In Choirboy Caffrey, Penna references "The Gift of the Magi," a short story by O. Henry, to compare Neal and Peter's differing attitudes toward problem-solving. Neal believes the tale is a beautiful example of how a couple showed their love for each other through the sacrifices they made. Peter hates the story. He thinks the couple should have worked together to arrive at a solution. Peter makes the case that partners need to consult with each other. Neal protests that life isn't always that clear-cut. Peter says it is if Neal doesn't overcomplicate issues. But then Neal's life is all about complications, isn't it?
In her recent post, Secrets and Lies, Penna elaborates on some of the reasons Neal keeps secrets. Peter considers them to be landmines that could blow up in Neal's face and is determined to reduce their number.
Warning for minor spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation AU.
After over a year of working together, Peter can point with justifiable pride to some significant successes. In Caffrey Disclosure, Neal reveals his history with Urban Legend. Later, in The Woman in Blue, Neal trusts Peter with his knowledge of Klaus Mansfeld, a master art thief whom Neal hadn't mentioned in his confession. Neal's described his criminal past with Keller and most recently, in The Mirror, recognizes that he wasn't being open enough with his girlfriend Fiona. He's joked with Henry about both of their lone wolf tendencies and is gradually letting Henry in on some of the secrets he keeps hidden from others.
But there are limits, as represented by Violin and Candlestick, a painting by Georges Braque. That work has been a quagmire for Neal. He stole it under Klaus's direction shortly after he began working for the master thief. They hid it together early in 2001 and Neal hasn't seen it since. He assumed Klaus had sold it long ago. In The Mirror, Klaus's ex-wife Chantal told Neal someone was offering an extravagant sum of money for the painting, which led him to believe Klaus never sold it. Now Neal wants to return to Paris to see if it's still in its hiding place. He considers telling Peter about the painting but decides against it.
His reason for keeping the painting a secret is that he didn't include it in his confession. If he were to tell Peter now, Peter would be obligated to inform Interpol. The statute of limitations is not up. Neal feels he would be extradited to Germany, where the painting had been stolen, for prosecution.
Neal received immunity from prosecution in the States for past crimes when he made his confession, but that protection doesn't extend overseas. He included only a few international crimes, and those were in countries with reciprocal relationships with the FBI. Immunity was granted but only for the crimes he'd confessed to.
Neal feels that if he tells Peter about the theft, he'd be placing Peter in a quandary. Either Peter compromises his own ethics by helping Neal cover up a crime or Peter will have to inform Interpol. Neither outcome is acceptable to Neal. And he has precedent on his side. In The Queen's Jewels, he kept Peter in the dark about the con he pulled. Peter realizes that Travis, Aidan, Richard, and Mozzie assisted Neal, but he accepts being kept out of the loop on the details. In the end, the right thief was apprehended and an FBI mole was exposed. For Neal, the Braque painting is roughly equivalent. Neal is confident in his ability to recover the painting with only the help of Mozzie.
The challenges created by Neal's decision increase as the mystery swirling around the painting deepens. In The Mirror, both Gordon Taylor and Matthew Keller act as if they know Neal stole it. How could they have found out? Keller made a recent trip to Argentina. Is he now conspiring with Adler? At the beginning of Raphael's Dragon, Garrett Fowler, currently in Adler's employ, is in Paris. Is there any connection to the Braque painting or is he there to research Nazi-looted art?
Neal's goal is to retrieve the painting and donate it anonymously to a museum. His task becomes even more complicated in Raphael's Dragon.
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