The first rays of the sun were lighting the sky up when his phone started to ring.
Neal turned in bed when a noise penetrated his dream. It was an annoying sound that didn't stop. Blindly he grabbed his phone.
"…hat" fell from his sleepy lips.
"Mister Caffrey apologies for the early call, but we have a situation. You need to go to Ellen's right now."
Before the words fully registered he was out of bed, running towards the bathroom. His eyes now wide open filled with dread, something happened to Ellen.
It took half the time it usually did, he even didn't style his hair, and he was still buttoning up shirt when running down the stairs. This time he didn't wait for a taxi, the Jag was in the garage. And June did tell him to borrow it any time he needed. Although she did ask to tell her before he did that too.
Well, he will give his apologies later.
At the early hour, he didn't have any troubles with getting to Ellen's place in a short time. However finding a parking spot nearby was a challenge, so he didn't even try and took a first he noticed a block away.
He walked fast, trying to blend in, not really sure what will be waiting for him at his goal. What he really didn't expect were police cars and ambulance, not to mention a bunch of lookers.
Neal run, arriving at the yellow police tape not sure what his next step should be, till he saw paramedics bringing Ellen down on a gurney. He spun into action, pushing the tape up and calling to a cop trying to stop him he was family.
"Ellen!" he grabbed her hand, squeezing hard to ensure himself. Her hand was warm, although sticky with blood. "Ellen what happened?"
One of the paramedics tried to get his attention. "Sir, sir are you family?" On Neal's fast nod, he continued. "We need to take her to the hospital right now, she lost a lot of blood, and is in and out of it."
Ellen squeezed his hand back, looking at him with pain-clouded eyes. She tried to tell him something, the oxygen mask blocking her words. Neal wished, not for the first time in his life, to have Mozzie's ability to read lips. Ellen was fighting with a paramedic that kept the mask on. Her bloody hand trying to get it off.
"Madam you need it to breathe!" he tried again when she slapped his hand and put the mask away. "D…" she gulped air… "n't"…. Words disappearing without air to push the sound out. "Trust…" The medic put the mask again, but he did understand the last word. Sam.
They were by the ambulance when Ellen used her other hand to push something in his palm.
"Which hospital are you taking her to?" Neal was on the edge of jumping in himself, one foot already in.
"Lennox Hill, are you coming with us?" Paramedic finished securing the gurney and pulled a hand to help him in.
He wished he could but he was on the edge of his radius, and a trip to Lennox Hill without Peter meant trouble.
"No." He wished he could. Shaking his head he took a step back. "But I will be there as soon as possible."
With a slight of hand, he put the object Ellen gave him into his pocket pretending to straighten his jacket. It was time to find out what happened. Discreetly looking around he noticed things that previously he ignored. The car with Marshalls had two bodies inside, and the door was shot and splintered. Forced entry obviously. But where was John? He was supposed to keep an eye on Ellen.
His phone vibrated.
Again an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"If you would please go to the car you left John is waiting for you to explain what happened. Please don't worry about Miss Parker, she will be put under best care money can buy. I will keep you posted." This time he recognized the voice, it was the small man called Harold.
Without watching to check if he shouldn't stay, Neal started walking back towards the Jaguar. "Will I be able to visit her?"
"Of course, although I'm not sure how Marshall's and your FBI watcher will react to that. But rest assured, best doctors from Lennox Hill will be on her case."
"Thank you." He told him sincerely.
"Now if you could tell Mr. Reese what is so important in the necklace that Ellen gave you, we might have an idea who is trying to kill her and why."
Neal stopped surprised "How'd you…?"
"Don't ever forget that you, and everybody else in this country, are being watched." The connection broke.
Neal could see John standing by the Jag, nodding to the unseen voice that relayed him the recent conversation. It will be an interesting day.
Peter Burke woke to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. It wouldn't be something unusual if his wife, usually responsible for waking him this way, wasn't still in bed beside him.
That meant Neal Caffrey. Peter sighed if Neal was this early at his home and making coffee that meant trouble. It seemed to follow him around lately.
