The sun is already fading beyond the horizon by the time Nate reaches Evan's house. He rings the doorbell four times in rapid succession then knocks on the door until it opens.
"Ah, Mr. James. It's good to see you again."
The look on Evan's face clearly shows that the feelings are not mutual. Nate strolls past him with out invitation and picks up the nearest trinket, examining it clumsily.
"I was under the impression that I wouldn't be seeing you again," he says haughtily. He seems to have used up all his charm on Parker and Sophie. He takes the little statue from Nate roughly and places it back on the hall table. "The building is ashes, there's no one for me to evict. In fact, in the spirit of the season, I'll even forgive their outstanding debt. Merry Christmas, there's the door."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Nate says pursing his lips. "You see, you made one fatal mistake."
"What's that?" A look a fear flickers across Evan's face, but quickly shifts to a sneer.
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to find out."
"You've got to be joking."
"Is attempted murder funny to you?" Nate asks. "As if one count weren't enough, I'm going to get you charged with a dozen."
"You don't have anything on me."
"Maybe not, but that's never stopped me before." Nate continues to walk around like he owns the place, pouring himself a drink and sinking into an armchair. "This is a nice little retreat you've got. I think the girls will be comfortable here, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm going to take your house and give it to Jordan Schulz," he says matter of factly.
"You can't do that!" Evan grinds out.
"Have you ever been to law school, Mr. James? It's amazing the tricks you can play with the law."
"I think you should be going now," he says, clenching his fists.
"Careful, you don't want to add assault and battery to you list of crimes," Nate warns. "I don't care how many motions I have to file or how long it takes," he says, rising from the chair. "I'm going to bring you down." With that he drains the glass, hands it back to Evan and strolls out the way he came. He smiles in satisfaction when he hears the glass crash against the door as soon as it's closed.
"Good morning," Parker says brightly. "What happened to you?"
"I'm not a morning person," Evan says groggily.
"Alexa is going to be here in twenty minutes so you better wake up fast."
"Listen, Karen," he sighs and she can smell last night's alcohol on his breath. "I really want to help you out, but I don't think this is going to work."
"No! It has to work!" Parker says desperately. "You don't understand. She was actually nice to yesterday." She lays a hand on his forearm for emphasis, and pretends not to consider to possibility of breaking his wrist. "It was only for ten minutes, but still. If I bring this deal together, she'll have to give me a recommendation."
"I'm really sorry, but my hands are tied." It's hard to believe this is the same man that threw Nate out the day before. "This legal issue just came up, I don't know how long it's going to take to clear it up."
"I'll call our lawyers! They can get anyone out of anything, I promise," Parker says pleadingly. "This isn't just for me. This is your chance too." At Sophie's direction, she flashes the sad puppy eyes again. "We have to try."
"Fine, call the lawyers."
"Thank you, thank you , thank you," Parker squeals, pulling him in for a hug. "Come on, I'll brew the coffee," She says, tugging him to the kitchen. Back at the cabin, Hardison clenches his jaw, but remains silent.
When Evan returns from brushing his hair and teeth, Parker is pouring the coffee and talking on the phone.
"…a property he owned burned down and now the former tenants hired some sleazy lawyer to try to bleed him dry."
"I think he's bipolar," Hardison grumbles on the other end of the line.
"Uh-huh, it was an old house, probably the wiring," Parker continues to adlib. "No, nobody was hurt."
"I bet he has hair plugs too," he rambles. "Ask him how often he goes to the tanning salon."
"Ok, great. We'll see you tonight. Thanks, bye."
"What did he say?" Evan asks, blowing on the steaming hot coffee. Parker falters for a moment, thinking of actually telling him what Hardison said.
"He's going to look into it, but he seemed optimistic," she lies. "Said this kind of thing happens all the time. All you have to do is push back a little. Once this Poppa-whatever-his-name-is knows you aren't going to fold, he'll probably move onto his next scam." Her eyes drift to his hairline distractedly, but she shakes herself back into the moment. "He's coming here tonight to help finalize the contracts so he'll tell us then."
"You're amazing," he says with a cocky grin. "We should celebrate after everything is signed. I never did get to buy you that drink." Before she can answer, the doorbell rings.
"That's Alexa! Good luck!" Parker pushes him toward the door, grateful to avoid the question.
The next hour passes in a flash. Evan gives them a tour of the enormous house, his charm never failing. Parker takes photos for 'production purposes' and rushes to meet Sophie's every need. All the questions are answered, potential alterations are accepted. When they find themselves back in the living room, Sophie makes an announcement.
"Well, I love the house and you'll make as good a host as anybody," she says a little begrudgingly. "So, do we have a deal?"
"I think so," he replies, shaking the hand she offers.
"David will be here with the official contracts tonight. Shall with say dinner at seven?"
"Sounds good. Oh, and my lawyer will want to look them over before I sign.
"No problem," Sophie says easily. "I'll have them brought to him the moment they get here and he can meet us at the restaurant once he's given them a once over."
"Great, I'll see you then," Evan says with what might actually be a genuine smile. Parker hugs him again, but this time he doesn't release her as easily. "Can't you stay for a bit?" His smile remains but there is something cold behind his eyes.
"Karen, let's go!" Sophie bellows already halfway to the door.
"I better catch up. I still need her to not fire me for a few more hours." Parker forces herself not to shudder when she makes her escape.
"I bet having Parker call Agent McSweetin doesn't seem that bad anymore…" Eliot muses back at the cabin.
"Thank you, Eliot," Hardison says sarcastically. "I appreciate that little silver lining."
"You know me, I'm all about that 'glass half full'." The girls return in the midst of their tiff.
"We've definitely got him," Sophie says proudly. "Parker was spectacular."
"Yeah, I didn't stab him once," she beams. "And, that was not an easy urge to suppress."
"I almost dumped hot coffee into his lap, but I figured that we need him in a good mood," Sophie reasons regretfully.
"Let's just leave that until everything is signed, ok?" Nate recommends.
The team agrees hesitantly, and returns to the task at hand. By six o'clock everything is in order and the plan is set in motion.