CHAPTER 10.

"I knew it...I KNEW IT!" exclaimed Ray and he leapt out of his chair, earning a stare from Jack Huey who was trying to type up a report. "The guy is a full blown, out and out fraud. What's his game, Fraser? We have to get Frannie away from him."

Ray waved the printout that Elaine had just handed him in the air as if he'd just won a sporting trophy.

Elaine glanced at Fraser and raised her hands to indicate she wanted nothing to do with this before quietly walking back to her desk. She didn't mind helping Ray out with his strange requests for information, especially if it meant a chance to spend time with Fraser, but she certainly didn't want to get involved in whatever personal crusades Ray was on this time.

"Ray, calm down," urged Fraser. "This doesn't mean..."

"Don't tell me what it doesn't mean!" snapped Ray, slamming the piece of paper down on the desk. "He doesn't own a big flash house in the country, he doesn't own a Porsche, what else is he lying about?"

The image of a distressed Francesca sitting at his kitchen table in the early hours of the morning flashed into Fraser's mind and he struggled with his conscience again.

Maybe I should tell him? No...not here...not in front of everyone. Besides, I promised Francesca…

"Come on, Fraser," said Ray, grabbing his coat and striding across the squad room. "Let's go talk to some of his business associates. My guess is he's not even a photographer at all."

"Whilst I agree that it appears the man's idea of the truth is somewhat flexible," began Fraser as he picked up his hat and placed it squarely on his head. "I believe his professional credentials are in no doubt. He uses some very sophisticated equipment and..."

"Yeah and I own a five hundred dollar Fender Stratocaster, doesn't make me a rock star," Ray interrupted him as they headed out into the corridor.

"You own an electric guitar?" queried Fraser with a puzzled frown. This was the first he'd heard of it.

"Yeah," Ray confirmed and he stopped suddenly and turned to face his friend. "Angie bought it for me. Don't ask me why. Guess she thought I needed a new hobby. Never learnt how to play the damn thing. The point is, Benny, appearances can be deceptive."

"Understood," nodded Fraser. "Now might I suggest that we leave before Lieutenant Welsh returns. I suspect he would be disappointed to find you here after he made his orders quite clear."

"I'm just here for a social visit, Benny," grinned Ray. "And because I miss the vending machine coffee. Nothing beats that bitter, sickly aftertaste."

"Ah, Ray..." Fraser tried to interrupt him, but he wasn't listening.

"I love this place so much wild horses wouldn't keep me away," continued Ray, sarcastically.

"Ray...I suggest..." Fraser stuttered, but it was too late. Ray turned back towards the stairs, only to come face to face with Welsh who was walking the other way.

Ray jumped backwards in surprise, almost tripping over Diefenbaker as he did so. The wolf growled in disbelief. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd been stood on, or kicked, or tripped over since he'd arrived in Chicago.

Why can't Americans learn to look where they're going?

"Maybe I should convert the old locker room into stables?" suggested Welsh, folding his arms and fixing a glare in Ray's direction.

"Sir?" Ray was puzzled.

"For the wild horses," Welsh clarified.

"Oh, I see, very funny, Sir," grinned Ray, nervously. "You see, Sir, I was just passing by with Fraser, here and I thought I'd drop in to see Elaine and to collect some personal items from my desk and..."

"Personal items?" Welsh was unconvinced.

"Yes, Sir," nodded Ray. He rummaged in his coat pocket and produced an old black biro which had long become separated from its lid.

"You came in to collect a pen?" Welsh asked incredulously.

"It's my favourite pen, Sir," replied Ray, fixing a grin that displayed more confidence than he felt.

"Is this true, Constable?" Welsh asked Fraser.

"Er..." Fraser couldn't look Ray in the eye. "No, Sir."

Ray rolled his eyes and threw his arms in the air in despair.

"However and I can confirm that the purpose of Detective Vecchio's visit here today is of a personal nature," continued Fraser.

"Exactly," nodded Ray. "I wouldn't dream of disobeying your orders and returning to work until I feel one hundred percent again, Sir."

