[Fic] Notes and Murder - Chapter 4: Finish and Start Anew (whitecollar_bb, WC/Castle)
Title: Notes and Murder
Chapter Title: Finish and Start Anew
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 3,357
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Neal walked into the White Collar office that morning and immediately picked up that something was wrong. There was tension in the air - not that it was new, considering that it was getting closer and closer to his court date - but this was different tension. He could see in Diana’s and Jones’ eyes that something was more wrong than usual. He took off his hat, putting it on his desk before walking over to the two of them. “What’s wrong?” He asked quietly as he looked over the pile of folders on Diana’s desk. “Which one do you want me to finish doing notes on you today?”
“None of them,” Diana said. “They can wait.”
“Alright...what’s up then?” Neal asked. “Considering that you’ve been after me to get the paperwork done for about a month now.”
Jones was about to say something when they heard a knock from the glass upstairs. They all looked up and saw Peter point at Neal before doing his motion to come upstairs. “It can wait,” Jones said.
“Okay,” Neal said as he turned to the stairs and went up them to Peter’s office. He went in and sat down in his usual chair. “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”
“I know that,” Peter said. “Neal - there’s a body in the morgue of the Twelfth Precinct. They don’t have an ID yet, but from the description - it sounds like a match for Alex.”
“Why did they even think to call you in the first place?” Neal asked.
“My card was in her pocket,” Peter said. “On the back was my cell phone and home phone numbers.”
“Sounds like she wanted to make contact,” Neal said. “I’ll call Mozzie?”
“You can do it in the car,” Peter said.
“Why?” Neal asked.
“I need you to come with me to ID the body,” Peter said. “You know her better than anyone.”
“Right,” Neal said quietly and sighed. “Okay, let’s go,” he said as he got up.
“You’re taking this too well,” Peter said.
“No, not really,” Neal said. “But there are a lot of women who can match Alex’s description. So I’m holding out hope that it isn’t her. If it is...well, there’s nothing saying that we can’t help out the NYPD?”
“It depends,” Peter said. “Not a lot of them like working with us.”
“So we’ll ask nicely,” Neal said. “Use charm.”
“You’re going to charm someone with a gun and a badge?” Peter asked.
“I do it every day here,” Neal said.
“That’s only because Diana and Jones like you,” Peter pointed out as he got his jacket and moved to walk out with Neal.
“Diana wouldn’t shoot me unless you told her to,” Neal said.
“What wouldn’t I do?” Diana asked.
“Shoot me,” Neal said.
“Depends on time and place, Caffrey,” Diana said with a grin. “Boss, here’s what we have on Alex Hunter’s last known places and associates.”
Peter looked through the file quickly and stopped at a picture. He showed it to Neal - it was of Alex and Mozzie talking in Central Park. “He didn’t tell you she was back?”
“He’s not going to like that you took that,” Neal said. “And no, he didn’t. Probably because of the hearing. How did you get that picture, by the way? He’s always looking over his shoulder.”
“There’s closed circuit cameras in the park, Neal,” Peter said as he closed up the file and walked out of the office with Neal following him. “And no, I’m not telling you where so he can avoid them.”
“He’ll just find another place to talk to people,” Neal countered.
“Then don’t tell him about the cameras at all,” Peter replied.
Neal sighed. “Do you really think it’s Alex?”
“No,” Peter said. “Do you?”
“Maybe,” Neal said. “I told you she was sending me post cards and letters, right?”
“Yes,” Peter said. “You even explained a code that we already broke.”
“I’m still wondering how you did that,” Neal said.
“We knew your favorite painter,” Peter said. “We just couldn’t figure out who she was. At the time, we thought it was Kate.”
“But Kate was with me,” Neal said, looking confused.
“It wasn’t a well thought out plan,” Peter said.
“Eh, you got your man in the end,” Neal said.
“Don’t forget it,” Peter said as they walked into the elevator and headed down to the car.
*~*~*~*
It was a quiet walk down the hall to the morgue at the Twelfth Precinct. Peter nodded to the woman that was waiting for them, pulling out his badge and opening it for the woman to see. “Special Agent Peter Burke and this is my consultant Neal Caffrey.”
