2B: Clue – Setting the Stage
Arriving at the precinct first, Peter figured there were several agencies crawling all over the crime scene so he'd be better off taking custody of Neal Caffrey and focusing on him first. Signing in and being introduced to the captain leading the interrogations, he was intrigued to hear why Neal was such an interesting suspect.
"There are three of them, agent Burke, and they're all identical." He went on to explain how other guests had noticed a man of their description walking about and using different names so Neal had been their primary suspect, but the discovery of three men using different names complicated their theories. "Personally, I think they were in on it together and intend to use the others as alibis but we caught them before they could disperse."
Although he couldn't say anything for the strangers, Peter was still pretty sure Neal hadn't been the one to commit the murder. However, he wouldn't place any bets against Neal being present with the intent of committing another crime. The con was very talented with a variety of criminal skills in his suspected repertoire while the victim had been a man of wealth and influence with a number of reasons to be targeted for both murder and theft.
Walking the hallways and watching all three men, Peter decided to test a theory. Entering one at random, he had no idea which one was Neal Caffrey, he started talking to the man.
"So, Neal, why did you do it?" Taking a seat and observing the suspect's reaction, Peter didn't see any recognition of him or the name. This must be one of the other two. To be sure, he started talking about the other crimes associated with the kid, particularly the bonds as they were proven to be his work. "Weren't bonds profitable enough for you, or is murder paying a higher going rate these days?"
There was confusion and a tilt of the head, but still no indications of recognition. "My name is Manley Cooper, not Neal. I didn't commit the murder and I have no idea what you're talking about in regard to bonds."
Leaning back in his chair, Peter raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then tell me who you are and what you were doing at the party."
Repeating his story, the man stated that he was Manley Cooper and his purpose in attending the party was to gain contacts for information. Mr. Body was known to have his fingers in a lot of pies and making contacts at one of his parties could be beneficial to a young man working his way up in the accounting business.
"I'm sure he'd be rather helpful if he was alive, and his associates might still be. However, I can guarantee you that they come with a price. There is a reason he is dead and most of his guests are suspects in something or another," Peter warned. If he could stop the kid from getting into trouble, maybe he'd have one less problem on his hands.
Sighing, Peter tried a few more angles but wasn't getting anywhere with the man. Giving up for the moment, he decided to try the next suspect.
Changing rooms, he tried a similar tactic and the second one didn't show any recognition either. The colonel was actually colder than Cooper and more limited in the information he would give.
"I was invited to the party so I decided to go." The man wouldn't give anything else and had simply sat tapping his fingers on the table the rest of Peter's conversation with him.
Feeling wary as he left the room, Peter sensed that this one was a professional. If any of them had committed the murder, this was the one he sensed could manage it the easiest.
Making arrangements with the captain, he had a theory and got permission to have it tested.
Looking forward to his last conversation, Peter knew this one had to be Neal. After the strangers, he figured messing with the kid would be a bit fun, and then perhaps they could untangle the mystery of why he looked like the other two.
Putting a stern expression on wasn't hard after the last conversation so Peter entered Neal's interrogation room and pulled up a chair. Taking a seat, he looked disappointed at the kid. "Why did you do it, Neal?"
Neal had been startled when he entered and flinched at his accusation. Good, this was the real one and he was still just as abhorrent of violence as ever.
"As I've been saying, I just attended the party to pick up some contacts and test the waters. It doesn't hurt in my line of work to know people who know people. Either they can tell you who to avoid or connect you to the person you need when you need them. To repeat, my name is Ryland Wilmslow and I played pool with Mr. Green and Mr. Brunette with Madame Rose observing before going next door to the studio with Mr. Brunette to discuss art where I briefly met Miss Scarlet. We were observing the art when the police raided in response to a call about shots fired out on the lawns. That is the beginning middle and end of my story." Neal was part defiant and part pleading as he reiterated his story. He didn't want to be seen as a murderer so he wasn't above dancing around the rest of his crimes but did so in the hopes of not implicating himself any further on anything else.
