Chapter Six

Suzanne had slept fitfully for the few remaining hours of the night. Fraser had offered her his office and crib to sleep in, which had made her feel guilty but also grateful. She'd left the door open, feeling better for not being shut off, and had noticed that Ray had checked on her at least twice. She was grateful. His and Fraser's presence had afforded her a slight but precious piece of mind.

Fraser's sudden appearance at the door to his office made her jump out of her reverie.

The Mountie looked apologetic, "I'm sorry."

Suzanne smiled, "No, it's me. I'm not usually quite so jumpy."

"I'm sure anyone in your position would feel the same," Fraser tried to make her feel better.

Suzanne nodded, "Maybe."

"You don't think so?" he asked, clearly curious at her answer.

She rose from the edge of the desk, where she'd been sitting, and wandered toward the window, "I don't know, Fraser-" She suddenly turned toward him, changing the subject. "You know, Fraser seems so formal, doesn't anyone ever call you Benton?"

Fraser squinted, "Rarely."

"Would Ben be ok?" she ventured.

Fraser nodded, "That would be fine."

"Pitter patter let's get at 'er," Ray suddenly interrupted from the doorway, "We gotta get going. Frannie has the photos back from the developers."

Suzanne stood, grabbed her stuff and followed Ray out the door, squeezing Frasers arm as she went.

"She's in trouble," His father suddenly appeared by Fraser's side.

"Yes," Fraser answered him, "And I think she might know who it is."

Fraser caught up with Ray and Suzanne outside the Consulate, where they were
talking to Detectives Huey and Dewey. Fraser caught the tail end of Dewey's question.

"So, Big Ben. That's the clock thing right?"

Suzanne smiled like she had heard the question a million times, "It's the nickname, yes," she answered patiently.

"So have you met her?" Dewey continued.

"Big Ben?" Suzanne answered politely, looking confused.

"The Queen."

Suzanne went to answer but Huey jumped in before she had the chance.

"That is such a dumb question."

"Why?" Dewey replied defensively.

"You think everyone in England has met the Queen? Have you ever met the President?" Huey countered.

"No," Dewey answered in a tone that implied Huey was the one asking dumb questions now.

"Well then."

"But England's not as big as the US."

Huey rolled his eyes.

"Actually..." Suzanne quickly chimed in, probably keen to end the conversation, "Yes, I have."

Huey looked at Suzanne and raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"See?" Dewey poked Huey in the ribs, before smiling at Suzanne and heading into the Consulate.

Huey followed him, the two men bickering all the way.

Ray shook himself out of the apparent coma he had fallen into and headed toward the car, Suzanne and Fraser just behind.

Suzanne's heart was racing again by the time they reached the police station, but she forced herself to remain calm. No matter what those photos revealed she was not going to allow herself another episode like last nights.

They headed straight for Frannie's desk, where she was waiting, "What took you so long?"

"Traffic, Frannie. The photos?" Ray got straight to the point.

"Here," Frannie handed over an envelope.

Suzanne stood well back from the action waiting for a reaction.

Frannie continued talking as Ray began to undo the packet, "Most of them were just shots of some building. Some of them are quite good actually..." Frannie coughed, "Anyway... it was only when I got to the last few…" her sentence trailed off, "I got those ones enlarged."

Ray studied the photos and Suzanne studied Ray. His brow had wrinkled but his expression was unreadable.

"Thanks. Good job," he remarked to Frannie, as she walked away to answer her ringing phone.

Ray handed the photos over to Fraser, and Suzanne moved to study them over his shoulder, her heart filled with dread. As soon as she saw them she took a deep breath in. They weren't quite what she was expected at all.

"Hey, Ray! Phone call," Frannie called over from her desk.

"You were having an affair," Ray slammed the photos down on the table in front of Calding, who took one look at them and raised a hand to his mouth, "And Carter was blackmailing you."

Calding had lied, but Ray wasn't taking much comfort in being right at the moment. Neither was he in a particularly diplomatic mood.

Calding's attorney, a small man with large glasses, stepped in, "What proof do you have of that?

Ray glared at him, "Other than these photos, you mean?" he gestured to the table and watched the lawyer shrink back in his chair. He turned his attention back to Calding. "Maybe you'd like to change your statement?"

Calding put his hands on the table in front of him, but didn't look up. "I was having a relationship-"

"With your secretary," Ray continued for him, just managing to stop himself rolling his eyes at the cliché.

"Yes," Calding paused, clearly annoyed, "With my secretary."

Again his lawyer interrupted, "I would advise you to say nothing further."

Calding simply looked at his counsel resignedly.

