Skating on Thin Ice

Chapter 10: Winner's Circle

Winston-Winslow. Wednesday, February 7, 2007.

Peter was wrapping up his telephone conversation with Marcel when he saw Neal in the hallway outside his office. He motioned for him to come in while he ended the call.

This was Neal's first day back at Win-Win. He'd spent the previous two days at Columbia catching up on the backlog of his university work.

"Was that Marcel?" Neal asked as he swung into the side chair.

Peter nodded. "He mentioned he'd also talked with you about Klaus. What's your assessment?"

"Klaus sweetened the terms considerably. His offer to help recover stolen paintings from organized crime leaders who used them to launder money is hard to pass up."

"For how many of those paintings do you suspect Klaus was involved in the original theft?"

Neal smiled. "Most, if not all. How else would he know about them? But the arrangement he proposes has many similarities to the terms I agreed to when I joined the Bureau." His expression grew serious. "What was your recommendation?"

"That Marcel should accept the offer. Klaus would be remanded to the French National Police for four years. During that period, he'll be monitored with the microchip Travis developed."

"It's a great offer for both of them. If Marcel rejects it, Klaus's new trial will proceed and he could escape without any restrictions. Laura Jemison in D.C. Art Crimes feels the same way. As she put it, Klaus will now be France's problem."

"Plus, now if Klaus goes rogue, he'll be in Europe not the States," Peter pointed out.

Neal shrugged. "Laura's no fool. I'm sure that was also a consideration."

"What's the next step?"

"Once Marcel sends the forms to Laura, she'll arrange with the federal marshals for Klaus to be escorted to Paris. Marcel said he'd also spoken with Doc Jacob about Klaus and his advice was the same as ours."

"So if Klaus is playing with us, we won't be the only ones with egg on our faces. I suppose that's reassuring."

"We won't look like omelets, Peter. I have a good feeling about this. And besides, isn't this the best way to discover how sincere he is? I have every confidence that our crew can get the better of him if it proves necessary."

Crew. Not team. It still wasn't easy for Peter to accept but Neal was right. Like an underground river buried beneath the pavement of Manhattan, Neal's long con was still active. Peter had initially believed that once he moved to Win-Win, there would be no need for Neal to mask his actions behind the shield of plausible deniability, but that wasn't the case. He and Mozzie both skirted the law in Salzburg. Peter couldn't say his hands were completely clean either. He and Anna had bent confidentiality rules to access Ender's banking records. But if they hadn't, he would still be a free man.

"I lost you," Neal said, looking at him thoughtfully. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not really," Peter said, surprising himself at the accuracy of the statement. "The old plausible deniability game has taken on different parameters. I need to keep it in mind as well. This is one of many reasons I'm glad Jones will be working with me. If my ethical compass goes haywire, I'm counting on him to realign it."

"Austrian rules about searches and the need for warrants are different from the ones in the States," Neal said quietly. "What would be considered entrapment in U.S. courts isn't an issue."

"How much does Marcel know of what actually went on in Ender's castle?"

"Only that Lisa was discovered hiding in his bedroom. Marcel is unaware of Mozzie's involvement. He undoubtedly suspects an undercover maneuver, but he's not troubled by the lack the details. I gave a full account to John Hobhouse, including most of the details of Mozzie's participation. John recognizes that to take down art criminals, unorthodox methods are sometimes necessary."