"Is this what you're looking for?" Neal heard Sara ask Brian over the headphones. He sat in the van with Diana on the edge. He had lived in the criminal world long enough to trust his guts about people, and he believed Bryan to be lethal to the extent that Sara was now in danger.

In Maurie's room, she was holding up a thread that would hopefully pass as the missing wire. They had no time to search the room themselves, and the FBI wanted a confession rather than an expensive metal thread.

"You really are a clever girl," Bryan answered.

"Didn't take a genius to figure out something was up," Sara replied seductively. "You were angry after what went down after the concert, and I figured you never got what you wanted."

"I'm assuming you're here for a reason."

"I'm here to turn our relationship into a genuine partnership. This must be very important."

"It only constitutes a sector of industry that's worth billions."

"This is going to put Sterling Bosch on the map, isn't it?" Sara asked, sounding as this was just what she always wanted.

"Tech development is the future. You want to work for China, or do you want to be China?"

"I want to be with you, Bryan, working right alongside you every step of the way."

"Sounds like Sara missed her calling," Diana said beside him.

"Bonnie to any man's Clyde?" Neal asked, having to admit she felt jealous.

"She sells this whole partner thing."

"Mm. You could take some notes, wifey," Neal returned. Too low, really, he thought the second he'd said it.

"You just won't let it alone, huh?"

"You're one of the few people I've seen who isn't thrilled to be engaged."

"It's just strange when something you never thought was a possibility suddenly is."

"You're worried it's too good to be true?"

Diana shrugged.

"Just takes a second to get used to." No, Neal thought. There was something else to it. If you were afraid it was too good to be true, you would have rushed off and got married when it was still an option.

"Why the change of heart?" Bryan asked, and Neal's attention returned to them.

"I'm tired of living parallel lives thinking that you and I are moving in the same direction," Sara said. "We're not even on the same track. I want you to let me in."

Neal thought about his lessons about lying when Diana said:

"Wonder if she's speaking from experience."

"She's lying to get a confession," Neal snapped back.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Diana grinned back.

"You're really in this with me?" Bryan asked.

"Till the very end."

"Because you love me?" There was silence, and then they kissed. Neal hated kissing as part of a con. And yes, he hated hearing Sara kissing someone else. "Too bad I don't believe you."

Neal dropped his headphones."

"He knows she's lying. Come on." They both jumped out of the van and ran inside the concert building. This time, he knew where he was going, but the way to get there felt longer than last time.

"Bryan, you don't want to do this," Neal heard Sara's desperate voice and Diana flung the door open, gun drawn.

"FBI! Put down your weapon!" Bryan held Sara as a shield in front of him, with a dagger at her throat. Diana did not flinch. "Drop the weapon, and we can talk."

"You first," Brian returned.

Neal looked at Diana. She was a hard-core federal agent. If she had to, she would shoot, but doing so now would risk Sara's life, too.

"It's okay," Sara said in a weak voice, and Neal wondered if Diana could keep her eyes from Sara's hands fishing out her baton from her bag. Once Sara held it in her hand, Diana lowered her gun. Sara used the moment to jam her baton in Bryan's thigh and smack her bag on his hand, making him drop his knife.

When he went for Sara, Neal threw himself at him. He would not stand a chance against Bryan's muscles and fury, but he did not have to.

"Back down unless you want a bullet in your face!" Diana yelled, having her gun back up.

"Can I please do the honors?" Neal asked her.

"Why not? You've earned it, cadet." She handed him her cuffs, and Neal pulled Bryan's hands behind his back.

"Bryan, that looks like the weapon that killed Maurie," he said, glancing at the dagger on the floor. "What with that and the confession we got on tape..." Bryan did not say a word and Diana led him away, passing Sara.

"Sterling Bosch will need a new V.P," she noted. "Thank you for the baton."

"Bryan McKenzie, you have the right to remain silent," Diana started as the door closed behind her.

"You okay?" Neal asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm okay." They grinned.

"God, he had me cornered. I've never met anyone pulling a knife with the attempt to actually kill me, no matter what." She was shocked and confused. "Me and Bryan, I mean…"

Neal nodded.

"Yeah…" They moved outside. "We make a pretty good team."

"We do," Sara agreed. "On the case, which is now closed."

"Right. So you're no longer my boss."

