Federal Building. Monday March 8, 2004.

They gave Hitchum what he expected. Peter and Tricia interrogated him, asking him to fill in the blanks about the case and about Mr. Hyde. He remained calm and told them nothing new.

Neal, Graham and Noelle watched from behind the glass wall, where they could see, but not be seen. Henry had disappeared with Jones for a while, but returned in time to catch the last twenty minutes of the interrogation.

Then Peter opened the door to the interrogation room around 11:30 and said, "We're ready for you now."

A woman entered the room. She wore rumpled navy blue slacks, a white cotton blouse, and an emerald scarf that set off her green eyes. The scarf was expensive, but slightly askew. She wore her blonde hair pulled back at her neck in a twist that looked ready to fall apart at any minute.

"You have fifteen minutes with him," Peter said.

"That's fifteen more than I want," the woman said. She sat down, placing an oversized canvas bag on the table. Peter and Tricia left and shut the door behind them while the woman rooted around for a pad of paper and pen. She pulled them out, placed the bag on the floor, and straightened her dark-framed glasses. "Okay, let's get this over with."

For the first time all morning, Hitchum looked surprised. "Who are you?"

"They didn't tell you? Well, this just gets better and better. I'm Meg Winston, from Winston-Winslow. I'm the only employee who was in the New York area, and they pulled me from my vacation to talk to you. I'm as thrilled about this as you are, I'm sure."

Peter and Tricia joined the group watching from behind the glass wall. "Meg?" Neal said quietly to Henry as they watched Noelle talking to Hitchum.

"Short for Armageddon," Henry replied, referring to a set of Caffrey family code names. "One of her favorite aliases."

"You're not employed by the FBI?" Hitchum asked.

"As if. I thought you knew about Win-Win. Not big fans of the FBI."

"You're not consulting with the Bureau? I heard they had a couple of Winslows on contract: Graham and Henry."

"Above my pay grade. I'm barely a step up from a receptionist. As far as I know, I'm not allowed to contract or consult with anyone else. I've got a list of questions." She flipped through her notebook and finally settled on a page that had writing on it. "I hope to God these make sense to you. Okay. First question. Robert Winslow has disappeared. Any idea where he's gone?"

"He's missing?"

"Okay, that doesn't sound promising. You know where he might go?"

"No idea."

"Well, this will go fast, at least. He left behind some kind of rant about someone named Neal Caffrey. What's the deal with him?"

"You really have no idea what's going on here, do you?"

"You're a real genius, aren't you?" Noelle countered. "So you're ignorant of this Caffrey person, too. You know, I could be at a spa. I'd kill for a decent manicure. I had an appointment with a nail artist right now. She was going to put little bunnies on my nails. You married? You should tell your wife about this manicurist."

"Divorced," Hitchum said stiffly.

"Yeah? You know, Robert was divorced. We were kind of surprised when his son joined Win-Win. Everyone thought the kid was gone for good, you know? You got kids?"

Hitchum looked a little bewildered. "I have a son. He's a senior at George Washington University."

"Expensive. I hope he got a scholarship."

"He did, but it doesn't cover everything."

"Yeah? What are you on the hook for?"

"Books, his apartment and meals. It's an expensive place to live."

"Why doesn't he get a job? I swear, if I had kids they'd be working their way through school."

"He did at first. Then he was in an accident. A drunk driver plowed right into his car. There were medical expenses. I'm still paying off what the insurance didn't cover. He's better now, but keeping up with classes is all he can handle on top of the physical therapy. He doesn't have the time or energy for a job right now."

"Aww, man, that's awful. Divorce, the accident, and now you're in trouble with the FBI. Some people can't catch a break, can they? So, let's see. I lost track of where we were. Did you know anything about this Neal Caffrey person?"

"I know too much about him. There's someone who gets all the breaks. He went out and committed all kinds of crimes, and skates on by. He cries on Peter's shoulder and gets immunity. It's not like he's even sorry, but all is forgiven and he's everyone's golden boy. Me, I make one little mistake and have to live in terror of getting caught. I got so stressed out my marriage fell apart, and finally I moved to make a fresh start, but I can't ever get away from it."

"Where's the justice in that?" Noelle asked.

"That's what I'm saying! You know, Robert used to say that, too. 'Where's the justice for guys like us?' The weird thing is, I used to blame Robert for a lot of this. If he hadn't come along when he did, I might have made some different choices. But in the end I was glad for the money and realized we had a lot in common. We both made some decisions that could get us in trouble, but we were both looking out for our kids. That Neal Caffrey we were talking about, he was always getting Robert's son in trouble. Robert asked me to keep an eye out, let him know if I heard anything about Caffrey or his whereabouts, to help keep him away from Henry."

