Hair In Her Eyes Chapter 10: Nine, a due south fanfic

Chapter 9

"Now I want you to trace you're steps back to where you where last night." Fraser said, pronouncing every word clearly, looking Dief straight in the eyes. "Take us to the spot where Inspector Thatcher was accosted." It was nearly three o'clock and Fraser was feeling the day slip through his fingers. Things had to start happening, they couldn't flounder in their state of not knowing much longer, because if they did they would never find Meg, just her body.

Dief licked his chops, whimpered and than started trotting west at a quick pace, Ray and Fraser had to almost jog to keep up. After they had walked about a block, silently Ray looked at Fraser and attempted to make conversation. "So, how was babysitting the little kids?"

"Hectic at times, but over all a rewarding experience."

"Rewarding, you're telling me that keeping an eye on five hyperactive children was rewarding."

"There were certain rewards."

"Did those rewards get you kicked out of the family?"

"Beg you're pardon?"

"Never mind. So, how many kids were there, five?"

"Yes. Will, Cimon, Xerxes, Leo and of course Elly."

"Which one wanted me to arrest Garret?"

"Cimon."

Ray smiled. "I like that kid."

"In many way's Cimon reminded me of you."

"A real prince, huh?"

"No." Fraser said, shaking his head. He was trying not to smile.

Ray hit his friend affectionately on the shoulder. "So, Simon . . ." He started.

"Cimon."

"What?"

"His name is Cimon, pronounced with a Kay."

"Cimon. Who names a kid Cimon? That's not a name!"

"Well, actually it is. You see Cimon was the leader of the Delian league in 467 B.C. when they destroyed the Persian fleet."

"Oh," Ray said sarcastically.

"Actually, all of the Inspector's Brother's children are named after famous Greeks."

"Except Will,"

"Well, yes, that's a family name. And of course Xerxes was a Persian king. And Elly's proper name is Helen, after Helen of troy, who was most likely a fictional character created by Homer."

"So that just leave's Leo, right."

"He was named for Leonidas, the Spartan king."

"Who names their kid's after famous Greeks?"

"A professor of history specializing in the Greek and Persian wars between 546 and 467 B.C."

Ray was silent for a while longer. As they were passing the dinner three blocks west of the consulate he asked. "So, how do you know so much about the Inspectors family?"

"I beg you're pardon?"

"I mean, how do you know that her brother is a Greek scholar and that her father was a diplomat and everything."

Fraser shrugged. "How do I know anything about you're family?"

"Maybe because you have dinner with us twice a week. Come'on, you don't go over to Thatcher's and discuss family histories," He paused, realizing that that statement wasn't as off the wall as it should have been. "Do you?"

"No Ray."

"Than how do you know?"

"I don't know, I guess I just acquired the knowledge . . . somewhere."

"You're not stocking her are you."

"Ray."

"I'm not saying I'd arrest you or anything if you where. I'm just curious."

"No Ray, I am not stocking inspector Thatcher. If I was . . ." his voice trailed of, almost sadly.

Ray cleared his throat and shifted the subject "So, can you do it with other people too?"

"Do what?"

"You know, recite their family history and stuff."

"Well . . ."

"How bout Welsh? How much you know about him?"

"He is the elder of two brothers. Wilson being his younger brother by a year. Wilson is a sheriff in a small community in southern Illinois. Their mother was a housewife until she died when the boy's were in high school. There father was a solder in World War Two, he serving a tour in Germany, when he came home he joined the Chicago police department where he was a patrol officer for thirty years until he retired. Presently he is living off of his pension in an apartment building on the west side of town."

"You're making that up."

"I am most certainly not."

"Yha, sure you are."

"You can go in and ask Lt. Welsh yourself."

"You would just love that wouldn't you."

***

"You know." Ray said, as the consulate came into view. "I think you're wolf is broken."

"No," Fraser said, his voice was distracted. Ray knew the Mountie's brain was working over time, putting it all together. "This makes perfect sense. You said she was looking for me last night?"

"Yha, trying to get rid of Dief."

"She had been looking for a long time, several hours. Now she had Elly with her, so she didn't want to go into my neighborhood."

"Who could blame her?"

"But she wasn't willing to merely let him lose, she had to be assured he was safe for the night, and that I would find him. Where would the most logical place be?"

"The consulate."

"Exactly."

They found the car parked in its spot, passenger door wide open, radio gone, but otherwise intact. "You know, thieves today, there not the same caliber as when I was a kid." Ray mused, "do you know how easy it would be to hot wire this thing?"

"Well, it's a good neighborhood Ray." Fraser said, leaning into the car.

"The didn't even strip the tiers."

