White Collar (2009–2014): Season 4, Episode 7 - Compromising Positions - full transcript

Previously on White Collar..

Neal.

When my dad went away,
Ellen looked after me.

Sam?
Did he know my father?

A hard guy to get hold of.

Who did this to you?

Trust Sam.

If you find any information
that leads to Sam...

I will tell you.

You tell him you want to meet
on neutral ground.

Get in the car.



I wasn't sure
I'd hear back from you, Sam.

Where are we going?

Someplace less obvious.

So do I call you Caffrey
or Bennett?

Bennett was my name
a long time ago.

Not anymore.

I've been tracking you since --

Ellen's funeral.

I remember.

I knew her as Kathryn Hill.

Ellen's name before WITSEC?

She told me you worked
deep cover back in D.C.,

said you were close.

After your father
went down for murder,



there weren't many
in our department I could trust.

You knew my dad?

In your e-mail, you said
you'd meet me on my terms.

Here are my terms.
I ask the questions.

I don't like the answers,

I get back in that car,
and I drive away.

Understood?

Understood.

What do you do for the FBI?

I'm a confidential informant.

It's the deal I cut
to get out of prison.

The man at the funeral --
your handler?

Peter Burke.
He can be trusted.

He can help us find Ellen's --

If you think this is about
one guy pulling one trigger,

you're as naive as your father.

Who rose up the ranks of
government and law enforcement.

I'm sure there are some
in the bureau.

And they will do whatever it
takes to protect themselves.

So, what? She asked you
to help me expose them?

Working with the FBI
wasn't part of the deal.

Peter can help us.

All it takes is one report.

How do you think
Ellen's name got leaked?

No. Not Peter.

All right, assuming
this stays between us,

how do we take them down?

Start with the evidence
Ellen collected on dirty cops

30 years ago.

Where is it?

She was planning to hand
that over when she got here.

So you don't even know
where it is?

Give me a chance.
Sorry, Caffrey.

You've already maxed out on your
quota of answers I don't like.

So that's it?
You're leaving?

Sam, I need the truth
about Ellen and my father.

You asked me if I knew him.

I did.

- So, the key broke off in the lock?
- Yeah.

Are you sure it's a rental?

New model, low mileage,
cheap plastic key fob.

Hexagonal.

That's either street fleet
or zenith.

I'll keep an eye out
for repair requests

on a gray S.U.V. with a key
stuck in the door lock.

All right.

Let's say you find Sam --
again.

He's made it clear
he doesn't trust you.

Well, I have to convince him
that he can.

You know,
trust works both ways.

You don't think
I should trust Sam?

I'm simply saying you should
go in with both eyes open.

And the Suit has the resources
to be those eyes.

You realize somewhere
pigs are flying right now.

Yes. And that is the sound
of hell freezing over.

Look, Peter catches wind
you're up to something,

he's gonna follow you.

He may as well be informed.

Yeah, and if he puts
his investigation on the books,

it could put him at risk.

You could ask him to be quiet.
He's done it before.

Yeah, well, not happily.

But he's done it.

On November 6th, you visited
the defendant's penthouse,

posing as an investor
for his condo development.

What evidence did you uncover?

Delancy showed me
a vial of benzene.

He said it was known
to cause cancer,

specifically leukemia.

Did he say what he planned to do
with this particular vial?

He said he planned to use it

to lace the soil samples
taken by Caplin Environmental.

When the results
would come back toxic,

he'd evict the tenants
from his property,

tear down their homes,

and eventually
start construction

on his luxury condos,

exactly as he'd done
once before.

After Delancy showed you
this vial...

Peter working on his direct
for the Delancy trial?

Ah, he's the prosecution's
star witness.

And the only thing he loves more
than arresting criminals...

Is testifying against them
at their trial.

Oh, I remember.
Vividly.

Perfect. Then I say,
"no further questions,"

and if all goes well...

The jury finds Delancy guilty
of mortgage fraud

and 98 counts
of civil rights violations.

And since the FBI never
recovered the benzene vial,

this whole case is resting
on your testimony.

And your key question.

It's like
it's Christmas morning

and he's unwrapping
a guilty verdict.

Oh. Instead of "laced,"

I'll say the samples
were "tainted."

