Title: Hidden Message
Author: TeeJay
whitecollar100 Prompt: #50 Hat
Genre: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Peter, Jones, mentions of Neal
Word Count: 100
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Peter knows Neal hasn't run. Or has he?
Disclaimer: White Collar, its characters and its settings belong to Jeff Eastin and USA Network. And, guys? Your characters are not only welcome, they're wonderful. I'm just borrowing, I promise.
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It was the gray trilby, the one Peter knew Neal was particularly fond of. They'd found it on the ground next to a dumpster, and that was how Peter knew something was amiss.
Neal would not leave the hat carelessly discarded like that, or else it had been a message to Peter.
"Dammit," he swore. He activated his walkie. "Jones, pull Neal's tracking data. Something's wrong."
"Copy that. On it," replied Jones.
They found the anklet 15 minutes later by the Manhattan docks. Peter twirled the hat in his hands, trying to decide whether maybe Neal had run after all.