White Collar s01e06 Episode Script

Please tell me this isn't gonna be another mortgage fraud case.
What's wrong with mortgage fraud cases? They're boring.
You stare at paperwork all day.
You could stare at prison bars all day.
Are you still playing that card? Makes me smile.
- Excuse me.
- Get out of the way.
- Why all the craziness? - I don't know.
This can't be good.
Peter, Hughes wants to see you right away.
All right.
So is this what it looked like when I escaped? I don't know.
I was working important cases.
What's going on? The bureau is missing an agent.
That isn't good.
Yeah.
He's an undercover from the D.
C.
office.
We lost contact with him 12 hours ago.
What do you think happened? I don't know.
Could be in trouble, could be laying low.
We're not sure.
Listen to me.
We need somebody who understands money laundering.
Excuse me.
I have an important case to deal with.
This is Agent Mark Costa.
He was posing as a drug trafficker looking to clean some dirty cash through this guy, Lao Shen, money launderer out of China.
Costa was working him until last night.
According to his last contact Lao was making a pit stop in New York for 72 hours and after that, he boards a flight to the homeland and we lose him.
So why you telling me this? Nicholas Halden? Who? Cut the crap.
We know he's one of your aliases.
You created him to launder cash through that Canary Islands scam you ran in '04.
Multimillionaire with a penchant for gambling? Ringing any bells? I may have heard of him.
Are you willing to offer him full immunity? Done.
I don't give a damn what you did five years ago.
I wanna find my agent.
Then what can Nick do to help? We want you to make contact with Lao using this identity.
What do you know about Pai Gow? I know it sounds delicious.
It's a Chinese version of poker played with dominoes.
Not really my game.
Make it your game.
Lao likes to contact new clients using certain hands or bets.
He'll be playing an underground table in Chinatown tomorrow night.
I'm not gonna lie to you.
This is a dangerous one, Caffrey.
High stakes.
I'm in.
I asked you to teach me the game.
This movie is terrible.
Wait.
Shh.
Let's take this to the next level.
You took it to the next level when you killed my family.
Your wager then.
One hundred grand? How did they know about Nick Halden? Shh! Surely you can't believe that.
Let's be honest.
Nick was not your best work.
He's no Steve Tabernacle.
Steve was a good man.
Steve is a good man.
Besides, you should be more concerned with what the guy with the ring wants.
I don't know.
I've stolen a lot of stuff in my lifetime.
Maybe Poe's Tamerlane book? No.
Sold that a while back.
The Tamayo painting.
Not worth all this.
Washington's love letters.
Seriously, I don't even know why you stole that in the first place.
Martha.
Oh, this is my favorite part.
Too rich for your blood, Lee-Kang? I believe it is your blood that will make me rich, farmer boy.
Okay, what are they doing right now? Oh, they're drawing from the wood pile.
With these tiles, they make two hands.
Oh, wait.
Wait.
Shh.
Shh.
He just played the death tile.
Death tile? Well, the movie takes a few liberties.
Then why are we watching it? It's a cult classic.
Okay, fine.
What do you have to do? Fold above the bank.
If I get a better hand than the dealer and throw it away, Lao knows I'm a prospect.
Okay.
Well ideally you want something like this.
These are some of the best tiles you can get.
You trash a hand like this and you're in.
It's like folding pocket aces.
All right.
Then let's practice.
All you have to do is lose.
You wanna practice losing? No, I have to win first, then lose.
I thought perhaps you gentlemen might like something to eat.
Oh, thanks, June.
Thanks, June.
What you watching? Tiles of Fire.
Oh, Part One? Part Two's up next.
Aha.
Don't start without me.
There's a sequel? Five.
Good news.
We put word out Nicholas Halden's in town and looking to do business.
Lao's people took the bait.
We're sending you in as an investor to his money-laundering scheme.
Lao's game takes place just off of Mott Street.
We'll be setting up around the corner.
At Mei Shi Lin Restaurant? Ooh.
Been there.
Good dumplings.
And an even better HQ for our purposes.
Family that owns the place are trusted CIs for the bureau.