Taking a quick look at the clock he groaned it was five thirty, it was Saturday, and he was hoping to sleep in. At least till seven, that is. Quietly he took his time to get downstairs, there was no need to wake El too, she arrived home in the middle of the night from the last event, spent and angry.
"Neal…" Whatever else he wanted to say fell silent when he spotted a dark haired man, that for sure wasn't Neal, standing by the bookcase. A black suit, and judging by the quality, nowhere in Peter's price range, with a white shirt covered in blood. When Peter stepped down, his head tilted slightly, position shifting, showing a gun tucked in a holster under his arm.
Peter stilled.
A cupboard closed with a muffled bang. "Oh Peter, don't worry John's with me." Peter scanned Neal, his eyes roaming on his body, hairs out of place like he ran a hand, over and over again. The suit as usual put together, as usual out of Peter's price range, but there was a dark stain on his jacket and pants. Blood probably. Blood was also on his right hand.
With three big steps, Peter was standing by Neal's side, checking him over with his hands. "Are you hurt? What happened? Who is he?"
Pushing Peter's hands away Neal turned and grabbed a cup of coffee from the counter. "Sit down and I tell you everything. Is El up?" He gestured for his companion to sit too and pushed a cup of black coffee towards him. Peter eyed the man again. He had a feeling he will not like what he was about to hear. "El's still asleep, hopefully for few more hours."
Neal took the last cup, wrapping his hands around it. The warmth spread over, he didn't know he was so cold. Taking a breath, he started his story.
Peter was surprised, probably in shock even. Neal came to him for help, didn't try to do everything himself putting everyone in the dangerous situation. And his mysterious companion was still very mysterious, although now he had a vote of trust in Peter's book.
"What's her state?"
"I.."
John cut in. "She is still in surgery, I let you know as soon as I know more." He nodded towards Neal, grateful for not giving up their secrets, especially in FBI company.
"Okay, so we can probably talk to her when she is out of surgery and wakes up. I can go in as FBI, and you as the family." Peter eyed John, he was sure he could get in somehow.
"Yeah, and we need to do it fast. I have a feeling that Sam will be back soon." Neal considered for a split of a second not showing Peter what Ellen gave him, but he came to him for help, no sense of hiding it now.
"Especially as I think it has something to do with this." He put a bloodied locket on the kitchen counter.
All three men looked at the currently rusty from blood looking piece of metal with curiosity. It could mean everything and nothing. Finally, Neal started to move, he knew where everything was in Burkes' kitchen, so finding something to clean the blood off wasn't difficult. He polished the metal till it shined again and not a speck of blood was visible anymore.
He then started an examination. There was nothing written on the outside, and after close look, he found only tear and wear of years it spent in Ellen possession. Looking at the two men observing his movements, he tilted his head in silent question, fingers poised and ready to open the locket. John and Peter nodded simultaneously. Within a second, a slight pop sound was heard and a squeak of old hinges and they finally got a look at what was inside.
A key, grime, and corrosion.
Neal used the piece of cloth he cleaned the outsides to clean insides and the key itself. It helped a little.
The key. It wasn't a normal one. For one it was in two pieces, secondly it was so corroded it almost lost specific shape that could identify what lock it would open.
John tentatively took the pieces and put them together, raising the key to light.
"What could it open?" Peter asked.
Neal shrugged. "It's a small key, so everything from a post box, locker, or a box, it could be anything. We need to wait and ask Ellen."
"I'm sure she didn't mean to give it to you without any explanation. In the meantime, let's clean all this grime and corrosion, maybe it will tell us more." Peter was quick to propose, he stretched his hand palm up. "I have a solvent that should clean it up"
Neal hesitated.
Peter, didn't wait for his response, leaving the two men in his kitchen. He had actually two goals in mind, one was a bottle of solvent he took from a cupboard hidden under the stairs. Within two minutes a glass bowl was filled with a half inch of the solution, and John put the key in.