Tainted's more descriptive.

Neal, you remember Josh Bryson,

- assistant U.S. attorney.
- Josh.

I hear you've been wiping the
floor with the Delancy defense.

And with
Peter's testimony today,

I plan to put them
out of their misery.

Don't forget
I worked that case with Peter.

Delancy showed me the vial
of benzene, too,

when I was working undercover
at Caplin Environmental

as a biochemical analyst,
so if you --

Thank you, Neal,
but I already have Peter.

And he, uh...

How do I put this?

Doesn't have a dark and sordid
past as a professional con man?

Or an off-again, off-again
relationship with the whole truth?

- Or even --
- Point taken, so...

You're more than welcome
to sit in the gallery

and watch me testify.

Ah, I would love to,
but I should --

you know, I should probably stay
here and just sharpen pencils.

I'll see you in an hour, Peter.
All right, Josh.

Have a great trial.

Thank you.

Since when are you interested
in taking the stand?

Ever since I realized
that testifying is a con.

Testifying isn't a con.

It's a narrative

crafted to have
the greatest impact on a jury.

You're convincing the jury
your narrative is right.

It's a con.

Nope.
Conning involves deceit.

Oh, a lie of omission
is not deceit?

My testimony
isn't a lie of omission.

Are you mentioning the part

where the benzene
was nowhere to be found

when you showed up
with the warrant later?

Bryson is asking what
I uncovered, not recovered.

Big difference.

So, testifying is as much
about the questions

as it is the answers.

Exactly.

Then I stand corrected.

Testifying is a two-man con.

Go sharpen your pencils.

Okay.

...which allowed him
to tear down their homes

to build luxury condos.

And you suspected Mr. Burke
would attempt this scheme

a second time?

You mean Mr. Delancy.

I will restate.

You suspected Mr. Delancy
would attempt the scheme

- a second time.
- Correct.

He was looking for an investor
for another condo development.

While undercover,
I was that investor.

Now, in your grand jury
testimony,

you state that you visited
the defendant's penthouse

on November 6th of last year.

On that date,

what evidence of his previous
crime did you recover?

You mean uncover?

Correct. On that date,

what evidence of Delancy's
previous crime did you recover?

That date,
I didn't recover any evidence,

but the defendant showed me --

Objection.
Non-responsive.

Sustained.

I-I will restate.

Agent Burke, on that date,
what evidence did you uncover?

Mr. Delancy showed me
a vial of benzene.

Hey.

Hey.

Thought I'd swing by
on my lunch, see how it went.

By the looks of it, not well.

Bryson blew it.

He was nervous, jumpy.

He botched the key question.

Bryson doesn't botch anything.

Exactly.

Peter, you don't think Delancy
might have gotten to him.

If he did,
a guilty man is gonna walk.

4x07
Compromising Positions

Hey, Josh. Come on in.

Can I get you something?
Coffee?

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Glad you came.

Josh, what the hell happened?

Before court today,
I received a phone call.

I was told to throw the case
or these go public.

Josh.

Wow.
Wow.

I take it
these aren't photoshopped?

The woman in these photos --
she was in the court today.

She's Delancy's girlfriend.

Sleeping with
the defense's girlfriend.

This is grounds for a mistrial.

Josh --
It's not what you think.

A few weeks back, I'm in a bar,
grabbing a drink after work.

This attractive woman approaches
and starts chatting me up.

She invites me
over to her place.

You get the idea.

Oh, no.
We see the idea.

I swear to you,
before this morning,

I had no idea who she was.

Did you throw today on purpose?

No.

I got rattled.
I didn't know what to do.

And if you step down,

there's a good chance
a criminal goes free.

What's the point
of arresting these bastards

if you can't prosecute them?

Can you help?

These are the photos
being used to blackmail Bryson.

That's Delancy's girlfriend?

She is dedicated
to her man.

And limber.

And unfortunately,
she's not talking.

We'll have to go after
the next best thing.

Landon Shepard.

She was Delancy's first call
after his arrest last year.

And she was in court yesterday.

Says she's
an executive consultant.

She's who you call

when the C.E.O.
of your Fortune 500 company

crashes his Bentley

with his 18-year-old
mistress's head on his lap.

Or when the FBI is closing in

and you've got a vial of benzene
in the top drawer of your desk.