Welsh eyed them both suspiciously. "Hmmm," he said. "You're lucky I don't have time for this now, Vecchio. But if I see you within ten feet of this building before next week I'll have you on traffic duty. Got it?"

"Loud and clear, Sir."

Ray ran down the stairs as fast as he could with Dief bounding after him. Fraser quickly saluted and followed his friend as Welsh watched them go.

As if Vecchio wasn't peculiar enough already...then he met a Mountie. Still, his arrest rates have increased tenfold so I shouldn't complain…

xXxXxXx

"Dammit, I thought we'd have something on him by now." Ray sighed as he sat down on his favourite armchair.

Despite spending the afternoon trawling around various newspaper and magazine offices, he and Fraser had failed to find any more dirt on Eddie Bartolo. Apparently he was indeed a photographer and he did sell a lot of his work to the big publications. No one seemed to know much about his personal life, but why would they? As a freelancer he had no ties to any one place and many of the editors didn't see him from one month to the next. In fact, several people they spoke to mentioned Eddie had been notable by his absence in recent months. Ray had left his business card at every office they'd visited just in case anyone remembered anything, but he didn't hold out much hope.

"We can continue tomorrow," replied Fraser, trying to sound positive. "We didn't have time to visit all the locations on your list today."

Ray shrugged. "Guess so," he replied dismissively. "Figure we're gonna get the same answers though."

Just then the door opened and Ma Vecchio walked in. "Oh, Raymondo, there you are," she beamed at her son. "And Benton, too. Won't you stay for dinner?"

"Er, um..." Fraser mumbled. The prospect of another loud, stressful Vecchio family dinner was not appealing to him at the moment.

"Francesca and Eddie are coming," added Ma. "So you'd better behave yourself, Raymondo. I won't have a repeat of last time."

Fraser glanced at Ray, afraid of an outburst, but Ray was surprisingly restrained.

"You know, Ma," began Ray. "Fraser and I were just saying how we haven't eaten at Mr Lee's restaurant for months, weren't we Fraser?"

Just nod, Benny, you don't have to lie out loud if you think your hat might explode…

Fraser's eyes widened in fear, although he wasn't sure if he was more afraid of incurring Ray's wrath if he blurted out the truth again, or Ma's if he refused her offer of dinner. In the end he didn't have to choose.

"I've made fettuccini con carciofi," smiled Ma, encouragingly.

"You know, Ray, the health benefits of artichokes are well documented," began Fraser, but Ray interrupted him.

"Makes my pee smell," he snapped. "Come on, Benny, I want egg rolls."

Ray walked past his mother whose smile had now been replaced by a glare.

"I think you'll find that's asparagus, Ray," Fraser called after him, but Ray was already half way out of the door. Fraser swallowed nervously and looked apologetically at Mrs Vecchio. "I'm terribly sorry," he mumbled and then quickly followed Ray out into the street.

Ray opened the door of his beloved green Riviera, but stopped before getting in. He glanced up as Fraser walked over. "Now I've upset Ma, again," he said with a sigh.

Fraser nodded in agreement and ran his tongue over his lower lip.

"See what this guy's doing to me, Benny?" said Ray, shaking his head. "He's making me disrespect my own mother. What kind of an Italian son does that make me?"

"You know, Ray, if we attended dinner with your family we may have an opportunity to learn more about Eddie?" Fraser suggested.

"Interrogate him over the antipasto, you mean?"

"Something like that."

Ray sighed again. "I don't think I'll have much of an appetite," he said. "Just looking at him makes me sick. I can't explain it, Benny. Wish I could, but it's just this gut feeling..." he trailed off.

Fraser nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, quietly.

Ray frowned. "You do?" he asked. "Because of this thing that you can't tell me about?"

Fraser nodded.

Ray slammed the car door shut and fixed a smile on his face. "OK, Benny. Let's do it. And I promise I'll be on my best behaviour."

xXxXxXx

Francesca and Eddie arrived shortly after and the Vecchio family gathered around the table. Francesca and Eddie behaved like any other young couple in love, holding hands under the table and giggling a lot. Ray had to turn away on several occasions as the sight of them pawing and gazing at each other made him nauseous.