They've had dealings with Lao.
We'll monitor the game from the second floor.
Look, there's an agent missing in all this.
So everyone stay sharp.
The FBI is truly grateful for your help, Mr.
Tuan.
I just want Lao out of the neighborhood.
He's been taking from my business for years.
And with my own debt piling up, I can hardly afford to be in his.
I understand.
Look, I too am grateful for your help.
Come on.
Those standard FBI issue? They were a gift from Elizabeth.
One that keeps on giving.
We tried to make room.
It's perfect.
Apologies.
My daughter, Bai.
Hi, there.
I'm gonna need that back, okay? There.
Thank you.
Who are you? What do you mean? I just grabbed-- Do you have a business card? Hey, hey.
It's okay.
It's okay.
Ready? Watch this.
Ready? One, two, three.
Where'd it go? Where'd it go? Where'd it go? Wait a second.
Is it here? Is it right there? How silly.
Here you go.
You know, every time I see you do that, I check for my wallet.
All right.
Let's get you suited up.
Game starts in 10.
You reviewed the building layout? Camera surveillance, electronic pass code.
Standard.
Any questions? Just one.
Where did Elizabeth buy those socks? Christmas is-- Enough.
There is one small problem.
What? That's a really nice fake.
It's more concerned with telling us where you are than telling time.
We deactivated your anklet Lauren, if you'll do the honors.
Be gentle.
Yeah, I've never been the gentle type.
All right.
There's a GSM transmitter inside.
It's one-way, but we'll be able to hear everything that happens.
Everything? Lao is dangerous, Neal.
We're pulling you at the first sign of trouble.
Fine.
As long as I don't draw the death tile.
There's a death tile? Halden.
Nick Halden.
Halden's golden.
He got through.
What happened here? Lao.
He was in your home? No, his men.
They came in one night to make sure I would pay.
With a gun? They fired a bullet 2 inches from my baby's crib while Bai was still sleeping in it.
How you doing? Don't get them wet.
Don't feed them after midnight, right? Never mind.
It's a toast.
"Drink and win.
" One down, one to go.
Eight and seven, nice hand.
I'm out.
You could have won.
There are more important things than winning.
You folded on a good hand, Mr? You know who I am.
And you know why I'm here.
For a man of your reputation, Mr.
Halden it took some time for you to find the hand you needed.
Pai Gow isn't my game.
What is your game? Perhaps we should discuss that in private.
We have time for that.
Another hand? Don't rush him, Neal.
I'm always in for one more game.
Good, good.
--gambling location.
Peter, we got a problem.
N.
Y.
P.
D.
got a tip-off.
They're about to raid the game.
Who the hell tipped them off? No clue.
They're gonna get Neal killed.
You get me Captain Shattuck of N.
Y.
P.
D.
before they crash this whole thing.
Cops! They're not with me.
I don't believe in coincidence.
Maybe you should.
Let's get out of here.
It's N.
Y.
P.
D.
Stay where you are.
Lao, let's go.
Just go, go, go.
- Where's the exit? - Hands on the table.
Everyone, down.
Down! We will shoot.
Freeze.
Come on, Neal.
Give yourself up.
Tell them you're FBI.
--fired.
Shots fired.
White male, I don't think he gave himself up.
Maybe it's not him.
This way.
Trying to save my cover here, guys.
It's him.
All right.
If he's not with me in three minutes, you mobilize backup.
And tell N.
Y.
P.
D.
to stay the hell out of our way.
And where are my damn shoes? I'm getting a little tired of being chased, Peter.
Call the cops off me.
- Where is he, Jones? - He's moving north on Allen.
- Down here.
- All right.
It's okay.
Lao says to let me handle it.
Have I thanked you for that drink? No.
Remind me to.
Lao knows why you folded back there.
He respects it.
Come with me, and you can complete your business.
Is he gonna point any more guns at me? You'll be fine.
Trust me.
Then lead the way.
You getting this, Peter? He's trying to save the operation.
They're heading to a hotel off Mulberry.
If Caffrey doesn't leave Chinatown, then neither do we.
Jones, I want two of our guys positioned in the front and rear of the place.