- She's a fixer.
- She's good. She's connected.

A year later, we still
can't pin anything on her.

Can we subpoena
her phone records?

All incoming calls
go to an office voicemail.

So far, we've been unable
to link any other number to her.

She gets in your head.

I mean, I questioned her a
year ago, and in five minutes,

she could tell things about me
that my own mother couldn't.

It wasn't right.

We have to find a way
to get to her.

Or she could come to us.

Diana.

Ms. Shepard,
my name is --

Agent Burke.

I hear you've been asking
questions about me

behind my back.

Again.

I thought I'd stop by
and save you the trouble.

Agent Berrigan and I
would love to chat with you.

No Clinton Jones today?

Don't tell me.

He's off seeking
daddy's approval

through overachievement.

I got 15 minutes.

I assume your interrogation room
is this way.

What can you tell us about
Victor Delancy's girlfriend?

I can tell you a lot of things
about a lot of people.

Specifics.

Well, take you --
loyal husband, respected agent.

And you're
virtually untouchable.

But the assistant U.S. attorney
working the Delancy case --

not so much from what I hear.

So you admit
Victor Delancy's a client?

Oh, my clients expect
anonymity. I admit nothing.

It's a game to her.

If I didn't know any better,

I'd think she senses
my presence.

You call yourself
an executive consultant.

What does that entail?

I provide my clients
with much-needed structure.

Something I see
you could appreciate.

I'm not following.
Well, your tattoo.

Squares symbolize stability,
foundation.

The line connecting them
signifies companionship.

You must have been
very much in love.

Five years ago,
I'd say from the fading.

Tattoos are forever.

Love, I guess not so much so.

Listen, you --
Easy.

She's controlling
the entire interview.

Yeah, because
Peter's letting her.

He's playing to Shepard's ego.

Why?
I don't know.

Rumor has it you know
some powerful people.

Well, I rely on the people
I know to get what I want,

from the mayor to the man
who washes my windows.

Mm. Makes me wish
we'd met sooner.

I hit a rough patch here at the
bureau a month or so back.

Oh, that's a shame. I could have
put in a good word for you.

With who?

The mayor or the window washer?

Who do you think?

I think your real skill
is the art of the bluff,

making claims you know full well
you can't back up.

Yes, Landon Shepard
for the mayor.

Hello, sir.
Landon Shepard.

Indeed, it has been some time.

Well, we can confirm
she's got a cell.

That's Peter's play.

If it were registered under her
real name, we'd know about it.

For a subpoena, we'd need
either her alias --

Or her cell number.

City Hall phone logs are public record.
Hmm.

Not bad, Peter.
Not bad at all.

Shall I say hi?

No, thank you.

Anything?
Well, good news is,

- we've got Shepard's phone
records dating back nine years. - Bad news?

We've got Shepard's phone
records dating back nine years.

No names, all outgoing numbers.

I mean, there must be
thousands here.

And for the record,
she was wrong about my tattoo.

I got it four years ago,
not five.

Okay.

Keep focusing
on calls made yesterday.

If we can establish a link
between Shepard and --

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.
You have something?

Yeah, this number.

There it is again.

Her number is
all over this thing.

Isn't th --

Yeah.

Sterling Bosch has had Shepard
on retainer for years.

For what purposes?

We're in the business
of recovery.

If someone stands between us
and something we want,

she has the connections
to make them roll over,

and she is damn good
at cleaning up messes.

Such as?
I may or may not have hired her

to retrieve my broken heel
from Ivanka Trump's air vent.

Don't ask.

So, you're aware
of her methods.

She has very strict rules.

You tell her what you need,
and she gets it done.

But if you question her means
or even ask what they are,

she will terminate the job.

Don't ask how she gets her
results, and she won't tell you.

Peter, I know Shepard
isn't by the book,

but I had no idea she'd work
for scum like Delancy,

let alone threaten the career
of a federal prosecutor.

We know Shepard works
below board.

What if we can get her
to incriminate herself?

Use it to leverage a confession.
Yeah.

Get her to admit that
she's extorting Bryson.

Sara...

How loyal is Shepard
to Sterling Bosch?

Very. Why?

I think I know a way we can use
her own schemes against her.

