White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 15

Ben figures things out

Peter listened to the phone ringing at the other end. There could be a million reasons why El did not answer.

"No answer?" Neal asked.

"No."

"I'm sure she's busy," Neal said. Peter nodded. However, Neal did not seem comforted by this statement. And now that he had learned who Ben was, he grabbed his phone.

"Just in case."

"Yeah," Neal nodded.

"Peter?" Jones answered.

"Jones, call up the 76th Precinct. Ask the C.O. to get a patrol car to drive by my house."

"Sure thing," he answered without argument. It took a few minutes, then his phone rang. It was El.

"Ben was here!" she said the second he answered.

"What?"

"He saw that we weren't remodeling our kitchen. He said: 'So you lied to get inside my house.'"

"Did he threaten you?"

"Not directly. But he made sure I knew I was alone at home. Hon, tell me you're checking up on him!"

"I am," Peter assured her. "I'm coming home."

"Hon, I'm fine. He doesn't know you're a fed, so he may not see you as a threat. Just get the son-of-a-bitch."

"I will, okay? I promise."

"Love you, hon."

"Love you, too." He hung up. When someone threatened his wife and his home he got angry. He was a federal agent representing an authority. He had the right to do that, and anyone threatening what was dear to him, was threatening democracy and the society they lived in. Peter felt the same way now, even if Ben had no idea, yet, that his guest had been a federal agent. "Ben was at my house, Neal."

"What?!"

"He threatened my wife."

"All right, go home," Neal said at once. "We'll cover things here."

"El swears she's fine. She says she wants us to get this son-of-a-bitch."

"You could put a detail on the house."

"No, she'll be peering out the window all day. She'll notice the car."

"Well, I think she'd understand you're looking out for her safety."

"She'll know I'm worried about her," Peter shook his head. "If she knows I'm distracted, then she'll worry about me. It's the last thing she needs."

But he did not want to leave her alone, given the situation. He would never forgive himself if nothing happened to her because she said, 'I'm fine.'

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm sure Mozzie would swing by," Neal suggested, like it was totally normal. He trusted Mozzie not to harm and probably protect El, but he still was unsure if everything remained in his house after his visits.

"Tell him to keep his feet off the furniture."

"Done."

Time to focus on getting that son-of-a-bitch behind bars.

"I need eyes on Ben Ryan. I want to know what he's doing."

Neal watched Peter walk back and forth.

"Well, we could drag him in," Neal suggested. "Show him how the Bureau does threats."

"There's been no crime," Peter pointed out. "We don't have anything to threaten him with,

plus if we bring him in, we'd only be firing up flares." That was true. "And I don't know if I can restrain myself if I had him alone," Peter added with a tense sigh.

Diana knocked on the door frame to the open door.

"Peter, the tail we put on Ryan... We got something." She pushed the memory card into the screen in the room, showing them a series of pictures of Ben meeting with someone on a sidewalk. "So, that guy Ben's talking to is Connor Bailey. He's got his own lengthy rap sheet."

"Ben's partner?" Peter asked.

"That's what I'm betting," Diana replied. "The two of them go way back."

They would not find out were things were heading this way. And they could not bring any of them in without sounding the alarm.

"Maybe Ben could use a new friend," he grinned.

"What are you thinking?" Peter asked.

"Well, crime is a fraternity the same way law enforcement is. I mean, wouldn't you be more inclined to open up to someone if he was MI5?" he asked Diana.

"Sure."

"So maybe Ben will let something slip if he thinks I'm a criminal." He got looks from Peter and Diana. "You know what I mean. The question is, how do I make Ben think I'm one of him?"

"Meeting Connor is a violation of Ben's parole," Peter said. "I could give his P.O. a call. I can make it look like we were checking up on Connor. No flairs."

"Good. Then I show up at the parole office as a fellow ex-con struggling to stay on the straight and narrow."

"A role you were born to play," Peter muttered.

Neal grinned. Did they really not see the difference between him and criminals like Ben?