"Carry on Mr… Harold, is it?" Neal stepped out of shadows. "Bear, zitten." He commanded softly, and to John's surprise, the dog listened. It was one to know the language to use, the other to know how to use commands.

Harold looked at John, a little bit unsure how to proceed. John was the one that usually talked with the victims, his role was more of support than anything. In many cases before when he managed to help, he never, ever unveiled his own identity. This situation was too unusual.

"I'm sorry Mr. Caffrey, there is really no more I can say about it."

"Do you know who killed her?" He knew, who did it, or at least still thought he knew. But what if he was wrong, what if…

John knew what Neal must be coming through, he felt the same when he discovered Jessica's number on Finch wall. Repeating over and over again. He got his revenge, but if what Harold told about Caffrey was true, pursuing it for his girlfriend might put him in a situation without an exit.

"Neal. I know what you are going through."

Neal watched him, not impressed. His mind was back again to that moment when he thought that Fowler was responsible for Kate's death. Neal's nostrils flared, he raised his chin higher and with cold, hard eyes looked at John again.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly deeper and raised. "You. Have. No. Idea." He spat, punctuating every word.

That was something John knew, anger, resentment he saw in his own eyes after Jess died after he dealt with her husband.

Calmly he stared back, giving Neal occasion to calm down, but keeping his attention still on him. Taking a step back, he turned toward the board with all the photos and numbers. He knew exactly where Jess number was, he stared at it long enough while waiting for various information from Harold. Pushing back another list, he uncovered Jess smiling photo.

"I certainly know. This is Jess, my…" he couldn't use girlfriend here, she was someone else wife then, but still she was very special to him. "The love of my life."

Neal flinched.

"She died, and I couldn't do anything about it. Neither could Harold, despite knowing something could happen." He observed Neal with caution. He didn't know what the young man reaction to this would be. He knew he hit the nail on the head when he saw him flinch, but now there were few possibilities. His own heart clenched, he couldn't help Jessica and deep down he still blamed himself for it. He squashed the feeling and concentrated back to the problem at hand, it was easier.

Mozzie moved closer to Neal, it was now or never, to get his attention back to the current issue. Ellen Parker.

Neal nodded slowly, yes he knew the feeling, and yes he did believe John now that he knew how it was, but his emotions still ran wild, as always.

John continued, still observing him. "That's why we try to do what we do, help people."

Harold's computer beeped another unsuccessful search for the man John saw at Ms. Parker apartment. The sound was surprisingly loud in the small space breaking the silence and mood. It seemed that Mr. Caffrey's feelings were getting under control again, his gaze turning again towards the photo of his late girlfriend and then back to pictures of Ellen Parker on their "active number" board.

John gaze never wavered, never stopped observing Caffrey, and surprisingly for a conman, his emotions were right out there for everybody to see. It was his only chance.

"I'm sorry, we both are, so very sorry we didn't manage to help you and your girlfriend then. But we have a chance to help Ellen Parker now. Will you help us?"

Before Neal could say anything, his face spoke volumes, but the man named Mozzie was the first to answer.

"Don't think I will trust you now. It's another government conspiracy, against citizens!" Neal smiled a little, before putting his hand on his friend's arm to settle him before he starts to list all possible plots. He saw Harold smirking. "Exactly, this is a conspiracy. Would you like to join us?" That discharged the tension.

Neal nodded. "Yes, we will work with you to help Ellen, as for conspiracies…"

Mozzie broke in. "No, no conspiracy help. We should be uncovering it! Not helping you!"

"Moz." Neal shook his head, now wasn't the time.

"Fair enough." Harold nodded. "Now as we have this setup can we get to the topic at hand? How to keep Miss Parker safe, and finding who the perpetrator is. This isn't about conspiracy now, it's about someone's life, and it's all that matters now."

Mozzie huffed, but he knew he wouldn't win this one, you never would with conspiracies. "Fine, I'll help you." He finally mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"With that in agreement, how exactly can we help you? What do you know already?"

"Well, we know someone is after Ms. Parker. John encountered a man in her last apartment that apparently was looking for something. However, he managed to run away before John saw more of him. I'm running searches right now for a person meeting his description, but nothing so far."

Neal nodded. "If you saw him clearly enough I can make a sketch, that usually speeds things up."

John shook his head. "Not exactly enough, unfortunately. I just know it was an older man, with graying hair, about your height and build more massively than you."

"That really is not enough, no wonder you can't find him." Mozzie had to put his five cents in.

"Well we know when he was on Roosevelt Island so it limits a little number of places I can check for surveillance footage, but so far no luck. We also know that the potential threat might be coming from the past." Harold's fingers were running over the keyboard faster than anyone was able to follow, well except maybe Mozzie, who was intensively watching him.

"You mean, that after thirty years, the reason why she went into witness protection with my mother and me is just now coming back?" Neal was surprised.

"Do you know anything about those reasons?" John picked up the topic.

Neal looked around, gathering his thoughts, he never was one to openly share things, especially about his family, even before he ran away, and more so after. Being a con man meant keeping the truth away, it was safer for everyone. On another hand, he knew that keeping the truth, even partial, just to himself sometimes hurt people, and, in this case, it could mean Ellen, and he couldn't do that.

"I know only what Ellen told me a few days ago. That my father was corrupted cop, and that there was much more corruption in their precinct. I'm not really sure why we got into witness protection, I assume it was because my father confessed to murder, and probably made some deal to keep us safe." His tone was uncertain, he still didn't know what happened exactly.

