"Shadows & Light I: The Coming of Shadows
"
A New
Due South Story
By Red Skye
=======================
RATINGS [A.R] [A.U] [R] [X.S]
M/F & M/M pairings, sex of the gratuitous kind, the
romantic kind, consensual and otherwise. Also for violent
incidents.
Notes:
This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE STORY.
It was inspired by a line in another story I'm working on
in which someone asks Ray, "What would you do if you couldn't
be a cop?"
At least one character will be out of character, but the
reasons for that will be obvious along the way.
This story comes with a Vicious Vicky warning - yes,
Victoria. If you think Vicky's a good girl at heart - stay
away.
And last not least, this explores the possibility of
Victoria's secret having a very different ending, because Ray
wasn't
there to stop her succeeding. Imagine most events
occurred as they did in that episode, minus Ray being involved
and
you'll be on the right wave length.
For an explanation of my ratings and more stories try my
Due South fanfic archive for all my available finished works
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/9377/02index.html
*---==================(*)==================---*
CHAPTER ONE
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray's career came to an end in a way he would never have
imagined it would. As a favor he'd agreed to take part in a
stake out Huey and Gardino were carrying out. It lasted longer
than
they had expected it to. Due to this fact, and the fact
they couldn't
give up on it when they were so close to success
they had needed
to find someone else to assist. So they could
take turns to go to
court to testify at a trail.
They were able to get the prosecutor to get permission
for them to testify on different days.
Ray took Huey's place when he had to leave to testify. He
returned when it was Gardino who had to go to court to
testify.
Somehow, they never found out how, the man they were
staking out found them out, Ray wondered why it was taking him
so
long to enter his apartment after entering the building it
was contained
in. He assumed he may have met someone in the
building corridors, and might be chatting with them, and
checked his watch again. He muttered to Huey that if the man
didn't show up at his apartment within the next minute he'd
slip out and investigate it.
The man showed up, but it was not at the apartment across
the way that they had under surveillance. It was at the
apartment they were staked out in. The man's arrival was
announced by a hard kick that sent the door flying open. That
act
was followed by a stream of hot lead sent their way. Huey
was able
to dive for what little cover the room had, its card
table, which
he flipped over and returned fire from behind. He
heard the glass
of the windows shattering and assumed it was
smashed by a bullet, he was wrong.
One of his shots took out the miscreant, after he went down,
Huey
moved in fast to kick his gun away, and see if he was
alive, which he wasn't. After assuring himself the man was
no longer a threat Huey looked around for Ray. A chill
cavorted up and down his spine when he saw that Ray was no
where in sight. The reason was obvious, instead of a bullet
hole or two in the glass of the window, there was nothing left
in
the window except slivers of glass and a broken frame.
He ran to the window and looked out. Ray was there,
sprawled in a heap on the fire escape his body awkwardly
jammed between a side rail and the mesh base. Blood stained
his shirt, spreading rapidly at his shoulder, and blood ran
down the side of his face in a crimson stream. His face had a
distinctly
bluish tinge and his lips were starting to turn
grey.
With an oath, Huey scrambled out of the smashed window
and onto the fire escape, irrespective of the risk involved,
he moved Ray into a far more comfortable position. He put his
ear
to Ray's mouth but couldn't hear him take a breath. How
much time had passed, when did he stop breathing, it seemed
like an eternity had passed to Huey.
Huey tried his pulse but couldn't find one. He realized
the blood wasn't running down Ray's face, it was congealing
there and pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial resting
it
awkwardly onto his shoulder and repositioned Ray as best he
could.
"Officer Down," he blurted when it was answered and out
came the details as fast as he could relay them.
He tilted the Ray's head, clearing his air way then the
phone went down and he started mouth to mouth, and alternated
between
breathing air into Ray's lungs with CPR.
Huey had continued working over Ray with mouth to mouth
and heart massage until the paramedics arrived to take over.
Huey had almost needed a little recus himself, holding his
breath waiting to hear that first ragged breath Ray had drawn
in
as they worked over him. His knees had gone weak with
relief when he heard one triumphantly state that they had a
weak thready pulse
:---=====(*)=====---:
They would never learn if Ray had thrown himself out the
window to escape the gun fire, he'd known the fire escape was
there.
Yet there was an equal chance he'd hit the window
when he was shot and kept going through it to hit the fire
escape. It was a moot point, along with the bullet in his
shoulder he'd sustained two head wounds. Legacy of his head
hitting the side rail of the fire escape. The worst wound was
a skull
fracture the other was a nasty looking gash on his
head that required 16 stitches to close.
Ray was comatose for near on a month before he began his
slow return to consciousness. It began with little twitches,
of fingers and toes. The nurses who performed his bed baths
noticed it happening when he was bathed. The movements he
began making progressed gradually from little twitches to limb
movement
and incoherent mumbling.
That was the point when the staff tending to his needs
cleaned his eyes and waited for them to open. Ray's eye lids
fluttered first, then opened a fraction, before he uttered his
first
coherent words, which confused the hell out of the
medical staff.
"It was the real estate guy,"
Then he slipped into a deep sleep.
His family for the most part were confused when they were
informed of his return to consciousness and first words. It
was Frannie who worked it out and she laughed making them look
at
her to ask what she was laughing about.
She recovered the bag she took with her to the hospital
when it was her turn to sit by Ray's bedside, and pulled out a
book.
A mystery/thriller novel.
"Fraser and I have been taking turns at reading this to
him. One of the characters runs a real estate agency," Frannie
informed them, then she opened it and looked through the last
few
pages and chuckled.
"What do you know, he's right, it was the real estate
agent."
Fraser was contacted to be told the good news and the
family celebrated Ray's return to the land of the living, and
the
fact that he'd been able to deduce who the bad guy in
the story he'd been read - before Fraser and Frannie had
read more than half of it to him - was even more reason to
celebrate. Or so they thought.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray tired easily and managed to sleep through every
visitation he'd had over the next three days. Then his mother
timed
her next visit to be there at a time the doctor told her
Ray usually
awoke at. She was there beside the bed in the
visitor's chair when he opened his eyes and looked around. She
smiled
down at him, touching his arm, uttering the usual spiel
people utter
at a time like that. He silenced her with a
question, "Who are you?"
He reacted the same way to every visitor who came, his
sisters, his brother in law, Fraser, even Welsh. Family,
friends and associates, he was indiscriminate, he'd no idea
who any of them were. He could put a name to three of them,
Francesca, Maria and Benton, but only because he'd heard
others talking to them and refer to them by their names, but
he did not know *who* they were until someone told him
Francesca and Maria were his sisters.
When Ray was asked who he was, he was able to answer,
Raimondo Vecchio - but it was not so much a case of
remembering that was his name. It was more a case of hearing
numerous staff referring to him as Mr Vecchio. "I'm just
going
to do this, Mr Vecchio, I'm just going to do that, Mr
Vecchio," He'd heard it while he was lying on his hospital
bed,
unable to find the strength to move or even open his
eyes. That and other visitors who called him Ray or Raimondo
lead him to deduce his name was Raimondo Vecchio, Ray for
short.
He did not know what his middle name was, when had been
born, where he lived, who his family were, if he was single,
married, divorced or otherwise, straight or gay - or that
there was a difference. He knew only what he'd been told and
had been able to deduce from conversations over heard, and
things he'd noticed.
He wondered about the tall, pale, blue eyed visitor he
remembered had been among his regular visitors while he'd
been comatose. He remembered the man's voice, the little
things he talked about. He knew his name was Benton, he'd
heard several people mention his name, and heard him respond
to it. He deduced they were friends, possibly more, after all
he
was the only non family member who had been a regular at
his bed side.
Now he was no longer a visitor. He'd come by twice
after realizing Ray no longer knew who he was and had
stopped coming. Ray made up his mind to find out more about
the man. The man with no past, had a middle name and it was
curiosity.
:---=====(*)=====---:
As Ray's strength returned, he was released into his
family's care to return home. By the end of his first day back
home
he was starting to wish he'd stayed at the hospital.
The way they looked when he failed to recognize things around
the
house, the way the little tykes of the family (his nephews
and nieces)
reacted when they realized he had no idea who they
were, the way
they kept trying to bring a few memories back,
with food, photos and various items all got to him.
He was extremely grateful when the woman he'd been told
was his mother announced that was enough for one day and
showed him up to the room he was told was his to sleep.
He was asleep within a few minutes of settling down on
the bed. But his body clock had become used to the hospital's
schedule,
the times the staff tended to him, when trolley's
rattled past and people visited him. He was awake in the early
morning
before anyone else.
He crept through the house trying not to wake anyone,
hoping to put off their well meaning attempts to help him
remember his life. He found the toilet and bathroom and tended
to
his needs before he made his way back to his room.
The next thing he did was to open his wardrobe and
dressers to investigate what was on offer. He assumed he was
some kind of office worker, or maybe even a writer, of
mysteries, the way his mind worked seemed to indicate it. Then
he
found something tucked away in the back of his wardrobe
encased in a garment bag that set him straight. It was a
police uniform.
That on its own was not enough to set him straight, it
could be a costume, there were a few of them tucked away, but
he
also found the hat to go with the uniform, the accruements
he assumed
a real cop had, handcuffs, a night stick, a draw
contained a badge, a license, and police ID
He smiled faintly when he saw that and discovered he was
a detective. That explained the way his mind worked, the
uniform and other accruements of a police officer he'd
found. It also inspired him to keep searching his room to find
out
more about the man he'd been.
His mother found him sitting on his bed, with some of his
storage containers, paper scattered around the bed, along with
nick
knack's of all kinds. There was a case with a medal, open
on the
bed, along with a small jewelry case, containing a
wedding ring among other things.
He found it all interesting and was gradually building a
profile of the man he'd been in his head. He was not sure
whether or not he liked it. And what he did not like about it
was
that he could not understand how a police detective could
afford
to own a home like the one the title deeds he found
said was his. Added to that there were the papers for two
cars, one a Mercedes Benz, magazines he'd read at the
hospital told him it was a prestige car, and prestige cars
came with high price tags.
Other papers he found told him how much he earned in a
year. And he'd read enough magazines to know the clothes in
his wardrobe were designer clothes and did not come cheap.
Then there was the little matter of an ex-wife he apparently
paid alimony too on top of that. He assumed his father was
either dead or had walked out on the family because he'd yet
to meet the man, which probably meant he supported his mother
as
well.
His fears were compounded when he heard his mother walk
in and looked up to see the look on her face. She did not look
happy.
In fact she looked worried.
"Raimondo, you have visitors."
:---=====(*)=====---:
His visitors turned out to be from the Internal Affairs
department, and his mother had apparently made a phone call,
and forbade them entry until she was ready to let them in. Her
call
yielded results in the form of Lieutenant Welsh arriving
with a lawyer
in tow. Only when they arrived did Mrs Vecchio
allow the I.A agents to enter accompanied by Welsh and the
Lawyer.
The interview took place around the dining table, and it
turned into a very short one. They wanted to talk to him about
Constable
Fraser, or as one of them put it, the Mountie.
"Mountie? I thought this was Chicago."
"It is," Welsh told him.
"So why are they asking me about a Mountie? What's a
Mountie doing in Chicago?"
"They mean your friend Benton, you remember him, from the
hospital,
don't you?"
"Oh. Do you mean the tall blue eyed guy that made the
nurses become ever so helpful whenever he was around?"
"That would be Benton, he has that affect on women."
"Enough
of the games."
"Games, you want to play a game, try playing who am I?
What I know about this Mountie is limited to what he looks
like, the fact he has no trouble with big words, because he
would read to me at the hospital, and that he's a babe magnet.
If
you have questions about him, ask someone else, because I
can't answer them."
"I'm sure you were informed Detective Vecchio suffered a
head
injury which is why he's on medical leave, he's suffering
near total
amnesia," Welsh said, "His memories consist of
memories
of what's happened since he came to his senses in the
hospital and
no further."
"How convenient," one of the I.A officers sneered.
Mrs Vecchio who had been eavesdropping until that moment
stopped eavesdropping, and returned to give the I.A officers a
piece
of her mind. They were left with no doubts that there
was nothing convenient about it. That she hoped they found out
how
devastating it was to loose your past, to consider your
whole family and everyone you once knew strangers. To not even
remember
the layout of the home you had lived in all your
life. On and on she went, until they departed with her on
their heels, continuing to rant at them till she slammed the
door on their heels.
Curiosity being his new middle name, Ray asked Welsh why
they wanted to interrogate him about Benton, and if he really
was
a Mountie?
"Yes, he was. He came to Chicago on the trail of his
father's killer and ended up as the deputy liaison officer at
the
Canadian consulate here. You helped him to find his
father's killer, and the man who hired him to kill his father
and
you became friends in the process."
"Uh-hu. And what do those Internal Affairs people want? I
mean
why would they be asking questions about a Mountie,
unless they're Canadian internal affairs?"
"They're not. Before I tell you more... It would help if
you
tell me what he talked about when he visited you at the
hospital."
"I don't think it would help much. Most of the time he
just read something to me, a book, a magazine or a newspaper,
he
stopped coming after he found out.. I didn't remember
anything about him. I mean, at first he didn't realize it,
'cause I knew his name, but then he found out it was just
because I'd heard people mention his name and heard him
respond to it, just like I did with Francesca."
Then he leaned toward Welsh.
"Do you know why she always looks like she's going to cry
when
I call her Francesca?"
"You called her Frannie."
"Oh.. I'll have to remember to call her that.. It's
really terrible, them being so nice and all to me, and me not
knowing
the right things to do or say. And it's all the little
things they
get upset about. If I ask them why they're upset, it
just makes them
more upset. I learned my lesson with Benton..
He stopped coming when
he worked it out."
"They're your family, Ray. They're not going to wash
their hands of you because you have trouble remembering
things."
"But the police department will."
"Amnesia doesn't have to be permanent. The doctor's said
we
just had to take things one day at a time. Your memory will
return."
"But what if it doesn't? I heard one of the doctors
talking about me. They said I stopped breathing for a while,
that I was clinically dead for a time.. That it could be brain
damage
resulting from that, not amnesia."
Welsh stared at him.
"Who said that? Did the doctor *tell* you that's what it
was?"
"I heard them.. out in the corridor.. they were talking
about me. I know what Brain Damage is.. I was reading all
about it in one of those magazines people brought for me to
read and learn things about the world. Brain Damage means I'm
never
going to get better. Brain Damage means it's permanent,
not temporary.
What if I never remember anything.. What if.."
"You listen
to me, the Doctor I spoke to. The one who was
assigned your case,
the one who knew all you're details, and
not just someone who only knew some of the facts, told me it
was Amnesia, not brain damage. Amnesia. You wouldn't remember
how
to do anything let alone be able to have an intelligent
conversation with us if it was brain damage. Do you
understand?"
Ray nodded slowly.
"Your memory *will* return. It's a matter of when *not*
if. When your family thinks your ready, we'll take you back,
if your memory hasn't returned, we'll try to help it along,
retrain you. The doctor said you can never tell what will
trigger recall. And speaking of recall, I want you to recall
the visits Benton made you at the Hospital. Did he say
anything at all about what was going on in his own life?"
Ray
thought about it for some time sorting through the
memories he could access.
"Yeah, the last time I saw him, it was a really short
visit, he looked pretty bad, like he hadn't slept in a while,
he
said someone shot someone called Diefenbaker. When I asked
him who
that was, he sighed, and told me it didn't matter. Oh,
and the time
before that, he was almost glowing, he was really
happy, when I asked
him what he was so cheerful about, he
said, he'd been given a second chance with a woman called...
Victoria."
Welsh's note book came out and he made a note of that.
"Did he tell you anything else about her?"
"He said he met her about ten years ago... That it didn't
work
out back then.. Then he changed the subject."
Welsh jotted that down.
"He didn't mention her again?"
"No. Those were the only times he ever mentioned what was
going
on in his life..."
Ray nodded.
"Did you ever see her?"
"Nooo.. I don't think so.. But I remember.. The last time
he
came, I heard a woman saying I'll wait here while you talk
to your
friend. And when I looked around, he was walking in. I
didn't see
the woman though, just a shadow in the hall,
through the door way.
"Ah.. Do you recall if the shadow stayed there the whole
time
he was with you, and if it disappeared after he left?"
Ray nodded
and made a so-so gesture he'd seen people
make.
"I'm not sure if it disappeared when he walked out,
because a nurse came and said he'd to leave because the
Doctor wanted to examine me and would be arriving any minute..
I
was a little distracted.. I remember the next time I looked
in that
direction, after he left that it was gone.. I *think*
I'm not to
sure.. That I heard them talking in the hall, but
like I said, I was distracted.. It might have been someone
else out there."
"What do you remember hearing? It could be important, if
it
was them."
Ray thought hard about it, but shook his head.
"The nurse was making noise.. I couldn't make it out. Why
is
it so important? Why are Internal Investigations asking
about him?"
Benton is the main suspect in a murder investigation."
"What?!"
"It involves a man who took part in a robbery over ten
years ago, who escaped from jail recently. It seems they never
recovered
the stolen cash. And Benton captured and arrested
one of the people involved. Now it turns out that the RCMP
found a substantial amount of cash at his cabin in Canada when
they
were investigating a fire that broke out there. The
serial numbers match the serial numbers of the stolen cash,
more money with serial numbers that are a match for the list
of serial numbers of the stolen cash has also been turning up
around
Chicago. And it seems he was the one spending it. It
even turned up at the hospital. The day after the murder,
around the time he visited you for the last time."
"They think he found and kept the money."
Welsh nodded.
"But what does that have to do with me?"
"They're probably thinking you may have known something
about it."
"Has he been arrested?"
"No. He... vanished."
"Was the guy who was shot called Diefenbaker?"
"No.. Diefenbaker was Benton's wolf. It was shot three
days before the murder, and his apartment was turned upside
down. He reported it, and mentioned a woman, Victoria. She was
there
at the time it happened, he wasn't."
"Where was he?"
"He left to buy some food, when he got back, she was
gone, his apartment had been ransacked, and his wolf had been
shot."
"Did you find the woman?"
Welsh sighed.
"There was a woman called Victoria who was involved in
the bank robbery. She was the one he captured and arrested.
She was killed in a car accident sometime ago, *before* he
claims to have met the woman .."
"The robbery was ten years ago."
Welsh nodded.
"That's when he met her. That's what he said, he said he
met
her ten years ago, and it didn't work out..."
"I noticed."
"If I were you, I'd find out how the woman was supposed
to have died, who i-deed the body and if the money started
showing up around town *after* he says he ran into her. I
don't know all the details, but it already sounds fishy to me."
"We can't find a single person who saw that woman with
him, entering or leaving his apartment, or the building it's
in. That's why Internal Affair's is in on it. You and Benton
were.. unofficial partners.. They think he kept the money and
that
you might know something about it."
"Sooo they think I'm dirty.."
"They think everyone's dirty.. It's part of the
territory. Their always trying to prove people are not on the
up
and up."
Ray didn't mention that he suspected they had good reason
to suspect him.
"That woman.. *No* one saw her?"
"Not that we can find."
"I bet that nurse saw her hovering around outside the
room. I know her shadow was still out there when I heard the
nurse come in and looked around."
Welsh's eyes lit up.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser sat on the bed of the dingy hotel room he'd
checked into the day before with Victoria. He hadn't seen her
since
she'd left to pick up a few things. He was starting to
suspect his villainous lover had abandoned him when the door
opened
and she strolled in looking like the cat that got the
canary.
"Oh good, you're dressed. Come along we've got a lot to
do today."
"And what's on the agenda?"
"Why giving you a complete new look, first the hair, I've
made
a booking for you at a good salon."
Fraser discovered the salon she was talking about was a
beauty salon, and his new look involved a full body dye job.
Something Victoria demanded their male attendant take care
off. The next step was to have hair extensions added and a
fake tan applied, from top to toe. He spent an hour under a
sun lamp, and Victoria smiled while all the other women in the
waiting
area drooled. With a slink Victoria joined Fraser and
lead him out
of the salon gaining every woman's envy.
Their next stop was a second hand clothing store where
Victoria pushed him into a change room before wandering
through the store selecting clothes and tossing them in. She
made him try everything she picked on. Half of it she decided
looked
horrible on and dumped and the other half she was sold
on when the
saleswoman drooled.
The last thing she sent Fraser's way was a pair of denim
pants and a denim coat. He changed into them and announced the
pants
were a little tight.
"Come on out and show me."
With a sigh, he did. She did not look at him, she looked
at the saleswoman who's eyes went straight to his crotch.
"Do you think they're too tight?" Victoria asked the
woman.
"I think they look wonderful."
Victoria looked Fraser up and down, slowly.
"We'll definitely take it. He'll wear it out."
Fraser had learned early that doing what Victoria wanted
without an argument was the best way to avoid pain and
trouble. So he simply gathered up his clothes and carried them
to
the counter to be bagged with the rest of the purchases.
Then he followed her down the street, she carrying the bags,
he walking along side. Women gave him the eye all the way back
to
the hotel some subtly others blatantly. Victoria seemed to
enjoy
it.
He opened his mouth to ask why, but never got the chance,
she tossed the bags, grabbed the coat and swung him around to
shove
him off balance. He staggered back and lost his balance
falling onto
the bed.
"Have I told you how ravishing you look right now," She
said, before she proceeded to thoroughly ravish him to prove
it.
As she lay curled up at his side sleeping with a
satisfied smile he stared up at the roof and sighed. It was
getting harder and harder to satisfy her, he'd lost all
desire for his company and the one time his body had failed to
respond
to her attentions she'd suggested a little game, tied
him to the
bed, and left him there for an hour. She'd
returned with a soft leather cat'o'nine tails whip and lashed
him
the soles of his feet to his neck.
The whip didn't break his skin, but it left bruises and
it was quite some time before he could move without twinges of
pain.
From that point on, there was always a little game she
wanted to play, a game that usually involved pain. Whether he
was
interested or not he found ways to satisfy her, when he
didn't slight or bearable pain became something else. He found
that
fantasies worked best and when they failed, there were
other ways he learned to give her what she wanted.
His tinted skin flushed - with shame and he recalled the
fantasy he'd indulged in while she'd her way with him. He
had come so close to crying out a name that was not hers when
he'd
finally cum, and knew that if he did not get away from
her soon he would make a mistake that could prove lethal.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Many people thought that it was just a matter of time
before Ray's memories returned and he returned to work. But as
the
weeks passed and became months it became apparent the man
he'd been
had as good as died and a new man was born when he
came out of his coma. He started his new life with all the
instincts of a detective, and devoured mystery, thriller and
crime novels by the score to pass the time.
He drifted through his days at first, rarely venturing
outside the house, devouring books and magazines his mother
and sisters brought for him, and watching lots of T.V learning
about
the world outside his home.
He was polite, always, started using big words, and never
raised his voice. When his sisters squabbled at the dinner
table, he tried to mediate their arguments. At first this made
them
stop arguing, due to the fact their mother would give
them the evil eye. But as time passed, they started telling
him to butt out or ignored his attempts to mediate between
them. Life at the Vecchio home started to revert to normal. At
least
for the rest of the family.
For Ray things had changed, considerably. Mrs. Vecchio
controlled his life, everything he ate, sometimes what he
wore, what he could do. He could not leave the house without
her demanding to know where he was going, why he was leaving,
and
if he said he wanted to get some new books, she told him
to watch a little television and she would get one of his
sisters to pick up some new books. If he wanted to go for a
walk just to get some fresh air, she'd tell him to wait till
someone could go with him, so he wouldn't get lost. If he was
insistent,
she'd make him wait. He couldn't get out unless
she let him because she'd changed the locks, so they locked
both ways. Only she could open the door.
Once she accompanied him to the police station, and told
him to wait for her and go nowhere while she spoke to someone.
He
realized it was the police station he must have been
assigned to when people kept approaching him to say hello, how
are
you doing, good to see you. He didn't know who any of them
were and
they tended to scuttle off when they realized it.
His mother returned with someone he recognized at last,
Lieutenant Welsh. Lieutenant Welsh took him into the squad
room and introduced him to a woman called Elaine. Ray gave her
a
polite smile and a how do you do. She showed him to the desk
that
used to be his, made him sit and introduced him to
another part of his life he'd no memory of.
He spent the day at the station, learning mainly by
observing the ebb and flow of activity in the room, listening
to
the people. When Elaine was not otherwise occupied by
requests for assistance she'd show him things, forms,
papers, files, records, explain what people were doing. She
gave him a tour of the station, told him what each of the
rooms were and let him observe what went on in those rooms
when he expressed an interest.
A man who Elaine introduced him to, Detective Jack Huey
took over mid way, and after a few false starts learned to
answer Ray's questions with detailed answers or
demonstrations, or to let him watch or see things. He also
clucked, asking frequently if Ray wanted to sit down, to eat
something, have a cup of coffee, etc.
Ray politely said no, unless the questions were asked at
times he was thirsty. His mother returned mid way through the
day
to make him take his medication, had another chat with
Welsh, then departed. Ray's re-familiarization with the
station ended with a trip to the shooting range, and a
reintroduction to how to use and maintain a gun.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Shadows & Light I: The Coming of Shadows"
A New Due South Story
By Red Skye
=======================
This is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE STORY. Warnings etc in
Chapter One.
*---==================(*)==================---*
CHAPTER TWO
:---=====(*)=====---:
His family never gave up hope that his memories would
return, and had hoped the delivery of Fraser's wolf,
Diefenbaker, after the vet released him from care, would jog a
memory
or two. It failed.
Ray was non-plussed as to why the Wolf had been brought
to his home. But the animal seemed to like him, and had little
trouble
settling in with the family. It spent all its nights
curled up on
a rug by Ray's bed, or on it and on the rare
times he ventured out, it followed him.
He grew used to its company and accepted the fact he'd
become its master by default. It also sparked his curiosity
about the Wolf's former master again. All his ventures out of
the
house were to visit the precinct, to re-familiarise
himself with that part of his life.
He went through the tour again and again, until he was
able to identify most of the rooms and say what they were used
for,
or what went on in them. Pleasing Elaine with his correct
answers.
Huey would take over at the end of each tour to take
him back down
to the shooting range for his lessons in how to
use a gun until
he learned to put a bullet where he was told
to put it, to take
a gun apart and clean it. To load and
reload it at a speed Huey seemed pleased with.
The first thing he would do when he returned home each
time would be go to the bathroom fill the sink with hot water
and
soak his hands up past the wrists and complain about the
recoil
of the gun.
He was glad when the next time he was taken to the
station by his mother he was left alone to reacquaint himself.
They
permitted him to wander around without an escort, though
Huey and
Elaine kept a discrete eye on him when they could. Ray
managed to
find the personnel files and get into them and make
a copy of his
own file and wrapped it in a cloth he brought
along and tucked it under his shirt.
Then he wandered around a little before wandering back to
his desk to sit and watch what went on in the squad room with
interest.
He sat up straighter when Welsh stopped by his desk.
"How are
you feeling?"
"Fine, sir."
"Bring back any memories?"
"Er.. No.. I don't think so."
Welsh handed him a glass of water and his pills and Ray
took them thinking Mother strikes again.
"Why don't you try reading a few files?" Welsh suggested
waving at the files on his desk.
Ray looked at them.
"Can I do that?"
"This is *your* desk, Vecchio. Your files and records,
Everything was left the way you left it before the incident.
Go
over them. There's a note pad, pens that work, make notes,
anything
that comes to mind while you go through them.
Elaine's just over there, if you have any questions or need
any help, just call her."
"Thank-you, sir."
Welsh gave him a weak little smile and wandered off, and
Ray saw him shudder as he did. Something that he noticed quite
a
few people seemed to do after talking to him.
Ray went over all the files on the desk. Most were case
records for former cases he'd worked on and he guessed that they
were put there to jog a memory or two. Some were for still
unsolved cases, and Ray poured over those reading every word.
He
covered several pages on his note pad with notes and
questions. Every time he looked up to see if Elaine was busy,
she
was, so he made more notes, writing down all his
questions.
A man with curly hair approached moving to the desk
across the way, and watched him for a while. Ray was almost
pathetically grateful when he came to his desk and asked if he
needed
some help. He introduced himself as Louis Gardino,
Detective, Huey's partner. Ray started bombarding him with
questions. Gardino answered some then yelled for Elaine.
Elaine hurried over and Gardino dumped it in her lap and
disappeared. Elaine was very helpful answering all the
questions she could, finding information and records, and with
her
help he soon covered a few more pages with notes. The next
time
she had to leave him to fend for himself while she
assisted someone else Ray gathered up a file and his notes and
approached
Welsh's office to knock a little hesitantly on the
door.
Welsh looked up and called him in. Ray stepped in closing
the door then approached the desk.
"This was one of the cases on my desk.. I went over it as
you
told me to.. And Elaine helped me to make sense of it."
He
handed the folder to Welsh.
"I made notes like you told me to."
Welsh opened the file found the notes and set them aside
and reacquainted himself with the facts of the case, then he
looked
over Ray's notes. Ray watched him give another little
shudder, and
crossed his arms. Welsh kept reading till he
finished the set the notes down and looked up with a weak
little smile.
"This is very good, Vecchio, now what happens?"
"Er.. You send someone around to arrest him?"
"Uh-hu.. and.."
"Er..."
And so it went, with Welsh making him describe every step
that had to be taken, making little notes of his own. That was
followed
by an interrogation about how and why Ray came to the
conclusions
he did, during which time three people came to the
door making Welsh
yell - "Can't you see I'm busy, Come back
later" each
time.
Welsh covered quite a few pages of his legal pad with
notes before he dismissed Ray to re-familiarise himself with
the
station and how things were done. Ray left with a list of
things
to ask Elaine to explain to him.
He returned to his desk when he saw she was busy.
Sitting, he unfolded the list to look it over.
The next time Welsh stepped out, he looked around to see
Elaine speaking with another detective and Ray no where in
sight. He approached Elaine, and the other detective scuttled
off.
Welsh questioned Elaine and discovered Ray had not
approached her with his list. He checked the desk and found a
lone
peice of garbage in the bin, the list screwed up into a
little ball.
Huey approached and Welsh told him to drop everything and
find Ray. The station was searched and then the search was
extended beyond its perimeter when someone at the desk
remembered seeing him walk out during a particularly busy time
of
the afternoon.
Several phone calls to the Vecchio residence followed.
Mrs Vecchio response to the question of wether Ray had
returned grew more frantic each time it was asked. Night fell,
and
a APB on Ray was put out.
He was eventually found in the wee small hours of the
morning, by a sharp eyed beat cop who noticed a flash of white
in
the shadows and investigated. He found Ray in a battered
state, huddled up hidden in the shadows, between a dumpster and a
wall, minus his suit and shoes, his shirt torn and covered in
filth
and blood most of which seemed to be his.
He was quickly collected and transported to the hospital
and examined. His cuts and bruises were tended to and he
cleaned up and given an ice pack for his nose before being
settled into a bed behind a screen to rest. Two police
officers tried to question him, one being Welsh, he feigned
sleep to avoid it. The next time he heard someone approach, he
heard
the nurse refer to Mrs Vecchio, and stopped feigning
sleep. For once he was happy to see his mother and let her
cluck.
He asked her to take him home, in no time at all she was
doing just that. There was food she made him eat, with a
strange after taste, and after he started feeling tired, he
realised the after taste was medication, she had crushed up
his tablets and added them to his food. He was helped into his
pyjamas
and put to bed, tucked in and fussed over till he
fell into a deep sleep.
Bit by bit over the next day she got the story out of
him, how he'd left the station and tried to go home, but
could not remember the way. He'd wandered through the
streets looking for familiar territory, trying to find his
way. Asking people for directions, most people ignored him,
those who listened couldn't help him. Hopelessly lost he'd
wandered into the wrong part of town, and found trouble, twice
over,
first some punk thought he looked like a good target to
rob. But
all he had was his watch which was taken. He'd lost
track of the
time after that. He didn't know how long he'd
wandered around trying to find his way home, or back to the
station, completely lost.
He'd wandered into the wrong territory and been set
upon by a gang who taunted him, before they beat him up and
stole his suit and shoes and left him battered, bleeding and
dazed
in the alley way where the beat cop had found him.
She tried several times to find out why he'd left the
station, after she had told him to stay until she or his
sister came to collect him and take him home, but he wouldn't
tell
her. He lied, saying he'd just wanted to go for a walk
for some fresh air.
She passed everything onto Welsh, who knew Ray was lying
about why he left. The screwed up list in the bin and the fact
he
hadn't discussed it with Elaine was evidence of that. He
had goofed, he knew it. Ray had been offended, or frustrated,
possibly
both and being too polite to take his grievance to
Welsh he had left the station in a snit.
:---=====(*)=====---:
The next day Ray leaned against the wall on the porch
arms crossed, trying to keep calm. His mother was driving him
right
up a wall clucking over him. He had almost had a fight
with her
over Diefenbaker. He had done some reading, he knew
what was considered
a healthy diet for the Wolf, but his
mother seemed hell bent on ignoring his instructions. Then he
showed
her the note from Benton the Vet had passed on, or part
of the letter.
It contained instructions on how to release
Diefenbaker back into the wild (if possible) he announced that
he
wanted to do it and that had set his mother off ranting
about the dangers, and how she expressly forbid it, how Dief
had
been domesticated, etcetera etcetera.
He'd stomped off and been forced to climb through a window
to get out of the house to cool off. He was frustrated and
angry. He felt like a prisoner in a fancy cage. Mrs Vecchio
was not his mother, she was his prison guard and warden all
rolled into one.
"Hello, Ray."
Ray jumped startled from his thoughts and looked around
to see Elaine standing at the bottom of the steps, dressed in
casual
clothes. He saw her wince when she got a good look at
his bruised
and puffy face with its scattering of butterfly
clips and strips of gauze held down with bandaids.
"Miss Bresbris, what are you doing here?"
"Elaine, Ray, I told you to call me Elaine."
"I'm sorry - Elaine."
"I heard about what happened."
He looked down at his feet, just what he needed to make
his day complete.
"I just wanted to make sure you were O.K."
"I'm fine," he said in a grouchy tone.
"Lieutenant Welsh is kicking himself about what happened.
You
don't have to.. be embarrassed, we understand, he was the
one who
made the mistake. Not you."
He glanced up.
"What?"
"We all keep hoping you'll remember things, but you
don't, you only know what we teach you."
"*Yes*.. How am I supposed to know things if no one tells
me
how to do those things the right way."
"He worked that out, but he handled it wrong. That case
you
reviewed, he was very pleased with the work you did."
"He
was?"
"He gave it to Huey to follow it up. You were right, it
was
a insurance scam. For someone who doesn't remember much,
you seem
to have a real knack for.."
"I read a lot of books. Mysteries, thrillers.. crime
novels."
"Oh."
"You're horribly disappointed now, aren't you, because it
doesn't
mean *Detective Vecchio* is coming back, it's just me
applying the
things I learned from books and listening to what
goes on in the
squad room to jump to educated guesses."
"Ray..."
"Why don't you people just accept it, He's dead! He isn't
coming
back. I'm not Detective Vecchio, it was well and truly
rubbed in
my face the other day. I'm just a moron who can't do
anything without
a baby sitter to hold his hand and explain
everything ever so carefully."
She sighed.
"What a pity that street gang or mugger didn't kill me
and solve the whole damn problem."
Elaine climbed the stairs and reached out to touch his
arm.
"Don't say things like that."
"It's true. The only way you people will accept the truth
is
if I *physically* die. I am not that man, he's dead, he's
not coming
back, but I don't have a choice, I have to live his
damned life,
wether or not it's what I want to do. I have to
do what I'm told
and have my face rubbed in the fact I don't
measure up to that cretin."
"Ray!"
Elaine began backing away as all the frustration, anger
and resentment came spewing forth in a torrent of angry words,
aggressive
body language and finally the act of kicking and
pounding at the wall - with him expressing his opinion of the
way
his mother controlled his life, loudly.
Elaine fled while he was engaged in that activity. His
mother came out and made him want to scream when her only
response to it all was - "You didn't taken your medication,
like you were supposed to, did you." and to take hold of his
ear, twist it and drag him into the house by that painful hold
on
his ear.
He was made to take his medication, and locked into his
bedroom to calm down. He threw the temper tantrum to end all
temper
tantrums trashing his room before he worked it out of
his system,
then he sank to the floor amongst the mess and
curled up into a little ball of misery and cried himself to
sleep.
When he awoke he found himself in his bed, his room spick
and span minus the things he had smashed or broken during his
tantrum.
He also discovered the window was nailed shut, on the
outside and
that there were screws driven into the frame to
make it impossible for him to open. His door he discovered had
been
fitted with a new lock, and locked.
He grumpily prowled his room, then started searching it
for the documents he'd found his first day home. He found
his cel phone along the way. By the time his mother opened the
door,
he'd hatched a plan.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Lieutenant Welsh was happy to see that Ray returned,
escorted by his mother again, and seemed eager to begin his
re-education. Elaine had told him how miserable Ray was, but
it
seemed he had worked it out of his system and was now ready
to get
serious about rebuilding his life.
He spent one day a week at his desk pouring over old
records, and convinced Welsh and his mother to let him come
more often. His mother would bring him into work, and either
she
or one of his sisters would come at the end of the day to
take him
home. Ray never tried to wander off again, he had
learned his lesson.
What no one noticed is that Ray was concealing maps
behind files he was reading, and memorising details about the
city.
He was also getting ideas, from his books, and data from
the files
that helped him put his plan into action.
He started being helpful, offering to run errands around
the station for other people in the squad room, and soon
people got used to him flitting around the station, not realising
he was looking for ways out of the station other than the main
doors.
His mother didn't notice when he filched a little money
from her purse, or the tiny bulge under his coat where his
documents were concealed. No one noticed when he slipped out
of
the station and caught a taxi to start taking the first
steps in setting up his new identity, and he needed money to
do
that. His first trip out unescorted since that disastrous
day was
brief and profitable. He withdrew a thousand dollars
from his savings
and returned to the station before anyone
missed him.
Later in the day he made another trip out to get a post
office box and returned to the bank to get all his bank
statements sent there and open a cheque account. He was back
at
the station before anyone missed him, and compliantly
returned home to with his sister, to eat with the family
before going up to his room. Fifteen minutes after he had his
shower,
Dief raised his head, looked at the door and gave a
little whine.
Ray heard the click of the lock and gave the door the
finger, before patting the bed. The wolf jumped up and settled
down
to nap at his side while he went through the photo copies
of records
he'd made and concealed during the day and began
making notes about getting the ball rolling.
Each day he visited the bank, withdrawing a little more
out of his account. Then he went to another bank to open an
account there. At the end of the month he checked his bank
statements and found that the department was depositing money
in
his main account each week, he arranged to have that
automatically transferred to his new account. And two weeks
later slipped out to mortgage the house to the hilt.
At the end of the week, he tracked down a devious
criminal who had been caught helping people create fake I.D
papers more than once.
He gave the man a return ticket to New York and a
considerable amount of money taking the first step toward
creating his new identity. A week later, he visited his post
office
box and smiled when he found a small parcel and a thick
envelope.
It contained a birth certificate, bank account,
credit cards, a cheque book, lease for an apartment, even a
licence and car registration papers, every thing he needed to
set
up a new life. There were pictures of his apartment, the
ATV, maps
with routes marked out, papers for a post office box
and keys too.
There was also a note, demanding another $5000 -
cash, or else.
Ray opened the parcel next and found a set of license
parts and engine plates. He smiled. He had picked the right
man for the job alright. The man got the $5000 he demanded,
with an extra $500 for doing such a good job.
Ray got a shock the next day he returned to the station.
He discovered the man had been killed the night he returned,
mugged
for the money he had, and shot by his mugger when he
resisted. He shuddered when he heard one of the cops
discussing it say it could not have happened to a more
deserving son of a bitch.
He was shocked at their attitude, the attitude that he
quickly came to realise most of the people around the station,
and
even the city had. Murder, aggravated assault, rape, it
all was just another part of life and they only got excited
about it when the media made a big fuss or if it happened to a
cop.
He was despondent too - at the loss of this contact, he'd
needed the man, arranged to get his help to set up the
next part of his plan. Now he needed to revise it and find
another way to accomplish it.
It came to him one night, after being locked into his
room. He was reading yet another of his books when he came
across the perfect plan, he just needed to adapt it to his
needs. Which he spent two days doing.
After that, he slipped out of the station as often as
possible, catching cabs and visiting second hand clothing
stores all over the city. Super stores, camping stores, and
shoe shops. Everything he brought was packed, wrapped and
mailed off to his new identity's post office box. He also
talked his mother into helping him learn to drive again. She
escorted
him to and from a driving school on the days he was
not at the station.
He took out an insurance policy that would cover paying
out the mortgage and then started withdrawing as much as he
could, leaving just enough to cover the loan repayments.
Everything else went into his new identity's bank account.
He also started tentatively exploring his world first the
streets around the station, then in increasing circles, and
made sure he had a gun and stole a kevlar vest. He wore the
vest under his clothes, and carried the gun everywhere he
went. He was not going to be the victim of another mugging if
he
had anything to say about it.
During his explorations he discovered a collection of
burnt out wrecks and was overjoyed to discover one was of a
car the exact model as his. He was not so overjoyed to
discover a derelict's corpse inside it. He fought his
instincts and stripped it to exam the corpse for signs of foul
play
and came to the conclusion he had died of natural causes.
He should
have reported it, but he didn't. He
investigated to see if anyone knew about the site and found
out while it was known about no one had really investigated
the wrecks.
Elaine wondered why he had a smile on his face for the
rest of the day, and when she expressed her curiosity he
clapped her arms and said, it's because it's a beautiful day
to
be alive. She wandered off, and gave a little nod to a
fellow officer who'd heard and seen and made he's screwy
motions.
He smiled a lot the next time he returned to the station
as well, for much the same reason.
