Fashion Undertow

Chapter 1: Rabbit Holes

White Collar breakroom, Federal Building. Friday, September 1, 2006.

"Now this is the way to start the Labor Day weekend," Diana declared as she reached for a cannoli.

Neal smiled appreciatively and passed the pastry box to Jones. They'd planned the pre-holiday celebration the previous day. Each supplied their own sandwich but also brought something to be shared. Diana's contribution was red-pepper hummus and pita chips. Jones brought potato salad.

"This is a sendoff of sorts," Jones said. "Once Sara arrives, Caffrey will probably be spending all his lunch breaks with her."

"Not necessarily," Neal said. "Besides, can't Sara join us occasionally in the breakroom?"

"Of course, she can," Diana said. "Especially after she starts working at Winston-Winslow. Henry's office is only a short distance away."

"Has the deal gone through?" Jones asked.

"It was finalized two weeks ago," Neal confirmed. "In September, Sara will continue to work at Sterling-Bosch as a member of the New York transition team. Then, starting on October 2, she'll become a Win-Win employee."

Henry's plan to diversify Win-Win's business had been a triumph. The initial concept was developed thanks to a tip provided by Sara. She'd alerted him several months ago that insurance companies were starting to outsource their investigation needs. Henry convinced Win-Win's CEO that they should look into it. Acquiring the first client had been a challenge, but once Henry had successfully negotiated the agreement, others quickly followed. By the time Sterling-Bosch decided to outsource their needs, Win-Win could make a compelling case. For Neal and Sara, it was the dream they'd hoped for. Sara would be working out of the Win-Win office in lower Manhattan. Her focus would be Sterling-Bosch, essentially providing the same expertise she had before. And although she would continue to travel, her home base would now be New York.

"When does Sara arrive in town?" Diana asked.

"This evening."

"So that's why you've had a permanent smile on your face," she chortled. "I should have known."

Neal took a sip of the hazelnut Sumatra coffee he'd picked up at the coffee hut on the corner. No one should be forced to drink Bureau swill when munching on the mascarpone pistachio chocolate decadence of the cannolis.

"I hope Sara isn't giving you ideas to jump ship too," Jones said.

"Leaving no one to provide comic relief in the bullpen?" Neal said in mock horror. "I wouldn't be so cruel!" Not that he hadn't considered it, and both Diana and Jones must have realized it too. But as he'd explained to Sara, despite the many positives, abandoning Peter and the team was a deal-breaker.

"Good," Diana said. "I'm still adjusting to Travis's defection. That's enough shock for one year."

Last month, White Collar's tech expert had made the surprise announcement that he'd accepted a position with Root32, the cybersecurity firm Neal's friend Aidan worked for. Travis had worked closely with the company when they developed security software to counteract Rolf Mansfeld's malware. Root32 was expanding its business into security electronics and wanted Travis to manage the team. It was a plum role for Travis and would also bring a significant pay increase.

On the positive side, Root32's office was in the Columbia University area. Travis would also continue to volunteer with SETI so Neal would have plenty of opportunities to see him on campus. But it wouldn't be the same. Travis used to sit next to Neal's art niche in the tech lab. Aside from Peter, he was Neal's closest friend at work. Realistically, though, Neal wouldn't be able to hold onto his art niche much longer. The new boss of D.C. Art Crimes, Laura Jemison, had warned that White Collar could soon lose the ability to investigate art cases. She'd held off on a decision while the Rolf Mansfeld case was still ongoing, but it wrapped up over a month ago.