CHAPTER 3.
"Fraser...Fraser...Fraserrrr!" Ray sighed. He'd been talking about a case for the last five minutes, but Fraser was clearly not listening. "So...d'ya think the alien from outer space is our perp?" he asked.
"Mmmhmm," nodded Fraser. Then he suddenly realised what his partner had said and turned to look at him, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Alien?" He repeated, incredulously.
"Ah, so ya were listenin' then," grinned Ray.
"I'm terribly sorry, Ray," replied Fraser, tugging at his left earlobe. "I'm somewhat distracted this morning."
"Yeah, I noticed," replied Ray, rolling his eyes.
"What were you saying about the perpetrator?" asked Fraser.
"Mort said the guy was dead before he wound up at the bottom of Lake Michigan, so that makes the girlfriend's alibi..." began Ray, but he noticed his buddy's eyes had that glazed look again and realised it wasn't worth discussing this now. "Guess ya had a good time with Stephanie Cabot yesterday, then," he said with a wink.
The mention of Stephanie's name brought Fraser out of his trance. "Ah, um, yes. That is..." he stumbled over his words.
"Greatness," Ray grinned. "So...tell me all about it. What did ya get up to?"
"Well," began Fraser, "well, I demolished her orangery."
Ray nearly spat coffee all over his desk. "What?" he exclaimed. "Is that some kinda crazy Canadian euphonium? Like, er, like… "
"Um, I believe the word you are looking for is euphemism, Ray," Fraser said quickly, before his partner had the chance to think of a crude phrase. "And no, it is not. My day yesterday involved assisting Miss Cabot with the demolition of a large greenhouse in the grounds of her home."
"Oh," replied Ray, somewhat disappointed. He was desperate to find out more about Stephanie so he started probing. "So, er, she didn't have a kid when you knew her before?"
"No," replied Fraser. "She had chosen to devote her life to rescuing animals in need at that time," he continued, "But she became pregnant while working in Kenya."
"Definitely not your kid, then?" Ray asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"No, Ray. That would be impossible for a number of reasons," replied Fraser with a sigh. He wished his friend would drop the subject. His mind was racing after he and Stephanie had kissed the night before and he wasn't sure what to do. He had been hoping she would call him, although he'd left the Consulate early to meet Ray. Perhaps she left a message with Turnbull? He pondered. Or perhaps she's expecting me to call her first?
"D'ya wanna call her?" asked Ray suddenly, startling Fraser. It was as if he could read his buddy's mind. "Here, use my phone."
Fraser looked at the phone, but did not take it from Ray. "I was considering doing just that," he admitted, "and thank you kindly, but I think we should go and speak to Alistair Dewbrey's girlfriend again first." Fraser deliberately brought the subject back to the case Ray was working on.
"Yeah, sure," agreed Ray. He slapped Fraser affectionately on the back; he really felt sorry for his buddy. Fraser didn't have a great track record with women, so Ray completely understood why he was hesitating now; he didn't want to screw this one up. "You'll figure it out," Ray said with a supportive smile.
Fraser just nodded and returned a lopsided half-smile.
xXxXx
"Mind your head there," Ray sneered as he helped his new prisoner into the back of the GTO.
"Nice work, Ray," nodded Fraser, approvingly.
"A first year cadet could've figured this one out," replied Ray with a shrug. "Dewbrey was cheatin' on her so she tied him up, shot him, drove his body fifteen miles and dumped it in the lake. Then she tried to blame the whole thing on her own sister."
"Hmmm," agreed Fraser. "Well, when you put it like that…"
"I can't believe you were fallin' for her sob story," continued Ray.
"I can assure you that I did not fall for anyone…er, anything," replied Fraser, quickly correcting his Freudian slip, but of course Ray had already noticed it.
"If ya say so, buddy," grinned Ray. He was about to get into the car when his phone rang. "Vecchio," he snapped. "OK," he said and slid the phone across the roof of the GTO to Fraser. "It's for you."
"Oh," replied Fraser in surprise. "Good morning, Constable Benton Fraser speaking," he introduced himself to the caller. Ray saw his face light up when he realised it was Stephanie Cabot.