"Don't tell me, it's a beautiful day to be alive," Elaine
said.
Ray pulled out his licence and waved it at her.
"I passed my driving test yesterday. I can drive now."
"That's wonderful news."
"Well it would be, if my mother would let me drive."
She
laughed.
"Tell her to let you drive the car to work."
Ray did, and for the next week, he drove to work, with
her accompanying him watching him drive, then driving the car
home.
She returned for him in the evening and let him drive
home.
He was chomping at the bit to be allowed to drive without
a chaperon and had to fight to contain his glee when she set
the
car and house keys by his breakfast bowl and told him he
could drive
himself to work that morning. *Without* a
chaperon.
He got the house keys copied and tested them that night
and found out the key worked on the lock of his room as well
as
the back and front doors. He crept back up to his room and
hugged
Dief.
"We're home free now, Diefenbaker. I just need a few more
days
to set everything up.. and we're flying this coop."
Dief licked
his face and seemed pleased to hear it. Ray
went on to go through the room collecting all the books he
wanted to keep, along with the dozen or so note pads he
covered with idea's for stories he had written down. He
intended to be a writer when he set up his new life, it was
the perfect career, he had learned enough at the station to
write the sort of books he had in mind. And he intended to set
his
new life up in New York, where he was sure he had find a
publisher
in no time.
All his things were tucked into suit case, and he crept
through the house and out to put it in the trunk of the car.
The
next day, the contents of the suitcase were transferred to
mail
boxes and forward onto his New York post box. His last
sly trip was to a vet to get sedatives for Dief. He didn't
think he could get the wolf out of the house without him
giving the game away any other way.
The next time he managed to slip away, he returned home
with foam padding taped around the trunk, and pillows lining
it.
The very next day, he made a big show of finding his pills
and called
his mother to the bathroom to watch him flush them.
"That's
the last time I take any pills."
"But Raimondo, you need your medication."
"No I don't, I'm better now."
"You still have a long way to go."
"I'll do it without the pills."
:---=====(*)=====---:
The next day at the station, he complained about a
headache half the day, then started weaving about and pulled a
very
convincing faint, after which he was taken to the
infirmary to "recover" before being driven home by Huey.
The ever so polite, eager and helpful Ray vanished after
that. He was surly, growled, and threw tantrums, he cleared
his desk with a sweep of his arm and threw a tantrum, before
stomping
off, to weave around and "faint" again. His mother
wailed
about it being the result of his refusal to take his
medication. She got more, he flushed it too.
He had to repeat his performance at the station least
half a dozen times before he was put through the tests he'd
been waiting for. He failed tests that he should passed, was
totally
honest at the psych test, and lied during his
physical. Two days later Welsh escorted him to his office, sat
him
down and regretfully informed him that the department had
decided
to give him a medical discharge.
"It's no reflection on you, Raymond."
"What?! What am I supposed to do?! I've done everything I
was
supposed to do! I've been studying, learning all the
things I have to know! I.."
Welsh raised his hands.
"Calm down Raymond, you got your head injury in the line
of
duty, you're being retired, on medical grounds, with *full*
benefits."
Ray blinked away at him taking that in.
"I know you've tried, but.. Unless you go through the
academy again, and work your way back up through the ranks,
you will never know enough to fulfil the duties you used to."
"But.. I.. "
"And you have trouble controlling your temper since you
decided
to live without your medication. You suffer from
migraines, so serious you've fainted. The doctor thinks that
unless
you retire and reduce the amount of stress you're
under, you'll have a stroke, and after your head injury, that
could
be lethal. We don't want to loose you that way. Take the
discharge."
"But I've got a mortgage."
"What?"
"On the house. How am I supposed to pay it off?"
"I didn't know you had a mortgage."
"You do now. How do you think I kept myself and my family
in
the style they like to be kept in?"
"I can.. make arrangements for a lump sum payment, but,
there
won't be any more money after that. You'll have to make
arrangements
with an accountant, find a way to invest a
portion, to get an income."
Grumbling, Ray accepted it, and begged Welsh not to tell
his family. He told Welsh that he was only allowed to leave
the house to go to work, that if they knew he was without
work, he'd become a prisoner around the clock. For that reason
Welsh
agreed to keep it quiet, and Ray didn't tell them
either. It would spoil all his plans if his mother found out.
As
soon as the money came through, a chunk went into the
bank account his mortgage and insurance payments were
automatically deducted from, enough to meet the payments for
two
years. More than enough he thought. The rest went into his
new identities
bank account.
He brought a box of jelly doughnuts on his way home and
put them in the ice box. In the wee small hours of the morning
he
crept down to find one solitary doughnut left and thanked
god. He
cut it half open and quietly crushed up the pill the
vet had given
him it was mixed in with the jelly filling and
then he cleaned up
and returned to the bedroom to feed the
wolf the treat.
Dief actually sat there on the bed, just staring at him,
instead of snatching it to gobble it down.
"Now is not the time to decide to fight your junk food
addiction, Diefenbaker," he hissed.
He set it down on a bed side cabinet and snatched up a
pad to write a note. Dief snatched up the doughnut and wolfed
it
down while Ray's back was turned, then returned to the
position he'd been in.
Ray ripped the page off, folded it and set it on his
pillow then reached for the doughnut to find it gone and
looked at the wolf and shook a finger at him. The wolf gave
him one of his patented "Who me???" looks and Ray reached out
to ruffle his fur.
"I hope you enjoyed that, it's the last peice of junk
food you'll be eating."
Within fifteen minuets Dief was out cold and Ray wrapped
him up in a blanket and crept through the house carrying the
sedated
animal. He had a moment of heart stopping fear as he
heard a bedroom
door open while he was on the stairs, and
ducked. He listened, holding his breath, to feet moving down
the
hall, and another door opening, the bathroom door. When it
closed,
he made his way down the rest of the stair case as
fast and quietly as possible and slipped through the house,
out the back, and stayed there, ear to the wall.
Soon enough he heard the plumbing kick in and that's
when he carried the wolf to the car and settled it in the trunk
on the pillows he had laid in the day before.
"There you go, sleep tight," he said softly uncovering
Dief's head.
He double checked the foam he had taped to the trunk's
lid and walls and it was all stuck fast. As quietly as
possible he closed it, applying pressure till he heard the
click of the lock, then he crept through the yard and back
into the house. He made it to the stairs and heard the shower
turn
off and bolted down the hall, making it to his room to
close and lock the door again, just in time. He leaned on the
door,
heart thudding and heard the bathroom door open and his
mother moving
down the corridor.
He heard the key in the lock, then heard and felt her
knock.
"Time to rise and shine, Raimondo, Breakfast in fifteen
minutes."
:---=====(*)=====---:
His mother wondered where Dief was, he told her he'd
already fed him and that he was sleeping on his bed, that
satisfied her and she followed him out to the back. As per
usual, when he walked to his car, the Mercedes, she asked him
if
he was sure he wanted to drive that one to work.
"Why don't you drive the Riv?"
"Why would I want to drive that heap of junk around?"
His mother sighed, as she always did and looked up,
making a silent prayer. Then she kissed his check and told him
to
drive carefully, and gave him the standard instructions.
He'd felt a little guilty as he drove away, to see her, through
the rear view mirror, standing on the street watching him
drive away.
He took the turn that he normally would, and once out of
sight, pulled the car over and planned his escape route from
the
city. His first stop was the bank, to withdraw every cent
from his
secret account and close it. Then he headed for the
bridge, where
the wrecks were.
He changed his clothes, and dressed the derelict's
corpse in the ones he'd left the house in, then put his
crucifix around its neck and his watch around its wrist. He
even remembered to put his shoes and socks on the corpse, then
a
little squeamishly he pulled out the gun he'd brought and
used it to put a bullet through the back of the corpses skull.
That
done he raced to the water, hurling the gun away to sink
without
a trace and threw up.
It was at least fifteen minutes before he felt steady
enough to go through with the rest of plan. He returned to the
car
to switch the plates on the Mercedes, both the engine
plates and licence plates, putting the Mercedes plates on the
burnt
out wreck. He replaced them with the ones he had
received in the post, and then he emptied his wallet of its
money and credit cards and hurled it away.
His next step was painful, but he felt necessary. He cut
his hand open, deeply, and dripped blood all over the back of
the
corpses head and the seat making sure it got on the
clothes, and splattered around.
Next he covered the wreck in petrol, filled the tank, and
then left a trail of petrol soaked rags along the ground. Then
he
pulled on a wig, and used a hand mirror he'd brought with
it, to
attach a fake moustache an goatee beard, and pop in
contacts to change the colour of his eyes. The last thing he
did
was to set the chain of rags on fire before he drove off.
He cleared
the area and went over the bridge, tossing the
gun over the bridge rail as he went. At the other end of the
bridge
he checked the cars clock, right on time there was fire
ball that
lit up the area.
"Bye Bye Raymond Vecchio."
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Bye Bye, Lover," Victoria's mocking voice called out as her
car speed away.
Fraser rolled over to watch it go for a very brief time, 2
seconds to be exact. He kept rolling around, for quite some time,
cursing Victoria in every language he knew in his head. He had
good
reason to do it. She'd bound and gagged him with duct tape
while
he'd been out cold from the Mickey Finn she'd slipped
him. Then she'd driven, possibly through the night, to this god
forsaken waste land, and dumped him right beside an ants nest and
passed the time till he awoke by dripping all sorts of tasty
temptations
over his body, to draw out the ants.
Fraser came to his senses to the discover his predicament,
and she'd been waiting to snap a polaroid of the, for her,
sweet moment as he'd realised what she'd done.
"That's the last time you'll ever make *that* mistake,"
she'd taunted.
Then she'd sauntered off waving the photo around to climb
into her stolen vehicle and leave him there, to die, one way or
another. If the ants did not devour him alive, the sun would
broil
him and dehydration would do the job for her.
His only hope lay in being able to crush all the ants
swarming over his body while rolling far enough from the nest to
avoid acquiring a new swarm while he gathered his strength.
It took half an hour and his body was bruised and bleeding
from dozens of cuts he'd picked up rolling over sharp stones
and
half buried twigs. One lone ant was all that remained. He lay
on
the ground staring at it, cross eyed as it sat on his nose
waggling
its tiny antenna around. He watched it check out a
grain on his nose, then carry it off. He felt it move over his
face,
then his ear and tipped his head. Then it was gone.
He wiggled around feeling a sharp stone under his shoulder.
Much wiggling and a jagged cut that ran from his shoulder to mid
back later he was able to start sawing away at his bonds with it.
3 hours later, he staggered onto a road and looked both
ways. He heaved a sigh, it was going to be a loooooong walk to
civilization.
He looked down at his bare feet then up at the sky
for a while. With
a deep breath, he picked a direction at random
and started walking
down the road.
As the sun set he stopped walking to sway looking down at
band of dirt that ran along side the asphalt. There were distinct
skid marks all over it. He looked back, then ahead and followed
the marks, off the road, through unchecked foliage to a tree
which
the car that had made the marks was now wrapped around.
He looked
inside and felt his stomach lurch. The driver was
dead, he was completely and utterly unrecognisable in a way far
too horrible to describe. Fraser dropped to sit by the car and
deep
breathed till he could control the urge to throw up.
With a deep fortifying breath Fraser steeled himself. Rising
he proceeded to search the car and the remains.
He was able to recover a back pack full of clothes, a hat
just like his old Mountie hat, boots, a pair of sneakers and the
only thing he really cared about at first, three bottles of
mineral water, two cans of soft drift, and a bag full snacks.
He
drank a whole bottle of water, slowly, then devoured a
bag of snacks. He wanted to do more, but he didn't know how long
it would take to get to a town and set the rest aside. He
searched the bag, pulling out a sweat suit and pulled it on. It
was soft, loose and the only thing in the bag that would not
irritate
his blistered skin. He pulled on three pairs of socks
then the sneakers.
He packed the food into the back pack and searched the car
one last time. He needed to find something to pry open the glove
box and found that it was stuffed full of envelopes large and
small.
He was about to look at them, when he heard a car engine
in the
distance. He ran for the backpack and snatched it up. He
stuffed
the envelopes into it as he ran for the road.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray, or as he now called himself, George Fiorella, drove to
a secluded place to get Dief out of the trunk and into the open
air and waited for him to come around from the sedation. Once
Dief
was awake and recovered from the effects of the drug, Ray
fed and
watered him, before getting him into the car and driving
off.
He drove all night, though he had to stop often, to let Dief
out to attend the call of nature and make sure he got plenty of
water. Not to mention attend nature's call himself and buy lots
of coffee. Half of which he thought should be called sludge
instead. He gave up on the coffee at a truck stop, and asked a
truck
driver what he used to stay awake on the road.
The driver offered him some pills. Ray decided to try a
few others. Finally he found one who didn't use uppers to do it.
He suggested a certain soft drink, which Ray found the stop
stocked and brought half a dozen bottles of it. The soft drink
worked
fine, the only problem was, he had to stop more often to
take a
leak.
During one stop Dief woke up and decided he wanted to sit in
the passenger seat up front and Ray let him, and arranged the
seat
belt around him.
"Going to keep me company are we?"
Dief remained awake through the rest of the night, and
Ray nattered away to the dog telling him about all his wonderful
plans.
"First stop Brooklyn, I've got to get my stuff from the post
office and set up my apartment. Then I'm going to find a nice
safe
place I can set you loose in the wild, just the way Benton
wanted
me too. Don't worry, I'll pick a place where they have
regulations
against hunting so you'll be safe. Some national
park, where you
can creep up on unsuspecting campers and snitch
their junk food."
Dief didn't know what he was talking about, and he wasn't
completely deaf, Ray's tone was sufficient, and he moved
around, wagged his tail and licked Ray's face.
"Hey, not while I'm driving."
Dief settled down when Ray tossed him a sandwich he'd
picked up at one of his stops.
"Now Benton said I had to do it right, stay with you, to
find
out if you can fend for yourself in the wild, don't you
worry, if
you can't do it, I'll keep you.. But you'll have to put
up with living
in an apartment in Brooklyn for a while. That's
where I'm going
to be living at first. I'm going to get myself a
good computer, and
printer and every book I can find on writing,
and enrol in one of
those courses.. I know, I know, I've already
started writing but
that was just for something to do and to see
if I could do it. I
can, so that's what I'm going to do. I've got
enough money to live
on till I can establish myself. I've been
reading a lot, I know
what sells. Most of it, is soooo serious,
but, those ones Frannie
brought, you know the ones with the lurid
covers, really thin, really
old, those I liked. I'm going to
write in that style. Take the mickey
right out of those oh so
serious writers. What do you think? Good
Idea?"
Dief gave a bark.
"I thought so. Life is supposed to be fun, I'd rather read a
book than makes me laugh any day. That's what I'm going to write,
something that makes people laugh, I know that's not enough, it's
got to make them want to keep reading, have a really strong
plot.. That's why I was copying all those records. I've got
records of a hundred and one real life crimes I can use as the
basis
for stories. And I took lots of notes at the station about
how they
do things, and the terminology they use and that sort of
stuff. And
I brought books, law books, scientific books,
dictionaries and stuff.. It's all waiting at the post office.
Just
you wait I'm going to write a book that everyone will rave
about.
And sell the rights to a movie studio to make a movie
about... And
then I'll buy a biiiig property near a national
park, where you
can roam around and get all the fresh air you
need and maybe meet
a lady wolf and start a little family."
*Woof*
"Yeah, I thought you'd like that idea. And here's another
one
you'll like.. While I was being ever so helpful, I lifted the
file
on Benton.. And copied everything.. Once I get settled I'm
going
to pay some detective to investigate - find out about that
Victoria
woman.. It's soooo easy to fake your death, I bet she
did it and
set your Master up to get her revenge, probably killed
him too..
And I'll prove it, and clear his name. Just you wait.
That witch
won't get away with it, I'll make sure of that."
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Dear lord," The doctor at the small community hospital said
when Fraser was stripped and he got his first look at his
injuries.
Then Fraser was rolled onto his side so they could see his
back.
"That's going to need stitches. But first, prepare an
antiseptic bath with a good measure of Lisoborin."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser came to his sense several hours later, lying on his
stomach, blissfully free of pain. He looked at his arms, then
touched
his face.
"Welcome back to the land of the living Ranger Pinset."
Fraser looked around and a pretty nurse smiled at him.
"I'm Meghan, my husband brought you in. How are you
feeling?"
"Much better.."
"You'll have to stay for the next three days, minimum, those
bites will drive you insane without a Lisoborin bath every four
hours."
"May I ask what my condition is?"
"Stable," she said then smiled, "You've got thirty two
stitches across your back, and fifty more scattered all over.
That's quite an assortment of cuts and grazes you had. Did you
dive
out of a speeding car?"
"Yes."
"And those bites?"
"I came around far too close to an ants nest for comfort."
"Ouch."
"That is an understatement."
"Don't you worry, the Lisoborin will take care of that."
"Would you please give your husband my thanks."
"You can do it yourself in the morning, he's the Sheriff and
he'll have a few questions for you."
=*sigh*=
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray sold the car interstate and found a dog hotel. It
cost a pretty penny, but it was worth every cent as he felt safe
leaving Dief there while he travelled on by plane to New York,
and
then made his way to Brooklyn.
A cab deposited him outside his apartment block, a graffiti
covered, rat infested five story block, but it was solid and had
good walls, and thank god, the land lord didn't care about pets
so long as they were house trained and quiet. And the neighbours
seemed to be decent people.
He ventured out to find somewhere he could buy what he
needed to clean up his apartment then spent the rest of the day
and all night cleaning up the apartment.
Over the next week, he explored the neighbourhood and got to
know his local store staff and owners, found a few places to buy
good quality second hand furniture and collected all his parcels.
By weeks end the apartment was a home, with a big double bed,
sofa,
and all the usual accruements. Ray even found a desk
that would fit nicely in the corner with a matching file cabinet
and shelves.
He filled the shelves immediately and had to buy a second
set of shelves for the rest of the books he already had.
He spent the next week upgrading the security on his
apartment, with the landlords permission. The door was ripped
out,
the frame replaced with a steel one sunk into the walls with
long
bolts, the door was replaced with a steel one painted up to
look
like all the other doors. The interior door was covered with
an assortment
of locks, and an alarm.
He had bars put in the windows and alarms rigged on all of
them. Then he put in a safe in an interesting place and unpacked
and took photos of everything and took out insurance. The photo
and insurance papers were stored in the safe before he concealed
it. Then he went looking for his land lord.
He made the man a happy one by paying him six months rent in
advance.
"I wish I had more tenants like you."
"I'm going to be away for a while, that's why I made sure
the
place was secure, could you keep an eye on it?"
"Sure thing."
Ray handed him the keys and told him about the alarm and
returned, land lord in tow. The land lord approved of the way
he'd
cleaned up the place and the new security.
"Yup, you're definitely my favourite kind of tenant. You
know,
if you want to negotiate a new *long term* lease, we can
come a
good deal."
"What sort of deal?"
"Ten year lease, same rent, no changes."
"What's the catch?"
"You can do whatever you like to improve the place, only
*you*
pay for any improvement you make, and you don't hit me with
the bill."
Ray could live with that to get the rent frozen for ten
years. He gave the man a tentative agreement, telling him he'd
seriously
consider it while he was away and give him his
answer when he returned, then showed the man how to turn off and
reset the alarm if he needed too.
"No Electrical stuff???"
"Not yet, I've got a little more travelling to do before I
settle down again, I'll be shopping for the electricals when I
return."
"We got rats around here, The damned creatures devour the
bait
I lay down and laugh, those books won't be safe if.."
"I
ripped up all the base boards and put down a strip of
stainless
steel coated in something rats hate before I put that
back on. I
put sheets of it down in the kitchen and the bathroom
too and plugged
up every gap I could find. That ought to keep em
down while I'm gone.
And I'll have my dog, who's a great mouser,
when I get back."
"Suit your self, but my advice is get yourself some metal
chests
and store your books and linen in them *before* you leave.
Better
to be safe than sorry."
The next day, Ray took his advice, and went a step
further. He returned to his apartment with half a dozen chests
and
packed his linen and books up, locking each chest and
stacking them away in his built in closet. Then he covered the
mattress
completely in plastic and sprayed it liberally with a
substance he
was assured would make any rodent look elsewhere for
something to
nibble on. The couch and chairs got the treatment
next, and he ventured
out to by more of the spray returning to
coat all the walls and floors
of the apartment with it. He had
just enough to spray out the kitchen
cupboards and drawers when
he was done.
He was tossing the empty cans in the trash when there was a
knock on the door. He opened it to find a representative of the
security company he'd contacted. He lead the man through the
apartment
and within the next few hours another alarm system was
installed,
a silent back to base alarm. Two security cameras were
also hidden
in the room, and clever triggers that would make them
start recording
were set.
"You won't regret doing business with us, Mr Fiorella, we
have
the best people in the state, not to mention the best
equipment."
"Well, if you can keep my apartment from being robbed while
I'm out travelling, I'll be happy to continue using your service
when I get back."
"A word of advice, your mail.."
"Is automatically redirected to a post office box, they hold
my mail while I'm travelling."
"Good, it doesn't hurt to keep your utilities on, and set up
timer switches, to turn the lights off and on."
"I didn't think of that."
Money passed hands and timer switches were installed before
Ray escorted him out and locked up, to spend the rest of the
night
in a hotel, the last thing he did before heading for the
airport
was to find how to register a dog, then registered Dief,
under a
new name and as a Mongrel half Husky, half GKW.# By lunch
time, George
Fiorella was on a plane out of state and planning
the next stage
of his new life. Following the plan the man who'd
set up his identity
had suggested.
(#=God Know's What)
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser, or as he was now known Ranger Allen Pinset, stood on
the porch of Ranger station W-4 and listened to the ranger who'd
escorted him there with half an ear as he looked around.
"He'll be back in around 3 days, it take quite a while to
patrol
the area properly. So you'll have plenty of time to make
yourself
familiar with the station, and read all that
literature."
Fraser looked to the Ranger.
"What happened to the Ranger I'm replacing? They just asked
for a volunteer to replace him without stating why."
"Bear."
"Fatal?"
"No. Debilitating, yes, he'll probably end up behind a desk,
away from the public."
Fraser looked around again.
"I think I'm going to like it here."
"That's what we like to hear. Now, remember if you need
anything
Channel 3 is for Emergencies, Channel 5 for everything
else. That's
your call sign," the Ranger said, pointing to the
plate by
the door."
"What about transport?"
"You have a choice, Bike, Horse or ATV."
"Horse."
"Great, all the ATV's are spoken for anyway. Someone will be
around by the end of the week with some horses to chose from, I
think there are four that haven't been claimed yet, a word of
advice,
forget the Grey one, it's as stubborn as a mule. And the
Mare that
looks like a racer - can't be ridden but they'll
suggest it anyway, just to get a laugh out of watching her throw
you when you try it."
Fraser smiled faintly.
"Anything else?"
"No.. I think you've covered everything."
"Good. I've got a date with a pretty little camper over at
E-3.. Oh, almost forget, if you happen to see a pure black
stallion about seventeen hands high with something draped over
its
back, call it in on Channel 3."
"I'll keep an eye out for it."
"It's a ghost horse.. It always shows up just before a major
firestorm."
Fraser's eyes widened.
"They say it's the ghost of the William's woman's stallion,
it died during a firestorm about 5 and half years ago.. The ghost
horse wasn't sighted until after that fire. And every time it
does..."
"There's a fire storm."
"The exception to the rule being if you see it while you
happen
to be over at borderline creek between the Lucifer Tree
and the
stone cross.."
"It appears there?"
"We've had half a dozen tourists reporting sightings already
this year.. The record is 20."
"Why does it appear there?"
"No body knows."
"What's draped over its back?"
"No one's ever gotten close enough to it to see," The Ranger
said, turning to skip down the stairs.
Fraser watched him hurry back to his ATV and ignored his
father's spirit when he appeared. He watched the Ranger drive
away,
then looked at his father.
"Go away."
"Don't you want to know about the horse?"
"What do you know about the horse?"
"It's over there."
Fraser looked around and saw a glossy jet black seventeen
hands high stallion with something draped over it's back and his
eyes widened.
"Don't worry son, you don't have to call this sighting in."
"He said..."
"It's been waiting for you."
Fraser looked at the horse again, it swished its tail and he
slowly descended the porch and approached. It didn't back away
and
as he got closer he saw that steam rising off its back, or
possibly
smoke, then he saw the banket swathed figure draped over
its back
and neck. As he got closer he saw ropes tying it down on
the horse's
back.
He stretched out a hand toward it and it vanished. Fraser
jumped back, then spun and looked at his father.
"Who was that? On its back?"
"When you work that out, it'll stop appearing?"
"Why was it waiting for me?"
His father shrugged.
"It just was."
"Are you sure there won't be a fire storm?"
"Yes."
"Did.. Mum every have any relatives called Allen?"
His
father thought about it.
"Yes.. I think she did. An Uncle. He died a long time ago.
Why?"
Fraser picked up his back pack and rustled around, then
pulled out an envelope and from that he pulled out a sheath of
aged
papers. He rifled through it and pulled a page out to hold
it before
his father's face.
His father's brows shot up.
"His grandson."
"He'd be almost the same age as you," Fraser Snr remarked.
"He was.. orphaned.. And looking for relatives," Fraser
told
him as he stuffed the papers back into the envelope.
"He was killed in a car accident the other day. I found the
wreck.. it's off the road behind cover.. No one knows it's there
yet. He was coming here.. To replace one of the Rangers."
"Ah..
I see.. You've taken his identity."
"I had his papers.. They all think I'm him," Fraser said
running a hand through his hair, "Thank's to Victoria making me
go blonde."
"Looks good on you."
"He has relatives in this area.. On his mother's side."
"You're worried about them."
Fraser gave a nod.
"He volunteered to replace the ranger who died to find his
relatives here."
"What do you know about them?"
"That he had an Aunt who came here, married and had a son.
His aunt is dead, but her son, his cousin is still alive, and
lost
his father very early in life, he apparently has started
searching
for relatives too... With the help of a private
detective."
"Aha.. You're worried he knows more about Allen Pinset than
you do."
Fraser nodded.
"It would.. look strange if I didn't try to make contact
with
him.. He knows about the detective he hired.. to find
relations."
"I'd assume people he knew, knew about his search, why don't
you use what you have, and find out more about him, and tell
people
the truth, you're a relation who wants to find out more
about him."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray's first stop after he returned to the town where he'd
left Dief was to get a motel room, then go shopping, he brought
new sturdy clothes, boots, a good quilt and pillows, that he
rolled
up into a bedroll, and a back pack to pack his things in.
He also
brought a seeing eye dog's lead, cane and glasses. He
left everything
at the hotel, then took a trip to the train
station, in disguise. There he brought tickets for a train trip
across the state. He made sure he told the ticket seller that
they
were for his brother, who was a blind man with a seeing eye
dog and
the ticket seller promised to make sure his brother was
taken care
of once Ray greased his palm a little.
Dief was overjoyed to see Ray again and to get out of the
hotel. While he'd liked the food and the attention, he was
itching to get out. Ray took him for a long walk on a leash,
changed
his collar and hurled the old one in a bin before taking
him back
to the hotel to collect his gear and head for the train
station by
foot.
:---=====(*)=====---:
For the next six months, Ray and Dief travelled around
the country by train. Visiting every state. Ray collected
pamphlets and information on each states national parks and
wildlife reserves, if they had one. The blind man's disguise was
left in his hotel at each stop and he played tourist with Dief,
getting
lots of pictures taken by helpful people. Though two
people were more interested in helping themselves, to his camera.
Dief caught both and Ray recovered his camera and gave them both
a severe lecture while Dief covered them growling and snarling.
He brought post cards everywhere, humorous and otherwise and
mailed them to himself from each state along with his photos when
he could get them developed. He picked up things for his
apartment along the way. Nick knacks, rugs, woven blankets, a
painting
or two, they were all mailed on, along with his growing
collection
of pamphlets, information sheets, and stories he'd
written along
with character bios he'd created, based on the
people he met in
his travels.
He broke his trip, to spend a week at a motel on the edge of
a national park. The pamphlets he'd picked up suggested it was
the
best one for his needs and he wanted to check out the area.
He hired
a car to explore, visited the park and the reserves
either side of it. When he visited the nearest town, he arrived
in time to attend an art festival. He fell in love with quite a
few items on display, one was a gorgeous rug with a price he
could
not believe - he expected it to be priced considerably
higher.
It must have been obvious, because a rather tall and
handsome man, in bright clothing stepped up close.
"She has no idea how much city slickers would pay for
work like that," the man said in a low voice and Ray jumped,
spinning.
The man smiled.
"Dean Alexander, one of the local artists."
"You don't sound like a local."
"Neither do you."
"I'm from Brooklyn."
"You don't sound like someone from Brooklyn."
"I travel, a lot. I lost my accent."
"And picked up a new one."
Ray gave a weak smile.
"Nice .. Wolf."
Ray's smile wobbled.
"He's a Husky."
"Trust me, that animal has wolf blood in him. Well trained
too, except for one little thing. I noticed he snitches every bit
of junk food someone sets down within sniffing distance. The
moment
they turn their back. He's there, and it's not."
Ray gave a
nervous little laugh.
"It's a terrible habit I've been trying to break him of.
It's
not good for him, I won't feed it to him."
"So he steals it."
"When he thinks he can get away with it, yes."
"So long as he doesn't steal anything from a child, I think
the locals will ignore it."
Ray was relieved.
"They're used to animals stealing food around here."
"I've
been visiting the parks, it seems like a wonderful
area for an animal
lover to be."
"I have my own reserve."
"Really? Which one?"
"Oh, it's not on any of the official tourist maps. I don't
like tourists, they're distracting. Animals on the other hand can
be inspirational, artistically speaking."
"Sooo.. Which one of these exhibits is yours?"
Dean pointed across the room. To the far wall, where Ray
saw a table set under a painting, a huge painting of an eagle
soaring
over a landscape that was recognisably part of the
national park. A part Ray had seen when he visited it.
"Did you paint that?"
Dean nodded, and Ray moved closer to get a better look,
Dean followed him closely.
"It's all mine."
"The sculpture too?" Ray asked, looking at the statute of
an eagle in flight on the table.
The eagle was surrounded by small works in wood and stone,
miniature animals, some no bigger than a match box, some as big
as a person's head. The eagle was the largest. He glanced at Dean
as he reached toward one of the small pieces, and Dean gave him a
nod.
Picking up the small stone Ray examined it and was
impressed, very impressed. It was a very accurate of
representation of the animal in question. As were all the works
on the table. Some were painted, most were not.
"This.. is.. brilliant."
"You think so?"
"Is it for sale?"
"I don't sell my work."
"Oh." Ray was disappointed, he loved it, and thought that
painting on the wall was the perfect thing to hide the ugly
stains that no amount of cleaning and scrubbing could remove from
the feature wall of his apartment. Not because it was huge, but
because he didn't think he would ever get sick of seeing that
picture.
"But I have been known to give pieces away.. Now and then."
Ray looked at him.
"In return for a favour," Dean continued in a tone that
hinted he'd be willing to make a deal with Ray.
"What sort of favour?"
"Visit my property, bring your.. Husky, wander around to
your
hearts content, and that painting's yours."
"That's a favour???"
"I'll be following you around with a camera," Dean said, and
turned, framing Dief snitching someone's snack with his fingers.
"I want to capture that creature frolicking around on my
land."
Ray was tempted to tell him Dief didn't frolic but he
wanted that painting and kept his silence. Dean turned back to
him
with a hopeful look.
"So.. Do you want that painting enough to let me photograph
your gorgeous creature on my land?"
"I'd need a map, and it would depend on how far from the
Motel
it is."
"Ah, forget the motel, I've got a big place, you can sleep
over, if you like that rug, and that painting you'll love my
place.
By the way.. Buy the rug, trust me, you'll kick yourself
if you
don't."
Then he wandered off. Ray spent the next hour trying to
discretely find out about the man, but discrete is not what
anyone he asked about Dean was, they were ready to start
gossiping at the drop of a hat. He learned that Dean was
considered an eccentric but brilliant artist, who owned a huge
property
with a huge house, with a private gallery and studio
that every
artist in town would give their eye teeth to visit.
He brought the
rug and the craftswoman who made it was a fountain
of information.
"Dean told you to buy it, didn't he, he's the best salesman
around, I made some rugs for his house."
"Have you seen it?"
"He gave me the grand tour, it's magnificent, breathtaking,
he built it, himself, not that he would admit it, he used to be
an architect."
"Really."
"Yes, but he left the rat race behind to pursue his artistic
urges."
"Ah. Does he have a problem with people knowing he's an
architect?"
"Once someone who's seen his house finds out, they start
badgering
him about designing a house for them," She said, and
grinned,
"I traded all the rugs his little heart desired to
design my
place."
"Oh.."
"I definitely got the better half of the deal."
"What did his wife think?"
She laughed.
"He's not married."
"Oh, divorced."
"No, single and fancy free."
"I see."
"But looking for company," she said with a sly smile.
It went right over Ray's head and he went on his way to
see what other works of art were on offer that would make his
apartment
a home he could happily enjoy for the next ten years.
Dean wandered
up to hand him a map and reiterate his offer,
by which time Ray had decided to take him up on it, and said
so.
He made arrangements to follow Dean to his property later
that evening.
:---=====(*)=====---:
All Ray could say when he walked into Dean's house, which
was built into the side of a large rock formation was ohmigod,
over
and over as Dean gave him the grand tour. Dief plopped down
on a
rug in front of the fire place and contentedly napped while
Ray was
shown around.
When the tour was complete they returned to the lounge and
Dean made Ray a cup of coffee and asked what he really thought
making
Ray laugh.
"You already know what I think. I can't believe this place..
It's.. Magnificent."
"Why thank-you, I designed and built it."
"So I heard."
"Mehgan told you no doubt."
Ray looked blankly at him.
"The woman who made the rugs."
"Oh, yes, she mentioned it."
Dean dropped down on the couch near Ray and looked at
Dief before the fire.
"Well, he looks content."
"He does, doesn't he.. He's going to hate returning to the
city after I go back."
"Why go back? You're obviously a man of.. independent means,
an animal like that needs open spaces to roam, not rat infested,
garbage strewn streets and filthy air."
"I know.. One of my plans for the future is to find a place
like this, and settle down there."
Dean smiled.
"A man after my own heart, so tell me what do you do when
you're
not travelling?"
"I.. Write."
"Journalist?"
"No.. Just stories."
"Oh, have you had any published?"
"No.. Not yet. It's.. a hobby."
"I see."
"I meet such interesting people when I'm travelling," Ray
said, and told Dean all about how he was collecting profiles of
people he'd met to use as the basis for character creation in
the
future. And maps - for reference, along with tourist
brochures, and recipe books.
"Recipe books?"
"If I'm lucky enough, a lot of women's associations publish
recipe books that they compile of local recipes, so if I wanted
to say, write a book set in Louisiana, I'd get my notes on people
I met there, my maps, and recipe books to give it a more
authentic ring."
"Ah, I see.. Obviously, writing is more than a hobby for
you..
You put a lot of thought into it. Travelling around is just
a way
to gather research."
"Well.. I plan to take some courses, learn all the ins and
out of writing and publishing when I settle down. I'm hoping I
can
make a living out of it.. and maybe enough to achieve a few
goals."
"Such as buying a property like this?"
"Exactly."
"An excellent goal," Dean said, his fingers stretching out
to brush the back of Ray's neck.
Ray jumped, then jumped up to move to the rug by Dief and
settled there stroking and ruffling Dief's fur. Dief's tail was
soon beating a tattoo on the rug.
"I suppose a place like this would cost a fortune," Ray
said, without looking at Dean.
He didn't see the look of disappointment on Dean's face.
"Not the house," Ray said.
Dean slid over to Ray's former place on the couch.
"The land... If I was going to buy a property like it, it
would
cost a fortune."
"You don't think my place cost a fortune to build?"
"It
depends."
"On what?"
"How much of the materials that went into it were salvaged
from the land. I'm sure it cost considerably less than most
people think."
A faint smile touched Dean's lips.
"Probably less than it would cost to build the average
house. But then again, you were willing to barter your skills and
work for others. You designed that incredible house in town. I
guess
that's Meghan's place."
Dean nodded when Ray glanced around.
"You think it's incredible?"
"Puts every other house, no, building, in town to shame.
With
the exception of that clinic."
"I designed that too. For my mother, it was hers."
"What
I don't understand though is why you did it. Mehgan's
place that
is."
"What do you mean?"
"I can understand being willing to do a trade, but that
kind..
It doesn't make sense.. Unless you *want* work as an
architect in the area - in which case, that place is a just one
big
incredible example of your work."
"Why does a mountain climber climb a mountain?"
"Because he doesn't have an ounce of sense."
Dean laughed.
"But what your saying when you use that as a response is
that
you did it, to either see if you could, or just to prove
that you
could."
"Exactly."
"One or the other."
"Perhaps, both."
"You built this place."
"To the people I worked with before I retired that would
prove
nothing. I was the head the of Interior Design department
of my
firm, beautiful interiors were my bread and butter."
"So?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"This place is.. magnificent whatever way you look at it,
inside
and *out*. If you wanted proof that you could build a
beautiful
place from the ground up, you did it when you built
this place.
And it's utterly perfect, for the land. Instead of
destroying a
natural feature, you used it and picked the best
place to do it."
"You haven't seen the river yet. The old house used to be by
it."
"I've seen this property from the air. I took a joy flight
over the park, and the pilot flew over all the reserves too,
which
your place is. This is the best place on the property to
build on.
A huge probably natural clearing. If there was a fire,
it wouldn't
burn this place to the ground, the roof's covered
with what I bet
is rock salvaged from the formation when you were
excavating it.
Probably an inch or two thick."
"It is."
"That would protect it from sparks and embers that would
going
flying during a fire storm.. You probably treated all the
exposed
wood with fire retardants.. and the size of the clearing
would probably
keep the heat from making the place burst into
flames."
"You're not a architect are you?"
Ray chuckled.
"No.. I just read a lot and use my brain... I remember a
book
I read.. Where a killer was caught out because he tried to
cover
up his tracks by starting a fire in a place he didn't know
had been
treated with fire retardants because the owner had lost
a place to
fire before. I saw the ruin's of a place down by the
river.. All
that's left is a few stone walls and a fire place.
And I remember
the pilot saying something about the worst fire in
a century turning
this whole area into an inferno."
Dean gave a little nod, looking away out a window.
"You learned a lesson from it.. I remember the pilot saying
they wish the parks other neighbours had learned it too."
"Some
lessons are harder to learn than others."
"That's some fire break you built around your property. He
said it was the biggest privately built and maintained one in the
county. I bet if a fire started in the park it wouldn't jump that
break and torch this place.."
"That's the general idea."
"When I buy my place.. I'm going to make sure it's got a big
fire break around it... just like this place."
"That's not enough. To stop a fire taking out a place like
this.. The property not the house I mean.. That firestorm would
never have happened if the land had been managed properly. A few
land holders lost their land because of that fire.. "
"The fire hit your property too.. At least half of it."
Dean looked at him.
"There's a lot more old growth in the direction of the town,
than there is toward the park.."
"They realised the wind was pushing it out of the park, and
they couldn't get enough fire teams in to stop it in the park..
It was threatening to take out the county seat as well as quite a
few scattered little town ships and communities off the beaten
track.
They used to talk about building a new highway from one
end of the
state to the other.. One that would cut through this
area.. Until
then the county said, thanks but no thanks.. Keep
your highway..
When that fire threatened to burn the whole
county, they said we changed our minds.. Send us the equipment
*now*
and we'll build it.. The military, rangers, fire teams from
three
states and every able bodied person in this county and
neighbouring
ones worked to build the fire break that is now that
long straight
stretch of highway out there..."
Ray remembered driving along it, at one point it seemed
to stretch into infinity and had branches that lead to the town
and cut straight through Dean's property and into the park.
"You mean the section that looks like it goes on forever?"
"That's it."
"That's why it cuts through your property."
"I can put up with it... It ends in the park.. It'll be
another
twenty years before they finish building it from the
other side.
That stretch was cleared fast in pure desperation. I
have no idea
how many people ended up working on it.. But the
general population
over the areas involved in the effort is
something like 50 000, if you subtract the elderly and children,
and take out the ones who were incapable of working on it..
Probably half of them were out there working on it. There are a
hundred plus rangers, who work in the park.. Then there were the
fire teams, 400 in all.. And the military sent all the available
people from bases close enough to ship people out here in time to
help.. Then there were the construction people.. It wasn't just
government crews out here, with the heavy duty prime movers.. I
called every firm I knew that had equipment.. The military sent
choppers that could airlift the small ones, the big heavy duty
ones
came out in convoy's.. Visit county hall some time, or the
visitors
centre in the park.. They've got pictures.. More than
one news team
was out there.."
"How did they get it soo.. straight?"
"A helicopter went over, marked out the break, and there
were
rangers out there on horses and bikes, driving flags into
the ground
every twenty meters or so to mark it out. There were
six separate
groups, one started in the park, another at the end
of that stretch,
with the other four scattered between them,
working outward till
they all met. Then they'd move on to the
next section that needed
workers and equipment.. And the copters
would bomb the area either
side of the break with water and fire
retardants.. Which is why there's
a lot of old growth on this
side of the break. It worked.."
Ray shifted about and then sprawled on his stomach.
"What about the wildlife?"
"A lot of animals died.. They couldn't even begin to
calculate how many died. But the rangers did what they could,
trapped
and transported as many of the smaller animals as they
could. And
military sharpshooters were sent out to tranq every
animal they
could find. Or so I heard... The visitors centre has
this film..