Fraser found the display difficult to take in too. There was nothing to indicate the distress Eddie had caused Francesca less than twenty four hours ago. He hadn't had a chance to speak to Francesca in private before dinner, but he made a mental note to find an opportunity to take her aside before the evening was over, just to make sure she was alright.

Ray couldn't help chuckling to himself as Fraser visibly struggled with the usual noise and bustle around the table. Between Maria's boys arguing over who got the biggest portion of pasta and Tony's continual stream of bad jokes, Ray thought Fraser might just run out into the street screaming like a mad man. Instead he was able to employ some of that famous Mountie self-control and remained seated.

Ray was determined to keep his promise to Fraser and his mother and not cause a scene at the table. It was a struggle, but he did it, smiling and laughing in all the right places and being the epitome of a good host. Just as Fraser had suggested, Ray took the opportunity to glean as much information about Eddie as he could. Under the guise of casual conversation he was able to get Eddie to talk about everything from his childhood to his finances. It was obvious to both Ray and Fraser that Eddie was lying on several occasions and neither of them could understand why he felt the need to be untruthful about such trivial matters as which football team he supported, but now was not the time to confront him so they let the conversation flow.

After dinner was over, Francesca offered to do the washing up and Ma graciously accepted.

"Look at you," said Maria, raising her eyebrows. "You get yourself a man and suddenly you're the world's best housewife."

"Hey, I've always helped out around the house," retorted Francesca.

"Only when you want something in return," retorted Maria.

Francesca was about to snap another reply, when Eddie held out his hands in a calming motion. "Ladies, please," he said. "I hate to see two beautiful sisters fighting."

"Beautiful?" repeated Maria, coyly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Why of course," replied Eddie with a smile. "And I can see where you both inherited your beauty from," he added, turning to wink at Ma who blushed.

Ray rolled his eyes and threw his head back in disgust.

Jeez, when does this guy ever give up?

"I'll help you in the kitchen, baby," said Eddie.

"No, please, allow me," said Fraser quickly with a glance at Francesca.

"Thank you, Benton," she smiled. "Eddie, why don't you and Ray go talk some more?" She was happy that her brother and Eddie were apparently getting along so well this evening and she really hoped that all the tension of the last few days was over. She was glad of the opportunity to talk to Fraser this evening even more than usual. She wanted to clear up the misunderstanding from the night before. She had been grateful for Fraser's help and support, but everything with Eddie was alright now and she wanted to make sure Fraser wasn't worrying about her.

Francesca carried a pile of dirty plates into the kitchen and Fraser followed close behind with another armful of crockery. He couldn't help noticing the jealous glare Eddie gave him.

I could use his possessive nature to my advantage, although the fallout might be…

Fraser let his thoughts hang as he placed the plates in the sink.

"Hey," smiled Francesca and she closed the kitchen door behind him. "What's gotten into Ray?" she asked. "Did you give him Mountie lessons on being polite?"

"Ray just wants to see you happy," replied Fraser vaguely.

"I am happy, Benton," she smiled. "And I wanted to thank you for last night. I was in a bit of a state, but it's all OK now."

"Are you sure?" asked Fraser.

"Yes, it's fine, we talked for a long time after you'd left," Francesca explained. "He knows he shouldn't have done it and he's really sorry."

Fraser was still worried. Francesca was talking as if Eddie had made a simple mistake, perhaps taped over her favourite movie with the big match, or broken her favourite cup, but what he'd done was far more serious than that. The fact that Francesca was happy to dismiss his serious lapse of trust so easily was very concerning. Francesca was ditzy sometimes, that much was certain, but she wasn't completely stupid. It made little sense to Fraser that something which had affected her so deeply last night could so easily be ignored as if nothing had happened.

"Francesca," began Fraser seriously. "Last night you used the word 'violated' to describe how you felt," he reminded her. "Are you sure you're comfortable with his explanation?"

