Chapter 44

Come Saturday morning, things were a lot calmer in the Caffrey home. Liam was happy to wake up in his old bed and was looking forward to having a few friends over for a little get-together that night to watch the Rangers tangle with the Ottawa Senators for third place in the Eastern Conference.

He decided he'd go out later and pick up a few things: beer, munchies. In the meantime, Will had suggested they hang out for the afternoon, maybe shoot some hoops at the local community centre or catch a matinee at the Westchester Mall. Liam had eagerly agreed; frankly, it was nice to get away from all the drama back in Syracuse.

He was particularly pleased with himself for his late night visit to the Blue Moon Café. He'd enjoyed catching up with Josie and, as an added bonus, he'd gained some insight into what had been happening with Cody. But more importantly, he'd managed to get Caitlin's job back, a concrete way to make amends for the horrible way he'd treated her a couple of months back.

Across the hallway, in his parents' room, Neal woke to the same question he'd gone to sleep with: why was Sara holding out on him? Not in terms of what she'd been doing at Piper's place - that was her job after all and discretion was par for the course. But in terms of her personal interactions with the man, something she would normally be a lot more forthcoming about especially if, as Mozzie had reported, she'd been offered an expensive piece of jewelry from her newest client.

The other question weighing on his mind was why she would accept such a gift in the first place. Sara was a stickler for following the rules and maintaining a high level of professionalism. She was known at Sterling Bosch as a straight shooter and she always reported the gifts she received from her clients, as per company protocol. Although it wasn't prohibited to accept tokens of appreciation, any gift of value had to be declared to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. Had Sara disclosed to her superiors that she had accepted an expensive piece of jewelry from one of her high-end clients?

If he was being truly honest with himself, Neal would have to admit that at the root of all his trepidation was good old fashioned, unadulterated jealousy. The green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head, something that had rarely happened during his twenty plus years of marriage to Sara Ellis. After all, Neal and Sara were both confident, self-assured adults and neither one of them had ever given the other a reason to doubt their commitment and devotion.

Of course, as with any marriage, there'd been the odd flirtations over the years - on both sides. There'd been that horrible episode where Matthew Keller had insinuated himself into the Caffrey marriage by using an old girlfriend of Neal's to bait him. Sara had been plenty jealous that time — and with good reason. The woman had ended up drugging Neal and dragging him into her hotel room bed, setting Sara up to find them in a flagrante delicto. The fact that it had all happened right after Liam's birth while Sara had been struggling with postpartum depression had only added to the drama. But with time, Neal and Sara had worked through the whole nasty episode and cooler heads had prevailed once the truth had finally been exposed.

Neal had had his moments as well, notably when Craig Williamson, Sara's ex from her university days had shown up one day, out of the blue. The man had been deluded about Sara's feelings for him and had stalked her for weeks before anyone realized that he posed a real danger to Neal and the kids. That ugly episode had ended with Neal at the pointy end of a knife in a dark alley, fighting for his life.

Overall though, neither one of them had ever been what one might call the jealous type. Both Neal and Sara were secure when it came to what they brought to their relationship and Neal, in particular, had never shown any doubts when it came to his unique charm and good looks. But even a man like Neal Caffrey had fleeting moments of vulnerability, particularly when he noticed other men eyeing his wife or when she unwittingly unleashed one of those bright, flirtatious smiles of hers on an unsuspecting member of the opposite sex.

This particular situation, however, continued to gnaw at Neal like no other. For one thing, Randall Piper was not some random guy flirting with his wife but rather a man she'd had an honest to goodness relationship with, albeit years ago. He was good looking, successful, articulate, filthy rich and seemed to be spending an awful lot of time dangling his riches in front of her nose. Then, there was the annoying fact that Sara had hesitated before telling Neal about her previous liaison with Piper; Neal had practically had to worm it out of her after he'd walked in on the two of them at her office. The fact that she was being called upon to spend hours upon hours with the man in his luxurious homes was just the icing on the cake.