Once that's settled, find out what the hell happened back there.
Get the N.
Y.
P.
D.
call log for starters.
I'm not buying this coincidence at all.
Who is this girl? You're gonna find out.
Where do you want me to start? Cams in the area.
Have N.
Y.
P.
D.
pull a photo from one of those.
Another all-nighter? I married a perceptive woman.
And I married a predictable man.
All right, so no dinner tonight.
How about lunch tomorrow? That sounds great.
What did Neal do now? Nothing yet.
You know, I wouldn't worry too much about him.
He respects you, you know.
I think you're overselling our bond a little bit.
I don't.
Good luck.
Nice place.
When will Lao be joining us? He won't be.
Then what are we doing here? He told me to stay the night with you.
There's only one bed.
I wasn't planning on sleeping.
Were you? Let me get you a drink.
Only Caffrey.
Ugh.
Already seen this one on Cinemax.
I haven't.
Lao says that I should keep an eye on you until we can arrange another meeting.
So, what do we do until then? Relax, have a drink.
I'm good for now.
It's not drugged or poisoned.
Why don't you just relax? Let's start with this.
What are you doing? Taking you off the clock.
What happened? We just lost the transmitter.
Shall we go in? No.
We've got guys on the entrances.
We can track Caffrey if he leaves the room.
Assuming he leaves the room.
Hey, that was an expensive-- Fake? I am really tired of guns being pointed at me tonight.
Nicholas Halden isn't the kind of man who would wear a fake watch.
Neal Caffrey, on the other hand.
You know who I am? You've been on our watch list for years.
Could you be more specific? I've been on so many, it's hard to keep track.
Interpol.
You know my name, but I don't know yours.
My name is Meilin.
Why is Interpol interfering in an FBI investigation? It's the other way around.
You called the cops.
And you screwed everything up by impressing Lao with your fancy table tricks.
Now I'm stuck with you.
Am I such a bad guy to be stuck with? If you take Lao, we'll never get to his boss.
He's a much bigger fish.
Yeah, I get it.
Turf wars.
So why are we here? You're gonna let Lao walk.
I don't know if you heard, but the bureau and I are pals lately.
I can't flip on them.
You can botch the deal.
Besides, if you help me, I'll make sure you get the one thing you want most.
What, a new watch? Kate.
What do you know about Kate? I know where she is.
So do I.
I want the man who's got her.
I can help you with that.
I think I'll take that drink now.
Oh, damn.
Oh, I told you to wake me if I drifted off.
Oh, come on, boss.
You needed a break.
Anything happen? Nope.
How long have I been out? About a half an hour.
Okay.
Get some rest.
I'll take over.
Okay.
What happened to my sock? I don't know.
I was watching the monitor, remember? Did you steal my sock? You're a little klepto, aren't you? Yeah.
You have no idea what I'm saying, do you? No.
Keep that up, you'll end up like Neal.
You don't want that.
Trust me.
He's unreliable.
He never listens to you.
And he always gets himself into trouble.
I mean, it's not like I'm worried about him.
I just feel responsible.
Anything happens to him, I'll have a lot of paperwork to fill out.
Paperwork's a hassle.
Neal's a hassle.
But then again, that was a neat card trick, huh? Nice to know I'm appreciated.
I knew you were there.
Yeah? Yeah.
You also know she speaks perfect English? You're weird.
Heh, heh.
I want my sock back.
You're a bad influence.
How'd you get here? I caught a lift with one G-men in front of the hotel.
I told those guys to call me if they saw you.
I told them not to bother you.
You get a little cranky if you don't get your beauty sleep.
What happened to the watch? Oh, I must have banged it up during the chase.
When did it cut out? While you were in the hotel room.
That's too bad.
Guess you missed all the good stuff.
So can she make the meet happen? She'll contact me with the time and place.
Good.
Jones, if you'll do the honors.
Hey.
N.
Y.
P.
D.
traced their tip-off on the game to a cell phone registered to a Miss Meilin Wan.
Same girl Caffrey had a sleepover with last night.
You sure about that? Yeah.