Elly's backpack had been rummaged through, and if the Inspector had had her purse with her it was long gone. Not surprisingly he didn't find anything in the car. According to Elly the struggle had gone on outside, all the doors had been closed. Giving up on the car's interior Fraser turned his attention to the area surrounding the car. There were no signs of a struggle, but black top didn't lend itself well to leaving signs of anything. It had no history and (not for the first time) that drove Fraser nuts.

"Hay," Ray asked. "Think the kidnapper did that?" He was pointing to deep scratches in the backseat window on the driver's side. It had several vertical scratches all across it. They were deep, it would take something pretty strong, Ray knew, to make those marks.

Deif whimpered. Fraser looked at his wolf than looked back up at his friend . "Diefenbaker made them. He was trying to get out."

"Wow." Ray said, "I hope I never get on you're wolf's bad side."

"Nothing," Fraser sighed. "Absolutely nothing." They had no clues, and consequently, no hope.

"Ben!" A sharp voice called out from behind a near by alley. Both cops jumped and quickly turned to see Bear Collins walking up cordially. "Waht'ca doing?"

If Ray or Fraser had been porcupines their spikes would have been out. As it was, Benny seemed to stand about two inches taller than he had before and Ray put his hands on his hips, so that his gun was ever so slightly visible beneath the folds of his Armani coat. "What are you doing here?" Ray asked, playing it cool.

"I just came by to say goodbye to ya, Ben. My business is finished."

"What business might that be?" Ray demanded.

"So goodbye." Bear said, totally ignoring Ray. He walked past the Detective and stretched out his hand to shake. Benny looked at it as if Bear was some alien, some strange apparition. Never the less, Fraser reached out and took Bear's hand.

From Ray's perspective everything happened in the blink of an eye. Fraser was reaching out to bear one second, and the next Bear was pined up against the car and the Mountie was reciting the guy his rights.

"What?" Ray asked running up to his friend. "What happed?"

"You have the right to an attorney." Fraser said, then turning to Ray he asked, "Cuffs?"

Ray gave his buddy the handcuffs without qualm. "Come on, Fraser, what changed?"

"If you can not afford an attorney one will be appointed to you." Fraser said as he quickly snapped the cuffs on. "Now, do you have any questions?"

"You can't arrest me!" Bear said, struggling under Fraser's iron grip. "I'm you're friend."

"No, you're not." Ben said Pulling Bear away from the car and leading him to the Riv.

"What did he do?" Ray demanded, trying to catch up in more than one way. "You may be good at reading a guy, but Fraser not even you can tell if a man kidnapped someone by their handshake."

"I can if he slips me this." Fraser said, handing Ray a lock of dark hair tied with a red thread.

"Oh," Ray said, holding the lock in front of him. "God."

***

"I've got rights you know. Just because I'm not American doesn't mean you can treat me like this!" Bear screamed as Ray speed to the 27th precinct house. Had he been all there he would have realized that neither Ray nor Fraser gave a damn about his particular rights, and considering what he did, they were treating him wonderfully. Ray was accumulating a long list of things he would do and say to the guy once Fraser was gone. Fraser was trying to remember every conversation he had ever had with Bear, trying to piece together the puzzle now that he knew what the picture was.

"So," Ray said, blatantly ignoring the screaming mad man in the back seat. "How 'bout Elaine?"

Fraser was totally taken aback by the statement. "What?"

"Elaine, do her family history."

"Oh, well," Fraser said welcoming the change in conversation. "She has an older and a younger sister. Her older sister presently manages her family's flower shop which is on Ohio Street."

"Nice location," Ray mused.

"Her younger sister is studying pharmacy at the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana."

"Anything else? anything about her second cousin half removed on her mother's side that moved to Cleveland, or anything?"

"Josie moved to Cleveland?"

Ray shook his head in disgust. "Can you do Huie?"

"I could, but I think it might upset you."

"Ah, you're probably right." Ray admitted as they pulled up to the station house. Ten minutes later Fraser was sitting in interview one with Bear Collins, and Ray was watching threw the mirror in interview two.

"Where is Inspector Thatcher?" Fraser asked, his voice measured, almost rigged. He was sitting with his back to the mirror so that Ray could see Bear's expressions. Truth be told Ray would rather have seen Benny. Fraser was angry, Ray new. Benny hid that sort of thing well, and a year ago Ray wouldn't have suspected his friend of anger, no matter what the circumstances. But, Ray understood Fraser like few people did. The emotions that Fraser surprised the most, such as anger and love, were the ones that he felt the most powerfully. He had learned that the hard way, with the help of Gerrard and Victoria. And now this guy was pushing all of the Mountie's buttons.

"Her name is Meg right? I know it's fully Margaret, but doesn't she like to go by Meg?"