3 - Book of Hours
"I can't believe I'm doing this" Maria said, stepping out of the car, "I spent a long time looking for her".
"I guess it wasn't meant to be" He replied, opening the padded box.
The Book of Hours was inside, and he carefully lifted it with gloved hands.
"It's calfskin vellum… Golden chalice of Paul".
"You satisfied?" She asked, putting her hand in her bag.
"Very".
He shut the book and pulled out his phone, typing in the pin to transfer the fake money.
"Sending… It's on its way".
"And here it is" She agreed, "Thank you very much".
Her hand slipped back into her handbag and he realised she was going for the weapon.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you".
He carefully closed his hand around the clip in his pocket, before tightening his grip on the Book of Hours.
"You'll never know how much pleasure it could have been".
And suddenly there was a gun pointed directly at his throat.
"You know, I had a feeling all that lovey-dovey stuff last night was BS".
"Next time, you should trust your instincts".
"Oh, I did" Neal replied, pulling the bullets from his pocket, "Clip. Lifted it when I patted you down".
She smiled pleasantly, "You forgot about the one in the chamber".
"... Damn it. I've never been a gun guy".
He quickly raised his only bargaining chip in front of him and began walking backwards.
"Give me the book, Neal".
"Sorry. If you're gonna take me on, it's gonna cost you a small fortune".
Both her hands tightened on the gun.
"What's the matter? You can't do it? Is it because of the money or the history?"
"I think you know the answer to that".
"Is that why you killed Paul?"
"Paul decided he wanted the money and the book!"
"Yea. That's what happens when you get greedy!"
She fired.
He fell.
"Drop the gun!"
"Gun down or we shoot".
"Gun down!"
It was about time that the cavalry showed up.
"Right now, put your gun down! Your hands behind your head".
Lauren walked over to cuff her, while Peter ran over to him.
"Man down. Man down!"
Neal stared at the bullet lodged in the Book of Hours, painfully aware of how close he came to getting shot. He watched as Peter rushed over, clearly panicked, and saw the pure relief that came over him when he realised he was okay. He held out a hand to pull him up, and he gladly took it.
"Cut it a little close there, pal".
"Guess the big guy had your back, huh?"
Peter patted his shoulder, thankfully looking away while he handed the Book of Hours to a familiar man in an FBI windbreaker.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing. You made Lauren's day".
Cruz grinned at them.
Ruiz scowled back.
"Yea, not Barelli's".
Turning, Neal internally groaned as he saw the mob boss and his goons make their way over to them. And just when he thought they'd have a clean get away too...
"How did you and your cub scouts find out about this?" Peter demanded, "N.Y.P.D.?"
"I got one of those police scanners. It's a hobby".
Lauren helped Maria into the awaiting police car, "Head down".
Barelli heard her and glanced over.
"She's Paulie's shooter? Some kind of... lover's quarrel?"
"Just business" Peter replied smugly, "I hate to break it to you, but your nephew decided to freelance behind your back".
"Oh, it's sad, you know?" Ruiz added, "If you can't trust family, who can you trust?"
"So if you guys are done, I'd like my Bible back" He said, tapping his watch "Mass starts in one hour".
"Would it kill you to say thank you, huh? Would it?"
Barelli shrugged.
"Yea, I guess it would" He turned to him, "Alright, just give it to him".
Neal quickly feigned confusion, "What?"
"What do you mean what? Give him the Bible".
"I gave it to some FBI guy".
Peter stared.
"Some FBI guy?!"
By now Mozzie was well gone, and after a thorough search of the yard, neither 'some FBI guy' nor the Book of Hours were found. Barelli didn't waste any time stepping up to him.
"Think you can get over on me? You'll wish you were never born, pal!"
Ruiz took a step closer, as if preparing to intervene, but then smirked and remained in place.
"Yea" Neal replied, faintly, "I seem to be getting this speech a lot lately".
"Why you-"
Before he could so much as blink, Barelli turned, swung back around, and punched him.
"Hey!" Ruiz shouted, the same time Peter jumped forward.
"Just shut up, Barelli!"
Neal slowly blinked, collapsed back against Maria's car, dots swarming in front of his vision and ringing in his ears.