You willing to help?

For you...

What do I do?

Miss Shepard hi.

Thank you so much
for calling me back.

Sara, what can I do for you?

Well,
I have a job offer for you

that's a bit sensitive
in nature.

Well, I'm here to help.

My ex-boyfriend,
Steve Tabernackle,

has some compromising photos
of me and another man

that he's threatening
to expose.

I can't convince him
to destroy them,

so I was hoping
maybe you could.

Well, this Tabernackle sounds
very unpleasant.

Oh, unpleasant doesn't even
begin to describe him.

He's a financial scammer,
an ex-con, a thief, a liar.

You get the picture.

Is there anything else
I should know?

Yes. Most wednesdays,

he plays high-stakes Pai Gow on
Canal with a dozen ex-felons --

clearly a violation
of his parole.

Maybe you can use that.

There's nothing a parolee hates
more than prison.

So by this time tomorrow,
I just need assurances

that those pictures will never
see the light of day.

For one of my favorite clients,
consider it done.

Thank you so much,
miss Shepard.

It's a pleasure
doing business with you.

So, once we catch her red-handed
trying to blackmail me...

We flip her on Delancy
and strong-arm a confession.

For the record,

I am very much not
the incriminating-photos type.

Well, there was --
Neal, I thought I was hitting speed dial.

Right.
All right.

What matters is that
Steve Tabernackle's story

is backstopped as a parolee.

Shepard can dig,

but she won't link Neal
to the FBI.

Back in Steve's shoes.

Sara, thank you for sacrificing
Sterling Bosch's Ms. Fix-it.

Just another day
at white collar.

Still no response from Sam?

Could be anywhere.

Diana has a contact
in D.C.

He offered to run a search
on a Sam in the Metro P.D.

30 years ago.

Won't be easy without a --
Thanks, Peter, but when Sam's ready to talk,

he knows how to find me.

What's going on?
What do you mean?

I just offered you
a potential avenue to find Sam,

and you're telling me no.

I've been thinking about
the timing of Ellen's death.

What about it?

She's in WITSEC
for close to three decades,

and a few weeks after her name
pops up in some FBI report --

You think whoever killed her
had access?

We can't rule that out.

If Sam and I end up
working together,

I want you involved --
you know that.

Only if I keep
the investigation off-book.

I never said that.

You didn't have to.
And will you?

Neal, I know you want answers,
and I want to help.

But right now,
I'm in no position

to be breaking into
another u-boat.

I doubt this involves a submarine.
Oh, no?

Maybe he's got a blimp.

Okay. All right.

I get it.

I need you focusing on Shepard.

Someone who has no trouble working off-book.

Let me know
if she contacts you.

I will.

Good night, Peter.

Good night, Neal.

Oh, I see you cleaned house
at Pai Gow.

I see you've got a fake baby.

And a lead
on our mysterious Sam.

The gray S.U.V. pinged
at Zenith Rent-a-Car on Varick.

That's great news.
Still doesn't explain the baby.

Bartholomew helped me access
their mainframe.

With his
computer-science degree?

Think of him as a Swiss army knife.
Oh!

That occasionally wets himself.

The S.U.V.'s
maintenance records.

Credit-card number
for a Samuel Phelps.

Moz, this is huge.
Thank you.

Now, did you feel out the Suit?

I did.
And?

And the last time he went off-book
for me, he almost lost his job.

Until I know more,

it's safer for everyone
to keep Peter out of this.

Hello?

Mr. Tabernackle?

Who is this?

We've never met, but we share
a number of interests --

Sara Ellis,
photography, gambling.

And if you're smart, you'll meet
me in person to discuss them.

How does 10:00 A.M. tomorrow
sound?

I need you
to get Shepard on tape

explicitly
telling you to --

To destroy the photos

or she'll release the dirt
she's got on me.

I know a thing or two
about avoiding blackmail.

You mean proving blackmail.

That's not what I said?

Remember, your questions
can steer her answers.

Yeah, like a con.
Like testimony.

I've got eyes on Shepard.

Here we go.

Yeah.

Mr. Tabernackle.

What do you want?

You have photos of Sara Ellis
she'd like destroyed.

I want you to make that happen.

And if I don't?

