Chapter 1: Summons

Federal Building. June 27, 2006. Tuesday morning.

Why hasn't anyone noticed?

As Neal scanned the bullpen, he felt out of sync with the agents. Surely someone would have said something. Was this the unfortunate result of being an expert con artist?

He and Sara had returned to New York yesterday evening. Two hours later, her plane departed for London. Neal had held off telling anyone till he could do it in person, but now he was beginning to regret his decision. He'd left a text message for Mozzie, who was currently in Tokyo, but Mozzie had been involved in the preparations and he wouldn't have passed on the news.

At the start of the workday, Neal had lingered in the breakroom over his first cup of swill from the coffeemaker, but no one was in the mood to chat. If it had been Monday, he probably would have had better luck, but on a Tuesday everyone was in work mode. Diana razzed him for playing in Disneyland while the others did his work on top of their own, but she left before Neal could reveal anything.

When Sara returned to her office, she could sit back and let others ask her. Although perhaps she too might need to explain. The tangible sign she wore wasn't a traditional design.

Neal was beginning to think Travis and Richard's approach was by far preferable. White Collar's tech expert and his partner had returned from a vacation with rings to symbolize the commitment they'd made to each other. If Travis were here, Neal could compare notes, but Travis was spending the week in Los Angeles.

"Caffrey, are you going to stare off in space forever?" Diana mocked, strolling over. "Don't tell me you're already dreaming about how you'll spend your loot."

"Take it easy on the guy," Jones chided as he approached them. "Figuring out what to do with millions of dollars isn't easy."

Neal snorted. "I still have lots of time for daydreaming. The auction will be several months from now."

"Be sure to let me know how to bid," Diana said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've always wanted an original Raphael for my living room."

Neal restrained the size of his huff. He knew that he'd be subjected to a round of teasing if the painting was authenticated, but he'd hoped that it would have faded away by the time he returned from vacation. Evidently not. Suddenly letting them in on his news didn't seem so necessary. That warm glow in his heart was all he needed.

"It's been so long you've probably forgotten," Jones added, "but we're scheduled to have a morning briefing in a few minutes."

"You'll have a lot to catch up on," Diana warned. "While you've been relaxing at a guest ranch and playing with Mickey Mouse, we grunts have been shouldering all the work." She turned to Peter's second-in-command. "Jones, didn't you tell me you had a stack of files with Neal's name on them?"

Jones tried to keep a straight face. "There are so many, I'd planned to wait till after the briefing to give them to him. If Caffrey had seen them piled on his desk, he would have turned tail and run."

She grinned. "Welcome back to our world, Neal."

"It's good to be back. I've missed your teases."

Neal's first chance to see Peter was at the briefing and he was in work mode as well. Neal stashed that warm glow to bring out at a later time. Neal Caffrey, White Collar's ace consultant, could be a team player.

He was a little surprised to see Tricia Wiese there. The agent was the profiler for the Mansfeld brothers but she didn't attend routine briefings. Her presence was quickly explained.

"I invited Tricia here to give an update on Victor Liu," Peter said.

The recent MIT graduate was a member of the Pod hacker group. He'd been involved in the theft of a Turner painting in London a month ago while working as an intern at a film production company's campus outside London. He'd been a key player in the attempt to frame Mozzie for the crime.

"I spoke with Jacob Nussbaum yesterday," Tricia said. "Victor's condition remains the same."

Jacob was a psychologist affiliated with Columbia University and a specialist in the type of virtual-reality programming that had been used on Neal last summer. He'd been Neal's therapist, and thanks to his help Neal had quickly recovered from Rolf's mind-control procedure. Jacob was serving as a consultant on Victor Liu's case. The man was suffering from something far more radical. He'd come down with near-total amnesia accompanied by extreme arachnophobia. The onset of his illness had occurred without warning shortly after his arrest.

"Jacob returned to New York yesterday," Tricia reported. "He'd attempted hypnosis on the prisoner but wasn't able to break through Victor's mental barriers. Jacob continues to believe that the man's psychosis was caused by some type of mental programming."

"Similar to what Neal was subjected to?" Peter asked.

