Selena watched the laid table and the candlelight with what seemed like true awe. Peter was quite stunned too. The kid sure brought the word 'romantic' to a new level.
"Oh, Peter, you shouldn't have."
"Surprise." So much for preparation and Diana in the van.
Selena walked about in the apartment.
"Very eclectic, right?" she commented on the mixed styles. Peter nodded absent-mindedly. "Peter, you didn't tell me that you were an artist."
He got cold. Of course, Neal had his things out. He had no idea what she was looking at on the aisle.
"I dabble. I wouldn't say I'm any good, though."
"Oh, don't be modest," she said, and Peter guessed there was one of the kid's little miracles on the drawing pad. "You know, this may sound silly, but..." she pulled an armchair "...would you draw me?"
"Oh, I'm sure that we could have—" Peter stared at her, sitting down. "You mean right now?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"I-it would take time to do it right."
"We have all night."
"It wouldn't do you justice."
"Oh, but you will. I won't take no for an answer."
"Okay. But, uh... You should know that I'm experimenting with some very, very primitive styles."
"Ooh." That trigged her. He should've guessed.
"Yeah…" Peter tried to chuckle. He looked into the mirror and adjusted his hair a bit. Was Neal watching? He hoped so. Turning to the aisle he saw the sketch on the pad that Selena had admired. No way he could do that. "All right." He drew off that page and put it aside. "Let me make sure the light is right." Yeah, the kid ought to see the pad from the mirror. He took a piece of charcoal and wrote "HELP ME" on the paper.
"Is the pose okay?"
"Yes. That's perfect."
"Okay."
"But, remember, no peeking."
"Peter, I have to ask, how did you... set this all up so fast?"
"Um..." he had picked Neal's home on instinct. He should've picked Jones' apartment instead. Except he had no clue how the man lived.
The door opened, and Neal's funny little friend walked right inside without knocking or anything. Or looking for that matter.
"Hey, do yourself a favor. Never try to send a grappling hook through the post office." He met Peter's eyes as he stood by the aisle. "I-I mean, that is, if... you ever needed to send... a grappling hook, that is."
Peter stared and tried to make sense of this odd trio that they had become.
"Perfect timing," he said. "This is my... man. Haversham. He made the arrangements. Haversham, everything is perfect. Thank you. You may enjoy your night off."
"So sorry to interrupt," Mozzie said with a foolish grin. "Such a suspiciously amorous evening."
"Haversham, do you mind?" he asked, pointing at the other door. "I'll need my suit for tomorrow."
"A suit?" Mozzie asked, trying to figure out what Peter could mean by that.
"Yes."
"I'll be right back."
"Good."
"How handy," Selena said.
"Yes, he's one of a kind." Peter continued to draw on his… something looking like a slouchy cucumber with a head. Mozzie walked out sideways.
"Your turncoat for tomorrow, sir." He was holding a suit, and in front of it, he held a drawing of Selena from Neal.
"Ah, yes. Thank you. That is exactly what I needed." He moved the drawing onto his own pad, and Mozzie moved along to hide the transfer, hanging the suit on the aisle.
"Oh, I'm gonna need some cash," Mozzie said. "For the dry-cleaner."
"Of course." Peter should have seen that coming. But it was worth it.
"Fifty should do it."
"Don't know what I'd do without you." Peter handed him a fifty.
"Oh, I might need more," Mozzie said and pulled a hundred from his wallet instead. At least he looked a little embarrassed. And almost stumbled over Selena. "Ah. Good evening."
"Yes," Selena agreed.
"Madam." The man bowed! And giggled!
"It's great to meet you, Haversham."
Mozzie giggled again. And finally left.
"He's curious," Selena said.
"Very high-functioning, considering his condition," Peter said. "Done." He took a step back and took the drawing down. He showed it to Selena. She gasped.
"Wow! That looks amazing!"
"Yeah, it is," Peter said, forgetting for a second that he was supposed to have drawn it.
"Peter, what's this?" Selena asked and pointed.