I find out what kind
of risk taker you are

when it comes to your friends.

Where's she going with this?

Last night,

one of Steve Tabernackle's
suspected associates

went to great lengths
to obtain this.

Can you tell what it is?

Looks like an invoice
of some sort.

That doesn't belong to you.

Nor does it belong
to the funny little bald man

who broke 15 laws
trying to obtain it,

3 of which involved

what I can only hope
was a fake rubber child.

Damn it. She wasn't following
Neal last night.

She was following Mozzie.

Now, why would someone go
to such extraordinary lengths

for something so innocuous?

I did some digging.
It turns out --

I'll destroy the photos.

They'll never see
the light of day.

You have my word.

What did he just do?

He tanked it --
the whole damn thing.

Shepard walks.
We got nothing!

Identity comes from family.

And those without family
cherish their friendships.

Your choice.

Oh, I'll be holding on to this.

Assurances and all.

It's been a pleasure.

You blew it, Neal.

With a trial and a man's career
at stake, you blew it.

If Mozzie's name ends up
in the FBI files, he's made.

I could have excluded his name
from the official report.

You know that.
Do I?

That puts you off-book.

Is that what this is about?
Neal, what's going on?

What was on
that piece of paper?

Something Mozzie
wouldn't want exposed.

That's all I can tell you.
Neal --

I didn't have a choice.

Get out of here.
I'll see you tomorrow.

Of course that made
the Suit suspicious!

And the lady fixer made me.
I can't believe she made me.

It's not your fault, Moz.
She's good.

No one is that good.

You know what this is?
Too much time on the island.

I've gone soft.
Don't be ridiculous, okay?

Watch.

I once killed a man
with this trick.

You never killed a man
doing that.

I could have. Once.

That's it.

I'm gonna go to Aruba
and get my edge back.

Before you go assassinating
apples in Aruba,

how about you help me find a way
to stop Shepard?

That I can still help you with.
What are her weaknesses?

Well, she's a control freak.

She hates it when her clients
question her methods.

And her strengths?

Well-connected...

Good at reading people.

She has long-term clients
on the level of Sterling Bosch.

Show-off.

Any way to use her strengths
against her?

I know how we can take Bryson's
extortion photos out of play.

I'm all ears.

How would you feel

about sleeping with Sara Ellis?

Do you have any idea what this is about?

No. You?
No clue.

Why did I agree to this?
This is a terrible idea.

Hey, if you have a better idea,
I would love to hear it.

Fine.
But you should tell them.

It's your brilliant idea.

It's your wife.

It's your ex-girlfriend.

Oh, so you want me
to control the narrative?

Let's tell them together.
Great.

Great. All right.
Let's do it.

Teamwork, right?
Yep. Teamwork.

Okay? You and me.
Yep.

I'd like to start by saying
this is Neal's idea.

That Peter supports 100%.

Okay. Can one of you
just please speak?

Well,
it occurred to Neal --

Us.
Us --

That if Shepard were to drop
Delancy as a client,

Delancy's extortion scheme
would go up in smoke.

And Shepard would still have
the photos of Josh

but would have no incentive
to use them.

Exactly.

So how do we get Shepard
to drop Delancy?

By convincing Delancy

that I am still a threat
to his freedom.

I had Neal working undercover
on this one.

Using my alias at Caplin,

I'll give Delancy dirt on Peter
that's so tempting,

he'll insist Shepard uses it.

Shepard will refuse.

Delancy won't take no
for an answer.

She'll resent having her methods
questioned, so they'll argue.

Shepard will drop Delancy
as a client, and poof.

We've neutralized the extortion
threat against Bryson.

And why wouldn't she use
the dirt she has against you?

Out of her loyalty
to her best client.

Who's her best client?

The insurance investigator

who's sleeping with
your husband.

Oh, uh --
it's --

Oh! Oh, no. No, no.

Sara already told Shepard

that there are
compromising photos of her

with another man out there.

You never mentioned
who that man was.

Which gives us creative license
to make those photos real.

What?

No, I mean --

Not real, but look real.
Real-looking.

And you can
completely be there.

In the photos?

No, no. I'm just saying
that you can watch.

Oh, 'cause that
won't be awkward.

Well...Huh.

I hate to say it,
but I think it'll work.

