Neal's patience was running thin. He knew Mozzie was watching him and despite his best efforts over the past twenty minutes, he had yet to spot him. When he had received the text message earlier that morning he had laughed out loud and immediately replied, "really moz - are you high?"

Peter had asked him to contact his paranoid friend to see if there was word out on the street yet as to who was responsible for the Kounellis theft. Rumor had it that it had already been fenced, and despite its conspicuous size and considerable weight, was soon to be smuggled out of the country. Within less than an hour Mozzie got back to him with a possible rendezvous between the new 'owner' and his 'shipping agent', scheduled for that very afternoon. Even for Mozzie, this was an impressive turnaround time and he was fully prepared to milk it for all its worth. He had insisted that he would only give Neal the precise location at the docks where the meeting was to take place, if the criminal consultant met him clandestinely at the park opposite the White Collar Crime Unit.

Although he was willing to sit patiently on the appointed bench, Neal drew the line at Mozzie's ever increasing theatrics. There was no way he was going to say those words out loud, in public, in order for Mozzie to approach him. Sometimes he thought that it was Mozzie's secret intent to capture Neal on his iphone during one of these exchanges and send it to all and sundry as his Christmas card. He had even had a nightmare recently in which he walked into the White Collar conference room only to have everyone chorus, "The dog with the white Ferrari is leaving for Geneva tonight!"

As he leant back against the warm oak of the bench, Neal slowly brought his hands behind his neck and with feigned nonchalance scanned the shrubbery around him, hoping to spot a glint off his friend's glasses as the sun caught them at its midday high. No such luck. However, he did notice a cappuccino cart about twenty yards further into the park and decided to play for time by getting them both something, for when Mozzie finally deigned him with his presence. Perhaps the aroma of a café Americano might lure him from his hiding spot in the bushes.

Neal joined the queue behind a pretty brunette with a high chignon and a tantalizing scent of citrus and rose, which he was only too happy to breathe in while he waited in line. When she had started rummaging in her purse and apologizing profusely for having left her wallet at the office, Neal gallantly stepped in and told the bemused barista to add it to his order. She smiled at Neal and graciously accepted the cup as he picked it up from the counter and presented it to her. "Thank you …?" "Neal, at your service." he said raising his Fedora and bowing before her. She laughed and repeated, "Thank you, Neal." turning to walk down the path toward the bench that Neal had been waiting at previously. Excited at the thought that she might be going to sit there also, Neal quickly ordered Mozzie's and his own coffee. Despite the delicious Italian roast that Neal enjoyed for breakfast each morning at June's home, he had recently become partial to a cold coffee drink at lunch, now that the city was warming up to the oncoming summer. Seeing that the cart offered quite a substantial range, he tried for his current favorite and was happy to see that they could accommodate him. The first time he had ordered it; tall iced coffee in a grande cup with extra ice, 2 pumps classic, an inch of non-fat milk, with a dome lid and a venti straw, Mozzie had snorted out loud and stepped away from him with raised eyebrows. "Seriously Neal, what are you doing – getting ready for Fashion Week?" He had refused to sit with him until Neal at least removed the straw and the domed lid.

Neal walked back to join the girl on the bench. They chatted lightheartedly for a few minutes until her expression suddenly darkened as she looked past Neal to a tall, stocky man who was swiftly approaching them with a furious expression and clenched fists. She jumped up as he reached the bench, side-swiped the coffee cup out of her hand, and turned to glare at Neal. Without a word the man grabbed her by the elbow and marched her down the path toward the park gate. Neal sprung up, aghast at the violence of this brief encounter, and without thinking called out after them, "Hey, what's going on?" The man spun on his heels and glowered back at Neal. The girl, still in his grip, stumbled around with him and twisted over her right heel. Her eyes were wide with fear and she gave Neal an ever so slight shake of her head, warning him to back off. Neal instinctively put his hands up in front of him and sat back on the bench, his face paling. "Mind your own business!" the man thundered at him, and with the girl still in tow he started back toward the exit. "How dare you shame me" Neal heard him growl at her. He started to get up again but the man looked back over his shoulder and caught him staring sympathetically after the girl. Neal sat back down, worried that he might only make matters worse for her should he try and intervene. Only after the wrought iron gate had swung shut behind the couple did Neal manage to steady his breathing. After a couple of minutes his hands stopped shaking and he bent down to retrieve the fallen cup and place it in the trash. Just then his phone rang and he was relieved to hear Peter's voice, even if it was to chide him for still being on his lunch break. "What's taking so long?" Peter asked, "Please don't tell me Mozzie is insisting on acting out his info." Neal smiled wanly, "No, he's not here yet boss. He must be running late. I'll be back as soon as we're done" he promised and hung up.

The whole event had darkened Neal's spirit considerably and he was in no mood to play Mozzie's game any longer. "Mozzie!" he yelled out in frustration, "I'm not joking, either come out now, or I'm leaving." He heard a slight rustling nearby and then a pained, "Pretty please." Mozzie had witnessed the entire episode with the girl and her thuggish boyfriend and had really just said it to try to cheer Neal up a little. It had the desired effect, enlisting a quiet chuckle from his friend, but he was genuinely surprised and more than a little delighted when Neal sighed and said, in a resigned tone, "I will do this only once Mozzie, and it's the final time. The chickens … are into … the to-ma-toes." Mozzie emerged from hiding with a wide grin, his arms held out in a silent 'Tah-Dah'. He sat down beside Neal who was rolling his eyes at him, and put his arm around his friend's shoulders, "Nice job, Suit Junior!"

Twenty-four hours later Peter called him and told him that Neal was dead.

TBC

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