"Oh, that?" A ring on the finger. Her left ring finger. Where there was no ring in real life. He drew a deep breath when he realized what that son of a bitch of a con-man had done. Why did he always get things his way? Nothing to do but play along. "I wanted tonight to be special."
"Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"
"Oh... Oh!" He could not make it a yes. She, on the other hand, had no trouble with that word. She threw herself around his neck.
"Peter! Yes. Yes, yes."
He sent a deadly glare into the mirror.
"What is going on?" Sara asked, standing with half a bottle of wine and two glasses in his walk-in closet.
"Remember that case I was working on?"
"The killer bride?"
Neal relieved her of the bottle and his glass and put them on a shelf.
"Yeah. Peter's dating her now."
"Really?!"
"Yep." He placed her glass on the shelf as well.
"So what are we doing?"
"This apartment was a backroom speakeasy," he told her and moved a whole bunch of shirts and suits. "And this was the observation room."
He pushed a panel aside and saw through the mirror built into the huge set of drawers on the other side.
"Oh, wow," Sara said, hanging over his shoulder.
Peter glanced in their direction, but Neal could think of anything he could do to help him.
They could barely hear what happened on the other side, but they could see.
Selena studied Neal's sketch of a woman. Then she pulled out a chair and sat down, posing. Peter looked more and more awkward.
"Can Peter draw?" Sara asked, as it was obvious that Peter was expected to do a picture of Selena.
"Unless she's expecting a breathtaking stick figure, he's in trouble."
"Uh-huh," Sara sounded. "Does he know that you're here?"
"Unfortunately, yes, he knows about this room." He had shown it to Peter once when he felt he needed to build up Peter's trust in him. When Sara had had him arrested for stealing a package Mozzie had stolen. That was a story to tell her one day.
Peter got started by the aisle and drew 'help me' with big letters.
"Okay," Neal sighed. "All right." He pulled out one of his sketching pads that he had in storage in there. And a box of drawing coal.
"Hold this," he asked Sara and handed her the box. He sat down by the little window. Sara had opened the box, and Neal took a piece of coal.
"This is not how I saw the night going, by the way," he told her.
He drew the outlines of Selena.
"Oh. I mean, any guy can make a girl dinner. Only you could sketch a black widow from a hidden back room."
Neal chuckled. Sara did seem pleased and genuine. He drew fast. He did not know what kind of timeframe he had. And whatever he produced, it would be better than what Peter was attempting on his side. The trick was to enhance the good features, and polish the less attractive ones. Artists have done so forever. One of history's best portrait painters Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, became the painter of the royals because she had understood this trick.
Then Mozzie walked right in. Neal had no time to focus on them. Mozzie might be their help to get the drawing to Peter.
"He's sending him this way," Sara said, keeping an eye on the scene.
"Good," Neal mumbled.
"I should have known," Mozzie said a moment later in the doorway to the walk-in closet.
"Finished." Neal looked at the drawing, rather pleased.
"It looks good," Sara said.
Neal looked at the scene outside the window. And wondered how he could really help. Bugging this lady's phone would not work.
"Something's missing," he said. Then he added a ring with a big gem on her left ring ringer.
"Neal, are you sure you want to do that?" Sara asked.
"Well, Peter said he wants this case closed fast. This should help."
"Okay, but Peter is gonna be really mad."
"But she won't. All right, Moz, get this to him without her seeing."
"Oh, sure. I'll hide it under my gargantuan clown sleeve."
"Oh, come here. Try this." Sara hooked down one of the many suits.
"Oh, I'm more of a spring—"
"Moz, we don't have time."
"Okay. Oh. I got it. Okay."
They saw Mozzie, odd as always, walking sideways into the room and delivering the drawing to Peter, who placed it on his own horrible attempt.
"Good work, Moz," Neal mumbled.
They saw Peter show the drawing to Selena. And she saw the ring. So did Peter. And they embraced. Peter turned and sent those lava glares at them.
Sara giggled.
"Best date ever."