Yeah, as long as the photos
are...convincing.

Okay.

By "convincing," you mean...

I'm talking about showing a little skin.
A state of tasteful undress.

Where do you do this?

Honey, you sure
you want to be here?

If you're sure
you're doing this,

I'm sure I want to be here.

I love you.

Neal, how do you want this?

It's like -- it's like you
just stumbled in from dinner.

You're a little drunk.

But, you know,
most importantly...

You're burning with desire.

God, that's what I get
for asking.

What do we do?
Do we just wing this?

Wing it!

Yeah.
Yeah, let's just wing it.

Yeah.
Wing it.

Okay.
All right.

Okay.

Seriously?

Okay, I'm sorry.
I-I've got to stop you.

I feel like
a limo driver on prom night.

You want to leave?

No. Honey, I want you
to get into it.

Come on!
You're an intense, sexy man.

Show her what you got.
Come on.

All right.
Okay.

Yeah, Sara, just maybe --

you know, maybe loosen it up
a little bit.

I'm sorry. What?

It needs to look passionate.

What, is this better?
Whoa.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's good, right?
Okay.

That's -- Oh --
There. All right.

This is weird.

Uh...

Uh...

- Honey, put left hand down
a little further, further. - Lower?

Yeah, there you go.

Sara, do that thing with your leg.
Neal, I got it!

Sara, maybe you could put
your head back.

Back? Okay.
Yeah, there you go.

There you go.
Wow. Okay, that's good.

That's hot.

Romance-novel cover,
right there.

Whisper in his ear.
He likes that at home.

Oh, hi, Peter.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's good. Okay.

Lift her up. Lift her.
Oh.

- Yeah, there you go. Lean back.
- That's good.

A little further.
A little further, yeah.

Careful.
Oh!

Aah!

- Oh. Oh.
- Ohh!

Okay.

I think we got it.

That's a wrap.

There's my scientist guy.

Good to see house arrest hasn't
cramped your style, Delancy.

Alcott.

Hey, I heard
through the grapevine

that, uh, Burke roughed you up
pretty good last night.

Yeah, that son of a bitch
tried to turn me.

He says he knows I offered
to look the other way

so you could taint the samples.

He's after
that missing benzene.

Damn it.

Yeah.
Well, lucky for us...

He's no angel.

Busted.

I love it!

Look, I helped you out.

I was hoping
you could help me, too.

I got somebody
that can take care of this.

Are you sure?
'Cause I cannot lose my job.

No, no, no.
I got it.

Honey?
Yeah, babe.

Shepard's here.
You want me to let her in?

Sure, hon.

Hey, speak of the devil,
stick around.

I'll introduce you to her.

You know, I would, but I'm late
for an appointment.

I'll see you.
All right.

He's in the back.

I didn't appreciate the tone
of your voicemail last night.

I told you,
you chose the wrong target.

You're days away from becoming
a free man, thanks to me.

Not if Burke's got
something to do with it.

I thought you said
he was untouchable.

Where did you get these?

Buddy at Caplin Environmental.

I want them in play.

These photos will not see the light of day.
Why not?

That's none of your concern.
Hey.

You work for me.

You tell Burke
to stop digging around,

or these will go public.

Nobody tells me
how to do my job.

You do it, or I will.
You hear me?

Goodbye, Delancy.
We're done.

You're on your own.

Hey. What?
We had a deal, right?

I make the rules.

You don't question them.
That was our deal.

And I'm taking these with me.
No, you're not.

If you touch me
or these photos,

I'll make sure that Burke
does find that vial.

Hey, Peter.

You tell Josh the good news?

Yeah, extortion photos
are off the table,

but it may be too little
too late.

Why? What happened?

Defense rested an hour ago.

They obliterated
Peter's testimony.

Without hard proof
the benzene existed,

there is no way I can get
a guilty verdict.

What if we can get you
that proof?

What are you talking about?

Shepard never destroyed
Delancy's vial of benzene.

She's holding it over his head.
Why?

The evidence against Mozzie,
the pictures of you and Sara --

She holds on to everything.

It's the only way
she can control her client.

Which means the vial
is only good to her

if it's well-preserved, complete
with Delancy's fingerprints.

It'd have to be submitted by the
time court resumes at 3:00.

