Witnesses

Settling into a routine of his own, Peter began to adjust to life without his partner. For as much as he had shunned the man recently, knowing he was gone meant their partnership and friendship was truly over. There was no coming back from this.

Running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time, Peter wished things were going to get better, that this was just a temporary thing before Neal would be back. Unfortunately, the situation wasn't a dream and there was the very real possibility Neal was guilty of all of the crimes.

In order to solve the cases and find the truth, Peter worked to keep his emotions out of it. He needed to look at the evidence with a logical clarity as if this wasn't his friend he had arrested, not his partner he was accusing. To do so, he tried to keep in mind that the truth would out and the right man would end up behind bars when everything was done. Then he would have to distance himself from the fear Neal might deserve to be there. It was a vicious circle not to be rivaled by his emotions on Neal's guilt.

If he wasn't furious at the man for conning him into believing his innocence, then he was upset and worried about what he might be doing if his friend turned out to be innocent. There was no good way the situation could go.

Trying to get out of his own head, Peter began working on his witness list. It turned out there weren't a lot of people in Bryce Larkin's life. He had his family, but they were too involved in themselves to even realize the man was well and truly dead.

Remembering took Peter in a whole other direction of thought. Who could read their family member's obituary and not believe they were dead? The only consideration the family would give to Bryce actually being dead was that he was joking. 'Larkins simply do not get gunned down in petty robberies.' Like the man could control how he died? Peter snorted to himself.

Moving on to his next group of people wasn't overly helpful. Bryce seemed to be a bit of a misfit in the world of wealth, so he didn't meld with his schoolmates much. There was only one classmate from his early school years who showed a close friendship with the young man. Peter was already familiar with his name, Jonathon Walker. He was Bryce Larkin's personal lawyer, old school friend, and the person Neal had met with recently. Although the man was being called in as a material witness for Neal impersonating Bryce, there would also be several questions for the man about Bryce and to determine if he was Neal's inside man which would put him up for charges as an accomplice. It was going to be an interesting conversation.

Looking into the next stage of Bryce's life revealed one more friend. His early college years showed a very close bond with Charles Bartowski. However, Bryce had gotten his college roommate and best friend kicked out of school for cheating. Still, despite their history, Chuck might actually be his best material witness to prove Neal was impersonating Bryce. The man wasn't certain he was Bryce playing a joke, and he wasn't a possible suspected for his accomplice, so what could go wrong with his testimony?

Who was he kidding? Peter couldn't keep his mind from thinking about the many things that could go wrong with the guy's testimony. What if Bartowski wanted to get revenge on Bryce, so he would allow this strange man to take over his life, or maybe he would wonder if Neal really was Bryce so he would endeavor to get him arrested as punishment? Was it such a big request to ask for the case to go easily and close simply with Neal as a well framed, but innocent, man?

Thrusting his papers into the case folder, Peter decided it was time to work on something else. The official requests had been sent out for the two men to meet him. They would talk in the office as an official inquiry, to begin with, and then he would carry on with the case based on the results of their conversations.

Jonathon Walker was the first one to come as Washington was closer in proximity than Burbank. Peter watched from above as the man walked into the office. He had brown hair with blond highlights and his eyes seemed to be piercing everyone in sight. His expression was serious, but yet somehow relaxed for a potential suspect standing in the middle of the FBI. As would be expected of a lawyer, he was wearing a suit and had a briefcase in his hand presumably containing the legal reason for him to be running Bryce's life even after his death.

"You must be Jonathon Walker," Diana walked up to him and introduced herself.

"Yes, I'm here to see agent Burke." Jonathon sounded firm and professional. He didn't seem like the type of person you would expect to be working with a con artist.

Walking to the top of the stairs, Peter met Diana and their guest before he led Walker into a conference room. "Take a seat. Would you like anything to drink?" Peter offered like a host.

"No, thank you. I believe we have several things to discuss, so I think it is best to get started." Jonathon placed his briefcase on the table and popped it open. Pulling the files out, he began to arrange his paperwork on the table in front of him.

Following his actions, Peter observed how he moved or caught glimpses of the file headers to try and get a read on the man. He was confident, direct, open, and yet somehow the man was hiding something.

As Jonathon finished laying his paperwork out, Peter finished organizing his as well. It didn't take long to have his notepad ready and his files in the order he wanted to bring them up, but it took slightly longer because he was also watching Jonathon. Curiously, the man wasn't the least bit intimidated and didn't seem to be worried about the questions he was going to bring up.

Getting started, Peter began to ask Jonathon questions about his connections to Bryce. "How did you meet Bryce Larkin?"

"It was his first year at boarding school and his mother had just died. The kid was lost and lonely so he spent most of his time outside of class trying to drown his sorrows in letters to home that were barely answered or reading books. Taking pity on him, I took him under my wing and introduced him to comic books, video games, and nerd movies so he at least had someone to interact with. At first, he was reluctant because his father wouldn't approve, but after a while, he seemed to enjoy the companionship and became more willing to relax. Over the following years, until we graduated, I taught him to love nerdy things and gave him something to love because he enjoyed it, and not because his father pressured him into it." Jonathon was simply telling a story. Sure, it didn't paint a happy picture for Bryce's childhood, but nothing else had either.

"How did you become his lawyer, and why did he entrust you to run his entire life?" Peter wondered. The question would also answer why Jonathon was a good witness in his case.

