Caffrey Conversation

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Once the clients left, Elizabeth Burke gathered up her notes from the meeting and let her mind wander back to her husband. She wished she knew what advice to give Peter about this Neal Caffrey person, but it was tricky. After four years of marriage, Peter was slowly getting comfortable with the idea of telling her about his cases, but it still felt like pulling teeth sometimes. Maybe by their tenth anniversary he'd open up more about his work. Not that he ever lied to her, but she suspected he stayed quiet about things that might worry her.

At least his asking her opinion about Neal was a step in the right direction. But it was a step he'd be more likely to repeat if she pulled through for him this time. Honestly, in this instance he'd be better off calling... El smiled, pulled out her cell phone, and hit the fourth number on her speed dial. "Hi, Dad," she said, and asked a professional psychiatrist for insight into a bad boy who had latched onto an FBI agent as a father figure.

Twenty minutes of information overload later, El had a better appreciation for why her mother discouraged him from discussing his work at home. She should aim for a middle ground with Peter; fortunately, she found FBI cases more interesting than psychiatry. Her head was still spinning from all of the scenarios her father had suggested.

The part that stuck with her was that as an FBI agent, Peter would come across first as an authority figure. Then someone would notice the things that made Peter unique: his intelligence, his honesty and loyalty, his belief that the law and justice should prevail. He was the classic good guy in the white hat or shining armor, depending on the type of metaphor you preferred. A successful con artist was perceptive, and thus would notice even more. For instance, he might realize that Peter cared deeply about the people he loved or felt responsible for, and that he was highly protective of them. This combination of traits, for whatever reason, was apparently something Neal Caffrey craved, something that was currently missing in his life, perhaps something that had always been missing.

It seemed to Elizabeth that a con artist would be surrounded by lies and manipulation. Not only did he specialize in those things, but probably his partners did, too. And even the good guys might use those things as tools, justifying it as necessary to catch the bad guys. That would make Peter surprising, intriguing, and probably refreshing.

Of course, this was all speculation. If Elizabeth wanted to understand Neal, she should really talk to him herself. With that goal in mind, she called her husband. Peter mentioned the doctor was there, and she got the impression he wanted to cut the call short and get back to her later. "No," she insisted. "If the doctor believes you're Neal's stepfather, then he believes I'm his mother. His mother would insist on talking to him."

Peter sighed. "Okay. But before you talk to Henry, I need to warn you that he's really out of it right now."

"Oh, did his fever go up again?"

"No. Well, I don't think so. It's just... The thing is..."

"Peter, what are you trying not to tell me?"

"He sort of took too much of a prescription medicine a little while ago. And he may have passed out, very briefly."

"He overdosed?" Elizabeth asked.

"I wouldn't say overdosed, exactly. It wasn't intentional, El. He just got a little disoriented, because these meds will do that to you."

"An accidental overdose is still an overdose. Peter, you sound..." Elizabeth paused to find the right word. "You sound frazzled."

"Yeah. Apparently fatherhood does that to me." His voice got quieter. "El, why are you asking for this?"

"Partly it's curiosity. These criminals you chase... They keep you at work late, keep you working even after you get home..."