McConaughey Mining …
Omar Bilal wasn't very well liked by the miners he worked with. They didn't like his superior attitude or seeming lack of a personality. He kept to himself in the bunk house and turned angry whenever someone tried to engage him in conversation. They steered clear of the young engineer, muttering insults behind his back. To him, the low brow miners didn't matter enough to bother getting angry over. He was a cold, callous jerk who wouldn't put himself out for anyone. After a while, the miners left him alone.
After leaving McConaughey's office, Omar Bilal drove back up the mountain and back to work. While he went through the motions, Omar plotted Meg's death. He knew McConaughey wouldn't wait forever. He didn't want to wait either. She had to die.
Getting Ready at the Cabin …
Maggie had a devil of a time getting Ray up and running for her noon shift. The former detective found a hundred reason not to get going. She hated to but she forced him to put aside his frisky ideas and get ready. Even the effervescent Aurora was annoyed at him.
"Come on, Ray, this isn't a second honeymoon." Maggie adjusted her Stetson, ready to head out the door. Ray sat on the couch, tying his shoes.
"Hey, can we uh, do that, have a second honeymoon?" Ray asked, talking with one had and pulling his shoelaces with the other. Maggie turned around, trying to hide a smile.
"We just got back from the first one a little less than a year ago, come on." She chuckled, shaking her head.
"Yeah, but we could use another one, I mean, we ain't getting any younger." Ray persisted, his eyes smiling as he teased her.
Eventually, Maggie got Ray on his feet and down to the post. Fraser and Wilder were working on the daily paperwork when his old friend and his younger sister arrived. Aurora and Dief immediately began their sniff filled hello.
"Hello, Maggie, Ray." Fraser set aside his work to greet them. The phone rang, interrupting the Mountie.
"Hello, Spencer Falls Post, Constable Fraser speaking." The Mountie identified himself.
"Compton here, I'm calling about the footage you sent for analysis. I managed to isolate the burglar's image. I also managed to determine what it was that disabled the security light. I've sent the enlargements to Inspector Thatcher's official email." Compton informed Fraser enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Officer Compton. I'll take a look at the images in a moment." Fraser hung up a minute later.
"Forensics has an image of the burglar from McConaughey's equipment yard." Fraser informed Maggie after he hung up. "Compton sent it to the Inspector."
"Let's see who it is, shall we?" Maggie clocked in, and made her way to Thatcher's office. Fraser followed her toward the office door.
"Come in, Constable Kowalski, I was expecting you." Meg called from her desk. She'd checked her email. Fraser stepped into the office. He immediately saw the worry on the boss lady's face, despite her efforts to appear unaffected.
"Officer Compton from the forensics lab just called." Fraser stood in front of Meg's desk, studying her.
"I received his email just a few minutes ago." Meg beckoned Fraser and Maggie around the desk to see the image she'd been staring at for ten minutes.
"Do you recognize this man, Inspector?" Maggie asked innocently.
"I'm not certain, Constable Kowalski, I," Meg stalled. "The image is rather blurry." Fraser didn't buy her answer, he knew she may wear glasses but the image was clear as a crystal.
"Maggie, there's a call for ya, some one callin' about McConaughey." Ray poked his head into the open office door. He shrugged instead of trying to explain the message further.
"Thank you, Ray." The blonde Mountie stood up, a thoughtful expression on her features.
"If you'll excuse me, Inspector." She wanted briefly to be dismissed.
"Yes, Constable." Meg breathed a sigh of relief. She'd wanted to talk to Fraser in private anyway.
"Close the door, please, Fraser." She directed him, her worry breaking through her mask.
"What is it, Meg?" Benton leaned on the desk as she turned her chair to look up at him. He spoke in a low voice so as not to be overheard.
"I know who the burglar is," She let out a shaky sigh. "That's Omar Bilal Zaman."
"The boy from Iraq?" Fraser's mind began to spin. His theory that the assassin and McConaughey Mining were connected fit perfectly. He still need irrefutable proof though.
"Yes, He'd be almost twenty-five by now." Meg would never forget that little boy's intense gaze or the hatred in his obsidian eyes.
"Are you certain it's this young man?" Fraser slid off the desk and squatted at eye level with her.
"I know it's him, Benton. Omar vowed to get revenge on me for the death of his family. He would have killed me himself all those years ago." Meg's eyes began to well up. She still felt guilty about their deaths. No child should see the horrors she knew Omar had seen. Fraser reached out and took her hand in both of his.
"I won't let anything happen to you, Meg." She smiled through her tears as she squeezed his hand.
"I know, Benton, I know." She wiped her tears away, afraid that at any moment one of her junior officers would walk through the door and catch them together. Fraser might not be her subordinate officer in anything but name only, but Meg felt she still had a responsibility to uphold the RCMP regulations. He gave her hand a gentle pat before pulling back.
Maggie picked up the phone and introduced herself.