"Possibly, but Jacob is wary of making any speculation at this point. He's checking daily with the English psychologist in charge of the case, and will let us know if there's a change in Victor's psychosis."

Peter turned to Jones. "Any progress to report on Victor's contacts?"

"Not so far," he admitted. "We've compiled a list of everyone known to have associated with him over the past two years. We're investigating each one, searching for any link to cybercrimes. Since Victor was in the computer science department, the list is a lengthy one."

"Among those with a tech background, how many were around when Rolf was a guest lecturer?" Tricia asked.

"Four professors," Jones said promptly. "Three men and a woman. The nationalities include Indian, Pakistani, American, and Chinese-American. Our contact in the Boston office is working with MIT to obtain their files, but privacy concerns are a stumbling block."

"Diana, any news from our movie mogul?" Peter asked.

Mozzie had flown to Tokyo for Operation Godzilla immediately after attending Aidan and Keiko's wedding in California. The con involved planting chatter about an upcoming horror movie featuring Godzilla versus an alliance of Mothra and Yellowface. The yellow-faced bee superhero who'd been given life as a course assignment for Columbia was now being featured on Japanese TV in anime cartoons. Mozzie had provided the initial spark for the creation of the bee crime-fighter. After the frame attempt in London, Mozzie's personal name for the op was Revenge of Yellowface.

The attack on Mozzie had heightened the probability that the actions of White Collar team members were somehow being monitored by Rolf and his unknown silent partner nicknamed Cthulhu. After the events in England, the team had decided to plant a story so outrageous that Rolf would feel compelled to communicate with Cthulhu. The Bureau had been able to obtain a warrant to monitor the communications of all the guards who came in contact with him in prison.

"I spoke with Mozzie yesterday evening," Diana said. "He's scheduled to meet today with Hotaru, the anime company developing Yellowface." She grinned. "I'd love to be present. Mozzie has quite a portfolio of drawings to show the Hotaru leadership. He's convinced that they'll like the idea so much that they'll decide to produce it."

"Neal, did you make the drawings?" Tricia asked.

"Some of them. Richard and Keiko also worked on the project. When we were in Boston for a fencing bout, we sketched ideas for a possible movie, not dreaming that they'd actually be used. Once Operation Godzilla became a reality, we turned those drawings into watercolor concept designs."

"Did you include a sea monster?" Tricia asked.

Neal didn't miss the pointed look Diana gave Peter.

"Some on the team wanted to," Peter said calmly, "but I nixed the idea. I think there's a chance Cthulhu and Rolf will believe the project is real. If we used a kraken or some other creature with tentacles, it would be too obvious a reference to recent incidents."

"I discovered that another sea monster movie is due to be released in September," Jones said. "Its name is Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep. I'll check to see if they've been hit by a ransom demand."

Neal gave a silent sigh at the thought of yet more tentacles on the silver screen. A remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, along with its giant squid, would be released in August. It had been victimized by ransomware. Travis was working on the case this week with the L.A. office.

Tricia drummed her fingers on the table. "I know cephalopod monsters are popular, but there does seem to be an unusually high number this year. Between new video games, TV, the movies you've mentioned, as well as the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie which features a kraken, I've counted seven."

"It begs credulity that it's a coincidence," Peter agreed. "But Rolf can't have caused the timing of all of them. The productions have been on the drawing boards for years."

"But he was the creative force behind the Ood in Doctor Who," Diana countered. "When he worked at Scima as a creative director, he likely had access to insider information about the projects of other production companies." She frowned. "We could have included an octopus as a minor character without raising any warning flags." Her face brightened. "Likely the studio will insist on it if they decide to proceed with the project."

Peter exchanged sympathetic looks with Neal. They'd discussed privately Diana's fondness for squids and their kin. Some might call it excessive. Neal had advised Peter not to say anything to her. His earlier squeamishness was gone. Being constantly surrounded by octopus references had forced him to shrug off any unease.