“Detective Kate Beckett,” Beckett said with a nod to Caffrey. “It’s good to meet the both of you. This should only take a moment.”
Peter nodded a yes, putting his badge away. “Thank you,” he said as he motioned for Neal to go over to the viewing window.
“Ready?” Beckett asked.
Neal nodded a yes and Beckett tapped on the window. Lanie rolled up the shades, showing the body. Neal froze, looking at the woman that was lying on the slab with her eyes closed. “Peter,” he whispered.
Peter moved over and looked down at the body. “Alright,” he said quietly and led Neal over to sit down. “Could I trouble you for a glass of water?” He asked of Beckett.
“Sure,” Beckett said as she went to get it.
“Thanks,” Peter said and waited for Beckett to leave.
“It’s Alex,” Neal said quietly. “Peter - “
“We’ll work with them,” Peter said. “You really thought that we wouldn’t?”
“Yes,” Neal whispered and tried to swallow.
“I’m going to talk with Detective Beckett. For right now, I want you to think of anything that Alex has told you recently - good or bad. I want to know if there was a deal going wrong or if there was something in her past that would come back to bite her. Then I want you to call Mozzie and ask him to meet us. I want to talk to him. Right now, he’s the last person that we know of to see Alex alive.”
“He won’t talk to a cop,” Neal said quietly. “He barely talks to you.”
“If I have to, we’ll use El,” Peter said as the door opened. He took out his pen and notepad, giving it to Neal before taking a step back.
Neal took them and then the glass of water. “Thank you.”
“So, what was her name?” Beckett asked.
“Alexandra Hunter,” Peter said as he moved away from Neal. He was glad when Beckett followed. “She’s a known fence and has worked with my unit before. Caffrey is a former associate of hers. We also know one of the last people to speak to her alive. He’s a bit shaky but, if you need it, I can get him to talk to me.”
“I’d like to meet him,” Beckett said. “But only if he’s alright with it. Agent Burke, why did she have a card with three numbers for you on it?”
“She has a standing invitation to turn herself in if she ever wanted to,” Peter said. “The last time I gave her my card, it only had my office phone number on it.” He looked over to Neal. “Detective Beckett, if we could work this case together, I would be grateful.”
Beckett nodded a yes. “I’ll have to talk about it with my commander,” she said.
“If you need something to reel her in with, tell her that we’ll let you have the first crack at whoever did this,” Peter said. “Considering that Alex’s murder is more important.”
Beckett smiled. “You really are easy to work with.”
“Only when it’s a case that I really want,” Peter replied. “Do you mind a personal question?”
Beckett raised an eyebrow but smiled. “What is it?”
“You’re the Detective Beckett who is behind the Nikki Heat novels, right?” Peter asked in a quiet tone.
Beckett grinned at that. “Yes,” she said. “I used to hate it, but I’m starting to like it.”
“Better in person than in fiction,” Peter said with a smile and looked over to Neal. “I think he’s wrapping up what he’s thinking.”
“What did you ask of him?” Beckett asked.
“To write down anything good or bad that Alex told him in the last few months,” Peter replied. “He’s been passing post cards and letters back and forth.”
“Ah,” Beckett said. “Mind if I ask you a personal question now?”
“Nope,” Peter replied.
“What’s it like working with a former con man?” Beckett asked.
“Who said anything about former?” Neal asked. He had come over in his quiet way and handed over the note pad to Peter. He watched Peter hand it to Beckett. “And he likes it, save for when he feels he needs to yell at me.”
“He’d be right,” Peter said.
Beckett smiled. “I’ll photocopy this for you. And I’ll give you a call within the hour.”
“Thank you,” Peter said.
“We’re allowed?” Neal asked.
“She has to run it by her commander first, but yes,” Peter replied. “Now you need to call Mozzie.”
“After we get out of here,” Neal said. “Just to put him more at ease.”
“She wants to meet Mozzie,” Peter said.
“Not yet,” Neal said. “Did she say her name was Detective Beckett?”
“Yes and I already asked,” Peter said.
“Did you get her autograph then?” Neal teased but dropped it as Beckett came back.
“There we go,” Beckett said as she handed Peter his note pad back. “I’ll talk to you within a hour.”
“Thank you,” Peter said before he and Neal left the morgue. Peter waited until they were back in the car to give Neal a look.
