"We found another forgery in his studio."
"Oh come on! This guy is way to good to be that stupid."
Peter was staring at this second painting in puzzlement. "I tend to agree."
"The charities he's running all come up clean. So do the employees."
"Could he be doing the forgeries for the charities?" Jones asked.
"Well, I guess I could see him doing that...," Neal said slowly and doubtfully, "but leaving this out in plain sight?"
"I don't quite buy it either." Peter frowned. "I can see him doing it, but if he cares about his charities that much, it would be awfully sloppy to leave it lying around. It's almost like he wanted to get caught."
Neal shook his head. "No way. He wouldn't want the charity going down. He begged us to avoid it."
"Could it have been planted?"
"It was freshly painted. He was in the studio and it was right there."
"Should we pick him up, Boss?" Diana inquired.
Neal bit his tongue, trying not to object. He wouldn't convince them on belief alone. "Can't you wait until he's at home, in private? At least minimize the scandal? Think of all those kids from the community programs he helps fund."
Peter sighed. "All right. Get the warrant. Let's get some lunch. We have that long to figure out what is going on."
Peter had lunch with Elizabeth. She sat, enjoying her meal and eyeing Peter. "Well, what did Neal do now? Or is it something you're afraid he'll do?"
"It's not him for a change. Something doesn't feel right with this case. It really does look like this guy did it. But..."
"So what's the problem?"
"Neal convinced me to talk to him first. He apparently went straight after his wife died in 9/11 while trying to convince him not to pull a job. He started doing volunteering and charity work. He's done a lot of good stuff. He's donated money, started programs and really seemed disturbed that someone might've been...well, forging the forger..."
"But now it looks like he did it after all." Elizabeth asked.
"But it's so sloppy. Another forgery, right there when he was in the studio, not even hidden? He knew that it could flashback on the charity. Why?"
"Didn't you say it had to be someone close?"
"Someone who knew he was a forger and had access to his current work?"
"Yeah."
"Could he be protecting someone?"
"He'd have to care an awful lot to put the charities at risk."
Peter finally took a bite of his sandwich. He barely tasted it. His mind was caught on the puzzle.
"Well at least it's not Neal distracting you for a change. Did he know him personally?"
"No. Neal didn't come to New York after he retired, though he won't say from where. Rebny's been doing this since Neal would've been a little kid..." Peter choked and turned to gape at her.
"What?" She thumped on the back. "Honey?"
"Neal..." he whispered. "Kids. This guy has kids!"
He yanked out his phone. "Jones...have we found out anything about Rebny's kids? Pull everything we've got." He smiled at Elizabeth and took a big bite of sandwich.
"Glad I was able to help." Elizabeth smiled and turned back to her own lunch.
"Really?" Neal's eyes widened at the files. "How old is this kid?"
"Seventeen and he's in boarding school, but he has been in some minor trouble with the authorities. He's on probation at the school for gambling."
"Gambling. I wonder if he's gambled with the wrong people."
"Like the kind that threaten you into forging paintings?"
"Or he owes money."
"He was home four weeks ago for a temporary suspension."
Neal cocked his head thoughtfully, leaning on the conference table. "I still don't get why he'd forge his Dad's signature."
"Daddy issues?" Peter glanced at Neal, who didn't rise to the obvious curiosity in his gaze. The bomb shell Neal had dropped when he'd inquired about his Dad, the news that Neal's father was a crooked cop had left him burning to know what else was hidden in his secret childhood.
"Could be."
They moved into the conference room when Diana and Jones came in with their reports. "Guess who is involved in a gambling right around that fancy boarding school neighborhood? Jones asked.
"Who?" Peter demanded.
"Philrone." Diana replied.
Neal whistled. "Not good."
"Do you think he's connected?" Jones frowned.
"The kids attending that boarding school would be the type that hang out with Philrone's back room gambling dens. He's a pretty well known middle man although they haven't had the evidence to take him down with. He goes for high rollers." Diana offered.
"He's pretty slick." Neal noted. "Always keeps a degree of separation between him and the job." He was perusing the file Diana had brought in.
"So if Ricky Rebny was gambling and ended up owing Philrone, he might've had to forge the painting to get out of it."
"But would he do that to his own father?" Jones asked looking surprised.
"Maybe he blames him for his mother's death." Neal said slowly. "Or maybe..."
Peter stared at him. "Maybe what?"
"Maybe he doesn't know the risk. I mean, there are already plenty of allegedly forged Rebny paintings around. What's one more? But Ricky isn't a painter." Neal frowned.
"No. But his little brother, Sam, is." Peter said. "And he goes to the same school."
"So, Sam forges it for his brother, puts Dad's name on it and figures it'll be worth more to pay off the debt?"
"Maybe Philrone thought he was squeezing Patrick directly." Neal noted.
"We need to find out. And if he is..." Peter said with a slow smile. "Than maybe we can use that to take down Philrone."
Diana smiled. "The kid's are minors."
Neal sat up, grinning. "So if we can get them to cooperate, it won't blow up on the charity...what about Rebny himself?"
"I think we can work it out. But we need to confirm this. That means we need someone to talk to those kids..."
"He already knows me..."
"And me. But if Rebny himself will admit it and go along..."
"If it means saving his kids he might." Neal observed.