One of the news crews shot.. Of some area that was
just ringed with
fire and you could see military copters flying
over it, winching
up all sorts of animals. And lots of cages with
bundles of fur of
all types you couldn't tell what was in them,
they just went for
everything that moved and loaded them in to
get them out before
the fire got them all. That's why we've got a
ban on hunting in this
area. Sure they saved quite a few
animals.. But they lost more than they could save. If it weren't
for kids like Robbie Bernstien there'd be a lot less birds around
here."
"What did he do?"
"His father was a bird watcher, and so was he, his father
was
working the breaks, and Robbie went out with his maps, and a
band
of his little friends and rescued off every birds nest they
could
find in the area ahead of the break. Turns out they may
have prevented
one species from extinction.. They only exist
here, and their nesting
ground was on the wrong side of the
break. But Robbie and his friends carried of over a dozen of
their
nests, and they were all sent to zoos with bird breeding
programmes.
And they shipped adult birds back to repopulate the
area after the
reforestation programme went into full swing."
"I noticed
that Chow Hound got a bit of attention from the
rangers.. Even you
noticed him.."
"That's because wolves got hit hard.. I think their
territory was completely burned out. They were only able to save
five, a mother and her litter. And it's not a good idea to have
litter mates breeding if you want to repopulate. They kept the
females
and found a zoo with some male pups to make a trade for.
Found another
adult male for Mama wolf. But he was shot by
someone."
"I thought there was a ban on."
"That was before they realised they had to actively enforce
the ban and the county made it a prosecutable offence. They've
got
information on that at the visitors centre."
Ray remembered all the pamphlets he'd picked up and
mailed back to Brooklyn and made a mental note to give the ones
on the parks rules his close attention.
"Has anyone ever written a book about what happened?"
Dean was surprised.
"I mean you said there was plenty of information, and media
coverage."
"You know I don't believe anyone ever covered it to that
extent."
"It would make a good book. I'm sure there are lots of
people with stories to tell. Reader's Digest always has stories
like that. I bet someone could put a book together of stories
people
have about it."
"Well I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd be happy to
tell their stories to an enterprising writer," Dean said rising.
"Coffee?"
"Oh no thank's I've had enough."
"I usually hit the sack about this time, you're free to do
what you want. Don't throw any more wood on the fire, there's
enough
there to keep the place warm for the rest of the night.
I'll leave
a few things out in the kitchen if you want to make
yourself a drink
or a snack. I'm up at the crack of dawn, I've
got some work to do,
if you want to roam around, try to wait
until at least 10.. I should
be finished by then and I can give
you the grand tour."
Ray gave a little nod and watched him depart then he
looked at Dief and ruffled his fur.
"I bet he has an interesting story of his own about that
fire."
:---=====(*)=====---:
The next day Ray wandered through the property with Dief
happily bounding around. Dean followed with a Camera a back pack
and pair of army pants covered with bulging pockets. Ray
discovered half of them were filled with film for the camera, the
other half attachments, like different lens and filters. Dean
would
snap photos of anything and everything.
He snapped off at least three full rolls of film of Dief
exploring the place until Dief bounded out of sight to explore on
his own. And though Ray was not aware of it Dean shot a roll's
worth
of pictures of him.
They had a late lunch by the river in a secluded part of the
property, thanks to the contents of Dean's pack. And Ray took
a
little nap and woke to the sound of splashing in the river. He
looked
around to discover Dean's clothes neatly piled up on a
rock at the
river bank along with a towel.
The imp in him made him find Dean's camera and he studied it
working out how to change the focus and take the picture. When he
worked it out he crept off to the river bank finding Dean and
snapped
off half a roll's worth of film before Dean rose up from
the water.
His eyes widened when Dean turned giving him a full
frontal view
of him. Then a cloud moved on and the light through
the trees hit
Dean in a way that made all the water, both around
Dean and the water
that beaded and streamed down his body sparkle
in the light.
Ray snapped off a few more photos then slithered away and
crept back to the blanket to set the camera back where he had
found
it and settled down to pretend he was still napping.
When Dean returned he stood over Ray leaning forward and
let his hair drip over him until Ray sat up looking at him.
"Your hair's wet."
"I took a dip in the river, this is the second best swimming
place on the property."
"Oh why only second best?"
"There's a lot more swimmable river at the other spot."
"Ah."
Dean picked up his camera.
"There are a few things I want to catch a picture of while
I'm out this way," he said and wandered off.
Ray waited a few minutes and wandered down to the river
and found Dean had left his towel there, blowing in the wind
pegged
over a tree branch. The water looked inviting enough and
it was
a warm day and Dean had certainly looked like he'd been
enjoying
his dip, so Ray stripped down and found a place to
enter the river.
It was chilly at first but once he got used to it he enjoyed
his dip and floated around looking up at the clouds floating
past.
He watched an eagle soaring through the sky until it
vanished, then he decided he'd been in the water long enough
and
waded out.
He found Dean sitting on the blanket reloading his camera
when he returned.
"Get any good pictures?"
"Some.. I must have miscalculated how much film I had in the
camera.. I ran out of film."
"I saw an eagle up there."
"I saw it.. I ran out of film before it came in range of my
lens," Dean said, then went on to describe a certain kind of bird
and ask Ray to tell him if he saw one.
"You want a picture of it?"
"Bernstien would love some. It's supposed to be extinct, but
I'm sure I've seen a few around here. If I can get some pictures
of some it'll prove there a still some nesting in this area and
really make his day."
"That's a pretty fancy camera, do you make your living doing
photographic work now?"
"No. I use it for much the same reason you travel around and
collect information. Research for art."
"Photography can be an art form, I remember a Gallery I
visited,
they had photos everywhere."
"Mostly or all black and white, am I right?"
Ray nodded.
"I hate black and white photography, the world isn't black
and white. It's a riot of colours."
"That doesn't mean you couldn't be artistic
photographically," Ray said thinking of the photo he'd taken
of Dean water sparkling in the light as it ran over his body.
"I've
taken lots of pictures on my travels, though my
camera's just a point and shoot thing. I'm getting a lot better
with it. I used to chop peoples heads off and loose half the
picture
I was after."
Dean looked at him, then patted the blanket beside him.
Ray moved to sit beside him and Dean explained how to use all
the
features of his camera, all the attachments and lenses he
had. Then
he gave it to Ray and told him to snap away to his
hearts content.
"I've got my own dark room, we can develop them back at the
studio and see how good or bad you are with a pro camera."
Ray used up the rest of his film as they wandered back to
the house by a round about route and with a little smile caught a
few pictures of the bird Dean told him to keep an eye out for
while
Dean was off rummaging around collecting bits and pieces.
He was
smiling when Dean returned with some large stones and
showed them to him.
"This is perfecting for sculpting in see the colours," Dean
said and spent the next half hour telling Ray about the ways
an
artist could use the things he scavenged.
They stopped along a rocky area which had spectacular views
for a rest and afternoon tea and Ray used up the last of the
film
taking pictures of the vista with Dean hanging over his
shoulder
pointing out things to shot pictures off, what to use
the zoom,
wide angle and panoramic features for.
Ray announced he wasn't feeling well as he handed the
Camera back to Dean to pack up and Dean touched his face.
"You do look a bit flushed.. How do you feel?"
Ray had never felt the way he felt before and had trouble
describing it, but did the best he could. Dean stared at him then
shifted about turning around to pack things up.
"I don't think its anything serious."
Ray looked down at himself and touched his face, he was
definitely feeling hot as far as he was concerned he was sick.
Dean
helped him up and shook out the blanket, tying it up to his
pack
before he slung it in place and marched off. Ray followed
and tried
to keep up, but Dean set a fast pace and he soon lagged
behind grumbling
about it.
Dean stopped ahead of him, looking back and told him to pick
up the pace. With a little grumble Ray did until his foot
found a tree root to hook on and he went down and cried out in
pain.
Dean came hurrying back as he rolled around on the ground
grabbing
his ankle.
He ended up being carried the rest of the way, and was glad
of it, the symptoms he had felt earlier came back with a
vengeance and he was sure he had caught some bug and was just
starting
to feel the first symptoms.
He was put to bed by Dean who had to cut off his jeans to
get them off after his ankle swelled up. His ankle was wrapped in
ice packs and towels and he was given a herbal drink Dean
promised would dull the pain. It did more than that, Ray
drifted off to sleep.
He thought he had woken at sun set when he saw the red sky
and the sun on the edge of the magnificent view from his bedroom
window. Then Dean came in with a breakfast tray and announced
he'd
slept the night away.
Ray devoured the food he had brought while Dean told him
the doctor had been and gone. His ankle had been wrapped and
declared
a sprain. He handed Ray a letter from the doctor with
advice to
follow.
"Oh no.. I've got to stay off it.."
"That's normally the case with a sprain."
"But this says it could be weeks before I can walk on it
without
pain."
"I'm sure it screws up your travel plans but you should be
able to make a few calls and get your tickets refunded or .."
"I don't have any tickets for advance travel.."
"Oh, well what are you worried about then?"
"I can't drive... I don't have enough money to cover a hotel
room for that long... That'd take me over my credit limit on my
cards.."
Dean told him he was welcome to stay until his ankle healed.
"But I was sick.. I have to stay in town so I can see the
doctor
again."
"It was nothing just a little too much fresh air and
exertion. Don't worry, the doctor gave you an exam and took some
blood. He'll ring - or come back if the tests show you need
medication for some bug. But he thinks you're fine, apart from a
sprained ankle. As for the car, who'd you hire it from?"
Ray
told him who and where he'd hired it at. Dean gave a
little nod.
"I know the company. If I get it into town they'll send
someone
from the company come round and collect it and all it
will take
will be a phone call to get them bring a new one round
when you're
ready to leave."
"But how will you get back?"
"Well if I leave within the hour.. I can get to town in time
to catch one of the tour buses. The drivers know me, they can
drop
me off on the way through, and I'll hike back along the
road, I
do it all the time."
"Oh."
"Of course I'll be gone at least half the day. But that's no
problem, lucky for you I have smooth floors all the way."
And
with that he helped Ray dress in a warm shirt and a
very baggy pair of overalls, then carried him out to the lounge.
There Dean set Ray down in a wheel chair that had been covered
with
a colourful thick and soft quilt. Ray ran his hand over
the panel
that Dean spread over his legs.
"Did the doctor bring this?"
"No, it was in storage. In that room I didn't show you,
there's
quite a bit of ever so useful junk in there. Now I've
rolled up
all the rugs and tossed them in there, so you'll have a
clear run
from the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, gallery and
office. You'll find a pile of pads, pens and typing paper there,
help yourself if you want to do some writing. I also developed
those
pictures you took and left them there for you to go
through."
Ray smiled at that.
"They're quite good. You got the hang of using that camera
very quickly. And there's a few double exposures in the
collection from the times you forget to wind the film on. I
developed them anyway.. I'll let you be the judge of those."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray whiled the day away in Dean's office, going first
through the photos of which all the decent ones were A-5 size.
The
ones he'd messed up were the usual size his pictures came
in. The
double exposures had turned out some interesting pictures
artistically
speaking. One Ray liked a lot and set aside
before going through the rest of the pile. He blushed deeply when
he found the ones he had taken of Dean, then frowned. He went
through
all the photos twice. But could not find the last few he
had taken.
Had he run out of film and not been aware of it and
where were the
ones he had taken of that bird? They weren't there
either.
After going through the pile a third time he realised there
were at least a dozen pictures he clearly remembered taking that
were not included. Had he messed them up so badly Dean had not
wasted
material printing them? It was a question only Dean could
answer
so he set them aside and rolled off to the kitchen to make
himself
some coffee.
He spent the rest of the day typing on Dean's typewriter
between trips back and forth to the kitchen and bathroom. For the
first time he appreciated what he had thought were artistic
features of the bathroom. He discovered otherwise.
The phone rang twice during the day, he'd been in the
bathroom and unable to answer the first time, but it rang again
half an hour later and he was able to reach it in time and
answered, ready to take a message for Dean, to find it was Dean.
"How are you going?"
"Just fine, did you design that bathroom with an invalid in
mind or something?"
Dean gave a little chuckle.
"I thought I'd let you discover it for yourself."
"I did. I can even take a shower without getting my bandage
wet in that shower."
"Did you?"
"Yes."
"No trouble?"
"None at all.. Thank you for setting up that little table on
wheels in the kitchen. It's just the right height."
"It's supposed to be.. Another piece of useful junk from the
storage room. I just rang to say I've run into one of the Rangers
here on his day out, he'll give me a lift and drop me off at the
door but I won't be back until late this evening. Now if you
think
you need anything.."
"There is something.."
"What?"
"Someone to find Chow Hound.. He hasn't been back."
"Oh,
yes he has. He wandered back last night, I fed him and
he spent the
night on the rug in front of the fire, then bounded
out again this
morning. Just keep your ears open for the sound of
scratching on
the door."
"Oh, great."
"Does he have any particular special diet?"
Ray told him what to buy and promised to reimburse him
when he got back. Then Dean prodded him a little asking about his
favourite foods, they along with a few note books, a big box of
milk duds and his favourite coffee were added to Dean's shopping
list.
"Now, since I won't be back till late, I've asked someone to
come around and let the horse out so it can get some exercise and
forage around. So don't be surprised when he shows up, he's one
of the Ranger's rides a bike. You'll hear it coming. If anyone
else
shows up, don't open the door and just stay inside. Though I
don't
expect anyone to show up.. But you never know with the
tourists
or what kind they'll be."
"I've got a gun and I know how to use it."
"I'd prefer it if you didn't have to."
"So would I. Should I expect this Ranger to come knocking?"
"Yes. Offer him something to eat and drink, it's a long ride
over. And if there's anything you need out of reach, get him to
get it down for you."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray was in bed and pretending to sleep when Dean
returned, and was subdued for the next three days, which Dean
didn't
notice. Beside from helping Ray into and out of his
chair each day, and sharing meals with him, Dean kept much to
himself,
busy with his own private projects.
Then Dean noticed he hadn't even touched any of the new
stationary equipment he'd brought for him. Dean had left it in
the
office for George, and none of the other equipment, outside
what
he'd noticed George had used the first day had been touched.
After
he'd noticed this, Dean announced the next morning that
he'd be
in the studio for the rest of the day and crept in the
back way
to spy on George. He watched George roll the chair to
the bathroom
where he spent 3 quarters of an hour, before he went
back to his
bedroom.
Dean watched the door for some time and crept off to climb
the rock. He peeked into the room below through the glass roof
panels
and saw George lying on the bed, facing the picture window
curled
up around a pillow and staring out at the view.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray was surprised when he rolled out at dinner time to
find they had a visitor. The County Sheriff. Jerome William's.
Ray
was not all that surprised when Dean announced he had some
work to
do in his office and left them to chat. The Sheriff
waited till he heard the office door close and got straight to
the
point, interrogating Ray about what happened the day Dean had
gone
to town.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Dean held up the former chunk of tree branch he'd whittled
and studied it. A little sanding, some paint and it would be
perfect.
He heard a little knock on the door and hastily swept
everything
into a draw and blew away sawdust.
He opened the door to find William's there and invited him
in.
"Did he talk to you?"
"Eventually."
"Unexpected visitor."
William's shook his head.
"Nothing happened worth laying charges over. I'd pick your
friends a little more carefully in the future and I'm not talking
about your guest. I'll be inviting Ryan round for dinner to have
a little chat with him, give him a chance to take care of things
without causing a stir."
"I appreciate that."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray continued to mope for a day or two, then took over
Dean's office again. Dean stopped working in his studio as he
heard
noises over the intercom and then the clacking of the type
writers
key. He shut the intercom down and resumed his work.
Ray was distracted
from his typing seeing Dean's head
passing back and forth in the window over and over again, but he
couldn't get close enough to the window to peer out. He wondered
what Dean was up to that required so many trips back and forth.
He laughed when after an attempt to stand using the
furniture blocking the way he knocked something against the
window which attracted Dean's attention. The next time he went
past
he held up a little sign on a stick "Artist at Work."
Ray gave up trying to see what he was up to and went back to
his typing and hit a writers block. He dropped the page he'd
typed
on the pile and collected it to roll off to his bedroom and
slip
it into an envelope one of the many that would be sent on
its way
when he was finished.
:---=====(*)=====---:
The same thing happened the next day, and the day after, and
Ray's curiosity drove him to pester Dean about it at meal times.
His response was always the same, "Just some work I've been
meaning to do around the place."
Ray found out what that work was around the afternoon of the
next day. Dean walked into the office dressed in very dusty
clothing a sweaty singlet plastered to his chest, hands behind
his
back. Ray's mouth went dry and he recognised his "sickness"
for what it was. The Ranger who'd visited had taught him what
his "symptom's" were.
"I'm all done, are you busy?"
Ray shook his head not trusting himself to speak.
"I've got something for you. I noticed your birth date on
your
licence."
Then Dean presented him with a wrapped box which Ray took
and demolished the paper on. He laughed when he pulled out an
intricate
carved wooden cane, with a wolf's head for a hand grip.
"Hold
it under the head and just around the fourth carving
and twist in
two directions."
Ray did and discovered it twisted apart.
"It comes apart."
"You can take it apart and store it in your bag."
"Thank you."
"Everyone should be remembered on their birthday."
Ray
gave a little smile and nodded and with Dean's help got
to his feet and tested out his cane. He couldn't walk with it,
but
he could stay upright. Dean left him balancing with it and
came back
with a crutch padded at the top and hand grip with
lambswool.
Ray happily switched the cane to his other hand and using
the crutch and cane was able to move around without the chair.
Dean
lead him to the door to the outside world, the back door,
and opened
it with a little "Viola". Ray looked out and
laughed.
"You paved all the pathways."
"I've been meaning to do it, but something always distracts
me."
Ray noticed there was now a ramp up to the raised doorway of
the studio and the house.
"You put in a ramp, for the chair."
"There were originally ramps there, in wood, but they were
demolished and replaced with stairs. Something I regreted doing
every
time I had to shift something heavy in from the studio. I
lost a
statue trying to move it from the studio to the Gallery
trying to
get the trolley I was moving it on up those stairs
once, and I've been meaning to rebuild the ramps since. But
artistic endevours always win hands down over manual labour when
it comes to what I'd rather be doing."
Ray chuckled.
"The fact you couldn't get out of the house to get some sun
and fresh air unless I got on with the job was the motivation I
needed
to get on with the job. Now you can leave the house, and
enjoy the
fresh air, either with the cane and crutch or the
chair. I suggest the chair, the crutch starts to hurt after a
while
if you use it for long periods."
Ray gave a little nod and hobbled down the ramp after
Dean. Dean showed him how he'd put in three paths, one to the
studio,
one to the stable and one to nowhere. Though there were
little stakes
with ropes driven into the ground.
"I want to put a gazebo in here someday.. I thought I should
lay the path while I was in the mood."
Ray stood at the end of it admiring the view from that
point.
"I think it's an excellent place to put one. The view's
spectacular.
You can see over the park from here," then he waved
at a point
in the distance. "And there's the river."
"No, that's
a ravine in the park. The river used to flow
along that way, but
a rock slide changed the course of it more
years ago than I can
remember."
"Oh."
"On the wrong side of it, more's the pity.. On that side,
the
river marks the boundary.."
"You lost land?"
"No. Gained some."
"What's the problem?"
"I'd love to get some of the rock from that ravine for
sculpting with, but it's on the park's land now."
Ray laughed and noticed Dean watching him in a way that made
his mouth go dry and his heart beat a little faster. He looked
away
over the view again. Dean left him there announcing he had
some more
work to do, and Ray didn't know wether to be
disappointed or thankful.
He hobbled over to the grass and carefully lowered himself
down on it. The Ranger who had come to release the horse for Dean
had told him in no uncertain terms that Dean was Gay and left
Ray
with no doubts that he meant that in the colloquial sense.
He'd made
a very heavy pass at Ray which had thankfully not
ended the way it could have when the man had realised that Ray
was
an innocent at matters sexual.
Thanks to his Amnesia, Ray was an innocent, he could not
remember having a sex life, what it was like, and until the
attempt on the Rangers part to bed him, he'd been without
inhibitions.
The Ranger had outright stated there was only one reason
Dean ever invited people to his place, *men* were only invited as
sexual company and the Ranger had hinted that Dean was seriously
kinky but left Ray completely ignorant as to what kinky meant in
Dean's case. Ray knew kinky meant a person had strange sexual
tastes
or behaviour and that didn't help.
What made things worse was that until the Ranger's pass he
wouldn't have really cared if Dean had made a pass at him and
probably
would have responded to it. Now he knew a little more
about the
activity it made him nervous. He remembered seeing
Dean naked as
the day he'd been born, and his extremely
generous proportions. It kept popping into his head and he'd
woken
up with a raging erection one morning and knew that was
nothing
to how generous Dean's proportions could get.
He gave a little shiver and banished those thoughts. Dean
hadn't made so much as a single pass at him. Unless he counted
the
time his fingers had brushed his neck, but Dean hadn't done
anything
else beyond that. The anticipation and nerves about it
were killing
him, he just wished the man would do it and get it
over with.
:---=====(*)=====---:
That night after dinner at which Dean had presented him with
one of his favourite meals and another gift, this time in a big
box. The gift turned out to be a professional camera, just like
Dean's,
with a tripod, a bag, loaded with film and all the
lenses Dean's had.
The gift had perfect, Ray was more than pleased with it and
that was he he decided to take matters into his own hands and get
it over with. He used his cane and crutch to get himself over to
the couch and sank down on it while Dean stoked the fire. And
Dean
was surprised to find him there.
"Not going to bed?"
"Not tired."
He patted the couch after a moments hesitation Dean joined
him there.
"Why did you buy me that? It's so expensive."
"I think you have a talent for it. You have a real eye for
things. And I'm looking forward to helping you learn more about
the art of photography."
"I thought you didn't consider it an art."
"Well it is when something with an eye like yours is behind
the camera."
They chatted about photography, Dean's plans to teach him
process his own pictures, maybe even how to frame pictures so he
could frame his favourites. Then the conversation drifted to
inconsequential
things and the anticipation was killing Ray.
Finally Dean stretched
and left his arms across the back of the
couch and the next time
his fingers brushed Ray's neck, he
didn't jump. He waited, his pulse starting to race, for Dean to
make the next move.
There were little strokes and touches and when he didn't
bolt, Dean took it as an invitation to go further, going in for
the kill. Ray's heart started pounding wildly and he wondered if
he was going to pass out from lack of air as Dean kissed him,
first
tentatively, then passionately.
His stomach fluttered and his body came alive as Dean's
hands roamed. He moaned and wondered if that sound had come from
his own throat as Dean's mouth travelled to his throat. Then
Dean's long fingers were slowly stripping his shirt away, so his
mouth could travel down Ray's body. Ray was putty in his talented
hands as his brain turned to complete mush and his body cried,
YESSSS
PLEASE.
He almost whimpered when Dean stopped and slid his body up
his to hover over him, his hot breath fanning his face.
"Tell me something."
"Anything."
"Are you a virgin?"
"Yesss."
"Did he... touch you?"
Ray gave a tiny nod.
"Did he..."
"He didn't rape me."
"Thank-god."
"Don't stop... Please.."
Dean smiled and murmured thank god again against his skin.
"That feels so good."
Ray's hands finally found something to do, rising up to
tangle in Dean's hair as the artist fanned the flames of desire
he'd sparked for Ray.
After some serious making out, Dean rose and looked down at
Ray flushed, panting and very aroused. He leaned over him smiling
and taking his hands.
"This is your last chance to scuttle off, because, I want to
make love to you - All night."
"What a way to celebrate my birthday."
Dean drew him up to his feet.
"Are you sure?
"Now - Yes."
Dean gave him a radiant smile and lead him to the master
bedroom and spent the next two hours worshipping Ray's body from
head to foot. His voice rang out, crying with pleasure, until
Dean
utterly exhausted him and he fell into a deep sleep with a
smile
on his face.
He was not aware of Dean snapping photographs of him as
slept sprawled naked on that huge bed. He drifted in blissful
innocence,
and dreamed of another man, one with blue eyes.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Dean had little trouble convincing Ray to extend his stay at
his property, he did it deviously, asking Ray to do it while he
was
busy worshipping Ray from head to toe. Ray would've agreed to
just
about anything at the time.
Dean photographed him and Diefenbaker, both candidly and
openly. He even seduced Ray into letting him openly take
photographs of him naked and flushed with passion. And arranged
for a Ranger who could be trusted to deliver a very large parcel.
Ray opened it to find all the information he could wish for
to get a start on the book he'd been thinking about and after the
Ranger departed had given Dean a very passionate thank you.
He lay in his lover's bed later that night enjoying his
light caresses and wondering what he'd done to deserve such a
lucky
break. Dean asked what he was smiling about and Ray told
him. Dean
smiled and kissed him and one thing lead to another and
almost lead
to another thing till Ray realised Dean was as stiff
and unwelcoming
as he'd been to the Ranger.
"I'm s..sorry."
Dean gave him a kiss showing him it was o.k then rolled over
to get something from his drawer, then he rolled and pounced on
Ray getting playful. Ray's favourite part was when he'd slipped a
sheath over his sex and smeared something over it driving him
wild.
He expected Dean to continue on and use his clever mouth
and hands
to take him to orgasm, instead Dean just got more
affectionately playful and a little bit of bed wrestling and
tickling went on.
Then Ray got the upper hand, though he suspected Dean let
him. Dean yielded and declared Ray the victor, and to the
Victor go the spoils. Ray enjoyed some necking and kissing
till he slid down Dean's body to lavish some attention to his
chest.
Dean wiggled and squirmed around making Ray moan
against his chest at the stimulation he got from it. He rose to
his knees and declared he wanted his spoils to please him.
Dean smiled up at him, then slid up the bed until he could
kneel before Ray. The sheath was stripped away making Ray why
he'd
bothered with it in the first place, then Dean pulled
him into his arms to kiss him passionately and down they went
onto
the bed together.
He was aware of only one of Dean's hand and heard the
other one moving about then Dean started nibbling on his ear, and
that hand started touching him just the way he liked to be
touched.
"You like that, don't you?"
"Oh, yes... Don't.. stop," Ray panted.
Dean's hand went further and Ray's eyes widened and his
body stiffened as one of Deans finger's slid inside him. Dean
nuzzled
and kissed his neck murmuring that it was O.K. Over and
over.
"I would never do anything to hurt you.. Relax... I want to
teach you something that will please you a lot."
It took a lot of effort on Ray's part to relax, the Ranger
had touched him like that and he hadn't liked it, but Dean's
touch was more intimate, gentle and nothing like the Ranger's had
been. When Ray relaxed Dean slowly introduced him to another form
of pleasure making Ray's eyes widen in pleasure and his voice
rise
in ecstasy as Dean took him to the peak of pleasure in what
was for
Ray a new and extremely pleasurable way.
"Did you like that?" Dean asked when the smiling Ray came
back from down from his pleasure high.
"You have to ask."
"Well, yes."
Ray pulled his head down and kissed him, then rubbed noses
with him.
"I more than liked it."
"Would you do something special to please me now?"
A little
nervously Ray gave a nod and kissed him, rolling
over to cover his body with own. Dean's eyes rolled and he gave a
little moan, his hands clamping hard around Ray's arms as Ray
rubbed
started rubbing against his sex.
He couldn't get a coherent word out as Ray moved over
him but his grip kept Ray from doing what he was attempting,
what
he thought Dean wanted. It was also bruising him and
Ray's hands moved to tickle him.
"Stop it," Dean panted.
"Let me go.. You're hurting me."
"Not.. Until.. You stop."
Ray stopped. Dean's hand slid up his arms and pulled him
down kissing him deeply then rolled, till he was straddling Ray.
The kissing continued until Ray thought he would pass out from
lack
of air. He was half aware that Dean's hand was searching for
something
between his long deep and passionate kisses, then he
apparently
found it. Dean rose to his knees over him, looking
down at him.
Ray drew his legs up, holding them and waited, eyes closing,
anticipating his next move. Dean touched him, expertly and
tenderly drawing another erection out of him, before he
touched him the other way. The anticipation was heightening
things for Ray then he got a surprise and a half and Dean sent
him
into screaming ecstasy, which was followed by a swift plunge
into
sleep.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Dean wasn't there when he woke, and Ray wandered out to
shower before he wandered through the house to find Dean in the
kitchen. He crept up behind him to hug and kiss his lover on the
neck.
"Morning love, I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,"
Dean responded to it.
"I would have preferred you in the bed," Ray almost purred.
Dean turned in his arms to hug him back and kiss him, then
nuzzled at his neck.
"We won't share a bed again, unless you make me a promise."
"Anything."
"Never.. try to do or ask for what you did last night."
Ray thought about it, thought it strange, considering how
pleasurable it was but nodded.
"Say it."
"I promise."
"Good... I never want to hurt you... And that could
happen... I'm only human... and you, love, press every button
I've
got."
Ray smiled and turned his head to nip Dean's ear.
"You press all mine too."
Dean's hands slid down his back, to caress his buns then
pull him close. A deep kiss was followed by a husky declaration
of love and another kiss and they ended up making love there in
the kitchen. Ray loved it when the kinky Dean covered him in
food,
nibbling and licking him clean. He didn't need any
encouragement to return the favour.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Dean kept his promise to teach Ray the art of developing and
showed him how to use his dark room. After a few false starts Ray
got the hang of it and he was soon moving onto his next lesson,
enlarging
photographs. His shining Dean was the first, he blew it
up to letter
size first, then at Dean's suggestion A3 size.
He got his first lesson in framing from Dean when it was
ready to be framed after a coat of a special protective spray.
Dean
showed him a collection of hand made frames, the right size
to frame
such a print and told Ray to chose one. Ray picked one.
Dean shook
his head.
"Yes, it's nice, but is it *right* for your picture?"
Ray thought about it, studied his picture and then studied
the frames again, more carefully this time, looking for just the
right one. The next time he pointed, Dean smiled and nodded.
"Perfect."
He pulled it out and found a backing panel, then lead Ray to
a pile of sheets of framing boards, telling him to chose two. Ray
learned fast and studied his picture before he chose two. The
next
step involved cutting them to size for the frame and
picture. And then fitting glass and putting it all in the frame.
It was sealed up and a hanging line added then presented to
Ray with a flourish.
"You're first piece of Art, Mr Fiorella."
Ray looked down at it and smiled.
"Who sez photographs have to be black and white to be arty,"
Ray crowed very pleased with the final product.
"What are you going to do with it?" Dean asked.
Ray shrugged.
It ended up on the wall of his room even though Ray didn't
occupy it any more. It was soon joined by my more as Dean
encouraged him to select pictures he liked for framing.
:---=====(*)=====---:
In the days that followed as Ray became more and more
mobile Dean taught him how to indulge in self pleasuring and to
do it for him. Ray found it added to the pleasure to watch Dean
getting
so turned on watching him. And watching Dean do it to
himself taught
him a few things too. After that it wasn't long
before Dean talked
him into letting him take pictures while he
did it.
The passionate interlude came to an end after Dean talked
him into skinny dipping in the river at the edge of his property.
Dean stood on the bank, camera in hand snapping photos and
directing George to do this and that, promising all sorts of
naughty
little treats. He verbally seduced and turned Ray on to
get the pictures
he wanted, and then convinced him to please
himself, while he took
pictures.
Ray did so, closing his eyes imagining his dream lover
while he did so, and after he came down from his pleasant self
induced
high and opened his eyes, he saw movement in the bushes.
He almost
jumped half out of his skin and Dean saw it through the
lens, snapping
another photograph at the time.
"What's wrong?"
Ray pointed.
"There's something over there, in the bushes."
Dean looked around and trained his camera on the bushes,
zooming in. They both heard and saw the bushes rustling then
Ray
jumped up and dived into the water, swimming back to the
place where
his clothes lay. He dressed faster than he'd ever
dressed in his
life and grabbed Dean to drag him away.
"Whatever that is, it's big."
Dean let him drag him off into the denser forest of his
property, then stopped him.
"Wait.."
Then he used the zoom on his camera to spy on the river
bank.
"That's no animal."
"What?!" Ray squeaked.
"It's a man... One of the Rangers from the park," Dean
informed him, snapping off a few pictures. "And a new one at
that... I think I'm in love. Come to Papa sweet thang. Ohhh yes,
that's perfect, god, what I wouldn't give to see you naked my
little
beauty."
Ray's romantic little dreams bit the dust.
"Ooooh, yessss, there is a god, that's it my little American
dream boat.. Take it all off."
Ray slipped away, and hurried back to the house. By the
time Dean returned, he and Dief were gone.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray returned to his travels, pretending to be a blind man
again, this time, he pre booked his journeys so he never
stayed at any place for longer than a day. He stopped over
just long enough to get pamphlets and the like and mail them
on. He collected notes about towns, maps, recipe books and
started collecting the books published by local historical
societies. He took photos as always, but with the camera he'd
started
out with, not with the expensive profressional camera
Dean had given
him for a birthday gift. Every time he looked
at it or saw one like it he was reminded of Dean and burned
with shame and humilation at being so easily seduced by the
shameless Lorathio.
It wasn't as if he'd been ignorant of it either. The
Ranger had told him Dean was always inviting men into his home
for
sexual interludes. Ray had deluded himself into thinking
Dean meant it when he said he loved him and that when he asked
him
to stay meant share my life. He'd been a romantic fool and
wouldn't
make the same mistake twice.
Dief often whined and was restless and Ray constantly
apologised to the wolf and ending up breaking his golden rule.
He
tried to make up for the hard travelling and very short
breaks by feeding the wolf as much junk food as his little
heart desired.
Dief learned very fast how to get Ray to go to the buffet
car to buy a snack and milked it for all it was worth. The
staff of each train Ray travelled on were forewarned and word
travelled
through the train grape vine about the blind man
"seeing" the country via the train network, with the gorgeous,
friendly husky as his seeing eye dog.
Dief got plenty of attention, and Ray got photographs,
more than one attendant asked if he minded if they took a
picture, of and with them. The hardest thing for Ray to do was
resist
the urge to buy a book and read it to the pass the
time. But Dief attracted talkative company and that helped him
pass
the time.
As he drew near the end of his travels, heading back for
Brooklyn he blew his blind man cover on the last half of the
journey. It happened when a gang of not so bright sparks
decided to rob the passengers in his carriage, and thought the
blind
man with a dog was an easy target.
He never went anywhere without his gun, and palmed it.
When one of the gang threatened him, Dief leapt for his arm,
and Ray let him go for it. He rose and as the man's fellow
gang members started spinning at his screams, Ray started
firing. Ray's target practice and Huey's efforts to turn him
into a near marksman paid off. Passengers through out the
carriage went to the floor. Screams filled the air, and not
all of them came from frightened passengers.
The gang members went down, three with bullets in their
shoulders, one with a bullet in his leg and arm, and the last
was
put down by Dief.
Ray moved fast to make sure they all lost their weapons,
and then called for help, belts, ties and scarves were passed
along.
The miscreants were bound and make shift pressure
bandages were applied.
There was no point pretending to be blind after that, and
Ray poked the one who'd threatened him with a foot.
"What do you know, I only said I was blind to be able to
travel
with my dog, sucker."
His fellow passengers laughed at that easing the tension
in the carriage.
They were all forced to leave the train at the next stop,
where the police interrogated everyone and took the would be
train robbers into custody. Ray gave his statement, and put
his new identity as George Fiorella to the test, had his hand
shaken,
and his back slapped by more than one person, photos
taken, by fellow travellers, one of whom he didn't know was a
journalist.
Dief also enjoyed some attention and gorged
himself on all the treats he received from grateful
passengers.
The railway were so grateful, that Ray got first class
passage and treatment for the rest of his trip and no one said
a
word about his "dog." Well, other than, "What a beautiful
dog, what sort is it?" "A Chow Hound."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray climbed out of his taxi, Dief on his heels, and
inhaled the not so fresh air of Brooklyn.
"Ah... Home at last," he said, trying not to cough, after
all the fresh air he'd enjoyed, the city air was *quite*
pungent.
The cabbie pulled his back pack out of trunk and handed
it over, and Ray paid him off. The man hovered.
"Are you George Fiorella?"
"Yeeesss.."
Out came an autograph book.
"Would you sign this?"
It was something Ray got used to over the next week as he
discovered the journalist on the train had sold the story of
the attempted robbery and its dramatic ending to several
papers including a national one. He also discovered, the
journalist had snapped off photos *during* the event. He'd
left a nobody and returned a hero to the world at large and
everyone loves a hero.
All his neighbours introduced themselves, bringing food,
inviting him over for little informal parties, poker parties
and the like. He attended one, to find it anything but little,
and
begged off the rest.
The security company sent their rep around, with a T.V,
Video and a pile of tapes to show Ray. Ray watched the tapes,
seeing
his land lord regularly enter his apartment and wander
around. He
often wondered out of camera range, and Ray heard
windows and doors open, and later close. Twice the alarm went
off,
and his land lord deactivated and reset it. Another tape
showed the
security company's men arriving to check things
out.
He also saw his landlord carry off every chest containing
his things. That was what the security rep wanted him to see.
Ray
smiled and waved at his apartment.
"Do you see all those books?"
"Yes???"
"They were in one of those trunks, along with my linen
and clothes. He returned all the trunks when I got back."
"Oh."
"He put them in a storage locker, for safe keeping."
"Oh,
well, that's not on any of the tapes."
"Neither is a shot of whoever tried to break in."
"No one got past your security measures, those bars are a
deterrent,
they'll try some place easier nine times out of
ten, and the ones who think they can get past those were
scared off by your alarms."
Then he smiled faintly.
"Though I doubt you'll have to worry about security now,
the
whole city knows about the way you took on that gang on
the train. No thief in his right mind would risk breaking into
your
place, there's too high a chance of being shot if you
happen to be in. And then there's your Chow Hound to take into
account
too."
"I guess I won't be needing your services after this."
"Why, Mr Fiorella, you'll be needing them more than ever,
thieves
are the least of your concerns. I'm sure once the
media find out you're home they'll descend in a hoard to get
your story out of you."
"Oh..."
"And then there are the autograph hunters, who'll sniff
out your address and come to pester you to sign their
clippings. All you have to do is to continue using our
service, hit the alarm and our men will come and send them on
their
way."
"Can I hire you on a month by month basis?"
"Certainly."
Ray signed up for another month of service and the rep
left taking his equipment with him, but leaving the tapes
behind. Ray tucked them into his book case and threw himself
on his bed, and looked down at Dief on the floor.
"Well Chow Hound, let's hope he's wrong about the Media.
Autograph
hunters I can handle. More media attention of the
close up camera and Television kind I don't want."
Dief gave a little bark of agreement.
"What do you say we go to the post office and get all my
mail
tomorrow?"
Dief agreed. Ray patted the bed and Dief jumped up. Ray
rose and wandered into the shower while Dief made himself
comfortable on the bed. Ray was ready to head for bed when
there was a knock on the door. With a little grumble he pulled
on
a robe, found his gun and went to answer it, peeping
through the peep hole before opening the door to let his land
lord
in.
The land lord gave a weak smile when he saw Ray's gun,
then held up a contract.
"My lawyer finished drawing this up yesterday. It's the
new lease I discussed with you before you left to do your
cross country tour."
"Oh."
"You said you'd give me an answer when you returned."
"Yes,
well, I was seriously considering it.. Before I got
back and found
out some reporter had splashed my face all over
the newspapers."
"Ooooh," The landlord said, he knew what was coming.
"I
really need to see what the effect will be.. I don't
want to get locked into a ten year lease and then find out I
have to move because I'm being pestered."
The landlord ripped it up with a sigh.
"I'm really sorry about that."
"Can't be helped.
"If I move, I'll be leaving the things I installed
behind, if that that's any consolation."
"I suppose I could hike up the rent with security like
yours."
"People are always willing to pay a little extra for
security," Ray agreed. "Oh, by the way, I may be going for
another trip soon, I'll let you know before I take off."
"Where
are you going next?"
"Oh, I don't know yet. I'll only be gone for a few weeks
max.
Drop by tomorrow night, and I'll pay you up to the end of
the lease
period."
The land lord left happy.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray was in for a surprise when he went to the post
office, apart from the mail he sent himself, there were also
three huge packages and 3 slightly smaller but still large
ones he couldn't place. There was too much for him to take
home in a cab and he had to find a courier to deliver it all.
Dief
curled up on the lounge watching Ray open his
parcels and wagged his tail when Ray laughed at finding his
rug.
"I forget all about this... Where do you think I should
put it? The wall or the floor?"
Dief looked at the floor.
"Floor it is."
He rolled it out and moved furniture around. The next
parcel was a huge surprise. A portrait of himself, that was
anything but standard. He was standing in Dean's main room,
window at his back showing the view as he held a plate up in
the air and laughed while Dief sat at his feet looking up
hopefully. The goatee beard and mustache that had started as
fakes, and he'd cultivated the growth of were there, and so
was the hair people expected George Fiorella to have. That
surprised Ray, it was a wig and he hadn't worn it around
Dean's place after Dean had taken him to his bed. The portrait
was
of a very real event, he remembered Dean taking the
picture, and he clearly remembered he hadn't been wearing the
wig.
But there he was with it in the painting.
Then as he studied it more closely he realised it wasn't
the wig. That was straight, dead black and always kept in a
pony tail. The hair in the painting had shades of brown,
auburn and waves. Ray realised Dean had used creative licence
when
painting it and liked the end result. He turned the
portrait around for Dief to see.
"Look at this Dief."
Dief jumped off the lounge to give it a closer
inspection. Then watched Ray hang it on the wall.
"I bet Dean asked Meghan where I asked her to send the
rug."
Dief gave a little whine at the mention of Dean. Ray
looked around.
"I know what sort of deafness you suffer, it's called
selective deafness."
Dief went down and his paws went to his ears. Ray
laughed. He swooped down to ruffle the wolf's fur on his way
past. Dief climbed to his feet and helped him open the next
parcel by scratching at the paper that Ray tore away. Ray's
face lit up when he saw the painting of the eagle he'd admired
so
much.
