Chapter Twenty-One

Jimmy Burger

Peter was getting ready for work the next morning. "Honey, are you expecting a fax?" Elizabeth asked, standing confused at the bookshelf.

"No," he laughed. But, sure enough, something was coming through the fax machine. "I didn't even know that thing was still plugged in."

Elizabeth pulled the paper out while Peter packed his briefcase. "Jimmy Burger?" Peter's blood ran cold. "Who's Jimmy Burger?"

He rushed over and took the paper from her. "That's Nora." The name Jimmy Burger was, in fact, written across the top in her delicate handwriting. Though, it was choppier than normal, he noted. She'd written it quickly. Something was wrong.

Peter grabbed his cellphone and dialed quickly. "Electronic Monitoring Compliance Unit," the chipper voice greeted.

"This is Burke, FBI. I need the location of detention tracking anklet ninety-three oh-five alpha, Nora Caffrey." He paced as he spoke.

"Is Nora in trouble?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "She's in a lot of trouble."

"Agent Burke," the woman on the phone said, "we have her located at 626 William Street." Peter hung up. That was familiar. He pulled Melissa's business card out of his pocket. Sure enough… He slammed the phone down on the table in frustration.

"Caffrey," he hissed. "I told her not to go to that clinic! I told her!" He threw the card down and started pacing again. "But she's Nora. She doesn't think." He grabbed his jacket. "They're going to send her back to prison for this. What I have to do is call Judge Chivero and get a warrant."

"Why don't you just get somebody to, I don't know, show you the place?" El suggested, grabbing the card off the table and holding it up pointedly. Peter froze. "If she invites you in, that's okay, right?"

That could work… It would be a lot faster than waiting to get the warrant. Not to mention, possibly salvaging the case. Peter sighed. He decided to call it a gray area and picked up the phone.

Melissa answered on the first ring. "This is Melissa," she greeted.

"Hey, Melissa," he greeted as smoothly as he could muster. Then his mind blanked. El grabbed the phone and put it on speaker, setting it on the table between them. She motioned for Peter to keep going. He felt better knowing El was there to help him through it. "This is Dr. Tannenbaum from the tennis club. How are you?"

"Actually, I'm going into the office for Dr. Powell."

"Perfect. Uh, you said I could swing by any time. And I'm gonna be in the neighborhood." El smiled encouragingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but today is not looking good."

El pressed the mute button as Peter flailed, trying desperately to keep his head above the water. Flirty truly wasn't his thing. "Tell her you need to see her," El instructed. "Tell her you can't stop thinking about her." She unmuted the call.

Peter couldn't find his voice. He muted the call again. "This is a test, isn't it?" he accused.

"Doctor, are you there?" Melissa said. El pointed at the phone.

Peter pressed the button again and, this time, did as El suggested. "Yeah. I need to see you. I can't stop thinking about you." El nodded, offering another smile of encouragement.

"Is that right?" Melissa asked. She was expecting an answer. Peter looked to Elizabeth and she put the call on mute once more.

"Okay, compliment her. Tell her that you've never met someone like her. You're intrigued." El was remarkably good at this, Peter noted. She pressed the button once more.

"I've never met someone like you… before. I'm intrigued."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those magic hands of yours."

El's encouraging smile faded, and her brow furrowed. Peter muted the call quickly. "Magic hands?" El demanded.

"I was a chiropractor."

She crossed her arms. "Really?"

"Doctor?"

He pressed the button again, El now looking up at him in exasperation. "Yes," Peter managed.

"I've got to run," Melissa said, "but if you're really interested in seeing the clinic today, I can get you a pass. You could come by later, we could grab a drink."

"Perfect," Peter agreed. He didn't even say goodbye, just hung up immediately. Elizabeth was staring up at him, arms still crossed, eyebrow raised. "That was definitely a test."

Peter made his way to the clinic, with a promise to make that up to El later. He walked in, looking around as he headed toward the reception desk. "Can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"Yeah..." He looked up toward the upper floors. Melissa was coming down the hallway quickly. "Oh, there she is. Melissa!"

She stopped in her tracks. "Dr. Tannenbaum." She started down the stairs. "You're early."

He moved to meet her on the stairs. "I couldn't wait to see you."

"Well, I'm flattered, but this really isn't a good time. If you don't mind waiting until this evening?"

He came to a stop in front of her. "I couldn't wait." She didn't get a chance to respond before her phone started ringing.

"Excuse me," she said, pulling her phone from her bag. While she was distracted, Peter took the opportunity to slip away, heading up the stairs and out of sight before she noticed.

He slipped quietly through the halls, peeking in doors for Nora. "Nora?" he called softly. "Nora?" As he wandered down an empty hallway, he started to hear a lovely, but lazy-sounding woman's voice singing.

