Vecchio and Fraser couldn't believe what the captain was telling them 
 

A Tree Grows In Chicago 

John Madden 

Okay, here it is, my first attempt at fanfic. No relationship
developments, no sex, no angst, just a good old fashioned Fraser/Vecchio
mystery. As with all stories here, copyright remains with the TV show
people. All apologies if it sucks, I will do better next time. On with the
show... 

__________________________________________________________________________
________________ 

Vecchio and Fraser couldn't believe what the captain was telling them. 

	'I'm assigning you to work with FBI Agent Levington, here, on the
murder of another agent at last night's Blackhawks game.' 

The female agent, tall, blonde and pretty, stood next to the captain. She
smiled, evidently more at Fraser in his red serge than his overcoat-clad
partner. Ray could not hold in his indignation. 

	'Sir, all due respect...' 

	'Vecchio, any objections you voice will be completely lacking in
respect. Now get out.' 

The Mountie, the cop and the agent left the captain's office and walked
down the corridor. As they did so, Diefenbaker, who had been sitting
patiently outside, and was now shadowing agent Levington, joined them. She
couldn't help but to pet him. 

	'Cute wolf.' 

Fraser glared at his fuzzy companion. 

	'He's a show-off. Word of advice, Agent Levington...' 

	'It's Karen, Constable Fraser.' 

	'Benton. Word of advice - never let a wolf save your life. And if
you do, don't teach him to lip-read.' 

Vecchio couldn't take any more of this. 

	'Benny. Can I have a word? In private?' 

	'Why, certainly Ray. Usual place?' 

	'Unfortunately, yes.' 

Vecchio wished they'd install lights in these things. 

	'I can't actually imagine many situations where being in a dark
closet with a Mountie and his deaf wolf would be a pleasant experience.' 

	'Well, Ray, darkness can be very therapeutic...' 

	'Not for me...' 

	'So can the smell of wolf's hair...' 

	'Not the smell of this wolf.' 

Diefenbaker whimpered in what sounded like indignation. 

	'And Mounties can...' 

	'I don't think I want to continue this line of inquiry, Benny.' 

	'Well, you dragged me in here, Ray.' 

There was a knock on the door. Ray and Fraser both looked up. 

	'Come in.' 

It was Agent Levington. She couldn't help smiling at the scene. 

	'If you two ever want to be alone during this investigation, just
ask.' 

Fraser smiled back. 

	'Thank you kindly. Sometimes it helps to look at these matters in
an environment more conducive to...' 

Vecchio was just staring at his feet. 

	'Benny, that's not what she meant.' 

This only confused Fraser further. 

	'Um, we'll be out in a moment.' 

Agent Levington shut the door behind her.  

Ten minutes later, Ray and Benny emerged from the closet. 

	'Ray, I just don't think that because Agent Levington is a...' 

Levington raised an eyebrow. 

	'Agent Levington is a what?' 

	'Uh, Detective Vecchio contends that you being a female agent may
somehow interfere with this case.' 

	'That's not a very politically correct attitude to have,
Detective.' 

Ray ran a hand through his thinning hair in frustration. 

	'Look, Karen...' 

	'That's 'Agent Levington', Detective.' 

	'Agent Levington, it's nothing personal, I just have a thing about
working with the Feds. Especially female Feds.' 

	'Female Feds. I like that. Listen, Detective. I am your superior
on this case. It's a federal case, and the only reason your ass is even
assigned to it is because it happened on city property. Therefore I am
required to bring in local police, i.e. yourselves, until an arrest is
made. So don't give me the macho crap about working for a woman.' 

Fraser spoke up before Ray could respond. 

	'Excuse my asking, Agent Levington...' 

	'Karen.' 

	'Excuse my asking, Karen, but don't FBI agents usually work in
pairs? Will your partner be joining us at the crime scene?' 

	'You might say that. The murdered agent was my partner.' 

	'Rinkside seats. Not bad.' 