"He remembered."
The painting was hung exactly where had pictured hanging
it and he spent a few minutes admiring it. Then he went onto a
largish
crate to find the statue of the Eagle that had been on
display before
the painting. Ray made a mental note to get a
pedestal made up for it and emptied the crate out, turning it
upside
down below the painting and set the statue on it. Dief
looked at
it, and let out a sigh and curled up on the rug. Ray
looked around.
"Don't worry Diefenbaker, I'm going to keep my promise,
once I find all those pamphlets again, I'll find the best
place to let you loose in the wild, and you can enjoy the wide
open
spaces again."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray found the smaller parcels were his framed pictures
and they were hung around the apartment. His artistic full
nude of Dean went up in the lounge because Ray did not want it
in
his bedroom giving him ideas.
As he checked the mail he found more than pamphlets, post
cards, and personal mail. He found one mail sack contained
"fan mail" letter after letter of people congratulating him
for showing those punks a thing or two. There were also
letters from magazines and papers requesting interviews, one
was from a magazine who wanted to do an article on him, and
mentioned they'd heard he was a writer and were interested in
seeing
some work and possibly create a column - Travels with
George. He set that one aside. It could be his first step
toward reaching his goal to become a profressional writer.
:---=====(*)=====---:
He spent the next month finding out everything he could
about the countries national parks, private reserves and
wildlife reserves. It was with a sigh he realised the park
Dean's property bordered really was the best place. The
closest town was full of animal lovers. Hunting was banned in
the
entire county and it extended into the national park.
Hunters who broke the ban were hit with stiff fines and banned
for
life, Hunters who shot what in the park were endangered
species were hit with terms in the county jail, along with
fines and a life time ban which kept most out.
It had other features which eventually sold Ray on the
idea. He didn't look forward to seeing Dean again but Dief's
future health and happiness was more important than avoiding
the man. He doubted he could avoid Dean for long if he
returned there. Dean wrote to him constantly. Long lavacious
love letters. They practically steamed up the paper. Ray would
get
hot and bothered just reading them and had to keep
fighting the impulse to write back.
Letter after letter asked him to come back, to share
Dean's home and life. Dean had obviously forgotten or never
realised Ray had heard the way he reacted to the sight of the
luscious
Ranger who'd spied on them at the river. Just the
thought of that was enough to cool Ray's ardour every time, it
worked
better than a cold shower.
The very idea of roaming around that park and running
into Rangers made him break into a cold sweat. He had no idea
which
Ranger it was, wether it was one who shared Dean's
tastes and come on way too hot and heavy, or the kind Dean had
warned
him about who would beat up anyone with tastes like
that if they thought they could get away with it.
He'd been completely innocent about that part of life,
but Dean had educated him, warning him about the dangers of
being Gay in the city which was one of the reasons Dean had
left city life behind. He'd admitted that it still happened
out in the country, but it was usually a tourist behind it.
Though there was one Ranger who Dean didn't trust one little
bit, a real Redneck. In his opinion, it was a damned shame he
was
such a brilliant Ranger, because he'd use his connections
to get
the man fired and sent on his way if he hadn't been.
Then Ray recalled that Dean had said that it was the
*new* Ranger, that meant it wasn't the Redneck, Dean knew the
Redneck
very well, he'd never seen the Ranger he'd spotted at
the river before.
So the man was an unknown.
Dief made Ray stop dithering. He started throwing up. Ray
rushed him to a vet, and Dief's stomach was pumped after the
vet took a sniff of his breath.
"He's been poisoned," The vet announced after Ray waited
in the waiting room for several anxious hours.
"What?!"
"But not deliberately. He ate a rat that ate some rat
poison, lucky for him, it was the sort that makes dogs start
throwing up as soon as their system start to digest it. I'll
have to keep him in for a while and keep an eye on him. Cross
your
fingers, he didn't digest enough of it to kill him."
Ray did,
and for the first time in a long time, found a
church and did some praying.
His prayers were answered in more ways than one. The next
day, the vet rang to tell him Dief was improving and had
definitely been brought in soon enough to act. Which made Ray
thank
God. He received yet another letter from Dean which made
him do it
again, Dean hadn't forgotten the incident at the
river.
He mentioned it, apologised for it, told Ray it was
purely a physical thing, the man was the archetypical American
dream
boat, blonde, blue eyed and built. He was also straight,
and horribly
shy, Dean knew because he'd made it his business
to find out everything
he could about the Ranger. He promised
Ray the Ranger wouldn't be
any trouble, or tell anyone what
he'd seen. And last but by no means least, Dean mentioned that
the
man was his long lost cousin.
Ray took it as another sign from God and started packing
his back pack with the camping equipment he'd brought when
he'd first started hatching his scheme. He didn't intend to
stay with Dean, he intended to follow Benton's instructions on
the
way to reintroduce Dief to the wild to the letter. That
meant camping out in the wild. Not living it up in Dean's
breath taking home.
The next "Sign" came in another envelope, from the
magazine he'd responded to. He'd brought a few issues studied
their
content and style, and written up three mock column's
describing part of his travels including some photos and post
cards.
They responded with a nice cheque and a contract for
him to sign.
He was almost bounding with joy when he read it. But his
happiness at achieving one of his goals was short lived when
he realised there was no one to share his wonderful news with.
Later
in the evening he took a cab to the vets, sat by
Dief's cage and read the letter from the editor to the wolf,
who's ears pricked up. His tail gave a little wag, and Ray
reached through the bars to pet him.
"They still want to do an article, I said yes, but they'd
have
to wait until you were better. They want pictures of both
of us,
to put in the article. How about one of us sitting on
the couch under that portrait Dean painted, what do you
think?"
Dief gave another little wag of his tail.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray ran into the land lord on the stairs, and told the
curious man the reason he hadn't seen him walking Chow Hound
lately was because he'd eaten a baited rat and was recovering
at
a veterinary clinic. The land lord had continued on his way
in a
very sombre state.
A week later, Ray opened his door to the land lord and
Dief trotted in surprising him. The land lord held out a piece
of
paper from the vet and Ray took it and got another
surprise.
"Someone paid his vet bill."
"I did."
"What?!"
"I should have realised he might eat the rats he caught
and stopped putting bait down. I accept full responsibility. I
called
every vet in the book till I found out where he was,
and got them to let me know when he was ready to come home,
collected him and paid the bill."
"You didn't have to. It never crossed my mind."
"I might be a cheap skinflint, but I'm an honest one,"
The landlord said before he departed.
Ray tossed the bill to the table by the door, closed and
locked it then hunted down Dief, who'd made himself right at
home on his bed. The wolf enjoyed all the attention Ray gave
him after that.
:---=====(*)=====---:
The Vecchio house hold was in an uproar, which was
normal, but this was not the normal uproar, Frannie bounded
through the house shrieking and waving a magazine around, till
her
mother, sister and brother in law joined her.
"It's Ray! He's alive! He's in this magazine!"
"Show me," her mother demanded snatching it, to be shown
the three page article on George Fiorella and Chow Hound,
Brooklyn's latest Hero, and the Magazines new columnist.
Mrs Vecchio devoured the article and looked at the
pictures, then patted Frannie's cheek sadly.
"I know, he looks like our Raimondo, but that man is not
your
brother.."
"But Ma, look at his dog, that's Diefenbaker."
"Read the article, Frannie, it's just a coincidence. That
man
is from Brooklyn, and a writer, you know your brother, he
would get
grouchy about having to right up reports, can you
imagine him being a writer?"
Frannie had to admit it was difficult to imagine. Her
sister and brother-in-law looked the magazine over and agreed
with
her that the man looked just like Ray, and his dog like
Dief. Then Frannie carried it off to her room to read the
article and hunt for the first column to read that too.
After giggling her way through it, she had to agree with
her mother. It was just a co-incidence. George Fiorella had a
sense
of humour. Ray had lost his after "The Incident".
She flipped
back to the article and looked at the full
page picture of George at home, studying it. O.K, so he looked
enough
like Ray to be his twin, if Ray had hair like that. And
the Dog looked
like Diefenbaker, but that's where it ended.
The article contained pictures of his apartment and
souvenirs of his travels. One wall was covered in cork board
covered in photos and post cards. She couldn't image Ray doing
that.
Then there was the decor, the apartment was obviously
freshly painted, to match the colours of the incredible hand
crafted rug on his lounge room floor. The furniture was not
the sort of thing Ray liked, the couch looked incredibly
comfortable, the chairs the sort of thing a writer would curl
up
and dream up new stories on.
The nick knacks that covered his shelves, along with all
the books weren't the sort of things her brother would collect
either.
Though she wasn't sure about the books. He *had*
started amassing quite a collection before he'd disappeared.
And half of it had disappeared with him and Dief.
She looked at the photo of George on the train, facing
down one of the gang member's gun in hand, the clothes he
wore. Ray wouldn't be caught dead in clothes like that. And
after "The Incident" he'd complained about having to deal with
a gun, muttering about the recoil, and there was that time
he'd gotten lost and been beaten up by a gang of toughs. The
old Ray would have fought back and given as good as he got,
the new Ray was a wimp and she seriously doubted he could
shoot like this Hero of the moment could.
And then there was the picture of his work area, there
above the desk was a framed arty photograph of a naked man,
or she assumed he was naked. There was a tiny censored patch
across the relevant portions of the sparkling Adonis's body.
Ray would never own a picture like that, unless it happened to
be
an arty naked woman and he wouldn't hang it on his wall, it
would
be hidden in his wardrobe.
She reviewed the article and pictures again, and found
what she was looking for and gave a little snort.
"What else would he drive *but* an All Terrain Vehicle."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray hung the last framed copy of his article and column
and then stepped back to admire them, while Dief watched.
"Ah, don't worry, Dief, I won't be framing any more, I
only framed that because it's special. My first feature
article and column. I'm now a legitimate writer. I bet I won't
have
any trouble finding an agent after this."
*Woof*
"And I can write *anywhere*."
Dief cocked his head and Ray squatted down before him.
"Dean wants me to come back and stay with him, live
there. I've been thinking about it. If you can adapt to living
in
the wild again, I'll be all alone.. Maybe... I should take
up his
offer. I love that place of his, but who wouldn't. And
I would be
close to you... You could visit any time you
wanted. And I wouldn't need bars, alarms and a security
company on call to feel safe and secure like I do here."
*Woof*
"I think I'll drop in and see him after I've set you up
in your new home at the park.. You like that place, it's got
everything you need, lots of fresh air, open spaces, fresh
water, and no dangerous food. Like that rat you ate. Once you
get
used to living in the open again, you'll wonder how you
ever endured living in the big city."
*Woof*
"So it's agreed. We'll head out that way, tomorrow. I
hope you don't mind taking another long trip. This time we're
going
by ATV. That nice career criminal that helped me set up
my new identity
found me a nice second hand one. I had a
mechanic look it over, and he says it's in great shape. All I
need
to do is get some tires cause the ones it had were
rotten. Once I take care of that we'll get supplies and we can
be
on our way."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser stepped out of the Ranger station that was also
his home and stretched taking in a deep breath of the fresh
air, and then froze as a familiar sound reached his ears.
He looked around and almost had a heart attack when Dief
came bounding out of the forest with blood and filth all over
his
fur.
"Diefenbaker!" he squeaked.
Without thinking he went into a crouch and the wolf came
straight for him, gave him a quick sniff and a lick, then
started running back and forth. Fraser caught his snout the
next time he raced back.
"Is Ray here? Is that his blood on your fur?"
Dief barked, pulled free and raced off again. Fraser spun
on his heel and returned to the station to grab and load his
rifle, rousing his partner. Word around the park was that some
fool
had broken the no hunting rule and shot a bear, without
killing it. The weren't sure if it was the same bear that had
savaged
the Ranger he'd replaced, it may have survived, and
gone into hibernation. Since spring thaw three people had been
attacked
by the infuriated creature, and each victim's
injuries were worse than the last.
Fraser didn't want to think about Ray being one of those
victims or what his injuries would be. But he had to think
about it to be prepared for it. While his partner dressed
hurriedly, Fraser slung his rifle over his shoulder and packed
a
first aid kit, then raced out, to circle the building to the
stable
out back.
By the time his partner stepped onto the porch he had his
horse saddled and was moving around the building. His partner
saw
Dief moving around and around, waiting impatiently and
gaped.
"It's someone pet, a well trained one."
"It looks like a wolf."
"It's got a collar and dog tag, I'd say it's a husky. And
it's
covered in blood."
"That damned bear."
"I'm going to follow it."
"Leave a trail, and I'll be right on your tail."
Fraser nodded, and sent the horse after Dief. It was
nervous about it at first, but soon settled down. After
several hours hard riding following the fast moving wolf,
Fraser finally brought the horse to a halt near a ravine. Dief
was
on the edge of it, and looking down. As he climbed off the
horse,
the wolf suddenly raised his head and howled.
It was with dread Fraser tied the horse's reigns off to a
branch and approached the edge of the ravine. As he neared
Dief he saw blood on the ground, and lots of it. His trained
eye picked up other clues, bear tracks, hiking boot imprints,
a stride
that suggested the wearer of the boots had been
running, till he reached the ravine. There he'd been trapped,
a bear
right on his heels, a jump that even with his horse
Fraser couldn't make, let alone a man alone, even if he was
highly motivated.
As he neared the edge Fraser went to his knees scanning
the ground, he could see more bear prints, and a new set of
foot prints. Looking over the edge, he found another surprise.
The
bear was there, or its carcass was. It was a long way
down, and the bear had fallen on it's back. It now lay
sprawled below.
Fraser used his binoculars to get a better look and
noticed the bear's throat had been torn open. Dief nudged him
and
Fraser turned to hug and pet him.
"Good boy."
Dief whined and looked around at the biggest patch of
blood on the ground. Fraser backed up then rose and went to
investigate it. Yes, the other set of boot prints were all
around it so were unusual tracks he was very familiar with.
When Dief joined him and nudged him again, Fraser cupped
his snout and petted him.
"Ray was here and that bear came after him.. You tried to
defend
him, and killed the bear didn't you?"
Dief barked.
"And went looking for help because Ray was hurt."
Dief barked again.
"While you were gone someone else found him, Dief, see
the tracks.." He pointed and Dief looked at the tracks, then
at Fraser, "Those are Dean Alexander's tracks. He often
rescues people in distress and has good first aid skills, he
*will* take good care of Ray."
The sound of a motor bike intruded and Dief yipped.
"That's my partner," Fraser said in a tone that made Dief
look around.
"He's a red neck in a uniform. Buuut.. I have to put up
with him. And so will you... He's a good man if you ignore
his.. unsavoury habits and traits."
The bike came into view and Fraser's partner joined him
shortly after. Fraser pointed out the blood and tracks.
"Williams."
"He must have been out on one of his patrols and seen
what happened."
"Obviously the pooch didn't see him."
"I'm sure if it had, it would stayed with its master."
"I still say it looks like a wolf."
"The bear's in the ravine."
His partner went to the edge and looked down.
"Now that's a loyal dog, taking on a grizzly to protect
its master."
"It probably has injuries.. We should take it to the vet
station
to be examined and cleaned up."
His partner nodded and pulled out his radio set to call
in a report. Fraser bowed his head as if examining the site to
hide
a faint smile as he heard the ranger on the other end
announce they'd just had word, Alexander had called for a
chopper to come to his helipad and airlift the victim of a
bear attack he'd rescued in their vicinity.
It was confirmation of his suspicions and he borrowed the
radio to report Dief's existence and his plans to take him to
the
vet for an examination. He also stated his intentions to
look after the animal until his master recovered, which would
cover
his request to be kept notified of the victims status.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser was quite surprised to discover the victim of the
bear attack was a man called George Fiorella, from Brooklyn,
not Raymond Vecchio of Chicago. He was absolutely certain the
wolf
was Dief, even if the registration tag wasn't Dief's. He
called the
number on that, and got the information on its
registered owner and the "dog".
"So what did you find out about the pooch?" his partner,
Petersham asked.
"He's apparently infamous, his master is George Fiorella
from
Brooklyn, a man who travelled around America on train's
pretending to be blind so his dog could come along in the
carriage, not in a cage. He single handedly stopped a gang of
thugs
from robbing the passengers of his carriage at the end
of his journey, with a little assistance for his dog, who he
calls the Chow Hound."
"Good name for the beast," his partner growled, thinking
of the way Dief had managed to filch his food several times
already.
"Fiorella is apparently a writer for a magazine, his
first column appeared in it last week, the person I spoke to
suggested I get a copy of it to find out more about them."
"You
know if the media finds out that this so called Hero
got mauled in
our park by a bear they'll have a field day."
"No one in
the area knows who he is. I don't think
they'll find out."
"If he's a columnist for some magazine, they're going to
start
wondering where he is soon enough, then it'll come out.
And don't
forget that damned reporter.."
"Mz Eckles?"
"Yeah, the damned woman has a cousin at the hospital who
always
tips her off. If she does her research you can bet
that'll be start of a media blitz."
"There have been three attacks, the only mention she made
of
it in the paper was to warn people some Redneck wounded a
bear that attacked anyone who's path it crossed and to stay
out of the park till we dealt with it. That hardly sounds like
the
Media having a field day to me."
"Mark my words, once that woman finds out it attacked a
"Hero" and super pooch, she'll milk it for all it's worth."
Fraser sincerely hoped he was wrong.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Via discrete means Fraser hired a private detective and
discovered Ray - and Dief - had vanished from Chicago. His
family were said to be extremely distressed and Fraser didn't
blame
him when he found out that Ray had been medically
discharged from the force shortly before he vanished. The
detective also found out he'd mortgaged his house to the hilt,
and
left the force with a very big lump sum payment, only a
fraction of which was left in his bank account, which hadn't
been touched since, except for automatic deductions arranged
before he vanished.
There was no money trail the detective could find, but he
did find an interesting pattern of withdrawals from Ray's old
bank
accounts which had been inactive since his disappearance.
Fraser
began to suspect the truth, paid off the detective and
hired another,
this one from New York.
The detective on that end discovered many interesting
things about George Fiorella, but not what Fraser expected. He
paid
him off and pondered the situation. George Fiorella was
apparently a Brooklyn native, with a checkable background,
school records, and a history as a bit of a drifter. Who
tended to travel around, working here and there, at odd jobs
most of them the cash in hand sort that didn't leave many
records.
And yes, he did have a husky called the Chow Hound and
was infamous for his trip across America with the dog which
had ended in a blaze of publicity and put him on a new career
path
as a columnist. And the man had been in Brooklyn, for a
month after his long journey, before heading off again, he'd
informed his land lord he'd be gone for a few weeks and
intended to do a bit of camping.
The only heartening news for Fraser was that there was no
need to worry about the Magazine finding out their new
columnist had been attacked when they went looking for him.
He'd apparently already written enough advanced copy for the
magazine to run his column for 3 months. They knew he intended
to
go bush for a while and wouldn't get concerned if he didn't
show
up or get in touch for some time.
That meant that as long as Mz Eckles didn't live up to
his partners expectations, there'd be no media attention to
worry about.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"There you go, love, comfy?" Dean asked after he settled
Ray on the couch before the fire and wrapped a quilt around
him.
Ray gave a little wiggle and settled back, giving the
tiniest of nods. He freed his left hand and gave Dean the
thumbs up. Dean took his hand and kissed it, then wandered
away heading for the kitchen.
"I'll get dinner started. Tonight it's Chicken soup."
Ray
made a little squeak of disgust. He was heartily sick
of chicken soup. In fact he was sick of soup period, once he'd
come
off the I.V it was all he ever got at the hospital, that
and soft
mushy deserts, like custard and ice cream. Everything
he ate was
either liquid, or soft mushy and didn't need
chewing.
"I know, I know, you're probably sick of it, but you
haven't tried my chicken soup yet. Besides, the Doctor said
you couldn't go onto solid food yet. You have to stay on the
diet he gave me, until he examines you again and changes it."
Ray gave a little noise of ill grace.
"Don't be such a baby, you should be feeling grateful,
you could have been killed. You came damn close to dying from
the
shock and blood loss alone. I know you're still in a lot
of pain, but don't you worry I know a few herbal recipes for
pain relief. And as soon as the doctor thinks your ready for
it, I'll sell a few paintings and hire a physiotherapist to
help you through your rehab."
Ray wished he could move his head without it sending pain
lancing through his head and body. He wished he could talk,
to ask Dean to repeat that. He wasn't sure he heard it right.
Did
the man who said he *never* sold his work just say he'd
*sell* some of his paintings?
"And when you're fit enough we'll go back to the big bad
city,
and find a plastic surgeon who can do something about
those scars. Oh, don't worry about the expense, love, I've
got hundreds of paintings.. I'll sell as many as it takes to
cover them."
Ray felt his heart skip. Nothing Dean said could convince
him more than that statement of the truth of his words when he
declared
his love for him. He knew Dean never sold his work.
Sometimes he traded it, sometimes he gave it away, but
everything he traded or gave away was either something he did
just
for the recipient, or something he felt was perfect for
the recipient. He *never* sold work.
When Dean returned, Ray made a come here gesture and
cupped his face, letting him know he appreciated it. Dean
smiled and kissed his hand.
"Not so grumpy now?"
Ray gave a tiny shake of his head.
"Good. If there's one thing I can't stand it's a grump,"
Dean declared then leant over Ray to put a kiss on his
forehead. "And I was delighted to find out you are a man with
a very nice sense of humour."
Ray raised a brow.
"Your column.. I do read that magazine."
Ray's cheeks turned pink, then he suddenly blanched.
"What's wrong my love?"
It took a frustrating half hour of making signs before
Dean thought of picking Ray up and carrying Ray into the
office and settle him down in the chair there. He pulled the
type writer within easy reach after setting up some paper in
it. Ray started typing as soon as it was in reach.
~"What's the date?"~
Dean told him and Ray made a squeak.
~"Shit."~
"What?"
~"I gave them enough advance copy to last three months. I
told
them and my land lord I'd be back before then. They're
going to start wondering where I am any day now,"~ Ray
laboriously typed out.
"Not to worry."
~"I don't want reporters descending on me when they find
out
what happened.~
"They won't find out. I'll get a nurse in to look after
you. The Rangers found your ATV, I'll get it and go to
Brooklyn, get all your things and buy you a lap top, so you
can you can write up new articles and send them off and they
won't ask questions."
Ray hit the caps lock and covered half the sheet with
XXXX's and OOOOO's. Dean chuckled and kissed his head.
"And you thought I was just a pretty face."
~"The rest of you's not bad either."~
Ray got another peck on the head for that.
~"Chow Hound?"~
"Is fine, one of the Ranger's has been taking good care
of him. When you're up to it, I'll make arrangements to get
him delivered here."
Ray covered the rest of the sheet of paper with XXXX's
and OOOOO's.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray's recovery was slow, his diet wasn't the most
nourishing one in the world and he was dependant on Dean to
for every little thing. He couldn't walk around or move about
without
crippling pain, he couldn't sleep without one of
Dean's Herbal remedies to relax him and take away the pain, he
couldn't
even go to the bathroom, with out help from Dean.
They tried the wheel chair, but Ray couldn't get up and
down and it went around in circles a lot, bumping into things
while
he tried to steer and move around with one hand. He got
so frustrated
he just sat in it and sulked and Dean moved him
from room to room
in it.
Once he found a nurse he trusted and who could handle all
of Ray's needs, Dean kept his promise, going to Brooklyn to
get Ray's things, *Everything*. He'd returned with a
removalist truck, and stored most of Ray's things in a room in
his
studio. Ray's books were transferred to Dean's library, a
room which
had been near to bare of books, until then. It was
also a room Ray
didn't remember seeing the first time he'd
stayed at the house.
Dean presented him with a laptop, with a lot of fanfare,
and a tiny little synth keyboard. They developed a code, using
the
keyboard, different sounds meant different things, their
pitch told Dean if he wanted it urgently, if it could wait, or
if
it was just a thought.
A month after Dean's return from Brooklyn, he took Ray
outside for the first time, blindfolded. Ray felt himself go
from the warm environment of the house, to the chill of the
outside world, to another warm environment, before he was set
down
on a familiar comfortable chair. The blind fold came off
and Ray
squeaked with delight. His new environment was an
almost perfect copy of his apartment's main room.
"I thought you might feel more.. at home and creative
here. I've been working on it ever since I got back. You know
me
and my camera. I took lots of pictures so I could copy your
look."
Ray took his hand, squeezed it and got a smile.
"You like?"
Ray gave a tiny nod.
"Should I move all your books here?"
Ray gave a little shake of his head, then made a so-so
gesture. Dean scuttled off and returned with his lap top.
~Just the things I need for my research.~
"You'll have to type up a list.~
~I'm curious~
"You once said it's your middle name, so I'm not
surprised."
~I don't remember seeing a library the first time I had a
tour of your house~
"There wasn't one. I built it for you. Writers are
usually book worms, with lots of books. So I built a room to
hold all your books."
~How arrogant - You assumed I'd come back after what you
did.~
"It was wishful thinking... I was going to send you
pictures when I finished. I put the finishing touches to it
while you were hospitalized."
~You don't give up easily do you?"~
Dean settled himself on the arm of Ray's chair.
"I told you once that one of the reasons I left the rat
race behind was because of how some people make it their
business to harass, intimidate and assault people with our
tastes."
~I remember.~
"There was another reason.. I spent a year in the city,
in a hospital.."
Ray's eyes widened.
"I had cancer. My Doctor's went after it aggressively and
all
I did was get weaker and weaker. I was a frail shadow of
myself with a year to live in their opinion when Mother
brought me here, this was her land, she thought the fresh air
would
do me good, not to mention a big change in my life
style. She was a herbalist a damn good one. She developed an
alternative treatment for me. She helped me get my health
back, and as soon as I was fit enough, I left, returned to the
big
city. She nagged me for a year after I went back. She
didn't give up till I left it behind to return here for good.
So..
If I'm a stubborn man, who doesn't give up, you can blame
it on her,
I take after her. She taught me more than how to
whip a few herbal remedies, she taught me to never give up."
~She's dead?~
"Yes. She died 10 years ago. I've lived here alone since
then,
till you came along. You were the first person I asked
to stay for more than a night."
~Don't tell me it was love at first sight, I won't
believe a word of it~
"I didn't intend to fall in love you with you I was after
a
little company, a one night stand. Finding out you were a
virgin and at your age made me look at you in a whole new
light," Dean said reaching out to stroke Ray's ear with a
light
touch.
"And I worked it out the day you sprained your ankle,
which is why I didn't make a move on you.. Until I was
reasonably sure you wanted me too."
~The anticipation was killing me.~
Dean smile faintly.
"I almost didn't accept the invitation you were giving
me."
~Oh why?~
"I've never bedded a virgin before. But I do remember my
first
experience... It wasn't very... pleasant."
Ray remembered the mauling he got from the Ranger and
knew the difference between making love and sex. All the
Ranger had been after was sex.
~It was beautiful.~
Dean dropped a kiss on his head, then stroked the soft
Fuzz growing back. Ray's head had been shaved at the hospital.
"I'm
not the only man you were attracted to am I?"
Ray wasn't sure if he should answer that question.
"Sometimes you would murmur someone elses name in your
sleep. Dream about being with someone else... Someone called
Benton."
~He's dead. He was murdered.~
Dean stroked his head again.
~There was a man ... the only one before you that I even
considered the possibility of sharing my life with... He's the
one
who taught me the difference between sex and making
love... A very special man. He encouraged me to explore my
creative side, outside of work. My mother used to say it's
about time and he's the one you should settle down with. He
was murdered too."
~Did they catch his killer?~
"Killers.. and yes.. 3 months later. They attacked us
because we were gay and .. almost killed me too.. And
sometimes I used to wish I'd died too. Particularly during the
time
it took me to recover. So I do know how you feel love."
~That
wheel chair used to be yours.~
"Yes. And I know how frustrating it is trying to steer
and move in it with one hand. I hear they have better ones now
that
you can do it in.. I'm looking into getting one, but I
won't get it unless the doctor say's you'll never walk again."
~I can't even move my leg without wanting to pass out.~
"I know."
"Did he say I could walk again?"
"He said that as things stand, no, but with further
surgery you may get your mobility back. He's looking for
another Doctor, a surgeon good enough to give you that
chance.. But it won't come easy."
~Nothing ever does.~
"You could have to spend months in hospital and it won't
be
just one operation, there could be dozen's.. On your face
arm and leg."
~Face? They can fix my face?~
"Perhaps. You have to understand, the state you were in,
you
wouldn't have survived a long complicated bout of surgery,
and that
your injuries were so severe none of the doctors
could give you the level of treatment you needed. They did
their best to save your life and your limbs. The rest.. is up
to
you now. You have to eat more even if you don't like being
feed mushy
food all the time. You can't go through more
surgery till you satisfy him you're ready to undergo all the
surgery you'll be up for. And you have to convince the Doctor
we
get that it won't be a waste of time. You have to be
willing to accept set backs, pain, and a lot of frustration."
He stroked Ray's head again.
"Learning to walk again, even if the price is a lot of
pain is worth it. I know.. I've got more pins than a pin
cushion in my legs."
~Do you still feel pain?~
"Every day, love. But I learned to live with pain, I've
forgotten what it was like to live without it.. And there are
ways
to control it, when it's intolerable. I've used some of
my tried and true methods on you already."
~Like your special muffins~
Dean gave a little grin.
"I know you do."
Ray's mouth twisted into a painful looking smile for a
moment and pain clouded his eyes.
"Something else you have to do before you go into
hospital is write enough advance columns to cover your stay."
Ray gave a little nod.
~How long?~
"Six months minimum. It would take that long for all the
major
surgery and rehabilitation. Now.. get back to work,
you've got another column to write and I've got some work of
my own to do."
~Yes, Master.~
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser lurked in the dense fringe of forest that ringed
Dean's house and studio. Though his binoculars he watched Ray,
who
was sitting out in the sun, on one of Dean's latest
creations, an ergonomic lounger, covered with a bright
blanket, typing away on his lap top.
As Ray lifted his head, tilting it as he thought about
something, Fraser shuddered. The right hand side of Ray's face
was
a mess from the cheek clear to the jaw, his neck, what
Fraser could see of it, was covered in scars too, red, livid
and ugly. He known, intellectually, that George had been
savagely mauled before his "dog" drove the bear away and to
its death.
He'd seen the report on the incident which had described
George's ordeal. It was much as he'd pictured it. The poor man
had
been minding his own business, watching his "dog" chase
some kind of lizard around when the bear crossed his path and
came
at him. He'd done the smart thing, ran for his life
without a moments hesitation. Unfortunately he'd run out of
places to flee when he reached the ravine. The drop was far
enough to kill, it was too wide to jump, and the bear had
caught up with him before he could chose another direction to
go.
His right arm had been slashed open to the bone in the
bears first strike, as George had thrown his arm up to protect
his
face. The bear had broken several ribs, slashing open his
side, and
George went down curling up into a ball. The bear
continued to maul him, until the "Dog" had caught up and gone
for the bear, driving it back before going for its throat. The
last
thing George had seen before he passed out from the shock
was the
bear swiping Chow Hound away, before it fell over the
edge of the
ravine in its death throes.
The injuries George sustained were mainly to the right
hand side of his body, his arm, and leg were both slashed
clear through to the bone, in more than one place. The
Doctor's at the hospital he'd been airlifted too had done
their best to save the limbs and repair the damage to his
muscle and tissue. If George had the will power, and strength
to
get past the pain he'd be able to use them again, if not,
he'd be crippled for life.
Now, seeing him for the first time since the attack by
the bear Fraser could image how horrific the scars he couldn't
see
were. It gave Fraser goose bumps to watch this man, so
alike to his Ray. To see him so horribly scarred.
He remembered him as he'd been the first time he'd seen
him, frolicking in the river while Dean snapped away with his
camera
inducing him to pose in more and more provocative
poses, until he'd got him onto a rock, glistening as the sun
hit the water that beaded over and streamed down his body.
Fraser had watched as he'd followed Dean's seductive
instructions, touching himself, hands moving over his body,
bringing himself to the peak of pleasure.
Watching it had left Fraser with a raging hard on and a
puddle of drool at his feet, then the man had opened his eyes
and
spotted him watching. He'd been less than quiet as he took
off. And
found a new place to hide, to watch him swim to the
other side of
the river, dress and flee taking Dean with him.
Once they were gone
he'd gone to the river bank, and
after assuring himself there was no one else around, stripped
and
taken a cold dip to take care of the erection his
unintentional voyeurism had left him with.
He'd admitted for the first time that night that he had
fallen in love Raymond Vecchio. He'd been fighting it for a
long time, let Victoria turn his life upside and destroy it in
an
effort to deny his feelings and yes lust for his friend.
Ray was straight, very very straight, and catholic, and he
knew about the catholic view of that sort of thing. He'd
accepted what Victoria had done to him as a punishment he
deserved for his depraved desires for his best friend and
soaked his pillow with his tears remembering Ray as he'd been
the
last time he'd seen him. Shaved bald, pale, thin, and so
happy to see him.
Victoria had seen it too. She'd been waiting for him to
show up, knowing he would. She'd followed him through the
hospital corridors, helped him pick flowers and a stuffed toy
to
buy to brighten up his room and hovered in the door
watching him. She'd comforted him when he'd broke down after
the visit, first Dief almost being killed, and then the
confirmation Ray's memory was really gone when he'd ask who
Diefenbaker was, not how he was.
And when her trap had snapped tight around him, she'd
made threats, saying how easy it would be to dress like a
nurse, slip in while Ray was sleeping and inject poison into
his I.V line to force him to do her bidding, and draw the
noose that so much tighter.
He'd gone with her when she'd fled the city with her
diamonds, because he wanted to make sure she got away, to make
sure
she couldn't carry out her threat to kill Ray. That was
when he found out about Jolly's murder, how she'd used his gun
to
do it. Of course she called it self defence, but he called
it premeditated
murder, she pointed out everyone thought she
was dead, and he alone would be the prime suspect since she'd
made
it look like Jolly had trashed his apartment, looking for
the money
she'd slipped him to spread around town. He knew he
could never return
to Chicago, or Canada either. She'd been
meticulous in her revenge.
That was why he'd taken his relative's identity. He'd
wondered if it was fate, that Victoria left him to die so near
the
place where the real Allen Pinset had died.
George turned his head looking around at something and
once again Fraser was struck by how much he looked like Ray.
Fate was capacious, giving him a new life, just to taunt him
with this reminder of the one he'd left behind.
Then he saw George shove the lap top aside, face screwing
up in pain as he pushed up and rolled off the lounge, rising
up to his knees, arms going up, as Dief bounded up to him.
He couldn't understand it. The dog was Dief, there was no
doubt about it. Just as that man was George Fiorella, but the
Private
Detective he'd hired had proved that George and Ray
were two separate people. George Fiorella wasn't a person
who'd only begun to exist after Ray disappeared.
It was still a puzzle he had yet to find all the pieces
of. He slipped away, more determined to find the answers to
those puzzling questions.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray sat before the window of the expensive private
hospital Dean had booked him into for some cosmetic surgery.
He'd already undergone several operations. And the Doctor had
given
him good news, and hope, but there was bad news too, and
Ray dreaded
the reaction Dean would have to that news.
He sighed when he heard a little knock on the door, and
looked around as it opened, just enough for Dean to peek in.
"You're up."
He slipped into the room with the biggest teddy bear Ray
had ever seen in his life.
"I brought you a little something to cuddle up to while
you're here."
"S'not little."
Dean's smile widened and he left the bear on the bed and
moved on to the chair to squat before Ray.
"You spoke, you can talk."
"Hurt.."
"It doesn't hurt now?"
"Still hurts.. Not as bad.."
Dean patted his leg, the good one.
"I'm sure by the time the Doctor's finished with you,
that you'll be as good as new."
Ray mentally sighed, he wouldn't be as good as new. Some
of the scars went too deep and he'd have to live with them for
the
rest of his life.
"I've got great news for you too."
"What?"
"I went back to my old firm to see some old friends. And
Old
Anderson, the Head of the Firm came to my hotel just to
ask me to come back.. He wants me to work on a special
project. There's a competition going on for a big contract,
Every firm in the state wants it. And he thinks with me back
on the team they can win it. He said if can come up with the
winning design, I can name my price. And guess what it's for."
Ray gave a tiny shrug and winced, not that Dean noticed
it, with his face swathed in bandages.
"A Museum of Modern Art. Some seriously wealthy art
loving billionaire left a huge fortune to the city to build
and run it and the budget is huge. Anderson says all it would
take
would be a tour of my place to convince them to award the
contract
to the firm, so we're setting it up now."
"Once they see your Gallery you'll be a shoe in."
"I'm kind of hoping that myself. If I can win the
contract for the firm, it will solve all our problems. I won't
have
to start selling my works to pay your medical bills. And
this time
it won't just be a big fancy lobby I design, he's
going to give me a shot at designing the whole damned thing,"
Dean said, with a big smile, "And if I pull it off he'll make
me a senior partner in the firm... I almost worked myself to
death to become a junior partner, and now he's virtually
handing me a senior partnership on a silver platter."
He kissed Ray's hand.
"I'll be as rich as everyone thinks I am when I get that
partnership."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray gritted his teeth and clung to the rails while his
physiotherapist encouraged him to move. With a hiss he bent
his leg and took his first step. The brace around his leg took
his
weight as he took another and he gritted his teeth and
forced himself to go past the pain and get to the other end of
the
frame.
His physiotherapist watched him achieve that feat and was
moving in with his chair when Ray turned and started making
his slow way back to the other end, surprising him. He hadn't
expected
Ray to make it all the way across in the first place.
He wondered
what was motivating him, the pain he was in must
have been incredible, yet he was pushing it aside to walk
again.
He clapped and made Ray return to his chair covering his
sweat soaked torso with a towel.
"That was better than I expected."
"I was motivated."
"Aha. And what's your motive?"
"To get out of here."
The physiotherapist laughed at that.
:---=====(*)=====---:
With the aide of a brace and a cane, Ray limped through
the incredible lobby of the office building that contained the
office's
of the Architectural firm Dean was working for. He
kept turning in little circles, awed by the sheer size and
beauty of it. Then his eyes were attracted to a collection of
six
huge paintings of buildings and spot lighted models either
side of
the huge grand staircase that lead to the first floor.
He limped
over to study one of the models close up and
smiled when he saw Dean's name as concept artist on the little
tag
in the case. Then he turned and looked up the painting
that towered over it, it had Dean's mark in a corner.
A chuckle behind him made him jump and he almost lost his
balance, caught it just in time and looked around to find a
well dressed yuppie watching him.
"Looking for the Architectural firm are we?"
Ray gave a nod and looked at the painting again, then
waved.
"Are these examples of their work."
"They're concept sketches of some of their projects. The
company
lost a lot of work when Alexander bailed out, he was
the best concept artist in the business."
"Don't you mean Architect."
The yuppie snickered.
"You've been reading the social pages haven't you."
Ray
looked at him.
"He's an interior decorator and concept artist, not an
architect. He couldn't design a *building* if his life
depended on it. Though.. I must admit, he was one hell of an
interior decorator," The yuppy said with a glance around. "He
decorated this lobby."
Ray looked around again.
"Yup, that's what Anderson and Partners does best, "The
best Lobbies in town.. Or at least, that's what they used to
do.. Now, I'm amazed they can afford offices here..."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone knows that companies on the verge of
bankruptcy, they haven't had a decent contract since they lost
Alexander.
He knew how to dress up a building with all the
nice little decorative touches."
Ray didn't like the yuppy one little bit and suspected
there was a reason for his malicious gossip. He looked at one
of
the paintings.
"I thought this design was quite impressive, I saw the
building down town."
"That was built ten years ago."
"I'm also quite impressed with this building."
The yuppie snickered again.
"They lost that contract, when they lost Alexander."
"Oh,
really, then why did he design the lobby?"
"That was the only part of the design they came up with
that the Board of Directors liked. They kept that and gave the
contract
to another firm, and told them to design something
that would do it justice. Did a good job to if I don't say so
myself,"
then he smirked a little, "Though I'm biased, I work
for that
firm. And if you think these are impressive wait till
you see the
concept designs for the Art Museum we've got."
"Funny,
I heard Alexander was back on board here."
The yuppy snorted again.
"He's a washed up has been. Hasn't worked since he
stomped on by that gang who liked stomping *Gay* men. I guess
that
say's a lot about his tastes. So does the fact they
sacked him after it.. Old man Anderson didn't want no Gay boys
on
his team."
"This lobby says something about his tastes too."
"He hasn't worked in almost ten years. And I heard you
needed to *prove* you could build a structure like the design
you
submit for the competition."
"So?"
"Well, Anderson and Partners has never built anything but
Skyscrapers
and apartment blocks. Where as my firm has 15
years of experience at building malls and shopping complexes,
sprawling
complexes - Now, I maybe wrong, but if I was on the
board I'd chose
a firm that knows how to build something like
that over a firm who
builds scrapers any day."
"Well, if I were on the board, I'd take on look at this
lobby and ..."
"Ah, but we built the lobby, Alexander decorated it when
we
were finished, the work was ours. And they don't have
Alexander any more."
"Obviously you don't read the social pages."
The yuppy laughed.
"I know what you're talking about, I read that report
too, and do you know what it was based on, it was based on the
fact
that social snoop saw Alexander dropping in at the
offices here. He was just dropping by to say hi to his old
friends. There's not an ounce of truth in the rumours."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray sat before the window of his hospital room, staring
out it, listening to Dean babble on as he fussed with the
flowers he'd brought by the bed.
"And we'll be heading out that way this weekend."
Ray looked around.
"Can I come too?"
Dean froze for a few seconds, then resumed fussing but
Ray didn't miss the tremor in his arms.
"There won't be enough room for you love. They'll be
sleeping over. As it is I'm going to have to head out
tomorrow and turn your room in the studio into a bedroom to
handle it."