Relaxing, Peter smiled which caused Neal to look confused. "I didn't think you did, Neal. There's probably some other criminal reason for your presence and we'll discuss that later. But, right now, there are two other people here that I think you should meet."
Removing the chains and cuffing the man, Peter instructed him not to pick them. "I know you could and your arms were tense when I transitioned them. Relax." Neal was obedient and Peter tightened the cuffs to ensure he wasn't going to slip them off if he turned his back for a second.
There was a twinkle in Neal's eyes as he understood his awareness and was amused by the precaution. "I wouldn't do that to you, Peter."
Putting his hand on the kid's shoulder to direct him, Peter smiled back. "Yes, you would. Now come on."
Guiding him to the door, Peter held back entering for a second as he waited for it to be unlocked so they could enter the room in tandem with the other guard. By surprising the three men at the same time, they hoped to startle something out of them. When the lock was released, Peter figured he'd find out in just a second if his plan was going to work or not.
Stepping in, Peter hauled Neal along beside him and was rewarded with three gasps of surprise followed by an uproar of noise as they all exclaimed at the same time.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Marines?"
"Me, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be an accountant in Washington."
Then they both turned on Neal.
"Where have you been?"
"You ran away and no one has seen anything of you since we were eighteen!"
Putting his fingers in his mouth, Peter let out a loud whistle that made all three men jump. "That's better. So, none of you knew the other one was here. However, it's interesting to learn what you had to say there." All three were glaring at each other and he couldn't help but smirk a little as his ploy had worked.
"Care to explain, Neal?" Peter asked the con as he could read him more easily than the others.
Sighing, Neal didn't seem interested in doing so, but the pressure was enough to make him give in. "As you can guess agent Burke, these are my brothers. We're identical triplets and I'm the middle one. When we turned eighteen… I left and haven't been back. I do know something of what they said though. My eldest brother went into the military and is a ranking colonel while my younger brother went to university before becoming an accountant in Washington. However, I have no idea why they're here and they'll have to answer that for themselves."
"You haven't answered the reason for your presence?" one of the triplets asked Neal with a frown while the other nodded and moved to stand next to him.
"Uh, I'm sure Burke has a theory." Neal waved the inquiry off to him.
Raising an eyebrow, Peter hadn't expected that, but he could take the edge off of the conversation. "Okay, the short of it is that he's Neal Caffrey, a wanted forger for his work on the Atlantic Incorporated Bonds. Beyond that, we have a lengthy list of alleged crimes he's suspected of. Should I go into those Neal?" He turned back towards the con who was facing his frowning brothers.
Shaking his head, Neal lifted his arms to cross them but couldn't with the cuffs around his wrists so he dropped them back down in front of him. "Considering we're all suspects in the murder, I'm more curious what my brothers are doing here."
Moving to cross their arms and then dropping them, the other triplets moved in a mirror of their brother. None of them could get defensive which seemed to make them feel uncomfortable in the personal confrontation.
"You don't get to stand there pretending you ran off to be some con, Danny. Of the three of us, you were always the one most interested in being a cop and insisted on training towards that goal since we were kids." One of the triplets stepped forwards and glared at Neal.
Interested, Peter turned to Neal with his eyes wide. "You grew up wanting to be a cop? What happened?"
Turning his frown on him, Neal refused to answer, "It's a long story." Then he checked his watched and looked towards the door with a hint of impatience.
"Expecting something, Caffrey?" Peter noticed how all three of them turned to glance at their watches or the clock as if something was taking longer than expected. "I know this isn't the conventional method, but you're all going to interrogation."
There was a knock on the door and the captain let himself in. "I'm sorry agent Burke, but these boys know powers from on high. We've been ordered to release all three of them, and that means Caffrey has been flagged for release on his bonds too. You can't have him."
Looking at Neal, Peter studied his expression and the kid seemed to be part relieved that he was being cleared of all crimes, and part bothered like this wasn't how he wanted the situation to play out.
"Un-cuff him, agent Burke," the captain ordered.