Stephanie explained that Francesca Vecchio had given her Ray's cell number and she apologised for calling him.
"That's quite alright," replied Fraser, turning his head slightly so as to invoke some degree of privacy from his grinning partner. "I was hoping you'd call," he added.
Stephanie asked if he was available that afternoon as she needed his help with something. She didn't go into details, but insisted it wasn't important if Fraser was busy with work.
"Um, well Ray has just made an arrest in the case we've been working on," Fraser explained, "so I suppose I am available this afternoon now, although I do need to be at the Consulate this evening for dinner with the Japanese Ambassador."
Ray waited patiently until Fraser had finished talking to Stephanie. "Everythin' OK?" he asked as Fraser handed his phone back.
"Yes, thank you," replied Fraser. "Stephanie has requested my assistance again this afternoon, if you'll allow it."
"If I'll allow it?" repeated Ray with a laugh. "No, you're grounded! Of course you can go, Fraser."
"It's just that the whole of my time today was allocated to liaising with the Chicago Police Department. More specifically, with you," explained Fraser.
"Case is closed," replied Ray, nodding to his prisoner who was becoming visibly more nervous by the minute as she had a lupine guard in the shape of Diefenbaker sitting next to her on the back seat of the car. "I ain't gonna tell the Ice Queen if ya wanna skip class and, er, meet up with your girlfriend," he added with a wink.
Fraser decided it wasn't worth protesting against his partner's comments. "Thank you kindly," he replied. He leaned into the car. "Dief, are you coming?" he asked the wolf and Dief jumped up and out through the window, much to the relief of the prisoner.
"Have fun; don't do anythin' I wouldn't do," grinned Ray and Fraser responded with a wave as he walked off.
xXxXx
It didn't take long for Fraser and Dief to get to Stephanie's. She was waiting at the gate for him and smiled as he approached. "Hi," she said, leaning down to pat Dief on the back. "Don't look so worried," she added, noticing Fraser's concerned look. "Actually, I may have lured you here under false pretences," she said, looking a little sheepish.
Fraser stood in stunned silence.
"I packed a picnic," Stephanie said, by way of explanation.
Fraser was none the wiser.
"Come with me," smiled Stephanie and she grabbed his hand.
They walked together through the sprawling grounds of the estate, past the remains of the orangery and down the hill to the stable blocks. As they got closer Fraser could see that two of the horses were fully tacked and tied up outside, happily munching hay from a net.
"I want to ride out with you this afternoon," Stephanie said with a smile. "This is Bessie and this is Porthos; I thought he'd be perfect for you," she added, rubbing both of the animals' noses.
Dief barked excitedly. He enjoyed the company of other animals, even horses. He'd found some horses had taken a dislike to him in the past, but these two seemed friendly enough and the prospect of a picnic was making his mouth water with anticipation.
"I think your wolf agrees with me," smiled Stephanie. "So, what do you say?"
"I'd love to," replied Fraser. "He's a magnificent specimen," he added. Porthos was a tall, chestnut thoroughbred with a dark sweeping mane and Fraser couldn't wait to ride him.
"We think he's about twenty two, or twenty three," explained Stephanie. "I rescued him from racing stables about seven years ago. They'd treated him so badly; he still has scars." Stephanie ran her hand across Porthos' shoulder to show him.
Fraser nodded sadly; he could see the evidence of abuse and neglect. "That's terrible," he said. "I can see you've taken good care of him, though."
"We thought he was going to go lame while I was in Africa," said Stephanie, turning her attentions to the horse she would be riding. "Daddy found the best vet in Chicago for him, though and he's fine now."
Fraser lifted Porthos' legs one at a time and examined his hooves, nodding in approval at their condition. "Do you have a particular location in mind for our picnic?" he asked.
"Not really," replied Stephanie as she checked the saddle on Bessie. "There's some beautiful parkland around here. I own most of it." She looked slightly embarrassed at that statement and shrugged coyly. "Anyway, I just thought we'd see how far we get. Heidi has Mia until four o'clock."
