By Jana Georg
Benton Fraser sat up frightened and glanced at the alarm-clock which
ticked
lonely on the box next to the
bed. It was long after midnight. Diefenbaker heaved his head interested.
He
heard the knocking, too.
There was a second knocking, this time more energetically. Ben stood
up and
put something on before he opened the door. It was a surprise as
he opened.
Inspector Thatcher stood in front of his apartment. He
looked at her nonplused.
"May I come in?"
He stepped aside. "Sure."
She went into the room and shook her head. "You live in a very strange
region. I´m lucky to arrive unhurt." She took off her gloves
and looked
around.
"I´m sorry I woke you." she apologized as she glanced at the
rumpled bed.
"Well it´s all right, it doesn´t matter" he answered.
She looked at him. "May I take a seat?"
"Please" he assigned her a chair in the kitchen. Now he realised
that he
should switch on the light.
Meanwhile she sat down, he decided to close the windows. It was very
cold
in the appartment.
"I think you are very surprised about my appearance in the middle
of the
night." she said.
Fraser nodded. "Proberly speaking - yes."
"The point is" she began. "I don´t know what to do. Since a
few weeks
someone molestes me. I get
anonymous calls permanent. And tonight, after leaving the consulate,
someone observed me; a black car followed me."
"Have you got an idea who it could be?"
"No idea."
"What do you want to do now?"
"I don´t know. I´m frightened. I thought you could help
me - perhaps." she
looked at him.
"I´m sure there are possibilities." he thought a moment. "We
could let your
phone tap and retrace the calls.
But early tomorrow morning."
"And what should I do now? I am frightend. I cannot go back home!"
she
added sassy.
He thought a moment.
"Perhaps you should stay the night here." he suggested.
"What?"
"Perhaps you should stay the night here."
"I understood the meaning of your words, Constable, but here´s
no place for
a nightly visitor."
He thought again.
"I suggest you take the bed and I pass the night next to Diefenbaker."
"But these are too many circumstances!" she replied.
"It´s okay."
"Don´t look at me so reproachfully. It´s only one night.
She´s in trouble
and we help her." Fraser said to
his wolf who looked at him unappreciative. For him there was no reason
to
quit the bed.
"Diefenbaker, I entreat you." Ben put one´s foot down. "It´s
only one night."
Diefenbaker made way for his master discovered. Ben relaxed on the
floor.
He couldn´t understand why
Diefenbaker acted like this. It seemed that the citylife had a bad
influence on the wolf. He never staged
like this before.
"Ben?" the voice of Thatcher sounded through the darkness.
"Yes?"
"What do you think - why is someone doing this?"
"I don´t know."
She turned round and saw Ben who was lying next to his wolf. What
she saw
let her feel sorry for him one moment. He looked into her direction,
too.
"I´m sure, we are going to remedy this." he said. Their looks
met.
"Yes, yes, of course" she answered irritated and looked into another
direction. She turned around her head. This couldn´t be true!
Since the
incident on the train some time ago they surpressed their feelings
for each
other and snealed like cats round each other. And now they lay here,
close
together, in the same room and nobody was ready to say something.
Ben
observed his superior officer stealthy. She turned round again
and rolled
up. He remembered the kiss on the train. After the incident they
were
unable to talk about their
feelings. And they didn´t do it ´til now. He felt distinctly
that there was
more than a friendly bond between them. He sighed. The most he wanted
now
was standing up and embarrassing her.
"Ben?"
She sat up in darkness, the coverlet wrapped up to her chin.
"Yes?"
She wanted to answer something, but she surpressed the words she
wanted to
say actually. "Thank you
kindly!"
"Don´t mention it."
Ben woke up. He needed a moment to remind the things that happened
last
night. Margaret requested him
for help. She was molested by an anonymous caller who observed and
followed
her. She was frightened and stayed the night here and he let her
the bed.
