Benton Fraser, RCMP. Continuation of previous narrative. (Ray says I don't need to be so formal. My apologies.)

(Ray wants to mention that he is excited to see we finally have a reader in the UK, though still no one in Canada yet.)

Chapter Thirteen: Suspicions And Apprehension

After dinner, I helped gather up the dishes, scraping the scraps onto one plate for Diefenbaker to enjoy. I handed a stack of dishes to RayK and he carried them off to the kitchen.

Tony and Maria started getting the younger children ready for bed, starting with the baby and then the younger girl, Gina, then "Little Tony" as he was called. He didn't share his father's middle name, and therefore did not get the title of "Junior."

RayV, Francesca and I remained in the dining room, talking of this and that. Mrs. Vecchio brought out a pot of coffee.

"Is Ray still in the kitchen?" I asked her.

"I think he went outside," she answered. "Might have gone home." She looked at her son. "You should do more to make him feel welcome, Raimondo."

"Ma," Ray complained. "I got him over here. What more do you want?"

"Would you rather have cappuccino, Fraze?" Francesca asked me.

"No, don't go to any trouble," I told her.

"It's no trouble."

"Well... if you have any, I am partial to a cup of tea."

She jumped up. "We've got some tea someplace, right ma? Lemme go see."

Ray shook his head as the women retreated to the kitchen. "You oughtta do something about her, Benny."

I tilted my head to one side. "Such as?"

"Oh, come on... she's always had this thing for you, and she's never gonna let it go as long as you keep comin' around and never spell it out for her."

"Spell what out, Ray?"

He looked at me almost angrily. "Do you like her?"

"Of course, I do. I've established that."

"Do you want to go out with her?" he asked, spacing his words as if I might have trouble understanding him.

I thought about it a while. In the long run, I doubted Francesca and I would make a good couple. She might be happy enough for a while, but I worried that I had too much of my father in me. I'd probably end up going on some more long manhunts and possibly "adventures" in places that she would find intolerable. I wouldn't be able to take her with me, and she would end up alone for months at a time. It wouldn't be fair to her.

"I don't think we'd be well-suited," I said at last.

"Then tell her that."

I wasn't convinced that such a clear declaration was necessary, considering I felt I had made myself fairly clear before RayK and I went to Canada, but before I could say any more on the subject, Francesca returned with a steaming teacup and saucer.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want milk," she said, setting the cup in front of me. "I just put the bag in, so let it steep a little."

"This is fine, thank you kindly," I told her.

Ray sighed for some reason. "I'm gonna get some air," he said.

Francesca smiled at me as her brother left the room. She took a sip of her coffee.

I picked up the teabag's string and started bobbing the bag around.

"We're all really glad you ended up coming back," she said.

"Thank you. It seemed like the best option for now."

"So, you think you'll go back to Canada eventually?"

"Yes. But perhaps not for some time."

"Did you meet anyone interesting while you were up there?"

"Everyone we met was interesting."

"How did Ray do with the Canadian culture?"

"Not bad. I think he had the most trouble when we stopped at an Inuit village, but by the time we moved on, he had become a favorite."

"I guess he's an okay guy when you get to know him."

"Definitely. He has a good heart."

"Not so obvious when he's on duty."

"I think that's just part of the façade he's built for himself."

"Is it part of his 'façade' to make fun of everything I say?" she asked, scowling a little.

"Oh, that's probably just teasing."

"I don't think so. He has to correct every little thing, even when he knows what I meant."

"I suppose that could be irritating."

"I'll say."

I took the teabag out of my cup and put it at the edge of my saucer. "I think we probably all have a habit or two that annoy those close to us. It's important to remember that when it comes to the big things, things like loyalty, honesty and kindness, our friends always come through for us. And then those little, irritating things don't seem as bad."

"I dunno about that. I mean, I hear what you're saying, but I don't think someone should get a free pass just because they've done some good stuff. Like, for instance, say I were to save my brother from getting hit by a car. Would that give me license to be rude to him the rest of my life?"

"Mm... no."

"I mean, he's my brother—that's what gives me license to be rude to him the rest of my life, am I right?" she laughed. "But you know what I mean."

"Yes, I s'pose so." I sipped my tea. It tasted a little off, as if it had had a very long shelf life before making it to my cup. But it was still drinkable, and there was no point in complaining.

A few minutes later, RayK came in chewing a stick of gum and offered to drive me back to the consulate. Somehow, Francesca ended up throwing my teabag at him. I guess he really did irritate her. But he said he'd been teasing her, which was what I had thought all along.

"We thought you had left already," I said, to change the subject.

He explained that he had been volunteered to read to one of the kids. We talked a little more, but the sibling-like tension didn't seem likely to lift, so I finished off my tea and thanked Francesca for it as I got up to go.

"Come again anytime, Fraze," she said. Then she added, "And I guess you can bring this lunk along."

"Don't put yourself out," Ray said dryly.

When we got into his car, Ray put me on the spot a bit, asking about Francesca's feelings toward him. I wondered if he had a romantic attraction to her, or if he was merely concerned that his abrasive attitude toward her was taking a toll. I didn't ask; it wasn't my business.

I was a little surprised when he suggested arranging something for RayV's birthday. I had been concerned that the two Rays were not getting along so well, but at the least it seemed that this one was making an effort. I hoped his idea would work out.

