A/N Thank you everyone so much for the kind reviews! I'm glad you are all enjoying it so much! *squeals*

The man hid in the shadow of the apartment building, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other, hoping that nobody with a badge would come walking by. He had been waiting for close to an hour for the doorman to step out for a smoke, but if he waited any longer, the sun would rise and the cops would have a warrant to search her apartment. He had to get in there first. Moz shook his head and smiled; honestly, the things he did for Neal. B&E was hardly his interest, and certainly not something he needed to be doing, but he had to do this for Neal, and also he had to satisfy his own curiosity about what this girl was hiding.

He examined his shoes and tried to look inconspicuous as he sighed and waited for his chance. There were advantages to perfect recall. For instance, Miss Shannon Gregory's apartment number had been stamped into his temporal lobe the moment he took it down. He'd die an old man with her address rattling around in his skull somewhere. In fact, if she didn't make it or decided to move, he could very easily put Wednesday here. It was a quiet neighborhood, great view of the skyline, right around the corner from the promenade. The only issue he had with it was that the doorman refused to leave his post. Moz had hoped the guy was a smoker, or something else that would force him to step away, but so far, no luck. He really hated going into anything half-cocked, but he had no time for perfecting his route. Besides, playing things by ear kept certain mental muscles in shape.

He shrugged deeper into his winter coat, reconstructing his plan for gaining entrance. Fingering the digital camera and lock picks in one pocket, he pulled out a small handset that looked like a two-way radio. Slipping away, he skulked over to the end of a long line of parked cars. He flipped the power dial on, punched a series of buttons, set it on the bumper, and disappeared back into the night. A handful of seconds later, the entire line of cars started carrying on at once, wailing their alarms into the night. One car alarm? Everyday occurrence. Six or seven? Something was up. As much as Mozzie didn't want to raise anybody's hackles, or worse, alert them that something fishy going on, he needed to expedite this. As soon as the doorman pushed through the door and stepped beyond the awning, cursing and wondering what the hell was going on, Mozzie slipped into the building. He hurried through the foyer and rounded the bend well before the doorman returned, and quickly found the stairs to the second floor.

He slowly made his way up the stairs, listening for disturbances above or below him, but when he reached the second floor, there wasn't a soul in sight. He was in the clear. White walls and accent mirrors greeted him, and while the materials were only mildly impressive, he appreciated the simplicity of the design. Apartment 2B, as it turned out, was located right next to the stair well. Smart girl, he thought. Simple, tasteful building that most people would pass right by without a second thought, and she also had an escape plan in place just in case anything went wrong. At least, that was what he assumed. He hoped he wasn't giving her too much credit.

The main lock was child's play, but the two deadbolts she'd had installed took more time. Mozzie had years of experience and a lot of skill, though, and he had her door swinging open in under two minutes. He stepped into her humble abode and quickly locked the door behind him. Flicking a light on, he scanned the apartment.

The layout was simple and the décor modest as well. On the left just past the coat closet was a closed door that presumably led to the bedroom. Along the same wall was a doorway that led into a kitchen which he assumed had been built by gnomes, or tree elves or something, because there was barely enough room to fit one person in there and hardly any space to cook. The counter space doubled as a bar, which by the looks of a dusty oak table, was where Ms. Gregory ate. The wall opened up into a small living room that held a couch, a treadmill, and a desk with scattered papers on it. He walked into the den of a woman he had yet to know, to learn all about her without even seeing her face.

A few bills and a charging cell phone decorated the desktop. There was no computer of any sort, which was odd. Moz shuffled through the bills, but nothing stood out. Slightly frustrated at his inability to find any damning evidence, he looked up and noticed that there were no pictures or artwork on the walls, save one small photo in a cheap frame. It was a picture taken at her high school graduation. She was standing with parents and younger brother, looking happy and proud. An instinct rose in him to tear it apart with a cutting remark, but the cynical retort died in his throat. So, this was what honest joy looked like. Frowning, he glanced around the barren, whitewashed, impersonal apartment. She'd had happiness. Where had it gone? Had it disappeared with her family, or had she rediscovered it elsewhere?

He turned abruptly and headed into the bedroom. Women, it seemed, always hid their deepest, darkest secrets in their bedrooms. Grasping the doorknob, he tried to turn it but it stuck. He gave it a hard rattle, and it finally gave and swung open. Patting around for a light switch, he flipped it on. His jaw dropped as he staggered back.

"Holy smokes."

Xxxx

"Diana, what did you find?" Peter answered his phone as he was driving in to the office.

"Her name's Shannon Gregory, and she's clean."

"Clean? You mean there's nothing on her? What about a boyfriend?"

"I couldn't find anything on that. We're just going to have to wait until she wakes up. Are we going to make this an official case?"

"I've gotta talk to Hughes, but I don't think there's a reason for the Bureau to get involved other than the fact that our CI is the eye witness and prime suspect."

"What? There's no reason for Neal to be implicated in this."

"That's what I tried telling that detective, but she didn't want to listen to me. Ya know –" Peter was gearing up for a good tirade, but Diana cut him off.

"Boss, she's the daughter of a former FBI agent."

"What? Who?"