At any other time, Neal might have ridden out the rough patch with mild annoyance - if he hadn't been smack dab in the middle of some middle-age, existential crisis of his own. But that was all going to change tonight, he thought as he turned over in bed to find Sara's side of the bed cold and empty. Tonight was the night he was going to show her - and himself - that he could rise to the occasion and be the charming, sexy, thoughtful husband he'd always been. He'd treat her to dinner at one of her favourite restaurants and come home and sweep her off her feet.

'Randall who?' she'd be asking by the time he was done charming the socks off her with a fabulous meal and a rock-em, sock-em romp in the sheets.

He heard the sound of water running in the bathroom across the hall and his mind began to wander. Things would be a lot easier to deal with if he knew exactly what he was up against. What if Mozzie had exaggerated - not unlikely, considering the man's propensity for hyperbole. For all he knew, this could all be some silly misunderstanding, compliments of his buddy with the paranoid tendencies. Maybe Piper had given Sara a small gift to thank her for all the time she'd devoted to him, something perfectly appropriate that she'd tucked away and hadn't even given a second thought to.

He slipped out of bed, cocking his ear to make sure the shower was still running as he made his way to her dresser. Sara was tidy to a fault. Although her makeup table was littered with more stuff than she could use in five lifetimes, there was very little on top of her dresser except for her jewelry box and a couple of family photographs. He picked up a picture of the two of them on their wedding day, Hope snuggled safely in his arms as she slept. He paused for a moment, staring at their happy faces as he prepared to violate his wife's privacy.

Without hesitation, he opened her jewelry box, poking around the collection of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings - mostly costume jewelry except for a few choice pieces he'd given her for birthdays and anniversaries over the years. He recognized each and every piece - after all, Neal Caffrey's observational skills when it came to items of value was unparalleled. He wistfully ran his finger over the pearl earrings he'd given her on their wedding day and the emerald brooch he'd given her for her last birthday.

Once satisfied there was nothing unfamiliar in her treasure trove, he moved on to the dresser itself, pulling out her underwear drawer and peeking in at the orderly assortment of bras and underwear. He pillaged through the pile of undergarments, momentarily distracted by a pair of frilly undies he hadn't seen her wear in a while. He brought them up to his face, letting the soft lace tickle his rough cheek and he smiled as he recalled the last time he'd removed them from her pliant body, a particularly passionate encounter during an all too rare weekend getaway.

He shook his head, snapping out of it, and returned the hot little number to its place under the more sensible underwear, gently moving things around and returning them to their original spot to avoid detection. It didn't take long before he located a velvet box tucked way underneath the stack of thongs Sara kept towards the back of the drawer. The small square box held no distinguishing marks, no brand or store name adorning its lid but he knew immediately from its simple elegance that it contained something that was not your everyday piece of jewelry. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the small red box, peeking inside.

He gasped.

Staring back at him was what appeared at first glance to be a flawless antique cameo. He flashed back to his in depth knowledge of all things 'cameo'. His education on the matter had taken place following a rather unfortunate incident shortly after the whole Vincent Adler debacle. He and Kate had been rattled by Adler's sudden disappearance with their life savings. For a time, Kate had been inconsolable and Neal had been eager to help her forget their reversal of fortunes. She had talked him into a quick smash and grab at the home of one of the contacts she'd made at her new job at a hedge fund company and he and Mozzie had charged in without their usual due diligence.

To be honest, the heist had been plagued with bad luck from the get go. Besides the fact they'd almost walked straight into the open arms of the boys in blue, Neal had been mortified when the guy he'd secured to fence the item had pointed out that the resin cameo he and Mozzie had removed from the home of the Manhattan socialite was as fake as a three dollar bill. Neal who, although self-taught, considered himself rather knowledgeable about these things had been thoroughly embarrassed and had spent the following weeks studying the history of cameos in order to be better prepared the next time he came across such a miniature work of art.

