Threads – White Collar Episode Summary 1.2

Synopsis: A fashion model identifies a nefarious Israeli counterfeiter known as The Ghost as a murderer. His identity she only learned after overhearing his name from the victim. Attesting that she could identify the killer through his voice, the model helps the White Collar Crime Division of the FBI catch Ghovat whom they later learn has been smuggling information through an electronic security strip the size of a thread.

Episode Summary: Neal Caffrey and Agent Peter Burke interview a witness who believes that the Israeli counterfeiter, Ghovat also known as The Ghost, had murdered his associate. The witness, a model, who hid in the coat closet, and actually did not see the actual murder, swears that she could identify the man by hearing his voice. Agent Peter Burke believes that the case is somewhat connected to the on-going New York Fashion Week. This thrills Neal Caffrey who cooks up an idea of throwing a party filled with beautiful women and alcohol to lure The Ghost into the FBI’s hands. It is a crazy idea that might just work. Having Agent Burke’s approval of the party given that they remain within the stringent budget, Neal Caffrey enlists the help of Elizabeth Burke to plan the event. Continue reading...

Thanks to the large quantities of fancy goods in the FBI seizure storage locker, a to die for garden rooftop that Neal managed to book, and throngs of model who wouldn’t pass off a chance to party with Neal Caffrey, the trap masked as a party is underway. Neal with Tara, the model turned witness, in tow goes around the venue searching for Ghovat. Also in the party is undercover agent Lauren Cruz whom Peter called-in to keep an eye on Caffrey. Neal and Tara go over their first suspect, a man named Dmitri. After hearing his voice, Tara discounts him as Ghovat, but then she overhears his phone conversation in Hebrew, and is convinced that The Ghost is on the other line. Convincing Agent Cruz to flirt with Dmitri, Neal Caffrey manages to swipe the man’s cell phone. Neal dials the number of Dmitri’s last phone call. Unfortunately, Ghovat who has been keeping close watch of Dmitri is already two steps ahead of him. The Ghost had slipped his phone in another guest’s suit pocket. The unsuspecting guest pulls out the phone, and the FBI quickly arrives to arrest him. Hearing the confused man’s scream, Tara immediately disregards the man as Ghovat. The Ghost walks away unnoticed.

Later that night, Neal Caffrey gets a visit from Moz. Believing that the man with the ring had forced Kate to go to San Diego, the place where she thought Neal had kept all of the goods he had stolen, Neal is even more determined to go after her. Moz finds that the woman had betrayed his friend, and is reluctant to help, but Neal is convinced that Kate had warned him of her upcoming betrayal in her last visit. He informs Moz of his need to get the security tapes of Kate’s visits.

Although the FBI busted the wrong guy, the party was still not a failure. Having installed security cameras around the venue, they were able to identify Ghovat. The Ghost whose real name is Idil Hazeva is seen slipping his phone inside the man’s suit pocket. Hazeva, however, remains a ghost with his name not turning up in any records. Andrei Dmitri’s record, however, is crime-ridden. With Agent Jones tailing him, Agent Burke and Neal Caffrey follow him to a photo shoot where the subject is the model seen with Ghovat at the party. Neal learns that Dmitri is a buyer interested in purchasing something from Ghovat. Later, they find his lifeless body at a hotel suite, a knife wound through his chest, and a couture dress forced inside his mouth. Neal Caffrey ponders upon the significance of the dress, and finds a small slit about the size of an electronic security strip cut from the dress.

The FBI questions the designer of the dress who later confesses that Ghovat had kidnapped his son to force him into smuggling something through the dresses he is to bring to the US for fashion week. True enough, right after he and his team cleared Customs, he receives word from his wife that his son has been returned. The FBI needs to know what it is that Ghovat is smuggling into the US. Lucky for the agency, Ghovat had taken from the designer the wrong dress. The fashion designer hands over the real dress to the FBI, and finds the electronic security strip Ghovat has been trying to sell. Their investigation also unravels the reason behind Dmitri’s murder. Andrei Dmitri, the buyer of the information stored in the strip, learns that the dress that Ghovat had sold him is a fake. Afraid that his business will crumble if any of the other buyers hear of this, Ghovat decides to murder Dmitri.

Soon, Ghovat contacts the designer who attests that he was unaware of the mix-up. Under the direction of the FBI, the fashion designer informs Ghovat that he had sold the dress for fifty thousand dollars to a man who gave it to his fiancée as a gift. Neal Caffrey poses as a buyer with Tara as his fiancée. Soon after, he gets a phone call from The Ghost himself who offers him five million dollars for the dress. Neal plays hard to get, and asks for ten, but this only made Ghovat upset. Staying true to his nefarious reputation, Ghovat kidnaps Tara for ransom. Regrettably, The Ghost learns that the FBI is in possession of the electronic security strip as thin as a thread. He demands that Agent Peter Burke meet him at Central Park for the exchange.

The FBI cracks the code stored in the thread, and learns that it contains a holographic code of the latest European currency seal. With this knowledge, the FBI is sending Agent Burke off with a modified copy of the code hoping that Ghovat would fail to notice the difference. Agent Peter Burke is at the Naumburg Bandshell waiting for Ghovat. Undercover agents surround the area. The Ghost gives Agent Peter Burke a call with instructions that he, and only he should meet him at the Bethesda Fountain at exactly one minute after he hangs up. The consequences of his failure to follow his instructions could be fatal. Agent Peter Burke shows up at the Bethesda Fountain where Ghovat meets him. Ghovat exchanges Tara for the dress, and to ensure his freedom, he had strapped the woman with a belt lined with plastique that can be activated with his cell phone. The Ghost, once again, walks away. Neal Caffrey having been sitting in the surveillance van with the FBI hears all of this, and decides to give Ghovat a call. This surprises the FBI, but it is undeniably a brilliant idea that the agents quickly adopt. With the whole FBI team jamming Ghovat’s cell phone with their phone calls, The Ghost will be unable to activate the bomb he strapped on Tara.

Neal Caffrey runs after Ghovat, and updates Agent Peter Burke of their plan. Meanwhile, Agent Burke continues to remove the bomb from Tara. Caffrey catches up to Ghovat who then points a gun at him. Luckily, Agent Cruz was on his tail, and swiftly accosts The Ghost. Agent Peter Burke unaware that the murderous counterfeiter has been detained removes the bomb from Tara, and throws it as far away as possible, sure that it will soon detonate. Neal Caffrey finds him on the ground keeping Tara safe from the explosion that luckily did not materialize.

True to his word, Agent Peter Burke gives Neal Caffrey the security tape of Kate’s last visit. This is his reward for helping the FBI catch The Ghost. Moz and Neal watch the tape. Neal notices that Kate actually was sending him a message as she taps her fingers in Morse code. Luckily, Moz is well versed in Morse code, and identifies the message as “bottle”. Neal Caffrey is now absolutely sure that Kate’s message is hidden in the empty ’82 Bordeaux bottle.

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