It was Harvard Trivia night at Pearson Hardman in Louis' office. The reward, while yet to be determined, was likely a pro-bono case, so Meghan didn't know why Mike's opponent, Seth, was trying so hard to win. The Firm wasn't getting paid for this case, which also meant the lawyer representing the client didn't get paid.
The lightning round had begun, and Meghan was assigned to man the score board. It was ridiculous to her, but because there was a pro-bono case involved, the time spent as scorekeeper counted toward her community service.
Mike had gotten the first question wrong on a technicality because he didn't use the full title of the Gutenberg Bible, the oldest book in the Harvard library. It was a tie until the lightening round, which consisted of five questions, and now Mike was in the lead. There was only one question he couldn't answer at all.
"Ross, square pizza. Where do you get it?" Mike froze. Meghan could see his world spinning and vision blurring. This one question was likely to make or break at least one of their dirty little secerts. When no answer came to mind, Louis, along with every other started to laugh in disbelief that someone who graduated from Harvard Law school didn't know about square pizza. "Are you kidding? Any self-respecting Harvard alumnus would know the answer to that. Late night studying and you want square pizza, where do you go?"
"Um... You know, I'm more of a burger guy. I study better on protein," Mike replied. He shot Meghan a look as if saying thanks for not laughing. He corrected Seth's answer about the US supreme court justices, which Louis had said was right until he realized it was wrong.
Louis knows, Mike thought. It didn't take a genius to see Meghan thought the same thing. She could see the panic in his eyes. To someone who wasn't in the know, it just could have been about forgetting, but everyone at the firm knew of his memory.
Mike went out to the hall where Harvey to express his concerns.
"Louis knows what?" Harvey asked, not slowing down for even a second.
"My dirty little secret."
"You're Canadian?"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Mike laughed in response. "No, he knows that I didn't go to Harvard."
"No, he doesn't."
"How can you be so sure about that?"
"Because you're walking with me right now."
"He did this whole Harvard trivia thing, and then he brought up this pizza—"
"Doesn't mean he knows."
"Look, I think we need to hack into Harvard's system or something. You know, put my records in."
"I can't, I'm booked this weekend. I'm breaking into fort knox. I gotta return some stolen doubloons."
"Okay, hilarious. I'm serious."
"Listen, nobody's gonna check into your past unless you give them reason to. Louis is devious, but he's not bold. He won't think we did this. Because he'd never think to do it himself. Besides… if there's anyone we need to be worried about at the moment, it's that girl you got Jessica to sign off on… kid outright admitted to being raised by con artists."
"First of all: Doubloons?"
"The ridiculousness of your suggestion warranted the use of a silly word."
"Got it."
"And second?"
"If she was raised by con artists, don't you think she has some of her own secrets that could lose her this position?"
Harvey considered Mike's point, but he still wasn't satisfied. And if Mike had paid closer attention, he would have seen what Harvey was planning much sooner than he did. It didn't hit him until the next day.
We have a problem, Mike texted Meghan using a prepaid phone. Harvey's going to do a deep dive background check on you if Jessica hasn't already.
You mean the P.I. that tried following me to school and then to the office yesterday? Let's just say he's not as good as Jessica thinks.
Not where con artists are concerned.
Are you sure it's safe to talk like this? What if you got caught and there was a warrant to search your phone?
We'll talk about that when you get to the office. File room.
Should I go to Danny's tonight? Or a Day? Since I'm being followed by private investigators and all?
No point. When I created the file, I made your address the same building, different floor. Just stay away from the windows when you get home.
Mike went back to work on his latest pro-bono. Housing court. Meghan wasn't going to like this case. If she arrived at the Firm before he left to meet the client, she was going with him to investigate the client's home.
Harvey had him working a case he was assigned the night before so his meeting with the pro-bono client had to be scheduled for later in the day.
"Is it okay if I kill Danny and Mozzie?" Meghan asked as she dropped her backpack, which she never carried during school hours, onto the floor under Mike's desk. Since she was assigned to him, no one questioned it.
Mike, however, got up from his chair and led her to one of the file rooms for a more private conversation.
"And why would you want to do that?" Mike asked in a bored tone.
"Because they think it's okay to lie to me. I played along to see how far they'd go with this stupidity."
"What happened?"
"Remember when I told you Mozzie said Peter was watching them because of that warehouse explosion? Well, that was four years ago. Danny recently got mixed up with the Pink Panthers so that the FBI would have to acknowledge their agreement."
Mike followed along, understanding everything she said. Except for how Meghan found out what was really going on.
"He's going through with it and there's nothing we can do to change his mind." She crossed her arms in a huff as she leaned against a wall of filing cabinets. "Said he doesn't want to draw anymore attention to us than he already has, whatever that means."
"Means he's going to fake his death again and go back to Paris."
"Without us? We were supposed to go together."
"Plans change, Megs." He was disappointed, too, but he wasn't going to stop it. "Look, we don't have time for you to finish your rant here at the office. You and I have a meeting to get to. Go get your backpack. Remove everything but your CS notebook so you can take notes. The school doesn't care about eidetic memory, they just want proof that you're learning something."
Meghan sighed. "Fine. I'll show a pleasant mood while representing the Firm, but once we're back at your desk…"
"Save it until you're home."
"Too late. I've already consumed the war head." Her teeth clenched with each passing word.
Mike didn't press the matter any further. He wasn't afraid of Meghan, but her stubbornness appeared to be a Caffrey trait, much like their grin that irritated anyone who saw and recognized it. His new plan was to redirect her anger via the case.
Their client described some very distasteful living conditions, from lack of heat to a gas leak, that had both Mike and Meghan wondering why he didn't leave that place.
"This is the apartment that I grew up in. It's the only place I've ever known. I don't have any brothers or sisters. My parents... Not with me anymore. I'm not leaving the one connection I have to them," the client proclaimed. Mike could relate, though in a different way.
"You said you weren't sleeping. Are you stressed out, or-?" Mike almost completed his question when he was interrupted.
"Bedbugs… My place is literally crawling with them. Could you sleep knowing the minute you turn out the light, they're coming for you?"
"No, I couldn't," Meghan answered.
After a few more moments of questions, Mike and Meghan left their meeting and headed to the housing department.
"You're going to pretend you're Harvey, aren't you?"
"If the clerk doesn't do anything about this I will."
"Good luck. All she's said since we walked in was two weeks and Next Thursday. Or Next Wednesday for anyone asking to speak with her supervisor."
"You're just mad because you think Danny's leaving us again."
"It's what he does, Mike. If he can't find a way out, he leaves. Helping Grammy raise us, he decides it's too hard because he can't process family history, and leaves. FBI refuses to acknowledge their deal, so he finds a way out."
Deciding that Meghan's presence was no longer needed in her current mood, Mike sent Meghan back to the office where she was supposed to remain at his desk until his return.