Chapter 28

Once he had left the Burke's the drive to the office was over in a blur. He was glad Peter could see how bad Neal was as well. The injuries were still there but fading. The look in his eyes on the other hand wasn't going anywhere and unlikely to do so any time soon. It was worrying. The consultant had always had an air of fear about him, side effect in his preferred line of work. But this was something different. And Reese knew it. He had had to endure something no one ever should. He also knew that Peter was right, if Neal took longer to get back to work than the higher ups thought, there might be trouble.

He got to his glass surrounded desk little after one. He expected everyone to just be getting back from lunch, but the place was busy. He had barely sat down when Jones and Berrigan knocked on his door.

"Boss, you need to see this." She sounded serious – as she often did – but there was something about this that make Hughes stand immediately and follow through to the still paper covered conference room. The close team of six were standing, all shoulder to shoulder, like a wall shielding the table. It was weird.

"Boss, how's Peter? And El and Neal?" Diana asked softly, everyone in the room wanting to know too. "They're as good as to be expected... considering. So, you said you had something?"

Jones and Diana looked at their colleges who swiftly stepped aside, parting in the middle to show the image plastered table. Anything Hughes was thinking froze and slipped out his brain at the sight. These weren't FBI issue surveillance images, but they were surveillance nether less. Hundreds of them. Each printed with dates and times. Throughout the day, hours and hours covered. Different perspectives, but one common subject matter, Junes house.

"What the hell is this?" No-one would have heard him if the room hadn't been so quiet. He couldn't believe it.

"They were collected from the warehouse. It's clear someone was monitoring Neal's place, probably..." Jones stopped, turning his gaze from the table to his boss, "probably waiting for him to go home. Waiting to... to finish what was started."

Hughes looked at his team member. The pictures he had seen some 36 hours previously running through his head. Was that the reason, to kill him? Or something else? He pushed the thoughts out of his head, surprised – not for the first time since this whole thing started – at the protective feelings he had regarding Neal Caffery.

"We didn't have anyone watching his place, only Peter's as they were all staying there."

"Yeah, and even that got screwed up. Caffery has the blood and bruises to prove it." The room was silent. "Well, aside from this, we have a problem." Everyone looked at him, "None of the three guys we arrested were involved with what happened to Peter, El and Neal." The looks of confusion appeared on all faces pointed at him. "Neither of them IDed our three guys, but Neal recognised someone else, a decoy on the sheet... we have one."

He walked around to the white board, sticking the mug shots beside the pictures of his friends. He had circled the new photo to focus on. He was scruffy, long unkept hair and an evil smile on his face. The other agents were staring at him.

"We need to make his identification top priority. He's still out there, he's dangerous. And with these images... we have an idea of what his next step will be. Last time, he almost killed them, lets not let him succeed this time."

Just over 90 minutes and they found him. They already had a name and rap sheet, but where he was now was the problem. Hughes was working with his agents instead of his office when one of them shouted him over. The urgency in his voice spoke volumes.

"What is it Blake?" Looking over his shoulder Hughes saw immediately what was wrong. "Where did you get this?"

"I put the guy's pic in the system, see what else was brought up and this appeared."

Hughes continued to read through the file. Three white males had been found at the dock yard just over a week ago. Each shot once in the head, and the coroner puts their death at over a week before they were found. It was a lead, just not the one anyone expected.

oOo

Having gathered all the information he could, wanting to be as upfront as possible, he arrived back at the Burke's. The morning was cold, the air biting. He made small talk with the agents outside, making sure they were behaving. It felt like he was never away from the place lately, knocking like he always did.

No one arrived to greet him as they had before. He hadn't told them he was coming, now he was here, he knows he probably should have. When Peter answered, he only opened the door slightly, noticing it was his boss and relaxing.

"Reese. Hi. Didn't say you were coming back this morning. Come in. Is everything ok?" Hughes walked through the living room, noticing Neal leaning against the kitchen island and El sitting at the table. It was clear something had happened.

"Hi, well... yes. Actually, is it ok if I speak to you all?"

He hadn't expected his boss to drop by so quick. The previous conversation not important any more. He just saw the grave expression on Hughes' face and knew it wasn't going to be good. "Of course, have a seat. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine thanks." He sat at the head of the table, Peter sitting opposite and Neal to his left. He opened the folder he had brought. The images of June's house being spread out. He heard El gasp, Neal tense and lean forward.

"What?" Peter was up and standing behind Neal, "Where did you get these?"

"They were evidence from the warehouse. It looks as though they had it under their own surveillance for a while. We tracked them to a PI, he's coming in to talk to us today. Looks like he was hired. Hopefully he'll be able to tell us why."

"You mean aside from the obvious?" Neal said it before he thought, felt Peter put his hand on his uninjured shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Caffery, nothing else is going to happen to you, I promise. I mean, you're staying here anyway, so it's fine." The room was silent Peter and El looking at each other, the former squeezing and rubbing Neal's shoulder, as Neal looked out the distant window. "Am I missing something here?"

"No sir," Neal's attention was back in the room, giving him a small smile.

"Yeah Reese, thanks for bringing this to us. Letting us know."

"That's not all," all eyes on him again, scared at what he was going to say, "We gathered as much on the guy you IDed as we could. And something came up. Now these are graphic." He placed the crime scene pictures on the table, three decomping faces visible.

El gasped, quickly turning her head away, hand going to her mouth. She felt sick. Peter looking away too, hand tightening on his friend's shoulder. But Neal just stared at the faces, Hughes staring at him. His reaction was worrying. He showed no emotion. He looked Hughes in the eyes.

"Yeah. That's them."