Ray surveyed the scene inside the United Center. Agent Garry Vaughn's body
was still slumped against his seat. Above the ice, the scoreboard still
held the final score from the previous night's game. Fraser and Agent
Levington were sniffing around the body. As was Diefenbaker, literally.
The wolf nosed at a game program at the dead agent's feet. Benton picked
it up and leafed through it. Dief's hunches were usually quite reliable.
For a wolf. As long as there wasn't food involved. Okay, so his hunches
could be flawed, but Fraser still listened. He stopped at the middle pages
of the program, and then looked at the scoreboard. 

	'Ray, do you have this morning's sports section?' 

	'Benny, if you're looking for the score, it's right up there on
the board. 4-3 'Hawks. But I don't see what...' 

	'I'm not looking for how many goals were scored, Ray, I want to
know when they were scored.' 

Ray pulled a USA Today from his inside pocket and threw it to Fraser.
Fraser compared the program to the newspaper. 

	'Just as I thought.' 

Agent Levington looked up. 

	'What?' 

	'Time of death was between the end of the second and start of the
third period.' 

	'How do you know that?' 

	'Agent Vaughn was taking note on his program of who scored and
when. He has a record of a goal scored two minutes before the end of the
second period, but no record of the one scored twenty-one seconds into the
third.' 

	'Well, that gives us time of death. The bullet wound gives us
cause.' 

	'I'm not so sure.' 

	'A bullet wound through the jugular vein. That's fairly likely to
kill. And a silenced, low caliber bullet could theoretically go unnoticed
in a crowded arena.' 

	'Yes, but it's also likely to cause a lot of blood loss. Plus,
there's an exit wound. If Agent Vaughn was shot to death, then there
should be much more blood, and quite possibly a second body, assuming
there was somebody in the next seat. And a shot that precise would have to
be delivered at close range in a crowded arena, and I think Agent Vaughn
might have noticed an assailant carrying a silenced weapon. And...' 

Ray couldn't take any more. 

	'Benny, are you saying he died before he was shot, you just don't
know how?' 

	'Yes.' 

	'Let's get an autopsy.' 

Ray couldn't remember a time when his Buick Riviera hadn't seen better
days. But it got Fraser, Diefenbaker and himself, and now that damned FBI
agent wherever they wanted to go without unreasonable delay. And besides,
it was a classic. Right? 

	'Old does not necessarily mean classic, Ray.' 

Fraser had caught him staring dreaming at the wheel. Ray cleared his
throat, unsure of how to respond. Agent Levington broke the silence for
him. 

	'Constable, does Detective Vecchio often fall asleep at the
wheel?' 

	'Well, no, usually just at his desk.' 

	'I resent that, Benny.' 

	'Well, Ray, you have been known to...' 

	'That was only for the first few nights after I moved in with
Franny. I don't sleep well in strange places.' 

	'You've slept just fine at my apartment.' 

The squawk of the radio interrupted the bickering, and prevented Agent
Levington from reacting. It was Elaine. 

	'Fraser, Vecchio. I just heard from the coroner's office. You
better get down there.' 

Ray picked up the handset. 

	'Something wrong, Elaine?' 

	'Let's just say it's probably more Constable Fraser's area of
expertise.' 

Fraser took the handset from Ray. 

	'Thank you kindly, Elaine.' 

The City of Chicago Coroner's Office smelt more like a hospital than a
hospital did. Which is probably one of the many reasons Ray hated it. It
wasn't so much a fear of hospitals as a general sense of discomfort around
anything so clinical. He wouldn't even be able to stand Benny's clinical
attention to 'The Rules' if it wasn't balanced by his investigative
techniques, which were unorthodox, to say the least. Which, Ray thought,
made him perfect for the case which now presented itself on the examining
table before them. 

	'Ray, still with us?' 

Benny looked up from examining the body to speak to his partner. 

	'Yeah, I'm here. I'm fine. What is it?' 

He referred to the stylised winged skeleton symbol, which was scorched
onto the back of Agent Vaughn's neck. 

	'It's Pauguk, Ray.' 

'This isn't one of those Eskimo things, is it?' 