“Fine,” Neal said as he pulled out his cell phone and called Mozzie.
“Hello,” Mozzie said.
“Moz, it’s me,” Neal said.
“Good,” Mozzie said. “Is there a way for us to talk?”
“Can you get to the apartment?” Neal asked. “I have to bring Peter with.”
“What? Why the Suit?” Mozzie asked.
“Because of Alex,” Neal replied.
“Bring him,” Mozzie said and hung up.
“He’ll meet us at home,” Neal replied before Peter started the car and took off.
*~*~*~*
Mozzie was waiting for them when they got to Neal’s apartment. He looked up at the both of them. “So the rumors are true that Alex is dead?”
“Yes,” Neal said as he crossed the room and poured himself a drink. “Peter? I’ve got some of yours if you want it.”
“Sure,” Peter said as he closed the door. He walked over to where Mozzie was and sat down across from him. “Mozzie - “
“I know that I was one of the last ones to speak to her,” Mozzie said. “And I saw your cameras in the park.”
“They’re not our cameras specifically,” Peter countered.
Neal sighed as he came over with his drink and Peter’s beer. “Can we leave off the commentary today?”
“Only for today,” Mozzie said. “What do you want to know?”
“What were the two of you talking about?” Peter asked.
“She wanted to turn herself in,” Mozzie said. “She was running from someone and thought that you would help protect her. She also had information.” He pulled a key to an airport locker at JFK and handed it to Neal. “She wanted Neal to have it in case something happened.”
“So whoever killed her was looking for that,” Peter said.
“Yeah,” Neal said quietly as he looked it over. He then handed it over for Peter to look at.
“We’ll take a ride out as soon as we’re done here,” Peter said. “Unless you want to come with.”
“Well, your beer isn’t opened,” Mozzie said.
Neal stood up and put away the beer before he poured his glass of wine back into the bottle. “Let’s go.”
Peter got up as his cell phone rang. “Burke,” he answered and smiled. “Hello Detective Beckett,” he said. “Good to know. We’ll be in as soon as we can be. We’ve got a lead to a locker at JFK - it seems that whoever killed her was probably looking for what she stashed there.” He paused and listened to the other side. “Sure, you can meet us there,” he said. “See you then,” he said and hung up. “We’re meeting her there,” he said and looked to Mozzie.
“NYPD?” Mozzie asked and made a face.
“You don’t have to come,” Neal said with a smile.
“No, I’ll come,” Mozzie said. “I want to know what is inside the locker.”
“As do we all,” Peter said as he led the way back down the stairs. He wasn’t surprised that everyone was quiet on the way to JFK. They were able to find a spot easily and meet up with Beckett. “Hello,” he said with a nod. He looked behind him and saw that Neal and Mozzie were no longer behind him. “They’ll meet us at the locker.”
“Okay,” Beckett said and gave a side glance as Castle came up to them. “And this is Richard Castle. Castle, this is Special Agent Peter Burke.”
"Hello," Castle said and shook Peter's hand. "You somehow seem nicer than other FBI agents we've dealt with."
"More than I'm more used to crazy things happening," Peter replied. He was about to say something else when Neal came up next to him. "Case in point, Richard Castle, Neal Caffrey. Neal, Richard Castle."
"Hello," Neal said with a smile as he shook Castle's hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks," Castle said. "Why do I think there's more here?"
"Not the time, Castle," Beckett says. "Shall we?"
"Yes," Peter said as he motioned for Neal to lead the way.
"So, what department of the FBI do you work for?" Castle asked as they walked.
"White Collar crime," Peter replied.
"And he's not an agent?" Castle asked.
"Consultant," Peter replied. "Part of a deal he made after I captured him."
"What?" Castle asked.
Peter quietly explained about Neal and the deal that they made as they went down to the locker. He motioned for Neal to open the locker and then stepped back as Beckett examined the locker. "Looks good?"
"It does," Beckett replied as she moved for Peter to take out the bag.
"Thank you," Peter said as he put on gloves and took out the bag. "Neal, you want to do the honors?"
"Sure," Neal said as he moved over to the bag. He put on gloves first before opening the bag. He took out a few small poster rolls, a small camera bag, a couple of jewelry boxes, and a laptop bag. "I know someone who is going to be very happy."