We discussed my need to find a new living space and then he dropped me off at the consulate. I thought about what he had said last, about Chicago being reality to him, while Canada was reality to me. I didn't take to that view of things. Perhaps he hadn't meant it this way, but it seemed that if Chicago posed as a dream-world to me, then that would mean that the things which took place there were immaterial at best, and meaningless at worst. That was certainly not true for me. Above all, it was the people and the time spent with them that made up my reality, wherever I had met them or wherever they had come from. True, I was most in my element on Canadian soil, but my friends are my reality.

Coming to that conclusion surprised me a little. I'd had childhood friends, some of them very good ones, but once we had gone our separate ways, I had never thought that I could have such strong personal attachments again. Canada would always be my home, but... in a way, I was home when I had my friends around me. It was a comforting thought.

When RayK and I got supper together on Friday, he expressed his opinion that RayV had lied about his reasons for not wanting Francesca to accompany us to the bowling alley the following evening. I thought he must be wrong, but I also thought something was bothering him. He wouldn't say what it was.

Our conversation went elsewhere, and he brought up RayV's birthday again. That reminded me that my old partner had been acting a little bit strange of late. At first, I attributed his short disappearances to the various aspects of police work, but then I began to wonder if he were trying to avoid me for some reason. Then I started to notice an unusual aroma on him whenever he returned from an unexplained absence. I wasn't ready to mention my suspicions, though, and I was grateful when my companion didn't press me to.

The next morning, I went to tour the apartment across from RayK's. It had adequate space, and the plumbing and electrical system seemed in much better working order than they had been in my first Chicago apartment. The rent was not as low as I'd been paying before, but it was still reasonable.

After looking the place over, Diefenbaker and I spent a little time across the hall with Ray. We discussed the pros and cons of the location, and in the course of the discussion, I realized that Ray wanted very much for me to live there. It was a moment when, if my father's ghost had not already moved on, he would definitely have had something to say.

"Well, what did you expect?" I could almost hear him in my head. "You decide that home is where your friends are, and now you're surprised that your friend wants you around, too? This is what happens when you let feelings dictate your actions, son. You become illogical. Vulnerable to manipulation."

"I'm sorry, Ray," I said, pushing my father's imagined comments away. "I didn't know it was so important to you."

"Well, I don't want you to live here if you won't like it. So, go check out your other options," he said. I thought it sounded a little forced.

"All right," I said.

He didn't say anything else, and I decided to take my leave. He offered me lunch, but I didn't think it was a good idea to stay. I had the feeling that we would just end up saying all the same things over again, at a more agitated level, and it might turn into an argument.

"Remember," my father's imagined voice said as I walked through the building, "familiarity breeds contempt. You see a good deal of this guy during the day. What kind of trouble will it foster if you're living in the same building with him, too?"

I shook my head in frustration. You're not here, I thought. And if you were here, I would tell you that you shouldn't be... because familiarity breeds contempt.

I returned to the consulate after looking at two other apartments. Constable Turnbull (who, incidentally, had actually not embarked on a political career as the canon's conclusion suggested) informed me that I'd had two phone calls while I was out, both from Francesca Vecchio.

"She said to call her back at the police station," he said, avoiding my gaze.

That seemed odd to me. Turnbull normally looked up to me with admiration, and I couldn't think of anything I had done to discourage that of late. Perhaps he felt that I was taking too long to find a new residence. Or perhaps he was disappointed that I wouldn't be living at the consulate anymore. It was difficult to say which way his feelings on that subject lay.

"Thank you, Constable," I said. I went into my office and called Francesca's extension.

"I've been waiting for you to call," Francesca told me.

"Yes, so Constable Turnbull informed me. I'm sorry I missed your call; I was looking at apartments today."

"Really? Oh, you should just move into our place. There's an empty room. Plus, Ray's been saying he might move out, so that would give us even more space. And if he doesn't, you could carpool to work with us."

"Francesca... I don't think that would be... expedient. But thank you for the offer."

"It's all the loudmouths in that house, right? Say no more. You like your peace and quiet. Hey, so guess what! I blew off my date for tonight, and I can go bowling with you guys after all."

"Oh... I don't think Ray..."

"Now, Fraze, don't worry about a thing. I'm sure Ray will be fine with it. "

"I'm not so sure."

Trust me, he will."

"Even so, it may not be a good idea to try to change plans at this point..."

"Well, I wanna go. Do you not want me to go?"

"No, it isn't that," I said quickly. "It's just that... this particular establishment we're planning to visit may not be the best environment for a lady of your..."

"Oh, come on, what's so terrible about a bowling alley? Which one are you going to?"

I didn't want to tell her which place RayV had chosen, in case she turned up unexpectedly. That could cause trouble. "...Somewhere Ray recommended," I said vaguely.

"...Fine. You know what? I'll just go with someone else, then. Or call that guy back, which is kind of humiliating, so thanks a lot..."

"I'm terribly sorry to put you out," I said, even though it was certainly not my fault that she had broken her date. "It isn't that you wouldn't be welcome..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sure you can come with us another time."

"Yeah, I know..."

"I'll see you at the station Monday," I said, bringing the discussion to a conclusion.

"Okay," she said, sounding more subdued. "Seeya."

I put the receiver down, heavy-hearted. I hoped RayK was wrong about RayV's motives. If not, it was very unfair treatment for Francesca, in my opinion.

Thank you for your attention. Your comments are appreciated. ~B. Fraser