That's from a traffic cam a block away at the exact same time the call was placed.
A carrier company lists the hostess bar on Canal as the place of business.
I wanna check it out.
I'm curious why Miss Meilin wants to call the cops on Lao's game especially if she wants to keep your deal alive.
You got a problem with that? Let's go.
Looks like our employees are on a break right now.
Any thoughts on how to approach this one? No? Isn’t this the part where you say, "We should buy them a drink"? I can't go in there.
It'll blow my cover.
Guess I'll have to show you how it's done.
Hello.
Agent Burke, FBI.
I wanna ask you a few questions about one of your coworkers, Miss Meilin Wan.
One at-- One at a time, please.
Does anyone--? Does anyone know where she is right now? Oh, really? Do you know where she lives? That's the same guy who caught me, right? That's the guy who caught you twice.
Does anyone speak English? Anyone? You know, okay.
All right.
All right, thank you.
Thanks very much.
So that's how it's done? Yeah, that's how it's done.
Amazing what someone will say when they don't think you can speak their language.
Have a translator meet us at the office.
Let's see what they were saying behind the back of the bumbling FBI agent.
Where's the translator? Won't be here for another hour.
Damn it.
All right, let her run.
Maybe we can pick up a name at the very least.
Meilin Wan.
What? Meilin Wan.
Oh, really? Catch anything? Not so much.
Know where she lives? Someone called you a bad name.
There you are.
Sorry about that.
We're taking Victor's statement, and I guess she heard your voice.
All right, let's go.
Hold on.
I got an idea.
These ladies are mean.
One at a time, please.
They think you're stupid.
Leave that out.
Something about Meilin working the night shift.
A place called Red Lantern.
Where do I know that from? Well, it could be a club or a restaurant.
Could be a sunburned superhero.
It's a waste, Peter.
Following Meilin's not getting us any closer to Lao or Costa.
Found it.
Red Lantern Exports.
Yeah, it looks like Costa suspected it was a shell company for Lao.
That's what he was looking into before he disappeared.
So she had a part-time job at a warehouse.
That's an eclectic résumé.
Still wasting our time? Jones, look up that address for me.
So the results on Meilin's facial scan came back.
You got anything? Nothing.
Because it came back "restricted.
" Restricted? Which means she's either a CI or working for another organization.
Run it through the interagency database.
Already did.
She's Interpol.
Oh, do you think Neal knows? Well, he spent six hours alone with her in a room.
He knows.
Maybe he was keeping his cover.
Okay.
He knows.
He's playing me.
Well, there's really only one reason why he would keep something from you.
Just one? Kate.
What are you gonna do? Pick that for me.
Don't we need a warrant? Oh, look at you.
Law-abiding citizen all of a sudden.
I got goose bumps.
Agent Costa already filed for one.
But I don't have my tools.
Well, I got mine.
I think I just saw the Ark of the Covenant back there.
If my face melts, let me know.
Neal.
Sign of a struggle.
Scuff marks.
Looks like someone was dragged right down that way.
Blood.
It's Agent Costa.
Lao's men.
I didn't see an alarm system.
They're not here for us.
Then who? Costa.
Oh, come on.
No service.
No, no.
What are you--? Well, you got a better idea? I let them walk right out the door.
Would you rather be dead? This isn't a game, Neal.
I think it's time you and I had a little heart-to-heart.
About what? Your friend at Interpol.
I never lied to Peter.
You did leave a few things out.
You don't understand.
I need to find Kate.
She's in danger.
Look, my husband really wants to trust you.
But you keep giving him reasons not to.
You're on your own on this one.
Please, please.
No, stay.
Don't go.
So, what now? I wouldn't take you off of this case if I could.
I wasn't talking about the case.
What did Interpol promise you? Did Meilin promise you Kate? What was I supposed to do? She said she could find her.
In exchange for what? They want Lao to walk.
Do you know why? They're after his boss.
Lao doesn't have a boss.
You know what this is really about? It's about jurisdiction.
If they arrest him on Asian soil, they get additional funding from China's government.
Additional funding? Yeah.
Half a million dollars.