"You didn't think it might be important to tell us about that?" Ray's sarcasm shone through despite himself.

"I didn't…I don't want my wife to find out."

"Oh, I'll bet you don't," Ray answered snidely, before walking around the table, "How much?"

"How much?" Calding repeated apparently unsure of what he was being asked.

"Well, I'll bet Carter wasn't keeping quiet out of the goodness of his heart," Ray made the question clear.

Calding squirmed in his chair, "$500 dollars a month."

"I knew it." Ray couldn't stop himself looking over at Fraser and Suzanne who were stood quietly in the corner of the room, watching the scene unfold.

"So what...? You decided it was too much. Decided that Carter had had all the money he was going to get?" Ray put his hands on the table, leant down and shoved his face near Calding's.

Calding looked positively grey, "I didn't kill him. It's true I'm not sorry to see him dead, but I did not kill him."

"Oh right!" Ray emphasised, "You lied about knowing Carter, you lied about being blackmailed, and I'm supposed to believe you now?"

Calding looked helplessly toward Suzanne, "Is he allowed to speak to me like that?"

Suzanne held Calding's eye, but spoke to Ray, "Detective?"

"Oh, this?" Ray continued, ignoring her, "This is nothing. If you don't start talkin' I'll-"

Suzanne spoke again, loudly, stopping Ray in his tracks, "May I talk to Lord Calding alone?"

Ray kept his gaze on Calding for longer than was comfortable for the suspect, before finally pushing away from the table and gesturing toward Fraser, "Let's go."

He couldn't bring himself to acknowledge Suzanne right now.

Suzanne took a seat opposite Calding. He began to speak but she stopped him with a hand, looking towards his lawyer.

"Alone," she glared, making it very clear that no was not an option.

Once the man had left, she turned again to Calding. She was aware that Ray might well be listening from the room next door, but she wasn't worried about him hearing.

Nevertheless, she kept her voice low, "It isn't my job to judge you. I am only here to ensure you understand what is happening. But holding back the truth isn't doing you any favours and it certainly makes my job harder. You say you didn't kill him, I believe that. But you lied and now you have a motive. The police will pursue that. I don't think you appreciate the trouble you are in here. An affair will blow over, it'll be yesterdays news in a week. A murder charge? Well that won't be so easily swept under the carpet."

Suzanne rose from her chair, "I suggest you give your statement again, and THIS time include everything."

She pulled the door open to exit when Calding finally spoke again, "My wife?"

"Sir, I think your wife finding out is the least of your problems right now."

Suzanne found Fraser and Ray waiting outside the interview room. As soon as she left the room she saw Ray give a cursory nod at a uniformed officer, who immediately moved to stand outside the interview room door.

"Well?" Ray jumped in.

"Well what?" Suzanne countered, unsure of his demeanour.

"You get what you need?" the look Ray gave her showed none of the concern from yesterday. It was hard and cold.

Suzanne looked toward Fraser who was stood close by, looking very uncomfortable, "Do you mind if-"

"Not at all," Fraser didn't even give Suzanne a chance to finish her sentence before he disappeared toward the Squad Room in a hurry. Dief gave a whine in Suzanne's general direction before following the Mountie.

She turned her attention back to Ray, "Is there somewhere we could talk?"

Ray pushed away from the wall he was leaning on, and walked over to hold the door to the second interview room open for her. She glanced at him as she walked past, but he kept his gaze firmly lowered.

She waited until he had closed the door and they were both alone before she turned back to him and spoke again, "What's going on, Ray?"

"Why don't you tell me?" he replied coolly, now holding her gaze but standing across the room from her.

Suzanne could see she was going to get nowhere like this, "Ok," she said matter of factly before taking a seat, hands resting on the tabletop, "Let's just get this over with, shall we? Question me," she indicated to the table in front of her.

"What?" she had Ray's attention now.

Suzanne ignored his question, "Where was I on the night of the murder?" she paused for effect, "At home," another pause, "Can anyone verify that?" Pause, "No, I was alone."

Ray finally walked over to the table and held up a hand to stop her, "You're a cop."

Suzanne almost laughed, "Well one of us needs to be!"

"No," he stood looking down at her from the other side of the table, "You're a cop."

Suzanne sighed.

So this was the conversation she was going to have to have now, "Was," she emphasised, not looking at him, "Was. Not now. But I see you've run a background check on me."

So that's what the phone call was about. It made sense now.

Ray at least had the good grace to look uncomfortable as he pushed back from the table to stand by the mirror, "You didn't think it was worth mentioning?"

Suzanne held her hands out, "How is it even relevant?" when Ray said nothing, she continued, "Seriously? That's why you're being like this? Because you're mad I didn't mention being a cop in a previous life?"

