The Queen's Jewels

Chapter 6: The Mousetrap

Neal's loft. November 18, 2004. Thursday morning.

After a late night with his fellow musketeers, Neal slept in on Thursday morning. When he awoke, his apartment was already flooded with bright sunlight. As he lay in bed, he frowned at his anklet. The green light leered up at him like an evil eye. Aidan called it his iron mask. Well, at least he wasn't locked away in a prison, and he was determined to keep that scenario from becoming a reality.

His cell phone rang. When he saw Fiona's name on the display, ice swept down his spine. Had OPR contacted her despite their promise? He cleared his throat, forcing himself to relax before answering.

False alarm. She'd only called to arrange a meeting after class to discuss the Thanksgiving program. What were the odds he'd still be around at Thanksgiving?

Could Aidan succeed in hacking the anklet? Then Neal could pay a visit to Tramonte. If he was still around. Neal was convinced he was the thief. But with every day that passed, the likelihood that he still had the earrings grew more remote. And even if Tramonte had them, stealing them back wouldn't help Neal's case. He'd have to somehow prove Tramonte had taken them.

Neal dressed quickly and prepared breakfast. Over coffee, he called Mozzie. "Can you come over? I have an idea." A knock at the door interrupted him.

"Do you need to take that?" Mozzie asked.

"Yes, but I'll make it quick."

June was at the door. "Neal, a man identifying himself as Agent Garrett Fowler is here to see you. Should I let him up?" She added in a low voice, "I don't like his looks. I wouldn't trust him."

"Thanks, June. I don't either." Telling Mozzie he'd call him back, Neal waited for the next round. Offhand he couldn't think of any good reasons for the visit, but there were plenty of bad ones.

"Sorry to bother you at home," Fowler said when he appeared at the doorway. "This is quite a place you have."

"I was just finishing breakfast—coffee?" Neal could afford to be courteous. Perhaps he'd catch him revealing something in an unguarded moment. Having the agent on his turf gave Neal a sense of being in control. At work, he'd been a pawn on the chessboard, but today his knight was in play.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." Fowler was a different man from the hostile agent at the Bureau. Where did this new friendly attitude come from?

Neal gestured for him to take a seat at the table while he got the coffee. "Has there been any progress on the case?"

"That's what I wanted to speak to you about. Unfortunately, no new evidence has been uncovered. So far you're our only suspect." Shaking his head with a look of regret, Fowler added, "I'm inclined to believe in your innocence. No question about it, you've been given a bum rap."

What was Fowler's angle? Neal simply nodded and allowed him to continue talking.

"Your history makes the charges extremely difficult to fight, however. I discussed your case with the Assistant Director yesterday and raised the issue of the falsified fingerprints. It pains me to say that I couldn't sway him. He's convinced you deliberately planted the bogus thumbprint to cast doubts on your guilt. He said the safecracking expertise you'd demonstrated in Geneva proves you're the only one who has both the skill and the inside knowledge to be able to pull this off."

How did the Assistant Director know about Geneva? Neal was confident he hadn't mentioned anything about it in his confession. Inwardly seething, Neal was careful to show no reaction to his words.

"That brings me to the reason I came," Fowler continued. "The Assistant Director has authorized me to tell you that if you quit the Bureau, all charges will be dropped. He recognizes that the evidence may not be sufficient for a trial but he can guarantee that you'll be unable to continue at the FBI. If you leave voluntarily, we won't pursue the case and there will be no further repercussions. We also won't contact Columbia about you." Fowler leaned forward, spreading his hands with his palms up as if to show what a trustworthy fellow he was. "This is a great deal. Don't dismiss it without giving it some thought."