"But I don't need a room of my own, I can sleep with
you."
"No!"
Ray looked out the window again.
"Oh, don't take it like that love, you can't.. I might
hug you or something in my sleep and that would just hurt
you," Dean said moving in on Ray.
"I can't touch you again till the Doctor's finished."
"The
Doctor has *finished* he's done all he can, the only
reason I'm still
here is to go through physiotherapy and to
learn to live with the pain now."
He ripped off the pressure mask that had covered his and
face turning and clawing the medicated bandages over the scars
that
still marked it, the skin graft over his cheek and brow.
"Take
a good look Dean, he's *finished* This is what I'm
going to look
like for the rest of my life."
He saw Dean recoiling. He didn't blame him, he'd recoiled
the first time they'd taken off the bandages and seen it in
the mirror. It looked almost as bad as it had in the early
days. His face was still puffy and bruised from the delicate
micro-surgery he'd undergone to reconnect severed muscle
tissue. He'd never be able to smile again without it looking
like a Billy Idol sneer.
His arm and leg were indications of how his face would
look after it heeled. Giving him his mobility back had been
the doctor's first priority, he'd worked on them first, they
were healed, and they still bore ugly scars. He ripped open
his shirt, to show the ones on his side - which were no where
near
as bad.
"Good as new," He spat, "Because they are new scars, in
the place of the old ones. I'm never going to be good as new.
I'm
going to be scarred for life!"
Dean's mouth moved but nothing came out of it at first.
"I'll have enough money soon to pay for the best cosmetic
surgeon's
around, to get rid of them."
"They can't! They're too deep, they're for life! And pain
is
just something I have to learn to live with, if I want to
talk to you, or smile or laugh, or even turn my head. Pain is
the
price I have to pay if I want to move and be mobile
again."
Tears of pain ran down his face, it was costing him
greatly and there was nothing hiding his face to mask it this
time.
"You should have left me there, you should have let me
die - but nooooo. You had to play hero, so I'd be indebted to
you."
"No."
"Get out, I don't need your pity! I don't need you!"
The
door flew open and a nurse stepped, his shouting
could be heard in the hall.
"George... Calm down.. Listen to me."
"Get out of here!"
"I'm sorry, Mr Alexander you'll have to leave now, you're
upsetting
Mr Fiorella, and his shouting is disturbing other
patients," The nurse said reaching out to take Dean's arm as
she reached his side.
Dean didn't even fight it he let her lead him from the
room and Ray sank back down onto his chair his hands flying to
his
face feeling hot sticky liquid against his skin. He looked
at his
hand and new tears poured down his face to mix with the
blood streaming
from his torn graft.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser sat on Clover's back scanning the area through his
binocular's and did a double take as he saw a black horse on
the
other side of the River. He looked about then realised he
was in
the place he'd been told about. Over to the left there
was a cross
made of stones, and to the right an ugly looking
tree stump that he was sure was the Lucifer Tree he'd been
told about.
When he looked through the binoculars again, he saw the
horse grazing at the edge of the fire break. Then he frowned,
it
wasn't the same horse. This one had a bridle and a saddle.
Its reigns
were tied around its saddle peg. The horse he'd
seen had been free of such things.
He scanned the area around the horse, finally training
the binoculars on the river bank and gave a little "Ah." Dean
was sitting on a rock, staring into the water. He studied the
man
and frowned. The binoculars went down and he climbed off
his horse to tie its reigns to a tree branch.
Dean looked up as he heard someone jumping rocks near by
and he saw Fraser standing on a rock arms flailing to catch
his balance and the rock rocked. He went into the water, as
the rock tumbled out of place before he could jump for the
next.
Dean almost snickered. He'd fixed those rocks so they
would fall out of place if a person didn't know just the right
place
to jump on them. He didn't want tourists crossing over
the river to roam around his land.
Fraser's head came up and he shook water out of his long
tresses and looked at the rock. He disappeared again, and the
next
time Dean saw him, he was past the rocks, and heading his
way.
It wasn't long before Fraser was climbing up the bank to
approach, soaked clean through, dripping with every step he
took.
"Nice day for it," Dean said as Fraser lowered himself
down to a rock to sit near him.
"The water's deeper than it looks over there."
"That it is."
"I thought you went back to the city, with George."
"I
did. I'm back."
"How's George?"
Dean gave a shrug.
=Ahhh... That explains it.=
"He's gone."
"Gone where?"
Dean shrugged again.
"He was in a bad mood the last time I saw him.. He found
out
he was going to be scarred for life.. Said I should have
left him out there to die and told me to get out.. I had to
leave, he was so.. distressed he didn't even notice when his
skin graft tore open and blood started pouring down his face."
Fraser gave a little shudder.
"I thought.. He just needed a little time.. It looked
terrible, but the Doctor did his best to make it possible for
him
to hide the scars, he was just suffering from post op
bruising.. That always makes things look worse than they are."
Fraser gave a little nod.
"The Doctor told me to stay away until it healed, that
he'd be less fiery when he saw that it wasn't as bad as he
thought. So.. I came back here with some guests for the
weekend. Thinking he'd cool down and be by the time I got
back, when I got back, I waited, and waited for the doctor to
tell
me it was safe to visit him again, and when I got sick of
waiting,
I went there, and he was gone. He checked himself out
of the hospital.
Paid off the bill while I was out of town for
the weekend. He knew
I wouldn't be there... I told him. He
couldn't have said I don't want your pity any clearer than
that."
"Pity??? Why would he think you pitied him? I thought
you'd been together for quite some time.."
"Not really... I asked him to stay after we first met,
which was around the time you and I first met. But I messed up
and
he left. I found out where he lived and kept sending him
letters asking him to come back... And what happens when he
finally does, that bloody bear attacked him."
"Oh.."
"It's my fault... I should have just accepted it and let
him
go."
"Why didn't you?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
"I left Hicksville USA because I was gay. Back then
people just looked the other way if you beat up on someone who
was
gay. Or tossed them jail just for being gay. I went from
city to city state to state. Till I finally settled down in
one quite a long way from home. I had lovers, handsome and
otherwise, gorgeous and plain. Smart and complete airheads."
"But he's different."
"He was so.. innocent. Even though he'd obviously seen
the rough side of life. He was a virgin, though very
passionate and quick to learn."
Fraser nodded.
"He loved my place, and he wasn't just talking about my
house, he loved the land too."
"That would be important for a potential live in lover."
"Yes, it's very important. He said one of his goals was
to buy a place like mine."
"Are you sure it wasn't.. an act? That he wasn't
pretending to be innocent, in *all* ways."
"Absolutely, most of all about the fact he was a virgin,
he
didn't know what to do when I made a move on him. He has no
idea
what we got up to wasn't.. sex. So in a technical sense,
he's still
one."
"You didn't sleep with him??? I thought."
"Oh I slept with him.. I taught him things I wish my
first lover had been experienced enough to teach me.. It can
be messy..and painful if you don't know what you're doing in
the heat of passion. And once I fully matured I wasn't exactly
what
you'd call average in the family jewels department. They
used to
call me the Stallion at college after someone got a
peek in the showers. I got offered a *lot* of roles in Porno
flicks. And for the construction of my mother's clinic in town
accepting
some."
"You were involved in the pornography business?!"
"Well, Dean William's was. I was pretty stupid back then,
I
got involved with the wrong people, and ended up testifying
against
them and being placed in the Witness Protection
Program."
Fraser was very surprised.
"So Dean Alexander is just another identity that they
created for you."
"It's the name and identity I was born with. My name
changed to William's after my mother married my stepfather. I
took
back my name - my birth name when I found my niche in
life."
"Ah. Didn't that threaten your place in the programme."
"I lost that when they caught the last member of the ring
who
escaped the round-up. And no one in the ring knew where my
tastes
lay. I haven't had sex, straight or otherwise since my
first experience
- which was before I fully matured."
Fraser idly wondered just how well endowed he was.
"I found other way's to get my satisfaction. One of my
faults is that I'm a terrible voyeur. A legacy of my day's in
the
Porn business. There was a girl, a young woman who was
head over heels in love with me."
"Who they thought was your lover."
"Exactly. I wasn't looking for anything but friendship at
that
time, and spent a great deal of time with her before I
got in deep with the ring. And discovered voyeurism. Something
not
too many of my lovers have complained about. You can learn
a lot
about how to please a lover if you can convince them to
relax and
please themselves in front of you. And my George, he
didn't even
know how to do that till I woke up his sexuality..
He was perfect..
Someone who didn't know what sex was, but who
had a raw and passionate
nature.. And wasn't afraid to explore
it - free of any expectations
or taboos. And a romantic to
boot."
"How do you know he was a romantic?"
"Little things. He wrote a poem for me. He's a writer.
I've been reading his stories.. I usually end up laughing so
hard I either wet myself or hyper-ventilate, even if I'm not
in the mood to laugh.. That's a rare talent. He writes
mysteries, thriller and crime stories.. Something that should
be
serious, but even when he's being serious it's hysterically
funny..
He made me laugh, I like that. I loved that. I love a
man with a
sense of humour."
"So all in all he was the man you've been waiting your
life to meet."
"Yes, that's it, you've hit the nail on the head there.
I'll never meet anyone like him again."
"You're not that old, Dean, you'll find someone who wants
to
share your life and home who you'd..."
"I'm dying - now."
Fraser trailed off his eyes widening.
"Aids?"
"Cancer."
"Inoperable?"
"I've already been through it once.. The doctor's went
after it aggressively.. I damn near died."
"They missed something."
"Just as I got my health back, returned to work, and
found the lover who was the best damn one I ever had.. My
whole world came crashing down.. Six months.. For six months I
had
everything I wanted.. Well almost.. But I was on my way to
achieving
my goals, and very happy with my lover, till a gang
of thugs who
thought it was their business to teach us the
error of our ways followed us.. And .. well.. I barely
survived their "lesson." The cancer started where when one
of
them stomped on me with his boot, breaking bones and causing
internal injuries. I lost a kidney I have one left.. I've
lived the healthy life, stress free up here, good diet, good
exercise air.. The doctor said, I wouldn't have lasted as long
as
I have if I'd stayed in the city in a stressful job. Even
if I stay here, living my healthy life.. I'll be dead within
two years."
"And they're nothing then can do."
"There's a 75% chance I'd die undergoing treatment. A 25%
chance
I'd survive, and no guarantee it would be a cure,
there's a high chance it would just reoccur... And I could end
up
needing organ transplants. Heart, lung and kidney."
"You decided to live with it."
"I've been through it before, their idea of a cure was
worse than the disease. I would rather.. die with dignity,
doing what I love, having achieved my goals, all of them, than
going
through that again.. I couldn't work, I couldn't sleep,
eat, it took
my mother six months to nurse me back to semi-
fitness, and she looked after me, the way I cared for George."
"May I ask what happened to your lover you said he was
with you."
"He didn't survive."
Fraser reached out to give him a sympathetic pat.
"They caught them... 3 months later.. And they didn't
even try to conceal their motives.. I lost everything. As
soon as the head of the firm I worked for and had been
promised a partnership in found out I was gay, I was sacked.
No
one else would hire me, until one company sent a head
hunter and told me they had snatched a project away from my
old firm and wanted me on their team.. I was sacked the day
after I completed supervising the construction of the element
I designed..
The lobby.. It was.. a labour of love, from
start to finish - and when it was finished so was I.. They
added insult to injury, by listing me as their "Interior
Decorator."
"Oh dear."
"They didn't just sack me.. I was called in to see the
head, and he savaged my work, my standing, he said I had no
business calling myself an architect.. When all I ever did
was design Boot-e-full interiors for offices and skyscrapers.
That
they'd only hired me because the board of the company who
gave them
the contract - and originally awarded it to my old
firm, wanted my lobby. They scrapped the original designs,
months of work by the team, threw everything but my concept
sketches of interiors and model of the lobby in the trash.
They gave my sketches and model to the firm that hired me and
told
them it was their contract if they designed a building
that would compliment that... It's usually the other way
around."
Fraser chuckled.
"They only reason my old firm got it was... the office I
did
concept sketches and models for, Anderson, the head of the
Firm told
us all to design a new office.. He selected my
interior designs, and made me the head of the Interior design
depart...
One step away from a junior partnership.. I had to
put in five years as a head of a department and prove I could
run
it smoothly and work with a team, and not grandstand and
ego trip.. They sacked me a week before I would made it."
"And
you wanted it."
"So bad I could taste it. A junior partner can oversee
any project they bring to the company. I *won* that contract
for the firm, it was my work entirely.. I showed them my
designs and models and they expected me to oversee it to
design something that fit their brief. They're very big art
sponsors, and they had money, it was the biggest contract that
firm
had ever been awarded. They lost it, when the sacked me."
"And
the other firm knew it which is why they hired you
and used the fact to get the contract."
"They knew I couldn't resist the chance to thumb my nose
at
my old firm... I fell for it.. While I resent what Anderson
did,
I can respect him, it was a moral and political decision.
He's old
fashioned, and told me, honestly it was no a
reflection on my work, that he thought I had more talent than
any
of the senior partners, but he could not keep me at the
firm. He gave me a more than generous severance package. It
paid for my house."
"You can't say the same for the second firm."
"There were deceitful from the start, they said it they'd
take
me on for a trial period. If it didn't work out, no hard
feelings,
no severance, just adios. They never intended to
keep me on once that project was completed. I could have lived
with
that, just to work on it... It was the best thing I'd
done to go out with a bang and not a whimper is the way to go
if
you know what I mean?"
"I understand."
"But they had to stick the knife in twist it. And I would
so
love to be able to turn the tables.." he said, and sighed
"But
I can't."
"But weren't you offered work, you told me about your
important visitors and a wonderful project, an art Gallery."
"Museum. Biggest project going in my old stomping
grounds."
"Why don't you take it?"
"It's not up for tender. The contract will be awarded by
a panel
of judges, they set a budget, it's up to the person
who gets the contract to bring it in, on budget, and oh what a
budget.
Anderson offered me a senior partnership *full*
control and design privileges to rejoin the firm and come up
with an entry for that competition. And they're desperate to
win it, the company's on the verge of bankruptcy because of a
dirty
tricks campaign by guess who.."
"The company who hired you after Anderson's firm sacked
you."
"Right. They want to stomp them into the ground," he said
and sighed, "and they will, Anderson arranged to have two of
the judges come here to see my place and the designs for the
Art Gallery I want to build for the county."
"I've seen the designs at the county hall, breathtaking,
and
very very impressive."
"Anderson came up, of course, and after they'd seen the
models and designs and stayed at my place one asked me to show
him
around the property, just so he could have a little chat
with me.. He told me that there'd been twenty entries
Anderson's and Stomp'em were the only big name firms who
haven't entered it yet. He told me none of the designs met
the design criteria, which they didn't publicly announce. He
told me - I don't need to tell you what it is, you live in
designed, built, and live in a house that fits the criteria..
You
would win the contract no competition *if* you were with a
firm that
met the condition's of entry.. Stomp'em does,
Anderson's doesn't."
"Oh dear. The only way to get it, is to go back to the
firm you'd rather die than work for."
"Literally. I could die happy if I could just find a way
to
make Anderson's company eligible to be in the race, to
snatch it out of Stomp'em's grasp."
"That's not really their name?"
"No. But it's what a lot of people call them. Anderson
got the last laugh at the Hayden Building, Stomp'em built it,
but
Anderson got the 1st floor for their new offices.. And you
can only
reach it by walking through that lobby," He smiled
faintly,
"And they ripped up Stomp'em's idea of a good
interior design for that floor and used the one that got me
made head of Interior design.. I was actually quite surprised
and
that's what made me listen to Anderson when he found out I
was there
and came to make his pitch. He really meant it, he
loved my work.. It hurt his firm, but he stood by his
principals. Now things have changed and not just the firms
standing and fortunes. He said, I'm an old man, who built it
from the ground up, and I'm too old to change, it needs a
young visionary to take it into the 21st century.. He was
hinting that he'd do more than make me a senior partner.. I
didn't have the heart to tell him he'd probably out live me."
"You're sure it's not just a ploy to get you for the art
museum."
"I knew it when I saw their new offices. Anderson always
praised
my work.. And a firm like that is only as good as its
leading architect
- he said that.. He said, I was grooming you
for that role.. You
are a visionary.. art and architectural
masterpieces go hand in glove and you understand that. No one
else
in the firm does. He's watching the firm he built die, he
wants
to keep it alive and he's willing to do what it takes,
he's not going to stab me in the back.. Like Stomp'em. He even
gave
me a contract... It's water tight. Even if I don't win
the contract for them - I get everything he promised, and full
design
control over *any* project I bring to the firm. I
wanted that.. But it's not worth it.. If I returned there, and
took
it up.. I'd be dead with 12 months.. It'd be worth it
to build the museum and leave something magnificent behind to
say
I was here and this is my masterpiece."
"Your master piece is that house."
"I have no one to leave it too.. I have to leave it to a
blood
relative.. Or my spouse.. That's why I tried to find a
relative. I spent a fortune trying to find the one member of
the female sex I slept with.. before I worked out I was gay.
In the hope she might have had a child.."
"No luck."
"What so ever. I'd leave it to you.. But my lawyer
pointed out, it was my father's blood line it referred to, not
my
mothers. Though I could and did draw up a will..along the
lines of I leave my property yadda yadda yadda to my spouse,
should I die without a spouse, I leave it to my only *known*
living relative, Allen Pinset. Should he precede me, to any of
his
children, and should he have none it shall revert to the
county."
"Dean.. I couldn't take your property, I love it, but..
people would do nothing but talk..."
"I wrote it before we met. And my lawyer would make sure
that
was made known if I didn't get married first."
"Oh."
"Now I've met you I feel better about it.. You appreciate
the
land.. I'm sure you'd be very happy here," he gave Fraser
a
nudge, "And you could move off the station and live here,
and
get away from Ranger Redneck."
"I think Redneck is too harsh."
"You do???"
"He doesn't drink, loves animals, and is closest book
worm."
Dean laughed.
"O.k.. So he has a mouth like a sewer pit, and a mind
like one two, and the only thing on it 98% of the time is sex,
either
pursuing it, or gossiping about other peoples sex
lives."
"That's him alright.. Are you sure he doesn't drink."
"He
said, Al, booze and a filthy mind like mine don't
mix."
"Hmmmm."
"He said something about finding that out the hard way
and learning his lesson early."
"He's still a Redneck in my book."
"To each his own opinion."
"Does it annoy when he calls you Al?"
"Sometimes."
"Call him Shamrock."
"Why?"
"His name is Petersham - that's his *first* name. They
used to call him, Pete, Petey and Shamrock at school. It would
drive
him nuts when people called him Shamrock.. Because he
heard some girls giggling about how it meant Block head."
"Ooooh...
I'll have to remember that one. and one favour
deserves another..
I take it you turned down Anderson's
offer?"
"I told him he couldn't win the contract, and that it was
the
only thing that could convince me to return to the city."
"So
you're free to pursue other projects?"
"Yes."
"The visitors centre at the main entrance burned down
while you were away. They're looking for someone to design and
build
a new one, The Super gave me a big hint that they'd like
to hire
a *local* architect.. And you're the only Architect in
the area who
can call himself a local."
Dean grabbed him kissed him, then jumped to his feet and
bounded away to his horse with a definite spring in his step.
Fraser
watched him go slightly stunned.
"Well... And to think Meghan said I'd have to twist his
arm off to get him to agree to it."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray laughed, as his would be mugger backed up, then spun and
run away. His laughter had an edge of madness to it, and it was
that
which had justifiably scared the young mugger.
"Come back, don't you want to kill me, go ahead, punk, do me
a favour."
The mugger fast pace increased, he wanted nothing to do with
the madman. The volume of Ray's laughter increased as he walked
on.
He resented the fact the younger would be mugger hadn't taken
him
up on it, his new life was over. He'd lost everything, Dief,
his
vehicle, his notes and stories. All the money he'd started
off with
and earned. There'd be no more money for his column.
They'd already
paid him and he'd left all the materials he could
use for future
ones at Dean's place. He couldn't go back there,
he didn't have enough
money to catch a cab downtown, let alone to
travel halfway across
the country.
He'd been a fool to let his pride get in the way. He hadn't
realised how expensive the surgery and his stay at the hospital
would
be. He'd left there with barely enough money left pay for
the room
at a down town flea pit he'd been reduced to staying in
while he
waited for his skin grafts to heal. He only ate once a
day, at a
soup kitchen. He didn't have the money to spare for
meals and only
ate soup and food he didn't need to chew again.
He cursed the fact
the only clothes he had was the suit he'd
been wearing when he arrived at the hospital, and the sweat suit
Dean had brought him to wear instead of the drafty hospital gown.
Now the sweat suit were his pyjamas's and he was forced to wash
his
suit, shirt and underwear every night in the rooms tiny
basin, to dry them on coathangers.
Even though he'd had a temporary abode, he hadn't had the
option of going on welfare, all his I.D had been left behind at
Dean's.
And work, that was for able bodied, fresh faced people,
not scarred,
rail thin and half crippled people like him. No
work, no money, no money, no room, which is how he ended up on
the
street.
It would have been a kindness if that mugger had killed him.
Now all he had were the clothes on his back and a face not even a
mother could love.
He sunk down on the sheltered steps of on apartment block
thinking of his mother and family. Hot salty tears filled his
eyes
as he thought about the way he'd so callously faked his
death to escape them. They'd only been trying to do what was best
for him. His mother had been right to react the way she had.
She'd been right about releasing Dief into the wild as being too
dangerous. Look at where ignoring her warnings had left him.
Even if he wanted too, he couldn't return to them, he'd
never be able to explain the body, he'd be up for insurance fraud
on top of that. He bashed his head against the wall for being
such
a fool. He should have just taken the money and run, but no,
he had
to show them all, he had to kill Raymond Vecchio, bury him
once and
for all to be free of him.
Now that he needed his family desperately to get back up on
his feet, he was caught neatly in his own little web of deceit.
His
only other option, to face Dean and ask for his things, was
out.
He didn't have the money for a phone call, and Dean had left
the
city after learning he'd left the hospital. Otherwise, he'd
swallow
his damned pride and trek across the city to face Dean
and beg if
he had to, to get his things back.
"You know, the only thing that'll get you is a head ache,"
a
familiar voice said.
Ray started and looked around to see a woman in the shadows.
She was standing in the entry door way to the building looking
down
at him, even from the shadows she looked familiar. No, that
wasn't
true, her voice was what was familiar. He'd heard it
somewhere.
Then she stepped forward and he saw her face framed by long
and lustrous black curls. It didn't ring a single bell. She
stepped closer looking down at him and he turned his face so she
wouldn't see the scars. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her
smile.
"You're Ray Vecchio, aren't you, Benton's Friend?"
Benton, the Mountie, that voice, that's where he'd heard it,
at the hospital.
"I'll wait here while you talk to your friend," she'd said,
the last time he'd seen Benton.
He hadn't seen her, that's why the voice but not the face
was familiar. She was the woman who'd framed and probably
murdered his friend.
Her hand was on his arm, drawing him up to his feet. Her
eyes widened a fraction as she saw his face, but that was all.
"How
did that happen?"
He didn't answer, just stared at her memorising every inch
of her face. She touched his face, her fingers running over the
prickly
growth of stubble growing in and her eyes raked him over,
assessing
every inch of him.
"Come with me, my apartment's nice and warm, and it's cold
out
here."
He let her lead him into the building and wondered if he'd
live to see the dawn, maybe god was answering his wish to die.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser smiled as he watched the construction board declaring
the site of the soon to be new visitors centre go up. The firm
awarded
the contract was Anderson & Partners, and the name of the
Senior
Architect for the job emblazoned on the board in much
bigger letters was Dean Alexander.
He looked around to watch Dean take a step away from
Anderson as the man tried to pat his back. Then Dean turned away
to approach Fraser who found it very interesting.
"Thank's for all your help."
"You didn't need any. The job was yours if you wanted it the
moment the old centre burned down."
Dean gave a faint little smile.
"I had the feeling they would have said yes to any design we
tendered."
"They probably would have. All you had to do was take the
first
step."
"Here's hoping that this is just the first step toward
bigger and better things."
Fraser looked at Anderson watching them.
"I'm confused, I thought you said you rejected his offer."
"There was one condition of the entry requirements
Anderson's firm couldn't meet, *proof* they could design and
build anything remotely like the project up for grabs. I checked
with the judges, it just squeaks in. If we can get this centre
designed
and built - on budget before the closing date for the
competition,
and get a design in for the museum, we're a shoe
in."
"You'll be quite busy then."
"As a beaver.. For a change.. You know, this is better than
the art gallery it will be bigger, more people will see it, and
it'll be something I can leave behind here.. at home."
Anderson walked up and thrust his hand at Fraser.
"How do you do."
"Mr Anderson."
"You have me at an advantage."
"Allen Pinset."
"He's my cousin, you don't need to suck up."
"Cousin.. I don't see any resemblance."
"On my mother's side. His mother was my aunt."
"I take after my father's side of the family," Fraser said,
which was true for Allen Pinset.
"Ah... I see you're a ranger... Dean's had some... Ideas
about
building materials which would help us bring this baby in
under budget...
Maybe you can tell me wether or not those ideas
will be met with
a good or bad reception."
Dean rolled his eyes.
"I can't speak for my superiors sir," Fraser said neatly
side stepping the question.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray looked at his face in the mirror and the same face that
had looked back at him the day before looked back, it wasn't the
same face that he was used to seeing yet. Victoria had run her
finger
over his stubbled face and mused that if he'd let it grow
out, his
beard would probably hide his scars. Six weeks later,
he was still
alive, and she'd been proved right, it did hide his
scars, that and
a turtle neck shirt under the clothes she'd help
him get.
He never spoke to her pointing to the scars on his throat,
and she'd assumed he couldn't speak. He expected that night she'd
found him on the steps to be his last, instead, she put a roof
over
his head, fed him and helped him to find the local charity
for the
homeless. They'd given him a bed and clothes to wear that
hid more
than his suit. They gave him a chance to earn his keep
too. At first
it was by helping out in the office as a typist. He
got the very
minimum wage, but he got food and board on top of
that, the clothes,
well, he could pick and chose from the large
collection they had
on offer, but everything went back into the
collection at the end
of the day.
Later as he learned the way the office worked he was put in
charge of booking in other men who came through the homeless
shelter. That was the hardest part of his job, getting them to
give
their details, to judge wether or not it was safe to accept
them
or to send them on to another shelter. Men and women came to
this
centre, children too. They did more than fed, shelter and
clothe
their ever shifting residents, they helped them get back
on their
feet. So they were picky about who they took and it gave
him an ego
boost to be chosen and elevated to the ranks of the
staff.
With their help he saved his wages, he'd told them how all
his belongings had been left behind interstate. They'd offered to
pay for his bus ticket, then found out how much that would cost,
this way was much better.
Their budget would stretch to a new staff member, and he
saved hard to earn the money for his ticket. And it wasn't going
to be a one way ticket. After the first week, he'd been told his
job was secure *as long* as he wanted it. He intended to go back
to get his things and return. He had no where to put it, but his
wage would be enough to pay to keep it in storage till he got
back
up on his feet.
In the meantime, the boss lady had given him permission to
use the computer for typing up his stories - so long as he did it
after hours. He planned to find an agent and take his next step
toward
his goals.
He felt hot breath against his neck as a hand reached out
and tapped the save key. His sex stirred and he looked up and
around
gave a crooked smile to his co-worker, Lily, and at the
confirmation
that she was the one who'd breathed on his neck, his
groin started
to throb.
"What are you typing?"
He switched off the screen and waited for the disk drive to
stop whirring.
"Just another one of my stories."
"I love hearing all your stories."
The throbbing in his groin increased.
"You can tell me all about it over dinner."
He stabbed the power button and shut off the computer and
shivered as he felt her breath on his neck again.
"I ate with the rest of the guys earlier."
She moved away, to shut and lock the door. He turned in his
chair as her hand moved to turn off the lights, leaving only the
glow of the desk lamp to light the room. He gave a little gulp.
She'd
been flirting with him for a while and getting more and
more obvious
each day.
She made it blatantly obvious a moment latter shucking off
the coat she wore, to reveal nothing but some racy and very
scanty underwear.
"Uh.."
She stalked back across the room and he reached out to turn
off the desk lamp. He felt her move to sit on his lap, and her
breasts
pushing against his chest as she reached for it again,
but he caught
her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss her
palm.
"No."
Lily wiggled on his lap and thrust down.
"Is that a no to the light or a no to this, because, unless
I'm mistaken, part of you is saying yes," Lily said.
"Part of me doesn't really know any better."
"Oh really," Lily purred giving another wiggled and running
a hand down his shirt to find a nipple through the shirt and
start teasing it.
The throbbing became a pounding.
"Can.. I keep my clothes on?" He asked.
"Oh, kinky."
"Uh..hu."
"Maybe," she said, letting her hand travel down to his belt,
"But this will have to go."
He let Lily remove it, then she undid his button and slid
his zipper down before rising up on her knees to brush his face
with
her lace incased breasts. He wasn't exactly sure how to go
about
it with a woman, but he figured it couldn't be all that
different
to doing it with a man and reached up to find her bra's
clasp and
undo it.
"Uh... You'll.. have to.. tell me.. if I do something
wrong.. I don't have.. much experience.. with women."
"How much have you had..?"
"None," he admitted.
"You are single aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Well, if you're a fast learner, you won't be for long."
He gave a crooked smile, Lily had virtually proposed to him
on the third day. He wasn't sure if she was serious or not, and
found
that he didn't care. Her hand was moving over him in the
most distracting
way. Then it stopped.
"You didn't answer my question.."
"Yes I did.."
"The other one.. If you want me to leave you alone, I will."
He answered her by nuzzling at her breast till he found a
nipple and latched onto it. She gave a pleased little sigh and
started
stroking him again.
He discovered quite a few things he'd learned at Dean's
hands worked for a woman too and her enthusiastic response was
all
the stimulation he needed. She panted praise and
encouragement in his ear and then freed his rampant sex to touch
it again. He waited for her to do as Dean had done and came half
off the chair when she thrust down on him taking him inside.
His breath caught in his throat, his heart thudded and he
dropped back as she wiggled and moved over him, warm, moist and
pulsing.
"Hold out your arms," She panted.
He would have blown out his brains if she asked him to just
to continue. She took hold of his arms and started sliding back
making
little thrusts against him as she went drawing little
moans of delight out of him.
Then her legs moved, wrapping around him and he wondered
what to do next. She told him and he readily obliged her. Every
breathless
instruction she gave him, he followed. He pulled her
back and hugged
her tight, and had his shoulder bitten as she
climaxed bringing him
to his own.
He stroked her back and held till his body stopped shaking
and looked into her almost luminescent eyes.
"Is.. it always's like that?"
Lily smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
"No... For a novice you are a great lover."
He almost told her he had a good teacher, but remembered
Dean's warning about how some people in the city reacted and
thought better of it.
"I feel.. horribly guilty about that now."
"Oh, why?"
"Open my shirt.
Lily slid back enough so she could unbutton his shirt.
"Touch me. Slide your hands over me."
She did and she felt them stop for a moment, then her finger
tips started tracing scars.
"They're not just on your face."
"There are.. scars from my head to my toe along that side of
my body."
"What gave them to you?"
"A bear. I curled up into a ball and it got nasty.. My...
dog
drove it away.. and saved my life."
Lily slid back further and won his heart by covering a scar
in tiny kisses.
"You don't care?"
"It wasn't your looks that attracted me," Lily said as she
followed a scar line up his throat then nipped his ear.
"What did?"
"You make me laugh. That turns me on," she said and pushed
his shirt off and found a new line of scar to kiss.
"Well what you're doing is turning me on."
"Did you say they go from head to toe?"
He nodded and she pulled his shirt back up and buttoned it
while she kissed him. He returned the kiss with passion when
Lily's hands moved over his sex again, but she didn't have
another session in mind, tidying up his clothes and setting them
to rights before she stood and found her under wear and coat
pulling them on.
He was disappointed.
"Back door, fifteen minutes, make sure you lock it behind
you..
I'll be waiting with my car," Lily said as she moved back
to
lean over him to kiss him again.
"And when I get you back to my place, I'm going to kiss
every scar from your head to your toe and see how fast a learner
you are."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray lay on Lily's bed content to be snuggled up to and have
his scars traced by a soft gentle finger tip as the morning sun
tinted
her room pink.
"Can I ask you a question?" Lily asked.
"Anything," the contented Ray responded.
"About that woman, the one who brought you to the shelter
and
called you Raymond."
Ray was silent for a time then nodded.
"Why didn't you tell her who you were? Why did you let her
think
you couldn't talk? Why didn't you talk for three days?
Why..."
"That's four questions already."
"Answer them."
"She thinks I'm someone else. And I was cold, hungry and
desperate
enough to play dumb so she wouldn't realise I wasn't
the person she
thinks I am."
"But.. You told us who you are. After you settled in. Why do
we have to call you Ray around her and pretend you can't talk?"
"I can't tell you that... I have a suspicion about her but
I'm
still waiting for some kind of confirmation... I don't want
to make
a mistake... "
"There's nothing going on between you and her?"
"Absolutely nothing. She makes my blood run cold."
"Good... Because I want you all to myself."
Ray smiled.
"You got me."
Lily's hand wandered again.
"Would you do something for me?" Ray asked.
"Anything."
"Jump off a bridge."
Lily giggled.
"But seriously.. I want you to do me a favour.. If I ever go
to lunch with her and *don't* get back at the normal time I want
you to go to my locker... There's a letter there.. It'll explain
everything. It's insurance... Please don't pry unless I don't
come
back from a lunch with her. She's so.. nice.. and friendly..
I'd
hate to discover I'm right about her, and hate it even more
if I
were wrong and you insulted and offended her because you
read it
on the sly."
She planted a kiss on his chest.
"Only the boss lady has the spare keys. I can't get into
your
locker unless she gives it to me."
"Good."
Her mouth roamed lower.
"I know this will sound strange.. But you're better than
Dean's
muffins."
She giggled.
"They were herbal ones... To take my pain away... They
always worked and made me feel wonderful."
Her body slid over his and she kissed his nose.
"And you think I'm better?"
"Absolutely."
"Who's Dean?"
"He nursed me back to health after the bear got me."
"And
he has all your things."
"That's right."
"Can't you just call him and ask him to return them?"
"I
don't know how... I just know his place is half way
across the country. I'd have to go there, personally to get it
back.
If he's even there."
"You don't know?"
"He could be in the city again.. But then he could have been
lying to me... Someone I talked to told me things about him I
didn't
want to believe.. So I did some research and found out
that man was
telling the truth. Now I don't know what to believe
about Dean any
more.."
"I could give you the money you need."
"What?"
"So you can get your things.. and all your papers.."
"It's
a lot of money.. I'd have to..."
"You'll need those papers."
He sensed she was leading up to something. Something
important.
"I'm not rich, but I'm not poor either, I can support a
husband
until he can afford to support me."
He digested and translated that.
"Is that a proposal?"
"How many times do I have to ask?"
"Just once."
"O.K. Will you marry me?"
He smiled cupping her head and kissed her.
"I thought you'd never ask."
She gave him a pinch and he laughed.
"Yes."
She kissed him and proceeded to thoroughly make love to him.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Ray."
Ray looked up then realised what he'd been called and saved
the document he'd been working on. He turned away as the smiling
Lily lead Victoria into the room, Victoria looked a little
irritated.
"Look who's here, your friend."
"Hello, Ray."
He gave her a little nod.
"Go on, go to lunch - but don't be gone too long."
Ray gave a little nod and followed Victoria. She took him to
a Mc Donald's and chattered away about Benton and he listened,
scoffing
down his fries, seething and keeping his eyes down so
she wouldn't
see it in them.
She asked him to excuse her while she went to the toilet and
while she was gone he palmed the vial he'd been keeping in his
pocket
waiting for her to visit and take him out to lunch again.
He popped
the lid off the stopper and then pretended to snitch
one of her fries
while he was pouring it over them, he knocked
them to the tray and
then brushed them back into the pack,
thoroughly coated with the fine powder indistinguishable from the
salt on the fries.
Someone walked up to ask if he had the time and he pulled
back his sleeve and held his arm up so the person could see the
watch
that was his engagement present from Lily.
"I can't read those sort of watches, can you tell me what
time
it is?"
The last thing Ray wanted was for Victoria to walk out and
see him talking to someone. He thought fast and flipped his place
mat over and then dipped his finger into his drink over and over
and used the liquid to write the time in big numerals on the back
of the mat.
"Oh.. Thank's."
The person wandered off and he wiped his hand on his pants
then accidentally on purpose knocked his drink over the edge of
the
table. The last thing he wanted to do was drink it, some of
the powder
might have mixed with the drink and he was sure
Victoria would wonder why he wasn't touching his drink.
A staff member hurried over while he was trying
ineffectually to mop it up with his lone serviette. Victoria
returned and after the staffer departed offered him some of hers.
He took one sip and shook his head and mimed being thin enough.
She
laughed.
"Yes.. You certainly are."
She offered him her chips but he waved her off and held up
his burger and she shrugged and started munching on chips between
natterings, while he ate his burger and silently gloated to
himself, remembering to keep his eyes down.
When she finished her chips and her drink she rose and he
took the tray to take care of it while she went to the counter.
When
he rejoined her at the door she handed him another drink and
he gave
a smile and dropped his eyes as she let her fingers brush
over his
as she handed it over.
She gave a little smile and pushed the door open for him,
following him out and they wandered through the streets, her
leading him an arm wrapped around his, as she talked about this
and
that.
He was less than surprised when he found himself being lead
up the stairs to her apartment, he'd been expecting it, she'd
been
carrying out a subtle seduction the last few times she'd
invited
him to lunch. He wondered just how long it would take for
the sedative
he'd sprinkled all over her chips to finally kick in
and if he could
stomach her switching from subtle to overt
seduction.
He didn't think he was in any particular danger, other than
the danger of losing his lunch, too many people had seen him with
her, she was anything but stupid, and he doubted she'd try
anything. His guess was that she'd probably try to get him to
agree
to sneak out of the shelter and met her somewhere secluded.
He didn't
intend to fall into her trap.
He followed her into her apartment and she threw subtle
right out the window, as soon as the door closed behind him.
She was all over him. He reacted on his first instinct rejecting
it but she just laughed, calling him shy, saying how Benton told
her he'd suffered total amnesia.. Calling him a virtual virgin,
and
much as Dean had, saying that it would be a pleasure to teach
him
what he was missing out on.
She chased him around the apartment, cornering him again
and again, to kiss and fondle him. He ended up pinned against the
bedroom door, panting and wide eyed as she left her mark on his
neck
as her hand moved over his sex teasing him, skilfully
drawing a response he hated his body for having.
She gave a pleased little growl, opened the door and quickly
shoved him into the room beyond while he was off balance. He
wasn't given a chance to recover his lost balance. Victoria
followed him in and with little shoves steered him through the
room
to shove him down onto the bed. He tried one last time to
escape
her clutches, and apart from screaming no, couldn't have
made it
any clearer he wasn't interested.
She just gave him that smile that always sent a chill down
his spine pinning him down on the bed straddling him, to rub
herself against him.
"You know you want it. You just don't know what to do about
it, but don't you worry my little mouse, I'll teach you things
you
couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams," she virtually
purred
as she yanked an arm up and then he found his wrist
suddenly encased in a cuff and looked up to find it attached to a
scarf that was tied to the bed post.
It was short work for her to encase his other hand as he
lacked the strength to fight. The pain was almost enough to make
him want to pass out. Once his arms were bound she went to her
bed
side drawer and pulled out a roll of duct tape and used it
first
on his mouth.
"You may not be able to talk but you can make sounds.. I
wouldn't
want the neighbours to get the wrong idea," Victoria
said ripping
off another piece with her teeth.
The last thing he saw was her hand coming down with the
tape, then she covered first one eye then the next with tape.
"Benton
liked this game. I just know you will too," she
purred moving
away again.
=Oh no I won't=
:---=====(*)=====---:
Back at the shelter, Lily did what Ray had asked her to do
if he didn't return within an hour after leaving with Victoria.
After
coming up with a good excuse, she got the spare key from
the boss
lady and went to the locker that contained Ray's
pitifully few personal effects and opened it. Finding a letter
with
her name on it she opened it, read it and her eyes widened,
then
she spun and bolted back to the office to snatch up the
phone.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray had passed out during Victoria's "game" and when he came
to his senses, he was lying on the bed, fully on the bed this
time,
his arms still bound, but the distance between them was no
longer
so great. He gave an experimental little tug and found the
bindings
just as taunt. He felt a warmth at his side, over his
waist, and
leg. He raised his head, blinking. He could see again,
the tape was
gone from his eyes. And what he saw was Victoria
curled up at his
side her hair spread over his chest, which she
was using as her pillow,
her arm was draped around his waist, and
her leg was over his.
=Great time for the sedative to work... Now I'm stuck.= he
grouched to himself.
He looked around and felt sick when he saw something he
hadn't noticed earlier. There was a video camera in the room on a
tripod and thinking about the angle he realised the damned bitch
had taped the whole thing.
=You are *sick, sick, sick= he raged.
He tugged hard at his bindings. She didn't stir when it made
the bed shake.
=Hmmm.. O.k, so it's better late than never=
She was worried about her neighbours hearing him so he'd
give them an earful. He started fighting the bonds and slid his
body
around till his leg reached the edge and went over. He began
stomping
on the floor, hard. Between the stomping and the noise
he was creating
with the bed he soon got some attention.
Someone bashed on the roof, possibly with a broom and yelled
for them to keep it quiet. He thumped even harder. There was
another thumping on the ceiling below and the person behind it
threatened
to call the police if they didn't quit it.