That's less than two hours.

We need to figure out
how to find it.

How can you stall?

Well, the defense claims
that the vial never existed,

but what if you called
one last rebuttal witness

who happens to know
that it did?

The only other person
who saw the vial.

Neal Caffrey, how'd you like
to take the stand?

Hey.

You're on the stand
at 3:00.

Defense assumes your testimony
will do me more harm than good.

Good. Low expectations.

Yeah, but if we don't find
that benzene, they may be right.

Any word from Peter?

Yeah, he's got all of
white collar flagging banks,

storage facilities, and warehouses
from Shepard's call logs.

No leads yet,

but there are still a few hundred
private numbers he's looking into.

A few hundred?

Well, we brought in
some extra help.

Limo service, limo service,

comptroller,
comptroller, Giuliani.

By the way, Giuliani never
returns my phone calls anymore.

Momofuku, Momofuku.

Where did you come from?

45 years ago, an enigma gave
a paradox a very special hug.

Oh. Wait a minute.

Shepard calls the same number
on the second of every month.

What is it?

Storage facility in midtown.

Unpublished, for clients only.
You're a client?

Unpublished, for clients only.

I think we may have found
our benzene.

Neal takes the stand
in less than an hour.

Not enough time for a warrant.

Although, if we could
somehow convince Shepard

to get the vial
out of storage...

You can catch her
red-handed.

Suit, I like the way
you're thinking.

What did she catch you doing
the other night?

Irrelevant.

This is about payback, right?
Do you want my help or not?

I do.

But nothing illegal,
and it stays aboveboard.

What if I could arrange
for you to be aboveboard?

Plausible deniability?

It's worked for us before.

Let's do it.

We're here.
What's next?

Okay.

Here.

My Parisian audio diary,
circa march 1983.

Max volume.

Okay, uh, face west.

No, I-I mean east.

Strangers turned up
in my apartment again.

It happens most nights now.

The first time, I opened the door,
so I can understand.

But now they just push
past the gate.

Miss Shepard.
Lenny from Raylan.

We're dealing with kind of a
pipe-burst situation over here,

and we're consulting our clients
to remove their belongings

before they get damaged.

I must always have
a bottle of red

and a bottle of white on hand,

and sometimes
they want a card game.

Look, it's -- Oh!
Jeffrey, no! No! Oh, no!

"You," I say, "you're next door
to the Spanish.

"If New Jersey spoke French,

perhaps then
I would have picked some up."

You can borrow it anytime
to hear the rest.

What's next?

Okay, I need you to go down
to loco Jerry's.

Order an empanada --
sin queso --

then wait in the car.

Do not eat it.

And no matter
what you see or hear,

do not exit the vehicle until
Shepard is inside that building.

Or you can just stay here
and watch us work.

I'll get the empanada.

We've closed the court,
Mr. Bryson.

Are you or are you not prepared
to call your witness?

Your honor, the prosecution
would like to call

Mr. Neal Caffrey
to the stand.

He's an eyewitness
to the benzene vial

the defense claims
never existed.

What?

Come on, Mozzie.

Whatever you're up to...

Jones, Diana,
get ready to move.

Would you state your full name
and title for the court?

Neal George Caffrey,
cooperating witness

and confidential informant
for the FBI.

FBI?

Mr. Caffrey,
why were you sent undercover?

Well, it's a bit
of a long story.

We have time.

What you doing, Shepard?

Agent Burke.

Didn't peg you as the type
to flood private property,

though I do know that you'd
never cheat on your wife.

It's so interesting to see where
one chooses to draw the line.

If you knew those photos
were staged,

why'd you play along?

Because Delancy's
a temperamental idiot

and I respect Sara Ellis.

She wants you behind bars.

No. She doesn't.

But you made her choose a side.

I blame you for that, not her.

Time for payback.

Drill, baby, drill.

Vial's in the trunk.

Cuff me, agent.

With pleasure.
Mm-hmm.

I'm curious.

How does a man who's chosen
to uphold the law explain this?

Hey.
What happened here?

Long story.

Watch her.
I'm gonna check the trunk.

Looks like
your spell's been broken.

Make you a deal.

Verify the chain of custody
on that vial,

and maybe we'll go
a little easier on you.

