Chapter 3
Peter Burke had returned from a delightful lunch. He was sitting in his glassed cubicle office reminiscing about past luncheon dates with his beautiful wife. It was funny but until Neal Caffrey joined his White Collar unit and razed Peter about spending more time with Elizabeth, Peter had been slack in making special time for her during his duty day. At some point in time he should thank Neal for the motivation in changing some of his priorities.
He looked out his glass wall and saw Neal Caffrey enter the downstairs area. Peter checked the clock and assumed Neal had spent an inordinate amount of time for lunch since no one had been monitoring him. He prepared himself to needle his consultant as Neal headed up the stairs to Peter's office.
"How long did you spend at lunch, Caffrey," quizzed Peter. Peter noticed that Neal stiffened with the rebuke and kept an empty expression on his usually friendly demeanor.
Neal peered at Peter intently and spoke in a monotone, "I went over an hour. Are you going to dock my wages?" Peter sensed at once that something was wrong. No smile, no repartee, no complaints about having to pay for his own lunch!
"Something wrong Neal? Are you sulking because I didn't invite you along on the picnic with El?"
"Why would you want a felon along on your luncheon date?"
Peter was confused. Something was not right. It had to be more than springing for his own lunch tab. "Are you upset with me for some reason?" asked Peter. As Peter looked with concern at the younger man, Neal seemed to react with confusion.
"Ever hear of Edward White?" asked Neal. "We spent some time together in the Supermax. He doesn't consider himself a friend of yours." Neal's blue eyes were focused with intensity on Peter. "White joined me for lunch today. Told me to watch my back. Why would he do that, Peter?"
Peter ran the name through his past criminal adversaries. At first he came up blank. "Not ringing a bell for me. What did he want? Should I remember him for anything in particular?"
As Peter observed Neal he already knew he would be researching old case files as soon as Neal left his office. Peter hated it when a situation arose with Caffrey that left him out of the know. If his mentor program with Neal was to succeed, Peter felt he had to be aware of every detail of the young felon's life.
"He didn't give me many details," explained Caffrey. "Told me he was out of prison and running a wholesale company out of some warehouse here in town. Peter, do you trust me enough to view classified material?"
Peter shook his head questioningly, "What's all this about Neal? What kind of classified material? You're not giving me enough information?"
Neal spoke slowly, "I want to see the specific document that agents use to plan future operations and objectives. Paperwork that can be classified as a "need to know only" document. I just want to discover how easy it could be accessed and forged. It's not for any criminal intent. Would you trust me?"
Burke could easily refuse. Neal was being tight lipped and evasive. He realized, however, that this request was very important to Neal. Would it really be harmful for Neal to view some defunct case files that covered this area? At least with Caffrey occupied he would be able to research his own past history on Edward White.
"I'll let Jones find one or two documents for you," sighed Peter. Neal, surprise and relief crossing his face, nodded and left Peter's room.
Very well Neal, now is the time to find out what's going on!
Peter Burke called in several aides and began his research. Several hours later, he was less in the dark about his past dealings with Edward White. White had been a difficult man to prosecute. For years White had evaded federal arrest and conviction for numerous white collar crimes. Burke had sought his conviction for quite a long time. The man had been slick. Not as tough as Caffrey to nail but a more dangerous class of criminal. White chose to surround himself with bribed officials and thug neophytes. It had taken an informer in White's close circle of friends to finally bring him down. Peter had ensured that the informer was well protected from White's retribution.
What did this dangerous felon want with Neal? Would he use him to try to get to himself? Neal was usually brilliant in every scenario but his heightened astuteness failed in two areas: dealings with Kate and suspected betrayal. What document had White shown to Neal?
Peter began to research any information that dealt with White's new wholesale company. He wanted to specifically identify its location and purpose. These criminals so easily gain access to their hidden assets once they were released from prison. He would have to have a future discussion with Neal about that topic!