"I'll call her when we're done here," Peter said.
"It doesn't look like there's anything here that we can use in our investigation," Beckett said. "Copy us on anything you find on the laptop?"
"Of course," Peter said with a nod. "I should be able to get you something by the end of the day - tomorrow at the latest."
"Thank you," Beckett said with a smile as she took Castle and left Peter and Neal alone.
"Put everything back?" Neal asked.
"In the bag, yes," Peter said. "And double check the locker."
Neal grinned as he put everything back before moving to check the locker. "Found it," he said as he grabbed an envelope. He opened it and scanned it over with a sigh. "Final Will and Testament of Alexandra Hunter."
"Put it in the bag, Neal," Peter said quietly. "And I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Neal said quietly and did so.
Peter sighed and took the bag. "Where did Mozzie go?"
"Here," Mozzie said as he turned the corner. "Just didn't feel like interacting."
"That's fine," Peter said.
"We need to go back to the office, Moz," Neal said. "Alex left a will though."
"Give it to him," Peter said as he pulled out a card to give to Mozzie. "Take it to that lawyer and have him look it over. You've got a week to get anything she left to the right people. All I can give you."
"Thanks Suit," Mozzie said as he took the card and then the will. "I'll make my own way back," he said as he turned around and left them.
"That was nice," Neal said.
"Let's just get back to the office," Peter said as the two made their own way out of the airport and back to the office. They were quiet on the way back, with neither of them making a call to their loved one. At the office, Peter pulled Diana and Jones into their conference room and brought them up to speed. It was only after that they called Sara and the bag was fully inventoried. "How are you doing with the computer?" He asked of Neal.
"Just got in," Neal replied. He looked like he was about to say something else and blinked. "Peter," he said as he opened a folder on the desktop that was titled with 'Neal Caffrey - Pass Suit".
"Open it," Peter said as he looked over Neal's shoulder.
Neal did as Peter asked. "Wow," he said as there were different documents and websites in that folder. He clicked on the read me first:
Neal, if you're reading this, I'm probably dead. Take this information to Burke - it's everything you need to track down your monster.
Don't be afraid if you see ghosts.
Love always, Alex
"I think we have the answer to who killed Alex," Peter said. "And we should tell them." He turned to Diana and Jones. "Get Elizabeth out of the city. Boston's going to be the best - tell her to take Satch as well."
"Done boss," Diana said as she and Jones left the room.
"Sara should get out of the city as well," Neal said.
"And why should I do that?" Sara asked as she entered the room. She moved over to one of the boxes. "You two really shouldn't have."
"Alex's last gift," Peter said.
"Oh," Sara said. "Neal, I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Neal said. "Peter - "
"No," Peter said. "El getting out of the city is one thing. He'll leave her alone. He doesn't know about you and Sara."
"And if he does?" Neal asked.
"Who are you two talking about?" Sara asked.
Peter sighed and motioned to the screen as an image of the person came up. "Emmanuel Grey."
"...No way," Sara said. "You're joking. He's a philanthropist."
"One of his covers," Neal said. "In reality, he's a sadist. Trust me, I should know."
Sara turned to Peter and then Neal. "What's the play?"
"Find him, tie him to Alex's murder, and turn him in," Peter said.
"Or kill him," Neal countered.
"He needs to pay for his crimes in a court of law," Peter replied.
"Fine," Neal said as he closed the computer and stood up.
"Neal," Peter said as Neal left the room. "Look them over. If it can help the both of us close cases, we'll do that." He then turned and quickly went after Neal. He caught up to Neal at the elevators. He gently took Neal's arm and moved him away from the elevators into a quiet nook. "You can't just take off."
"Says who?" Neal asked. "Damn you, Peter! Grey should be dead. He should be dead a million times over and then someone should piss on his grave!"
Peter blinked and sighed. "That's going to his level, Neal, and you know it."
Neal turned and slammed his hand against the wall hard. "And for the first time in a long time, I'm willing to do it."
Peter put a hand on Neal's shoulder before pulling him into a hug. He was glad as Neal relaxed as he was just comforting as Neal broke down into tears. He let Neal get everything out before cleaning him up and going back in to finish helping Sara with what they found and getting the right files to the NYPD.