The next time had turned out to be about five years later in Naples when a beautiful cameo ring had been among the pieces harvested from a heist he and Mozzie carried out at the Naples Art, Antique and Jewelry show. Amongst the loot, they'd managed to get away with a sardonyx shell cameo ring worth more than fifty thousand dollars American — at least that's what they got for it from the friendly neighbourhood fence they'd surreptitiously met with at Villa Communal. From then on, Neal had been as well versed in recognizing the value of the rare type of jewelry as any expert could possibly be.

At first glance, the one he presently held in his hand was a doozie. He carefully removed the brooch from its cushion in the velvety box and began his thorough examination. The sardonyx shell had a thick outer wall and the distinctive dark brown background and white foreground he had come to know. Neal rushed over to his night stand and grabbed for his reading glasses, placing them on the tip of his nose as he began to inspect what he could already see was a valuable piece of jewelry. He held it up in the early morning light, checking for chips and cracks. It was flawless. The main image was of an angel holding a violin with cherubs and a harpist at her feet. The left facing cameo, although not an indication of authenticity in and of itself, made the item rarer than a right facing one, adding to its monetary worth.

The intricate details on the faces, particularly the cherubs who were front facing, only added to its value and confirmed its authenticity. Upon scrutiny, Neal could see that the main figure and the harpist had straight noses, something he immediately recognized as a feature of the Victorian era, circa 1700.

This thing had to be at least three hundred years old.

He let his mouth drop open, wondering if Sara had any inkling as to its monetary value. He glanced nervously towards the bedroom door, expecting her to step in any second despite the sound of the shower still audible over his shaky breath. He took a moment to flip the pin over in order to check the clasp. Sure enough, it was a c-clasp, typical of that period. He momentarily wished he had his magnifying glass nearby in order to get an even better look but he remembered it was down in the kitchen drawer where he kept it for occasions such as this.

His hands trembled as he let his fingers linger on the back of the brooch, noting its matte appearance, another feature of its authenticity.

It was a thing of rare beauty and he momentarily let himself forget that another man had just offered this expensive piece of jewelry to his wife. For a few seconds, he stood in silence, simply admiring its elegance and the intricate design, more so than any other cameo he'd ever seen up close. No matter how inappropriate the gift might be, this Randall guy sure had impeccable taste. Neal momentarily closed his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on the brooch's weight in his shaking hand.

He'd been standing there for a few minutes, examining the brooch, when he realized Sara would be getting out of the shower any minute. He rushed to his side of the bed, grabbing for his phone and placed the cameo on the bed, taking a series of photographs from different angles for examination at a later time. The last test he put the brooch through before returning it to its hiding place was to check its temperature by cradling it in his hand for a few seconds. He felt it cool against his skin, a further sign this was a genuine antique piece of jewelry and not some cheap plastic knockoff.

The cameo had passed inspection with flying colours.

Short of examining it carefully under his loupe, there wasn't much more he could do. Setting aside his growing frustration at Sara's lack of transparency, he prepared to place the beautiful brooch in its hiding place when he heard something in the doorway to their bedroom.

'Hey Dad!' Liam called out.

Neal closed the drawer precipitously and faced his son, a conman smile on his face.

'Good morning' he called out. 'How'd you sleep?'

'Good… good. It was nice to be in my old bed again.'

Neal reached for a t-shirt on the bedside chair, pulled in on over his head and walked over to join his son.

'You hungry buddy?' he asked, bringing his arm around his shoulder. 'I thought I'd rustle up some blueberry pancakes for breakfast.'

One of the perks of being home was definitely the higher quality fare and Liam smiled broadly in response. The two men prepared to walk out of the room to the sound the shower still running across the way.

'And didn't you say something about making lasagna for dinner?' Liam asked, pushing his luck.

