The Closed File

by Hsu-Lyn Yap (humour)

This is a take on a line in Elyse Dickenson's story "A Day in the Life
at the 27th Precinct" (BTW, love'd it, Elyse! :) where Lt. Welsh bemoans
the fact that everytime Dt. Vecchio and the mountie get 
together to solve a case, something out of the ordinary happens or trouble
follows. I don't know why I keep taking leaves out of other's stories,
but I blame it on exam revision and Tax law! Hope no one minds! :) 

Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies. All errors are my own.

All comments and criticisms welcome at llyjhly@ccn4.nott.ac.uk

The Closed File
----------------

    Lt. Welsh paused in his second reading of the report before him.
His brow furrowed as he noted the lack of spelling errors and 
mistakes in the sheet of paper on the table. The neatness of the document
meant that only one person could have typed it. A quick glance at the
top of the page confirmed his suspicions as the one name leapt out at
him.

    "Vecchio!" All the heads in the squad room swivelled round to look
at Detective Vecchio at his desk in the corner. This was getting to be
a common occurrance, but no less entertaining. 

    He raised his head slowly to look over the pile of cases on his desk,
meeting the looks of 15 pairs of eyes and that of Lt. Welsh. With an
audible sigh, he threw down his pen and got up, glaring 
sourly at the interested audience.

    "Sir?" Ray entered the lieutenant's office and closed the door. 
    "I was just reading your report on the robbery at the 
goldsmith's" Lt. Welsh tapped the said report on his desk. "It says here
that you apprehended the suspects with the assistance of your mountie
friend?"

    Ray nodded cautiously. "Yes, sir. I was at the consulate when the
call came through, sir."
    "And what were you doing there?"
    Ray shifted uneasily on his feet. "I'd rather not say, sir."

    Lt. Welsh simply sat back in his chair and waited, a look of infinite
patience on his face. A look that said that he could wait all day if
he had to.

    Ray sighed and rolled his eyes resignedly. "I had to deliver a sick
wolf, sir."
    "A sick wolf?" Lt. Welsh raised an eyebrow enquiringly. 

    "Yes, sir. Indigestion. He had one too many jelly doughnuts." 
    "I see. And so, you were at the consulate when the call came through,
and your mountie friend just decided to join you on the chase."

    "No, sir."Ray sighed. This was worse than he had expected. "He had
come off his shift and I had just pulled up when the call came. I did
not have time to get the wolf out of the car and so..."
    "So, he joined you." The lieutenant finished.
    "Yes, sir."

    Lt. Welsh gave him a long look and Ray gave an embarrassed little
shrug. "Is that all, sir? I did not have to put that all into the report,
did I?"

    "No, it's the report I wanted to talk to you about. It says here
you followed the suspects to the old warehouse and apprehended them there.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

    Ray looked confused. "No, sir. It happened exactly as I said it did."

    "And the Mountie was with you?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "Are you saying that there were no terrorists involved, no 
psychics, no psychos, no cross-dressing, no horse meat, no 
monkeys...and the mountie was there?" The lieutenant looked 
disbelieving. "What about the wolf? Or have I yet to receive a report
about someone being bitten by one?"

    "The wolf was sick, sir. He was in no condition to leave the car."

    Lt. Welsh gave him another long appraising look. "So, Vecchio, you
are saying that this is a straight-forward case? You got the call, you
followed the suspects and you apprehended them in the 
warehouse. And the mountie," he referred to the report. "The mountie
apprehended a suspect who tried to escape out the back door?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "And that was his only contribution?"
    "Yes, sir."

    "Thank you, Detective. Oh, and Vecchio..." Ray looked around a little
apprehensively What now?

    "Tell Constable fraser that his typing is impeccable as always. It
makes a nice change to read a neat report for once."
    "Yes, sir." Ray scowled. "Can I go now, sir?"

    Lt. Welsh nodded absently, staring at the report again. It was the
most normal case report he had ever received from Detective 
Vecchio that involved the Mountie. He was still not too sure how a mountie
fit into the scheme of things, but if this was any indication of things
to come, he might be able to forget all the other 
extraordinary cases they had solved.

    " Ray, about the smugglers of exotic birds..." there was no 
mistaking the polite voice of Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP, or the irritated
reply of Detective Ray Vecchio, Chicago PD.

    Lt. Welsh sighed as their conversation filtered in to him. He knew
it had to be too good to last. It would be just a matter of time before
another one of the neatly typed extraordinary case-reports landed on
his desk. Giving the present report one last longing look, he closed
the file.

    THE END