"Hello, this is Doug Ward, foreman with McConaughey Mining Company. I was supposed to come to the post a few days ago but I've been in the hospital until this morning, got my hand caught, nearly took my index finger off, broke my arm in four places." From the accent, Maggie guessed that Mr. Ward wasn't a native Canadian. He spoke slowly and with a mild twang.
"My sympathy, Mr. Ward. I needed to speak to you in regards to the theft of catalytic converters from the equipment yard." Maggie had wondered about why the foreman hadn't contacted the post yet.
"Alright, I'll be down there in about half an hour." Mr. Ward hung up a moment later.
"That the foreman?" Ray had been listening to the conversation.
"Yes. He should be able to identify the image of the burglar for us." Maggie's face brightened, it felt good to make progress on a case.
"I love watching you work." Ray said, a dreamy cast to his blue eyes. Maggie grinned.
"You love watching me do anything." She rolled her eyes at him, shoving him playfully.
"Well, yeah, kinda." He admitted with a wink. Maggie winked back at him. Ray kept her feeling like a teenager in love.
"Maggie, we have to leave, there's been an accident at the camp." Fraser's face was as white as fresh snow when he came out of the Inspector's office. Meg walked out behind him.
"Oh dear, what's happened?" Maggie's eyes widened in alarm.
"Mr. Daniels called a moment ago, Ben was trying to help one of the other, younger boys who'd fallen over an embankment into the lake. Ben saved the boy but they're both in the hospital for observation." The Mountie adjusted his Stetson, trying to hide his shaking hands.
"I'll drive." Meg offered from outside the group.
"You should stay here at the post." Fraser turned to her, his eyes pleading with her to stay put.
"He's right, Inspector, McConaughey's foreman, Doug Ward, will be here any moment." Maggie added.
"Yes, I suppose. At least take Constable Wilder with you, he's familiar with the area." Meg insisted, wishing she could go with them. Her dark eyes betrayed her emotions. She hated feeling clingy.
"I'll keep you informed, Inspector Thatcher." Fraser nodded, his face still pale. As much as he wanted to see that Ben was safe, he wanted to know that Meg would be alright too. He felt torn.
"Dief, stay here." Fraser knelt down and enunciated his order so there would be no misunderstanding. The old wolf seemed to nod in response.
"Aurora, you stay as well." Maggie ordered the lady wolf. Aurora looked up at her human and seemed to smile. "Good girl." Maggie scratched the wolf between the ears.
"Take care of Ben, don't worry about things here." Meg assured him, clasping her hands in front of her to prevent herself from pulling Fraser into a hug. Their lips hadn't touched in almost a decade and a half, but she felt the overwhelming urge to kiss him just the same.
"I'll call and let you know about Ben." Fraser said before turning and leaving the post. He might as well have said, 'I'll call and check on you.'
The Hospital …
"Is Patrick alright, Mr. Daniels, he was scared." Ben's voice sounded strained when Fraser walked into the emergency room. Maggie and Ray were on the Mountie's heels like bubble gum.
"Yeah, Ben, he's fine, he was asking about you actually." George Daniels was standing at the foot of the hospital bed, wet to his waist from wading in after the boys.
"Ben, Son, there you are." Fraser nodded to the other man before taking a seat on the side of the boy's bed.
"Hi, Dad, I'm sorry I scared you with this." Ben tried to say through his father's bear hug.
"You're safe, that's the most important thing, Ben." Fraser let go of the boy and began examining him for himself. Other than being pale and drained, everything seemed fine.
"You have a brave son, Constable Fraser. Ben here didn't hesitate at all when he saw Patrick lose his footing and fall." George grinned.
"It's nothing Dad wouldn't have done too." Ben shrugged the praise off.
"How did this happen?" Maggie asked as she took a seat on the other side of Ben.
"Mr. Daniels and I were on a nature hike around the lake with one group of the younger boys. Patrick was staring at an eagle overhead. He wasn't paying attention to his feet and fell over the bank, about ten feet. He hit a rock pretty hard and landed in the lake. I just went in after him. Patrick can't swim and he tried to get away from me." Ben told the story simply, downplaying his role in the whole thing.
"Ben kept Patrick from drowning, he's a hero." George Daniels patted the boy's foot.
"You did the right thing, Ben, I'm proud of you." Fraser just had to hug his son one more time, relieved that he was okay.
"Thanks, Dad." Ben croaked out, a broad smile on his face. He was certain that if his mother were there she'd be crying buckets.
"Constable Benton Fraser?" A woman's voice spoke from the entrance to the glass encased exam room.
"Yes?" Fraser turned around to see a petite, young woman with a chart in her hand.
"Hello, I'm Nurse Zaman." The young woman introduced herself, peering around at the two Mounties, George Daniels and Ray. She had to look up to everyone but Maggie, who was still a bit taller than her. The intense expression on Fraser's face puzzled her but she chalked it up to the emergency.
"The doctor will be in to talk with you in a moment, okay?" Her long, dark hair was pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head, showcasing her oval face and big, dark eyes.
