desperate to get in bed with Golconda," Neal mused "although a few spectacular diamonds have been found in Golconda the mine is not very fruitful."
"We believe he is setting himself up to 'wash' his African diamonds through India." Walters clarified.
"Do you have any evidence that doesn't include 'we believe'?" Peter asked.
"As a matter of fact we do, and that is where I need Caffrey."
"I've never met Glass." Neal said quickly.
"No, but he's looking for you, or at least someone like you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Glass is looking for someone to forge the sculpture of Sita."
"It doesn't need to be forged, no one knows what it looked like." Neal pointed out. "Any sculptor could create him a Sita."
"But not ever sculptor could be paid to keep their mouth shut about installing the Hope Diamond into their work."
Walters brought out a file and showed it to his guests. He had more information on Glass than they had time to read. Walters had most of the work done already, he was one step away from arranging a meet between Glass and a potential hire for the Sita job. All Walters needed was an artist.
"I don't think I can do it." Neal said sadly.
"Caffrey, this isn't a trick. I'm not trying to trap you into displaying your talents. All history between us aside, if Glass has the Hope this our best chance to find the it and return a National Treasure."
"I'm too well known. Glass is a careful man, he will do his research on any forger that steps forward to take the job. He'll know me, and he'll know who I work for."
"Neal's right." Peter nodded.
"So what do you suggest?"
"Sara?" Neal asked sweetly.
"Yes?"
"How do you feel about posing as an artist?"