'Actually, Ray, 'Eskimo' is an Inuit word for 'people'. It's a common
mistake, also applied to the Pueblo Indians of Southern California,
'Pueblo' being a Spanish word for...' 

Agent Levington had to interrupt. 

	'I think what Detective Vecchio wants to know is: What the hell is
it doing on my partner's neck?!' 

Benny was secretly glad of the opportunity to show off. 

	'Well, Pauguk is - was a Manitou, that's a kind of Demi-God or
ghost, common to Inuits as well as Algoquin and Ojibway or Chippewa
Indians. He was a spirit of Death and Jealousy, and took the form of a
flying skeleton.  

This wasn't helping to improve Agent Levington's mood. 

	'I'll say again - How and Why did it get scorched on Agent
Vaughn's neck?' 

	'How, I'd say it was done with some sort of small branding iron.
As for why, I have no idea. Some sort of ritual, maybe. Was Agent Vaughn
involved in any cults?' 

	'Agent Vaughn was one of the most clean living people I've ever
known, Constable Fraser. And a devout Catholic. He once left a stakeout to
go to church. The last thing he would have been involved in is a cult.' 

	'I just had to ask, that's all. No offence meant.' 

	'Of course, I'm sorry.' 

	'Oh, that's quite alright. What was the last case you were working
on?' 

Agent Levington's brow furrowed as she realised the significance of what
she was about to say. 

	'We were investigating the unauthorised removal of protected but
hallucinogenic plants from state parks. We had reason to believe they were
being used in some sort of quasi-religious rituals.' 

Fraser beckoned to the coroner, who was in the office next door. She
entered; not being given a chance to speak before Fraser quizzed her. 

	'Have you done a blood toxicology report yet?' 

	'Um, I've sent the samples down to the lab, but I haven't got
results back yet. Why?' 

	'Could you call down and tell them to search specifically for
biological toxins?' 

	'I guess so...' 

	'And when you perform the actual autopsy, could you check for
puncture marks, chemical burns and/or absorption marks in the skin?' 

	'I'll look...' 

	'Thank you kindly. Ray. Karen. Shall we?' 

Benny gestured to the door, which was all the invitation ray needed to
leave. 

Fraser and Agent Levington sat by Ray's desk nursing mugs of chocolate.
Fraser watched as Diefenbaker chewed noisily on a McDonald's cheeseburger.


	'That wolf's metabolism amazes me. It has to be urban living that
does it.' 

Agent Levington turned to look as the hybrid wolf swallowed the
grease-ball burger almost whole. 

	'Are you kidding? I've lived in cities my whole life, I couldn't
eat like that.' 

She paused. 

	'Why do you keep that wolf, anyway?' 

	'Sometimes, I wonder if maybe he keeps me. He's deaf, you know,
lost his hearing saving me from an icy river.' 

	'How does he know what you're saying?' 

	'He lip reads.' 

	'He what?' 

	'English and Inuit. Though he can be very selective about what he
understands in either language.' 

Agent Levington thought about this for a moment. 

	'It could be worse.' 

Fraser looked puzzled by this. Agent Levington continued. 

'He's Canadian. What if he only spoke French?' 

A smile crossed Fraser's lips. Right up until he saw Vecchio crossing the
floor with a piece of fax paper. Ray reached the desk and slapped it down
in front of Fraser. Agent Levington read over the mountie's shoulder while
Ray explained what it was all about. 

	'You were right, Benny. Vaughn's blood was saturated with some
hallucinogenic stuff, apparently it's commonly found in the sap of some
rare tree or other.' 

	Agent Levington spoke.	

	'Don't tell me. Gawaunduk spruce.' 

	'Right. There's more, though. That burned in symbol on the back of
his neck? It's a chemical burn, Benny. Apparently that's how the poison
was delivered. Painted on, burned the skin, soaked straight through to the
brain stem. Nasty stuff, huh?' 

Benny seemed puzzled. 

	'But what's the significance of the symbol? Pauguk must have some
meaning for the killer.' 

Ray mocked wiping his brow. 

	'Thank God, I thought you were going to say he was a suspect.
"Attention All Units. Look out for a really underweight guy with wings".' 

