Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
Defining Connection 10
By Phenyx
07/30/2006
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Ray sat on the floor with his back against the wall. His long legs were bent so that he could prop his wrists on his knees. Because he had nothing better to do, he watched the two detectives from Springfield. Jarod and Parker were sitting directly across from Ray making such observation not only easy but also pretty much unavoidable. They were talking to each other in low tones such that Ray couldn't hear their words.
Jarod suddenly laughed aloud when Parker punched him in the arm. As the talk dark-haired man flinched away from Parker's swatting arm, Ray blinked in surprise. Until this moment, Ray had not noticed it, but now it seemed glaringly obvious. He had been with the two visiting detectives for nearly two days, and this was the first time he'd seen them physically touch one another.
Ray was a tactile person; he knew that. Shaking hands, pats on the back, even the occasional hug for semi-strangers, Ray readily gave without thought. His need to touch probably irritated the hell out of Fraser, who was exactly the opposite. But the Mountie never complained, even though Ray was perpetually within his partner's personal space.
Jarod and Parker also seemed to continually move within each other's space. Like two moons orbiting one another, neither was ever far from the other. Ray didn't find that unusual. A really successful partnership required working together for long hours, depending on each other for their lives day in and day out. That kind of duet would tend to form close bonds.
So it wasn't the closeness of the two that Ray found puzzling. It was the distance, the separation, buried within the intimacy that confused Ray. Now that he had detected it, Ray could see it in every glance, every move the pair made. Contact between them was rare, as though touch was rationed and both were saving up the precious commodity. It was as if there was a line between Jarod and Parker, a line neither was permitted to cross.
"Ray?" Fraser asked, undoubtedly sensing Ray's unease.
Ray shook his head to clear it and tossed his partner a crooked grin. "S'okay, Frase." Ray nudged Fraser's elbow with his own to reinforce his words.
Fraser tilted his head at him in curiosity.
Ray shrugged. With one hand he gestured vaguely at Jarod and Parker.
"Ah," Fraser replied.
Leaning toward the Mountie Ray said, "I sense that there's a story there somewhere."
"Probably."
Ray nodded. "Definitely some history between those two." He paused for a moment and then added, "They may have had an affair, a wild terribly passionate affair, but they had to break it off for the sake of the partnership."
"Ray!" Fraser gasped. "Gossip is malicious and of no value to anyone."
Ray ignored him and went on. "'Cuz sleeping with your partner is never a good idea. They teach you that in diversity training."
"But Ray," Fraser said. "You and I slept together for six weeks."
Ray's head snapped around so fast that his neck cracked. "That was camping, Fraser. We were in a tent, in the snow. That is not the same thing. That is not what I meant. You know that."
"Yes, Ray." Fraser's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I knew that."
Ray nearly sagged with relief. "Jesus, Frase, don't say stuff like that. People may get the wrong idea and…" Ray halted in mid-sentence and turned to glare at his partner. "Fine," he growled a moment later. "Message received and understood, Benton buddy. Gossip is bad. Gossip is mean and I will cease and desist immediately."
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
"Freak." Ray folded his arms across his chest and sulked for several minutes. The others had also fallen quiet for a time so when Ray's stomach growled, the sound was loud enough to draw everyone's attention. "I'm starving!" Ray cried in response to Stella's frown.
"We're all hungry," the blond woman snapped.
Ray rolled his eyes and continued to grumble. "They're going to starve us to death. They'll drive us out to the middle of nowhere and leave us in a corn field somewhere 'til we die of hunger."
"Dehydration will kill us long before we starve to death," Jarod offered helpfully.
"Thanks, I feel so much better," Ray replied.
"Here," Jarod said. A small plastic packet appeared from his jacket pocket. "We can split them among us."
Ray blinked. This Jarod guy continued to surprise him. "Why do you have Twinkies in your pocket?"
"I like them," Jarod answered, as if that explained everything. "Unfortunately I only have the two cakes. It won't be enough to satisfy any real hunger but it will help our blood-sugar levels from dropping too low."
A minute later Ray popped a bite of Twinkie into his mouth. He chased the cake with three orange candies Jarod had given him from a PEZ dispenser shaped like a storm trooper. When all that was left was the taste of sugary orange powder in his mouth, Ray said, "So, we won't starve."
"We won't starve," Jarod agreed.
"We could always re-enact the Donner Party," Parker supplied.
"True," Ray grinned. "But how do we decide who's first?"