"Two lover's kissed and the world stood still," it sang. "Still… Still~" Peter had never heard Nora sing before, but the voice certainly sounded like her. He followed it to a closed door. "Still, still." He opened the door.

Nora was strapped to a gurney. "That was nature's way," she sang.

"Oh, my God," Peter huffed. Her head lolled to the side, eyes half-lidded.

"High~ on a-" She noticed Peter suddenly and stopped singing mid-line.

"What did they do to you?" he muttered, caught somewhere between anger and pity toward her.

She smiled cheerfully. "Hey, buddy!" Her words slurred a little, as if she was drunk.

"Nora."

"Hi." She looked like she couldn't have been happier to see him.

"Hey," he sighed, peeking out the door to make sure the coast was clear before shutting it behind him. He rushed over to her, grabbing her gently on the top of her head, trying to get a look at her eyes.

"High~" she sang loudly in his ear.

"Hey," he hissed. "Shh, shh, shh." Her singing trailed off. "Alright, we have to get you out of these restraints."

"Oh, you mean these?" She lifted her arms and they fell away. She'd somehow already picked them, even in her delirious, drug-addled state. "What!" she said proudly. "Never met a lock I couldn't pick. Except my anklet."

"Alright, come on," he huffed, pulling her up by the arm.

"I don't know what it is abo-" She noticed she was being lifted. "You're strong."

"Yeah."

"You're strong." He tried helping her up. "I got it," she said, brushing him off weakly. "I got it."

"Yeah, come on," he prompted, not letting go.

"I got it," she insisted. As soon as she was on her feet, she face-planted, falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Peter sighed.

She didn't protest as he scooped her up into a bridal carry. She really didn't weigh all that much. Her head lolled against his shoulder as he moved as quickly as he could through the unfamiliar clinic halls. She muttered under her breath incoherently, switching between words and song at random.

He tried to shush her, but she wasn't paying much attention. Eventually, he found an empty conference room and sat her down. She flopped gracelessly onto the floor the second he stopped supporting her weight.

"Easy, come on," he sighed, grabbing her by the arm and heaving her into a sitting position against the wall. "I cannot believe you. Why would you do something like this?" It really wasn't the best time to be venting his frustration at her, or lecturing her. She was too out of it, but he couldn't help himself.

She groaned. "Oh, Peter, I've done so~ many worse things that you don't even know about," she protested.

"Just shut up." Opportunity rarely comes knocking twice… "Like what things?"

She looked up at him, all cocky smiles. "You remember the Antioch Manuscripts?"

"You took those?" She just blinked, still grinning proudly. "How?"

"Carrier pigeons!" she giggled. Peter sighed. It was so simple, but so genius. He already knew he wasn't going to use that against her, but it was nice to know. She tapped her head with a finger. "Think about it. Who cares, Peter? It's not what's important. It's not about money. It's about people."

He wasn't sure what she was talking about anymore. "Good," he huffed. "Because you're going to be spending a lot of quality time with people in orange jumpsuits once I get you out of here."

"Right," she agreed, but her face fell. She looked so crestfallen, like a kicked puppy. If she wasn't so out of it, Peter would have called it an act to get sympathy. But considering how easily he'd just gotten her to confess to one of her crimes, he knew her acting ability had certainly taken a hit. "I'm going down once they see those security tapes of me breaking in here."

"There's surveillance cameras?"

She sighed, then looked up at him. She started jabbing a finger weakly at his chest. "Hey, before I go back, you should know this. Out of all the people in my life, Mozzie… even Kyle, you know? You're the only one."

Peter's brow furrowed. "The only one what?"

"You're the only person in my life I trust."

Her head slumped down against her chest, and the part of him that was sympathetic toward her started winning over the part that was cynical. She was so vulnerable, so defenseless. Peter realized that this was the only time he had ever seen her lower her mask completely. It may be the only time he would ever see it.

He placed a hand on top of her head gently and sighed, hand dropping to rest on her shoulder. He didn't want to see her hauled back off to prison. Some part of him felt the draw to protect her, to shield her from her own bad decision. He knew what he was going to do, stupid as it was.

He grabbed on of the office chairs from the conference table and wheeled it over to her. She rolled her eyes dramatically as he handcuffed her to it. "Don't pick this," he ordered her firmly. Not sure she was going to listen, he left her to find those damn security tapes.

He didn't have much trouble, surprisingly. It was easier than he expected to slip in and snag the tape without anyone noticing.

To his amazement, Nora was still on the floor, handcuffed to the chair where he left her when he returned several minutes later. She was back to singing that song, but her voice was soft, not drawing any attention.

He knelt down in front of her and held up the tape. "What is that?" she asked slowly.

"Surveillance tape."

She grinned as he pulled the handcuff key out of his pocket and started to uncuff her from the chair. "Peter?"

"Let's go." He hauled her up.

"You stole that for me?"

He scooped her up once more. "Yeah," he admitted. "It's a regular Kodak moment."