Fraser thought for a second, apparently ignoring his partner's joke. 

	'Is there any way of finding out who was sitting in the seats
directly behind Agent Vaughn?' 

Ray scratched his head.  

	'Well, they could be season ticket holders, but murder suspects
tend not to be. Otherwise, it's not likely unless they carved their names
in the seats.' 

Agent Levington looked up. 

	'Or if they paid with credit cards.' 

Benny got up and headed to Elaine's desk. 

	'Elaine, could you get a seat plan of the United Center, and cross
reference the credit card payment records to find out who was sitting
directly behind, and behind to either side seat... AA-36C?' 

Elaine was tapping at her computer before Fraser had finished his
sentence. 

	'You know, I do all the work. How come you guys get all the
credit?' 

	'Thank you kindly, Elaine.' 

Ten minutes later Elaine came wordlessly up to the desk, a self-satisfied
smile on her face. Neither Ray nor Benny looked up; they just took the
sheet of paper she'd put on the desk in front of them. Elaine shrugged and
walked away without a word. Ray was first to the list. 

	'What's with her?' 

Fraser hadn't noticed. 

	'With who?' He paused. 'Okay, we've got a Brian Olsen, Oak Grove,
Illinois; Michael Perkowski, Springfield, Illinois; and...' 

	Fraser stopped as he read the last name over again. 

	'James Walkswithwind, Chicago, Illinois.' 

Ray stood up straight. 

'Why do I get the feeling he's our man?' 

'Actually, Ray, we don't really have any reason to suspect Mr.
Walkswithwind over the others. And he is one of the foremost contributors
of Indian and Inuit artefacts to the Chicago Museum of Natural History...'


'Benny, I don't care if he's the Pope. There's a connection there, and I
know who I'm checking out first.' 

Agent Levington now felt the need to speak up. 

	'Actually, we do have reason. Three days ago, Vaughn questioned
him about the disappearance of a Gawaunduk Spruce sapling from the State
Park.' 

James Walkswithwind's office was not only attached to the Museum; it
overlooked the Native American artefacts gallery. An enormous and
elaborately decorated Inuit kayak hung right outside the mirrored glass
panel which separated the ageing man's office from the museum itself. A CD
of Native American chants played softly in his office, though no speakers
could be seen. Benny, Ray and Agent Levington sat in the large comfortable
chairs in front of the elaborately carved desk behind which sat James
Walkswithwind. The old Indian spoke. 

	'May I just say, Agent Levington, how sorry I was to hear about
the loss of Agent Vaughn. He was a dedicated man.' 

Levington sat there, fuming, leaving Fraser to speak for her. 

	'Mr. Walkswithwind, exactly what did you and Agent Vaughn speak
about when he was here?' 

The old man ran a hand through his hair, stopping to massage the back of
his neck. 

	'Agent Vaughn told me he'd somehow traced a rare Gawaunduk Spruce
sapling to the Museum, and suspected my involvement.' 

	'And is there any Gawaunduk Spruce in the Museum?' 

	'I'll tell you the same thing I told Agent Vaughn, Constable
Fraser. The only Gawaunduk Spruce in the Museum has either been
fossilised, or was carved into spears, kayaks or other items over a
hundred years ago. You're quite welcome to use our carbon dating equipment
to check the authenticity and age of any piece of spruce you may find in
the museum.' 

	'That probably won't be necessary. Uh, Do you know much about the
Gawaunduk Spruce?' 

	'I know that local Indians favoured it for constructing tools,
weapons, kayaks, housing and ornaments. It was a very versatile tree,
Constable, a versatility that cost it its great numbers.' 

	'But what about it's use in "religious ceremonies"?' 

	'Ah, yes. Drinking the sap was said to induce a trance-like state,
and bring the user closer to "The Great Spirit", and that's true, it did
have hallucinogenic properties, and was used in religious ceremonies. But
it was also highly poisonous, and could kill even if applied to the skin
in a concentrated area.' 

	'Do you ever participate in religious ceremonies like these?' 