"Sadly."

"So I guess we'll just..."

"We'll be friends," Sara answered promptly.

He looked at her.

"Friends, right…" He thought he saw something else in her face, but… "You know, friends go out occasionally."

"They do, don't they?" she said with a theatrical puzzlement. He nodded. "Well, then maybe you should call me sometime." And with a smile she marched away in her high heels.

El had been out with Satchmo and returned through their backyard.

"Oh, your dad fell asleep on the couch. I don't want to wake him," he said, waiting outside.

"You mean you're afraid to wake him," El giggled.

"No comment. El, I'm so sorry you didn't get what you wanted for your birthday."

"Honey, it's okay. My parents were just trying to be thoughtful. I know I'm gonna love your gift."

"I hope so." This time, he was sure.

They passed through the door inside, El first.

And there they all were, Mozzie and his in-laws.

"Surprise! Surprise!"

"Oh! What?"

"You're always so busy planning dinners for other people," Alan said, "it's about time someone planned a dinner for you."

"Oh, you guys are so sweet."

"Honey, right here is my gift," he said, showing her a package. She began to unwrap it, and they all gathered around it.

In the package was one of those photo frames with a screen shifting through the photos loaded into it. And boy, had he loaded it with photos—all the way from the first baby photos of her to yesterday.

"Oh! This is beautiful," El said.

"A wise man said, 'It's good to keep in touch with your roots,'" Peter said, winking to Alan.

"From my first family... to my second." She kissed him.

"Is that a tear?" he asked. "I got one."

"This is a lovely thing to do, Peter," Tina praised him. "Right, Alan?"

"Nice going. We live to make our girl content."

"As do I, sir."

El's eyes went to the creepy doll standing with the gift. Her eyes went back to him with a demand. And somehow, his elbow knocked the doll over and down on the floor. And as a good dog, Satchmo knew exactly what to do with it. He grabbed it in his mouth and found his way out to the yard, even though some of them made a true effort to stop him.

"Oh, no, he's gonna bury it." Tina and Alan hunted the dog.

"I don't think that's coming back," El smiled.

"I'm getting a drink," Mozzie said.

"Thank you." El hugged him.

"Happy Birthday."

They were closing up for the night. It was only him, Jones and Diana around. And Agent Kramer, who just asked Diana to come. Diana did not look happy about it. She did not like to enjoy the elder man's company either. He watched her sit down and he knew her well enough to see by her body language that she was not comfortable.

She turned towards them, pushing on a smile to her face as he and Jones waved good bye. She waved back, and so did Kramer.

He and Jones left and took the elevator.

"Talked to Kramer anything?" he asked on the way down.

"Not much. He seems more focused on you."

"In a good or a bad way?"

"He is a federal agent, Caffrey."

"So?"

"He does his job."

Was Jones that naive, or did he just not want to reveal any of his opinions to him?

The following day when Peter arrived at the office, Diana knocked on his doorframe.

"Can we talk, boss?"

"Sure, what's up?"

She closed the door and sat down.

"Kramer threatened me last night."

"What?! How?"

"It wasn't a direct threat… It's just…"

"Yes?"

"He's going through Caffrey's files," she started, and he nodded, knowing about it. "He asked me if I liked working for you and then said that he had realized that Caffrey had a lot of secrets—of the kind he can't cover up alone, he said. I asked him if he thought I helped him, and he answered that maybe you and I were turning a blind eye, and he wondered what he would find if he kept digging."

"Nothing," Peter said.

"That's what I said, and he asked me if I was sure of that."

"And? You said he threatened you."

"Yeah… When I said that the FBI is my home, he said no one wants to lose their home, and when he said that Caffrey could not have covered it up alone…"

"I get what you mean," Peter said. "But you've done nothing wrong. I know Kramer, he can be intimidating, but that is his job."

"Peter, there is something going on here, and I don't think it's only a matter of FBIs official statement. That would not take that long and need that much research."

Kramer was a thorough man, but Diana had a point. But then again, Caffrey was no ordinary case.

"Thank you for telling me, Diana. Keep me posted, will you?"

"Of course."

This is the end of part 15. If you enjoyed it, please consider a small contribution at Buy Me A Coffee dot com dash AltanKatt. You'll find a link to it on my Instagram and on X.