White Collar: An unofficial novel - part 8

Point blank

Peter did not listen to Mozzie one more second. He had to thank him later. He called Diana in the car outside.

"Neal is manipulating his tracking signal. I'm sure he's close. He's armed. If you see him, pursue."

"Got it."

An armed Neal was something new. He wanted neither Diana nor Neal hurt by some hotblooded foolish revenge crusade.

His mind raced. He had to catch Fowler and Neal, and most important of all: he had to keep them from meeting. Not now at least, not when the kid had got himself a gun. That alone could be cause enough for Peter to put him back in prison. Something he hoped he would never have to.

The phone rang.

" Yeah."

"Caffrey got past me," Diana reported. "He's inside. I'm going after him."

"Damn it! Go."

And they still had not gotten the door open!

"Is anybody coming?!" he yelled at the guard who told him there was another set of keys on their way. "We have to get this door open! Now!"

"I'm trying!"

Peter looked around for something to break the door with. He was not there yet, but he would have no time for searching later, if the time came.

Diana called.

"Yeah?"

"He's upstairs."

Too close.

"Stop him!"

Neal turned his charm on and was surprised at how easy it was, even when he has about to kill another human. He showed his invitation to the young woman at the entrance and was let through.

"Thank you."

He walked inside and saw metal detectors.

"You got a party crasher out front," he told the guard and nodded towards the door. The man left and walked out. Neal slipped his gun from the back of his slacks and with a smooth maneuver threw it outside of the detectors as he passed through them. He caught it on the other side and slipped it back.

It was interesting how much you could do in plain sight as long as you acted normal and were quick enough. If somebody saw the gun it was not long enough to be sure of what they had seen.

He glanced at the music box. Mostly his eyes were on the crowd. No sight of Fowler. He walked out into the yard where people had gathered with drinks in small groups. Still no Fowler. His eyes wandered up along the surrounding building. And there, in a window on the second floor, he saw Fowler.

Neal ran inside and up the stairs. He turned left and heard voices.

"Is anybody coming?" Peter's voice. Probably by a door shut by their common target. He had to find another way in. He ran back to the stairs and swung one of the balcony doors open. He saw right into the room Fowler was in. And now he was on the same level. It seemed as if the man was making a rope to escape.

How to get there?

Long flags hanged along the walls. Neal pulled in one. It could work.

He caught the eye of Fowler through the window. The man who killed Kate. No, he would not get away.

"Caffrey!" he heard Diana's voice from the yard below. "Neal!" He had better get to work. He needed something to cut a flag lose. Right inside he found a showcase with old knives. He did not even need to break the glass to get one of them. It was just to open on the back. The knife was sharp enough.