He looked around. The window was opened. It seemed that Dief
skedadded some time ago. Ben shook his head. Why couldn´t he
take the door
like anyone else? Probably he misunderstood the whole situation.
She slept
still and Ben decided to give her up to her dreams for a while.
So
he had enough time to dress. He sighed. Why didn´t he repair the
door of
the closet? When it was opened
it made a lot of noise. He decided this time not to dress in the
closet. He
wouldn´t wake her.
Margaret woke up. She opened her eyes carefully. At the other corner
of the
room Ben was slipping into his uniform. She closed her eyes fast,
but then
she observed him through ajared eyelids.
The mountie stood in front of Vecchio´s desk. "Who was this?
Who´s the
owner of this beautiful car?" asked Ray interested.
"It´s the car of Inspector Thatcher. She was so kind and gave
me a lift."
"But she doesn´t live in your neighborhood!"
Vecchio sippet at the cup of coffee he carried the whole morning.
"She stood the night with me."
"Pardon?" He spittet out the coffee.
"She stood the night with you?"
"That´s the truth."
"Is there something between you and her?"
"No."
"Pardon?"
"No."
"Benny, I don´t believe it."
"But that´s the truth, Ray. She was frightened and didn´t
want to go home.
And that´s why she slept in my
bed tonight."
"I understand..." Vecchio said ironically. "And what more?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, Benny. You don´t wanna tell me that nothing happened!"
"It´s the truth."
Vecchio shook his head. "I can´t believe it!"
Ben laid down his hat and described the circumstances to his best
friend.
After a short moment Vecchio nodded. "No problem. We are
going to tap her
phone. The one in the
consulate and the other one at home. But she has to renunciate of
her handy
for a few days."
"Do you think that´s enough?"
"We can´t do more at the moment."
"But she was followed by someone yesterday afternoon."
"But we can´t give a police-protection around the clock. We
need more
evidences."
"Understand. Thank you kindly although."
Ben knocked on the door of her office.
"Come in!"
He stepped into the room. She left her place behind the desk and
made a few
steps forward. She looked at
him, so many questions in her eyes.
"Don´t panic. We let tap your phone here and at home. But I
have to ask you
for the handy."
She nodded and gave the small phone to him.
"I want to thank you for doing this for me."
"Don´t mention it."
She looked at him.
"I have to do some things at home. Would you please so kind and escort
me?"
"Of course."
They left the consulate. Benton asked himself if he was doing the
right. He
did, of course. If the police
was not able to handle, he had to do. She parked the car in front
of the
house.
"Do you want to come with me or wait in the car?"
"Oh, I´ll wait in the car."
"Okay. I´ll be back in a few minutes. It won´t take much
time."
She left the car and closed the door. Meanwhile she disappeared in
the
building, Fraser observed the street interested, but he couldn´t
discover
something strange or unusual. The time passed by and Thatcher was
in
the building for more than a half hour now. Benton thought of
following her
to see if everything was right,
but just this moment she came out of the house. She went to the car
and
took place. She trembled all over
her body.
"Look at this!"
She gave a letter to him. He opened and read it. It was written by
a
typewriter and really not friendly. When
he had ended, he looked at her. Now he was understanding her frightening.
Her face was as white as chalk.
"He wants to kill me." she said despaired.
"I can´t explain why, but it seems that you are right."
"Thank
you kindly."she said ironically.
"Don´t mention it."
"What should I do now?"
"You should go to the police."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You should go to the police. We have enough evidences now for giving
you
police protection."
"If you say it."
The car left the parking lot.
Benton ran into the police office. Meg was following him. He arrived
in
front of Vecchio´s desk and gave
him the letter.
"Is that enough?"
"That´s enough." Vecchio took the letter and disappeared in
the office of
Lt. Welsh. The door closed behind him and Meg and Ben couldn´t
understand
the discussion between Ray and his superior officer.