"I know this will likely be futile in an op named Godzilla, but this is a reminder to not get carried away," Peter said. "This also includes references to creatures with tentacles. I do not want to see a Godzilla lookalike perched on the balcony." He directed his gaze at Diana. "Nor will there be octopuses, squids, sea urchins, or cephalopods of any other kind mysteriously appearing on desks." At their groans, he held up an admonishing hand. "Once the op is successfully concluded and we've made an arrest, the restrictions are lifted. But until then, you've been warned. To say that Hughes is uncomfortable with our current tactic is the understatement of the century."

Diana frowned. "But Boss, surely he's happy with the success rate we've achieved."

"He is, and that's the only reason he's allowing you to write fanfiction during office hours," Peter reminded her. "In this instance, key elements of the op are being disseminated by a man for whom we don't even have a social security number." He turned to Neal. "Does Mozzie have one?"

Neal shrugged. "Several, as a matter of fact."

Peter groaned. "I rest my case."

Was Peter worried about possible ramifications to his career? Within White Collar, he'd been granted unusually broad latitude to conduct unorthodox cases, but Neal knew that if Peter wanted to advance at the Bureau, he'd need to move on to other assignments. Operation Godzilla wouldn't necessarily be looked upon favorably even if it was successful. Neal could easily make the case that it demonstrated imaginative out-of-the-box problem solving, but would Peter be able to? He might long for a return to business as usual.

Tricia took off for another appointment afterward. Peter assigned Neal to work with Jones and Diana on the background checks. The events of the previous week were buried by the back-to-basics approach of his boss.

"No one else has reserved the conference room," Jones said. "We'll set up our laptops in here. We'll have more room to work and fewer distractions."

Was that comment directed toward Neal? Why else would Jones have stared straight at him when he made his remark?

"Let's order in lunch," Diana suggested.

"Good idea," Peter agreed. "I'll bring in my sandwich and join you."

Ah, yes. Soon the distinctive aroma of deviled ham would waft through the conference room. Yep, definitely back to business as usual.

"That okay with you, Caffrey?" Jones asked.

"I was planning to meet Henry for lunch," Neal admitted, "but I'll call him to cancel."

"That's right, your work week is beginning on Tuesday," Diana mocked. "How awkward for you."

Another dig at his vacation? It hardly seemed likely that the agents resented his time off. They both got more vacation days than he did, although they might be envious of how he'd been able to combine overseas trips with work.

"Cancel Tuesday Tails with Henry and Splash?" Jones shook his head with a smile. "There's no need for that. I'm just glad I'm not the one tailing you."

"Thanks," Neal said gratefully. "I'll bring back dessert for all of you." He turned to Diana. "The Italian bakery you like is close to the park where I meet Henry."

"Deal!" she declared. "If you supply us with cannolis, you can have an extra hour off."

"Better make that thirty minutes," Jones advised. "It's good to have you back, Caffrey."

"Aidan and Keiko's wedding go off without a hitch?" Peter asked as Neal powered off his laptop.

"Yeah, thanks," he said. He kept his reply to the minimum, assuming they were still in work mode.

"I thought of you in L.A.," Diana added. "Going to Disneyland with Sara must have meant a lot to her." She turned to Jones. "Her mom worked there as a seamstress."

Was she calling a halt to work mode? That warm spot near his heart grew larger as he thought of his time with Sara at the resort. "I like to think we added to her memories." He shrugged and added nonchalantly, "I proposed to her on Sunday evening."

"Caffrey, you sly dog, congratulations!" Jones exclaimed.

"The width of your smile tells me she accepted," Peter said, also beaming. "I knew Sara was a smart woman."

"I think I deserve most of the credit," Diana said. "Your love boat would have capsized without Arkham Files."

She was joking, but she had a point. Neal was glad to share the credit with whoever wanted to stake a claim. His happy ending was in sight.

#

Neal and Henry weren't the only ones who wanted to be outside during the lunch hour. The park where they walked Splash was crowded with office workers enjoying the sunshine. Neal and Henry were forced to go at a slower pace than Splash would have liked but that provided more time for conversation.

Henry smiled complacently at Neal's announcement. "I had a feeling you were going to take advantage of the location. Did you propose in the evening with the fireworks overhead?"