"I overreacted, that's all," replied Francesca dismissively. She started to fill the sink with hot water and Fraser passed her the plates. "It was just meant to be fun," she continued. "Like he said. He wanted us to be able to remember that special moment forever. He admits it was a bad idea and he's said sorry, so it's all fine. He's planning something wonderful to make it up to me, he said, but it's a surprise. I can't wait! He's such a lovely man. I know it'll be something very special."

"Francesca, I don't wish to hammer home the point, as it were," said Fraser, choosing his words carefully. "But you talk as if he'd made a video recording of your first holy communion."

"Now that's a moment I really would rather forget," replied Francesca. "Did I ever tell you how rude Father O'Connell was to me? I mean, it wasn't my fault that Jorge Banderas and James MacKinley spread those rumours?"

"Francesca, you're drifting from the subject."

"Sorry," she giggled. "It's OK, really," she tried to reassure him. "So Eddie made a secret video of us having sex. Big deal. People have sex all the time! It's natural. And it was a special moment for us, I get why he did it, I really do. I was just shocked and tired when I found out and I went all weird about it. All that stuff about not trusting him, I'm over that. He admits he shouldn't have set up a secret camera in the bedroom, but you destroyed the tape so it's over now."

Fraser nodded slowly. Then something occurred to him and he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it before.

What if that wasn't really the tape?

He thought it best not to voice his concerns to Francesca at this time. Instead he smiled a crooked smile at her and finished the washing up while she chatted happily about the plans for her future with Eddie.

Outside the kitchen, Ray's hand hovered over the door handle as he tried to retain his composure. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but on the other hand he was desperate to find out what it was that Fraser felt he couldn't tell him about so maybe he had stood unnecessarily close to the door as everyone else left the dining room? Now he stood with a dirty pasta bowl in one hand and it was all he could do to stop himself throwing it across the room.

Eddie filmed himself having sex with my sister?

Ray couldn't believe it. The nausea he'd told Fraser about earlier came back with a vengeance and he swallowed hard as he tasted bile.

He filmed my sister...and Fraser knew about this?

Ray's face flushed red with anger. He glanced at the other door where, just the other side, he could hear Eddie's voice. He was laughing and joking with Tony and playfully teasing Fabio and Giovanni. Ray could hardly bear to listen to it any more. He wanted to run in there and punch the guy in the head so hard...and he didn't care if it made him like his father. Ray would happily go to prison if he could have the satisfaction of seeing Eddie suffer, he thought. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

No, that's not the answer. I want Eddie Bartolo to be the one rotting in Joliet, not me. It's the least he deserves...

He took another deep breath. He would leave Eddie for now, but he had to confront his sister. Maybe Fraser was OK with her spending time with a sleazebag like Eddie, but Ray was definitely not OK with it. And how could Fraser think it was OK to keep this from him? Ray tried not to get angry, but after all they'd talked about that morning about trusting each other he was more than a little disappointed.

I guess he doesn't trust me not to go beat Eddie into a pulp...maybe he's right? It's who I am. It was the first thing I thought of just now...I am like my father and there's not a goddam thing I can do to change that…

The realisation hit Ray hard. He would always be a Vecchio and even though he was proud to carry the name he knew there would always be a part of his Vecchio side that threatened to overwhelm the man he was. Sometimes it wasn't easy to keep in control.

Ray stood up straight, fixed a neutral look on his face and walked into the kitchen.

Francesca jumped as the door flung open. "Ray!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" asked Ray with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Francesca's breath hitched. She knew the look on her brother's face, she'd seen it too many times before. He was about to blow up and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

"Well, actually, Ray…" began Fraser, but he didn't get a chance to finish.

"Because I could've sworn I heard you say something about Eddie and a secret sex tape?" Ray blurted out. Not exactly the way he'd wanted to broach the subject, but it had just come out that way.

"You were listening at the door?" exclaimed Francesca. "Jesus, Ray! What happened to privacy?"

"Did you ask Eddie that question?" snapped Ray. "Looks to me like he's the one who needs to answer it."