After some time Vecchio left the office of Welsh. He looked at Thatcher.
"Don´t worry. You´ll get police protection. We tap your
phone, too."
"Thank you, Detective."
"Don´t mention it. I love to help Canadians."
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
"You´re welcome, Benny." Vecchio smiled insidious.
Thatcher glanced at her watch. "We have to go now, there´s
no one else in
the consulate at the moment."
Vecchio took his jacket. "This is my case. I´ll escort you."
he announced
enthusiastically.
The day went by slowly. The dusk began. Thatcher looked out of the
window
confused. She glanced at
Vecchio and Fraser.
"I can´t believe it. Somewhere out there... there is someone
who..." she
made a pause. "There is someone
who wants to kill me. And I don´t even know why!"
She shook her head. "Why had I come to Chicago? So many madmen as
here in
Chicago you´ll never find
in whole Canada!"
Vecchio stood up. "I wouldn´t say so, Inspector. But I give
you the promise
that nothing will happen to you. Well, that´s why we have the
police."
He tried to smile, but it was hard to do. He wasn´t really
sure of his
words. There was the possibility that the one who wrote this letter
was mad
and incalculable. He took a seat again. A few moments there was only
silence. Suddenly Vecchio´s phone rang. All three persons were
jerked
frightened. Ray needed a moment to realise that his handy was ringing.
He
took it and went some steps away from Fraser and Thatcher.
"Excuse me."
He pressed the speaking-key.
"Raymundo Vecchio? Francesca, what means this? You know you should
not
call me!" he looked at Ben and Meg and smiled apologizing.
"The evening meal is all the same to me, I have to work overtime."
He listened to the voice of his sister who was a pain in his neck.
"This should be all the same to you. What does this mean? Okay, okay,
Fraser has to work overtime, too."
He rolled his eyes and glanced at the ceiling.
"No, Francesca, we don´t need your help. And you needn´t
come to bring some
sandwiches. Yeah, I´m sorry, too." He looked at the phone nonplused.
"She broke up the discussion. Typical."
"Francesca is his sister." Ben informed his superior officer.
Thatcher
nodded."Ah..."
"Pretend that it is a normal day and we aren´t here." ordered
Vecchio her.
"I follow you in my car." he said.
Ben glanced at him. "Ray?"
"What?"
"Would you please so kind and do me a favour?"
Vecchio thought a moment about, then he was understanding.
"No, Benny, don´t say that I have to visit Diefenbaker!"
"That
would be very kind of you, Ray."
"No. Why me?"
"Ray?"
"Okay, I´ll do it. We´ll meet in a half hour at Inspector
Thatcher."
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
The Buick Riviera hold on in front of Fraser´s apartment. Vecchio
left the
car and spent lots of time with closing the doors. He never could
know,
Fraser lived in a strange quarter in which you better never
let your
car unclosed. As he went into the apartment, he called for
Diefenbaker. The
wolf came happy and tail
moving.
"You´re a good wolf. Your master has no time for you at the
moment, you
must be satisfied with my
presence.." Ray seized into his pocket.
"I bring you something to eat." He laid some donuts in front of the
wolf´s
snout. Diefenbaker looked at Ray.
He didn´t want donuts right at the moment. Then he decided
to eat what he
got. While he was eating,
Vecchio observed him.
"Don´t gulp, that´s not healthy!" suggested Ray.
Diefenbaker stopped for a moment, looked at him and ate again.
Thatcher opened the door of her apartment and wanted to step in. Fraser
hold her back.
"Maybe it´s better to let me go at first."
"Sure."
He stepped into the flat and searched for the light switch. Finally
he
found it. He went forward. Thatcher followed him anxious.
"Here´s no one."
"Good."
"I believe he doesn´t dare to come here."
"Why do you know that he is male?"
"I suppose it."
Fraser closed the door. Thatcher laid down her jacket.
"You are allowed to put off your jacket too."