That's the price of a dead FBI agent.
You really think you can believe everything she tells you? We either take down Lao now or our partnership comes to an end.
We're partners? You tell me.
Oh, hello, Neal, dear.
I was just having a charming conversation with your friend.
It has been wonderful to meet you.
Likewise, June.
Now that I know you're a wonderful host, don't be surprised if I stop by again soon.
I'd keep my eye on that one.
What happened to Costa? What, no small talk? I saw a dead FBI agent today.
Not really feeling like small talk.
I'm the reason you found that body.
You expect me to believe you left a breadcrumb trail on purpose? Your agent deserved a proper burial.
Well, he didn't get one.
Was his cover blown? Lao suspected he was working for a competitor, not a government.
You don't believe me? I have a pretty good reason not to.
You lied to me about why you want Lao.
And? And you're letting a murderer go free to curry political favor.
If that sits right with you, maybe I should rethink our arrangement.
I'm just doing my job.
And right now, my job is to make sure the FBI can't monitor any of Lao's accounts during your meeting tomorrow.
It doesn't matter to me what happens after that.
Oh, Neal.
The man who's got Kate I know who it is.
Anklet off.
You better not break this one.
When they scan you for bugs, manually deactivate the transmitter.
Press it again, it turns it back on.
And you damn well better turn it back on.
I will, Peter.
Once you give Lao our account number, we'll be able to scan the dirty money.
Between that and the audio from the watch, we'll be able to put this guy away for good.
Anything else? Yeah.
Good luck in there.
Do you have the account number? And you're ready for this? Ready.
He cut the signal.
What's important is when he turns it back on.
Keep an eye on the bank account.
I'm gonna give you a new account number to use.
One the FBI can't trace.
Got it? Repeat it to me.
I got it.
Relax, Neal.
It's almost over.
I apologize for the scene the other night.
As you know, you can never be too careful.
Oh, I completely understand.
You'll find this to be the beginning of a very rewarding relationship for us.
I hope so.
Meilin speaks very highly of you, Mr.
Halden.
The account number if you please.
Any movement on the account? Nothing.
Come on, Neal.
And just like that, we are partners.
We'll contact you in two weeks with your money minus the 10 percent fee, of course.
Of course.
I did what you wanted.
Tell me who has Kate.
It's all in there.
Hey, Lao.
We never got to finish our game.
I'll make it worth your while.
An extra 10 percent if you win.
Very well.
Come.
Lose your money.
What are you doing? I already transferred the money from your account.
It doesn't matter what happens now, right? One more hand and I'll have all of your money.
Are you certain you want to go again? Just to keep things interesting.
My watch for yours.
Come on, Lao.
What's life without a little risk? Why not? The signal's back.
What is that? It sounds like dominoes.
You look worried.
Do I? Some days the tiles don't fall the way we want.
Some days they do.
At least I lost my watch to a worthy adversary.
It appears luck was not on your side today.
A strange thing.
Even though my profits are 100 fold in business a victory with the tiles is supremely more satisfying.
- The American had no talent.
- They rarely do.
The outstanding parcels have been delivered.
And the body? - Disposed of, sir.
- Good.
A dirty business.
It will be a relief to be home.
Anything good on the radio? We got him.
He'll be gone for a long time.
Lao may as well have confessed in front of a jury with the transcript we have on him.
I just wanna thank you, and let you know that you are welcome here any time.
Neighborhood's better off without Lao.
These are the best dumplings I ever had.
I'll get you some more.
So are you gonna tell me what was on that flash drive? You were right.
It was empty.
Oh, no.
Close your eyes.
Why? Would you just close them? Open.
Ho, ho.
David Copperfield she ain't.
What's next, partner? Don't call me that.
Yeah? Hello, Neal.
You calling to apologize about the empty flash drive? That was a necessary precaution.
I had to be careful with something this sensitive.
So you know who has Kate? He's FBI.
So take me away from here How do you know? And all today's pain How do you know that? Like the morning after the rain You know, I worry all the time What's coming around the bend Maybe I'm just going crazy But it feels like It feels like It feels like It feels like It feels like It feels like the end