"Naturally. Jiminy Cricket was singing 'When You Wish Upon a Star' in the background. Afterward, we got into a pumpkin carriage pulled by white mice and rode off into the night sky."

"Careful," Henry cautioned. "Don't tell Angela that or she'll make a kids' musical out of the event."

Neal chuckled. "I've got my fairy princess. You've got your prince charming. Angela and Michael are married. Not bad for one summer."

"Are you discussing dates yet?" Henry asked.

"Only to the extent we'd like to be living in the same city first," Neal said ruefully. "Sterling-Bosch makes vague noises about a transfer but Sara hopes to light a fire under them. Our obstacles are nothing to yours, though. Are you considering getting married in Boston?"

"If New York doesn't amend its laws soon, we'd be tempted," Henry acknowledged. "Have you told Mom?"

"I plan to call her this evening."

"Why don't you do it from my place? After the call, we'll go out to celebrate. Unless you have other plans?"

"Nothing scheduled, thanks. Peter and El have something in mind for Friday night." Neal was grateful for the invitation. There was still an air of unreality about his new status.

"I'm celebrating too," Henry said. "We signed our first insurance client, an outfit called Prescot Mutual."

"Impressive." Many insurance companies were starting to outsource their investigative needs, and Henry had been promoting Win-Win as the contractor of choice. "Don't they insure many of the businesses in the diamond district?"

Henry grinned. "I figured you'd heard of them. We wouldn't have had a chance but Prescot's CEO is friends with Allen Winston. Allen arranged the appointment, and I took it from there."

"Congratulations! When Sara hears you're working with diamonds, she may decide to jump ship."

"We'd love to take her on board. You, of course, realize that New York would then become her home base."

The future was looking brighter by the moment, but Neal was noncommittal in his reply. He didn't want to make assumptions on Sara's behalf.

"We should combine dinner with a movie in honor of Operation Godzilla," Henry declared.

"I hope Eric isn't into B-grade horror movies. We binge-watched enough Godzilla flicks with Mozzie in London to last a lifetime."

Henry chuckled. "Message received and understood. I'll think of something else. Any news about the op?"

"Only negative so far. Victor hasn't shown any improvement." Neal explained Tricia's update while picking up the pace. Splash had grown bored with their ambling and was tugging impatiently at her leash. "Doc Jacob believes the most likely scenario is that Victor had a pre-existing fear of spiders that was somehow amplified. The procedure caused brain damage resulting in amnesia. Jacob had hoped he'd be able to break through the barriers with hypnosis, but he wasn't successful."

"Does Klaus know about your thing for octopuses?" Henry asked.

"I don't have a thing for octopuses, squids, or any other cephalopods," Neal insisted with a frustrated huff. "I admit I was queasy about them for a while. Who wouldn't be after being surrounded by Cthulhu Mythos references for so long?"

"I hear ya," Henry said quietly. "What you had isn't that different from my reaction to ghosts. We've both surmounted our issues. The point I was trying to make is that if Rolf had known about it, he might have tried to exploit it."

Neal reluctantly nodded. "And in Hungary, he would have had an excellent opportunity," he conceded. "But the first time I can remember being bothered by an octopus was in January when I played a virtual-reality video game of Finding Nemo. Rolf was already incarcerated by then." He chuckled. "That game clued me in on how to surmount the issues. Did I mention that I watched the movie with Peter and El one evening in Los Angeles? That was when I was recovering from the virtual-reality procedure."

Henry stopped to look at him. "Did the underwater references set you off?"

"No, it was the opposite. Peter told me he related to Marlin, the clownfish's dad, in his attempts to find his son."

"Awww, you're Nemo." Henry slung an arm around his neck. "That's sweet!"

"And this is why I didn't tell you," Neal grumbled. "Anyway, I decided to use those characters to overcome my unease. For octopus-loving Diana, I recast her as Pearl, the pink octopus from the movie. When Sara heard about my scheme, she insisted on being a seahorse. There's one in the movie, named Sheldon. In my version, Sara's Shellie. You're even in it—you remember that toothy shark?"

"That's me?" Henry asked, a grin breaking out.

"Yep, I thought you'd like the part. His name is Bruce."