Miss Parker smiled that coy smile of hers and Ray tried to prepare himself. He'd seen that wicked grin enough times in the last two days to know that there was a zinger coming. "I say we take the Mountie first," she drawled.
Ray fought back a snicker as he felt Fraser tense beside him.
"Fraser?" Jarod asked, obviously unable to contain his curiosity.
"He looks yummy in that uniform," Parker explained.
Ray's laughter burst forth. He wasn't sure which was more amusing, the stunned look on Jarod's face or the beet-red blush creeping over Fraser's.
Jarod sputtered for a moment and Parker looked up at him with wide innocent-looking eyes. "You have a better suggestion?" she teased him.
It was amazing how quickly Jarod regained his composure. "Well," he answered. "I'm going to have to go with the assistant state's attorney."
That suggestion sobered Ray up pretty quickly. Stella gasped.
"Your reasoning?" Parker asked.
Jarod shrugged. "She's a lawyer. Lawyers have got to be good for something."
Stella stomped angrily to the opposite side of the shipping container while Ray, Jarod and Parker laughed.
"Come on, Stell," Ray chided her. "Don't be like that. We're just passing the time. Come on, who would you pick?"
Stella's blue eyes flashed with irritation. "Well, I'd have to pick you, Ray," she said. "Because I've eaten you before."
Ray nearly choked to death. He rolled to the floor and howled with laughter. "Double entendres from my ex-wife," he chortled. "Makes it worth being kidnapped." He grinned up at Stella with unreserved adoration. During the years that they had been married, Stella had changed, changed so much that Ray sometimes couldn't remember the girl he'd fallen in love with. But every once in a while, she magically reappeared like this and Ray fell in love all over again.
Fraser, red faced and uncomfortable, rubbed at his eyebrow with the back of his thumb. "I think this is a rather tasteless discussion."
"Tasteless? No," Ray said. "Just a little hard to swallow."
All four Americans burst into renewed laughter. Parker had one hand over her eyes as she laughed. Stella, looking more and more like the girl Ray had once known, wiped away tears of amusement with the sleeve of her dress. Jarod lay on the floor with one hand to his side as he chortled.
"God," Jarod gasped. "My stomach hurts."
If Ray had not so recently become aware of it, he would have missed the moment. But suddenly it was there, a flash of something between Jarod and Parker. It was a fleeting glance, a flicker of intimacy followed by surprise and a touch of sadness.
"My stomach hurts from laughing," Jarod repeated.
For a moment Ray thought he heard awe in Jarod's tone. It was almost like the guy had never had this happen to him. It was as if Jarod was experiencing for the first time something he had only heard about before. Ray shook his head to clear away the strange thought.
Ray's attention was yanked away from Jarod and his partner when the truck around them began to slow down. There was a sharp lurching that threw everyone to one side. Then they started to bounce and jostle more roughly than ever.
"We've left the road," Fraser explained.
Ray nodded in agreement and stood up, using the nearby wall to help him keep his balance. It wasn't long before the truck slowed even more. The others climbed to their feet and moved to join Fraser and Ray near the doors.
Parker glanced at Jarod questioningly. "Do we have a plan?" she asked him.
"Improvisation," he said. "If you see a chance to get away, take it."
Parker nodded.
Jarod stared piercingly at her for a moment. "Bodies will complicate things," he told her in a firm voice. "But may be unavoidable. Do whatever you need to do."
Parker nodded again, a single efficient sign of understanding.
Ray frowned. He didn't like this. He didn't like the way Jarod said "bodies" and he didn't like Parker's icy acceptance of it. A quick look toward Fraser told Ray that the Mountie was equally uncomfortable with the situation.
The truck's motion stopped altogether as the vehicle came to a halt. Pressing his ear against the doors, Ray could hear voices outside calling orders to one another. Looking toward Stella, Ray told her, "Stay as low as you can Stell. Hide under the truck if you can." She swallowed hard and gave him a shaky smile.
Turning toward Fraser, Ray asked, "Ready?"
"Ready."
Ray's gaze slid over Jarod and Parker. It was like looking at stone. Both wore hard, fathomless expressions on their faces. Ray had a sudden, eerily detached thought. 'I never ever want either of these two gunning for me.'
A shiver of apprehension ran down Ray's spine. I few minutes ago these two people were laughing and joking and having a grand time. Now they were talking about bodies and Ray had no doubt that they were serious, deadly serious.
The worst part of it was that Ray knew, knew deep in his gut, that when Jarod said "bodies" the only ones exempt from the definition were himself and Parker. The rest of them were expendable.
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End Part 10