Fraser glanced at his watch. Suddenly he felt a pang of guilt. He'd left Ray with the report to write on the arrest from this morning and Turnbull was no doubt getting all kinds of abuse from Inspector Thatcher as she stressed about tonight's visit from the Japanese Ambassador, yet here he was about to spend a lovely afternoon with a beautiful woman.
Before he had chance to think about it too much, Stephanie was unbuttoning his brown uniform jacket. "What…what are you doing?" asked Fraser.
"You're a little overdressed," replied Stephanie with a smile. "It's far too hot for all these layers and besides, I don't want to go on a picnic with Constable Fraser, RCMP; I want to go with Benton."
Fraser stood frozen to the spot as she pulled his jacket from his shoulders.
Dief barked and circled around them. He liked Stephanie; she didn't procrastinate like so many other humans and she had Fraser exactly where she wanted him. Dief really admired her for that; he was taking notes.
Fraser looked down at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. It is already two degrees warmer than yesterday," he pointed out to his wolf. "The prospect of riding in just shirtsleeves is quite appealing."
Stephanie giggled at Fraser talking to Dief; she'd forgotten that he did that. It was so endearing. She always spoke to animals herself, it was comforting to her somehow and she truly believed that they understood her, even the baby elephants in Kenya.
Finally, she removed his tie and stepped back to admire her handiwork. "That's better," said smiled. Fraser's blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and she could have stood and stared at him all afternoon. She really wanted to ride, though and she realised she was making Fraser feel uncomfortable. "Let's go," she said and quickly stole a kiss, giggling at his startled reaction.
Stephanie loaded the picnic into their saddlebags and they set off across the fields at a gentle pace. Fraser watched Stephanie in the saddle. She was a natural rider, clearly very experienced and Bessie responded to her exactly as she wanted. Porthos was doing a good job at keeping up with the much younger horse, although Fraser noticed there were moments when the animal's age and condition showed.
When the path was wide enough they were able to ride side by side and talk. Fraser tried to explain why the Detective currently known as Ray Vecchio was not the same man she'd met four years ago, without going into too much detail. "I'm sorry, that's as much as I can tell you," said Fraser.
Diefenbaker ran off in front chasing squirrels and Fraser was pleased to see his companion's fitness level was not quite as poor as he liked to make out.
Stephanie laughed at Dief's enthusiasm. "I know he's a wolf and hunting is in his nature, but…but he's not going to hurt those squirrels, is he?" she asked.
"Of course not," replied Fraser, reassuringly. He glanced ahead and was very glad at that moment that Stephanie did not have what Ray referred to as his Super Mountie sense of sight.
"Let's give these two beauties a workout," said Stephanie with a twinkle in her eye. "Race you to the trees!" she called out and before Fraser had a chance to object, she'd taken Bessie to a canter and was quickly putting distance between them. Porthos needed little encouragement to match his stablemate's pace and Fraser was alongside them within minutes.
Stephanie wasn't going to be beaten, though and with a grin over her shoulder at Fraser, she pushed Bessie to a gallop. Although Fraser could feel that Porthos wanted to go with them, he held him back; he was starting to get concerned about the older animal's fitness, especially in the heat.
Stephanie was suddenly aware that the race was over. Slightly disappointed, she pulled up and turned Bessie around in one quick movement. Unfortunately, Bessie was taken by surprise by the sudden change of pace and direction and lost her footing, stumbling sideways. Stephanie tried to hold on, but she couldn't and she tumbled to the ground with a yell.
Fraser saw the whole thing happen and his blood ran cold. "Stephanie!" he cried out. Now Porthos was the least of his worries and he raced the horse over to where Stephanie lay on the hard ground. Before Porthos had even come to a stop, Fraser leapt off and ran over to her.
"I'm OK," Stephanie said in a shaky voice as he dropped to his knees beside her.
"Just lie still for a moment," he said placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "Catch your breath."
"I said I'm OK," replied Stephanie. Dief affectionately licked her face as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.