Frowning, Peter had been enjoying the situation when he was gathering information and getting insight into Neal, but now he was frustrated that all of his work was being thwarted. When the order was repeated, Peter just put his hand out to receive Neal's cuffs before passing them to the captain. "I told you not to pick them and you said you wouldn't."
Trying to distract him, Neal put on a smile and shrugged, "You weren't taking them off."
Not falling for it, Peter knew Neal was aware of why he was being released. The man wasn't surprised and had been expecting it. "Come, Neal," then he turned to the captain. "Is there a place we can talk?"
"Sure, there is a room down the hall." The captain told them where to go so Peter directed Neal to enter the room while the other triplets followed out of curiosity.
"What did you do, Neal? If you pulled some con to get yourself released then it's going to doubly bite you and there's nothing I can do to help," Peter rounded on Neal. Why did the kid have to do this to him?
Surprised, Neal stepped back at first before smiling and leaning towards him. "You were going to help?"
Putting one hand on his hip and massaging his forehead with the other, Peter answered honestly while trying to stave off the initial signs of a headache. "I was prepared to put a good word in on your behalf so that you'd be treated well through the courts and in your sentencing. We both know you're a skilled criminal, but you aren't violent. You do it for the challenge and love of studying people, not for the things or to hurt others."
There was some noise as the brother squabbled amongst themselves trying to determine which one did something to get themselves off while all denying it.
"I don't know about you all, but I'm going to my hotel. It's been a long day." Saunders said before starting for the door to leave.
Peter was proud of himself that he was starting to learn how to tell them apart. "The mansion is crawling with agents investigating the murder. You won't even get close."
All three men paused and turned to him in question.
"If you want to help, you will do so with me and no other way. You've all been suspected of the crime while Neal is a known criminal who's made New York his base of operations. Everyone knows your faces and his con reputation means no one will trust you regardless of why you were let off." Peter had guessed that maybe they were looking to discover the true culprit, but their reactions confirmed it. Although it meant working with three men who were likely criminals, he knew it was the best arrangement he was going to get. Besides, if the brothers were as intelligent as Neal, they probably picked up a lot of details in their time at the party.
"Fine, I guess we'll go with you then." Neal agreed to the arrangement.
"Good," Peter intended to learn everything he could from these three while they worked together. He hoped it wasn't the little shadow man that backed Neal who had gotten them released, but he also knew he might be able to make his future pursuit easier if he could get enough data without giving too much. It would take a fine balance, but he hoped to make this cooperation beneficial.
On the walk to his car, Peter lost track of which brother was which as they switched their order to navigate the officers and doorways. Then when they arrived, there was a mass declaration of shotgun followed by a quick succession of rock paper scissors to determine the victor.
"So, who won?" He asked drily as one of them slid into the passenger seat while the other two sullenly got in the back. It was childish, but he appreciated the glimpse into their sibling rivalries from their growing-up years and how they solved disagreements.
"Me, of course," the champion grinned at him cheekily.
"I want to say Neal, but I don't know the other two well enough to know if they act like this or not. However, Neal does, so I'm sticking with that conclusion." Peter sensed that he was right, but he couldn't confirm it and the triplet didn't seem inclined to help.
Driving through the city, Peter listened to their general conversation as the triplets tried to learn the activities of the other without giving away what they were up to. They were clever and ingenious, and altogether unsuccessful.
Peter smirked in amusement as he noted the way Neal used references to their childhoods in order to try and understand what his brothers were up to.
Listening, Peter learned that the eldest, who was going by Colonel Kent Saunders, was really military and a genuine colonel. He'd gone into the military and received all of his education and training in the service. As a child, he was a serious strategist and protective so he made sure the siblings had what they needed. The youngest, the one going by Manley Cooper, was a computer engineer and accountant who got his degrees from Stanford. After graduating, he went to Washington where he worked as an accountant. Growing up, he'd been the playful nerd who enjoyed his interests and made sure the older two lightened up and relaxed once in a while.
It was information Peter could use to further research after the brothers disappeared into the mist, or at least tried to. He'd keep tabs on them if he could.
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