"Wasn't he a great white shark? That would be cool. It would remind you of how you'd faked being killed by one."

"Yeah, but I figured you'd rather be a tiger shark. He's just as fierce, and there's no association with death, faked or otherwise."

"I like that," Henry said, nodding with satisfaction. "Bruce the Shark. You could make that your safe word."

Neal winced. "A little difficult to work Bruce into a casual conversation."

"You need a challenge," Henry dismissed. "Doesn't he have two other sharks who hang out with him?"

"Yeah, in my version Travis and Jones play the parts of Anchor and Chum." Neal shrugged. "Just a silly game, but it's helped me laugh off any unease when the team brings up sea monsters."

"It doesn't sound silly to me at all." Henry's expression became serious. "You turned your fear into lighthearted cartoon characters. I bet your therapist would give your strategy a ringing endorsement. I'd read a paper about the therapeutic use of cartoons to combat psychological trauma. How about we celebrate our victories over both our sensitivities by going to the new Pirates of the Caribbean after dinner? Dead Man's Chest features a kraken and a Davy Jones who combines the features of an octopus and a ghost. We'll score double points for triumphing over him."

"I'll look forward to it. You know it's hard for me to resist anything with pirates."

"We could party later if you'd stay with us overnight," Henry added. "Besides, my loft is much closer to the Federal Building than your place."

Neal snorted. "I know what you're plotting. You want to see if I have any nightmares."

Henry shrugged. "Not just you. Me too. If that movie doesn't disturb either one of us, I'd say we can count ourselves cured."

"Surely you're not going to make Eric check on us all night to see if we're cheating?"

"No need to," Henry said smugly. "I'll bring home a couple of monitors from work. They'll record any sounds we make. Probably all they'll catch will be my snores and you joshing Pearl the Octopus. What d'ya say? I know you like our second bedroom."

Henry had him there. There was no skylight, but Neal could lie in bed and look at the Manhattan skyline. "All right, you're on." The more he thought about it, the more he approved of Henry's plan. Neal had worked hard to overcome his queasiness about tentacles. Being certified cured would be a satisfying confirmation.

#

That evening Neal went with Henry and Eric to a French bistro in SoHo before the movie. He enjoyed the antics of Jack Sparrow and didn't experience any adverse reaction to the tentacle-faced Davy Jones. He'd even experienced a pang of sympathy for the misunderstood kraken.

During the night they'd left their bedroom doors open so any screams of terror would be easily heard, but the night was peaceful. Those monitoring devices had nothing to record.

Neal understood Henry's concern. Erasmus Penfold, the renegade neurologist who'd performed the virtual-reality procedure on him in California, had escaped from a holding facility in Hungary in the spring. It was conceivable Rolf could employ him once more, but the risk of a new attack in the States was low. There'd been no sightings of Penfold. Jacob believed he'd likely fled to Russia where they were experimenting with virtual-reality techniques.

Neal's theory of good news attracting more good news came true the next morning during their work on vetting Victor's associates. He was glad that Jones, the research fiend, made the discovery. By eleven o'clock they could call Peter in for the announcement.

"This is Alice Langton." Jones displayed her photo on the wall monitor. "She's a professor of cognitive science at MIT. Grew up in Rhode Island. Attended MIT for both her undergraduate and graduate work. Been on the faculty for twenty-one years." He paused to take a breath. "She's also our best case for being Cthulhu."

Peter studied the photo intently. The attractive brunette wore her long hair swept up into a casual chignon. The photo had been pulled from her profile page on the MIT website.

"What are the points of commonality between her and Rolf?" Peter asked.

"Age for one. She and Rolf are both forty-eight," Jones said. "German parents. Immigrated to the States when she was ten. Her mother was an opera singer. Her father taught music history at Brown University in Providence."

"I hope you're not scraping the barrel," Peter remarked. "Sharing an interest in classical music isn't much of a link, and the tie to Lovecraft's hometown while intriguing is hardly newsworthy."

Diana offered a knowing smile. "He's warming you up for the good stuff, Boss."

