Neal's Lost Years

In Harlequin's Shadow, many of the scenes have their origins in what I call Neal's lost years. This period in his life begins in March 2001 when he flees the States on his twenty-first birthday and lasts until he is recruited by Peter in December 2003. Neal's flight to Europe was caused by his cousin Henry's father who blackmailed him to keep him from associating with Henry. Robert was one of a succession of poor mentors Neal latched onto. This is also the period when Neal landed on the radar screens of the FBI and Interpol. The Caffrey Conversation stories begin at the end of Neal's lost years, but we've been slowly lifting the veil on those earlier events.

Warning for minor spoilers to Caffrey Conversation

Once Neal arrived in Europe, he quickly rose through the ranks to become an expert cat burglar, art forger, counterfeiter, and safecracker. It's a pivotal time in his life. For those of you interested in backstories, this is a short summary of what is known so far.

Neal was recruited by Matthew Keller shortly after arriving in Europe. He also met André Renard, a fellow thief, while both were working on Keller's crew. It didn't take long for Neal to realize that Keller was one nasty character. After witnessing Keller shoot a member of the crew in cold blood and almost do the same to André, Neal quit Keller. More about Neal's life with Keller is in The Mirror.

Neal worked as a member of Klaus's crew during most of his time in Europe. Klaus treated him as a younger brother and had him live in Geneva with himself and his wife Chantal in their sumptuous residence. Klaus gave Neal instruction in art forgery while Chantal coached him in advanced safecracking and lock-picking. More information about Neal's life with Klaus and Chantal is in The Woman in Blue. Klaus introduced Neal to Leila Bedford in the summer of 2001. The nature of that relationship is in Harlequin's Shadow. Later Neal met Raquel Laroque. See The Mirror for details of Neal and Raquel's friendship in those years.

When Neal quit Klaus's crew, he returned to New York. This was in the spring of 2003. He reunited with Henry on his birthday but the two rarely met. Neal also became acquainted with Mozzie, who convinced him to run a long con against Vincent Adler. Neal stayed with Adler for several months and fell in love with Kate. Penna describes that period in Caffrey Flashback. After acquiring a fortune from a Ponzi scheme, Adler absconds to Argentina on June 30, 2003. Beginning in July, Neal primarily works on his own. Some jobs are with Mozzie and Kate. At one point, he tests the waters with Wilkes.

The repercussions of Neal's lost years continue to be felt. The period is also a rich source for future stories. Among the ideas Penna and I have tossed around are events from Neal's time with Adler, Klaus, and Keller. We assume Neal met Mozzie as in canon during a game of Find the Lady on the streets of New York. But what did Neal do after Adler fled? For about 5 months he worked with Mozzie and Kate. Those adventures are still in his closet of secrets. Alex Hunter is also still waiting in the wings.

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