Chapter Title: Finish and Start Anew
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 3,357
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Neal walked into the White Collar office that morning and immediately picked up that something was wrong. There was tension in the air - not that it was new, considering that it was getting closer and closer to his court date - but this was different tension. He could see in Diana’s and Jones’ eyes that something was more wrong than usual. He took off his hat, putting it on his desk before walking over to the two of them. “What’s wrong?” He asked quietly as he looked over the pile of folders on Diana’s desk. “Which one do you want me to finish doing notes on you today?”
“None of them,” Diana said. “They can wait.”
“Alright...what’s up then?” Neal asked. “Considering that you’ve been after me to get the paperwork done for about a month now.”
Jones was about to say something when they heard a knock from the glass upstairs. They all looked up and saw Peter point at Neal before doing his motion to come upstairs. “It can wait,” Jones said.
“Okay,” Neal said as he turned to the stairs and went up them to Peter’s office. He went in and sat down in his usual chair. “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”
“I know that,” Peter said. “Neal - there’s a body in the morgue of the Twelfth Precinct. They don’t have an ID yet, but from the description - it sounds like a match for Alex.”
“Why did they even think to call you in the first place?” Neal asked.
“My card was in her pocket,” Peter said. “On the back was my cell phone and home phone numbers.”
“Sounds like she wanted to make contact,” Neal said. “I’ll call Mozzie?”
“You can do it in the car,” Peter said.
“Why?” Neal asked.
“I need you to come with me to ID the body,” Peter said. “You know her better than anyone.”
“Right,” Neal said quietly and sighed. “Okay, let’s go,” he said as he got up.
“You’re taking this too well,” Peter said.
“No, not really,” Neal said. “But there are a lot of women who can match Alex’s description. So I’m holding out hope that it isn’t her. If it is...well, there’s nothing saying that we can’t help out the NYPD?”
“It depends,” Peter said. “Not a lot of them like working with us.”
“So we’ll ask nicely,” Neal said. “Use charm.”
“You’re going to charm someone with a gun and a badge?” Peter asked.
“I do it every day here,” Neal said.
“That’s only because Diana and Jones like you,” Peter pointed out as he got his jacket and moved to walk out with Neal.
“Diana wouldn’t shoot me unless you told her to,” Neal said.
“What wouldn’t I do?” Diana asked.
“Shoot me,” Neal said.
“Depends on time and place, Caffrey,” Diana said with a grin. “Boss, here’s what we have on Alex Hunter’s last known places and associates.”
Peter looked through the file quickly and stopped at a picture. He showed it to Neal - it was of Alex and Mozzie talking in Central Park. “He didn’t tell you she was back?”
“He’s not going to like that you took that,” Neal said. “And no, he didn’t. Probably because of the hearing. How did you get that picture, by the way? He’s always looking over his shoulder.”
“There’s closed circuit cameras in the park, Neal,” Peter said as he closed up the file and walked out of the office with Neal following him. “And no, I’m not telling you where so he can avoid them.”
“He’ll just find another place to talk to people,” Neal countered.
“Then don’t tell him about the cameras at all,” Peter replied.
Neal sighed. “Do you really think it’s Alex?”
“No,” Peter said. “Do you?”
“Maybe,” Neal said. “I told you she was sending me post cards and letters, right?”
“Yes,” Peter said. “You even explained a code that we already broke.”
“I’m still wondering how you did that,” Neal said.
“We knew your favorite painter,” Peter said. “We just couldn’t figure out who she was. At the time, we thought it was Kate.”
“But Kate was with me,” Neal said, looking confused.
“It wasn’t a well thought out plan,” Peter said.
“Eh, you got your man in the end,” Neal said.
“Don’t forget it,” Peter said as they walked into the elevator and headed down to the car.
*~*~*~*
It was a quiet walk down the hall to the morgue at the Twelfth Precinct. Peter nodded to the woman that was waiting for them, pulling out his badge and opening it for the woman to see. “Special Agent Peter Burke and this is my consultant Neal Caffrey.”
“Detective Kate Beckett,” Beckett said with a nod to Caffrey. “It’s good to meet the both of you. This should only take a moment.”
