Disclaimer: Credit to Jonathan Nolan, Greg Plageman, and the POI writing team. Bolded sections are straight from the episodes.


QUEENSBRIDGE PARK

Chapter 2: between Booked Solid & Relevance


As Harold, the new owner of The Coronet Hotel, departs to go over the month's event calendar with their latest Number (a hotel maid who is now the hotel's new manager), Reese slides into the seat Finch had just vacated.

"Ever consider doing in-house work?" he asks famed fixer Zoe Morgan, who had helped them with the Number. "This place could use someone in crisis management."

"I like to move around," she says. "More a freelancer, like you," she adds with a smile.

"It's a nice place," he observes. "Maybe I'll even stick around for one more night," he adds coyly.

"Well, I heard it was all booked. But, then again ... you do know the owner."

He holds up a hotel key card and waves it. "The penthouse suite. Another round?"


After Finch finishes his meeting with Ms. Brozi, he returns to the hotel bar. But there's no sign of his previous companions, except for two half-finished drinks abandoned on the counter.

With a bit of a smile, Finch slips on his coat and sees himself out. No one takes any notice of the man with a slight limp as he makes his way through the lobby and out the front door. The hotel: one of the last few places where a person can retain relative anonymity, if only for a few hours or a night.

Though the hotel and the Library are only a mile apart, it takes Finch three cabs and 30 minutes to make it back to HQ. Only the paranoid survive, after all. No payphones ring as he makes his circuitous way back to the Library, so it seems he has the afternoon off, too.

Bear has been overlooked the past few days, so he decides to reward the long-suffering canine with a trip to the park. A quick check on the GPS of Elena Cassidy's phone confirms, as expected, that she's visiting her grandmother, which means she and Bailey should be at Queensbridge Park within the hour.

Even though the Belgian Malinois is supposed to be on a diet, Finch doesn't see why Bear can't indulge this afternoon, seeing as his owner is doing the same. So on the way to the park, he buys Bear a doggie danish. He buys one for Bailey, too.

When they get to the park, Elena is busy parallel parking. It takes her a few tries to squeeze her Camry between two other cars, but she finally gets there. Bailey's paws have barely touched the sidewalk before he's pulling her in their direction.

"Bailey! What on earth—?" She digs her heels in to stop from colliding into Finch. "Oh, hello! Harold, right? And Bear, of course."

"Hello, Elena." He adds a hint of uncertainty when he says her name to make it convincing.

Bear and Bailey are both straining at their leashes, so Harold suggests they set them free and watch them from the comfort of a nearby bench.

"I'm glad we bumped into you again," he says. "Bear really enjoyed his time with Bailey. He'd been a little depressed before."

"Bailey always gets a little low when he has no one but me to play with. You don't have any other dogs or pets?"

For some reason, Detective Fusco comes to mind. Finch shakes his head. "No, but Bear didn't seem to mind at all, until about a month ago."

So they pleasantly exchange dog care tips and stories until Finch notices Elena's ears and nose are turning steadily redder from sitting still in the cold breeze coming from the river.

"Why don't we get something warm to drink?" he suggests, spotting a coffee cart at the park's entrance.

Elena agrees readily, and together they walk the short distance to the cart, where Harold promptly orders and pays for two coffees before she can get object.

"Thanks very much," she says as he hands her a steaming cup. She wraps her hands around it, and feeling begins to return to her cold fingers. Normally she wouldn't let a strange man she barely knows buy her any type of drink, but she takes the chance that she's safe from any less-than-chivalrous designs with Harold.

As they walk back to their bench, Bear and Bailey bound over to make sure their owners are all right. Harold reaches into his pocket and produces two doggie danishes, which he feeds to both dogs after a nod of permission from Elena.

"Bear's technically on a diet," he explains, crumpling the wrapper and putting it back in his coat pocket. "But John is always slipping him treats behind my back, so he's gotten quite used to them."

"I could never put Bailey on a diet," she admits. "Bailey's seen me cheat on every diet I've ever started. It's a good thing dogs can't talk. The things they would say about their owners!"

Finch allows himself to imagine for a moment the secrets Bear could tell, and he's immensely grateful it wasn't a parrot Reese had decided to adopt. Hmm ... parrot. That's one species he hasn't turned into an alias yet. He makes a mental note to construct a new identity for Harold "Parrott" — with two T's to make it more believable, of course.