"Careful," urged Fraser. "Did you hit your head?"
"No," she replied. "I've fallen off enough horses over the years, I know what to do."
"Hmm," Fraser frowned. "You would tell me if anything hurt, wouldn't you?" he said taking her hand and helping her to her feet.
"Of course!" exclaimed Stephanie. "Benton, I don't have a concussion and I don't have any broken bones. The only thing that hurts is my pride," she added, curtly. She started brushing some of the dust and dry grass from herself and then looked up to see the concern on his face. "I'm fine, really," she assured him, her voice much softer now. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."
Fraser realised he was making too much fuss, but for one terrible, fleeting moment he'd thought he'd lost her before she was even his to lose. "When I saw you fall…" he began, but he didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he brought his right hand up to her face and brushed the back of his fingers against her soft skin before capturing her cheek in a gentle grasp and pulling her towards him for a kiss.
Stephanie brought her arm up and around his waist, pressing herself closer to him as they kissed. Suddenly she let out a yelp and they had to break apart. "Sorry," she muttered. "I think I may have a few bruises after all."
Fraser nodded and looked around. "Well, perhaps here would be a good spot for our picnic?" he suggested. "It appears that Porthos and Bessie are quite at home here."
Stephanie glanced past him and saw the two horses standing side by side eating the only patch of green grass in sight. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll be fine after a little rest. I'll use the ice from the champagne bucket to keep the swelling in check."
"You brought champagne?" asked Fraser in surprise.
"Well, it's sparkling lemonade, actually," she explained, "but I thought we'd be in need of an ice cold drink by now."
"And you were correct," replied Fraser as he walked over to the horses. He had worked up quite a sweat and although he'd been grateful for the shade of his hat during the ride, he was longing for the familiar, frozen landscape of his home in the Yukon.
They set up the picnic under the shade of a tree and whiled away the next hour eating, drinking and talking. Stephanie iced her bruised elbow; she had been surprised at how swollen it was when she'd rolled up her shirtsleeve, but Fraser had been able to make it more comfortable for her.
Dief had worked up quite an appetite and he ate whatever was on offer and drank a lot of water; before yawning and settling down with his head on his paws for a nap.
After they'd finished eating, Fraser lay back on the rug with his hands behind his head. The feel of the warm sun on his face was making him sleepy.
Stephanie lay next to him, her head propped up on her good elbow, watching his breathing slow as he relaxed. She studied his face; every line, the soft contours of his lips, that tiny scar on his jawline. He'd hardly aged at all in the years they'd been apart and she couldn't help the smile that danced at her lips as she remembered seeing that face for the first time.
Fraser opened one eye and looked at her with half a frown. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked, bringing his hand up to brush away whatever it was. "Or stuck in my teeth?"
"No, silly," laughed Stephanie.
"Then…then what were you looking at?" Fraser asked her innocently.
Stephanie shook her head and smiled. She didn't reply to his question with words. Instead she leaned forward and kissed him again. This time she didn't hold back and Fraser responded by pulling her on top of him.
They kissed more passionately than they ever had before and Fraser was engulfed by feelings he hadn't had for a long time. He forgot where he was for a moment, allowing himself to feel as free and uninhibited as he ever had.
Then, without warning, Stephanie pulled away and sat up, straddling his torso. She was panting and smiling. "Don't you ever come up for air?" she asked with a giggle. She brushed her long blonde hair away from her face and bit down on her lower lip, trying to bring her mind back from the wonderful place it had occupied for the past few minutes.
"I'm so terribly sorry," Fraser replied. "I practice the technique known as circular breathing. It's useful for playing long passages on woodwind or brass instruments."
Stephanie burst into giggles. "Is that what you were thinking about just then?" she asked. "Playing a trumpet?"