Under his duct tap gag he gave an evil smile and did his
best to drive the neighbour below into carrying out that threat.
He almost had a heart attack when less than a few seconds later
he
heard the front door being kicked in. It was only a short time
before
the bedroom door was kicked open and two what he assumed
were plain
clothes police officers burst in guns at the ready.
They looked around
the room, and at the bed.
His head came up and he looked at them, looking right at
him. One holstered his gun and moved in on the left side while
the
other moved to the right and kept Ray covered.
"Mhhhhmmmrrrghph."
The weaponless one reached out and ripped the gag off of
Ray's mouth and he screamed. The officer's hand went down fast
over
his mouth and tears ran down Ray's face.
=God! Now *that* hurt=
"Sorry, you have the right to remain silent," the detective
said.
"Goovrumph."
The officer continued to read him his Miranda rights and
showed him a badge, and only moved his hand when he finished.
"Don't
tell me that, tell her!"
The two cops shared looks, then looked down at Ray.
"We've been keeping her under surveillance, we know
you're.."
"You don't know anything," Ray cut him off.
The second cop nudged Victoria but she didn't move.
"She's sedated, I laced her chips with sedatives."
They both looked at him.
"I was getting sick of waiting for some action. I thought
the
damned thing would knock her out a lot faster than it did, so
I could
tie her up and call *you* people and tell you that I'd
gifted wrapped
a murderess for you."
The cops shared looks again, then looked down at him, the
second finally holstering his gun.
"Alright, Mister, what's your name?"
"Fiorella, George Fiorella."
"Like that columnist in the .."
"I am that bloody columnist!" Ray growled and yanked on a
cuff.
"And I'm the one who sent the Anonymous note to the CPD
tipping them off about where they could find this bitch. Now
would you *please* get me loose, this is killing me."
"In a minute.. How did you know she was wanted by..."
"Hey!
I toured every state in this country, I'm famous for
it, don't you
know," he said snidely.
"You want to be cut loose or what?"
Ray took a deep breath and launched into the story he'd
dreamed up to cover this moment.
"Alright," he said calmer, "I was in Chicago, minding
my own
business, walking through the station, the train station,
when
someone grabbed my arm and yanked me into the men's toilet,
clapped a hand over my mouth, and hissed that he was a cop at me.
Then he flashed a badge, not that I really noticed, I was too
busy
gaping.. The guy looked just like me, only he had less hair,
and
was clean shaven."
"Uh-hu."
"He peeped out the crack in the door then told me to peek
and
take a good look at a woman."
"The one in the bed right now?"
"Yes."
"Go on."
"After she stomped out of the area he let me go and told me
to get the hell out of Chicago - pronto, and if I ever saw her
again
to run for my life. Because she was a murderess who had
already killed
one person, and he suspected her of killing a
second man, and figured he was next on her hit list."
"Did he explain why?"
"He said she framed a cop, that no body believed him, cause
she was real sneaky like when she was with him.. Everyone thought
he was lying to cover up his own crimes by inventing another
person with opportunity and motive. But he saw her, with that
cop,
he knew she was real.. That the cop she framed hadn't made
her up."
"Uh-Hu.."
"Then Chow Hound whined behind us and I saw him, and the cop
looked at him, then me, and handed me his leash, told him to go
with
me, and asked me to please get him out of there, because
that woman
had already put a bullet in him once, and that he'd
track me down
to get him back after he put her away, if she
didn't put him six feet under first. He gave me a card with a
post
office address said it was his told me to write with my
address and he'd send me money to look after him.."
"What was the address he gave you?"
Ray pretended to wrack his memory and slowly gave it,
correcting himself twice before he announced that he was sure
that
was it.
"Alright, go on.." the detective said.
"She followed me thinking I was him. I left the Chow Hound
with
a friend, cause I wasn't sure my landlord would let me have
a dog,
and went back to Brooklyn, but I saw her there, out on the
street.
Watching my apartment. I sent him a letter and turned my
place into
a mini fortress while I waited. He told me to get out
of there..
To find some way to get out, in disguise, and stay
away until she
gave up. I managed to give her the slip, went back
to pick up Chow
Hound and started travelling around pretending to
be a blind man.
When I got back I found another letter from him.
Telling me that
if he didn't contact me by a certain date, to
take Chow Hound and
release him in the wild cause he was a Wolf,
and that's where he
belonged.."
"So.. you did that and .."
"I ran in to some really wild life.. That's where I got the
scars and ended.. up going broke paying for all the medical
bills... I was at rock bottom, when I ran into her again."
"And
ended up at the shelter over at Hudson Street."
Ray nodded as
one of them found his pants and tossed them at
him. He pulled them on grimacing in pain.
"I let her think I couldn't talk.. I was kinda in shock when
I first ran into her, and got to thinking, as long as she thinks
I can't talk.. I'm safe... That lasted until today."
"We've seen you.. Having lunch with her."
"Ever see me talking with her?"
They had to admit they hadn't.
"She talked to me.. Thinking I was that cop.. Pretending to
be such a good "friend" of his buddy.. She kept talking about
Benton... I remember the first time I ran into her.. On the
stairs, she told me she was a friend of Benton Fraser's.. Said,
he
told her about me - meaning him."
They nodded and searched the room finding something to dress
Victoria in before they cuffed her hands behind her back.
"I remember that cop .. saying.. She framed Benton.. He was
a cop... That's who she was talking about.. She killed him, and
probably
killed that cop too."
"Do you remember his name?"
"Ray Echo.. No..Vecko..or something like that."
"Vecchio?"
"That's it. How'd you know?"
"The CPD sent us three pictures.. One of her, one of the man
you were talking about, Benton Fraser, and the other was of a
former
Cop, Raymond Vecchio both he and Fraser vanished. And you
do look
a lot like him. If you scribble a beard on his picture.
We told them
we thought we had him in the net too.. They told us
to wait and see
if Fraser showed up or not. Then the word to stop
waiting, kick the
door in and take you down now."
"Oh god... Do you know what the Media is going to do when
they
find out about this? You arrest me and ..."
"Woah, hold on there... I always read Fiorella's column, so
I'm going to give you a chance to prove you're who you say you
are.
If you are, we'll drop you back off at the shelter and the
Media
won't find out."
Ray gave a little nod and the officer asked him dozens of
questions about his column. Ray answered them all easily.
"And I can even tell you what next weeks will be if you can
tell me what this weeks one was.. I don't get to see the magazine
any more. You can ring the magazine and ask them... No... On
second thoughts, they'd want to know why the police want to know
what next weeks column is about.. God.. I hate this.."
"That's alright, Mr Fiorella, I believe you're who you say
you
are," The detective said, then handed Ray his note book and
pen.
"Could I get your autograph, my wife would kill me if I
didn't, she loves your column."
Ray rolled his eyes and autographed the note book the
detective studied the signature and smiled giving his partner the
nod.
"That's his signature alright."
Ray watched him flip the book closed without touching the
cover and wished him luck at lifting his prints from it, seeing
as
how he'd only touched the edges of it.
He rose on shaky legs and wobbled over to the video camera
to rip out the cassette.
"That's evidence."
"Only if I press charges. And if she wiggles off the hook, I
will and you'll get it back. If they take her down for killing
that
cop I'll burn it."
"I'm afraid.."
"You know, the media would love hearing about how you were
sitting
out there, probably gossiping in your car, watching this
place, while
she raped me and taped it for posterity.
The two shared looks.
"We'll be in touch."
"You know where to find me.. I can't see my situation
changing in a hurry," he said ripping Victoria's wardrobe open.
He pulled out a pullover and an over coat and walked out,
tucking the tape in the coat pocket before he pulled the pull
over
and coat on. The detectives watched him limping heavily and
shared
looks. One signalled the other who went after Ray.
"I'll take you back to the shelter."
Ray stopped and looked back.
"I've been studying all sorts of things so I can become a
crime
writer, my brush with that cop set me off on that tangent..
And I
mightn't know all that much about the way things are done,
but I
know this much, Neither of you are women, one leaves, she
wakes up
and realises she's alone with him, she'll scream rape
later and get
let off on a technicality."
The detective stopped and stared at Ray.
"In fact she'd probably scream it any way, unless you get
her
out of here before she comes around, or you get a lady cop to
watch
her. It's one or the other or that cop killing bitch will
get away
with it."
Then he spun and limped away leaving and they didn't try to
stop or follow him. One moved to the window and watched the
street till he limped down it.
"What do you think?"
"I think he's Fiorella, and I think he's probably damned
lucky
she didn't kill him."
"Oh, come off it, what would a famous columnist like him be
doing living in a homeless shelter."
"You saw the scars, I believed him when he said he blew all
his money paying his medical bills. Every cent he gets off his
column
is probably spent on them, it's a sure bet he's going to
be spending
a lot of time in and out of the hospital
getting all those scars removed. Besides which, I think I saw
him,
a while back, had his face in pressure bandages, in a good
suit,
walked with a cane.. It wouldn't take much to find out if
was the
same man and back track him."
"Where did you see him?"
"At the Hayden Building, in the lobby talking to that Yuppie
Architect I was tailing.. It wouldn't take much to run a check on
the hospital's and see if he was a patient at any around that
time
- and if their description matches, he's off the hook. And
if not,
we know where to find him."
"If he's Vecchio, he'll just vanish."
"I would have suggested he come down to the station and
taken his prints if I hadn't been positive he was Fiorella. And I
wasn't joking about my wife. If she heard I falsely arrested her
favourite columnist she'd have my hide."
"What's so great about him, so he travelled round the
country, big deal, people do that all the time."
"I'll loan you a copy of the first issue his column appeared
in - then you can find out how it made him famous."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Lily pounced and fussed over Ray when he returned to the
shelter. He asked if he'd done what he asked, which she
confirmed, and he kissed her cheek.
"You may have saved my life."
"Why didn't you say anything!"
"I just wanted to keep her from taking off.. Before they
could
move in and arrest her.. If she'd been the slightest bit
suspicious
she would have disappeared again."
"She could have killed you."
"She didn't, thanks to you calling the police like I asked
you
to in that message. I won't forget it."
She looked him over.
"You look terrible... You're wearing her coat.. What
happened to your shoes..."
Ray sighed.
"I've already been interrogated once tonight, all I want now
is a long soak in the bath before I go to bed.."
She hustled him down the hall.
"You realise that when the boss lady finds out about this,
you
are going to be in deep shit.."
"I don't think the police are going to be coming around.
Unless
you tell her, she won't find out."
"Tell me what happened."
"Ah, black mail."
"Call it whatever you like and tell me what happened."
He opened the door to the bathroom and didn't stop her from
following him in, then he closed the door. He spun and pressed
her
up against the door kissing her. She was startled but soon
started
kissing him back.
He didn't break lip contact as he began stripping. They
parted only for the time it took for him to rip Victoria's
pullover off and hurl it away. The he was kissing her again,
bringing her hands to his chest encouraging her to touch him. She
broke the kiss off.
"Not here."
"Now.. Here.. I need it.. I need you to make love to me,
in
the worst way," he said as he went for her throat kissing
every
inch he could reach and tugging at her clothes.
"George... If we were caught."
"I don't care."
"You should.."
"Do you *want* me to stop? Not you think we should, or that
you know we should.. Do you *want* me to stop?"
"No.. But.."
"No buts," he said and rapidly skimmed her top off to go for
her bra next.
She sighed and he nuzzled at her shoulders till he got it
off while she pushed her skirt off and kicked off her shoes. He
skimmed
her panties down and then drew her with him into the
shower and set it to a comfortable temperature.
"Wash me."
She got the soap and wash cloth and he leaned against the
wall letting her soap him down from head to foot and turned when
she told him too. Then she stepped close and hugged him, kissing
the back of his neck.
"You didn't tell her... That we were engaged.. Did you? To
warn
her off?" Ray asked.
"You said there was nothing going on."
"Did you tell her, yes or no?"
"Yes."
He heaved a deep sigh. He know understood the point of the
video.
"Do you remember.. How you offered to give me the money to
go
to Dean's place and get my things?"
"Yes."
"I told you.. I'd rather save it up myself.. It was because
of that witch.. Because I couldn't leave town till I knew she'd
been
arrested.. Now... If the offer's still open I'll take it."
"George..
Look at me."
He turned slowly.
"Did you kill that woman?"
He looked her dead in the eye.
"No."
"Did the police arrest her?"
"Yes."
"You're not in any trouble are you?"
"I will be if I stay.. after she's extradited.. She'll start
causing trouble. She'll lie through her teeth, no doubt about it,
and there are people back there who would jump at any excuse to
lock
me away. But if I'm not here, when they come, trouble will
be avoided.
They wouldn't expect me to come back, or think she
lied.. It'll take
over a week and a half to get to Dean's place,
by bus. Another week
and a half to get back, time for everything
to settled down.. And
when I get back, I'll have my papers... And
we can get a marriage
licence.."
"Then, you get the boss lady to give you the time off, and
I'll
get the tickets for you."
"I can..."
"I'm not sure if that's wise.. The police here probably
won't like it, if they need you to testify or make a statement.
They'd
expect you to stay until everything's settled. No matter
how long
it takes. I they find out your buying bus tickets to get
out of town,
you won't."
He sighed and nodded.
"You're right... I should stay... But I ... *need* to get
away...
I'd like you to come with me."
"There is no way the boss lady would approve of that."
"Did you tell her we're engaged?"
"I told you she wouldn't approve of that either. One or both
of us would be out of a job if she found out."
"So... What about us getting married?"
"We don't have to tell her. Simple."
"And you said you could support me till I got back on my
feet."
"Why George, are you only looking for a sugar Mama?"
"Are
you just looking for a sugar daddy.. Me Famous writer,
me must be
rich?"
She swatted him.
"You're not that George Fiorella. You wouldn't be homeless
and
out on the streets without a dime to your name if you were."
He didn't tell her why he was and let her think what she
liked. He'd already explained that, if she didn't believe it that
was fine with him. It would be a big surprise for her later and
it
meant he didn't have to worry about her looking for a rich and
famous
man to latch onto either.
"I'm just wondering why it has to be a big secret."
"I've
got money but it wouldn't last if I lost my job, and I
like working
with you. And she'd get grumpy if you weren't there
when she needed
a man around. That's the real reason she hired
you - no men on the
staff, and half the beds are reserved for
men. No male staff, no
men in the beds. That Victoria woman, she
said you'd work for your
keep, so the Boss Lady let you in and
watched you and decided to
give you a trial. You passed. And we
could open the doors to men
again... If she was going to fire
anyone.. It would probably be me..
In which case you my dear
would have to take over all the work in the office *and* deal
with
the men when they come and size them up. Do you really want
that
to happen?"
"Noooo."
"I didn't think so."
"I still don't understand why she would fire us over it."
"Fraternization amongst the staff can lead to Fraternization
among the residents, that's to be avoided at all costs. So if you
fraternize, and you get caught, you lose your job. End of story."
"Has she ..?"
"4 people since I've been here. Instant dismissal. But look
at the bright side."
"What bright side?"
"It adds some spice to your life."
He gave a weak chuckle and kissed her.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Hey, Al!"
Fraser stopped his grooming and looked over the back of his
horse to watch Petersham bring his bike to a skidding stop by the
corral fence.
"You remember how you said you were looking for relatives."
Fraser nodded.
"I found one for you."
Fraser almost laughed.
"Don't tell me, let me guess, Dean."
"What?"
=Opps=
"You don't mean Alexander?"
"He's my cousin."
"Well, guess what, you have another one," Petersham said and
pulled a folded up paper from his bike jacket and hurled it at
Fraser.
Fraser snatched it out of the air.
"Page 3."
Fraser unfolded it and went to page three to see a picture
of himself and when he started reading he didn't know wether to
laugh
or cry.
"Seem's your Cuz got himself into a bit of a pickle."
Fraser
just nodded not trusting his voice at that moment
after he finished reading he took a deep breath and looked up.
"Do
you mind if I.."
"Keep it, no, I want the rest back. I haven't finished
reading it."
Fraser pulled the page out and refolded the paper and hurled
it back at Petersham.
"I hope they find him - alive."
"Why?" Fraser asked.
"Well, he's your family, isn't he? Family's important when
you
don't have any. Him and Dean are probably the only family you
have.
Though I don't know if I'd want Dean for family if you know
what
I mean."
"No, I don't."
"He's a faggot. A shirt chasing gay boy. Him and that writer
were probably *real* cozy..."
"If you're referring to Mr Fiorella, you're forgetting, he
was
almost killed by that bear."
"So, he moved in with Dean after he got out of the
hospital."
"He couldn't even walk, Dean had to carry him around, wash
and
bath him, cook for him, shave him, dress and tend to his
other needs."
"And probably tended to his own *needs* while he was at it."
"Have I ever told you, you have a mind like a sewer pit?"
Petersham laughed and started his bike up again.
"All the time, Al, and you wouldn't have me any other way,"
he declared before he road off spitting gravel and dust in his
wake.
Fraser looked at the page he'd spread on the back of the
horse.
"Now... I don't really need to put up with you any more," he
muttered to himself.
He forget all about his partner as he read the article,
blanching, feeling like he'd been slugged in the gut as he read
about
Victoria being charged with Ray's murder after they'd found
his car
a burned out wreck, with his remains inside burnt beyond
recognition.
He'd only been identified by his crucifix and the
fact his wallet
had been found near by, that and the fact he'd
last been seen driving
that particular car left them with no
doubt the remains, what there were of them, were Ray's.
He'd been cleared after Victoria was charged with Ray's
murder, along with his own. Victoria confessed that she'd framed
him and destroyed his life to make him come with her when she
left
Chicago. She'd taken a lie detector test to try and avoid
the murder
rap. She claimed to have seen Ray in another state not
long before
they arrested her, told them where they could find
him. But an investigation
proved it was simply a man who
resembled him.
It didn't negate the results of the polygraph test either,
she'd been telling truth, as she knew it, Fraser had been cleared
in the process and they were left with a mystery on their hands,
if she hadn't murdered Ray, who had? Too much time had gone by
for
the murder site to yield any clues to the murderer's identity
and
it pained Fraser to think of Ray's murder becoming just
another unsolved case in the CPD's files.
He folded up the page and tucked it into his pocket to go on
grooming his horse while his mind worked furiously. His name had
been cleared, he could return home, well, to Chicago anyway.
Ray's murder would not go unsolved if he could help it, but
first, he had to make sure he didn't end up in prison for
impersonating his cousin. That meant he had to plan carefully and
he had an opening Ceremony to attend. It would look highly
strange indeed if he left before that.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"And I declare this visitors centre open for business," The
County's Beauty Queen breathlessly announced as she cut the
ribbon then posed for the Cameras.
Fraser almost laughed when he noticed Dean's was not the
only camera that stayed down. Mz Ekles didn't even bother to snap
a picture and muttered "Airhead," under her breath, but it
was
Dean's soft, "Amen," to that, that almost made Fraser
laugh.
Fraser backed up when she sashayed his way, with a predatory
smile.
"Why don't you show me around, Ranger."
He was saved when Petersham moved in to gallantly offer her
his arm.
"Why it would be a pleasure, Miss."
She gave him a glare but accepted it to avoid humilation and
let him lead her inside. Mz Ekles and Dean both snickered.
"Not your type?" Mr Ekles asked.
"I prefer.. someone with a brain in their head."
"Wouldn't we all."
Fraser rejoined Dean and Mz Ekles.
"I'd prefer to be shown around by the Architect," Mz Ekles
declared.
"I'm gay," Dean said.
"So am I," she said with a sweet smile, surprising him.
Fraser suddenly realised why his partner disliked her so
much and chuckled to himself.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray stood in the phone booth watching buses arrive and
depart while he waited for Lily to answer the phone at the
shelter.
"Hi, it's me George... Yes, yes, I made the connection, I
haven't
been mugged yet, and anyone stupid enough to try will get
what those
fools on the train got... No.. But I've been mugged
three times,
twice before I got the gun, I swore what happened
the second time
would never happen to me again... That's right..
I do know how to
use it.. No.. I'd go for a shoulder or a leg..
Like I did on the
train..."
He checked his watch.
"My next bus is due any minute, How's Sid.. Uh-hu.. Damn,
tell
him I'll send him a post card," Ray said and smiled at the
response,
"You betcha.. Oh, almost forget, you better keep a
close eye
on that guy who came in the day before I left... Oh..
Damn.. It went
right outta my head, I was going to tell you to
keep an eye on him
on the way out.. I didn't wanna say anything
where someone might
overhear, just in case I was wrong... Oh,
there's my bus, it's the
last one. I'll give you a call when I
hit town to let you know I
arrived safe."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray couldn't believe it when he couldn't find a single
public telephone that was working. In one booth he raised the
hand
set to find the cord had been detached, in another the set
was glued
to its holder. And in another a synthetic laugh issued
from the phone
every time he raised it from the hook.
He found the last phone booth and was reaching for the
handset when he heard a voice.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
He froze for a moment and then stretched his hand out for
it.
"I really wouldn't do that."
His hand touched it.
"Pick it up and you'll regret it, sonny," the voice said.
He dropped his hand and looked around and was surprised to
find a little old lady watching him.
"What's wrong with this phone?"
"The last person who tried to use it got covered with ink..
It just squirted out of the phone - the main part, not the hand
set."
"Oh.. What happened to all the phones around here? They all
seem to have been vandalised or tampered with."
"Well, there was a comedy festival on and some comedians
travelling
to it stopped over here.. After they left all the
phones were like that.. You be the judge."
"I see... Are there any public phones that haven't been
done?"
"Sorry, sonny, but they got all of them."
"Great.. Just great.. I'm supposed to make a phone call and
call a cab..."
"I can't help with the phone call, don't have one myself,
but
I can help with the cab."
"You can?"
She nodded.
"Great, I can make the call when I get to where I'm going."
"Just keep going up this road, two blocks up, take a left,
next
block a right, half way up there's a bar. There's always a
cab out
the front of it."
"Thanks."
She pulled a magazine out of her bag and rustled up a pen
with a hopeful look. He gave her a crooked smile.
"Let me guess, you want an autograph."
She nodded.
"I always read your column."
Ray found the page with his column and leaned it on the
booth to sign it.
"How'd you recognise me?"
"I saw you the last time you came to town, heard 'bout that
bear two.. Guess you grew that beard to hide the scars."
He
gave a little nod and handed her magazine and pen back.
"You come back for your Wolf that the Ranger's been taking
care
of."
"Among other things."
"It's a beautiful animal, just beautiful.. Though it seems
to
be getting famous on its own, as the junk food phantom."
Ray
chuckled, bid her good day and walked away. She followed
after him. To try convince him to come to meeting of her writers
group while he was in town and followed him all the way to the
bar
and didn't give up till a cab pulled up and he quickly jumped
in
the back and told the driver to get him out of there.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray stomped around the studio while the driver of the cab
he'd hired lit up another cigarette and checked his watch.
"I can't wait all day, Mister."
"Ha, the meter's ticking over, what are you complaining
about?"
"My wife'd kill me if I was back late for dinner and my
shift ended half an hour ago. It's going to take me hours to get
home."
Ray stomped over and looked at the meter.
"Shut that thing off."
The man leaned in and shut it off and told Ray he had to pay
double, because of the distance involved on the return trip,
grumbling, Ray paid him.
"Pleasure doing business with ya," the driver said, then
climbed in and slammed his door.
Ray stomped over to the house as the driver crunched the car
into reverse spinning it around before speeding off. With a
frustrated sigh Ray stomped away in the direction of the stable.
If nothing else that would be open, and he wouldn't have to wait
in the cold for Dean to return.
He had a sinking feeling in his gut that he'd have to wait a
long time when he found the stable was locked too. He returned to
the house, walking around to the side of the rock formation and
grimacing
and hissing all the way, Ray climbed up the side of it
to get onto
the roof. From there he clambered over to the glass
roof panels that
made up the roof of the Gallery.
He looked down into the room below and that sinking feeling
became a certainty. The Gallery was empty.
Ray clambered back to the rock and perched himself there and
looked over the property to watch from his new vantage point as
the
Cab became a dust trailing speck in the distance.
"How do I get myself into these things?" he muttered to
himself.
He might have spent some time up there stewing over it, but
the sun was rapidly setting and he had to climb down before it
was
too dark to see. He didn't want to add a broken bone to his
troubles.
Blowing on his grazed hands he marched around the house, and
tried to decide which it was going to be, the house or the
stable. He decided to try the stable, since it also doubled as
the
Garage. Maybe he'd get lucky and find his ATV there.
He shot the padlock off, glad he hadn't sold his gun when
he'd gotten desperate, and pulled the door open. He sighed as the
last of the day's light showed him the stable was completely
empty. Not so much as a stray piece of hay to blow in the wind
was
left. It had been cleaned out.
He'd hoped that if his ATV wasn't there, he'd at least be
able to make a bed for the night out of the hay, but that wasn't
to be.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser threw the last of his things into the back of
George's ATV.
"Well, that's the last of it Dief. Hop in."
Dief jumped into the bag and made himself comfortable.
Fraser closed the back door, moved around the vehicle and opened
the driver's door. The door of the station that had been his home
opened and his now ex-partner stepped out.
"Al... Two things, Good luck at your new post, and swing
past
your cousin's place and check it out on your way out."
"Why?"
"That alarm he installed before he left just went off. Just
got the call to send you over if you hadn't already left."
"I'll check it out."
"The Sheriff will be over soon's he can, but you'll get
there long before he does."
Fraser nodded and climbed into the ATV.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray huddled in front of the fire place wishing he'd had more
time to find wood before the sun went down. He couldn't stay in
the
stable, or light a fire then and had blown off the lock on
one of
the house's doors. He cursed Dean for clearing the place
out of everything
but the furniture. It would have been bearable
if he'd covered it
with cloth dust covers but no, he'd covered it
all with plastic and
plastic sheets wouldn't keep him warm as the
night temperature plummeted.
He'd had to walk quite a distance
from the house just to find something
to start a fire with and
all he'd had to show for his efforts was
a coat full of twigs and
it wasn't enough to warm up the big lounge.
He wondered just how cold it could get and then banished the
thought. He didn't want to know all he wanted was to get his
hands around Dean's neck. No car, no food, no way to keep warm
and
no functioning electricity or phone either.
He couldn't stay in this place, he'd have to do something
that the very thought of doing terrified him, hike through the
property
and head for the nearest ranger station on the other
side. It was
either that or hike to town, and with his bum leg
that could take
days. He knew that if he pushed himself he could
reach a ranger station
before nightfall if he left at first
light.
He jumped, startled out of his thoughts by the sound of
claws on the polished floor boards and spun around to see Dief
bounding
toward him. He grinned and held out his arms to embrace
and stroke
the Wolf as it expressed its happiness at seeing him
again with a
few licks.
"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too, How did you get inside? I
thought
I.." He trailed off as he looked up at the door to see a
figure
standing in the door way.
"Uh-oh... Please tell me you're the Ranger who was taking
care
of Chow Hound for me."
The figure moved, crossing its arms and nodding.
"I.. thought Dean came back here, I came back to get my
stuff... I left it all behind... It took me a while to get enough
money to come back to collect it."
"You missed him, by about a day," Fraser said making no
effort to disguise his voice.
He watched Ray move, rearing back at his voice, then moved
toward Ray, until the light of the pitiful fire let Ray see his
face.
He watched Ray's eyes widen, then look him up and down.
"It
is you, you really are Ray," Fraser said softly.
"Ohmigod!
Benton!"
Fraser nodded.
"I thought you were.."
"Dead?"
Ray nodded.
"Yes, I thought that bitch, Victoria killed you."
"Oh, she tried, she left me to die in the most sadistic way
she could think of. But I survived and stumbled into a new
identity by accident and made a new life for myself here."
"I
found her."
"What??? You never even met her."
"I remembered her voice... I met her and I sent a letter to
the boys back in Chicago telling them where they could find her
if
they moved fast enough."
"So you're the one behind that."
Ray gave a crooked little smile.
"It's rather ironic.. I hit rock bottom and she took me into
her place, fed me, put me up for the night, and took me to the
shelter
where I found a place to stay and work.. It's not much of
a job,
but it's enough to keep me going."
"Did she... visit?"
"Quite a lot before she was arrested, took me out to lunch
all
the time."
"What was your impression of her?"
"I never trusted her an inch. I didn't expect to survive the
night she took me in, but I did.. She gave me the creeps.. The
way
she.. watched me.. She always seemed to have this little
smile on her face."
"Then your instinct to report her served you well, she was
probably
planning something, which would end with either you in
prison, or
dead."
"She's where she belongs now, Benton, behind bars, and
she'll stay there for a very long time for murdering that Jolley
guy."
"I know. I read an article in the paper.."
"Then you know.. Your name was cleared?"
Fraser nodded.
"I was.. going to return home, to Canada, and go via
Chicago, to see your family. You should come with me."
Ray shook his head violently, winced and rubbed his throat.
"No."
"Your family.."
"I can't go back."
"Why not?"
"I... Faked my death, Benton, I took out a big insurance
policy,
set everything up so.. "
"There would be enough money to pay out the mortgage you
took
out to get the money to fund your new life as George
Fiorella."
Ray nodded.
"How did you do it?"
"Oh, I found out all sorts of interesting things when my
mother
forced me to return to the station and try to live his
life. Like
where I could find someone who specialised in helping
crims set up
new identities.. He set up my new one."
"He must have been quite good. Your background story checks
out."
"George Fiorella really did exist. I put an identicat
picture of me thought the computer and came up with half a dozen
people who look just like me. Only one of em was a dead guy,
George Fiorella from Brooklyn, my specialist went to New York and
erased the death records... He got me everything I needed to take
over his identity... I ran a check later and it all panned out,
he
even found some way to substitute my finger prints for
Fiorella's in the records. That guy was the best in the
business."
"And your death, how did you fake that? Or did you leave it
up to him?"
"Noo.. Though it was part of the deal.. He was mugged and
killed
just after he returned from New York. A little later I had
a stroke
of luck I found the burned out shell of a car like mine
in a car
graveyard and there was this derelict who died of
natural causes there."
"You used his body."
Ray nodded.
"And I set everything up perfectly, made it look like I'd
been
forced to drive there and killed... Switched plates and
everything.. Before I torched it again. So the body'd be
unrecognizable.. I even made sure he was wearing that cross my
mother
made me wear."
=So that's how he did it, well it saves me a lot of wasted
time searching for a non existent murderer... Though now I've
contacted
them I'll have to go through with my plans for the sake
of it.=
"I burned all my bridges behind me when I left."
"Why did you have to do that? Why couldn't you have just
disappeared..."
"I regret it now, I really do.. But at the time... I was
desperate,
I had to escape. I didn't want them trying to find me
and I... didn't
want cost them their home in the process. That's
why I took out the
insurance policy and made it look like...
murder. They don't pay out if it's suicide."
Fraser sighed and watched the fire behind Ray start to die.
"I'll get some more wood, don't go anywhere."
"I'd prefer a lift back into town, I got enough money for a
motel room... I'll head back to..."
"You're not going anywhere," Fraser cut in.
"I got a job it's not much of a job, it doesn't pay much but
it's the only job.."
"Forget about it, Victoria knew who you were and where you
went,
she could blow everything if they try to pin your death on
her. So
you're staying right here. Is that clear?"
Ray slowly nodded.
"Stay put. I'll be back with enough wood to keep the fire
going
all night."
"I.. don't suppose you could come up with a blanket or two..
and some food, Dean cleaned the place out, all he left was some
of
the furniture."
"I'll be right back."
Fraser walked out and was rewarded with a smile when he
returned to present Ray with a patchwork quilt, several blankets
and a sleeping bag.
"You're a life saver.. I thought I'd freeze to death here."
"That was a possibility the temperature can drop quite
sharply at night at this time of the year, I was told they expect
it to start snowing any day now," Fraser said squatting down to
make a bed before the dying fire with the things.
"Now, you curl up here."
Ray didn't have to be told twice. Fraser gave Dief the
signal and he crawled under the blankets Fraser held up and
snuggled up next to Ray. Fraser tucked them around Ray and the
wolf,
making sure there was an air space for Dief.
"There, that should keep you warm enough till I get back."
"Food?"
"When I get back," Fraser promised and walked off.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray could live with an empty stomach, the warmth and company
of the wolf he'd gotten used too and missed were enough to send
him
to sleep. He was sleeping with a crooked little smile on his
face
when Fraser returned.
Fraser quietly got the first started again, first with twigs
adding more and more till it was roaring away, then adding thick
dead branches he'd found and broken up. He piled enough wood on
to
keep the fire going for a few hours and left Ray sleeping to
go out
and scout for more. He chose to search for it along the
road way,
taking the ATV out beyond the property's boundary.
He scouted around with his torch, rugged up in the coat he'd
brought for the cold season, and filled the back seat with wood,
both of the twig and semi log variety. Some of it was chilly and
slightly damp, but if set before the fire he'd got started, it
would
dry out before it was tossed on to keep it going.
The wood pile started tumbling to the floor and built up to
the level of the seat and Fraser emptied a bag out and went
hunting for pine needles and scented leaves. He filled the bag
and
emptied another filling it too before the Sheriff's ATV came
slowed
to a crawl and stopped by the ATV. Fraser returned with an
armful
of pine cones that he tossed in the back under the
Sheriff's curious eye.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Gathering fire supplies. Before the snow sets in."
"A
fine idea, but I'm kind of curious about why? Weren't you
supposed
to be heading out?"
"I was.. I found out who set off the alarm at Dean's place."
"So it was a break in and not just some animal."
"It was someone with a legitimate reason to be there."
"That'd be Fiorella, Meghan told me she saw him in town."
"You know about him."
"It's my business to know these things. That's his Vehicle
you've
got there."
Fraser looked at it in surprise.
"It is???"
"Dean's just like his mother. Doesn't own a car, he prefers
a horse."
"I've seen him driving a car.. He.."
"When he needs to go a fair distance he just calls the hire
company, they send one out, and he drives the rep back."
"Oh."
"He started driving that around after that bear decided to
say
Howdy to Fiorella and it was re-registered laugh month... In
Fiorella's
name, even if Dean paid for it. In the eyes of the law
the ATV still
belongs to Fiorella."
"I was going to meet Dean in the city, leave it with him and
continue on by plane."
"Why don't you just drive on back, and I'll follow you in.
You
off load and I'll drive you into town. Meghan will find
someone who can take you out to the airport in the morning."
"Thank's for the offer, but he's tired out and sleeping. I
was
planning to stay the night and take care of him. Dean took
everything
when he left, including his belongings.. So I might as
well continue
my journey with him and see if I can get him and my
cousin to patch
things up."
"Ah, well.. Sounds sensible to me. But I'm also thinking
it's
a waste of time trying to get them to patch up. I know what
Dean
thinks, but he's wrong."
"About what?"
"What Fiorella came back for, and it wasn't to shack up with
him. It was that wolf you adopted.. He came to set it free in the
wild."
"How do you know that?"
"Told me so himself.. When I helped him change a flat he got
on that same stretch of road I found you on. That was before the
bear got him."
"Oh."
"My guess is he only stayed as long as he did cause he ain't
got no folks, and no one to take care of him when he needed
someone to do it. Dean was ready, willing and able and what
happens? Soon's he's able, Fiorella goes and walks on Dean, and I
don't rightly blame him."
"Oh??? Why?"
"Well, Dean's got a roving eye that's why, he even had a
picture
of you buck naked in his gallery."
Fraser's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Bathing in the river. Now I ain't gay so I can't say for a
certainty how things work for people who are, but if it was me, I
wouldn't put up with it. And after what that bear did to
Fiorella.. Well, it's a sure thing he doesn't have what it takes
to keep Dean's eyes from wandering. And when the eyes wander, the
rest soon follows. I'd say the only reason Fiorella came back was
because he was looking for the things he left behind. Like his
ATV."
"Well... You're probably right, but the least I can do is
help
him get his things back."
"You do that," the sheriff said and started back for his
car.
"And drop by on your way out.. Meghan's got a little going
away
present for you."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray woke slowly, cosy, warm and very comfortable. He peeked
under the blankets and found a wolf on one side and Fraser on the
other. Then something else registered, Fraser had an erection
that
was throbbing against his thigh and it registered because
Fraser
was making little movements in his sleep.
Ray flushed imagining Fraser was thinking about that woman,
Victoria, dreaming about her. He remembered the things she'd done
to him before he'd passed out and shuddered. Fraser made a little
murmur and shifted. The next thing Ray knew Fraser's hands were
roaming
and he was being nuzzled. That was nice.
Dief moved away when Fraser's roaming hands started to strip
him and Ray rolled onto his back. Fraser followed and his mouth
followed
the path his hands took.
His body arched, hands clawing at the sleeping bag that was
their mattress, as Fraser's mouth closed over his sex and first
one
then two fingers slipped inside him to find then stimulate
that special
place inside. He babbled with pleasure, and cried
out in ecstasy
as Fraser brought him to orgasm.
Then while he was still blissed out, Fraser slid up his body
to ravish his throat. Ray's cry echoed through the house when
Fraser
hot sex impaled him, hard and passionately as his body
moved over
and inside him, following his instincts, to bury
himself inside his lover.
Tear's rolled down Ray's face as Fraser followed his
instincts, and the mouth ravishing his throat moved to an ear to
growl words of love so passionately in it before returning to its
previous activities.
Ray's hand's flew to Fraser's back, his short nails raking
it, as Fraser's hands moved making him change position again and
again. Ray arched and cried out as Fraser found the right
position to thrust so hard and deep that Ray thought they'd be
joined
together for the rest of the lives.
He felt a frisson of pleasure as Fraser moved against him
then he was thrusting back against him, three times before he
shuddered
over him, his teeth sinking hard into his skin as he
spilled his
seed deep within Ray.
Then he rolled away and lay panting, an arm over Ray,
snuggling up to his side, to murmur words of love in his ear
before he slipped back into a deep satiated sleep with a smile on
his face.
Ray stared at the ceiling not moving till he was sure Fraser
wouldn't rouse then he slipped free and gathered up his clothes
and
limped away.
Fraser wasn't all that surprised to wake up alone and went
in search of the bathroom. He was expecting a cold shower and
surprised
when he got a warm one. After he'd cleaned up he looked
through the
house, but it wasn't till he stepped out that he
found Ray.
Ray was leaning against the side of the house, wearing
Fraser's winter coat, watching Dief chase a butterfly around. Ray
glanced around Fraser as approached.
"Sleep well?" Ray asked.
"I had... pleasant dreams."
=I bet=
"I wish I'd found out you were who you reminded me of before
Victoria was arrested.. I would have stayed here... I... Want to
stay... But.. I've already made contact with people... I read
about
your "murder" and.. they're expecting me to return and help
them find your killer," Fraser said in a faintly apologetic tone.
Ray gave a snicker at that.
"They'll think it strange if I don't.." Fraser continued.
Ray nodded.
"I can't stay here, they can't find out I took my cousin's
place."
"You took your cousin's place?!" blurted the surprised Ray.
"He.. died.. everyone here was expecting him, and I looked
so much like his picture that they thought I was my cousin. I
took
advantage of it and used his identity. I thought long and
hard about
taking my own identity back.. Before I made the first
steps.. If
you'd returned before I took those steps, I wouldn't
have given up
his identity, I would have kept it to remain with
you."
"Can't be helped."
"I will come back, R... George. But I'll come back as Benton
Fraser, not Allen Pinset.. And.. It will take time.. There's so
much
I have to do.."
"Why come back?"
Fraser looked down then around at Dief.
"I won't be here."
"You have too.."
"Stay... No I don't. I have a fiancee back in the big
smoke.. I'm going to get married... Maybe even... Start a
family."
=Fiancee!=
"You need to stay here for a time R... George. Victoria told
them she saw you *alive*. Before she was arrested."
"I expected as much.. She probably told them where to go,
but
the people there know me as George Fiorella. Not Ray."
"If
you did *anything* at all that convinced her otherwise
of that she
will keep insisting that it's you. They may send
someone who knows you well out to watch you - thinking you were
aware
of the similarities and told people you're Fiorella.. You
have to
stay here, give me time to... find a way to undo the
damage .. one way or another."
"I don't have enough money too.."
"I will talk to Dean and..."
"No!"
Fraser's hands touched him
"George, just hear me out.."
"All I want out of him is my stuff back."
"George... Listen to me..."
"No, you listen to me, the man is a liar, he'd say anything,
do anything, take advantage of anything that would get him what
he
wants."
"As far as he's concerned Ray, when you left that hospital,
you left him, he asked me to help find you... So he could return
your things. He's worried about you. He knows you have no money.
Everything you own you left behind... He will give me your
things, I can get money.."
"I don't want his money."
"I have money - me Benton Fraser.. It's not much but it will
keep you going while I try to sort this mess out, don't," he
touched Ray's lips to stop him rejecting the offer, "object.
Victoria has put your new identity in danger.. Unless I can sort
the mess out it could be blown and you could be charged with
insurance fraud at the very least, and possibly murder."
Ray
shivered.
"Stay here.. Please, give me time."
Ray looked around at Dief again.
"Stay... I'll contact Dean for you and make all the
arrangements so that you can stay here... Don't worry, Dean has
moved
back to the city he won't come back... You won't have to
worry about
him returning. He'll be happy knowing your safe and
well, while he
works on the project he returned to the city to
work on. Trust me..
"
"I don't trust him."
"Why?"
"He's a liar."
"What makes you think that.."
"He lied to me at the hospital.. here.. Said he retired he
didn't."
"Because he was sacked for being Gay."
"You know?!"
"He told me about it.. It happened after he and his lover
were
attacked. His partner didn't survive.. He almost didn't."
"I
know that much is true."
"Did he tell you that he was taken back in by his old firm."
Ray nodded.
"It was a lie."
"No it's not. I've seen Mr Anderson, they need Dean, and he
needs them to achieve a goal he never thought he'd be able to do.