"Matthew Gregory. He's based out of Boston, but he retired early when a sting went south and he took a bullet to the knee."

"Where is he now? Has he been notified?"

"He was killed in a car accident five years ago, along with his wife."

"Oh." Peter couldn't think of a better reply. It was too early, and the night had been too long.

"Wouldn't Hughes approve of a Bureau led investigation because of her father's affiliation?"

Peter thought about Diana's question. It was a good idea, but… "No, there's no crime that warrants federal involvement."

"But if her father were alive, he would insist, correct?"

"If I were her father, I would." He cursed as a driver cut him off. It took him a second to shake off the distraction and tune back in. "Then let's try it from another angle. I'll be in the office soon and I'll talk to Hughes, but first I have to pick Neal up." And get a cup of coffee.

"You sure you should involve him? If he's a suspect, it'll just look like the FBI is covering its butt."

He sighed and rubbed his face, "Maybe we can work a joint investigation. Alright, I still have to let him know I'm working on this. Otherwise…"

"He'll go off and try to solve it himself. I know."

"I'll see you soon."

"I'll have coffee waiting for you." He could hear her smile through the phone.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

Xxxx

Light slid through the unclosed blinds and danced on Neal's eyelids. He moaned at the intrusion. Then a few images flashed through his mind and he sat straight up, catching himself before he slid off the couch. A shiver ran up his back as he realized that he'd slept all night on the comfortable, albeit short, couch. Swinging his legs over the side, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As he mechanically undid the buttons on his wrinkled shirt, he hoped the warm water would wash away his exhaustion and the dreams from the night before.

When he finished, the steam hung in the air. He parted it as he padded out of the bathroom and into the walk-in closet to pick out a suit. With a nice choice folded neatly over one arm and a towel around his waist, he wandered out into his loft, still half in a fog.

"Neal!"

He started, then looked, then realized his state of undress and shifted the suit so it was covering as much of himself as possible. "Geez, Moz, warn a guy, would you?" he snapped as he glared at the little man sitting, or rather rocking, at his dining table. "What's the matter?"

"She's in it deep, man. I… I didn't know I could be out-speculated, but I have been." His eyes were wide, and his glasses were sliding off his nose. His clothes were extra frumpy and damp as if he had spent all night in an alley, and Neal was pretty sure that if Moz had any hair, it would have been disheveled.

"What happened? Who's in what?"

"That Shannon girl!"

Xxxx

Tamara Marcelo rubbed her tired eyes and looked over the papers once again. The girl still wasn't out of surgery and there was no one to call for permission to search the apartment, so she'd sent in a request for a warrant to search the apartment without the occupant's approval. At 8 AM the office was already abuzz with activity, but there was still no sound from the fax, nor did her email show that the judge's office had received her request. Frustrated, she hurried off to the break room for a cup of coffee, but all she found for her efforts was a burnt, empty pot. Growling under her breath that she'd fire whoever had drank the last bit of coffee, she called for an underling.

"Morris!"

"Yes'm?" Morris a young cop with that "deer in the headlights" look about him, so it was good thing he was still on desk duty.

"Make a fresh pot of coffee, and make it strong."

He stiffened slightly, but acquiesced. "Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." She smiled her appreciation and moved back to her desk. The evidence was inconclusive, and there wasn't enough to arrest that Caffrey kid. Besides, as the FBI's pet, it'd be damn hard to get a hold of him.

A commotion in the lobby roused her attention as three suited individuals marched in, oozing fed from their swagger, led by none other than Peter Burke.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement to her, "Detective Marcelo. How are you today?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"We are here to inform you that, due to the victim's ties to the FBI, we are offering to assist with the investigation."

Marcelo's pupils dilated and she firmed up her stance and put her hands on her hips, ready to light into him. But Peter put up his hands in the nick of time.

"Calm down. Before you blow a blood vessel, we are here to assist, not lead. We figured we can pool our resources, and get to the bottom of this."

Her eyes narrowed. "Forgive me if I don't readily accept your assistance, but usually anyone in a suit insists on taking lead. Why you'd roll over and let me be the boss does not jive with past fed experience." He sighed, as if ready for it, but she continued before he could explain, "Unless." A grin spread across her face. "You have no other way of participating and this was the best you could do."

The eyebrow twitch was all the answer she needed. The young male agent on Burke's left shifted uncomfortably, but the female agent on his right stared right back at her, unimpressed but civil. "Agent Diana Barrigan." She stuck out her hand in greeting, which went unshaken. She pulled it back. "And before you tell us to get out..." She removed a stamped, sealed document from her briefcase and handed it to Marcelo. "Official permission to grant us access to the victim's apartment. Our guys got a hold of her uncle in Arizona, and he gave the okay."

"How did you –?" Marcelo huffed. "We tried calling, but he doesn't have a phone."

Peter shrugged. "Like I said. Resources."

Marcelo sighed through her nose. These people would make her nuts if she let them. But right now, they came bearing gifts, and she'd take what she could get. "All right then, let's go see why someone tried to kill Ms. Shannon Gregory.

A/N: We're going to get some answers soon! Sorry for the shorter chapter =/ But its alllll the build up that makes it so much fun!