WCWCWC

Sara let the warm soothing water slither down her body, hoping it would help wash away the guilt she'd been feeling since the night before. It was almost as if Neal had suspected Randall of giving her that expensive piece of jewelry. Of course that was impossible. The only other person who knew about the gift was Lydia Jordan and she had no reason to go blabbing to Neal.

She'd almost succumbed to his insistent questioning as they'd prepared for bed - if only to assuage her guilt. Who was she kidding? That was no run of the mill thank you gift Randall had presented her with. It was an obscenely expensive piece of jewelry, something she would likely never wear for fear of damaging it or worse yet, losing it. Besides, as much as Sara appreciated its beauty and its worth, it just wasn't something she felt comfortable owning. She'd tried to fool herself about the appropriateness of accepting such a gift but deep down, from the moment she'd first laid eyes on the brooch, she'd known she couldn't keep it. Regardless of whether or not it would hurt Randy's feelings, she needed to give it back.

She thought of the two days they'd spent together, going through all the man's stuff at his Upper East Side apartment. Had she inadvertently been putting out flirtatious vibes? Randy had maintained a level of professionalism throughout although their previous relationship had dictated a friendlier atmosphere than one might expect in a work environment. They had a history after all and there'd been the odd touches and personal comments, just two people who were comfortable with each other, reconnecting after a long time apart. Sara couldn't deny how flattering it was to be on the receiving end of all that attention. The man was charming, of that there was no doubt, but she didn't want him thinking she would ever step out on her husband. Because she never would.

Her mind returned to the brooch… and Neal. He would have a fit if he found out. And with good reason. He already had such a fragile ego when it came to the limits of what he could give his wife in that regard. When they'd first met, he'd had countless ill-gotten goods squirrelled away for a rainy day - things he'd accumulated over all those years living on the edge. He'd wanted nothing more than to shower his new wife with lavish gifts but he'd come to the realization that some things were more important than baubles and expensive trinkets, namely sharing his life as a free man with the people he loved.

Hope's arrival had been a game changer for Neal and he'd turned over a new leaf, eager to do the right thing by his little girl and become a good role model for her. From the moment she was born, he'd agonized about the day when, inevitably, she would find out that her dad had been a conman, a forger, a common thief. When they'd finally settled in the Prospect Park neighbourhood of White Plains, he'd wanted nothing more than to leave his old life behind and to become Sara Ellis' loving husband and Hope and Liam's devoted daddy.

For her to accept such an extravagant gift from an old boyfriend would only serve to exacerbate the frail insecurities that still remained under the surface almost twenty-five years later. Although momentarily blinded by Randall Piper and his unlimited wealth, the truth was, Sara didn't need a forty-five thousand dollar cameo in order to be happy. She had everything she needed: she had Neal, their kids and their sometimes mundane but blissfully happy existence.

She thought ahead to the special night Neal had in store for them and smiled. Her resolve grew as she let out a long slow exhale. She would return the gift the next time she saw Randy. That way, there would be no harm done and Neal would never need to know.

WCWCWC

'Wow!'

It was the third time Peter had let out the exclamation.

'I know' Neal whispered as he took his phone back from Peter's hand.

'How much—'

Neal didn't even bother to wait for the end of Peter's question. 'Forty-five big ones. He got it at auction. At Fellows. Three years ago. I looked it up.'

'You're kidding! And he gave it to Sara?'

Neal nodded. 'It's sitting in her dresser drawer at home as we speak.'

'Holy shit! That's no costume jewelry.'

Neal shook his head, his eyes returning to the photo on his phone. 'No shit, Sherlock!'

'Are you going to confront her?'

'You mean tell her I went rummaging through her undies drawer to see what I could find?' he asked rhetorically.

Peter looked at his best friend's face. Beyond the absolute amazement at the gorgeous piece of jewelry - after all, Neal would always be Neal - he picked up on a level of frustration and a certain sadness in his eyes.

'I know what you're thinking Neal' he said soberly.

