Peter could not stand Neal's grin, dusting off his shoulder when he approached the office.
"No, no. No dusting off. No smiling," Peter demanded. "Don't come in here with a grin on your face." The con man had fooled him, played his own tune again, not listening.
"But I'm in."
"Yeah, but the plan was for me to haul you and her in to the FBI."
"I was good with that plan—"
"And yet you yelled, 'FBI raid.'"
"Look, she had an artifact on her," the kid said, serious and not smiling. "Raquel wasn't about to turn herself in."
Peter was sure that was true, in some way or another, because he trusted Neal not to lie to him. But he had a habit of finding loopholes, and just because he told the truth, it did not have to be all the truth.
"Oh. Raquel, huh? Hmm."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing." But that was not the truth. He was pretty sure he knew the reason for Neal's escapade. "Mysterious, gorgeous, she wears a hat. She's an expert in a certain subject that you find particularly sexy."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just wondering why you ditched me."
"I told you, Peter, she's a thief."
"And you are...?"
The proud smile was back on his face.
"Someone who escaped your capture in a crowded restaurant by saying two words: 'FBI raid.'"
"Don't get cocky."
The kid's phone buzzed in his pocket.
"May I?" the young con man very politely asked.
"Yes, you may."
Neal looked at the phone.
"It's Moz." He took the call. "What's going on? Hale didn't show today."
Peter saw the kid's eyes shift from playful to frightened.
"And you are...?" Peter asked, annoyed.
Neal had had just enough of grumpy Peter jumping to conclusions.
"Someone who escaped your capture in a crowded restaurant by saying two words: 'FBI raid.'"
"Don't get cocky."
His phone buzzed, and he decided to play the obedient servant.
"May I?" he asked.
"Yes, you may."
Neal saw the screen.
"It's Moz." He took the call. "What's going on? Hale didn't show today."
"Neal, he had a reason," Mozzie said at the other end. Neal got a sinking feeling.
"What is it?"
There was a long pause.
"Hale's dead."
Neal glanced at Peter, who caught the change in his mood. He collected his thoughts.
"Was it… a natural death?" he asked.
"No. Can you and the Suit get down here?"
"I'll see what I can do. Where are you?"
"At the parking lot by Greenpoint Park."
"See you." Neal hung up. "Hale's dead," he told Peter. By Greenpoint Park."
"Let's go."
When they got down there, the NYDP was already there. Mozzie was leaning against a car outside the taped-off area. Peter nodded for him to go to him, while Peter joined the police.
"I'm sorry, Moz," he said.
"Hale didn't have any enemies. He was the last of the gentleman fences."
"We'll find out what happened." Peter came walking back to them. "They have any idea who did this?"
"No fingerprints, no blood splatter, nothing."
They watched Hale's body being transported in a body bag.
"Did you check the security feed?" Moz asked Peter.
"Security feed?"
"Yeah, he installed it," Neal said.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Peter asked.
Mozzie's face turned hard.
"I tried to."
"What do you need?" Peter wanted to know.
"All I need is a laptop and a USB cable." He walked past the tape with Peter and Neal in his heels. "Ticktock, everyone!" Mozzie opened the trunk to Hale's car, where a computer was installed. Peter got a small laptop from someone, which he handed to Moz, who plugged it into Hale's computer. "The feed is sound-activated. It only records when someone's talking."
The feed started. It was an empty car, but they heard Hale talking to someone with the car door open. Then Hale got inside. And as the door closed, a gun and a hand rose from the backseat. Keller sat up and pointed the gun at Hale.
"Get out," he said. Hale had been found dead just a few steps away from his car.
"Keller," Neal sighed. Mozzie looked as if he had been hit. Peter pattered him on the shoulder in support. Then he pulled Neal aside.
"You okay?" Peter asked.
"Yeah." Sort of, at least.
"How did Keller know Hale?"
"He didn't." Neal was sure of it. He had known Keller long enough. "I would have known if he did."
Peter accepted the answer.
"So Hale's death is somehow connected to Raquel and the amulet." There was a sigh. "Unless it's something else."
The U-boat again?
"Peter, I wish I knew."
"I'm shutting down this operation. I can't take the chance that Keller knows that you're going under with Raquel."
No. No! This was their chance to get the man once and for all.
"Keller doesn't know we've seen him. He thinks he sanitized the car. Keep me under with Raquel."
"No, not until I know more information on how Hale died."
"We may lose her by then, Peter. If this is Keller's plan, Raquel is the best way to draw him out."
Peter watched him, thinking. Finally, he nodded.
"Okay. I want Keller stopped."