"I've never learnt to play the trumpet," replied Fraser with a straight face. "Although Alice Anderson, the school swimming instructor in Tuktoyaktuk, once attempted to teach me the flugelhorn as she needed someone to accompany her during a performance of…"
Stephanie silenced him with a single finger placed over his lips. She didn't care about Alice Anderson, or the flugelhorn, whatever that was. She knew exactly what she wanted and she wanted it now. She moved her finger slowly from his lips and down his throat to his chest. She'd already unfastened his top button back at the stables when she'd removed his tie and at some point during the afternoon he'd opened the second button, but it wasn't enough for Stephanie and she began undoing more buttons as quickly as she could. Her eyes remained fixated on his face and she licked her lips in anticipation.
Fraser's breath quickened as she worked. "What…what are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and husky. He didn't try to stop her, although inside a voice was screaming at him to do just that.
Stephanie still didn't speak. She had all his buttons undone now and she tugged his shirt out from the waistband of his jeans until his bare chest was on full display. She rubbed her hands over the smooth skin and smiled seductively.
Fraser started to panic. He wanted this as much as she did, but they couldn't…not now, not here. "Stephanie…" he began.
"Sshhh," she urged and pulled him to a sitting position, wrapping her legs around his back and trying to kiss him again, but he pushed her away.
"No," he said, "no, we can't."
"Why not?" exclaimed Stephanie. She quickly clambered off him and sat with her knees up under her chin. "But I thought…I thought…" her voice cracked as she tried not to cry.
"Not here," Fraser tried to explain. "Engaging in lascivious behaviour in a public place is an offence under the Illinois Criminal Code and if we were caught committing a lewd act in public then I'm afraid the consequences could be dire."
Stephanie sat opened mouthed as he spoke. She wanted to be angry with him, she wanted to be hurt, but then she looked at his face and saw that he was being completely genuine and she just couldn't be mad at him. Instead of crying she spluttered out a laugh. "You...I…you…I…" she couldn't even form a sentence. "Oh, Benton," she said and scrambled over to hug him, trembling with laughter.
"I'm sorry," mumbled Fraser. He wasn't quite sure what else to say. His heart was pounding and his head was spinning and there was Stephanie in his arms. He hugged her tightly and kissed her hair. "It's not that I don't want to…"
"It's OK," replied Stephanie. "I'm not an exhibitionist or anything; I…I don't know what I was thinking…" she trailed off. "I'd probably have stopped way before we began, um, committing a lewd act anyway," she added, giggling at how weird it felt to say those words. "Maybe we should go straight home?" she suggested, hopefully.
Fraser nodded. "I hate to mention it, but we need to return now anyway," he said as he started to refasten his shirt buttons. "Mia's nanny will be returning with her soon."
Stephanie sighed. For a short time she'd forgotten all about Mia; she'd forgotten she was a single parent and that she had responsibilities and she'd just been enjoying herself. Now she felt guilty and angry and overwhelmed all at once. "Yes, you're right," she said and they quickly packed their things away and rode back to the house.
xXxXx
By the time Fraser and Stephanie had finished getting the horses back into the stables, Heidi's rather battered old car was pulling into the long driveway.
"She needs changing," announced the nanny, abruptly and she handed Mia over to Stephanie. "And today is the day for me to get paid," she added, following them into the house. Heidi had a strong Eastern European accent and she often constructed sentences in the slightly muddled way that was common for someone for whom English was not their first language.
Fraser sensed a sudden atmosphere between the two women. Stephanie had become agitated, although she was trying not to show it. Mia appeared to sense her mother's mood and started to cry.
"Let me change Mia's diaper," said Fraser, setting his hat down on the hall table.
Stephanie gratefully handed over her daughter. "Thank you," she replied. "It's OK, Benton," she added, trying somewhat unconvincingly to reassure him.
Fraser nodded and took Mia upstairs, singing her a lullaby to calm her. "Now, let's find you a nice new diaper," he said, laying her on the bed as Dief made himself comfortable on a soft rug that lay on the floor.
Fraser quickly found everything he needed. "Of course your Mommy uses traditional towelling diapers," he smiled when he found them. "Those appalling disposable ones are cluttering landfill sites the world over."
Fraser could hear Stephanie and Heidi talking downstairs and Heidi's voice was becoming louder. Fraser tried to block out their conversation as he didn't want to eavesdrop, but he was concerned that they appeared to be arguing now. He rolled up his sleeves and turned his attention back to Mia.