"Ray, may I suggest that we sit down and talk about this?" said Fraser hopefully.

"Stay out of this, Benny," snapped Ray. "You should have told me, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been classed as a breach of Canadian national security."

"I asked him not to tell you," Francesca interrupted him. "And, unlike you, Benton respects me."

"And do you think Eddie respects you?" asked Ray, glaring at her.

"It was a misunderstanding," replied Francesca defiantly. "And we've sorted it out so the subject is closed."

"The hell it is," retorted Ray. "No one turns my baby sister into a porn star and gets away with it."

"It wasn't like that," Francesca answered. "You're making it sound worse than it was because you're so desperate to find a reason to break us up."

"I just want you to be happy and safe," replied Ray, his voice a little softer now.

"Yeah, right," Francesca rolled her eyes as she spoke. "And you think you can do that by treating me like a child and marrying me off to some dumb guy with a dead end job like Tony. Well I'll tell you one thing, Ray, I'm not going to settle for just any guy."

"I don't want you to be with just any guy," replied Ray. "But I don't want you to be with a lying, scheming pervert. Not too much to ask really, is it?"

"I'm going to make something of my life, Ray," continued Francesca. "I'm not going to be like Ma or Maria, stuck at home with nothing but diapers to change and kitchen floors to scrub. And my life isn't going to be like yours either. You're nearly forty years old, Ray and look at you. What have you made of your life? I'm going out into the world and I'm going to try new and exciting things and yeah, maybe some of those things won't work out, but at least I will have tried them. And I don't care if you don't like it, because it's my life and I get to decide. I'm sick of you putting me down all the time. No wonder Angie left you."

With a final sad glance at Fraser, Francesca stormed out of the kitchen.

Ray stood in silence. He leaned forward to support himself on the worktop with his hands. "I guess I deserved that," he said.

"Ray, I…" Fraser began, but he didn't know what to say.

"Forget it, Benny," replied Ray.

"I promised, Ray," Fraser tried to explain. "I couldn't tell you. And Francesca appears to have dealt with the situation admirably."

"If by admirably you mean staying with a guy who's no good for her then yeah, she has," replied Ray with a sigh. He stood up straight and turned to face Fraser. "This isn't over, Benny," he said. "The only reason I'm still in this kitchen with you is because if I go out there I'm going to wring the guy's neck."

"No you won't, Ray," replied Fraser, earnestly.

"Wanna bet?"

Fraser opened his mouth to speak again, but Ray was already half way out of the door. Fraser shook his head and followed him. He hadn't wanted Ray to find out this way. Part of him had hoped that the afternoon's investigation would have turned up something more concrete they could use against Eddie, but all they'd discovered was that he had a habit of lying about, amongst other things, his possessions. His personal moral code was nothing to be proud of, that much was for sure, but was it enough? Francesca was entitled to date whoever she wanted. All he and Ray could justifiably do was offer advice and guidance, but they couldn't force her to stop seeing a man just because they didn't like him.

Fraser ran after Ray. He was fairly certain that Ray wasn't going to do anything stupid – he'd already learnt his lesson – but things were about to get ugly and he wasn't looking forward to it.

Ray found Francesca and Eddie in the hallway. Francesca had Eddie pinned against the wall with her body pressed hard against his and she was kissing him deeply. Ray saw her glance over when he appeared, so he knew she'd seen him, but she didn't stop what she was doing.

So this is all for my benefit…

Ray looked at the floor as he composed his thoughts. He didn't want to see Eddie's hands on his sister's butt, or the way he was rubbing himself against her. He didn't know what to do next. There was no way he was going to allow Eddie to get away with what he'd done and Francesca needed to understand that the man she loved was not someone she should trust.

He thought about her outburst in the kitchen. Maybe she was right? He was fast approaching middle age and what did he have to show for it? A house he'd inherited from a father he despised and a childless, broken marriage. He was doing well at work, having been promoted recently, but everyone knew that was only because of Fraser. Before Fraser had arrived in Chicago Ray's career had fast been heading down the toilet. For some reason, having a crazy Mountie as a partner had renewed Ray's enthusiasm for the task of cleaning up the streets and he would be forever grateful to his best friend for that. However, he thought, he would happily work cleaning the streets with a broom if it meant he still had Angie.