Mozzie butt in with is own comment. "Ellen mentioned that she was investigating the murder and must have found something running deeper. That's must be why they put her in too."

"Let me try to find out what it was." Harold was back in his element. Mozzie's eyes grew in surprise.

"Are you hacking FBI database?" He asked in a whisper. "Can you check out the moon landing files, while you at it."

"It's not for your entertainment Mr. C."

John smirked, and nodded to Neal stepping closer to the conman.

"I will be going back to my post outside Miss Parker doorway. If you could arrange a meeting with her or even a moment to introduce myself, it would be easier to provide my services."

"I'll ask." He took a look at the clock, it was time to go. "But maybe let do it tomorrow. Say eight o'clock? I can introduce you before going to work." John nodded, he can give a few more hours to Fusco and then take the night shift himself.

Neal was ready to leave when Harold's voice stopped him in the corridor.

"Mister Caffrey, we appreciate it if you wouldn't mention our existence to your FBI handler. Or even better to anyone from the government."

Mozzie stepping just behind him murmured "Conspiracy!"

"I don't intend to, but you might want to relocate anyway." He raised his right pants leg showing the sleek black tracker.

Harold smiled. "That's not something that bothers me Mister Caffrey, it's been handled already. We just need your and Mr. C cooperation in the matter."

Neal nodded and elbowed Mozzie, who was still murmuring conspiracy theories under his breath.

When they left John eyed Harold. "Are we really going to trust two con-men to keep the Machine secret?"

"Of course we will, nobody will believe them anyway, and thanks to Mr. C, we might have a much better support network in the criminal world that we have now. It might come useful in the future, no one knows better how to disappear than them."

"No one except Root."

Harold just nodded getting back to his monitors. Root still being a sore spot.

When they left the library, Mozzie and Neal split their ways.

Mozzie agreed with Harold to get use some of his contacts to try to find the mysterious man and he had some meetings to organize.

Neal, on the other hand, was just tired. He managed to call Ellen and give her heads up on his morning visit, but all that he needed now was a glass of wine and his own bed.

However, it wasn't what he got. When he opened his doors, a man was sitting at his table.

A gray-haired, bulkier than him, maybe slightly taller. The man from John description.

He stood in the door keeping them open, with one hand quickly getting the phone in his right pocket. Cursing internally smartphones that they had no physical buttons, it was so damn difficult to press one as speed-dial.

"Who are you?" he asked getting in the role of the conman. His face was projecting calm and confidence, at the same time he was trying to ensure that the man's attention was on his face instead of his hand.

Was the keyboard dialing second or first icon? Damn.

"I'm Sam, a friend of Ellen, she might have mentioned me?" The smile was tentative, unsure.

"How do you know Ellen?" Yeah, she did mention Sam, but didn't tell anything about him being in the city already, just that she will contact him, and then explain.

The answer was simple. "I worked with her and your father."

"My father?" that was something Neal didn't expect, Ellen just mentioned that Sam helped with her investigation, but she still kept a lot to herself.

"James Bennett."

Neal's legs weakened, he never told anyone his real name. Not even Mozzie. Closing the door, he went to wine rack to pick up something to drink. Mozzie liberated him from few good bottles. "Would you want some?" he asked feeling Sam's look on his back. The man was observing him carefully.

"Yes."

Taking glasses out of cabinet Neal took his time to open the wine and fumble further with his phone in a discreet way. He knew he was successful when he heard a faint hello from Peter. Hoping his partner will be able to follow the conversation he turned to his unexpected quest and poured wine for both of them.

"So you helped Ellen with the investigation against my father?" He remained standing, keeping his distance. There was something that didn't feel right about this man, and his conman instincts screamed at him to get the hell out of here.

"It was more an inquiry into what was going on at the precinct, after James confession we were removed from the official investigation. We then started to dig on our own but had to stop." Sam spoke with ease and with voice leveled. Neal wasn't really sure if he believed him or not. He wanted to check with Ellen, and it was really strange that Ellen didn't mention that Sam was already here.

He kept the conversation flowing, the art of the con, he could do this. "Why?"

Sam frowned, his gaze lowered. "They wanted to stop us, that's why she was moved to WitSec." He raised his head to look at Neal, his eyes full of emotion Neal didn't expect. It was more than sadness to see a friend go into WitSec.

"But you were not?" That was one if the element of the story Neal couldn't understand.

This time Sam eyes moved sideways. "I was working vice then, a lot of time spent undercover, and well she was mostly the face of investigation I kept in shadows." Now Neal knew he was lying. He hoped that Peter was on the way, trying to keep the conversation flowing, to mask any possible sounds coming from his phone.

"So what are you doing here now?"

"She contacted me, wrote you are asking questions about James, and that I can answer some of them." And that was the truth. Not something Neal expected at that moment. "And she wanted me to talk to you about the evidence we collected."

That was news for Neal. "Evidence?"

"Yes, she took it with her." He looked curious at Neal. "She didn't tell you?"

Before Neal could answer, a knock sounded on the door, and before anyone could move Peter barged in, thankfully without a gun.

"Neal, sorry we have a case…" he stopped frozen, a file in his hand slightly raised. "Oh, sorry I didn't know you had a guest."

Sam stood up as soon as Peter entered. Neal observed him with a corner of his eye. There was a moment of panic on Sam's face, but it was gone as quick as it came.

"I was just leaving." He moved quickly, disappearing behind the door a second later. Peter closed the door looking expectantly at Neal.