Mia seemed happier than she had a few moments ago and Fraser kept her amused with the puffin face as he pulled off her tiny leggings, but then suddenly she started screaming. "Oh dear," said Fraser, "what's the matter?" He soon realised what was causing her so much distress. "Good lord, this diaper hasn't been changed for hours!" he said in disgust. It was very wet and soiled and Mia's delicate skin had become red and sore.
"Sshhh," Fraser tried to soothe her as he cleaned her up. He felt so sorry for the tiny child.
Diefenbaker yapped questioningly.
"I don't know?" replied Fraser. "I have no idea how a professional childcare expert could have allowed her to get into this state."
He found some cream, smiling when he saw it was a product made of entirely natural ingredients from a company who never used animal testing. He admired Stephanie for sticking to her principles, even though this cream probably cost four times as much as the leading brand. He made a mental note to show her how to make her own, which would be much cheaper and just as effective. Fraser applied the cream liberally to little Mia's skin.
"There," he said with a smile, "that should improve matters. Now, if you don't mind, I'm just going to have a look at you." He was concerned that Heidi wasn't taking good care of her and he didn't want to concern Stephanie with his thoughts until he could be absolutely sure. Fraser kept talking to Mia as he carefully checked her over for any other worrying signs. He was relieved to see that there wasn't another mark on her. Perhaps this was a genuine oversight on behalf of the nanny? He thought. Fraser quickly got her dressed before she started to get cold.
The argument downstairs had suddenly heated up and Fraser couldn't help hearing what was being said now. It seemed like Stephanie didn't have the money to pay Heidi and the nanny was not very happy about the situation. Fraser laid a now contented Mia safely in her cot and left Dief watching her while he ran back downstairs.
"Benton," Stephanie was relieved to see him. "Heidi is refusing to leave."
"I am owed money for the work I have done," replied Heidi. "I am not leaving until I get my money and then I never come back here."
"But I'm going to pay you," replied Stephanie desperately, "I just need a couple more days. You have to come back tomorrow; I have things to do here, I need you to look after Mia."
"How much do you need?" asked Fraser quickly before Heidi had chance to reply. He reached for his hat and pulled out some neatly folded money.
"No, Benton!" exclaimed Stephanie. "I've told her already that I'll pay her at the end of the week."
"This is what you tell me last week," replied Heidi, angrily. "And still no money."
"Will this cover it?" Fraser asked, thrusting a bundle of dollar bills into her hand.
Heidi looked stunned; this was the exact amount, she realised.
Fraser crossed to the front door and opened it. "Thank you kindly for having Mia today," he said. "I trust we will see you again tomorrow?"
Heidi looked again at the cash in her hand and nodded. "Yes. Thank you," she replied and left.
"I wish you hadn't done that," Stephanie said quietly once Fraser had closed the door.
"It's quite alright," replied Fraser. "I carry some US currency now." The last time they'd spent any time together, Fraser had only ever had Canadian Dollars and often had to borrow money, usually from the real Ray Vecchio.
"I don't care what colour your money is," she snapped at him. She hung her head; she was so ashamed. This was one of the most humiliating experiences she'd ever been through. Stephanie was used to having all the money she could ever want and she'd never had to beg anyone for a few extra days credit before. She couldn't bear to even look at Fraser right now.
"I'm sorry, but I thought it best under the circumstances," replied Fraser gently. "As you said yourself, you need her."
Stephanie nodded; she knew he was right. "Other single moms don't have nannies, I know that, but I can afford her," she said quietly. "I just can't get to any of the money at the moment. It could take months. I don't know what the lawyers are doing? Why is it taking so long?"
"Legal processes are notoriously slow," Fraser pointed out.
Stephanie sighed and Fraser stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Why is my life such a mess?" she asked, leaning her head against his chest.
Fraser held her tightly and pressed a kiss into her blonde hair.
She lifted her head, gazed into his eyes and smiled. "I guess not everything in my life is so bad right now."