Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to USA Network and Jeff Eastin.
Chapter 23
"Honestly, Mozzie. You're so indulgent of him!" Elizabeth complained. "And as for not telling me about his allergy, don't you think that was a bit dangerous? What if the reaction had been more serious?"
"You can rest assured, Mrs. Suit, I would never have done anything to cause Neal serious harm. Despite his predilection for imbibing the stuff, he's been allergic to alcohol touching his skin for years. It's not life threatening in any way, and it gives him a good excuse to spend ridiculous amounts on fancy French lotions."
"Given that he's on the verge of being reunited with Jennika it does seem odd to set him up with four other women," Peter commented.
"Hmm, about that—don't expect a particularly romantic reunion as far as she is concerned," Mozzie said, enigmatically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Peter questioned.
"Well, for starters, she already has a man in her life, and one that Neal could never compete with. Just how closely did you examine her ID?"
"Closely enough to know it was fake, and there's no Genevieve Nanterre in the DMV database."
"The ID may be fake, but the person is real enough."
"Huh?"
"Try Genevieve of Nanterre," Mozzie suggested.
Peter looked blank.
"As in, Saint Genevieve of Nanterre," Mozzie added.
"I still don't follow you, Mozzie. Are you saying she's a saint?"
"Not a saint!" Mozzie scoffed.
"She's a nun!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"A lay nun, to be exact," Mozzie added.
"What's the difference?" Peter asked.
"Not a lot, actually. Either way, even at the top of his game, Neal's no match for Jesus."
"How exactly do you know all this, Mozzie? I know you were somehow involved with getting her out of Drummond's bank. What was your role in all this?"
"You can't seriously expect me to answer that?" Mozzie retorted.
"Okay, off the record. For now, at least, it's the best I can do."
Mozzie thought it over for a while before continuing, somewhat hesitantly.
"When Neal called, I put two and two together and realized that if this was the same girl he cried himself to sleep over for months after I met him, it was only a matter of time before he got himself in deep trouble helping her. I convinced him to leave it to me and I may have engaged a colleague to get her out of the bank before you moved in."
"And the fire alarms and sprinkler system?"
"On that, I plead the fifth."
"By which you mean Sally hacked the bank's safety system?" Peter asked, referring to Mozzie's computer genius of a girlfriend.
"No comment," Mozzie replied solemnly.
Peter knew better than to pursue that particular point any further. "What happened after your colleague left with Sister Genevieve?" he asked instead.
"Well, she was pretty shaken up. He offered to drop her someplace but she declined and got out of the cab in Central Park. From there he followed her back to St. Ursula's shelter downtown. The Ursulines are a teaching order, and the shelter specializes in helping the homeless get their GEDs while staying there. My guess is that she teaches there."
Peter shook his head. "This whole story gets stranger by the minute. How exactly did she go from being Jennika Swenson to Sister Genevieve? And what's a nun doing dressed up to the nines, cashing fake cashier's checks?"
"God only knows," Mozzie sighed.
TBC - I appreciate your feedback; if you are following this story please take the time to review it.
Many thanks to mam711for taking over beta reading this story.