	'I have been known to attend traditional Ojibway ceremonies from
time to time, Constable. I am proud of my heritage, And religious
expression is not a crime.' 

Agent Levington glared at him. 

	'No, but murder is.' 

Walkswithwind's eyes seemed to turn colder as he looked at Agent
Levington. 

	'I'm not sure I like your tone, Agent Levington. Such accusations
should not be made unless you have very strong evidence to back them up.' 

	'Agent Vaughn had evidence. He knew exactly where those Gawaunduk
Spruce trees were going. You were taking them, draining the sap for use in
these 'ceremonies' and using the dead wood to forge artefacts for this
Museum. Because you're in charge of the exhibits, nobody checks the
authenticity of a claim made by a 'foremost expert' such as yourself. If
you say a spear or arrow or ornament is over a hundred years old, who are
they to doubt you?' 

	'And who are you to doubt me, Agent Levington? You come into my
office, and accuse me of the murder of your partner, simply because his
killer had read a cheap paperback about the Manitou? I would hope for our
country's sake that the FBI does not treat all its investigations with
such disregard for protocol.' 

Fraser stepped in before Agent Levington could respond. 

	'I think we've troubled you enough, Mr. Walkswithwind. We'll be in
touch if we need you.' 

	'You are always welcome, Constable Fraser.' 

Vecchio and Levington received a cold stare for their trouble. 

Outside the museum, Agent Levington was still angry. 

	'God damn him! I know he's connected to this case! Fraser, you saw
the seating plan. He's the only one with any sort of connection to this
who could have reached Vaughn unnoticed!' 

	'Actually, we don't know if the others...' 

	'We have a man who was directly connected to a case being
investigated by a murdered agent, sitting directly behind him at the
hockey game at which he was murdered! That's a pretty freakin' strong
connection.' 

	'What bothers me is how Agent Vaughn didn't notice such a
prominent individual sitting behind him. 

Ray could answer that one. 

	'Easy. He wasn't there.' 

	'He wasn't?' 

	'No. Benny, does he look like the kind of guy who goes to hockey
games? The credit card records show he paid for the ticket, that doesn't
mean he actually went to the game. And look -' he pulled out the credit
card record. 'He only bought the ticket on the day of the game. If he was
actually that big a hockey fan he'd have paid in advance or even bought
season tickets.' 

Agent Levington was deep in thought by the end of Ray's sentence. She
spoke. 

	'Can we get back in to Walkswithwind's credit card records?' 

This worried Fraser. 

	'I'm not sure about...' 

Ray intervened. 

	'Don't ask Dudley Do-Right here or it'll never get done. Can you
justify it with probable cause?' 

	'Yeah, sure, I guess so.' 

	'Lets go.' 

Once again, Elaine found her computer terminal taken over by a mountie and
a cop. She watched as they looked through James Walkswithwind's credit
card records, and as Agent Levington scribbled down the potentially
important payments. 

	'Here's one.' 

Fraser looked to see where Agent Levington was pointing on the screen. 

	'Molloy's Haulage. That's outside the city. We'll go in the
morning.' 

Agent Levington seemed disappointed. 

	'Yeah. Okay. Sure.' 

Fraser wasn't sure what made him call to Agent Levington's apartment that
night. She'd seemed a little disturbed by the day's events, especially the
involvement of James Walkswithwind. But as he and Vecchio pulled up in the
Buick Riviera, only to see Levington leaving in her car, he was glad he'd
made this call. Ray, unfortunately, wasn't. 

	'Okay, she's gone. Let's go home.' 

	'We can't, Ray. We have to follow her.' 

	'Follow her? Are you crazy?' 

	'No. But she could be.' 

They followed Agent Levington out of the city for miles, out to near one
of the nearby national parks. She finally came to a stop outside a yard
with a chainlink fence. Vecchio parked far enough away that she wouldn't
notice, but close enough to see the sign - 'MOLLOY'S HAULAGE'. They
watched as she quickly scaled the fence and disappeared into the darkness
of the yard, presumably heading for the lights of the office. Fraser got
out of the car first, followed by Diefenbaker. Ray stayed put. 