Peter nodded a yes, putting his badge away. “Thank you,” he said as he motioned for Neal to go over to the viewing window.
“Ready?” Beckett asked.
Neal nodded a yes and Beckett tapped on the window. Lanie rolled up the shades, showing the body. Neal froze, looking at the woman that was lying on the slab with her eyes closed. “Peter,” he whispered.
Peter moved over and looked down at the body. “Alright,” he said quietly and led Neal over to sit down. “Could I trouble you for a glass of water?” He asked of Beckett.
“Sure,” Beckett said as she went to get it.
“Thanks,” Peter said and waited for Beckett to leave.
“It’s Alex,” Neal said quietly. “Peter - “
“We’ll work with them,” Peter said. “You really thought that we wouldn’t?”
“Yes,” Neal whispered and tried to swallow.
“I’m going to talk with Detective Beckett. For right now, I want you to think of anything that Alex has told you recently - good or bad. I want to know if there was a deal going wrong or if there was something in her past that would come back to bite her. Then I want you to call Mozzie and ask him to meet us. I want to talk to him. Right now, he’s the last person that we know of to see Alex alive.”
“He won’t talk to a cop,” Neal said quietly. “He barely talks to you.”
“If I have to, we’ll use El,” Peter said as the door opened. He took out his pen and notepad, giving it to Neal before taking a step back.
Neal took them and then the glass of water. “Thank you.”
“So, what was her name?” Beckett asked.
“Alexandra Hunter,” Peter said as he moved away from Neal. He was glad when Beckett followed. “She’s a known fence and has worked with my unit before. Caffrey is a former associate of hers. We also know one of the last people to speak to her alive. He’s a bit shaky but, if you need it, I can get him to talk to me.”
“I’d like to meet him,” Beckett said. “But only if he’s alright with it. Agent Burke, why did she have a card with three numbers for you on it?”
“She has a standing invitation to turn herself in if she ever wanted to,” Peter said. “The last time I gave her my card, it only had my office phone number on it.” He looked over to Neal. “Detective Beckett, if we could work this case together, I would be grateful.”
Beckett nodded a yes. “I’ll have to talk about it with my commander,” she said.
“If you need something to reel her in with, tell her that we’ll let you have the first crack at whoever did this,” Peter said. “Considering that Alex’s murder is more important.”
Beckett smiled. “You really are easy to work with.”
“Only when it’s a case that I really want,” Peter replied. “Do you mind a personal question?”
Beckett raised an eyebrow but smiled. “What is it?”
“You’re the Detective Beckett who is behind the Nikki Heat novels, right?” Peter asked in a quiet tone.
Beckett grinned at that. “Yes,” she said. “I used to hate it, but I’m starting to like it.”
“Better in person than in fiction,” Peter said with a smile and looked over to Neal. “I think he’s wrapping up what he’s thinking.”
“What did you ask of him?” Beckett asked.
“To write down anything good or bad that Alex told him in the last few months,” Peter replied. “He’s been passing post cards and letters back and forth.”
“Ah,” Beckett said. “Mind if I ask you a personal question now?”
“Nope,” Peter replied.
“What’s it like working with a former con man?” Beckett asked.
“Who said anything about former?” Neal asked. He had come over in his quiet way and handed over the note pad to Peter. He watched Peter hand it to Beckett. “And he likes it, save for when he feels he needs to yell at me.”
“He’d be right,” Peter said.
Beckett smiled. “I’ll photocopy this for you. And I’ll give you a call within the hour.”
“Thank you,” Peter said.
“We’re allowed?” Neal asked.
“She has to run it by her commander first, but yes,” Peter replied. “Now you need to call Mozzie.”
“After we get out of here,” Neal said. “Just to put him more at ease.”
“She wants to meet Mozzie,” Peter said.
“Not yet,” Neal said. “Did she say her name was Detective Beckett?”
“Yes and I already asked,” Peter said.
“Did you get her autograph then?” Neal teased but dropped it as Beckett came back.
“There we go,” Beckett said as she handed Peter his note pad back. “I’ll talk to you within a hour.”
“Thank you,” Peter said before he and Neal left the morgue. Peter waited until they were back in the car to give Neal a look.