"Langton was assigned to coordinate preparations for the class Rolf taught at MIT in 1998," Jones explained. "Our Boston office contacted the head of the computer sciences department who confirmed the two worked closely together."

Peter nodded with satisfaction. "Now we're getting somewhere. Let's back up for a moment. You said she teaches cognitive science. What exactly is that?"

"The precise term at MIT is Brain and Cognitive Sciences," Jones said. "Basically it's the scientific study of intelligence and behavior. There are various aspects to the discipline. Langton's specialty is artificial intelligence. She's written papers focusing on the scientific basis of consciousness, perception, and memory."

"For someone like Rolf who's interested in mind control, she must have been a sugar high," Diana said. "I can picture them at a welcoming cocktail party. They chat about their disciplines. Rolf's course at MIT is on artificial intelligence. Alice mentions that language and linguistics are important components of cognitive sciences. Rolf brings up his research in esoteric programming languages. That eventually leads to his interest in Lovecraft. When she tells him she grew up in Providence, he realizes she's the partner of his dreams."

Peter held up a hand. "Before you start telling me about their courtship, what other tangible evidence do you have?"

Diana winced. Had she forgotten for a moment that she was at White Collar, not a session of the Arkham Round Table writing group? Or was she showing a talent for profiling? Neal wouldn't be surprised if Diana and Tricia had discussed the subject.

"How about this for tangible evidence?" Diana challenged. "She attended a conference in 2002 in Los Angeles, where one of the speakers was Erasmus Penfold. That was when he was publishing his theories on virtual reality as a psychological tool."

"And there's more," Neal said. "Alice Langton is the faculty advisor of the MIT origami club. Victor took two courses with her. Since he was a club member for three years, the two would have been quite familiar." They'd already learned that the idea for the sea monster origami exhibition had originated with her. At the time, the theme hadn't raised many flags. The exhibition at Harvard of ancient sea maps had been in the works for over two years, and for the origami club to choose a theme related to the exhibition was a natural choice, but in light of the theft, it took on a darker significance.

A smile broke out on Peter's face. "This should be sufficient for a search warrant."

"Do you want us to first monitor her for a while?" Jones asked.

Peter shook his head. "No reason to. With Operation Godzilla, we've already given Rolf plenty to chatter about. We need to seize her electronics—computers, cell phones, landline logs, everything we can get our hands on—as soon as possible."

"I'll get the paperwork started," Jones promised.

"Good, I want you and Diana to go to Boston today. I'll give the local office a heads up." Peter checked his watch. "This afternoon I'll be at court testifying on the Stellington fraud case. Text me any updates. Diana, go ahead and make the travel arrangements. The legal department can work on the search warrant while you're en route."

"What would you like me to do?" Neal asked.

"What time is it in Tokyo?" Peter asked.

"They're thirteen hours ahead of us. It's nearly noon, so it's about one o'clock in the morning in Tokyo."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Too late to call Mozzie?"

"No, he's probably in his hotel room watching horror flicks."

#

"I'm glad you called. You must have sensed my excitement even though we're separated by thousands of miles." Based on the sound of his voice, Mozzie's exhilaration had reached the tilt mark. "I've long suspected a psychic connection between us. Just like Arkham Peter and Neal, we are linked through the etheric plane. We need to conduct experiments."

"For a later time," Neal said firmly. "What's your news?"

"Hotaru is genuinely interested in producing the flick! I hadn't expected to have much success. I'd originally planned to focus on the video game instead—"

"—They're making a video game of Yellowface?" Neal interrupted, shocked.

"Didn't I mention it to you? They contacted me about it a couple of weeks ago. Yet more royalties to the Three Musketeers are in the offing!"

Aidan had prepared the initial short feature of the bee's adventures as a course assignment for Columbia. He'd enlisted Neal, Richard, and Mozzie to assist. Thanks to Mozzie's legal expertise, they'd all been receiving a share in the royalties when Hotaru decided to create anime cartoons of Yellowface.

"Hotaru hasn't been idly waiting for me," Mozzie continued. "They introduced a love interest for our hero. Mothra will be represented by a charming girl with wings who is smitten with Yellowface. Crossbreeding of moths with bees may not be based on current scientific research, but just imagine what their progeny could be like! We may want to introduce a similar character for Arkham Files. That would give Rolf something to chew about."