"Thank you kindly" he answered a bit confused and put off jacket
and hat.
"That seems to become a nice evening." she said sarcastically.
"I
can go into another room if I disturb you here..."
Fraser wanted to leave the room but Thatcher touched his sleeve.
"No, that´s all right. I´m cheerful ´bout your
company."
Their looks met each other´s again.
"Okay." he said quiet.
Suddenly it knocked.
Meggie looked at him frightened. He lifted the forefinger to his
lips.
"Pssst!"
She nodded. There was a second knocking.
"Come on, open the door. It´s me!" the voice of Vecchio came
from the other
side of the door. Thatcher
sighed. Fraser opened the door. Vecchio stepped in. Diefenbaker followed
him. Ray smiled apologizing.
"I´m sorry, but he wanted to come with me." He looked to Thatcher
and
Fraser. "I couldn´t dissuade him
to follow me."
"It´s okay." Thatcher tried to smile.
"He´s house-trained, don´t worry." said Fraser.
Diefenbaker confirmed this with a bark. It was sure for him not to
piddle
in the flat. What might this
woman think ´bout him? He was a civilized wolf!
The hours passed by and nothing happened. Thatcher, Fraser and Vecchio
sat
in the kitchen. They were
bored. Dief slept well under the table. Thatcher looked at her watch.
It
was long after midnight.
"If you agree, I would go to bed."
"Do it."
"Okay, good night. We´ll share the couch."
"Thank you. Do you need something?"
"Yes, a six-pack, a good match in TV and a pizza!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"It was just a joke, I was joking."
"Oh, I must be used with his humour."
She disappeared in the bedroom. Ray sat down in the livingroom. He
took of
his shoes and searched for
a blanket. He found one, laid down on the couch and coverd it over
himself.
"I believe you agree with me when I sleep the first two hours."
"Yes,
it´s all okay."
"Great."
"Good night, Ray."
"Good night, Benny." he closed his eyes.
"Benny?"
"Yeah?"
"There´s really nothing between you and the dragon lady?"
"No."
"I can´t believe it."
"Ray, she´s my superior officer."
"She is a woman."
"Yes, she is."
"Have you seen how she looked at you?"
"No. How did she look at me?"
"Forget it!" Ray shook his head und closed his eyes again.
"Canadians" he murmured as he fell asleep.
Fraser was woken up by loud voices. He stood up frightened. He knew
the
voices. That were the voices
of Ray and Thatcher.
"I am sorry for my little bathroom. If I had known that you were
coming,
I´d let convent it."
"Okay." Ray ran out of the bathroom.
"I don´t shave!"
He discovered Fraser. "Good morning, Benny."
"Good morning, Ray. What was this for a noise?"
"Your superior officer is incalculable."
Fraser thought the best way was to say nothing, meanwhile Ray took
his tie
and his jacket.
Fraser and Thatcher followed Vecchio into his office. Nearly a half
meter
away Diefenbaker was walking. When Vecchio came into his office,
he went a
step back because his sister was sitting on his chair.
"Francesca, what are you doing here?"
"You did not came home this night. I was worried and wanted to know
what
has happened."
"I told you that I worked overtime."
"But not the whole night! Why didn´t you call?"
"Franny, I don´t want to discuss with you right now!"
"My brother is a sap!" Franny informed Fraser.
Now she noticed Thatcher and sized her up. "Who´s this?"
"Oh"
Fraser began. "This is Inspector Thatcher, my superior officer.
Inspector
Thatcher, this is
Francesca Vecchio, the sister of Detective Vecchio."
"Hi." Francesca looked at her angry.
"I think we have to go back to the consulate now." She nodded.
"See
you, Ray." Fraser pushed her out of the room. Francesca looked behind
both.
"Is there something between both?"
"No."
"You can´t tell me that!"
"It´s the truth."
"Sure. Have you seen how he looked at her?"