He realizes she'd asked about Reese during his musings. "Oh, John's ..." The automatic answer is "working," but as it's a Sunday, and he doesn't want to delve into what it is Reese does for a living, he says instead, "with ... a friend."

There's something strange in his tone that catches Elena's attention. Suddenly, John's absence seems much more sinister.

"A friend?" she repeats, trying to get an indication on whether this is a good or a bad thing.

"Well, she's perhaps more than a friend," Finch admits, hiding a smile into his coffee. He accidentally takes a sip and almost chokes on the bitter taste.

Elena's mind is a whirlwind of confusion. Harold had just admitted that his partner was with someone else — a woman?! — yet he doesn't seem at all concerned.

"Wait, you and John aren't together?" Elena blurts out before she can think it through.

Harold blinks, not quite understanding the question. And Elena realizes she'd come to a terribly wrong conclusion about the nature of their relationship.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize — I just assumed — which, obviously, I shouldn't have — that you two were — well ..." Blushing furiously, she turns away, trying to gather her thoughts and any dignity she has left.

She chances a look at Harold. He's frozen in shock, his still-full cup of coffee threatening to spill into his lap.

"It's the dog that threw me off," she explains, reaching over and gently tipping his cup into a more upright position. "Not many men own a dog together unless they're, well, together."

Of course, that's not all that had thrown her off. She considers herself very good at reading people, and everything about them had screamed couple. She's strangely disappointed.

"Bear is John's dog," Harold quickly says.

"Really? I wouldn't have thought ... I mean, he seems quite fond of you. Bear, that is," she clarifies. "Okay, I'm going to stop talking now. And possibly forever."

He takes pity at the embarrassed, stricken expression on her face. "But I suppose, to the outside observer, it would be a logical conclusion to make," Harold says hesitantly. "But John and I are just friends," he adds firmly. "Co-workers, actually."

Elena just needs this awkward conversation to end before she says something more embarrassing, if that's possible. She calls Bailey over and clips on his leash.

"I've really got to be going," she lies. She takes two steps toward her car before she stops short and turns around again. "I really hope nothing I've stupidly said today makes things awkward for you and John. And though I suppose the chances of you wanting to ever see me again are pretty slim, Bailey and I are here around this time every Sunday."

She turns sharply on her heel and marches off before Finch can say anything, leading Bailey for a change in her haste to get away.

Bear barks his goodbye as Pretty Lady and Bailey disappear around the corner, then looks up at Glasses Man.

"Not a word to John, understand?" Finch says sternly as he tosses out his barely touched coffee.

Bear doesn't, but he wags his tail energetically and eyes Glasses Man's coat, wondering if there are more treats hidden in his pockets.


Elena doesn't start the car right away once she and Bailey are inside. She sits in the driver's seat and laughs for a good three minutes until there are tears in her eyes.

"Oh God, the look on his face! But you thought they were together, too, didn't you, boy? Anyone would have thought ..." Calming down, she shakes her head, then pulls down the mirror to fix her makeup. "I hope I haven't scared them away. For your sake, Bails."

But that's a bit of a lie, too. As disappointed as she is that Harold and John aren't partners, a small part of her is relieved.

"No, Elena Marie Cassidy," she tells her reflection sternly. "You are not allowed to fall in love with tall, dark, handsome men you thought were gay."

Saying it out loud makes it seem even more ridiculous, so she dissolves into laughter again as she turns on the ignition and begins the process of un-parallel parking her car. In the backseat, Bailey wonders if maybe his mistress has gone just a little bit crazy.


The next morning, Reese arrives at the Library at 10 a.m., which is much later than usual. Finch raises an eyebrow as the ex-CIA operative appears silently in the hallway, but the look the Man in the Suit returns is pure innocence.

"Morning, Finch," Reese greets cheerily (for him). He pitches his empty coffee cup across the room, and it lands neatly (of course) into the small trash can behind Finch, who spares him an unimpressed glance.

Because he doesn't want to recount his conversation with Miss Cassidy, Finch decides to forgo any mention of his and Bear's trip to Queensbridge Park.

"Any new Numbers?"

Finch stands and grabs the two photos waiting at the printer. "Two rather interesting ones, Mr. Reese," he says as he limps to the board and tapes them up. "Meet Michael Cole and Sameen Shaw."