"It's relevant," Ray shot back, though he didn't much look like he believed it.

Suzanne shook her head, "Oh don't do that, Ray."

"What?"

"The cop thing," she clarified, "The whole I don't like other cops encroaching on my territory thing."

"It's not that," Ray still sounded sullen, but his demeanour had thawed a little.

"Isn't it?" Suzanne beseeched him, "Look..." she looked down at the table again, "I was a Detective. In London. But I left and now I'm in Chicago working for the British Consulate. I can write down my life story, if you want, but it's still not going to sort the main issue, is it? You don't trust me."

Ray was beginning to forget why he was so irate.

Running the background check on Suzanne had been a mistake. He knew that now. He'd only done it because there was a feeling that he just couldn't shake. When all that had been revealed was that she was an ex-cop it seemed reason enough to believe his hunch was right. She hadn't told him she was. Standing here now, looking at Suzanne sat at the table, he realised how ridiculous it was.

Ray held her gaze and suddenly it wasn't Suzanne Harrison sitting there at all, it was Luanne Russell. The woman he'd mistakenly convinced himself was guilty and a woman who hadn't been exactly forgiving when her innocence was proven. Ray couldn't blame her either. Fraser had tried to warn him and he hadn't listened. It was just what he did; if anyone showed an interest, they automatically had something wrong with them, because other it couldn't be anything else.

Ray could see this was another make or break point. Either he trusted her and she turned out to be guilty, in which case he'd probably lose his job, or he held her in suspicion and she was innocent, and then he'd lose any chance he ever had.

"Ray?"

He realised belatedly that he'd been staring at her but saying nothing, and now Suzanne was looking at him quizzically.

He looked away down to the floor, unsure what to do next. Eventually he settled for walking over to the table and sitting down opposite her. Suzanne clearly took this to mean that he intended to question her as a suspect.

"Do I need a lawyer?" she asked him with less warmth in her tone.

"No," he answered quickly, studying the table intently, "No... you don't. I... uh..."

"I get it," Suzanne stopped him from saying anything further and he looked back up at her as she continued, "I do. You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. Photos of me turn up in connection to a crime scene and you..." her sentence drifted off before she continued, "I'd probably make the same leap," she paused, "As a detective."

Ray nodded at her, "And as a human being?" he ventured.

Suzanne smiled and Ray found himself glad to see it, "Well, that's an entirely different question, isn't it?" she leant forward across the table, "Look, I can be replaced. The Consulate can send another representative for Calding. I don't need to be here. I'll give a statement and step down-"

Ray held his hand up to stop her. He looked her in the eye, as confidently as he could muster, and try as he might he just couldn't see guilt there. There was something there, something she was holding back, but he just couldn't be sure what it was.

He took a deep breath, decision made, a leap of faith, "We're good."

Suzanne looked as if she was trying to work out if he was being truthful, "We're good?"

"Yeah."

Suzanne nodded, "Ok," she looked like she was going to say more, but they were interrupted by a knock at the interview room door, before Fraser carefully pushed it open.

He looked like he could sense the previous atmosphere which was now defrosting rapidly. "Everything ok?"

Ray stood up and walked over to him, "Great." he indicated to a book Fraser was holding in his hand, "Found anything?"

Fraser held up the book like he'd forgotten he was holding it, "Oh nothing. I confess I'm just intrigued as to the involvement of a chess book," It was the same book as they'd found at the hotel crime scene.

"Involvement?" Ray echoed, "Fraser it's a book. So, Carter played chess? Lots of people do, including me and Detective Harrison over there," he gestured toward Suzanne with humour; feeling much more at ease.

Suzanne stood suddenly at his words, causing both Ray and Fraser to look over her. Her brow was furrowed, "He called me Detective," she said abruptly.

"I was just kidding around-"

"No, no, not you," she clarified, walking over towards them, "The phone caller. He called me Detective and I never even picked up on it."

"Who in Chicago knows about your past profession?" Fraser questioned immediately. Ray had filled him in on his discovery whilst Suzanne was speaking with Calding earlier.

Suzanne looked to the ceiling thinking, "My colleagues at the Consulate, but I would have a hard time thinking it was one of them. And apart from that, just both of you."

Ray made a face, "And anyone could find that information with a phone call," he paused to shift uncomfortably, looking briefly towards Suzanne, "I did."

Fraser and Suzanne both stared at him.

Ray distractedly rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable at the attention, "It's...ah...standard procedure to...um...check the credentials of witnesses."

Suzanne looked at him with amusement, obviously enjoying his discomfort."But I'm not a witness."