"No way! This ain't over".
Dazed, he brought a hand to his mouth, only for it to come back bloody.
"You alright?" Peter quickly asked, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.
He nodded, "Yea, yea, I… I'm fine".
Ruiz dragged the mob boss away before helping Peter haul him back to his feet.
Once standing, however, he crowded him back against the car.
"Where is it, Caffrey? I'll let Barelli give you a ride home".
"Look, I'm telling you guys I don't know!"
His lip smarted with every word, and he patted his pockets for sometime to dab it with. Peter came to his rescue, as usual, holding out a clean tissue for him to wipe away the blood. He studied him closely as he did so, as if trying to figure out whether Neal was telling the truth or not.
And then it clicked.
"Ohhh" He suddenly said, "I know where it is".
"Hey, pally!" Barelli snapped, striding up the church aisle to where Steve sat, his dogs head resting on the Book of Hours.
"What are you doing with my Bible?"
"She would've died without it if I…"
The book was grabbed from his hands, and he made a move to stand up.
"Not so fast, wacko. You know who you're messing with?"
Peter sighed, "You've got it, Barelli. Just leave him alone".
"No! I'm not gonna let this go" He shot back, turning, "I-"
The dog licked his fingers.
"Hey" He said, suddenly smiling, "Hey, sweet girl".
Steve petted her, "Her name's Lucy".
"Lucky Lucy" Barelli muttered, crouching down in front of them, "... She don't look good. What's the matter with her?"
"She's been sick, until today".
Barelli glanced back at the FBI agents before slowly standing back up.
"I got this vet in Yonkers. He saved my pugs from diabetes… Wanna take a ride? Go see him? Have her checked out?"
Steve glanced over at them, and Peter nodded.
"Okay".
They watched them go, before Burke turned and gave him a look.
"I was gonna give it back after-" Neal quickly defended, only to be cut off with a somewhat resigned, "I know".
"How'd you know?"
"... Okay, I didn't know" He admitted, staring to walk, "But I took a leap of faith that- that you'd do the right thing".
Meaning...
"Elizabeth".
"Yea".
At the church door, Barelli handed the priest the Book of Hours, and then crouched down to pet Lucy once more.
"I told you it's a healing Bible" Neal smirked, managing to reopen the wound on his lip.
"Oh, here we go. No way. Barelli's just a softy for dogs!"
"Not enough smiting and lightning for you?"
"That's not a miracle" He said simply, "What would be a miracle, is him apologizing for hitting you".
"Yea, that's not going to happen".
"It's not a parting of the Red Sea".
"I'll take my miracles where I can get them".
A FBI officer made his way into the church, and Peter smirked.
"We have the honors?"
"Yes, sir".
Neal sighed and allowed him to reconnect the tracking anklet around his leg.
"She's back".
"Hey, is that my jacket?" Peter suddenly said, finding the coat where Mozzie had thrown it.
"He works in mysterious ways".
Later that evening, sitting at the dining room table with bare feet kicked up on a chair, Neal ran a tired hand over his face, blocked out the pounding headache, and sat the bottle down behind the candle.
He took a sip of scotch, and then stilled as lines and circles began to reveal themselves.
"Mozzie, wake up" He said, quickly picking it up, "Moz!"
He looked over at the sleeping man.
"Mozzie!"
"Let me see your warrant!" He demanded, startling awake.
And then he saw Neal.
"Oh... What?"
He grinned, "Come here".
Mozzie stiffly stood and wandered over, freezing when he caught sight of him.
"What happened to you?"
"An Italian mob boss".
"… He hit you?"
Neal sighed and carefully poked at the cut on his lip.
"No, Moz, I walked into a door".
"Dangerous things, doors" He said, sitting down, "You found something?"
He gestured at the writing that had revealed itself on the bottle.
"Lemon juice and a candle".
"... How did I miss this?"
He glanced over at him, "Weren't you ever a Boy Scout?"
"Oh, I got kicked out".
There was a story there.
Mozzie shook his head, "Pinewood derby... Magnets… it was a whole thing-"
He gestured pointlessly and focused his attention back on the goodbye message.
"It's a map" He said, turning back to the bottle.
"Of the New York City subway… What do you think it means?"
