White Collar - as an unofficial novel - part 5

A handy tool

"All right, great," Kimberly Rice smiled at him. "Now that we're all on the same page, let's start with an easy one. When's the last time you saw Wilkes?"

'On the same page' she had said. Were they? He did not think so. He did not like this new assignment. He had hoped to never be involved with Wilkes ever again. Neal glanced down at the photo in the file.

"Probably when he tried to kill me," he answered the agent.

He saw Peter staring at him.

"Kill you?! This man tried to kill you?"

"Yeah. As I said, our styles didn't mesh."

He saw Peter turn to Hughes but it was in vain.

"Peter, you know that Caffrey has the same protection as any agent. Let's just leave it at that."

"Call me if there is any trouble," Peter said, and Neal read a message from his handler in it, even if he aimed the words to Rice. "With his anklet or the marshals, I mean."

"Don't worry, Burke. I know how these things work."

She turned to Neal.

"Neal, follow me."

It was not a question and he followed without argument. There was nothing in the deal saying that Peter had to be his handler. He had no means to refuse with less than he was going back to prison. They walked to the elevator and Rice pressed the button for the 12th floor. They were on their way to her office at Kidnapping and Missing Persons. It felt as if they went to another planet.

Neal made sure that nothing of his worries showed in his face as he followed her into her domains. She took no initiative to introduce him or brief him further. He recalled the first time he came to the White Collar office as a consultant with Peter after an already long day's work. Peter had introduced him to the people present, one by one, as if he was a new colleague.

Even as a man under arrest, the people handling him had told their names, from Jones doing the very first pat-down to Bobby who met him in prison.

"Does it bother you?" Rice said out of the blue, still walking, looking ahead.

"What?"

"The anklet. Does it bother you?"

Neal had no interest in starting over in that department. He was passed those things. It was there and he accepted it. Rice could not change that.

"That's the point with an anklet, isn't it?" he returned.

"Yeah," she agreed, without pausing for a second. "I guess that was a superfluous question."

As they walked into her office, Neal realized they had walked a longer way than necessary to get there. Had she paraded him through the office? Few could possibly know who he was here. Why would they? He had never been involved in any kidnapping. And they had glanced, not stared. A thought struck him. Had she showed him up because he was good looking? Seriously? Had she showed him up like some men liked to be seen with beautiful women?

Rice glanced at her papers on her desk and then at him.

"Wait outside, please."

Neal left the room and pulled the door shut. He surveyed the office, found the coffee machine and headed for it. Not because he would die for a cup of coffee, but because that was the place people liked to linger and chit-chat. Soon enough he realized that was not true in this part of the office. He made himself a cup of coffee and waited for Agent Rice.

She was an efficient woman and soon enough she marched out of the door and stared around the nearest area as if she had expected him to sit outside the door as an obedient dog. She saw him and walked to him. But instead of stopping, she passed him.