White Collar - as an unofficial novel - part 2

Prints

When Peter returned from the meeting with the Marshals concerning Mitchell Neal was waiting for him when he walked back into the office.

"That was surprise on Mitchell's face when we told him his prints were on the gold," Neal noted.

Peter nodded in agreement. An agent handed him a clipboard for a signature. He glances at it and signed it.

"I noticed that. But that doesn't get him off the hook."

"There's something else," Neal said with that awkward voice that Peter had learned to recognize by know.

Peter glanced at the kid. Oh, God, not another crime he did not know of, Peter thought since he could not remember anything including gold.

"What?"

"Before I go on, what's the statute of limitations on-?"

"Just tell me." That was the price Peter had to pay to have this kind of expertise. He walked back towards his office and Neal tagged along.

"You can't melt down gold without getting splash blisters on your arms no matter how careful you are."

"Well, Mitchell may be burn-free, but that doesn't make him innocent."

"Maybe we should check out this Aimes guy," Neal suggested.

Peter grinned and handed him a file.

"Already did."

Neal flipped the file open and Peter walked into his office to grab his suit jacket.

"He was working for the State Department overseeing the reconstruction of Mosul a few months back," he summarized the file contents for Neal.

"Where is he now?"

"Working for a private security contractor here in New York."

The jacket's collar had a habit of not getting in the right place. Peter fiddled with it.

"Sounds like he's done well for himself."

"I'm gonna go see how well." He took the file from Neal and left the office without his protégé. It was not fair to Neal to leave him to desk-job and any other day he would gladly have brought him along. But he needed some time alone. This case was too close for comfort and it would affect his private life as well since it was Elisabeth's best friend. He needed all his strength to pull this off.

Peter parked the car on the almost abandoned parking lot. By the fence with a view over a construction site stood a group of people. Peter stepped out of the car. He recognized Aimes as in the group. It seemed as he gave the others a tour of what the place would look like in the future.

"Mr. Aimes?" he called the man's attention. He pulled out his badge. "Am I interrupting? Peter Burke, FBI."

Aimes turned to his company.

"If you don't mind waiting for me by the cars, we'll finish this in a minute."

Peter glanced at a man by Aimes' side. While the others dropped off, he remained. Probably Aimes' bodyguard.

"If you don't mind, I have a few questions about some stolen Iraqi artifacts."

Aimes frowned for a second.

"Oh, right. I had read some important pieces were recently recovered."

"That's right. We have a suspect in custody."

"Well, good. I'm glad to hear justice will prevail."

Peter did not fancy the attitude that a suspect was the same thing as they had caught the guilty one. It did happen all too often that a suspect remained guilty in the eyes of the public, though they were freed by the law. But Peter was not there to discuss attitudes. He was there because this man had been pinpointed as involved.