By the Book

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Accessories

Federal Building, New York. December 30, 2003 - Tuesday afternoon.

Neal considered Peter's offer as they purchased coffee and walked back across the plaza. In the lobby, waiting for the elevator, he said, "Okay. You promise you'll be fully supportive of me going undercover for this case, and I'll tell you how I spent Christmas."

"You got it," said Peter as the elevator dinged its arrival.

They stepped inside. "I went to a Christmas Eve midnight mass at the church where my parents were married, so I started out Christmas Day as innocently as you could imagine. It was lovely, Peter. The architecture..." He trailed off, aware of Peter's annoyance.

"I didn't ask for a commentary on architecture."

"Right. I went back to my hotel room for the rest of the night, and later went down to the lobby for their Christmas brunch. They had the most incredible..." Neal hid a grin as he could almost hear Peter gritting his teeth. "No commentary on the food either, I got it. I had a D.C. map and a set of addresses, and planned my tour of the city. First I went to the precinct where my father worked. It was slow there, of course, and probably hasn't been renovated since he worked there."

"You went inside the police station?"

"Yeah, I told them I wanted to pay a parking ticket. They said that I'd have to come back the next day. Then I drove to the neighborhood where my parents lived when I was born. There's a park nearby, and I sat on one of the benches to do a few sketches of the neighborhood and the place we lived. By then I was getting cold, and I walked to a Chinese restaurant that had been a favorite back when we lived there. I think the restaurant isn't up to its old standards, because I can't imagine my mother, the gourmet chef, actually liking the food they were serving."

"You said you were going to skip the food reviews," Peter reminded him.

"Food was a big part of my day. Anyway, my mother had attended George Washington University, so I wandered through the campus, did some more sketching. You'll be glad to hear that the campus café was closed. Next stop was the family plot in a local cemetery, where my uncle is buried. I should have taken flowers, but I didn't think I could find a florist open on the holiday. But I did find a great little Vietnamese restaurant for dinner."

"You really are fixated on food."

"Everyone's fixated on food over the holidays," Neal protested. "After dinner I stopped at the movie theater where my parents had their first date. I got a ticket for Love Actually and bought some especially delicious popcorn, and after the movie ended I went back to the hotel." He gave Peter a mischievous choirboy smile. "And that's how I spent Christmas."

"And then?"

"There's no and then. Christmas ended."

"You spent two more days in D.C."

"Yes, I did. But those days weren't Christmas. I promised to tell you how I spent Christmas, and now I've kept my side of the bargain."

They exited at the twenty-first floor and walked back toward the conference room. Neal thought Peter wasn't going to comment on his perfectly innocent Christmas, but the agent said, "I got the impression your mother didn't talk about her past. So I have to wonder how you knew all these places to go. Please tell me you didn't use FBI resources to investigate your parents."

"I didn't have to, but what difference would it make?"

"First, FBI resources are intended for case work, not for our personal lives. Second, the Marshals told me it would be a bad idea to run a search on your father. They said the people he and your mother and Ellen are hiding from may have continued to rise in the ranks of law enforcement or government, and could be in a position to monitor for searches on your dad's name."