Author's note: To be clear, Peter does not speak French. He understands a little, but he's not fluent. Diana and Neal are. Captain Lescaut speaks in French, but it would have been hard to read if I had kept her part in French. So, everything in italic from now on is spoken in French. Everything else is in English. I will just keep a couple of sentences in French, but you don't need to understand them to get to the point.

I also corrected the typography according to a Guest review. I hope it will make things better for everyone. Don't hesitate to leave a comment!

Chapter 6

The silence that followed the announcement of Mozzie's disappearance was broken by the door of the interrogation room. Captain Lescaut was standing on the threshold, flanked by Detective Motta. Both people stared blankly at the scene. On one side of the table sat their suspect, uncuffed. On the other side, sat the Interpol Agent and an unknown man wearing a cheap crumpled suit, as if he just arrived after a long journey. The three persons in the room turned toward the intruders, looking surprised.

Diana was the first one to react. She stood up and introduced Peter in French.

"Captain Lescaut, this is Special Agent Peter Burke from the FBI. He flew in this morning to help us solve our case."

She left out the fact that the agent in question was not here on official business. Working with Neal, she learned a long time ago that lying by omission was not really lying. Sort of.

"Peter, I'd like you to meet Captain Julie Lescaut and Detective Vincent Motta."

"Pourquoi le suspect n'est pas menotté? " Lescaut asked.

"As if cuff could hold him," Peter breathed.

"You're not helping," Neal hissed.

Diana glowered at them before speaking again.

"We have reason to believe that Mister Caffrey has been set up. Even if appearances are against him, some clues tend to prove that he is innocent. He agreed to help us with the case."

"Yesterday, you were willing to throw him in jail without further ado, and now, you're telling me he's a victim? You also told me that he faked his death. Do you think that I'm an idiot?"

Even if he was far from fluent in French, Peter could tell things were about to get complicated. He suddenly decided to step in.

"Excuse me, but I think that there is a very simple explanation."

Peter spoke in English, using all the authority he could show. Diana and Neal looked at him, eager to discover that mysterious explanation and trying not to show their ignorance.

"Mister Caffrey helped us catch the infamous Pink Panthers in New York a couple of years ago, Peter continued. He worked undercover, which allowed us to catch them red handed. Sadly, the gang got wind of his involvement in the FBI operation. His life was in danger. So he joined the Witness protection program. We helped him fake his death and then, we provided a new identity in Europe, so he could start a new life. For his safety, you must keep his name out of all official reports. You can only use the name Victor Moreau."

Peter stopped talking, praying that his story would be accepted as the truth. The Captain looked at him doubtfully. Her colleague, almost bilingual, translated Peter's explanation. Even if she did not seem convinced, Julie backed off.

"Fine. We'll let you work. Don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything."

When the door closed behind the two cops, Neal turned to Peter, with a look of amazement and a huge smile.

"You just lied to two law officers, and without batting an eyelid. I'm proud of you, Peter."

"I hope I won't have to regret it. If they check my story, we could very well share a prison cell."

Neal seemed to hesitate before he finally asked the question that bothered him.

"Why do you trust me after everything I did?"

"Last time you swore you were innocent, I did not believe you. I don't want to see you jump out of a judge's chamber."

The answer touched Neal more than he was ready to show. To hide his embarrassment, he suggested to leave the precinct.

"My humble residence will be perfect for us to work on the case."

Both his friends agreed.

Humble was the last of the names you would give the house in question.