"That's why I'm calling," Neal said, breaking in when Mozzie paused for air. "We believe we've identified Cthulhu."

"Perfect!" he crowed. "Hotaru liked the idea of including a partner for Godzilla. Now we have an even better reason. They suggested Odako the Giant Octopus."

So typical. Rather than being shocked by the revelation, Mozzie's mind immediately leaped to how it could be used. "Aren't there enough octopuses running amok?" Neal said with a small sigh, wondering at this point why he even bothered protesting.

"It's not my fault they're trending this year. You'll like the twist to this one, though. Odako will turn on Godzilla and ally herself with Yellowface and Mothra. I—" He stopped mid-sentence. Neal waited for him to resume but all he heard was a scratching sound.

"Mozzie, are you still there?"

"Um-hmm . . . Just writing down a note for a Doctor Who script where the Ood would be involved in a Japanese monster mash."

Before Neal could wrap his head around the possibility of Yellowface appearing in a Doctor Who episode, Mozzie added, "Returning to the cephalopod of the moment, Hotaru's enthusiasm has already supplied the grist for a flurry of emails. Assuming my account is being watched, Rolf will have plenty to talk about with his partner."

Soon it might not be necessary. Once Langton was seized, Rolf could be blinded. In Lovecraft's world, Cthulhu was imprisoned in the underwater fortress of R'lyeh. Langton could be destined to join Rolf in the above-ground equivalent.

By the time Neal got off the call with Mozzie, the bullpen had emptied for lunch. Peter had left for court. He'd be on his own for lunch.

Before leaving, he stopped by his desk to check his email. His Bureau phone rang as he was logging in.

"Neal Caffrey," he answered absently, scanning his inbox. He froze at the sound of a flute. Or was it a wooden pipe? The sound was soft, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The melody sounded Oriental or maybe Middle Eastern.

"This is Richard Pickman," a low voice with a British accent said. "Do you know me?"

"Yes." Neal breathed the response. The music was hypnotic.

"I'm waiting for you. 499 Broome Street, SoHo. Come to me, Neal."

He dropped the phone and stood up. The melody continued to play in his head, directing his actions. He'd walk to the destination. It was close to the Federal Building. He could hear the same cultured voice in his mind telling him how to proceed.

He took the elevator to the lobby, ignoring the chatter around him, and exited through the revolving door.

Notes: Thanks for reading! Neal proposed to Sara in Chapter 5 of Dawn of the Jackalopes. I moved up the premiere date of The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest by a week or so. Its actual premiere was on July 7, 2006. The 2006 remake of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea is fictitious.

Story Visuals and Music: The Tsunami board on the Caffrey Conversation Pinterest website
Blog: Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation
Twitter: silbrith

Background on the Caffrey Conversation AU for new readers: The series was created by Penna Nomen and begins with her story Caffrey Conversation. Our blog has a list and short summaries for all the stories in chronological order. The primary difference from canon is that Neal was never sent to prison and the characters are several years younger. The personalities of canon characters (Elizabeth, Mozzie, Diana, Jones, Hughes, June, and Sara) are the same.

Peter recruited Neal in 2003 when he was 24. In the fall of 2004, he entered Columbia University's graduate program in art as a part-time student. In the spring of 2005, Peter and Neal were appointed to the Interpol art crimes task force. The work on the task force is part-time and places additional emphasis on art crimes for the White Collar team. In canon, Neal's only relatives to be mentioned are his father and mother. In ours, his mother Meredith has a twin sister named Noelle who is a psychologist. Noelle married Peter's older brother Joe during the 2004 Christmas holidays. Henry Winslow is Noelle's son and nearly three years older than Neal. He works at a private investigation and security company named Winston-Winslow (usually referred to as Win-Win). Neal has one other cousin, Angela, who is the daughter of Noelle and Meredith's deceased brother. Working with the White Collar team are two non-canon characters: Travis Miller, a technical expert, and Tricia Wiese, a profiler.