Chapter 4
When she walked out of the interrogation room, Diana did not know what to think. What she saw in Neal's eyes made her believe he was telling the truth. She was certain he cared enough to have left New York just to protect his friends. On the other hand, the heists had to be the work of a criminal genius. And non-violent criminal geniuses did not roam the streets.
"I'm going to need some help," Diana thought. She did a sum. Neal had been in custody for about ten hours. A custody time that the French police could easily extend. That meant she had 38 hours to summon the only person able to solve this case. The one human being on earth Caffrey had never lied to.
Diana pulled her phone from her purse. After all those years, she still had her former boss on speed dial. Not caring about the jet lag, she made the dreaded phone call.
WC*WC*WC
Peter was about to go back to the office after a lunch with his wife and son when his phone started to ring. Since he had accepted an administrative job in DC, calls during his breaks had become rare. It was the same job he had turned down a little over two years ago. His CI's death and his son's birth – a Neal for a Neal – made him change his mind. Nowadays, he worked only on office hours and could spend a lot of time with his family. His life was also no longer in danger. The only threat was boredom. Elisabeth felt safer, and the three of them were happy. He also did not have any reason to take an interest about a certain container no one except himself knew about. After all, Neal was most certainly dead. His last con was too huge, it probably did not work.
Taking his phone, Peter was surprised to see Diana's name on the screen. Since Neal's death, she rarely called. He did send emails every once in a while, with pictures of his family. She would answer, showing Theo's face, as if she wanted to remind her friends that he was growing up, too. They had not talked to each other in months.
"Peter Burke."
"Hi, Peter. This is Diana. I hope I don't disturb you."
"Of course not. It's always a pleasure to hear your voice. How is Theo?"
"He's doing great," she laughed. "His French is better than his English, and no one can resist his smile. What about Elisabeth and little Neal?"
"They're doing fine. He seems to grow by the minute. But I guess you're not calling about family business?"
"You're right. I…"
Silence fell on the line. Peter was not used of hearing Diana waver. He chose to let the time go by. Finally, his friend spoke again.
"I need your help, Peter. I'm working on a case and I don't know how to solve it."
"What is it about?"
"You've heard about those art thefts in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Zurich?"
"Yes, I read about it in the newspaper. It reminded me of the time spent chasing Neal. I miss him so much."
Peter blamed himself for not saying out loud what he thought he knew, but he made that choice a long time ago. He could not change his mind. On the other end of the line, Diana was biting her lip. She could not tell him like that. Not over the phone with hundreds of miles between them.
"That's exactly why I called. Interpol has reasons to believe that the thief is now in Paris, planning his next heist. This is my case. Since he reminds me so much of Neal, I'd like you to join me in this investigation, but I can't make it official. It would take way too much time, and the bird would fly."
"Well… you know… I have a lot of work." As he answered, Peter realized he was fooling himself. He had days off to take, and he dreamed of going back on the field, even if it meant only giving an unofficial hand to an Interpol investigation. And a little voice in his head could not help but suggest that maybe, Neal was truly behind those heists.
"Let me make some phone calls, see if I can get off work. Then, I'll try and find a plane ticket."
"I took the liberty to book you on the 8:30 pm flight to Paris. I know it's fast, but I really need you."
"I… OK, I'll do what need to be done. See you very soon, Diana."
As he hung up, Peter realized that his wife was staring at him.
"You're going to see Diana? She is not in Europe anymore?"
"Actually, she is in Paris. She needs help with a case. I couldn't say no."
"I know that you miss the field, and Neal and I can survive a couple of days without you, but… are you sure it's a good idea? Don't you think it might reopen old wounds?"
Elisabeth remembered vividly the long nights and the nightmares that followed the Pink Panthers take down. Her husband had suddenly felt better and she never understood why. She was scared he would sink into depression again.
"I think it would be a way for me to get over it. It might be exactly what I need."
Peter had never told his wife about his suspicion. She had mourned Neal and got over his death by the time he discovered the container. He did not want to give her false hope. He kissed her and called his boss to check whether he could take a couple of days off. He gave an excuse, saying a sick old friend needed to see him right away. It was not really far from the truth, after all. He packed a small suitcase and took a cab to the airport.