"You know, it's funny. Robert's not all that popular back at the office. I don't run in his crowd of course, but he has kind of reputation for being a jerk. And now here you're singing his praises. It's like that Dr. Jekyll thing, isn't it?"

Hitchum laughed. "He'd appreciate the comparison. That must be his favorite book. He's always referring to it. Talking about how to be good, he has to play the bad guy sometimes. The rules, they don't always let the good guy win. But Robert was determined to win, for his son. No matter what it takes. I can identify with that."

Noelle scanned down the page of her notepad. "Whoa. This says you were going to kill this Neal Caffrey person for Robert? And you're an FBI agent?"

"You don't understand how insidious Caffrey is. Some people can't be stopped. As long as he's alive, he's going to be taking advantage of someone. He smiles and gets his way, and the rest of us pay. It wasn't until I met him that I understood where Robert was coming from. When Robert said he had a plan to get rid of him, I had to help. It's like being an exterminator. You gotta get rid of the vermin, or they'll take over."

"Robert really planned a murder? I honestly didn't think he had the nerve."

"Yeah, he kept telling me they underestimated him back at Win-Win. Robert had it all planned out, but that fool Bickerton couldn't get Caffrey away from the hospital."

"Bickerton. I remember that name. Hold on." Noelle pulled out her phone and scrolled through messages. "Oh, he didn't make it."

"What?"

"Someone shot Bickerton. He died this morning. Do you think it was Robert? I wouldn't have guessed it, but you're saying he really has the nerve to kill someone who stands in his way."

"I..." Hitchum picked up his glass of water and drank deeply. "I guess. I mean, Robert's got some rage, and Bickerton did mess up."

"Good thing you and Robert are pals, then. I wouldn't want him coming after me. You didn't let him down, did you?"

"Nooo... I always came through for him. He might be a little disappointed that I couldn't provide everything he wanted, but I told him it was a long shot. I never promised more than I could deliver."

"That's good then. I'm sure he'll be reasonable. Except, I mean, you've heard about his son, right?"

Hitchum shook his head. "I don't think I follow. What about his son?"

"Well, you keep talking about how Robert was doing everything for his son. Henry. Well, Robert went on the run Friday, and last thing he did before he bailed was leave a lot of evidence pointing to Henry. Making it look like Henry was someone called Mr. Hyde, who was blackmailing people and trying to arrange to have Neal Caffrey murdered. It's pretty obvious it wasn't Henry, but it's weird Robert would do that, since he was doing everything for Henry's benefit. I can't say I get it. Oh, you know, I just noticed. Mr. Hyde. And we were talking about Dr. Jekyll. Who do you suppose was Mr. Hyde if it wasn't Henry? Was it you? I could see that. You're partners, right? Jekyll and Hyde. Well of course you're Hyde." She closed her notebook. "That was my last question. I figured out who's Mr. Hyde. Maybe I could become an investigator one of these days. I guess that covers it, then." She picked up her bag and stood up.

"I'm not Mr. Hyde!" Hitchum yelled.

"Sorry. Did I get it backwards? You're Jekyll and Robert's Mr. Hyde?"

"You're seriously telling me he turned on his own son, and you can't figure out that he's Mr. Hyde? Of course Robert is Mr. Hyde. He was behind everything. I wasn't a partner. I was a pawn. Get Agent Burke back in here. I need to make a deal before Robert turns on me, too."

"Umm. Okay. Agent Burke. Tall guy, brown eyes?" She opened the door and looked outside. "Is there an Agent Burke around here?"

Peter stepped into the room to continue questioning a much more compliant Hitchum. And on the other side of the glass Neal said, "Got him. Got them both. Hitchum and Robert are toast."

Noelle walked up to where Neal and Henry were seated, and put her arms around both of them. "For all of Robert's disdain for your father, Neal, he was just as bad as James."

"You're a decent con artist, you know," Neal said.

"Your grandmother would say we inherited her acting skills." Noelle pulled up a chair beside Neal. "I want to make sure you're clear about something, sweetie. Everything Hitchum said about you was lie, an excuse he made up to soothe his conscience. You are a good person. That's what Peter saw in you; that's why he arranged immunity. You aren't getting a free ride. You didn't deserve anything that Robert or Hitchum did or planned to do. They are to blame for all of their actions. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned to Henry. "That goes for you, too, sweetheart. Your father used you as an excuse because that was the easiest way to manipulate Hitchum. You didn't cause Robert to do anything, and you aren't to blame for his actions. Are we clear on that?"

Like Neal, Henry said, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I'll see you back at the hotel. I think a family dinner this evening is definitely in order. We'll go anyplace the two of you want."

"I'll second that," Graham said. "All of it, not just the dinner invitation."

After Noelle was gone, Henry stood up. "You have the afternoon off, Neal. I've got something in mind, if you're up to it."

Neal nodded. As they waited for the elevator he asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to talk to Kate."