Two Mounties in the Great Art Adventure
Summary: During a major Chicago Art Exhibition… Canadian Art goes missing. Another RCMP Constable is assigned to assist Constable Fraser in the retrieval of the art and the apprehension of the criminals. Even though they look the same in uniform, the Constable is no Benton Fraser.
A/N: This story is purely fiction and for entertainment purposes only.
On a normal given day, the Chicago Art Museum wasn't really busy. But this wasn't a normal exhibition. Art from around the world was being displayed. There were queues early in the mornings but for this sunny morning, people were being turned away and the second floor and upwards were cordoned off.
"Sorry for the inconvenience. The Border's exhibition is now closed 'til further notice," Terrance the Manager called out to the disgruntled customers. "Now, now. Your money will be refunded and you can all have a coffee and sandwich on the house," Terrance said as he tried to diffuse the situation. He was hoping that the closure wouldn't happen for too long. It was costing him more money per hour.
The security guard quickly approached his boss. He knew that time was important. "Just been in contact with the Canadian authorities," the security guard told him.
"What they say?" The first order of business was to contact Canada since it was their work that had been taken.
"They're sending a Constable Benton Fraser from the Canadian Consulate to guard the Canadian exhibition overnight," the security guard answered.
"They're still bringing in the other art?" Terrance was relieved at that.
"Yes, the shipment is being accompanied by another Constable. Apparently they're going to be running their own investigation and will be looking forward to our co-operation," the security guard explained.
"Let me know the moment that this Constable Fraser walks through those doors," Terrance ordered. He adjusted his suit jacket and sighed. Until the investigation was over, it was going to be a long wait until it was business as usual.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Police Dept
Fraser had had a busy day. First he took Diefenbaker out for much needed exercise. Then patrolled with Ray. Had a meeting with his superior and spent some time on a call back home. It looked as if things were about to get busier. He watched the hustle and bustle of the department and waited for the perfect opportunity to interrupt Ray. He was catching up on paperwork.
Ray wasn't too busy. But at times he just loved playing with the Mountie's mind. Every time the Fraser looked like he was about to say something, Ray made himself look busier. "What is it Fraser?" Vecchio asked him. The mountie's manners prevented him from just jumping into the conversation.
"I really hate to do this, Ray. You know when you make plans it's important to keep them unless something untoward happens and it is unavoidable," Fraser wanted to make sure his friend understood the situation.
"Mind getting to the point, Fraser?" Ray asked as he looked up.
"Oh yeah. Sorry. We had plans to see the movie tonight and dine afterwards. But there was Art stolen from the Art museum and I -," Fraser began.
"News like that didn't come through here," Ray was sure that there was no talk about Art theft in the station.
"Well it was Canadian Art that was taken so the RCMP was contacted and they wanted me -," Fraser was interrupted again.
"Who'd want to steal Canadian Art?"
Fraser sighed. They had been friends for a while now and sometimes Ray still surprised him with his borderline humor. "Some of it can be quite valuable. Actually, Michael Strauss is quite a popular artist and has made quite a bit of money from sales. Well I'm just saying that I've been requested to spend the night in the museum to guard the Canadian exhibit," Fraser explained. He didn't relish the thought of spending the night alone in such a big building.
"All by yourself?" Ray asked.
"Well, they're sending someone to help tomorrow."
"Who's sending who?" Ray asked him.
"The RCMP is sending another Constable to assist," Fraser answered matter-of-factly.
"A Mountie invasion," Ray rolled his eyes. "Canada is going to overrun the US by sending us one Mountie every year or two. We better prepare our public for protection," he grinned at his own joke. At times, Ray was able to come up with some real odd theories and it surprised Fraser most of the time. It was also in a way that Fraser couldn't tell if the detective was joking or serious.
"That is a ridiculous accusation to make, Ray," Fraser said as he nodded to someone who walked by.
"It was a joke, Fraser," Ray shook his head. "Well we can make it for another night. The movie's going to be out for a while and I doubt the restaurant's going anywhere soon."
Xxxxxxx
Chicago Art Museum
Terrance was annoyed since he had to spend time waiting for the Mountie to arrive. He had work that needed doing. He breathed an impatient sigh when he saw the Mountie enter through the doors and remove is wide rimmed hat and tuck it beneath his arms. His eyes scanned the room before looking at Terrance.
"I'm Constable Benton Fraser," Fraser extended his hand.
"Mister Elliot," Terrance shook the hand.
"Sorry I'm late, Mister Elliot. I had some plans I needed to cancel before coming," Fraser explained his tardiness.
Terrance nodded. Whatever the reason was, he didn't care at the moment. "You'll be spending your time on the second and third floor. We don't normally allow food in the gallery so it would be advisable for you to have something at the restaurant before it closes," he explained quickly.
Fraser nodded as Terrance pointed to the bottom floor restaurant. "Excuse me, Sir… I have a companion, a wolf… He helps me out with another pair of ears and eyes," Fraser explained. It would've been good to have that bit of companionship especially when it was overnight.
"We don't allow pets in the gallery at all," Terrance was extremely adamant about that and Fraser knew there was no chance of him bringing Diefenbaker into the Museum.
"Understood, Sir," Fraser said. Before settling into his duty, he'd have to send his wolf home.
Xxxxxx
To say Diefenbaker was displeased at Fraser for telling him to go home was an understatement. Again, Fraser found himself defending the news he had delivered. "Its not my fault. No… rules are rules," he said to the wolf.
There was another growl. "I don't know… I guess they used to allow dogs in but they might have left a mess," Fraser tried to explain. He didn't specifically ask the manager for the reason because it didn't really matter.
"Just go home… When I get back home tomorrow, I promise I'll bring you back a treat," Fraser thought that using bribery was setting a bad example but he didn't have the time to set Dief straight.
There was a growl and a high-pitched bark.
Fraser rolled his eyes. "Okay… a Hot dog. But don't believe this will be happening a lot," he watched Diefenbaker turn around and begin walking away. "Hey! Diefenbaker! The other way," Fraser extended his finger to point in the right direction. He felt the urge to cover his eyes when somebody's camera flash went off.
"Thank you," a woman said to him.
Terrance shook his head as he watched people posing with the Mountie. Usually the only time he saw this commotion was when they had celebrities coming in. As far as Terrance could tell, the young man was just a Mountie… Nothing, nothing less. Maybe the bright red attracted the attention.