Perhaps Frannie's right? Maybe I should just let her go off with Eddie and make her own mistakes in the world? What's the worst that could happen? She's already got one failed marriage behind her so who cares if she winds up in the Guinness Book of Records as the most divorced woman in the world? As long as she's happy…

Ray looked up just in time to see Eddie's tongue doing things no man should see being done to their sister's mouth.

"OK, that's enough," he said suddenly and Eddie almost jumped out of his skin. "Not under my roof," added Ray.

Francesca scowled at her brother. "Do you mind?" she snapped. "We were in the middle of something." She wrapped her arms around Eddie.

"An oral hygiene lesson?" sneered Ray. "Just let me speak," he added before either of them had time to reply. He glanced up just as Fraser appeared in the hallway.

It's OK, Benny, I'm not going to kill him…not today…

"I thought the nice guy routine was too good to last," said Eddie, rolling his eyes and holding Francesca tightly.

"Listen up, wiseguy," began Ray. "I tried to be nice to you for Frannie's sake, but that was before I found out you've been treating her like your own personal plaything. You're no Hugh Heffner, pal, so quit the sex god act and start taking care of my sister. Because if you don't I'll come down on you so hard…"

"And there you go threatening me again," sighed Eddie. He looked over at Fraser. "How do I go about filing an official complaint against this guy?" he asked.

"Well," said Fraser, tugging at his earlobe. "First of all I suggest you read the Illinois Criminal Code – I have a copy if you'd like to borrow it. Then, if you find a legitimate charge you believe could be upheld against Ray I'll gladly direct you to the relevant department who would be willing and able to assist you with submission of the necessary forms. The legal process would be, no doubt, long and expensive, but you are within your rights as a citizen of Chicago to pursue such an avenue if you so wish."

Eddie stood open mouthed as Fraser spoke.

"Or, you could simply do as he suggests and start treating Francesca in a manner more fitting for a woman of her standing," added Fraser.

Ray glanced across at his friend and couldn't help the tiny smile that flashed across his lips.

Thanks, Benny…

"Canadians hate liars," said Ray, nodding towards Fraser. "And they hate scumbags like you who exploit women."

"I'm not being exploited, Ray!" exclaimed Francesca, throwing her hands in the air.

"He's not who you think he is, Frannie," insisted Ray.

Francesca turned to Eddie and a look of determination crossed her face. It was a look that Ray recognised and it scared him.

What the hell are you doing, Frannie...?

"Eddie, let's tell them," said Francesca suddenly. "Everyone's here, let's tell them now."

Ray glanced nervously at Fraser. What was going on?

"I thought you wanted to wait," replied Eddie with a puzzled look on his face.

"I know I said that, but I've changed my mind," said Francesca. She turned back to her brother. "I'm not listening to any more of your crap, Ray. This is my life and you can't tell me how to live it."

Francesca grabbed Eddie by the hand and dragged him across the hall towards the living room. Ray and Fraser followed close behind.

Francesca flung open the door, making Diefenbaker jump. He had been enjoying lots of attention from Tony and had been contemplating a short snooze. The sudden intrusion had put paid to that idea, however. He caught sight of Fraser's face and realised that the last thing he'd be able to do now was relax. Something was about to go down and whatever it was the humans would react the way they always did…badly.

"Ma," Francesca said loudly as they walked into the room. "Maria, everyone, Eddie and I have got something to tell you." Francesca was beaming from ear to ear and Eddie stood tall and proud with a protective arm around her shoulder.

Ma and Maria exchanged a surprised and excited look. Fraser and Ray exchanged an entirely different look altogether.

Francesca took Eddie's hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. She felt as though she was going to burst with excitement and pride as she made the announcement. "We weren't going to tell anyone just yet, but…Eddie and I are getting married!"