Author's webpage: http://gURLpages.com/nolabel/drum.queen/

Author's disclaimer: All characters except for Jessie Henderson are property of Alliance Communications.

Author's notes: Dedicated to the memories of Howard Thornburg and Norman Mathis.

THE COP CAME BACK

        "I'm sorry, Jack," Detective Tomas Dewey apologized. "I really am very
sorry."         "Yeah, well next time think about your audience when you tell

a joke," Jack Huey warned. He stormed off to the station's restroom. Jessie Henderson had just walked in when the two detectives had finished their debate. She straighened her backpack and turned to Francesca Vecchio-Turnbull, who was at her desk filing her nails. "What was that all about? It sounded like Huey was going to wring Dewey's neck." Francesca looked around and motined for the teenager to come closer. "Dewey was trying out a new comedy routine for their club. He was making a couple of jokes about

bombs, and Huey got mad at him, probably because of Louie."     "Who's Louie?"
        The civilian aide looked surprised. "You mean Fraser hasn't told you

yet? Louis Gardino was Huey's partner for about a year and a half. He

was killed by a car bomb."      "Oh my gosh, that's horrible!" Jessie gasped.
        "Yeah, I know." Francesca picked up the nail file and continued her

handiwork. "It's a sad story, but life goes on. If you're looking for Fraser, he went down that hallway." She pointed with the file do a pair of doors, which Jessie promptly exited out of. As she walked down the hallway, she heard the voices of Constable Benton Fraser and Detective Ray Vecchio. She wasn't quite sure where they were until she passed by a broom closet door. She walked over and causiously opened it. "Ah, hello Jessie." Fraser and Ray were seated on the floor of the closet.

Ray shook his head in embarresment.     "Um, pardon me for asking," Jessie
said, "but what are you doing in a closet?"     Fraser smiled, nervously.

"We were just--"

"Making fools of ourselves, as always," Ray interrupted. "Fraser here thinks that small dark spaces help you think. Personally, I enjoy thinking at the comfort of my desk." He stood up and walked out of the closet;

Fraser followed.        "Actually, we were discussing the disappearance of
Diefenbaker," Fraser explained.         "Dief's gone? Where'd he go?"
        "Why the sudden interest of Diefenbaker?" Ray asked. "You never did
like him."      "Yeah, ever since the first day we met, when he tried to

eat my shoes." She pushed some of her dark blonde bob out of her eyes. "I'm only interested for your sake, Fraser. I mean, you're my mentor, the wolf is my mentor's pet, there's got to be a connection that makes me interested. So, where do you think he is?" "Possibly, he is on the trail of a criminal," Fraser replied. "He won't stop until he catches him or her, and he will die trying." "Dief dead? Oh no!"

        Suddenly, Huey came rushing out of the men's bathroom. He grabbed Ray
by the shoulders. "You will never believe what I just saw!"     "Huey, did

you wash your hands?"

        "Yes, but at the moment that's not what's important."
        Ray scowled. "It is important! I don't wat your filthy disgusting germs
on my new jacket."      "Ray, I saw Louis."
        There was silence all the way down the hallway. Ray's eyes widened.

"You saw who?" "You saw Louis?" Fraser gasped.

Huey nodded and let go of Ray. "It was like, I don't know, he just appeared. You know, like a ghost. Don't you believe me?" Ray put his hand on Huey's forehead. "You don't feel warm, so it isn't a dillusion." "Vecchio, be serious!"

Fraser walked up to Huey. He well remembered seeing his own father's ghost. "I believe you, Jack." "Great," muttered Jessie. "First the wolf, then Huey, now Fraser. Please God, don't let me be next!" Huey sighed. "I guess only the mountie believes me." He turned his back to them. "I better get back to work," he said, and he left.

"Hello," Francesca said into the phone. "Oh, hi honey! How is everything?...Oh, you want to talk to Fraser...Okay..." She passed the phone to Fraser. "It's Renfield. He wants to talk to you." Fraser had been helping Jessie study for her science test. He straightened her notes, set them down, and picked up the phone. "Hello Turnbull." "Constable Fraser, I have excellent news," Turnbull announced. "Diefenbaker has returned safely

to the Consolate."      Fraser's eyebrows raised. "He has?"
        "Yes he has. In fact, he returned with a purse, and in the purse is

a file of some sort. I've haven't read the contence of it, but the tab reads 'Cleopatra Files'." "I'll be right there Turnbull." Then Fraser felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Francesca. She whispered, "Tell him I love him." "Uh...Francesca wants you to know that she loves you."

        "Aw, that's nice of her!" Turnbull replied. "Tell her that I love her
too. Goodbye, Constable Fraser."        "Goodbye Trunbull." He hung up the

phone and turned to Francesca. "He loves you too." Then, to Ray, "We have to go to the Consolate." "Okay, Benny, I give up," Jessie said. "Who was the first person with the theory that the solar system revolved

around the sun?"        "Ptolemy."
        "Like I'm actually going to remember that."

"Constable Fraser, these are valuable files from my office!" Inspector Meg Thatcher exclaimed holding the file. "Your dog--" "Wolf, sir."

"Whatever!" She threw her hands in the air."I'm sorry Fraser, but we cannot allow your...wolf, whatever...in the Consolate. We can't let him run off with important information. He'll have to stay somewhere else." Fraser's eyes turned to the floor. "Understood, sir."

        Dief whined.
        Thatcher cleared her throat. She started to feel sorry for the mountie.

"However, if you cannot find anyone to keep him for you, he can stay

here, but in your office at all times."         "Thank you kindly, sir."
        "I've got it!" Jessie yelled from the hallway. "The north star is Polaris!"