His second goal was to check on Elizabeth, she had a late night, so there was a chance she will be still sleeping. Peter hoped she will miss the whole ordeal. He was pretty sure he saw a description of the man currently sitting in his kitchen with Neal as a person of interest from FBI. Opening slowly bedroom door he peeked inside. El turned taking over the middle of the bed, hugging part of the covers with one foot peeking out.
It should worry him, that despite knowing the man in his kitchen was probably some kind of criminal, he didn't have his usual reaction of calling for backup. He didn't even think about arresting him. Neal was a definitely bad influence.
He noticed the change as soon as he crossed the kitchen threshold again. Neal's shoulders sagged down, a lost look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Peter's first instinct was to look at the bowl with the key. It seemed fine, a foam formed on top showing the chemicals were doing their job.
"News about Ellen?" That was fast, he glanced at the clock and was shocked it was actually seven already.
"She is out of surgery and all went well, but due to the shot being close to heart and her overall weak state they put her in a drug-induced coma. If all goes well they will try to wake her up in a few days." This time when Neal took a sip of his coffee his hand shook.
That was good and bad news at once. Good that Ellen was alive, bad as they were "who-knows-how-long-away" from getting some answers.
Peter's gaze moved to John. "Do we have a few days?" Whatever was happening seemed to speed in last days and it looked like John, whoever he was, was in the middle of it all.
John shook his head. "Not really sure. We knew Ellen might be in danger but we have no idea if that's it or if something else is lurking in the shadows." Without looking at them again he took a spoon and fished the key out. Taking the rag Neal used before he dried it and put up again for them to see.
John murmured. "That doesn't look like a normal key." Peter and Neal both leaned forward to see closer. Indeed it didn't look like a normal key at all. Neal took it end started maneuvering it around.
"It looks like…" he pulled the key slightly away, then closer again. Turning around he quickly moved to a spot where sun peaked thou curtain and put the key close by the small space. The shadow grew at the wall.
Peter exclaimed excitedly."It's a cityscape!"
"Shhhh you don't want to wake El up!" Neal was quick to react. He loved El like a sister, but those were things that he really needed to keep away from her.
Peter grinned, still happy they solved part of a puzzle.
"Interesting choice of a clue." John came close to the wall. "It indeed is a cityscape, more a panorama…" his finger traced the outlines of empty space between two buildings.
"Panorama that is missing something." Peter finished for him. Puzzles were his domain.
Neal kept staring at the shadow. "So we could assume that whatever building seems to be missing is the one we need to keep investigating looking for whatever Ellen wanted us to find."
"First we need to know what city this is." John chilled their enthusiasm.
Harold involved himself in the discussion again, although still just via John's earpiece. "With 90% probability, it's New York. Miss Parker spent here last fifteen years. I don't think she would have something done for Neal to track if it wasn't here. His movements are quite restricted at the moment."
John relayed what Harold told him.
"He's right. Ellen knows about the radius, and although the first time I went to visit her it was outside of it. I was keeping in line since then. So if something is hidden it's rather here in New York."
Peter nodded, it made sense. Especially when Ellen put the medallion in Neal's hands herself.
"How would she know where would you be?"
Neal smiled. "She wouldn't. That's why it's here in New York because this is where she was."
"So how do we find what building it is? Checking all possible locations you can see similar scape will take weeks." Peter frowned.
John smiled. "You don't have to check every location." He took the phone out of his pocket. "May I?" He extended his palm. Neal put the key in his hand.
He started taking photos. "My friend will make a 3D model and run a search against the city databases and pictures. That will take much less time." John gave the key back to Neal. "It's time for me to go. I will contact you as soon as he finds something." With a nod towards Peter, John let himself out via the back door.
"Do you trust him?" was the first question out of Peters' mouth as soon as the door closed and the shadow disappeared from view.
Neal shrugged. "Little more than anyone in this business. He did help save Ellen's life."
A shower started upstairs.
"You better go now. Contact me if they have some news for you."
Neal nodded. A moment later the front door closed with a soft click, leaving Peter alone with tree empty cups with coffee strains and bowl of chemical solvent. With a sigh, he started cleaning up. His thoughts flowing freely around Neal, Ellen and the things hidden in the past.