'What? That I could have given Sara a dozen of those things back in the day?'

Peter shrugged. 'And if that was the case, Sara would be preparing for a conjugal visit right about now.'

Neal scoffed. 'Right, because that's about the only way I could ever give her a fraction of the life Piper could give her.'

'What the hell is wrong with you? This is Sara we're talking about. She doesn't care about that stuff, she loves you.'

Neal gave Peter a disbelieving eyebrow wag. 'Have you met my wife?'

'What is with you lately anyway? Snap out of it! Insecurity does not suit you buddy.'

Neal's eyes narrowed and he pouted, an actual honest to goodness pout.

'Look at you, acting like the girl in the class smiled at another boy. Cowboy up, Neal. This is Sara's job —'

'Oh, accepting fifty-thousand dollar gifts from ex-boyfriends is Sara's job' Neal replied, dropping his voice. 'What if an ex-boyfriend of Elizabeth's started sniffing around her, taking her out for expensive meals, plying her with champagne breakfasts…'

'You don't know that.'

There was something in Neal's eyes that gave him away. Peter flashed back to years before when Sara had first gotten pregnant with Liam, how Neal had followed her around for weeks because he was worried for her safety. That had turned into a fiasco and she hadn't forgiven him for weeks.

'What did you do, Neal?'

'Nothing' he replied defensively.

'If she didn't tell you about it, how did you know to go looking for this thing in the first place?'

Neal looked away, avoiding Peter's glare. He let out a loud sigh in lieu of a reply.

A light came on in Peter's eyes. 'It's Mozzie, isn't it?' he whispered loudly. 'What did he do?'

Neal let out a long slow breath. 'He might have… he might have offered to keep an eye on things, make sure Sara was all right.'

Peter shook his head in exasperation. 'Oh, because she's in so much danger working with a rich client in his Upper East Side apartment.'

'Stop it!' Neal said loudly, looking around the restaurant to make sure he hadn't attracted any unwanted attention.

'For crying out loud, Neal. Didn't you learn your lesson the last time. Sara's not some mark, you know, she's your wife.'

'Thanks for the 411 on that Peter' Neal replied with an edge of impatience to his voice.

Peter softened at the sight of Neal looking so forlorn. 'So, what are you going to do about it?'

Neal shook his head. 'I'm so mad at her right now… and I had this whole thing planned for tonight. I was going to take her out for a nice meal at Babbo's, a little dancing, a little romance.'

'How come? Your wedding anniversary is in the summer, isn't it?'

After all these years, Neal was still trying to educate his friend and mentor him in the fine art of romance; most times, it seemed like a lost cause.

'Valentine's Day, Peter. It's this little tradition that's been around since the fourteenth century.'

'Today is Valentine's Day?' Peter asked with alarm.

Try as he might, Neal just couldn't get Peter with the program when it came to celebrating special occasions.

'Do you think I can still get some flowers for El?'

'Flowers? Peter, seriously!' Neal said with shake of his head. 'You can do better than that.'

'All the restaurants will be booked…'

'Would you stop it' Neal said impatiently. 'I'll get you in somewhere, all right? Now, can we please get back to my little problem.'

'Are you going to confront her?'

'I don't know. Peter, how could she not tell me? And what else is she keeping from me?'

Peter reached for Neal's phone on the table, summoning up the photograph once more. 'It's hard to resist something like this when it's offered to you on a silver platter.'

'Well, it shouldn't be if you're happy in your marriage' Neal declared, visibly annoyed.

Peter's mind appeared to wander. 'You really think you can get me in somewhere?'

WCWCWC

Sara sat on the edge of her bed, holding the small box in her hands.

'Can I see it again?' Elizabeth asked.

Sara gave her a look of exasperation and opened the box for a third time, revealing the gorgeous brooch.

'Jeez… this guy's got it bad for you.'

Sara closed her eyes and shook her head. 'No, it was just a thank you gift El.'