“Fine,” Neal said as he pulled out his cell phone and called Mozzie.
“Hello,” Mozzie said.
“Moz, it’s me,” Neal said.
“Good,” Mozzie said. “Is there a way for us to talk?”
“Can you get to the apartment?” Neal asked. “I have to bring Peter with.”
“What? Why the Suit?” Mozzie asked.
“Because of Alex,” Neal replied.
“Bring him,” Mozzie said and hung up.
“He’ll meet us at home,” Neal replied before Peter started the car and took off.
*~*~*~*
Mozzie was waiting for them when they got to Neal’s apartment. He looked up at the both of them. “So the rumors are true that Alex is dead?”
“Yes,” Neal said as he crossed the room and poured himself a drink. “Peter? I’ve got some of yours if you want it.”
“Sure,” Peter said as he closed the door. He walked over to where Mozzie was and sat down across from him. “Mozzie - “
“I know that I was one of the last ones to speak to her,” Mozzie said. “And I saw your cameras in the park.”
“They’re not our cameras specifically,” Peter countered.
Neal sighed as he came over with his drink and Peter’s beer. “Can we leave off the commentary today?”
“Only for today,” Mozzie said. “What do you want to know?”
“What were the two of you talking about?” Peter asked.
“She wanted to turn herself in,” Mozzie said. “She was running from someone and thought that you would help protect her. She also had information.” He pulled a key to an airport locker at JFK and handed it to Neal. “She wanted Neal to have it in case something happened.”
“So whoever killed her was looking for that,” Peter said.
“Yeah,” Neal said quietly as he looked it over. He then handed it over for Peter to look at.
“We’ll take a ride out as soon as we’re done here,” Peter said. “Unless you want to come with.”
“Well, your beer isn’t opened,” Mozzie said.
Neal stood up and put away the beer before he poured his glass of wine back into the bottle. “Let’s go.”
Peter got up as his cell phone rang. “Burke,” he answered and smiled. “Hello Detective Beckett,” he said. “Good to know. We’ll be in as soon as we can be. We’ve got a lead to a locker at JFK - it seems that whoever killed her was probably looking for what she stashed there.” He paused and listened to the other side. “Sure, you can meet us there,” he said. “See you then,” he said and hung up. “We’re meeting her there,” he said and looked to Mozzie.
“NYPD?” Mozzie asked and made a face.
“You don’t have to come,” Neal said with a smile.
“No, I’ll come,” Mozzie said. “I want to know what is inside the locker.”
“As do we all,” Peter said as he led the way back down the stairs. He wasn’t surprised that everyone was quiet on the way to JFK. They were able to find a spot easily and meet up with Beckett. “Hello,” he said with a nod. He looked behind him and saw that Neal and Mozzie were no longer behind him. “They’ll meet us at the locker.”
“Okay,” Beckett said and gave a side glance as Castle came up to them. “And this is Richard Castle. Castle, this is Special Agent Peter Burke.”
"Hello," Castle said and shook Peter's hand. "You somehow seem nicer than other FBI agents we've dealt with."
"More than I'm more used to crazy things happening," Peter replied. He was about to say something else when Neal came up next to him. "Case in point, Richard Castle, Neal Caffrey. Neal, Richard Castle."
"Hello," Neal said with a smile as he shook Castle's hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks," Castle said. "Why do I think there's more here?"
"Not the time, Castle," Beckett says. "Shall we?"
"Yes," Peter said as he motioned for Neal to lead the way.
"So, what department of the FBI do you work for?" Castle asked as they walked.
"White Collar crime," Peter replied.
"And he's not an agent?" Castle asked.
"Consultant," Peter replied. "Part of a deal he made after I captured him."
"What?" Castle asked.
Peter quietly explained about Neal and the deal that they made as they went down to the locker. He motioned for Neal to open the locker and then stepped back as Beckett examined the locker. "Looks good?"
"It does," Beckett replied as she moved for Peter to take out the bag.
"Thank you," Peter said as he put on gloves and took out the bag. "Neal, you want to do the honors?"
"Sure," Neal said as he moved over to the bag. He put on gloves first before opening the bag. He took out a few small poster rolls, a small camera bag, a couple of jewelry boxes, and a laptop bag. "I know someone who is going to be very happy."