Ray decided that it was the better way to ignore his sister. There
was a
notepad lying on his desk. Elaine
laid it there. There was only one call they had followed back. To
someone
who was named John Dean.
Ray wanted to ask Elaine for help as she arrived and gave a paper
to him.
"John Dean, Canadian dangerous criminal, he´s in jail ´cause
he killed a
few people. Well, better, he was
there. A few weeks ago he was released."
"Thank you, Elaine."
Ray took the phone and called the number of the Canadian Consulate.
"Miss Thatcher, what do you associate with the name `John Dean´?"
"A Canadian dangerous criminal, a murderer. I arrested him six years
ago. "
"Has he ever manaced you?"
"He said, he would kill me when he´ll be released, but he has
to stay in
jail for ten years."
"Sorry, but you´re mistaken. He was released a few weeks ago.
So now we
know who´s the stranger."
Meg looked at her mail. A green cover had taken her attention. The
address
was written by a typewriter.
She trembled as she opened it.
"Ben?" She gave the letter to him. After reading he lifted his hand
as a
precaution.
"Don´t panic, the police is doing everything possible to get
him. It´ll be
over soon. Don´t be worried.
They´ll get him."
Thatcher tried to smile. "I´d like to believe in your words."
"Don´t worry."
"The life of a mountie has it´s own price."
"Yeah, but I would never swap, for nothing!"
"I understand you. Sometimes I miss the life at the R.C.M.P.." She
smiled.
"I can not imagine to do a job behind a desk some time."
"I know, you belong to the mounted police. You can´t keep horsemen
in a
cage." He glanced at her.
"You´re right."
"I know."
She looked at her watch. "Come on, Ben, we´ll dine out."
"I
don´t know if this is a good idea. I think we should take Detective
Vecchio with us. It´s not allowed for
me to carry a weapon."
"Okay, if you think so. Your friend can be a pain in the neck sometimes,
but he´s also a policeman."
Thatcher, Fraser and Vecchio set on the little Italian restaurant
und
choose a lonesome table in a corner.
"You´ll see, here you can get the best pizza in whole Chicago!
Except the
one of my mother." explained Vecchio to Thatcher.
"We hope that you´re right."
"Naturally."
"How do you think."
"Do you want to express that I´m lying sometimes?"
"No, I don´t say so!"
"Ray, please..."
"It´s okay, Benny."
Thatcher shooked her head. "I´ve got one question: Are all
policemen from
Italian origin stubborn?"
"You think that I´m stubborn? What do you want? I´m no
Canadian and I don´t
love it to open doors for
other people."
The waiter brought the food. Vecchio stopped a bit of pizza into his
mouth.
"How long will it take?"
"What?" he hiccuped with a full mouth.
"How long will it take?"
"What? ´Til I´ve eaten my pizza?"
"No, ´til you´ll arrest him."
"Oh, I would say that it doesn´t take much more time. It´s
only a little
step and we´ll get him."
"What a consolation."
"What should we do? First we have to hunt him up."
After the meal Thatcher and Fraser left the restaurant in front of
Vecchio.
"I don´t endure this much longer! How can you work
with him?"
"He´s okay."
"Really ?"
"Yes, he´s a bit..." Fraser searched for the right words.
"...impulsive."
"You say so."
"Should I drive?"
"If you want to." she gave the keys to him. He made a step forward,
opened
the car and kept the door
open for her.
"Thank you."
"Don´t mention it."
It knocked on the door. Ben opened. It was Vecchio. He shooked his
head and
looked from Thatcher to
Fraser.
"He doesn´t live there anymore. The apartment was quit."
"No,
that means..."
"Don´t be frightened, Meg..."
"You´re still police-protected."
"Thank you, Detective."
Vecchio closed the door. "Don´t be worried, we´ll make
it."
"Come in and feel free."
"It seems to be routine."
"Sure. Believe me, I´m as happy as you when this is over and
he´s back in jail where he belongs to."