	'Benny, where are you going?'  

	'We have to follow her, Ray. I realise she's playing a hunch, but
I have to admit, she could be right.' 

	'How do I get myself into these things?' 

	'I don't know, Ray. But could you give me a hand getting
Diefenbaker over the fence?' 

Agent Levington ducked behind a pickup truck as the men came out of the
office. From her vantagepoint, she could see the gates of the national
park, where one of the company's trucks was crossing the road, hauling a
small evergreen tree - she guessed it was a Gawaunduk - into the yard. The
men walked over to the truck as it entered the yard and began to inspect
the tree. They were now close enough for her to recognise James
Walkswithwind. 

That was enough. She drew her government issue Glock and stood up aiming. 

	'Freeze.' 

The men turned and looked at her. 

	'Obviously the words 'protected species' mean nothing to you, so
I'll just skip right down to 'You're under arrest'.' 

The four men turned to look at each other. Walkswithwind ducked behind the
truck while the other three snapped up the sub-machine guns hanging at
their hips and opened fire. Agent Levington ducked back down to find
herself joined by Vecchio and Fraser. 

	'You're out of your jurisdiction.' 

	'Actually, as long as I'm south of the border...' 

	'So's he.' 

Ray checked the clip in his gun. 

	'Well, the good news is, technically, we only need three bullets
to take out three bad guys. The bad news is I don't think we're going to
be that lucky.' 

Benton looked out at the yard to find the nearest shelter. 

	'Dief and I will draw their fire. Then both of you come up
shooting together.' 

Ray looked at him. 

	'I always said you were crazy.' 

	'Just make sure you hit something that isn't wearing red serge or
a flea collar.' 

Diefenbaker whimpered. 

Fraser and Diefenbaker ran. The gravel flew from beneath their feet as
they practically dove behind a tractor, bullets following but thankfully
missing them. As they ran, Vecchio and Levington popped up shooting. The
distracted bad guys took a couple of bullets each, and dropped. Ray turned
to Levington. 

	'Well that wasn't too hard. Soon as Fraser gets back over,
we'll...' 

Levington couldn't wait. She stepped out from behind the truck and went
over to where the bodies lay. 

Behind the truck, Agent Levington kicked each of the bodies in turn. Their
hits had apparently been fatal. But there was no sign of Walkswithwind...
yes there was. The round being chambered behind her was a definite sign.
She turned around to see the Ojibway aiming a gun squarely at her
forehead. He didn't look happy. 

	'Agent Levington, it appears I didn't give you enough credit.
Vaughn came a little too close to discrediting those pieces the museum was
buying from me, and it appears you have come even closer. It's just a
shame I can't show you the same panache my men showed Vaughn.' 

	'Panache, is that what it's called?' 

And that was all the warning Walkswithwind had of the mountie coming up
behind him before Diefenbaker knocked him to the ground, followed by the
black muzzle of Vecchio's pistol staring down at him. Fraser looked at his
partner. 

	'It appears we still have that great sense of timing.' 

Two days later, Agent Levington emerged from the captains office, smiling.
Fraser, Vecchio and Diefenbaker were there to greet her. 

	'Well, guys, you'll be pleased to know that I told the captain how
impressed I was with your investigative techniques, outstanding policework
and cute wolf.' 

Diefenbaker's tongue hung out in a canine grin at this. Fraser looked down
at his buddy. 

	'You're going to give him a swelled head. Actually, I think you're
too late.' 

Agent Levington continued. 

	'Anyway, I guess there's nothing left to do, but file my report
with the bureau, and wait to be assigned a new partner. Ever considered
the Bureau, Fraser?' 

She interrupted before he could answer. 

	'That's right, you're Canadian. Oh well. I guess I'll see you guys
around. I'll be sure and request you if I'm ever made work with Chicago PD
again.' 

She turned to leave, but stopped and looked back. 

	'Oh, and I hope that closet thing keeps working for you.' 

She winked and walked away. Benny and Ray looked at each other. 

	'Any idea what she meant?' 

	'I'm sure I've no idea, Ray.'