Silver Giraffe

Chapter 4: Changing Tides

When Neal showed up at Peter's office after lunch, Peter expected a report about the upcoming graduation ceremonies. Noelle and Joe were driving her parents to New York on Saturday. They'd stay at the Pierre Hotel overlooking Central Park with a dinner planned for that evening.

Neal's news about another family member came out of the blue. Clearly, it had knocked Neal for a loop, and it was doing the same to him.

Neal stopped to catch his breath, his emotions on the surface. "Maybe I shouldn't have, but I let him go. In the end, it's his choice." He slouched back into the chair opposite Peter's desk, regarding him anxiously.

"And James didn't provide any more information on why he was following you?"

Neal shook his head. "He said he came to town because after what happened to Mom, he was worried his enemies had fixed their sights on me. He'd hoped to discover if anyone was tailing me. I think my reassurance that I'd be able to spot them carried some weight since I was able to sneak up on him undetected."

"You'll let me know if you see him again."

Neal nodded absently. "I don't imagine he'll risk tailing me again. He'll probably maintain his distance till he finds what he's looking for."

The news about the informant within the Bureau was disturbing. James swore the person had only copied Neal's file, but Peter wasn't ready to trust anything he said.

"Are you going to tell Annina?" Neal asked.

"I should," Peter said, giving himself some wiggle room.

"What would it accomplish?" Neal argued. "If one of the marshals is helping my dad's enemies, the information could be leaked straight to them."

He made a valid point, and Peter also had a difficult time seeing a benefit to the disclosure. A rap on his door provided a welcome delay in making a decision. He turned his head to look through the glass panel. When he saw it was Agent Ortega, he beckoned her inside.

"Victoria, this is my consultant Neal Caffrey," Peter said, making the introductions.

She shook Neal's hand. "Peter explained you were the one who provided the initial lead. I'm glad you're here. I have the results of the search warrant and took a chance you'd be available."

Peter hoped positive news would give Neal something else to focus on while they both considered how to handle what Peter labeled the James problem.

Victoria took a seat in the chair next to Peter's desk. "The owner of SHR Productions was arrested yesterday evening. The news will probably hit the papers tomorrow. We discovered a hidden graveyard in the courtyard behind the brownstone. The missing woman was one of the cadavers."

"One of them?" Neal repeated numbly. "How many were there?"

"Five altogether, of varying ages. They'd been buried in the dirt. For three of the victims, we only have bones. The owner has been in business for twenty years, so the timespan is daunting. We hope to eventually identify all the victims." She shrugged as her words trailed off. Peter sympathized. Cold cases usually remained unsolved.

"Have you gotten a preliminary forensics report on them?" Peter asked.

She nodded. "Four women, one man. No one was older than their mid-twenties, as you might expect. One of the skeletons had a silver necklace that might prove helpful in identifying her. The pendant was rather distinctive—a small giraffe."

Neal blurted a muffled exclamation as his hand clenched into a fist over his mouth. "God, no," he muttered.

"Do you think you know her?" Peter asked, shocked.