Thatcher's head jerked up suddenly. "What was that?" She left her desk and walked into the hallway. Jessie, who's back was turned to Thatcher, was being quized by Ray. "Tell you what," she said to Ray, "let's take a break from studying and I can teach you the best way to shoot a marble." "Jessie," Ray whispered, "turn around."

She turned to face Thatcher. "Uh, hello." She extended her hand. "I'm Jessie Henderson. Master of marbles. The mountie's my mentor." Thatcher shook Jessie's hand. "Inspector Thatcher. The mountie's superior. I want you to know that in the Consolate we do not tolerate loud outbursts." Jessie bit her lip. "Sorry."

Thatcher sighed. "Well, I better check to see that everything is in here. She opened the file and turned a few pages. Then she stopped. She reached in and pulled out a small piece of paper. "This isn't part of the file." She read it. "'Code name: Ceasar. Password hint: Does the earth really go around the sun?' What does that mean?" "Sir, if I may," Fraser began, "if the person who wrote this is using a code name and password, it might be for a private computer file. I could be right in assuming that the Cleopatra File was copied into a computer file." Thatcher looked surprised. "Then your dog--wolf--didn't take it! He was retrieving it. I apologize." Dief ran up to Thatcher and put his front paws up on her.

        "Diefenbaker, get down."
        He read Fraser's lips and reluctantly got down on all fours.
        "But," Thatcher continued, "what about the password hint? What does

that mean, 'Does the earth really go around the sun?' or something?" "Ptolemy," Jessie answered.

        "Who?"
        "Ptolemy. He was Cleopatra's brother, and he was the first one to make

the theory that the earth goes around the sun." She smiled. "I learned that in science. So the password could be Ptolemy." Ray grinned. "She takes after you, Fraser."

        "There's something written on the back," Fraser pointed out. He turned
the paper over and read the content:    greenriver.com/Julius.html      "Thank
God they left this in here," Thatcher sighed. "Get me a computer."      "There's

one in your office," Ray replied.

        "Oh, yes, you're right. Thank you, Detective." She went back into her
office.         It was at that moment Ray's cell phone rang. He pulled it out

of his pocket. "It's probably one of those girls I met at the bar last night." He put the phone up to his ear. "Hello, sugar," he answered with a sly grin on his face. Then he frowned. "Huey, what the--" "Vecchio, I saw him again!" Huey gasped.

        "You mean Louie?"
        "Yes," he replied. "I saw him in the hallway. I tried to show him to
Tom, but he didn't see anything."       "Maybe Dewey needs specks."
        He heard Huey growl under his breath. "Vecchio, I'm not lying, I really

did see him." "Okay, okay, I'll get down there, and the next time you see him you show him to me. If I don't see him, you're going to a shrink.

Got that?"      Huey sighed. "You got a deal."
        Meanwhile, in Thatcher's office, she and Fraser had gotten in to the

file. She slapped a hand over Fraser's eyes. "Don't look!" she demanded. "This is top secret." She went to preferences, selected delete account, and the file disappeared from the computer. "Sir, do I have permission to look now?" Fraser asked.

She removed her hand from his eyes. "Thank goodness. If that file had been put on the internet, we'd really be in a pickle." She turned to Fraser. "Thank yo for your help, Constable." Then she realized that Dief had his head in her lap. She stroked the wolf's ears. "I sorry for accusing you, Diefenbaker." Dief smiled.

        "Remeber Huey, if you can't give me proof that you're seeing Louie,
you'll have a date with the psychiatrist--and a male one at that!"      "All

right, all right." Huey looked around the hallway. It was empty except for him, Ray, Fraser, and Jessie. "Louis? Are you out there?" Nothing. Nobody appeared.

        "Well," Ray said, as he directed Huey to the doors, "looks like you
need a shrink, my friend."      "Stop right there, Vecchio," said the voice

behind them.

        They all turned around, except for Jessie, who hadn't heard anything.
She just kept walking, while the others froze in terror.        There was Louis

Gardino, dressed in a grey suit, his hands in his pockets, smiling at them. "You aren't taking my parter to a shrink." "L-L-Louie?" Ray managed to studder out.

        Jessie stopped and turned around. "What?"
        "It's you!" Huey gasped. "It's really you!"
        Louie's smile widened. "You were expecting maybe the Grim Reaper?" 

"It's good to see you again, Louis," Fraser smiled.

        "I don't see him!" Jessie said.
        Louie walked closer. "You're still hanging out here, Mountie? And who's
the kid?"       "That's Jessie. I'm her mentor."
        "Why can't I see him?"
        "Because you never knew him," Fraser explained.
        Huey slapped his forehead. "Of course! That's why i couldn't show you
to Tom. He never knew you. But, why are you here, anyway?"      "You seemed

alone," Louie answered. "It looked like you were missing me too much, and you were taking it out on your new parter--what's his name?" "Tom Dewey."

"Right, right. Well, anyway, I just came to let you know that I'm with you all the time. You don't need to miss me." Huey smiled. "Thank you, Louis."

        Louie turned to Ray. "And you, Vecchio, you leave Jack alone, or we'll
have to take this outside." He laughed.         "I don't see the comedy in that,"

Ray answered.

        "Well, now that I have my point across, I better be on my way." He turned
around and walked down the hallway.     "Louis! Will I ever see you again?"
        Louie stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Sure you will, Jack. I

never really left you." He continued down the hallway and disappeared. "Wow," Ray sighed.

"You know," Huey said, "I feel a little more uplifted now." He and the others turned and began to walk out of the hallway. "I guess knowing that Louis is here with me, right now and all the time, is taking a lot of weight off of my shoulders. I'm very relieved." "I'm glad that you feel better," Fraser said.

"Guys, you have to tell me," Jessie demanded. "What did I miss?" Huey smiled. "You missed seeing a great parter--and a great friend."