They built the new visitors centre at the park after the old one
burned down. He returned to build an art museum, after the Judges
of a competition for its contract came to see the centre and
virtually awarded it the contract to him on the spot."
"What?!"
"He was over the moon about it. The only real rival they had
was a firm called.."
"Casim & Associates?"
"Yes how did.."
"I met one of them.. He thought I was someone else, told me
Dean.."
"Was nothing but an interior decorator."
"Yes."
"That he wasn't an architect.. Dean told me he worked for
them
for a time. After he lost his place at Anderson's firm. They
*used*
him to snatch a contract from that firm, and sacked him
once he'd
served his purpose, they savaged his work, degenerated
it and him.
That's why he returned.. He felt his career was over,
finished, that
everyone felt the same way."
"He wasn't.. lying.. He really does have a job with
Anderson..?"
Fraser nodded.
"And he is a respected Architect.. I talked to Anderson
without Dean around.. He said Dean was one of the most talented
architects
he'd ever worked with, probably *The Most Talented*.
He's changed
his views.. He had too.. He found out his own son is
Gay and had
to come to terms with it. If he'd known where Dean
was, he would
have come to ask him to return before now. He's
glad he found him..
He wants to retire.. He could bail out now
and let the firm collapse.
But he wants to save it and pass it
on... And the person he wants
to hand the reigns over to is
Dean."
"Why not his son?"
"He died.. Of Aids. A year ago."
"Oh."
"Anderson has no one to leave it to when he retires. He
doesn't want to let what he spent a life time building just die
with
a whimper.. Thanks to the efforts of that firm who savaged
Dean's
work."
"Why did Dean go back if Anderson sacked him for being Gay?"
"Anderson never degenerated his work, and he can respect him
and he wants revenge.. Getting that contract building the best
damned
Art Museum ever built will be his revenge, show all the
people who
degenerated his work and called him an Interior
Decorator how wrong they were. He wants to put Casim & Associates
in their place. And he can do it."
"Makes sense to me."
"That architect you talked to was the liar.. Not Dean."
"There were.. other reasons.. I left.."
"What?"
Ray sighed.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Why not?"
"Because your straight."
=Victoria put me off women, for life.=
"I thought I was.. once. Now I'm not sure what I am. Maybe
I'm
Bi.. Maybe I'm Gay.. I don't know. I know.. The idea of
having a male lover isn't totally repungent to me."
Ray's eyes widened then narrowed with suspicion.
"Did you and Dean..."
"Nooo.. Well yes and no."
Ray glared at him.
"He kissed me once, when he was excited."
Ray rolled his eyes.
"I liked it... And.. I talked to him... About my...
sexuality... And... he preformed an experiment with me...
Blindfold me... Told me to think about the person I thought I was
in love with."
"It wasn't him."
"No... It was another man."
"And.."
"The end result of the experiment was that he said I was
either
Gay and hadn't worked it out, or Bi."
"Did you like.. what he did with you?"
Fraser nodded.
=And you were his lover.. I'd like it a lot more with you.=
"Did you have sex?"
Fraser stared at him for a few moments.
"Do you even know what sex is? He told me.."
"I've had sex with my Fiancee. I know what it is."
"Oh."
"Sooo.. Did you have sex with him?"
Fraser blushed.
"You did."
With a little sigh, Fraser nodded.
"Did it hurt?"
Fraser stared at him.
"When he.. you know.."
"Why George... Are you asking because you're having second
thoughts?"
Ray's cheeks turned pink.
"No... My Fiancee's good in bed. I'm just curious, Dean
would never do it with me."
"He didn't do it to me either.. He's highly well endowed.."
"Uh-hu... So he let you do it to him.."
Fraser blushed again.
"I was.. Rather deep in my fantasy... And he *is* as you
know..
an incredible lover."
Ray smirked.
"Pushed every button you had."
"Yes.. Including a few I didn't know I had."
Ray chuckled at that.
"He's good at that.. You know.. if things don't work out for
you with this guy... when you go back... You could do worse than
Dean."
"No. Dean made it clear it was a once off event. Before and
after."
"Oh.. Well.. I'm sure if you courted him."
"It wouldn't make a difference.. We were both thinking of
another
man while were with each other."
=The same one=
"Oh.."
"And you can guess who he was thinking of."
"Yeah, the old pre-bear attack me."
Fraser decided not to waste his breath trying to convince
Ray otherwise. He had a fiancee after all.
"You were wrong about him once, maybe you were wrong about
that
too.. I do know that he loves you, and probably always will.
And
he would want you to be happy... If your fiancee makes you
happy
he will be happy for you... And if I ask.. He will help
keep you
safe till I can sort things out. So please... Stay and
give me a
chance to do that."
Ray nodded.
"I'll leave Dief here, with you... He's at home here and
he'll
protect you."
"I know he will."
"I'll leave the blankets, you'll need wood and food to keep
you going till I can get things arranged for you.. I'll go into
town,
and bring you some food back.. And all the wood I can
collect on my way back."
"It took forever to get that fire started last night rubbing
twigs together. Do you think you can get some matches and fire
starters
too.."
Fraser nodded.
"I'll see if I can get the electricity and phone reconnected
too. You apparently have hot water."
"Solar panels, up on roof."
"Ah."
"It's a long way to town."
Fraser gave a little nod and Ray pulled out a small pile of
bills.
"Here.. Get me some clothes too, Something more.. suitable
for
the weather."
Fraser looked at the money calculating how much was there
and tucked it into his pocket with a nod.
"You can keep that coat, I'll get myself another one,"
Fraser said before he turned and walked away.
Ray resumed watching Dief chasing his butterfly until the
ATV was just a speck in the distance. Then he returned indoors
and
threw the quilt and blankets aside to pick up the sleeping
bag and
carry it to the bathroom to scrub it clean before he
filled the bath with boiling water and let it soak till it
cooled.
After he wrung the bag out he hung it over the rail over the
fire place to dry and walked out taking a blanket with him. Back
and forth into the grounds he went collecting every twig worth
tossing
on a fire he could find. He filled one of the wood bins
at the side
of the house with those, and listened to his stomach
growl.
He went to the garden and investigated it. Finding a less
than appetizing bunch of carrots but he was so hungry he didn't
care
and took them back to the house to wash them and warm
himself in front of the fire while he devoured them.
When his belly stopped growling he returned to the outside
world, recovering the blanket and went hunting for pine cones and
large patches of dry fallen needles. He filled the second wood
bin
with those before he went hunting again, this time without
the blanket.
It was tiring work, dragging home the biggest fallen
branches he
could find, painful too. Especially when he had to
stomp on thick
branches to break them up before they went into
the wood box, it
jarred his leg and sent pain shooting up it but
he didn't stop till
he had all six boxes filled.
Though it was the last thing he felt like, Ray laughed when
he walked inside and found Dief curled up on the blankets and a
dead
rabbit lying on the fire lintel.
"Is this for me?" He asked picking it up by the ears and
pointing to him self.
Dief gave a little bark and Ray stretched out to ruffle his
fur.
"It's a lovely thought Dief, but I can't do anything with
it.
I don't have a knife to skin it with. You can have it for
your own
dinner. Though I suppose you found plenty out there to
fill your
belly with before you brought this one back for me."
He carried
it off to the kitchen then returned to shoo Dief
off the blankets and carried them off to his bedroom to make the
bed. The sleeping bag he pulled off the rail and rolled up
leaving it by the door. Then he dragged the couch as close as he
dared to the fire, tossed some more wood on and stretched out on
the couch.
Once he was settled Dief jumped up and curled up beside him
and got a pat before Ray let himself drift off to have a well
deserved
nap.
He was sleeping when Fraser returned and didn't wake as
Fraser crept through the house. Food was left in the kitchen
along with a few basic essential items. He saw the rabbit and
saved
Ray the trouble of dealing with by skinning and gutting it
over the
sink, then he went to work turning half of it into a
stew and the
other half went into the dish he'd brought for Dief.
He left it on
the bench where Ray would find it and then
returned to the ATV to deal with the rest of his purchases.
Towels, soap and shampoo were left in the bathroom along with a
liquid
detergent and fabric softener as he knew Ray liked his
towels soft
and fluffy. He dropped another quilt on the bed along
with some pillows
and sheets preferring not to spend a second
more in the room than
he had too. It gave him idea's about making
love to Ray who'd had
already made it clear that he wasn't
willing to indulge himself again.
He returned to the ATV to collect his going away present and
last bag. Those he left in the lounge for Ray to find along with
a box he left by the door when he collected his sleeping bag.
He
discovered how Ray had kept himself busy when he went to
the wood boxes and smiled to himself. It would mean another trip
to the house, but he wasn't complaining. He took the ATV around
to
the stable and backed it and the trailer he'd hired to fill
with
a load of wood into the stable. He stacked the wood where it
was
least likely to get wet and saved a few armfuls for the
house.
He returned to the house one last time to stack the wood by
the fire place and left a note where Ray would find it, letting
him
know where the wood was and his rifle by the door with
ammunition. Dief watched him moving about and Fraser stopped by
the
couch to give him a pet.
"Take good care of him Dief," he said softly.
The wolf gave a little whine.
"I'll be back.. when it's safe."
Then he leaned over Ray to press a kiss to his brow.
"Stay out of trouble," he said softly in Ray's ear.
Ray
flipped over and snuggled down with an incoherent mumble
that Fraser could only understand part of, "I'm not a baby any
more."
He gave a faint smile and stroked Ray's hair before taking a
deep breath and striding out, locking the door behind himself and
driving away.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray was glad to find Fraser had come and gone while he'd
slept. He'd been dreading facing him again. He felt a little
guilty when he saw everything Fraser had brought back for him. He
packed away the food that would last him a month if he could
supplement his diet off the land. Fraser had even thought of
supplying the sort of knives he'd need to skin and dress any game
he caught.
He discovered the Fraser had taken care of the rabbit and
how and felt another stab of guilt, but his rumbling stomach
didn't care so he carried the pot over to the fire place. He left
it on the mantle and went out to find some large rocks that he
used
to ring the embers and set the pot on it balancing it
carefully.
Dief watched it all from the couch and hoped he'd get some.
He decided to make do with the bowl of rabbit bits Ray set down
for
him instead.
"I'm going to have to learn to do that for myself if you
keep
bringing Rabbits back. Hello.. What's that?"
He wandered away to find Meghan's good bye present, one of
her hand crafted rugs. He dragged the couch back and rolled the
rug
out a safe distance from the fire. Then he went back to
explore the bag and found clothes, three pairs of thermal
underwear, gloves, pairs of thick socks, two beanies, a
balaclava, several of Fraser's favourite kind of undershirt, four
thick flannel shirts, three fleecy lined sweat suits two pairs of
jeans at least a size too big, two belts, half a dozen big chunky
knit pull overs and what was probably the most expensive items of
all a pair of knee high sheep skin boots and a sheep skin lined
coat,
an over coat to be exact.
Ray's guilt levels rose. They rose a notch higher when he
spied the box and found a first kid, with everything he could
possibly
need, stationary including writing pads and pencils.
There was also
half a dozen puzzle books, with a post note
saying, to pass the time, and the very latest novels from his
favourite
thriller and crime writers. At the very bottom of the
box he even
found a box of chocolates and half a dozen blocks of
chocolate under
that.
Ray ripped the cellophane off the box and opened it. Dief
was at his ankles in a flash looking up hopefully. Ray gave him a
teasing smile and popped one in his mouth savouring it. It had
been
a long time since he'd been able to indulge his sweet tooth.
Dief
gave the same impression, pawing his leg and giving a little
whine.
Ray finally dropped one down for him.
"There you go."
Dief gobbled it up and looked up again hopefully to watch
Ray close the box and cover it with the blocks from the box. His
little eyes gleamed, he knew a chocolate block when he saw it. He
followed Ray through the house and thought uncharitable thoughts
when he saw Ray store them somewhere high out of his reach.
"A piece a day, and no more, you chow hound."
:---=====(*)=====---:
It started snowing two days after Fraser left and Dief
stayed indoors keeping Ray company. More than once he woke Ray up
from his dreams. For which Ray was glad. They were horrible
dreams of people fighting over him, his mother, his fiancee,
Dean
and Fraser. And Victoria, laughing at him, announcing she
had a little
game to play. Those were the worst dreams.
A week and a half after Fraser left, the electricity was
restored. The next day, the phone rang. He debated wether to
answer it, then working on the assumption it was Fraser answered
it. It was Fraser.
"George.. It's me."
"Thanks.. I was starting to wonder if the electricity would
ever be restored."
"I had to talk to Dean about that. He told me he took care
of
it yesterday. I said I'd bring your things back, but.. Dean
is sending
more. A truck will arrive in about a week and a half..
The sheriff
will come out with the removalists."
"He knows I'm here."
"Dean told him. It's probably better if he knows."
"I suppose.. But it kind of defeats the purpose of hiding
out."
"He'll bring food and supplies when he comes, Dean's
arranging everything."
"Then he's definitely o.k with it."
"Oh, yes, he's glad to have someone there. He didn't feel
secure
about leaving the place unoccupied while he was away. He
said the
last time he was away for an extended period, a tourist
who stumbled
on to it broke in and carried off quite a few
things. He got it back when the man tried to sell some of the art
he stole."
Ray gave an evil snicker.
"I bet."
"Are you warm enough?"
"I've got plenty of wood, and the fire place warms up the
whole
house."
"Is Dief.."
"He's fine, he's come inside now it's started snowing. He
keeps
me company and lounges in front of the fire all day."
"He
loves the snow, he must be doing it to keep an eye on
you."
"It's because it's freezing out there and nice and warm in
here,
that's what it is."
There was a beep on the line.
"That was the last of my coins.. Ray tell me where to find
your
Fiancee.. I'll talk to her and.."
"I'll ring her now the phones working again."
"No.. No one here can know where you are.. Dean can be
trusted."
"I trust her."
"Did you tell her who you are?"
"Yes but she never believed me and... I never went out of my
way to prove it."
"Then you didn't trust her enough. Now please, tell me where
to find her and I'll talk to her."
"How do you know Dean can be trusted?"
"I told him who I was and why I became Allen. That's how
much
I trust him. I explained the woman responsible has put you
into danger..
He will not say anything to anyone."
"He told the sheriff."
"The Sheriff is his step brother."
"What?!"
"Apparently his father married Dean's mother when Dean was
ten,
and the Sheriff was 13. From that point on they were raised
together
till Dean was 16. His brother used to watch out for him
and take
care of anyone who tried to beat up on his brother.
He'll take care of you too, because Dean told him too."
"Oh-kay."
"Now, his Aunt will arrive some time with Dean's horse,
she's had it since he left. She'll bring everything it needs and
show you how to take care of it. It'll give you something to do."
"Uh-hu."
"And give you transport if you just want to get out."
"I
can't ride a horse."
"There's nothing to it.. You'll get the hang of it soon
enough.. Ask her to give you a lesson or two before the snow
really sets in. She's a horse breeder she knows all about
training people to ride."
"If you say so."
"Now.. Tell me about your Fiancee."
Ray did, warning Fraser not to let anyone else know or it
could cost her, her job. He also asked him to clear things up so
he still had one when he returned. Fraser promised to do so.
"Oh.. I almost forget. You might get a visit occasionally
from
a ranger, my old partner, I talked to him, as Allen Pinset
and told
him to keep an eye on you because you're a friend of the
Cousin he
helped me find. I'm setting things up so I can return."
"Gotcha."
"He's a bit of a loud mouth, with a mouth like a sewer pit,
but you have similar tastes in reading matter. I think you'll get
along.. Oh, he's straight, very straight.. Dean said I should
mention
that."
"Thanks."
"He'll probably be a little..."
The dial tone cut in and Ray sighed. Benton would run out of
coins before he finished. He hung up and returned to the fire to
throw a little more wood on. If it was important Benton would
ring
back when he had more change.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Well?" Dean asked as he let Fraser in.
"I got her name and details out of him," Fraser said handing
over a sheet of paper.
"I visited her work place to get more details. I tried to
talk
to her employer, but she'd left. Apparently she had a family
emergency
to attend so I couldn't ask her about the woman, or...
help George
keep his job."
"Did you find out if this Victoria woman has been stirring
up
trouble?"
"Yes. They've already had one visit from the police looking
for him. They were very annoyed that he'd left town and they
weren't able to talk to him personally."
"Obviously he knew she'd be trouble."
"I talked to his fiance and she said he had trouble with
Victoria
and that he left town to avoid more. She loaned him the
money to
do it.."
"What are your impressions of the woman?"
"Hire the detective."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray heard the pounding on the door and assumed it was the
Ranger Fraser told him to expect. He got the surprise of his life
when he opened the door and the Boss Lady from the shelter
staggered in, covered in snow, all chattering teeth and shivering
badly.
He quickly closed the door and got her over to the fire,
finding a chair for her to sit on while she thawed out. She
looked up at him as she did and he walked away to make coffee.
"What
are you doing here?" He asked when he returned and
handed her
a cup.
She sipped at the coffee first and waited till her teeth
stopped chattering.
"My car broke down on the highway. I saw the smoke from your
fire place and headed for it.."
"What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I was looking for you."
"Well you broke down in the right place to do it."
She looked around.
"So this is where you live."
"For the moment."
"You never intended to come back, did you?"
"I didn't come here intending to stay this long. I do
intend to return.. It's just not safe right now."
"Who are you? The police came asking questions about you...
And that woman.. "
"Her name's Victoria Meltcafe."
"She used another name when she stayed there... We helped
her
get back on her feet... Now I find out she's wanted for
murder in Chicago... And they're saying .."
"I'm someone else. I explained that to the police when I
helped
them catch her. Obviously the detectives involved decided
to do me
a favour and not mention my involvement."
"Who are you?"
"I'm who I told you was.. I am George Fiorella.. The travel
columnist and I can prove it.. If you know anything about ..."
"I know all about him. I ran a background check before I
offered
you a job. What I learned seemed to match your story."
"But
now you doubt it."
"They showed me a picture of the man they were looking for,
Raymond Vecchio - the name that woman booked you in under. You
could
be twins.. Well if you didn't have the scars."
"I know," he said, "Just wait here and warm up, I'll be
right back."
He was, with Dief, she stared at him.
"Meet Chow Hound."
"I thought you said you released him in the wild."
"A ranger was looking after him. He's been domesticated too
long to go back to the wild."
Dief moved in to sniff her.
"He's friendly don't worry."
She held out her hand and Dief sniffed it, and then decided
she was safe enough and curled up on the rug watching her.
"There was another reason I came... I had a call from the
Sheriff
the day after you arrived back, he said a woman who
claimed to be your fiancee gave him our number to call if he saw
you."
"Did he say who it was?" he asked warily.
She nodded.
"Is it true? Don't lie... It's important that I know."
Ray looked into the fire crossing his arms.
"George.. Listen to me... This is going to hurt... Lily ran
the back ground check, she knows you're who you say you are."
Ray bowed his head.
"She has latched onto formerly rich and famous men who
passed through our doors when they were hard on their luck
in the past. Self made millionaires and people who are famous
through
their work, not just for being someone are the ones she
latches onto.
Those are the ones who have the most chance of
getting back on their feet and rebuilding their old lives. She
wants
to be rich. The only thing she loves about you is your
fame, and the riches she thinks it will bring."
"Why do you keep her on, if she does that?" he asked his
voice rough.
"I know what Lily's like and keep an eye on her, I warned
all
the men she latched onto... I didn't know she'd latched onto
you.
I didn't think she would... I thought... you were involved
with that
other woman and that there was no reason to worry about
it in your
case."
He sighed.
"Why... do you keep her on?"
"She'd never get work outside the shelter, apart from
working the streets. And that's what Lily used to do.. She used
to
sell her body to get money for the drugs she was addicted too.
She
was busted and put through rehabilitation but she had no
where to go and kept ending back on the street, hooked again. The
police officer who kept trying to get Lily off the streets
brought her to me as a last resort... She'd be back on the
streets selling her self the minute she ran out of money if I
gave
her the sack for what she does.."
"You won't."
"No. I won't. I'm sorry... But I'm going to have to ask you
not to return... If you still need a job when you're ready to
return
I will put you up - at my house, find you an agent, and
keep a roof
over your head till he can get a publisher for your
work."
He wiped his face on his sleeve and drew in a deep
shuddering breath before he looked at her.
"Don't worry... The man I told you about owns this place...
He'd take care of me as long as I need help. I didn't know how to
contact him... But someone who did has..."
"The called this the William's place... Told me if I missed
the turn off to go on till I hit the park, that the Sheriff was
there..
He said his name was William's.. Is this his place?"
"No.
It's Dean's. The man I told you about."
"Dean Alexander."
He nodded.
"The Architect?"
He nodded.
She looked around again, then looked up at him.
"There's something you should know about him... If he's the
same Dean Alexander who built that magnificent gallery in the
Hayden
Building."
Ray nodded.
"He's Gay, George. He was outed in the worst way quite a few
years ago."
"I know."
"Oh.. Well... I thought... "
"Just because he's gay doesn't mean he leaps on any man
around."
"I didn't.."
"No, you just inferred it when you just felt you had to warn
me."
"George.. I didn't mean it that way... I used to know him."
That silenced Ray.
"He came through the shelter... In a wheel chair..."
"I
know what happened to him."
"A former resident who works in a hotel found him, in his
hotel
room, in the bath, he slashed his wrists. At that point, he
just
wanted to die. To join his lover who died. We took him in...
Watched
him around the clock until someone came to offer him
work. He oversaw the work on that gallery in the Hayden Building
from his wheel chair. It gave him back the spark he lost, he
designed it before... his lover died... His lover encouraged him
to put his heart and soul into it. "
"It's breath taking."
"You've seen it."
Ray nodded.
"He was fired the day they completed it. And he returned to
us... He was completely shattered. He didn't try to actively kill
himself, he just didn't care if he lived or died any more. Then
his
brother came and brought him home. We didn't hear a word for
two
years, then we received a huge parcel, 6 huge paintings... If
you
saw the Hayden Gallery you saw them... He told us to invite
Mr Anderson
to view them, then make him pay through the nose to
buy them... Which
he did. The next year it was the models which
we sold to Anderson
as well. Every year since we've received art
to auction. Dean is
one of our benefactors. His art sells for
very high prices."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"He's wealthy or people think he is. I'm not really sure,
he's
a benefactor to a number of charities that I know of.."
"And
the point?"
"I'm getting to it.. He sends all of them art, not cheques,
art. To do with what they will. Most sell it, one, the wildlife
organisation
uses it and makes money selling prints. Though I've
never heard of
him personally selling his work. People know about
Dean Alexander
the Architect and the artist.. They know he's gay
because of what
happened. Wether you are or not people will
assume it because you are under his wing."
"Do you think I am?"
"Well if you fell for Lily's con game you're not... But that
means nothing... She and others like her, who want to make money
- who think you or Dean have it - will try to use it to extort
money
out of you, on the threat of exposing your relationship
with him.
He'd probably pay out anyone who tried it on him... To
protect you
from the fall out he suffered. And there are
others... Gay people who'd approach you to come out for the
benefit of all Gays, you're a hero, and a famous name now. Others
militant gays would just out you - wether or not you are having a
relationship for the same reason. Just because you are under
Dean's wing... If you accept his help, his shelter, you should
know
what the price could be."
Ray nodded slowly.
"Thanks for the warning."
"No one will hear about it from me."
He gave her a weak little smile. She opened her mouth to say
more when the both heard a vehiCle approaching and looked around.
Ray walked over to a window to look out. The vehicle tripped the
hidden sensors and lights came on. Ray relaxed when he saw it was
the Sheriff's vehicle and moved to open the door. The sheriff
was
soon at the fire, telling them he saw the car and followed
the foot
prints till he saw where they were headed.
"Thought I'd check and see if some help was needed."
"Well,
this woman will need a lift into town. And her car
towed."
The sheriff nodded.
"I'd invite you to stay," Ray told her, "But there's only
enough bedding for one, and only one bed.. Dean took most of his
bedroom furniture with him."
"If you need a place to stay, I can put you up at my place
for
the night, Ma'am."
"Thank-you."
"You know what I'd like right now," Williams said to Ray.
"Coffee," Ray said.
The Sheriff nodded and Ray headed for the kitchen with the
Sheriff on his heels.
Once there Ray told him he knew Dean had contacted him and
the plans he'd made.
"Good, good.. I was intending to drop in on my way back to
town
to get a list off you anyway... Of anything you need. Dean
put some
money in the bank to cover expenses. He told me there's
a woman causing
you trouble.. That ain't her is it?"
"Oh, no, she came out here to warn me about a sweet talking
gold digger."
"Wouldn't be your fiancee would it?"
"Ex as of the minute I make the phone call."
"Ah.. A woman rang saying she was your fiancee.. I didn't
believe
it for a second.. Made a call.. The woman I spoke to
didn't know what I was talking about.. I figured it was a
reporter trying to track you down at first. Till I talked to
Dean, then I thought it was this other woman."
"That would have been my fiancee for sure, I was supposed to
ring her when I got to town but I couldn't find a phone that
worked."
"Those comedians that hit town a while back had some phone
with
all the public phones.. They don't think its so funny now
they're
cooling their heels in a cell."
"Oh, you caught them."
"Nope, passed a message on to a few towns along their
route.. They were caught in the act of doing it in another town."
"Good."
"Not so good is the reason I was out this way.. The local
beauty
queen went missing.. They found her.. In the park."
"Dead?"
He nodded.
"8th body we found that way.. 3rd one we've found in the
park.
That woman out there's lucky she broke down in walking
distance of this place.. 4 of them were women who's cars broke
down
along the highway."
"Sounds to me like you've got an opportunistic serial killer
on your hands."
"No doubt about it," Williams said with a nod.
"The other women?"
"We haven't been able to identify.. The way they were
buried made it hard for the coroner to tell how long they'd been
there. We've been finding bodies for two years now, but at least
one had been there for much longer than that."
"Any suspects?"
"A local.. Possibly one of the Rangers.. A woman alone on a
deserted stretch of road would trust one and he definitely knows
the park like the back of his hand. I'd take it kindly if you
reported
seeing any up to anything strange, digging or alone with
women out
on the highway."
Ray nodded.
"Which reminds me.. The one who molested you.."
"You got rid of him."
"Uh-no.. See it seems the one Dean asked could be trusted,
but
he couldn't make it so he asked, or more rightly told someone
else
to drop over and take care of it, but they had their hands
busy and
asked someone else.. And well.. I damn near went through
every man
there.. Seems like they were all asked to take care of
it and none
of them will admit to being the one who came out here
and no one
knows who did."
Ray rolled his eyes as the kettle boiled and started making
coffee.
"So I have to watch out for him."
"I'd say if he ever drops by this way again, not to open the
door and call me. Then go lock yourself in the store room."
"Where is that?"
"I'll show you after I have some of that coffee. I'm half
frozen."
Ray handed him a cup of it, he sipped and smiled.
"Perfect... Now, as I was saying, I'll call Ryan, he's the
Head
Ranger, and he'll send someone out immediately. By the time
I'd arrive,
he could be long gone."
Ray nodded.
"Now I'm telling you this because who ever's carving up
these women is one sick man, no telling what he could get up to."
"I doubt it's the same man, he did leave me alone. Once he
realised
he had the wrong idea completely."
"Still.. I'd like to get my hands on him... A pity your
description matches half the Rangers in the park..."
"I thought you said.."
"It's not worth a trial - that'd be worse for you than what
he did to you in the first place, and the media would be all over
it. I talked to Ryan, if I find out who it was, he'll be
dismissed and I'll be showing him the way to the county line."
Ray smiled faintly.
"If I don't throw him in a cell for suspicion of murder that
is... Now I hope you don't mind if I ask you to tell me what he
did,
and this time be.. graphic.. Every little bit helps. Don't
worry,
you don't have to tell me tonight.. I'll take care of the
lady...
You just get it clear in your head, and write it up for
me.It'll
probably be easier that way. You can give it to me when
I drop back
round to get that list."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Two more vehicles arrived after the Sheriff departed taking
his surprise visitor. Both Ranger ATV's, the first was a lone
Ranger
who Ray recognised from his visit to the park, he was
friendly and mentioned seeing the car. Ray told him the Sheriff
had
taken care of the driver and was going to arrange to have it
towed
away. The Ranger gave a nod and bid him goodnight to drive
away.
Another one showed up less than 20 minutes later. This time
it was two Rangers. Same reason. They looked near frozen and Ray
let them in, dragging the couch closer to the fire so they could
sit to thaw out by the fire and gave them a hot drink. They were
chatty and Ray discovered they were partners, in more ways than
one.
On their way back to the park after attending a social event
for
the County's gay community. They noticed his reaction and
hastened
to assure him it wasn't what he thought.
"Dean started it, not long before he left.. Him and that
reporter
Mz Ekles. So we could get to meet others, trade
information, particularly about people who are homophobic. The
last
thing we want is to find out someone's a homophobe after
they find
out we're gay."
"Ah.."
"The meetings are held at the Sheriff's house, so no one
would
dare bother us. We got a real surprise when someone we
thought was a raving phobe showed up... Turns out he just comes
across
that way with people less'n he know's they're gay or
neutral."
"Ah."
"Can't wait to tell Dean about him, he'd probably faint."
"Why? If he doesn't pretend with people he knows.."
"Dean's
the only one around here with the guts to come out
about it, but
then, his big brother's the Sheriff and would come
down hard on anyone
who tried to show him the errors of his ways
as it were. And most
people assume if you're a male friend of
Dean's, you've probably
slept with him, wether it's true or not
just because he's out."
"Uh-ha.. I was warned about that."
He enjoyed watching them both blush as they realised they
may have made the wrong assumption about him and Ray didn't put
them
out of their misery.
"I'm neutral."
They relaxed, neutral was good. The chattier of the pair
waffled on while his partner fell asleep beside him. When he
noticed that, he gave him a poke. Ray gave a faint smile.
"Come on sleepy head, we've got a ways to go before you.."
"There's a spare bed you can crash on. If you happen to have
sleeping bags or a blanket that is."
"We've got blankets in the back... One of us usually naps
while
the other drives. And it was so cold out, we tossed a pile
in."
"Why don't you go get them while I take care of the room."
The Ranger did settling his partner down on the couch to go
to the ATV while Ray stripped the spare bed of its plastic
covering. He'd been lying about Dean taking the bedroom
furniture, he simply hadn't wanted that woman to stay the night.
That would have meant talking further with her which he had been
glad to escape.
He took the bedding from the Ranger and suggested he park
his ATV in the stable, as there was plenty of room and it would
be
more likely to start in the morning if it were kept there. The
Ranger
went back out into the cold to follow his suggestion while
Ray made
up the bed for them, then he went back to the lounge to
get the sleepy
one up to his feet and headed in the right
direction, telling him where to find the bathroom and toilet as
well
as the bedroom.
He let the other Ranger in through the back door and
directed him to the bedroom and bathroom as he had with the
first, then went out to throw some more wood on the fire and
clean up the cups. He stretched out by the fire, Dief curling up
beside him on the lounge, and basked in the heat. He was wide
awake
now and his mind was busy mulling over the day's events and
discoveries.
He realised that discovering his Fiancee was a clever gold
digger wasn't that hard to believe. The things he learned about
her
made sense to him. He briefly toyed with the idea of going
through
with it any way, then dismissed the idea. Just like
Victoria that woman used sex as a weapon. And he didn't love her,
never had, he'd just been lonely and didn't want to stay that
way.
It was a nice little fantasy while it lasted, but reality
had reared its head, twice over, first Benton, then his
revelations about Dean. Ray wasn't even sure if he knew what love
was. He thought he'd loved Benton, he'd wanted what happened till
had crossed the line that Dean would never cross with him. Yes it
had hurt, but to be honest, it was more to do with surprise and
his
leg being touched and moved in ways that made the pain flare
up.
And there had been some pleasure in it. He was sure that
under the right circumstances it could be a lot better.
Then there was Dean, he did care for the man, he felt more
pain when he'd drooled over the Ranger at the river than he'd
felt
at learning the truth about his Fiancee. And Dean was a
wonderful lover who made his body come alive every time he
touched him. He'd bet Dean would be so careful and gentle that
he'd
never have to worry about pain spoiling things.
That reminded him of his fiance. Pain had never spoiled
things with her. Did that mean what happened with Benton was
different. He pondered the question and realised, it had been,
very
little foreplay, no intention to get into it, and Benton was
still
a novice in that particular area. Where as Dean and his
Fiancee were
both highly experienced in their own ways.
He didn't think Dean would let him do what Benton had, and
he wondered, if it would feel as wonderful as it had with his
fiancee.
So wrapped up was he in his thoughts that he didn't hear the
third vehicle to pull up. He didn't miss the banging on the door
though and rose with a sigh to answer it. How many more people
were
going to see that car and come to investigate he wondered.
He did
a double take and back stepped instinctively when he
found his molester on the door step. His molester did a double
take,
then smiled. Before Ray could gather his scattered wits the
man walked
in.
"Well hello there, I thought you'd left town."
"I did, now I'm back."
"There's a car up there, just off the side of the highway. I
noticed the smoke and figured whoever owned it broke in here to
wait
till morning in comfort. I couldn't trouble you for a cup of
coffee
could I. I've been on my bike for hours and I'm frozen."
Ray
would have liked nothing better than to have turfed him
out on his ear, but he was in now, and he remembered the other
two
rangers he'd invited to crash in the spare bed. Just let him
try
something, if Dief didn't go for him, he'd make enough noise
to rouse
them and they'd take care of him.
He spun on his heel heading for the kitchen expecting the
Ranger to head for the fire place. No sooner had he set the
kettle to boil than the man's arms wrapped around him from
behind. Ray spun but before he could do much more he was pinned
to
the bench and the man's mouth covered his.
Revulsion filled him and he shoved with all his might,
ignoring the pain it cost him. The amorous Ranger just bent him
back
over the bench. Pain ripped up his spine as he was forced up
hard
against the edge. It paralysed him for a moment made him cry
out
in pain and his stomach churned as the Ranger took advantage
to start
plundering his mouth.
Then one of the man's arms moved and he was being fondled,
it reminded him of Victoria. He remembered the pain he'd suffered
resisting her, he didn't want to go through that again. He
wondered why Dief wasn't attacking the man, as he stopped
fighting and passively took it.
Once he stopped fighting it, the Ranger eased up a little
and the pain that had almost paralysed him faded. It was just
like
the last time, with two differences, this time his body
didn't respond to the rough passion of the Ranger. And the Ranger
obviously liked things rougher than he'd first appeared too and
didn't
like Ray's passive resistance. He whimpered and cried out
in pain,
at the roughness he was handled with and realised the
man definitely
liked dishing out pain. He was getting turned on -
the Ranger, not
Ray.
All of Ray's cries were muffled, not loud enough to attract
attention. When the man's mouth wasn't plundering his, his hand
was
over it. His hot breath on his ear, panting and saying much
what
Victoria had. He wondered if that was standard. Wondered
what it
would take to make Dief attack him, if the wolf was
asleep.
He was forced down to his knees and told he had a choice,
neither of which appealed to him. His head was rammed into the
cupboard
and he saw stars. That was when he heard Dief growl.
=Thank-you god=
He was released and slumped to the floor dazed. His head hit
the polished floor boards and he knew no more.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"And you're absolutely sure it was the same man?"
Ray nodded, and wished he hadn't it made his headache worse.
Meghan told her husband to stop pestering the poor soul already
and
bustled him out before returning the side of the spare bed
Ray now
occupied.
She fussed around and told him to lie down already, which he
was glad to do.
"How did I get here?"
"Those Ranger's you invited to use the spare room heard your
Wolf making a racket and when they investigated, they found the
front
door open, heard someone speeding away and found you on the
kitchen
floor out cold. One stayed to watch the house, in case
that animal
came back - and I'm not talking about your wolf, and
the other one
brought you here."
She tucked him in, sympathised and told him he should really
look into self defence lessons.
"Then you could fight back."
"Tried that... Hurt so much.."
"Let me give you your first lesson.. You watch me.. Are you
watching.. Good.." She brought her knee up swiftly.
"Do that, and go for the family jewels, hard as you can..
That'll
put him down and when he is.. Either run, or find
something to whack him over the head with, not too hard mind, you
can crack a persons skull and kill them."
=I cracked my own skull and killed myself=
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray slept the day away and woke late in the evening to be
driven out to the airfield by the Sheriff. He was bundled into a
small planed with Dief, and sent on his way. The plane took him
to
a larger airport where he was directed to a passenger plane.
His
reputation served him well, George Fiorella and Chow Hound
were allowed
to fly together. Dief on the seat beside him.
He was met at the other end by a chauffeur and bundled into
a limo, driven through the city to a sky scraper, and met by the
door man who showed him up to the penthouse. There he collapsed
on
the bed and Dief curled up at his side.
:---=====(*)=====---:
When he next opened his eyes it was to find Fraser hovering
over him with a smile. He was still half asleep, still
recovering, jumbled memories flittered past his minds eye and he
cried out - striking out. Fraser staggered back, a hand to his
face,
Ray scrambled back over the bed and tumbled off the edge
and Dief
jumped to his feet, not knowing who to "defend." After a
moment or two's thought about he decided Ray needed defending
more
than Fraser did and moved to stand where he could protect
Ray and
growled at Fraser.
Fraser backed up hands up.
"It's ok Dief, I'm not going to touch him," he said and he
backed toward the door.
Ray only rose up when Fraser closed the door on his way out.
Then Ray threw his arms around Dief hugging and stroking him.
"Good
boy.."
Dief licked his face and Ray had a chance to get his
scattered wits together.
"Why couldn't you have done that with that Ranger?"
Dief
gave a little whine. Ray wouldn't understand. The poor
wolf didn't understand what had been going on, but it knew what
violence
was when it saw it and had acted when he'd seen it. It
had learned
a lesson and wouldn't let anyone else hurt Ray.
Ray ruffled Dief's fur burying his face in it for a moment,
thinking of how the Wolf had been Benton's and chosen to defend
him
against the man when he'd been so obviously frightened. He
made sure
the wolf could see his face.
"It's alright... Thank-you. I don't know what I'd do without
you."
Dief licked his face. He needed him alright, look at all the
trouble he got into. Maybe now he'd show his appreciation more
often
the way he used to do.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser was working in the kitchen off the dining area. If
you stood at the right place you could get a view of the dining
area
and the lounge beyond.
Fraser heard a door open and shortly there after voices,
Ray's, excited, babbling and Dean's soothing. Fraser moved to the
place with a view and saw Dean near the couch, Ray wrapped around
him, while Dean stroked his back and head telling him everything
was going to be alright. He saw Dief in the doorway to the room
Ray
had occupied watching them with an eye of suspicion.
It pained him to see the wolf so wary of such things. But it
set his mind at rest, he'd told Dief to protect Ray. He was doing
that. Had done or so it had been reported, and shown he was
willing to defend Ray against anyone Ray viewed as a threat
including him.
He remained in the kitchen finishing his work there and
cleaning up till he heard the door open and close. He checked,
they
were gone. Fraser crept through the penthouse to get his
things.
He couldn't put off his return to Chicago any longer, and
he knew
Ray was now in good hands and would be protected.
He left a note before he left, and stopped by the kitchen
setting down a bowl of meat for Dief with a side dish, covered in
milk duds.
:---=====(*)=====---:
On arrival at O'Hare Fraser was met by both Mrs Vecchio and
Francessca who both hugged him and babbled about how good it was
to see him alive. Mrs Vecchio told him he was going to come home
with her, to stay with the family and wouldn't take no for
answer. He hadn't intended to refuse if the offer was extended.
But
the two women weren't the only ones waiting, there was
Lieutenant Welsh and a woman in a suit watching.
The woman gave him a chilly reception and Fraser realised
why when Welsh introduced him to Inspector Thatcher of the RCMP
who'd
replaced his superior. They both had questions. Fraser
chose to go with Welsh, who promised the Vecchio women he would
drop
him at their place when he was finished.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser truthfully told Welsh what happened with Victoria up
to the point where he parted ways with her. When Welsh closed his
office blinds, Fraser removed his coat, shirt and undershirt to
show
Welsh the scars that were the legacy of that event.
Welsh moved around examining them.
"I didn't know where I was... I found a road and collapsed.
Someone took me to a hospital where I received treatment. I left
as soon as possible.. And I lived off the land till I ran into
someone
who I'd rather not identify. He made sure I had supplies,
told me
where I could find shelter, when I needed it. And when he
found out
I'd been cleared he tracked me down and showed me the
article in
the paper he was reading which revealed I'd been
cleared. And that Ray had been murdered."
"That's when you made your way back to civilisation and
contacted us."
Fraser nodded.
"I rescued a man out there, who told me if I ever needed a
favour
to call.. He gave me a business card. I remembered his
details, and
the person who took care of me couldn't afford to
send me all this
way, but he did help me reach that man, who did
repay the favour,
gave me some decent clothes, and a ticket back
here."
"Unless you can tell us where she tried to kill you we can't
act on that."
"I.. could tell you were I was... If I could contact the
person
who helped me, it could cost that person his job if it
came out.
I was still wanted at the time."
"This person who helped you.."
"He was a relative.. He'd been trying to find one for a long
time. He was orphaned very young. I told him everything, and he
helped
me, made sure I had the supplies I needed. It would be
poor gratitude
if he lost everything because I revealed his
identity just to have my revenge against Victoria."
Welsh gave a slow nod
"If she goes down for killing Jolley, I'll let it drop. He
did
say that if she got off the hook he'd come forward to help."
"But he'd rather not take the risk."
Fraser nodded.
"Understandable."
"Now I've told you everything. I want to know all about Ray,
what happened to him, have you got any leads on his murder, do
you
have any..."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray watched Dean leaning on the penthouse's balcony rail
looking out at the city below while he sat, warm and snug on the
couch inside, on the phone, listening to Fraser.
"So they suspect I faked my death."
