Nocturne in Black and Gold

Chapter 31: The Speckled Band

When Neal went upstairs to the guest bedroom, he discovered El had already laid out spare sleepwear. Had she suggested to Peter he stay the night? Whoever's idea it was, he was grateful. It would have been a long, lonely ride back to June's mansion.

After a quick shower, Neal texted Henry, only to discover Henry was talking with Peter. He suspected Henry had been texting Peter as well as him. It would have been natural for Peter to consult with Henry. He knew Henry wouldn't have told Peter about the Braque, but how much pressure had Peter exerted?

While waiting for Henry to get off the phone with Peter, he called Mozzie and explained why he'd gone ahead and confessed. Mozzie was surprisingly philosophical about it. His brainwashing hadn't been at the hands of government overloads but by the very thief Mozzie used to admire. Reality had shifted for everyone.

By the time Henry called Neal back, he already knew everything that had gone on. "I hope you're feeling good about what you did," Henry said. "It was the only rational decision."

"I am and I'm in your debt. You gave me the time to work through it on my own. Then that little nudge when you spilled the beans about the Braque simplified the challenge."

"Anytime, kiddo. Nudges are one of my specialties."

"I understand now why you didn't tell me in advance about using the Braque in the con. Thanks to you I could truthfully deny any prior knowledge. Peter had his doubts at first about my motive. If you'd told me before the meeting, things might have gone very differently. Did he give you a hard time?"

"Nah, he understood where I was coming from. He also said you went out of your way to praise my efforts to get you to open up. Thanks. You ready to turn the page?"

"Yeah ... and continue the repair work."

"Explain."

Neal hesitated for a moment. It wasn't easy to talk about, but he needed to face the music. "Peter asked me to trust him to take care of himself. I didn't ask him if he trusted me. I know I lost a lot of ground by my actions. Going forward, rebuilding that trust will be my major challenge."

"You'll get there," he said quietly. Neal was glad he didn't try to deny the problem existed. "I don't think there's as much damage as you might believe."

They didn't talk long. Neal would be seeing him in a few hours and exhaustion was setting in. He assured Henry that he'd sleep better than he had in a long time.

The next morning, he felt like he was living a dream. During the drive to June's, Peter kept his word. He didn't berate him for his decisions over the past few months. Instead, he focused on their strategy to take advantage of the situation. Perhaps as a sign of a new era, Peter had chosen a bright blue shirt to wear with his suit—a far cry from his standard white dress shirt.

When Peter parked the Taurus in front of June's house, Neal studied his face for any signs of hesitation. Once they mounted the stairs to the loft, he would take the Braque painting out of its hiding place. Peter's journey to the dark side would begin. The window to change directions was quickly closing.

He paused before opening the car door. "You're sure about this? Plausible deniability won't cut it after this morning."

Peter nodded. "Just remember, I'm in charge of the crew, not you." He smiled. "And stop looking so serious. I'm the one who's supposed to be the helicopter dad, not you. I'll be fine, Junior."

When he and Peter climbed the stairs to the loft, they found Mozzie waiting for them at the door. He gave Peter the nod of a host inviting a guest into his house. "Welcome to my world, Suit. Nice shirt."