I can work with that.

Everything okay, Peter?

Yeah.
We all got what we needed.

I got to get this
to the courthouse.

Well, Barty, looks like
we got our edge back.

And Giuliani has a reason
to return my calls.

Mr. Caffrey, the vial
the defendant showed you --

what size would you say it was?

Objection!

Your honor, asked and answered.

Sustained. Mr. Bryson, you've covered
the ground you need to cover.

Either allow the defense to
cross-examine the witness or --

Hey! Where do you
think you're going?!

Mr. Caffrey, is this the vial
Victor Delancy showed you

on November 1st of last year?

I believe it is.

Mr. Caffrey, for two weeks you worked

as a highly successful
senior biochemical analyst

at Caplin Environmental.

Objection.

How does being a fake scientist

qualify this man
to identify benzene?

I'd very much like an answer
to that myself.

Your honor, I was
convicted of bond forgery.

Forgery is as much science
as it is art.

And does the government consider
you an expert in forgery?

Of all types --

art, bonds, checks.

Would you please explain to
the court what check washing is?

Check washing is the process

of dissolving the ink
from a check,

allowing it to be rewritten
for any amount.

And how is that accomplished?

Well, typically, the check
is soaked in benzene.

So, not only is benzene
a toxic pollutant,

it's also a chemical
criminals use

to remove ink
from a personal check?

That's correct.

Mr. Caffrey, when you're known
in some circles

as a con man and a liar,

why should we believe a word
of any of this?

Oh, you shouldn't.
People lie.

But science doesn't.

He's not a scientist.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I present to you exhibit 64a.

As confirmed by agent Burke,
Mr. Caffrey,

and verified through
the chain of custody,

we now know this is the vial
removed from Delancy's office

November 6th of last year.

Can you please demonstrate
for the court

how science can prove
this vial contains benzene?

Absolutely.

Uh, your honor,
I'll need your pen, please.

And the defendant's glass
of water.

Thank you, sir.

Ahh. Wow.

I guess I was thirsty.

Let the record show
that I am writing a check

to George Alcott --
great guy, sharp as a tack --

in the amount of $100.

Now, if the liquid in this vial
is benzene,

the ink from this check
will disappear completely

within five seconds of contact.

Pardon the fumes.

All right.

Here we go.

Four, three, two...

Five seconds.
Give or take, apparently.

Let the record show,

where the check was submerged,
the ink has vanished completely.

Ours is
a fact-driven process.

You know, I'd like to thank
those who gathered those facts,

as well as the jury
for weighing them

and arriving
at the right conclusion.

Glad to see my science lesson

had a positive effect
on the jury.

Oh, uh, Bryson mentioned
the woods trial is coming up.

He'd love to have you.

I think I'll pass.

Testifying's fun,

but it's not as much of a con
as I thought.

Telling the whole truth
isn't your cup of tea?

I'm shocked.

Listen, I got an errand to run.
Do you mind if I --

Go. I'll see you tomorrow.
See ya.

Your C.I.

I should have known.

Shepard, how the hell
did you get out?

The judge released me
on my own recognizance.

It's amazing what knowing
the right people can get you.

Yes, it is.

Oh, and my compliments
on a game well played.

Extortion's a game to you?
Of course.

Oh, and your strategy --
staying above the law

while the people around you
break it --

it's genius.

Well, sometimes we have to do
things we don't like

to protect the people
we care about.

Are you talking about Bryson
or your boy Caffrey?

He's slippery,

and so is the line
between right and wrong.

And when you follow him
across it,

it will cost you everything.

I hope I'm wrong.

But if I'm not...
Call me.

I'm here to help.

If you think you can find
Ellen's evidence without me...

You're wrong.

Why is that?

'Cause I'm standing here
talking to a man

who doesn't want to be found.

Sam, no one wants these guys
taken down more than me.

I spent the last decade of
my life hiding from the truth.

I'm finally ready to face it,

and I'll be damned
if I'm turning back now

because you think
I can't help you.

No FBI?

No FBI.

Your father and I used to
play darts once in a while.

He hated losing with a passion.

Like father, like son.

Darts, huh?

So what now?

We stay in touch...

We share information...

And we do whatever it takes
to bring them down.

Neal, what are you doing?