'And you still haven't told Neal?'

'Would you parade this in front of Peter if someone else gave it to you?'

'I suppose not. So, are you going to tell him?'

Sara got to her feet and opened her dresser drawer, lifting a stack of underwear and placing the box underneath.

'What's the point of telling him if I'm giving it back? You know Neal, he'll take this as some personal slight to his manhood.'

Sara stood there, frowning. 'I just… I don't know what possessed me to accept it in the first place.'

'Has Randy… made any moves on you?'

'Of course not!' Sara scoffed before reconsidering. 'Not moves… exactly. He's just been very friendly and sweet and considerate…'

'Honey, you've got to look at this from Neal's point of view' Elizabeth reminded her.

'I know, I know. That's just it. He's going through some… weird stuff right now.'

'Oh, is he still having issues with his meds?'

'I'm hoping we've got that all sorted out. He's taking me out to dinner tonight and he's been hinting all week that he's ready to… you know, try his luck in the romance department.'

'Oh, still nothing, huh?' El said as she thought back to the numerous discussions they'd had on the subject over the past several weeks.

Sara shrugged. 'Poor guy, it's got him really rattled. Except for those first few weeks after he got shot, he's never fallen short in that department.'

El giggled at the pun - which apparently hadn't been intended. 'Sorry' she said, placing her hand over her mouth. 'It'll all work out, you'll see.'

'Well, I'll feel a lot better when I return this thing to Randy. I should have never accepted it in the first place.'

'No harm done, right? Just give it back and Neal will never know.'

Sara nodded. 'So, are you guys doing anything special for Valentine's Day?

Elizabeth gave a long suffering sigh. 'You do remember who I'm married to, right?'

'Aww, come on El. You never know, Peter might surprise you.'

The women rose and Elizabeth glanced over towards the dresser drawer and pointed.

'Can I see it one last time?'

WCWCWC

Sara was sitting at her make-up table when Neal returned from downstairs, the aroma of Italian spices permeating the air.

'Something smells good' she commented as he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it on the bed.

Except for a few brief exchanges about their plans for the evening, they'd barely spoken since he'd returned from his lunch with Peter. Sara had chalked it up to her husband being tired but the truth was Neal was still furious with his wife although he couldn't tell her why without confessing to having had her spied on and to snooping around her undies drawer.

He reached into his pocket, finding his phone and throwing it on top of his shirt, followed by his jeans and his socks.

'You okay Caffrey?' she asked with a warm smile. 'You've been awfully quiet all afternoon.'

He stood there in his boxers and forced himself to smile back at her. 'I'm fine' he muttered. 'I'm just going to jump in the shower.'

He'd only been gone a minute when his phone buzzed, lighting up the bed.

'Neal! Your phone is —'

She heard the sound of the shower being turned on and she reached over to take a look at the screen just in case it was Blue Skies calling. The screen read June Ellington School of Art.

'Neal Caffrey's phone' she said.

'Is this Sara?'

'Yup, who's this?'

'It's Janelle O'Neill'

'Oh, hi Janelle. Look, Neal just stepped into the shower. Do you want me to get him to call you back?'

'No, that's all right' the art teacher said, sounding defeated. 'Actually, maybe you can help me. I'm giving this art history seminar starting in ten minutes and Neal promised to send over his notes from the last time he did it.'

Sara snooped around his night table, coming across a one page outline. 'The great cathedrals and the inspiration that guided their design'?' she read into the phone.

'That's it!' Janelle said, sounding relieved. 'Would you mind texting it to me?'

'Sure, I can do that' Sara said. 'Good luck with your lecture.'

She called up the camera app on Neal's phone and took a shot of the piece of paper before returning it where she'd found it on the bedside table. She'd just texted a happy face and was about to attach the photo when her mouth dropped open at the sight of one of the other photographs on Neal's phone.

It was a picture of the very item that had been haunting her all day.

Busted.

TBC