"That's the bad news.. There's more. The insurance company
was
about to pay out your policy when Victoria told the police
you were
alive and now they're waiting for the investigation to
be concluded
before they pay out. You're account's been frozen,
and your family
is in danger of loosing their home. You're whole
elaborate set up
is falling apart, Ray. All because of Victoria."
"Ohgod."
"But, there is some good news.."
"There is?"
"Though I've lost my position.. Your mother has offered me
shelter
at your home, your sisters have both found work, and
between them their hoping they can convince the bank to let them
take over the mortgage - so they maybe able to keep the house."
"That is good news."
"And if the insurance company doesn't pay out you can't be
charged
with fraud.. And there is a possibility that you might,
just might
escape conviction for setting things up the way you
did. If I can
prove you used the corpse of that derelict in your
set up. Lt Welsh
supplied me with a defence to use. He told me
what you were like,
before and after you stopped taking your
medication."
Ray almost chuckled - that had been an act.
"A good defence lawyer could use that call it temporary
insanity, get you off using that defence."
"Assuming I even wanted to return to Chicago."
"Ray.."
"I told you - he's dead, they wouldn't accept that, they
forced
me into taking that line to make them accept it so I could
get on
with my life.. O.K, so I made a huge mess of it. But...
That doesn't
mean I'm going to go crawling back like a whipped
pup with my tail
between my legs to beg forgiveness and let them
take control of my
life again."
Fraser sighed. He really didn't blame Ray. He now lived in
Ray's bedroom, had seen the lock on the door, the way the window
was secured. Talked to people, Elaine included and new Ray had
good
reason to feel trapped. He was hoping he could convince Ray
to return
and face the consequences and use it in his defence to
get him off
the hook. To give him a chance to live his life
without it hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.
"And there's the little matter of my taking a dead man's
identity
- even you don't want the fact you did it to come out,
well I became
famous, it would come out - I'd loose everything
again, wether or
not I got off the hook, find another way."
"I'll try..
I have to go now, take care."
:---=====(*)=====---:
"What do you think love?" Dean asked showing him his final
model and concept designs for the museum.
"I think you're a glutton for compliments, that's what I
think."
Dean chuckled.
"It's incredible, but you already know that, and I'm sure
you've
heard it a hundred and one times already."
"My we're grumpy today."
Ray didn't mention the fact he'd get a lot grumpier if they
continued living in separate rooms. He saw no one except his
martial arts coach (Dean arranged it) and Dean, day in, day out.
He never left the penthouse Anderson had put Dean up in for his
stay.
Dean worked hard, spending long hours at the office, he'd
leave early
in the morning and return late in the evening. They
had breakfast
together, Dean made a point of it, and he always
made a point to
spend a little time with Ray in the evenings if
he was awake when
he returned.
Fraser's calls had slowed to a trickle and stopped
altogether. He rarely had anything new to say and his attempts to
convince Ray to return to Chicago to face the music only resulted
in tension. Now his only human contact was Dean and his coach.
He
wanted more contact than he was getting, but he was
afraid to push his luck. He couldn't leave, couldn't risk ruining
everything. Couldn't get an agent, even though he'd filled his
days
writing and come up with enough material to fill a shelf on
the book
shelf with his own work. Dean made a big deal out of
getting him
everything he needed to print out his stories and
bind them. One
shelf was full of bound stories, another with
manuscripts in envelopes.
His column was about to die. He'd covered all he could
for it and made a little more money. He'd sent it to Benton to
give
to his mother, to put toward the mortgage. It wasn't much,
but it
was enough to cover a few months mortgage payments.
He felt useless and trapped again. It was little wonder he
was grumpy. But he'd messed things up once, twice, he wasn't
going to mess things up again. He learned his lesson though it
didn't
make it easier to take.
"I know how to put a smile back on your face," Dean
declared.
"How?"
"Now I've finished the plans, and the Council approved them,
I can take a short break before construction starts. Anderson
will
over see the start of the project. He told me I could have
six weeks
off, and I have made plans for those six weeks, love..
Plans I hope
you approve of."
Ray sat up straighter. Six weeks, six weeks that Dean
wouldn't be hard at work, six weeks of his company, of Dean's
undivided
attention being his. O.k so he wouldn't get the
attention he wanted, craved, but he'd be happy just to spend
quality time with him.
Dean produced airline tickets and hotel booking slips from
his briefcase with a flourish and handed them to Ray. Ray looked
them over and his eyes widened.
"Hawaii!"
It was the only state of America he hadn't visited yet.
"Well, it's the only place you haven't visited yet. All I
had
to do was mention your name and the people at the Hawaiian
tourist
office were falling over themselves to help me plan the
best holiday
possible."
Ray chuckled and Dean smiled and pulled something else out
of the briefcase and sat by Ray.
"It gave me ideas."
"What kind of ideas?"
"You're a travel writer, now you're famous, tourism
companies would fall over themselves to sponsor you on jaunts. I
made a few inquires, over the phone, during lulls at the office,
there are four countries you could visit, and have all your
expenses paid - courtesy of their tourism ministers, in return
for
doing what you do best. And hopefully inspiring people to
visit their
country."
"Oh."
"I know you're going stir crazy here.. I'm trying to do
something about it.. I really am.. I just need more time to
arrange everything."
"Dean.. You know I love you but.."
"Woah, back up.. Say that again.."
Ray thought about it, then shyly repeated the statement.
Dean hugged him to plant a passionate kiss on the top of his
head.
"To hear you say that makes it worth everything, love."
Ray wrapped his arms around Dean and tentatively kissed his
neck nuzzling it and said I love you over and over till Dean
cupped his face and gently kissed him. That was all Ray needed.
With
a little growl he pushed Dean back on the couch and got
passionate about it. Kissing, caressing, nuzzling and lavishing
attention
on every inch of Dean's body he could get to.
When he paused to give Dean a chance to escape if he wanted
to, Dean just smiled at him then got the upper hand, to scoop him
off and carry him to the master bedroom, nuzzling his Ray's
throat.
"God.. I've been waiting for you to make a move.."
"I've been waiting for you," Ray said tangling fingers in
Dean's hair.
"I couldn't... I had to wait for you to make it after what
happened..
Till you showed me.. It was what you wanted."
"I didn't
think.. You'd want me that way again."
"I'll never stop wanting you love.. I'll love you and lust
for
you till the day I die."
"You're such a romantic."
:---=====(*)=====---:
After a night of gentle, on Dean's part, Passionate, on
Ray's part, love play, Ray's mood improved dramatically. Dean had
to leave in the morning, one last time, to return his work to the
office.
Ray paced the apartment waiting for his return anxiously.
Now he was assured of Dean's undying love, he was ready to lay
down
a few ground rules. He spent two hours rehearsing what he
was going
to say and almost forgot it all when Dean returned with
a huge bunch
of red roses and gifts.
"I did a little shopping, for you."
"You shouldn't have."
"And there's more, I visited a few embassies and consulates
and."
"Woah... we need to talk - now."
Dean trailed off. Ray took his flowers and gifts and set
them aside, then made Dean sit while he paced around before the
couch.
"I love you - you know that, I know you love me, and I know
you want to spoil me, and protect me from the big bad world. And
I know how bad it can be. But.. Unless you can give me your word,
to *not* start dictating what I should do with my life from now
on...
I will leave you Dean."
Dean's eyes widened.
"I have.. my own plans, I know you only want to do what's
best
for me, and help me, and protect me. But.. So did the last
person
who took over my life.. I couldn't stand it, even though I
know they
meant well.. They drove me insane."
"I'm sorry love.. I didn't mean to take over.. I just wanted
to help."
Ray moved to sit beside him.
"I know you do, that's why I love you. You do it.. In a
different way. But it still.. makes me feel like.. Chow Hound on
a leash, I just want to get off.."
"I'm sorry."
"I want to stay with you, I really do, but I want to have a
life as well. I've made mistakes, I've learned from them, and..
what I want is for you to work with me to help me, not.. to
decide things for me and put plans into motion without consulting
me."
Dean nodded.
"I'll cancel the tickets and bookings."
"There you go, making plans without consulting me again."
Dean looked confused.
"It's not the trip to Hawaii, Dean, I'll go there with you
happily."
Dean relaxed.
"It's everything else.. Everyone has been telling me what to
do, I have my own plans my own goals.. And things keep going
wrong, you encourage me to follow my goals, and I know you can
help
me achieve them, and my damned pride got in the way and cost
me everything.
Now I'm ready to face the world again, whatever
the price is.. I
need you... Not for your financial support, but
for the other kind."
Dean reached up to stroke his hand.
"I understand. Tell me how I can help."
"I want to get an agent for one thing.. I want to do
something with all that work I've been doing."
"I'll work on it, as soon as we get back from Hawaii..."
"It's not important.. What I need now, more than anything is
to feel.. Like I'm achieving something. Even if I get an agent
tomorrow
it could take months for results.. I need to do
something that has faster results.. And you gave me the idea."
"What?"
"How many embassies and consulates do you think you can
call? How many sponsors do you think we could find, to try and
get
around the world in Eighty days?"
Dean laughed and gave him a kiss on the head.
"And do you think you could get your boss to give you Eighty
days.. To come with me?"
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser collapsed into a chair and pulled his boots off to
rub his sore feet. He'd thought getting himself licensed to
become a private detective was the solution to his problems,
financially, he'd joined a reputable agency, but it caused more
problems.
He was so busy carrying out the assignments they gave
him, he had
little time to work on the Ray problem.
The only bright note in the whole mess was that Victoria
hadn't been able to wiggle off the hook for Jolley's murder. Her
confession to avoid being charged for his and Ray's murders had
sealed
her fate. The prosecutor had driven the point home that
she had systematically
destroyed Fraser's life after taking her
sisters identity, suggested
she'd lured Jolley to Chicago to use
in her plan and insure he never
bothered her again - she knew
what she was doing and intended to
kill him from the start.
She knew he was supposed to have been in prison, if she'd
been in real fear, she would have told the police where to find
him,
helped them capture him to send him back to prison where
he'd belonged.
But her revenge wouldn't be complete if she
couldn't use Jolley - frame Fraser for his murder, to punish the
Mountie for capturing her and sending her to prison.
She was sentenced to life, with no possibility of parole for
at least 20 years. Fraser was satisfied. Now if only he could
solve
the problems Victoria had raised with her arrest.
The Chicago police would love to talk to George Fiorella,
but he'd as good as disappeared, thanks in no small part to Dean.
The investigation the police had undertaken left them scratching
their heads. They'd run into the same puzzle Fraser had. How
could Ray and George Fiorella be the same man? How could they be
anything else? They kept going around in circles.
By use of information they didn't have and dogged
determination Fraser began to put together a clear picture of
Ray's
activities and even worked out how Ray had done it. A
certain career criminal, infamous for his work at helping the
criminal
element set up new lives had died shortly before Ray
vanished, Fraser
checked his activities out in the weeks
proceeding his death and eventually found what he was looking
for.
Ray had used the man's services before he'd been killed.
He'd been
forced to fake his own death when the man had been
killed, or he'd have set it up for Ray in a way that wouldn't
fall
apart.
Fraser had lucked out on an assignment which sent him to New
York and visited Brooklyn finding the apartment block where Ray
had
lived, questioned the land lord and learned more about Ray's
first
steps. He'd shown up without Dief at first, so what had
happened
to the Wolf during that time? How did he acquire it? Did
it matter?
Yes, it might.
He heard Frannie and Maria talking and looked around as they
entered with a magazine. They saw him and soon he was being shown
the article they were discussing and looked at it in shock. Ray
and
Dean - more accurately George and Dean had gotten *married*.
There
were pictures, a three page article just covered with them,
in which
they talked about their relationship. He couldn't
believe it, how could Ray go public like that.
He didn't have a chance to read it. He saw the pictures and
the banner before Frannie and Maria walked off fighting over it.
The magazine was Frannie's, and she told Maria to buy her own.
Fraser
pulled his boots on with a wince and walked out to do just
that,
buy his own copy.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Dean had talked with Anderson, cancelled his holiday in
return for his permission to take the trip with Ray when Dean
told
him of his plans to marry Ray along the way. Construction of
the
Museum started while Ray worked to arrange his grand plan.
Dean found
an agent for George Fiorella who assisted in the
arrangements and suggested George start by telling the magazine
he
was Gay and about to get married.
The magazine dumped him so fast there was an uproar when his
column vanished from fans. The Agent made deals left, right and
centre,
now George was free to do what he wanted, his column
reappeared, in papers all over the country and a Gay magazine. He
also found sponsors for his round the world in Eighty days tour
and
his column appeared in one of his sponsors in flight
magazine.
Another deal George's agent didn't mention was the deal he
made with a magazine for coverage of his forthcoming wedding.
Dean
hadn't proposed, though he told the agent he intended to and
to marry
Ray in Hawaii. The agent sewed up a very nice deal with
a big pay
cheque for the exclusive rights and George Fiorella
went from being
destitute to comfortably well off in a short
period, and celebrated this fact with Dean the day before the
trip
was due to start. He'd almost choked on his champagne when
he found
a ring in his glass. And accepted the nervous Dean's
proposal on
the spot. Their agent followed them to Hawaii, along
with Dean's
Step brother, sister in law, Step-Aunt and a number
of friends from
back home. Even old Anderson showed up at their
wedding with his
wife, who cried through the whole ceremony.
It was all photographed courtesy of the magazine who gave
the agent copies of everything. And they spent two weeks in
Hawaii and saw the article. Ray had been upset at first, but got
over it very fast when Dean told him he'd already paid off one
extortionist
who threatened to expose his Gay relationship. Now
their relationship
was out in the open, there would be no more
trouble from that end.
Ray was able to finally relax and enjoy himself for the
first time since his life had been turned upside down. Their
world tour almost went off without a hitch. That hitch was a
psycho terrorist taking over the plane during one leg of the
tour. A plane full of tourists. This time George became an
international hero - by accident. He'd been in the toilets up
near
the pilots cabin when the terrorist took over.
He'd stopped out in time to be grabbed and used as a
hostage. The American contingent on the plane had snickered and
muttered
amongst themselves. The moment the terrorist swung his
weapon away
to threaten them with it, Ray had acted. All the
lessons in self defence he'd gotten from the martial arts coach
paid
off.
Half the passengers had cameras of both the photographic and
video kind and more than one had produced them and used them
during the incident. Including Dean. There were plenty of
photographs of the event and at least three tapes one of which
was
snapped up by the media and appeared on the news with a
trailer showing Ray being carried off the plane by his
Significant Other, and carried to a waiting ambulance.
He'd spent the night in the hospital zonked on pain killers
before being given a grand tour of the place with a police
escort, arranged by a grateful airline. Every where he and Dean
went
after that, the Media were waiting.
Back home people counted the days off and Fraser and the CPD
were among them. Victoria had seen the news, and told everyone
who'd
listen that he was the cop she'd been accused of murdering.
:---=====(*)=====---:
The detectives from Chicago were doomed to disappointment,
when they arrived at the airport George and spouse were due to
arrive
back in the states at. There was a very large crowd that
they didn't
realise until too late, were there to welcome back
their home grown
hero. When they tried to move in - they were
blocked by crowds clamouring
for autographs, pictures and a
chance to talk to their hero.
Airport security kept everyone at a distance, and rushed
them out to a waiting limo that sped off leaving the detectives
rushing
for their car. By the time they were able to follow, it
was too late.
The limo was long gone and they lost the scent
thanks to Mr Anderson.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser didn't have any problems catching up with Ray. He got
time off from work to fly out and went straight to the penthouse
to wait. He attached himself to them in the lobby and followed
them
up for an awkward reunion. Dean knew that his George had
been in
love with Fraser and vice versa and Dean felt a little
guilty about
taking advantage of Fraser's absence to woo and win
his hearts desire
away from him. Ray expected another lecture
about returning to face
the music, and Fraser wasn't sure what
sort of reception he'd get.
Fraser put Dean's fears to rest when Ray left them alone
while he attended the call of nature.
"I read about your wedding, congratulations. I'm sure you'll
be very happy together."
"You.. don't mind?"
"Why should I?"
"Well... You said there was a man that you were in love with
from your past... He told me about you and I assumed..."
Fraser
forced a laugh out.
"There was never anything but friendship between us."
"Well,
I know that, he was a virgin, I just thought..."
"It's
not George."
Dean relaxed, he felt so much better.
"But I need to talk to him, in private, asap. The police
from
Chicago are here... I need to speak with him, before they
can track
him down."
"Well... I need to speak to Anderson and collect Chow Hound,
I'll just do it sooner rather than later."
He told Ray he was off to speak to his boss and departed
leaving them alone. Ray wanted to go with him, he didn't want to
be alone with Fraser. Naughty thoughts kept flitting through his
mind. And he resented the way Fraser kept trying to make him give
up his new life to return to the old.
"If you're going to get stuck into me again about going back
to Chicago."
"No."
"You're not???"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Right now, that would be a bad idea. I'm a private
detective there now. I've been investigating what you did. I can
prove you faked your death, even tell you how you did it. The
Police
though haven't been able to do it, though they have
gathered enough evidence that points toward it, they can't prove
it yet."
"Oh."
Fraser named the criminal who'd set up his new identity.
"That's him."
"If they found out about him, that you'd been to him in
light of the evidence they've got, someone could make a case
against you for his murder. They never caught the person who
killed him."
"Uh-hu."
"And I know that if they looked in the right places they
could
find proof that you went to him to set up your new
identity. I found it. They could use the argument you killed him
to protect your new identity once he'd set it up."
"Rrright."
"And you're family knows about your wedding."
"They do!"
"Well, George Fiorella's. Your sisters - or at least
Frannie has compiled what is now a large collection of articles
on
George Fiorella. She started it after the first article came
out
in that magazine that used to print your column. She collects
everything
she can find about you."
"How nice."
"She told me *after* the wedding article, that until then
she
always had a suspicion that you were her brother using a new
identity.
Even if you were nothing like him - except in looks."
"What
tipped her off?"
"Dief."
"Uh-hu. I suppose she stopped collecting stuff after that
wedding
spread."
"Oh no. That just convinced her she was wrong about you
being Ray, because he was so straight, and you're Gay. It didn't
stop her collecting things. Her collection just got bigger and
more
expensive after that, but people were always giving her
copies of articles, she trades with other fans to get new ones.
She
is the head of your Chicago fan club, and she was at the
airport when you arrived."
Ray looked at him wide eyed.
"And she's determined to meet you and collected enough
information to be able to track you down. I thought you should be
made aware of it. You have to decide wether or not to lie to her
face, or try to explain things and pray she understands and keeps
your secret."
"Why is she so determined to meet me if she doesn't think
I'm
her brother any more?"
"You're fan club. Being the person who runs the Chicago
branch has brought her lots of new friends, helped her meet new
people,
decent people. She is determined to meet you to talk to
you about
running your official fan club."
"I don't have one."
"That's why she wants to meet you *now* - to get in before
someone
else sets it up and starts running it."
"Oh."
"And she thinks she talked me into coming here to help her
track
you down so she can do it. I came to warn you."
"Do you think you can send her off on a few wild goose
chases? I mean her funds must be pretty limited, she can't quit
her
job, because she needs it to cover the mortgage, and they
wouldn't
give her too much time off. If you can keep her looking
in the wrong
places until her money or time runs out, I won't
have to worry about
meeting her again, will I?"
:---=====(*)=====---:
"There you are! Where were you at the airport?! I could
have
used your help," Frannie grouched at Fraser when she
returned
to the suite she shared with him to find him there.
It had two bedrooms and it helped them save money.
"I tried to follow him, I knew you wanted to meet him and
there
was no chance of getting through that crowd, so I went out
and hired
a cab and waited."
"Were you able to follow that Limo to his place?"
"Unfortunately no. We lost them in the traffic."
"Damn, damn, damn."
"But I think I have a lead..."
"You do?! What?"
"Now before you get too excited, I have to warn you, it
could be a false lead. The cab driver *claimed* to know where he
lived, and gave me an address in exchange for 20 dollars. We can
investigate that lead tomorrow."
"Tonight."
"Frannie... It's been a long day, all I want to do is get
some
rest, you should too... You look terrible, don't you want to
look
your best when you meet him?"
"He's gay, what would he care."
"Well... Gay men usually have lots of women friends, and
we're
talking about the potential manager of his fan club. Who do
you think
he'd prefer, a well kept one or an unkempt one?"
She took the
hint.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Frannie was all excitement when the lead, lead to the
homeless shelter and she found out George *had* lived there,
once, and worked there. But that was all she found out. The staff
refused to talk about him, and the Boss Lady asked them to depart
and stop harassing her staff and residents. The threat of calling
the police to throw them out if they didn't leave worked.
Fraser didn't miss the hire car parked on the curb that
pulled out and followed their cab as they departed, he'd seen it
earlier, parked outside their hotel. He guessed the Chicago
detectives were following him and Frannie around in the hopes
that
they'd lead them straight to George/Ray.
Fraser lead both the Detectives and Frannie in a wild goose
chase across the city, and did it so well neither of them
realised it was just that, a wild goose chase. "George" became
more social, attending events with Dean, but they never confirmed
that they would be attending events in advance, they simply
showed up at the events they chose to attend. Fraser was able to
learn what events Ray would attend, and mention a new lead when
it
was too late for Frannie to meet him. She kept finding out
she'd
missed him by a whisker and praised Fraser for his work.
"I
just know we'll find him, with you on his tail. We've
been so close."
"Frannie.. I know what this means to you, but.. If we can't
find him *tonight* we have to return, your job."
"Oh hang the job, I'll have a new one, running his fan
club."
"We don't have enough money."
"I've got enough, everyone back home wants me to do it. As
head
of his fan club I can get autographs, arrange meetings and
all sorts
of things. They all put money in the kitty for me to do
this... I
can keep it up for a month if I have to."
=*Siiiigh*=
"I have a job, Frannie, I can't spend a month chasing this
man
around, I have to go back, even if you don't. Do you think
you can
do it without me?"
"Benton! You wouldn't abandon me now! We're so close."
"My job.."
"They'll kill me if I don't go back with the job of running
his official fan club sewn up after they all chipped in to pay
for
this trip."
=*Siiiigh*=
She started trying to wheedle him into it, pouring on all
her considerable charm.
"Frannie.. I thought you agreed not to do that to me any
more."
"Ma told me not to do it, but she's not here, is she."
"Frannie.. Victoria put me off women - *for life*.. I'm
sorry but throwing yourself at me is a waste of time.. Can't you
throw yourself at one of those decent men you've met setting up
the
fan club."
She laughed.
"What's so funny about that suggestion?"
"They're all *gay* Fraser. He is a gay icon, a gay hero.
Someone
gay men can look up to and hope to emulate."
"Oh."
"Did you know that there have been fifty percent *more* gay
weddings in Hawaii since their wedding article was printed. The
office
of tourism was flooded with enquiries after that. The
place they got married at is booked out solid for the next three
months, and so is the hotel where they stayed for their
honeymoon."
"Really how fascinating. How did you know that?"
"Research, Benton, research. I want to impress him, by being
able to spout all sorts of facts and figures to convince him to
hire
me to run his fan club."
=I need to talk to Ray.=
"But first I have to find him."
"I can't stay, but you could always use Huey and Gardino to
lead you to him."
"What????"
"They're here.. They've been following us around hoping
we'll lead them to George."
"What?! Why.. Oh don't tell me they think he's Ray."
Fraser
nodded and she burst into laughter.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray gave Fraser a warm welcome to the apartment, and
listened to Fraser report on Frannie's progress and his
predicament.
"Never mind. I've got a solution."
With a flourish he gave Fraser a scratch and win lottery
ticket, but this was not for any official lottery. It had been
printed
up especially for him.
"Give this to Frannie to cheer her up tonight. It should
solve
everything."
"Why?"
"It's a lottery ticket, the prize is more than enough money
to cover paying out the mortgage on the house. You give it to
her,
and she'll scratch up that money and rush off there to cash
it -
they'll give her a bank cheque for the amount that can't be
traced
to me. Don't forget to remind her about the mortgage, so
she doesn't
go on a big shopping spree."
"How do you know it will win?"
"Because I set it up with the charity running the lottery,
only
one ticket has a prize that big, they got half a dozen of
Dean's
paintings to auction and the cheque and a few thousand
dollars, to
pay off to ticket buyers. It was set up *just* so I
could get this
money to Frannie.. Dean set it up. The charity
gets money out of
it, and people will get a chance to win some
money if they buy tickets,
and one has one of his large paintings
up for grabs as a prize. The
prize on this ticket isn't
advertised, so no one can scream foul. So it's all nice and semi-
legal."
Fraser nodded.
"So give it to her, make sure she gets the money and get her
back home. O.K.."
Fraser nodded.
"That takes care of her, but not Huey and Gardino."
"I've
been looking for a certain pair of cops, when I find
them, I'll take
care of Huey and Gardino and solve all my
troubles."
Fraser looked at the ticket again.
"I hope this money isn't all the money you've made."
Ray
smiled.
"No.. Though it's a huge chunk of it, it is *my money*. Not
Dean's. And my agent has a huge stack of manuscripts he's working
his way through. He says he's already fielding offers from
publishers for my *unwritten* Around The World In Eighty Days,
travelogue,
and sending manuscripts off left right and centre,
trying to get
a publishing contract for me. That it's only a
matter of time before he sews one up. And what he's being offered
for my travelogue would cover that."
"You'll have to do something about a fan club. Once Frannie
gets over the excitement of winning all that money, she'll start
the whole thing over again."
"Well, my agent actually brought up opening a fan club, I
told
him to arrange it, but to make sure whoever runs it isn't
someone
who's just out to latch onto me. Frannie isn't the first
person to
get the idea.. I've been approached by two others.
Pounced on is more like it. One was just after a chance to be
able
to run it to become a personal secretary to me, the other
was talking
about the money side of it. My agent said he'd find
some who's capable
of running it who won't pester me."
:---=====(*)=====---:
"Maaaaaa! Mariaaaaa!"
"Francesca! You're back."
Her mother came bustling over wiping hands on her apron
smelling of delicious food, and her sister was soon hanging over
the stair rail to find out what her mother was so excited about.
Fraser smiled up at her.
"Your sister won a large prize in a lottery."
Maria ran down the stairs to be shown the precious bank
cheque and shrieked and there were hugs, tears and kisses all
round
when Frannie announced with a glance at Fraser that she was
going
to use it to pay off the mortgage.
He'd used a subtle guilt campaign on her, when she'd started
shrieking about all the things she could do with the money -
paying
the mortgage was not high on that list. But her hearts
desire was
Fraser and after realising he wouldn't respect her at
all if she
blew it, she'd announced she was going to pay out the
mortgage and
was rewarded for it with a sunny smile and a kiss on
the cheek that
made her day.
The excitement Frannie's announcement generated died off
when her mother remembered their guest and grabbed Fraser's arm.
"Benton, there's a man here to see you, he arrived this
morning, he flew a long way to find you. He said he's got
something important to discuss with you about a family member."
Fraser left them to their celebrations, and went to the
lounge where he was less than surprised to see Sheriff Williams.
Williams stood and offered his hand introducing himself and
showing Fraser a newspaper clipping, the same article that had
lead
to his discovering his name had been cleared.
"What is this about?"
"My step brother spent quite a few years trying to find
blood relatives. And discovered one on his mother's side, a
cousin, Allen Pinset."
Fraser's eyes widened.
"He lived and worked in our community for a time till he
discovered
your existence through that article, you look a lot
like him. He
investigated and learned it wasn't a coincidence,
you were related.
He left, intending to come here, to Chicago, in
the hope you'd return
after you found out your name had been
cleared. So he could meet you. He got side tracked.. Hired a car
outta town and came back... I'm afraid he... had an accident on
the
Highway. A fatal one... We found what was left of the car,
wrapped
around a tree... The coroner says he probably died
instantaneously."
Fraser sat fast, putting on a good act. The Sheriff told him
what a good man Allen was and how their community would miss him.
And passed on a pitifully small bag of belongings they'd
recovered. And mentioned a larger personal possession Mrs Vecchio
had carried up to his room.
"He loaned it to a... friend. I recovered it and brought it
with me. My brother said, you probably appreciate it more."
"I appreciate your coming all this way to tell me."
"I
was coming this way on business anyway... Seem's there's
some Chicago
cops causing a little trouble for my brother in law.
I came to take
care of it."
"Oh."
"Well, I can hear the ladies, so I guess I'm intruding on
some
celebration.. I'll be going now.."
"I... met Allen."
The Sheriff stopped and looked at him.
"And I did know him... We ran into each other, before he
became
a Ranger in your county. He helped me, when that was what
I needed..
"
"When you were on the run?"
Fraser nodded.
"Has a funeral been held?"
"His cousin, my step brother will be paying for the funeral.
It will be held a week from now."
"I'll be there. Thank-you, for coming to deliver the news
personally."
"Like I said, I'm here on business anyway."
Fraser showed him out and went up to his room to find the
rug he'd left at Dean's for Ray to use, Meghan's good bye gift to
"Allen Pinset." Now if only they could get the Chicago Police
of
George's tail, he could leave, and carry out his plan. He now
had
a reason to return to the county, he was sure he could turn it
into an opportunity to settle up there, and be there for Ray when
he needed him.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser was preparing to leave for work a few days later when
he opened the door just as Lieutenant Welsh was about to knock.
Lieutenant
Welsh asked him to fetch Mrs Vecchio and stay if
possible. He called his boss and made his excuses then brought
Mrs
Vecchio in.
With great tact, Lieutenant Welsh told her that the hope
they'd find Ray alive had died. Two different sources confirmed
it.
A pair of detectives Huey and Gardino had run into while
trying to talk to the man they believed Ray was impersonating,
who'd
learned the two men had met.
"He met Fiorella at the station, gave Dief to that man,
intending to get him back. We're not sure of the timing but it
seems
about right... Ray told him about Victoria... Identified
her to him,
that's how he knew enough to tip us off."
"You're not talking about George Fiorella are you?"
"I
am."
"So it was Dief in those pictures."
"These days he goes by the name Chow Hound."
"How appropriate."
"He's well cared for or so I'm told... The second source was
the Sheriff of the County Mr Fiorella has made his official
residence. He confirmed the man Victoria claimed was Ray was
really Mr Fiorella, you see Mr Fiorella was horribly scarred in
an
incident, and we were able to establish the man we thought was
Ray
has the same scars... The lead was a dead end... We found
your son...
When we found his car."
Mrs Vecchio took the news with composure, she'd already
mourned for Ray when the body had been found, the faint hope
they'd given her was just that, a faint hope. She didn't trust
Victoria's
statement, and had said at the start she was just
causing more trouble.
"Now can we put him to rest?"
Lieutenant Welsh nodded.
"There is just one last thing... There were enough bone
fragments left to get a DNA sample... We could positively
identify the remains if.."
"Leftenant haven't the family been put through enough
already, those tests take time, you've wasted enough hounding a
man
who's only crime was to look like Ray thanks to Victoria's
mischief.
Ray died before he was *physically* murdered. He said
it himself,
to Elaine on one occasion."
"Yes... I'm aware of it... but the evidence..."
"Is inconclusive. I've kept up to date on it, through
Elaine, I know you can't prove a thing one way or the other. I've
tried, and come to the same dead end. Victoria started it, it's
causing
his family nothing but pain, let it end now."
"Benton is right. That woman will get no more enjoyment out
of making us suffer. I want to bury my boy... I don't want to
wait
weeks to find out what we already know. That he is dead. If
he were
alive, don't you think he would have returned, once he
learned she
was gone, that Benton had been cleared."
"He didn't remember him."
"Benton visited him in hospital. My son asked about him
after he vanished, till you told him about Victoria and how he
disappeared.
Then he didn't talk about Benton any more, but I
know he didn't give
up on Benton. Benton and my Francesca were
the only people he responded
well too because they were there at
his bed side, while he was comatose,
reading to him, he knew
their voices, they brought him back.. He wanted to find that
woman to make her pay for taking away the only friend he felt he
had... I heard him talking to Diefenbaker.. Promising to find him
- his body if he was dead, her, to pay for it."
"Do you know how he knew she was alive?"
"I think I can answer that question, Leftenant."
Welsh looked to Fraser.
"She was with me the last time I went to the hospital, she
knew
I was visiting him. I found her there after she shot Dief,
trashed
my apartment and went into hiding to make it look like
Jolley was
behind it."
"Ah... Yes... I remember you said you met her at the
hospital after that."
"He either saw her, or heard her at the door... She didn't
come
into the room... I thought it was odd. I wanted to introduce
her
to him... I realised why she was doing it after you told me
she was
supposed to be dead and she told me no one would believe
me that
I'd seen her because of how careful she'd been to never
be seen with
me."
"Yes that would explain it. He was very good at recognising
voices, in the hospital. If she talked in his hearing he would
remember
her voice. Remember where he heard it, that she was with
Benton when
he visited."
Welsh looked at Fraser.
"There's just one other question I have - for you. And it is
just between us."
Fraser nodded slowly.
"The man you said you rescued, who helped you get back to
Chicago
wasn't either George Fiorella or Dean Alexander was it.."
Fraser
gave a weak smile.
"They saw me with him."
"It was George."
Mrs Vecchio looked at Fraser wide eyed.
"You know this man and you never admitted it."
"I didn't want Frannie to find out."
"So you lead her, and by default, Huey and Gardino on a wild
goose chase.."
"They were there???"
"Don't act innocent, I know that you know they were tailing
you, you're too good to have missed it. They worked out you knew
when you managed to keep giving them the slip."
"Why didn't you introduce her to him, you knew how much she
wanted to meet him, Benton, you could have arranged that."
"I...
thought it was better for them not to meet. And... I
knew as the
Leftenant said, that we were being tailed. I did
investigate Mr Fiorella's history... I knew it was just a
coincidence... There are six other men in this country who could
pass as Ray's twin, I used the resources I have to investigate
their
back grounds too."
"No luck."
"I believe you found Ray when you found those remains in his
car. Victoria managed to convince us otherwise, now we know how
he
knew who she was, there is no reason to think it was anyone
else."
"I just doesn't make sense... She passed a polygraph test,
she
didn't kill him... Suicide would make sense... Faking his
death,
would make sense... No one outside Victoria had a reason
to murder
him."
"I can think of one.. I believe Ray intended to leave.. He
talked
about releasing Dief in the wild to his mother."
She nodded.
"He told Fiorella to do it if he didn't get in touch by a
certain
time."
"He must have been at the station, intending to leave by
train
when he heard her, recognised the voice... Seen her
following him.."
"That fits what we know."
"It does?"
Welsh nodded.
"We also know Victoria didn't kill him."
"No... But he withdrew a lot of money from the bank... Over
$200,000 all up. Someone who saw him do so may have followed
him... from the bank... I investigated. There is no money trail I
could find, the money just vanished. Perhaps, because he was
killed for it. Around here, people have been killed for
considerably less."
Welsh nodded and rose.
"We'll start hunting for someone who was flashing a lot of
cash
at the time he vanished... Perhaps we'll get somewhere, we
haven't
on any other angle we've investigated."
"I want to put him to rest," Mrs Vecchio reminded him.
"I'll make the arrangements to have his remains released to
the family by morning Mrs Vecchio."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Ray Vecchio was finally buried three days later. Fraser had
attended his funeral and resigned from the detective agency who
were
sorry to see him go. He asked for and got a good reference,
before
he departed.
Frannie was heart broken when he announced he was leaving
town, she'd still had hopes. He told her he meant what he said,
about
Victoria putting him off women for life. But told her, if
things
had been different he might have eventually come around.
She kissed
his cheek called him a liar, and wished him luck.
Ray's mother wondered why he didn't stay to find Ray's killer.
"Opportunists
are the hardest criminals to catch, if he can
be found, the police
will do it, now they're on the right track."
She made him promise
to stay in touch, and presented him
with some of Ray's things as a parting gift. One of those things
was the rest of Ray's book collection because she knew he would
have
wanted Fraser to have it.
He took a taxi to the airport, and was highly surprised when
Frannie raced across the terminal to latch onto him all
excitement with wonderful news that had come in after he left.
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser stood among the mourners in black at his cousin's
funeral, being glanced at a lot. Quite a number of people
witnessed his alleged first meeting with Dean and heard him
invite Fraser to stay at his place for as long as he was in the
area.
Fraser accepted and left with Dean and Ray.
He spent the whole trip out wanting to talk to Ray, but
unable too. It was the same once they reached the house. Ray went
straight to bed. Dean stayed up to talk to Fraser about his plans
and how to go about them.
Fraser had to wait for two whole days to get Ray alone to
talk to him.
:---=====(*)=====---:
"What?!"
"She told me at the airport."
"Of all the people he could chose, why did he have to chose
her?!" Ray raged.
"Because she agreed to the terms. And I believe one was that
she not pester you - and her location may have been a deciding
factor
as well. She lives in Chicago - she can't pester you from
there unless
he gives her your number."
"I'll make sure he doesn't."
"I also have good news. The police in Chicago have finally
decided
the remains they found were yours, they wanted your
family to provide DNA samples for matching, to positively
establish it, but I was able to get them release the remains
without it. Raymond Vecchio has been put to rest."
"So.. Was it a nice funeral?"
"Yes."
"Spare me the details.. It's kind of morbid talking about
your
own funeral."
Fraser gave a faint smile.
"Your mother gave me some of your things, she thought I
might like them.. I'm having them shipped out. I got the rest of
your books."
"Hey great... I tried to find some I left behind but they're
out of print."
"Getting the Sheriff to make the police in Chicago stop
trying to interview you was a good move."
"It was his own idea, or Dean's.. I don't know who's."
"Does Dean know who you were?"
Ray shook his head.
"I may have physically been him, but the person I am is the
person he knows, loves and married. I don't want him finding out
who I was... because that man is dead... Let him stay that way."
Fraser nodded.
"Now tell me about Benton Fraser.. What are his plans for
the
future?"
"I like this place.. The people.. The land... I've still got
my land in Canada.. I was thinking of selling it, and settling
here."
"Why not go back to Canada? Don't you have friends there?"
"The cabin was burned down to the ground.. All I have left
is
the land.. And what they could salvage.. All my bridges
burned.. Victoria saw to that.. And I don't think... I could go
back
to the life I once had. I had to adapt to the life I came to
live...
I don't think I want to return to the lonely existence I
had. I can
start off fresh here."
"What will you do?"
Fraser shrugged.
"I've got some money.. I thought I'd take some time and
think about it. There are a number of options open to me. If Dean
would let me stay here, I could roam the park, make friends with
all the rangers again. Perhaps set up a business running guided
tours..."
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
"Or I could join a private detective agency.. use my skills
in that area."
"Lean pickings."
"Perhaps.."
"Ever consider modelling?"
"What?"
"Dean's got some pictures of you. You're photogenic.. And my
writing carer's going no where."
"What?!"
"Oh, I'm still making money with my column, and I'm writing
that book about my world trip. But the publishers just aren't
interested
in buying anything else I've written. I was depressed
about that,
till Dean made me look at the picture I took of him.
The arty one..
He suggested I try photography. I've got all the
equipment... He
gave it to me for my birthday back a while. I
decided to give my
agent till the end of the year to get me a
writing deal, outside
of the travel writing. If it falls through,
I'll see about the photography.
Dean made enquiries.. I could
make a living out of it.. If I had
a good model, did an
exhibition and my agent went after the right companies.."
"Why
do you have to make a living out of it? Dean can
support you while you explore artistic photography."
"I don't want him to have to support me, I want to be able
to
stand on my own two feet. He knows how I feel and encourages
me to
do it. He wants me to do some more travelling once the work
on the
Museum goes into full swing. He says he'll be so busy he
won't have
time for me... It would be the best time for it...
While my world
trips still fresh in peoples minds. I won't have
any trouble finding
sponsors."
"You're still newly weds, you should spend more time
together."
"That's what I said. I've still got that book to write, I'm
saving it for when he's so busy with his work he doesn't have any
time for me. It'll help me pass the time. I thought I'd mess
around with a little photography in the mean time. Find a studio
in the city... Visit some galleries... Buy some books.. And
there's house hunting."
"House hunting?"
"The penthouse is Anderson's. Unless Dean has plans to build
a house of his own when the museums done, we'll need to find a
place
of our own. Some place just outside the city with room for
Dief to
run around in."
"Maybe you should ask Dean what his plans are before you
start
house hunting."
"I think I'll ask him tonight."
:---=====(*)=====---:
Fraser winced as he heard raised voices, followed by a door
slamming. Ray stomped through the house, and out. He almost
followed but then thought better of it. He could guess what
they'd argued about.
=Not Ray - George. Ray is dead and buried, you must learn to
think of him as George or risk calling him Ray by accident when
that
could lead to nothing but trouble.=
It was hard, to keep Dean's secret from George. But that was
the way Dean wanted it. Dean would keep George oblivious to it
as
long as he possibly could. Fraser chose to avoid a
conversation that could lead to him saying the wrong thing or
blurting
the truth out.
All married couples argued sometime. So this was Dean and
George's first real fight. They'd patch things up on their own
without
his interference. He was sure of that. Just as he was
sure they loved
each other. It wasn't hard for Fraser to see why
George had fallen
for Dean, he was the perfect man for George.
The innocent taking
his first stumbling steps in life. Like a
young man leaving home
for the first time, he thought he knew
everything and found that
he really knew very little, but he was
learning and growing and his
experiences were shaping his life.
Much as Fraser's banishment to
Chicago had reshaped his.
He had to let Ray - George live that life without
interfering in it. Settling here would give him a chance to start
a new life, and be ready to be there for George when Dean passed
away. Till then he'd keep in touch and hope one day Ray would
turn
to him as he turned to George.
That hope would keep Fraser going through the rough patches
that were sure to follow.
*---==================(*)==================---*
The End of "The Coming of Shadows"
*----------=====(*)=====----------*
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