"And you were really working at the mounted police?"
"Yes, of course."
"Wow." Vecchio nodded ackknowledging.
Thatcher ran through the room nervously.
"Please be quiet."
"You´re very funny, Vecchio. There´s no one who wants
to kill you."
"But the right is on your side."
She glanced at the two men. "Is that possible on an emergency?"
"Sure."
Fraser nodded. He was worried about her. He wanted to embrace her,
to give her the feeling of
security, but he wasn´t able to do this. That was impossible.
She was his
superior officer.
"It´s close to midnight. I think, I´ll try to sleep."
"Good night."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Ray looked at his friend, meanwhile she disappeared in her bedroom.
"You can sleep at first."
"Very friendly of you, Ray."
"Don´t mention it."
"He looked under the kitchentable. Diefenbaker was lying there. He
slept.
"Diefi feels at home here, really."
"Do you think so?"
Fraser slipped out of his uniform jacket and laid it on a chair.
"Yes, and a bit of female influence would be very good for him, maybe
he
would put away these bad
attitudes then, don´t you think?"
Fraser covered himself by the blanket.
"I don´t know, Ray. But I´m going to think ´bout
it. Good night, Ray."
"Good night, Benny."
"And don´t forget to wake me up in two hours."
"Okay."
Ray woke up. Burst asunder glass and the frightened scream of Thatcher
made
him catching his weapon
and running into her bedroom. Fraser and Dief were earlier
of course and
they had been able to overcome
the man. Ray looked at the stranger. He was maybe 5 feet tall and
it seemed
that he was aged somewhere between 35 and 45. He looked really worse
and
unfriendly.
Ray applied the cuffs and spoke the text:" You´ve the right
to be silent.
Everything you say can and will be
used against you." he wangled him out of the room and glanced through
the
room. The window was broken
and the floor was full of broken pieces. A lamp had fallen down and
broken,
the bed was rumpled and a
chair had fallen down.
Thatcher closed her peignor in a hurry . She passed one hand over
her hair.
"Thank you kindly."
"You´re welcome." answered John Dean. He smiled awful.
Thatcher ignored him."Good work."
"Come on." Vecchio wangled him out of the door. "You can tell your
story on
the police office."
Meggie stooped to take the broken pieces. Ben helped her and collected
the
rest of the lamp from the floor.
"It´s very kind of you to help me."
"Don´t mention it."
He looked at her and noticed the first time her confused outward
appearance. She wore a night-dress and a peignor. His good attitude
ordered
him to look in another direction, but he couldn´t resist her
look. A few
confused locks had fallen resistantly into her face. Her appearance
was
equivalent to the one she had when
she worked in the consulate.
"Auw!" he looked on his left hand. He had injured his hand on a broken
piece of the glass. The blood ran
down his hand.
Meggie looked up frightened. "Wait a moment."
She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a handkerchief,
disinfectant and plaster.
"Sit down."
She pushed him to the bed and cleaned the wound carefully.
"I hope the pain is not too strong, but I couldn´t establish
that the wound
is deep."
"It isn´t. Thank you."
He looked at her. Their looks met and Meggie went back a step. She
was
confused. She put the desinfectant
on the little table next to her bed. Their looks met again. She turned
off
embarrassed.
"Meggie?"
"What?"
"The nightmare is over."
"I know."
She felt a bit chilly. It was going to be cold in the room because
of the
broken window.
"I should call the glazier tomorrow morning and sleep on the couch
this
night."
"Yes, you should do so."
She took the rest of the lamp. "I think I can´t use it anymore."
"No."
She stooped again.
"Wait, I´ll help you."
"Thank you, Ben."
He began to stoop too, but he had another thought by doing it and
pulled
her in his direction foundly.
Nearly their faces met. No one fought against this emotion. Fraser
moved
forward to kiss her. Their lips
met and he embraced her closer...
THE END