Chapter Eight
"How are you holding up?"
"That's funny," Elizabeth's voice came through the phone sounding concerned "I was just about to ask you the same question."
"I'm fine. I'm sorry I had to chase you out of the house. I just want to make sure you're safe."
"Don't worry about me, just find Neal."
"Working on it." Peter sighed. "Do you still have Mozzie's number?"
"I do, he updates me whenever he changes it. Which is about every two weeks. I'll text you the latest."
"Thanks, Hon. I love you."
"I love you too."
Peter didn't want to hang up, but he did so that she could text him the number. He always became anxious when his work life and personal life crossed paths, particular when an invasion of his home was involved. Peter could handle it when the bad guys came after him, he even expected it, but when they involved his wife a dangerous line was crossed. Peter's cell phone buzzed with a text of Mozzie's number, at the same time the phone on his desk rang.
"Agent Burke." Peter answered his phone.
"Agent there is a man here to see you, he won't give me a proper name." The front desk receptionist said with obvious irritation.
"Frightening timing," Peter muttered "and he accuses us of spying on him."
"Sir?"
"Give him a visitor's pass and send him up here...actually on second thought I'll come and get him."
"Yes, Sir."
By sheer habit Peter glanced around his office to make sure that nothing worth stealing was out on his desk before heading downstairs to get Mozzie. When he got to the front desk Mozzie was still arguing with the receptionist over providing a full name. Peter came up and signed Mozzie in himself, snatched the visitor's pass from the woman and clipped it to Mozzie's shirt. After leading Mozzie over to the elevator Peter turned on him.
"Why can't you just get some aliases like Neal?" Peter demanded.
"Even an aliases places you in the system."
"Whatever."
"Do you have any more information on Neal?" Mozzie asked anxiously.
"Not exactly."
"Have you come to your senses on his kidnapping?"
"Mozzie, I'm only going to say this once: I think you were right."
"Of course I was...you know, Suit, in the future we could save a lot of time if you would just realiz..."
"Don't push it." Peter warned.
"Noted."
The pair spent the rest of the short elevator ride in silence. They went directly to Peter's office and once again he closed the door and locked it. Mozzie took a seat in front of Peter's desk, but Peter himself couldn't hold still and stayed standing so that he could pace.
"Someone must have broken into your house." Mozzie noted.
"How do you know about that?"
"I am a master of observing behavior and deducing its meaning."
"Elizabeth told you."
"Yes she did." Mozzie admitted freely. "Can I see the bonds?"
"Normally I'd say 'no', but I need to know if they are real." Peter replied as he pulled a file out of his drawer. "So far our experts say it's real."
"The only 'expert' around here is currently missing."
"Right, which is why I want 'second best' opinion." Burke growled in irritation.
Mozzie didn't seem to take any offense to the label of second best. He took the file and opened it. Inside was a single bond from the ones found at the Peter's house. There was no blood on this one. Peter wasn't sure if he should tell Mozzie that blood most likely belonging to Neal had been found on two of the bonds.
Mozzie held the samurai bond up to the light and inspected it carefully. Once he was finished looking at it from that angle he rubbed the corner between his forefinger and thumb to test out the paper. Peter furrowed his brow as Mozzie sniffed the bond like a dog. Mozzie brought out a jeweler's glass and gave it a closer look. The whole inspection took about ten minutes before Mozzie handed it back.
"It's a forgery."
"How can you tell?"
"I'd rather not divulge my secrets."
"Mozzie..." Peter said sternly.
"Okay, my instincts tell me it's a forgery, a really, really good one, but a forgery none the less."
"Instincts?"
"The ink doesn't smell right."
"The ink doesn't...smell right." Peter repeated incredulously. "Mozzie, just tell me: is this Neal's work?"
"No." Mozzie answered instantly.
"Don't lie to me to protect him, Neal needs all the help he can get right now and if he's the hand behind these bonds that at least gives us a lead. Could someone have forced him into forging this?"
"Neal's good, but not that good. He wouldn't have had the time. Making a plate to produce work like this would take months...or so I've heard."
"Who would be able to make these?"
"I don't know. No one local, that much I know for a fact."
"Okay." Peter sighed. "Hopefully more of these will show up somewhere."
"Peter, I came here to talk to you about something specific." Mozzie announced.
"What is it?"
"I don't want to talk about it here." Mozzie said as he looked around suspiciously. "Too many ears."
"You're kidding...right?"
Mozzie gave Peter a look that told him that he wasn't kidding. Knowing that arguing was pointless Peter grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. Mozzie got to his feet and headed back towards the elevator. Mozzie lead Peter down the street a few blocks to a bar. It was just hitting five o'clock and the place was full. Mozzie gave the bartender a meaningful look and he nodded before going over to a table for two and chasing away the women who had been sitting there. Mozzie and Peter took a seat and they were quickly served a Crown on the rocks before being left alone.