"I'll call her when we're done here," Peter said.
"It doesn't look like there's anything here that we can use in our investigation," Beckett said. "Copy us on anything you find on the laptop?"
"Of course," Peter said with a nod. "I should be able to get you something by the end of the day - tomorrow at the latest."
"Thank you," Beckett said with a smile as she took Castle and left Peter and Neal alone.
"Put everything back?" Neal asked.
"In the bag, yes," Peter said. "And double check the locker."
Neal grinned as he put everything back before moving to check the locker. "Found it," he said as he grabbed an envelope. He opened it and scanned it over with a sigh. "Final Will and Testament of Alexandra Hunter."
"Put it in the bag, Neal," Peter said quietly. "And I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Neal said quietly and did so.
Peter sighed and took the bag. "Where did Mozzie go?"
"Here," Mozzie said as he turned the corner. "Just didn't feel like interacting."
"That's fine," Peter said.
"We need to go back to the office, Moz," Neal said. "Alex left a will though."
"Give it to him," Peter said as he pulled out a card to give to Mozzie. "Take it to that lawyer and have him look it over. You've got a week to get anything she left to the right people. All I can give you."
"Thanks Suit," Mozzie said as he took the card and then the will. "I'll make my own way back," he said as he turned around and left them.
"That was nice," Neal said.
"Let's just get back to the office," Peter said as the two made their own way out of the airport and back to the office. They were quiet on the way back, with neither of them making a call to their loved one. At the office, Peter pulled Diana and Jones into their conference room and brought them up to speed. It was only after that they called Sara and the bag was fully inventoried. "How are you doing with the computer?" He asked of Neal.
"Just got in," Neal replied. He looked like he was about to say something else and blinked. "Peter," he said as he opened a folder on the desktop that was titled with 'Neal Caffrey - Pass Suit".
"Open it," Peter said as he looked over Neal's shoulder.
Neal did as Peter asked. "Wow," he said as there were different documents and websites in that folder. He clicked on the read me first:
Neal, if you're reading this, I'm probably dead. Take this information to Burke - it's everything you need to track down your monster.
Don't be afraid if you see ghosts.
Love always, Alex
"I think we have the answer to who killed Alex," Peter said. "And we should tell them." He turned to Diana and Jones. "Get Elizabeth out of the city. Boston's going to be the best - tell her to take Satch as well."
"Done boss," Diana said as she and Jones left the room.
"Sara should get out of the city as well," Neal said.
"And why should I do that?" Sara asked as she entered the room. She moved over to one of the boxes. "You two really shouldn't have."
"Alex's last gift," Peter said.
"Oh," Sara said. "Neal, I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Neal said. "Peter - "
"No," Peter said. "El getting out of the city is one thing. He'll leave her alone. He doesn't know about you and Sara."
"And if he does?" Neal asked.
"Who are you two talking about?" Sara asked.
Peter sighed and motioned to the screen as an image of the person came up. "Emmanuel Grey."
"...No way," Sara said. "You're joking. He's a philanthropist."
"One of his covers," Neal said. "In reality, he's a sadist. Trust me, I should know."
Sara turned to Peter and then Neal. "What's the play?"
"Find him, tie him to Alex's murder, and turn him in," Peter said.
"Or kill him," Neal countered.
"He needs to pay for his crimes in a court of law," Peter replied.
"Fine," Neal said as he closed the computer and stood up.
"Neal," Peter said as Neal left the room. "Look them over. If it can help the both of us close cases, we'll do that." He then turned and quickly went after Neal. He caught up to Neal at the elevators. He gently took Neal's arm and moved him away from the elevators into a quiet nook. "You can't just take off."
"Says who?" Neal asked. "Damn you, Peter! Grey should be dead. He should be dead a million times over and then someone should piss on his grave!"
Peter blinked and sighed. "That's going to his level, Neal, and you know it."
Neal turned and slammed his hand against the wall hard. "And for the first time in a long time, I'm willing to do it."
Peter put a hand on Neal's shoulder before pulling him into a hug. He was glad as Neal relaxed as he was just comforting as Neal broke down into tears. He let Neal get everything out before cleaning him up and going back in to finish helping Sara with what they found and getting the right files to the NYPD.