Chapter Nineteen

"I have to admit that it is oddly satisfying to arrest someone," Neal beamed proudly "although the thrill of being the one who is being cuffed is hard to top."

Peter just gave Neal a disapproving look.

"You're right, too easy a joke," Neal conceded "but I still couldn't resist the set up."

"Try harder next time."

"Try harder at a better joke or try harder not to make one at all?"

"Go finish your dealings with Arvid." Peter said, not taking the bait.

"You're in a mood today." Neal teased.

"Go."

Neal waited a moment by the Federal transport car that Edward Davis was currently sitting in the back of after his uneventful arrest. The skull thief, or at very least the skull fence, had returned to Arvid's with both skulls looking to make an easy sale. Unfortunately for him Neal and the small team he had put together had set up full surveillance and once the fake deal had been struck they were able to quickly step in and arrest him. Davis hadn't resisted knowing that injuring a Federal Agent would have been a much more serious crime than the one he was being arrested for. The way he had instantly named a lawyer gave Neal the impression this was not Davis's first tangle with law enforcement.

Neal was a little disappointed that his first case had been fairly anti-climatic and easy to close, but at the same time it was nice to get an easy win. What he didn't understand was why the success hadn't put Peter in a better mood. Usually any arrest, be it a careless criminal or someone off the Most Wanted list, instantly put Peter in a good mood. At the very least it put a smile on his face. Right now however Peter all business and uncomfortably serious.

There was something weighing heavily on Peter's mind which wasn't unusual, it was the fact that he wasn't even bothering to try and hide it worried Neal. Peter had been oddly quiet all morning, but in his defense it had been a very busy morning and Neal had been placed in charge of orchestrating everything so it made sense that Peter would keep to the background. However now it was painfully clear that something was going on and Neal instantly suspected Frost. Neal had hoped that now that the arrest was over that Peter might explain what was going on, and he looked like he was about to say something when one of the field Agents approached him for a signature on the transport papers for taking Davis into custody. Peter automatically took the clip board and the pen he'd be offered. He pressed the pen to the page but before he actually put his signature on it he stopped. Looking up at Neal he finally smiled as he offered him the paperwork.

"It's your arrest, Neal, you should sign it."

"Fun." Neal said with genuine enthusiasm.

Taking the clipboard from Peter along with the pen Neal placed his graceful signature to the bottom of the page. The field Agent took the papers and thanked Neal before heading off to drive Davis to holding. Peter reminded Neal that he had one last thing to do with Arvid before they could go back to the office themselves. Figuring that Peter was not going to get into any kind of serious conversation right now Neal nodded and headed back towards the mansion.

"Neal…" Peter called.

"Yes?"

"Good work."

Neal smiled and gave Peter a quick nod of thanks before continuing to Arvid's front door. Something was still clearly dividing Peter's attention, but Neal got the feeling that Peter had come to some sort of internal decision about it. The fact that he was suddenly more relaxed meant he had probably decided to come clean about whatever it was. Either way Neal suspected the ride back to the office was going to be an interesting one.

Stepping back into the house Neal found Arvid in his study standing in front of his desk admiring the twin Nazca skulls sitting on top of it. Having poured himself a bourbon Arvid sipped at it before he reached out with a slightly shaky hand to touch one of the oddly domed skulls. Neal recognized the look on Arvid's face, it was the same one he got whenever he got to hold a true master work. Neal came up and stood beside Arvid to admire the ancient skulls.

"Beautiful, aren't they, Agent Caffrey?" Arvid asked. "Mankind and Mother Nature working together as artists to form something truly spectacular."

"I can see why you wanted them." Neal agreed.

"It was more than a want, it was a need." Arvid admitted. "Seeing both these skulls together and in my reach…well let's just say I'm glad I had you here to keep an eye on my Agent Caffrey."

"Any time." Neal smiled as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small disk. "I do have something for your honesty."

"Ah, excellent." Arvid smiled brightly as he took the MRI data. "Are you sure you don't want a copy?"

"I'll just stick to the original for now." Neal chuckled.

"I have enjoyed working with you, Agent Caffrey, if you ever need a second medical opinion on anything don't hesitate to ask. In the meantime try not to get tangled up in any more 'fences'."

"Actually now that you mention it, could you check that MRI for me?"

"Any particular diagnosis that you're questioning?"

"A concussion."

"Unfortunately despite popular belief to the contrary most concussions do not show up on MRI or CT, those test are performed when there is head trauma to rule out any active brain bleeding. Are you having any symptoms? Headache, coordination issues, vomiting, vision or hearing changes?"

"No." Neal shook his head. "Nothing like that. I feel fine."

"Then I'd say you're safe."

"Thank you."

Neal hadn't really been worrying about his health, he had been hoping to get confirmation of Frost's story or rather evidence to doubt him. He knew that whatever it was that was bothering Peter today Frost had at least something to do with it. He hadn't told Peter but he had woken this morning from a very similar nightmare as the previous morning. Shaking off violent chaotic images Neal focused on his current case.

"Thank you for everything, Dr. Arvid." Neal said offering his hand to Arvid to shake.

"Please call me, James." Arvid replied shaking Neal's hand. "It has been a pleasure, Agent Caffrey."

"I do need to take the skulls with me."

"Of course, by all means." Arvid nodded.

"I mean the *right* skulls." Neal corrected with a knowing smile.

A brief look of shock passed across Arvid's features. Neal watched amused as Arvid desperately tried to come up with a reply. It was obviously his first attempt at crime, he didn't even have a plausible defense ready, not even a basic 'I don't know what you're talking about'. It didn't take him long to realize that he had been caught and he cast his eyes to floor with an expression of guilt mixed almost perfectly with shame that made Neal feel sorry for him. He knew that Arvid's collecting was a sickness and he genuinely liked the man.

Arvid went around the desk and opened the deep drawers to pull out the twin Nazca skulls that Davis had stolen from Fitz. The pair that was on the desk were genuine Nazca skulls, but were part of Arvid's collection already. He had switched out the less valuable skulls with the pair that he had coveted for so long when he'd been left alone with them during Davis's arrest. Placing the twins on the desk carefully Arvid looked up at Neal apprehensively.

"I suppose you are going to arrest me now." Arvid sighed.

"No." Neal shook his head. "This can be our secret. You didn't actually let me walk off with the wrong ones. Plus it was my fault for leaving you alone with the evidence after the arrest, I do not want to have to admit that to Peter."

"I didn't plan to do it, I just couldn't stop myself when the chance came up. I regretted it the moment you came back, but by then it was too late and I didn't know how to back out."

"I understand. Crimes of opportunity are often the most fun and the hardest to resist."

"Fun?"

"Or so I've been told." Neal replied innocently.

"How did you know? The differences in these skulls are extraordinarily subtle."

"I wasn't looking at the skull, I was looking at you." Neal explained. "Your hand shook earlier, surgeons are notorious for having dead steady hands even under pressure. I figured something had you particularly stressed, it didn't take a huge leap in logic to guess what it was."

"I'm a terrible liar, I shouldn't have even tried." Arvid admitted sheepishly.

"It's my professional opinion that a life of crime is not for you."

"No." Arvid agreed. "Not...uh...not that I'm complaining, but why are you letting me go?"

"Let's just say that I know how important second chances are, and I know a good man when I see one."

"Well you certainly prove what they say about that sort of thing." Arvid smiled.

"What?"

"It takes one to know one."