"Come on, let's get some coffee, give them some space." Maggie suggested, pulling on Ray's arm to get him to move.
"Thank you kindly, Nurse Zaman." Fraser stood up. He wanted to talk to the young woman with the same last name as the man Meg had identified but didn't want to work the case over his son's safety.
"If you need anything, I'll be at the nurses' station." She nodded and left the exam room.
"Dad, how is the Inspector's investigation going?" Ben asked, laying back against the hospital bed. He wanted to talk about anything except jumping into the lake to save Patrick.
"It's going well. We believe we've found the man responsible for the attacks." Fraser answered. He sat back down on the side of the bed.
"Have you caught him yet?" The boy persisted, dying for more information. He could tell from the phone conversations they'd had that Fraser and Meg had gotten closer.
"No, not yet, but I feel we're close." The Mountie twiddled his thumbs as he told Ben about the security tapes of the thief stealing catalytic converters from McConaughey Mining. The boy listened eagerly.
"I bet Grandpa Bob would love to have worked this one, save the damsel in distress and all." Ben laughed. Fraser shook his head.
"Dad did have a flair for the dramatic on occasion." He was glad that Ben had gotten to meet Robert Fraser, even if it wasn't face to face. Face to ectoplasm was better than nothing.
"Hello again, Ben." A gentleman in his late forties greeted the boy from the door of the exam room. He was wearing a pair of khaki's and a dress shirt beneath his white coat.
"Dr. James, this is my dad, Constable Benton Fraser." Ben piped up proudly. Fraser stood and shook the man's hand.
"Constable, nice to meet you. Ben here is fine, he's going to be bruised and should take it easy for the next few days, but otherwise he's as healthy as a horse." Dr. James assured the Mountie with a smile.
"How is Patrick, Dr. James?" Ben asked, anxious about the younger boy. Fraser was proud to see the concern in his son's face.
"Thanks mostly to you, Patrick will be just fine." Dr. James patted the boy on the shoulder with a grin.
"Thank you kindly, Dr. James." Ben laid back, relieved to hear it.
"I'll tell him you were asking about him." The doctor offered. It wasn't often he saw the results of a teen's bravery and concern. Days like this made the job less of a job and more of a calling.
"The nurse will bring you some paperwork to sign and you should be on your way soon. Constable Fraser, Ben, pleased to have met you both." Dr. James nodded to both of them before turning to leave.
"Can I stay with you and Aunt Maggie and Uncle Ray tonight, Dad?" Ben asked, his eyes beginning to droop. All he wanted was a quiet place to rest before having to tell the story again and answer a bunch of questions.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. I'll let Mr. Daniels know before we leave the hospital." Fraser ruffled the boy's hair.
"Hey, Benton, would you like some coffee?" Maggie asked from the doorway, one cup in her hand for herself and the other for him.
"No, but I do need to make a phone call." Fraser stood up, reluctant to leave Ben.
"I'll sit with him, no problem." Maggie offered, taking the chair near the bed.
"Thank you, Maggie." Fraser felt his sister squeeze his arm for a moment before he left the room.
Fraser took his cell phone and found a quiet spot in the parking lot to call Meg. He asked for the Inspector and waited for her to take his call.
"Hello, Meg, I'm at the hospital. Ben's fine, he's coming back to Spencer Falls with me." He scanned the parking lot, absently taking in the variety of vehicles beneath the clear, June sky.
"Oh, that's a relief." In his mind's eye, Meg was seated behind her desk, her glasses on her nose as she leaned back to listen to his voice. He could see her smile as she slipped her shoes off beneath her desk. She'd been caught more than once barefoot while in Chicago. Meg didn't wear polish on her fingernails but Fraser had noted that she wore a fire engine red on her toes quite often. It was a tiny glimpse into the woman behind the rank.
"Tell Ben I hope he's feeling well. I've been talking to Doug Ward. He identified the man in the photo as Omar Zaman as well. He said he doesn't know why the young man would steal catalytic converters, he has a generous salary." Meg sounded as puzzled as Fraser felt.
"We have the connection we need to put out a BOLO for Omar." Fraser pointed out.
"I've already done that. Constables Hansen and Ford are searching for him now. They know how dangerous Omar can be, I've told them he will most likely not be taken alive, and to be very careful." Meg hated putting any officer in harm's way, especially if she could prevent it. Omar had proven that he didn't mind killing an innocent by-stander if it meant killing her in the process.
"That's a prudent move. Maggie and Ray will be back as soon as I the release paperwork is finished." Fraser wanted to get back to Spencer Falls, ASAP.
"I'll be waiting for you, Benton." Meg whispered softly into the phone.
"Take care, Meg." He answered in a warm, vibrating whisper that sent good chills down Meg's spine. He hung up and scanned the parking lot, wondering when Nurse Zaman's shift was over so he could question her. He suspected she was Omar's sister but a shared last name wasn't enough proof.
BOLO=Be On the Look Out