Save Me If You Can

SAVE ME IF YOU CAN Chapter 1

Café Insomnia was never the kind of place you came to for the coffee.

It had deep dark corners where reclusive souls could hide in safety, or where those wishing to avoid the active eyes of others could conduct their shady business or forbidden liaisons with severe discretion and privacy. Waitresses in worn yet trendy black clothes, with hair that was rainbow bright on one side and shaved bald on the other were more often tipped well not for their good service or their smiles, but for keeping their mouths shut.

Book shelves covered two of four walls, all with dusty, musty and ancient tomes that hadn't been touched or read in years and weighed down the rotting wood. The few old, soft cushioned couches made it difficult for anyone to rise without some embarrassment. And the smell of stale, old coffee was thick in the air and deep in the faded walls, in the tattered curtains, and in the brittle, yellowing lampshades that covered dusty low watt bulbs which gave a sick, jaundiced tint to everything.

This is where Peter was told to come.

This was not the kind of place he would ever expect to find Neal. Not the Neal he knew.

He had been sitting at a small table for nearly an hour now. Neal was late. His chipped white cup and mismatched saucer sat untouched, the coffee in it long gone cold and tasteless. Peter kept watching the door, hoping that every time a shadow bounced against the glass mosaic door, it would be Neal. Bells would tinkle, greeting bleary eyed insomniacs who arrived with newspapers, laptops or stacks of old hardback books or the occasional Kindle. But none of them were Neal.

Peter looked at his watch. Was this some kind of con? He would give him five more minutes, he decided, and took a deep, frustrated breath to seal the deal with himself. Five more minutes, and he would be heading out the door and on his way home, back to the warmth of his wife and his bed. And Neal Caffrey would remain at the top of his crap list.

Anger burned in his chest. How could he - after everything Peter and the Bureau had done for the ungrateful, trouble-making con artist – how could he just walk away like that and say nothing? Peter had bent over backwards for him, even bent the law for him. How could Neal just disappear like that? Two months of nothing. Not a word, not a phone call, not even a birthday card (even though Neal always managed to send one to Peter while he was still in prison!). No goodbye, no thank you, not a single word.

As soon as Neal's four years was up, his obligation to the Bureau complete, and no sooner than Peter had ceremonially handed Neal the key to unlock and remove his tracking anklet, the kid took a walk, and never returned. At first Peter was concerned that Neal had been the victim of foul play; but there was no word on the street, no dire warnings from Mozzie, no evidence that Neal had been taken anywhere either injured or under duress. After a month, the Bureau decided to drop the investigation. It was determined that Neal had apparently conned them all, that he was kicking back on some exotic, uncharted island laughing at the hard working good guys and spending some ill-gotten gain from past cons. Peter imagined he would never hear from Neal again unless he somehow showed up on the Bureau's most wanted list again. In which case, he was prepared to arrest him for the third time.

And then, two minutes before midnight, Neal's phone call came, just as he was lazily falling asleep snuggled next to Elizabeth. Two minutes before midnight. The call was short and to the point, no sentiment, no "Hey, buddy, did you miss me? Sorry I disappeared on you." Just "meet me at Café Insomnia in half an hour. Please."

He did say please. At least he said please.

Peter had jumped out of bed and into his street clothes, apologizing to Elizabeth the entire time, promising and assuring her that his midnight rendezvous was innocuous (not regarding an open case) and innocent (not a liaison with some tawdry mistress). He kissed her and swore to be home quickly, and that he would reveal all to her upon his return.