"After graduation, we went different ways. He went on to Stanford and I went on to Harvard. We lost touch for several years, so I don't know exactly what went on with his life. I married, became a widower, and lost most of my fortune with some poor investments. Several years ago, Bryce found me in Washington and he gave me employment to help me get back on my feet. Somewhere along the way, he had started his company, Simula Scripts, and he wanted me to be his legal advisor. We made arrangements and I have generally seen him for business purposes ever since."

Moving on to his next question, Peter wanted to know when he had last seen Bryce. This was a question he wanted to pay extra careful attention too.

"That is not an easy question to answer. Because certain aspects of it hinder lawyer-client privileges, I cannot give you exact information as to when I have last seen Bryce Larkin. However, I have not seen 'Bryce Larkin' in several years." There was a clarification of how he said Bryce Larkin, like he had seen him since, only as someone else.

Peter put the observation to the back of his mind. The man was obviously keeping something secret about Neal and Bryce, but he wasn't sure what.

Although he was suspicious, Peter moved on to the next question. "If you haven't seen Bryce in years, and I have a copy of his death certificate here in my files, then why are you still running his personal life?"

"The company specializes in training programs for field agents; it also has some militaristic and other law enforcement applications, which makes it important to keep the material available and to continue updating it as situations evolve. Because of its importance, Bryce and I worked up clauses in the company's foundation allowing it to continue running even in the event of his death. As for his personal life, Bryce didn't have much, but he valued what he had so he requested it to be kept until someone could be found to take procession in his absence. Personally, I love nerdy stuff, but I don't need his apartment or his collection of nerdy figurines." The man shrugged with a smirk. "I have my own collection that already rivals his."

Unable to help himself, Peter smirked slightly too. "So, you don't wish to double your collection with the addition of his?" It was also a test.

"No, he would want someone who couldn't afford one to have it. Becoming a nerd helped him to find his own footing in an overbearing family in addition to dealing with the loss of the only family member who paid any attention to him. It was his wish that it be used to help someone else, and so far the right person hasn't come along yet." Then he decided to add. "And no, I am not simply ensuring myself continued employment by holding on to it."

Nodding, Peter had gotten most of his questions answered, but there was still one major one he needed to address. "Why were you visiting Neal Caffrey recently? My team has pictures of you entering his hotel and they got a few of you in his room before the blinds were closed." Peter laid the pictures out to prove he had the evidence.

"Neal Caffrey and Bryce Larkin are identical in appearance despite being unrelated. Although they never met, Bryce knew of his doppelganger and asked me to look into him. Caffrey and I have met a few times over the years and I loaned him a tux for the event at the Larkin's. Since I was in the city and the event was over, I met him to reclaim my tux. While I was there, he told me some about the cases against him and asked for my legal advice, I gave it, and then I returned home." He appeared to be honest and there were no tells indicating he had lied.

Having finished the majority of his questions, Peter let the man go with the promise to remain reachable and that Jonathon would return for the trial.

Returning to his position and watching him leave, Peter didn't know what to think of the man, but he understood Neal's attraction to him. Jonathon was honest and good at keeping secrets, exactly the type of person Neal liked.

When it was time for Charles Bartowski to come in for his meeting, Peter wondered what it would entail. After all, Jonathon had brought a great deal to the table, what would Charles?

As Peter was leading him to the conference room, Charles stopped. "First, call me Chuck. Second, I want to meet Neal. If he is really impersonating my friend, I need to meet him in person to verify his identity. You want my testimony that he isn't Bryce; then I need to verify that he isn't Bryce for myself." The man drove a hard bargain.

Pausing to make the phone call, Peter arranged a meeting at the prison before guiding Chuck out to his vehicle.

Driving, Peter decided to ask some of his basic questions as they went. Chuck was also open and honest as he answered pretty much every question he had.

"Why did Bryce get you kicked out for cheating if you didn't cheat?" He wondered. Chuck had told him it was a lie, but he needed more information.

"Bryce knew I was in danger because of the test results, so he protected me by invalidating it. I was removed from danger and he sacrificed our friendship to save my life. It took several years and was after his death, but I eventually found the recording where he took my place and learned the truth. Although Bryce was always a tricky one, and it was always difficult to understand his motives, he always had what was best for me in mind." Chuck sighed as he missed his friend. There was hope he might be alive again, but he wasn't going to get excited until he saw the man for himself.

Walking into the room and spotting Neal sitting there in orange and chains, Chuck knew immediately what was going on. As he remembered how angry the FBI agents had been, he had a question of his own. "How do you do it?"

Smiling, Neal glanced at him sideways knowing what he was alluding to. "Didn't Sarah tell you?

Combining the action of rolling his eyes, bouncing his head, and waving his hands about, Chuck reiterated the basics. "I know, so that is supposed to make it all okay."

Nodding his head adamantly, Neal agreed. "Exactly, I know. So why should I care what the world thinks of me?"

With a reproving look, Chuck snorted. "Yeah, which is why you are so excited I am here. I'm the only one who has figured out the whole picture and can understand your actions."

Shrugging, Neal was prepared for their meeting. "That is a perk. Peter has clues he hasn't been able to solve, others know things; you're just the only person who knows it all."

Peter stood by absolutely puzzled. Why was Chuck joking with this guy, and how did he suddenly know all about what was going on? Also, how did Neal know Chuck?

Answering Peter's obvious question, Chuck smiled. "My parents and wife work for the government. Over the years I got drug into things, and took an opportunity to look the situation up before I came here." The information hadn't connected Neal as Bryce for sure, but seeing him confirmed it.

Although they completed their meeting easily enough, Peter came away with more questions than answers. He did have Chuck's testimony that there was indeed an impersonation going on, just not the assurance that Neal was impersonating Bryce.

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