"There are more people here than at the office." Peter complained.
"'There is no better place to find privacy than in a crowd.'."
"Just tell me what you've found."
"I started poking around and I found that there's a new player in town. He's a thief for hire getting work by impersonating Neal."
"Neal got caught, why would anyone want to steal his identity? Wouldn't you want to hire a thief that wasn't running with a tracking anklet?"
"No, Suit, this guy hasn't stolen Neal's identity, he's taking credit for jobs that Neal allegedly committed."
"If you are 'committing' something it's not a job, it's a crime."
"Semantics." Mozzie shrugged. "The point is that this kid is copying Neal's style, he's probably the one that took the Sapphire Waterfall. I don't know if he has anything do with Neal's kidnapping, but I think he's worth talking to. Unfortunately I can't find him."
"Do you have a name?"
"Well the name he's been using is Jordan Chase...lame."
"What does he look like?"
"I couldn't get a photo, but ironically enough his description fits Neal's almost perfectly."
"I think I already found him." Peter sighed.
"Where?"
"City Morgue. Murdered."
Mozzie fell silent. Peter took the drink that was sitting in front of him and downed it. Not sure where to go next the pair sat quietly. Peter glanced around the room at the other people that were just going about their lives and secretly envied each and every one of them. Mozzie started to fidget nervously.
"Peter...I want Neal back."
"I know, Mozz. So do I."
"So what are we going to do to make that happen?"
Peter took the question to heart and started thinking on it. He knew that he needed a new approach to finding Neal. Simply sitting back and waiting for evidence of his location was not working.
"There needs to be a 'why'." Peter said more to himself than Mozzie.
"What?"
"If someone took Neal there had to be a reason why. They must want something from him."
"Use of his mad skillz."
"Did you just spell skills with a 'z'?"
"Maybe."
Peter rolled his eyes. He and Mozzie continued to think in silence for a moment. Peter was used to bouncing ideas off Neal, but he was finding it more difficult with the secretive Mozzie.
"What is Neal good at..." Peter mused out loud "theft, forgery, smuggling, identity fraud..."
"The long con, he's better at that than anyone I kn..." Mozzie stopped himself. "I mean 'allegedly' of course."
"Of course." Peter said drily. "I doubt they are looking for a conman partner, or fake passports...it has to be a theft of forgery."
"Or both. They tend to go hand in hand."
"Okay." Peter nodded thoughtfully. "So let's assume that it is art and/or theft related. Is there anything new in town? Something Japanese."
"Why Japanese?" Mozzie asked.
"Just trying to connect in the Samurai bonds."
"Oh! Oh!" Mozzie exclaimed in sudden excitement. "I've got it, the Nightingale!"
"The bird?"
"No, the sword. A sacred ninkyo dantai katana sword."
"Ninkyo dantia?"
"Yakuza." Mozzie clarified.
"Japanese mob...I don't like the sound of that."
"You shouldn't. They are very dangerous, and they have a strong hold here in New York."
"I know."
"There is a general buzz around the streets that the Yakuza are planning some big event surrounding a ceremony involving the Nightingale. The sword is an heirloom of the Yamaguchi-gumi family. I don't have all the details, but I know the sword's tamahagane blade is engraved with an intricate scene that features a nightingale. It also has special notches in the blade that make it sing, if you swing it right it cries out with three mournful notes at once. According to rumor and innuendo it is going to be making its first trip to New York sometime in the next week."
"What's it worth?"
"Dollar wise it's literally priceless. No fence would touch it and risk bringing down the full wrath of the Yakuza down upon themselves."
"Then who would want it?"
"Anyone who doesn't like the Yakuza?" Mozzie guessed.
"That's not a short list."
Peter mulled over this new information. Something about this sounded right, even though it was nothing more than a gut feeling. Although not typically a drinker Peter reached out and took Mozzie's untouched tumbler of Crown and drained it. He chewed on his lower lip as he began to form a plan.
"Peter?"
"What if we stole the Nightingale first?" Peter said suddenly.
"Wha...what?"
"If your instincts are right, and this is the job that someone is plotting for Neal, if we had the sword..."
"...we could draw Neal's kidnappers out with it." Mozzie finished Peter's thought.
"Exactly."
"Thinking outside the box, Suit." Mozzie said impressed. "I approve. There is just one problem with your plan."
"What's that?"
"Actually two things. First: steal from the Yakuza...are you insane? And second: we'd need Neal to pull it off."
"Don't underestimate me." Peter smiled.
"Very true: 'never underestimate your enemy, and never overestimate your friends'."
"Which one am I?"
"I'm insulted that you feel the need to ask..."