Just The Ticket

It was 3pm and Francesca was busy shopping in Chicago mall. She had brought several new items of clothing and countless pairs of new shoes, none of which she needed. She had gone to have a cup of coffee and a doughnut in the nearby café because after dragging the bags full of shopping she had bought around the mall, she had become very tired.

It was in the café where she first noticed the strange looking man staring at her. He had what seemed to be a small photo in his hand. He looked at the photo and looked at her several times as if he were checking to see if he was looking at the same person. Francesca realised that this clearly wasn't just an ordinary admirer. She quickly finished her coffee and doughnut and vacated the area.

On her way out of the mall she noticed that the same man who was in the café, was now following her. She quickly hailed a cab and left the man staring down the road after her. She couldn't wait to tell Ray what had happened.

FRANNIE: "Hey! Ma, Ray, Maria, Tony? Anybody home?"

RAY: "Hey Frannie where ya been?"

FRANNIE: "Shopping"

RAY: "Could've guessed" Ray murmured

FRANNIE: "You are never gonna guess what happened to me!"

Alarm bells rang in Rays head, he had lent Francesca the Riv to drive to the mall in, so naturally he thought something had happened to his beloved car.

RAY: "You trashed the Riv! Please don't tell me you trashed the Riv!"

FRANNIE: "No I didn't trash the Riv! God all you think about is that car!"

RAY: "I wouldn't of let you borrow it if Ma hadn't said so!"

FRANNIE: "Shut up and listen! Now, I was walking along doin' my usual shopping when I realised I was hungry so I..." Ray interrupted before she could finish,

RAY: "Cut a long story short Frannie, some of us have a life to live"

FRANNIE: "Ok, ok, so I went to get somethin' to eat and there was this weird lookin' guy there, he kept looking at me so I packed up my stuff and left but he followed me until I got a cab!"

RAY: "And?"

FRANNIE: "And what? That's it, it really freaked me out!"

RAY: "Frannie this is Chicago, everyone gets followed by weird lookin' guys now and again!"

FRANNIE: "But this was different Ray he..."

Francesca could see this was a hopeless attempted to make Ray believe her.

RAY: "Frannie, I mean this in the nicest way possible, who would want to follow you?"

FRANNIE: "Fine! Don't believe me then!"

RAY: "Fine! I won't!"

Francesca stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Good riddance Ray thought.

Francesca walked into the police station wearing a very short Civilian Aid top and long black trousers. She sat down at her desk and began typing up some work that Lieutenant Welsh had left for her. Later that morning Fraser, wearing his red serge uniform, walked in with Dief.

FRASER: "Good morning Francesca, how are you today?"

FRANNIE: "Oh I'm fine now I've seen you Fraser" She purred.

FRASER "Ah.... Have you seen Ray this morning?" Fraser said, uneasily.

FRANNIE: "Nope, have you been down to see if mort has seen him?"

FRASER: "Good idea Francesca, thank you kindly"

FRANNIE: "Oh you're very welcome"

Fraser just gave her a nod and walked off, Diefenbaker stayed behind with Francesca.

Later on Francesca saw the same weird man she had seen the previous day in a nearby corridor in the station. He started to walk toward her quite quickly, so Francesca got up and ran (leaving Dief behind) into an interrogation room.

After 1 hour Ray and Fraser came along.

RAY: "Frannie, you in there?"

FRANNIE: "Yeah" She said, but it only came out as a whisper.

RAY: "Unlock the door!"

FRANNIE: "No!"

RAY: "Unlock the damn door now!"

FRANNIE: "Anyone out there with you?"

RAY: "Just Fraser, now open the door!" Francesca, slowly and carefully, opened the door.

RAY: "Now why did you lock yourself in there?"

FRANNIE: "That man I was telling you about, he came here after me!"

FRASER: "What man Francesca?"

RAY: "Mind your own business Fraser!" Fraser bowed his head and starred at his boots.

FRANNIE: "He's trying to kill me, I know it!"

RAY: "Frannie you really need to get out more often"

FRANNIE: "But Ray..."

RAY: "No 'buts', now go home!"

FRANNIE: "But..."

RAY: "Now Frannie!"

Francesca ran past Ray and Fraser, grabbed her jacket and purse and went home.

FRASER: "Now Ray that was hardly necessary"

RAY: "Drop it Fraser!" he yelled, and then stormed out of the building leaving a confused and concerned Fraser behind.

This was an argument that Fraser decided, he was better off staying out of. He decided to go back to his apartment and read one of his books.

It was 8 pm and Francesca sat reading her latest horror novel purchase called 'Scream'.

Ray was in his room and her mother was washing up in the kitchen. Tony was sitting, eating on the sofa watching a Hockey match and Maria was doing her hair in her bedroom.

Francesca tired of reading and put the book down on her pillowcase. She was bored, so very bored, so she got up and went downstairs. Once there she got her coat and turned to her mother...

FRANNIE: "Ma, I'm going out"

MA: "At this time of night! You most certainly are not!"

FRANNIE: "Ma, it's only 9:00 pm, you let Maria go out at this time, on her own"

MA: "Cara mia, she is older than you"

FRANNIE: "Ma, please, I'm so bored please let me go out, please" She said, with a big smile on her face.

MA: "Ok, but be back before 10:30"

FRANNIE: "Ok!" Francesca gave her mother a big hug and then left the apartment.

Francesca paced her local streets. She saw gangs in alleys and heard gunshots and police sirens wailing in the distance. It was just another normal night in Chicago.

On her way home she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She walked a bit faster but when she heard the footsteps get faster too she started to run. A man grabbed her arm and she spun around to face him.

It was the weird man that had been following her for the past two days. As he reached into his pocket Francesca gasped in horror. She quickly swung her hand up from her side and slapped him across the face. Before the man could react she was gone into the night, and back to her house.

FRANNIE: "Ray!!"

RAY: "What? Can't you see I'm sleeping here!"

FRANNIE: "He tried to kill me!"

RAY: "Frannie, I've told you, I'm not interested! Stop lying!"

FRANNIE: "I'm not!"

RAY: "Go to sleep!"

Francesca ran into her room and after calming down a little went to bed, hoping that it had all been a bad dream. She tried to get to sleep but it was useless - her thoughts kept returning to that nights events. So she went into the living room, with her blanket, curled up on the sofa and finally got off to sleep.

Francesca was woken suddenly by a noise at the door, it sounded like someone was trying to get inside. She got up and was heading towards the door when it swung open.

FRANNIE: "Ahhhhh!!"

WEIRD GUY: "Finally, I've found you!"

RAY: "What's going on, who the hell are you?"

The weird man reach into his pocket, Ray drew his gun and was just about to shoot but Frannie screamed and startled him. Ray shot and missed the man hitting one of the metal picture frames on the wall. The bullet ricocheted off the frame and returned hitting Ray squarely in the chest.

WEIRD GUY: "Oh my God, I only wanted to give you this cheque" he said as handed her a cheque for $2000.

FRANNIE: "What..."

WEIRD GUY: "I'm a private detective hired by the lottery company - Your numbers came up last month and as you hadn't claimed the prize I was employed to track you down and give you the cheque."

FRANNIE: "Oh no..." gasped Franchesca.

Meanwhile her mother had rung the paramedics. They had said that the injury sounded serious and that they were on their way.

Fraser was at his desk filling out some forms when Inspector Thatcher strode in.

THATCHER: "Fraser, there has been an accident and I'm afraid Detective Vecchio was seriously injured"

FRASER: "Where is he now?"

THATCHER: "He's in the OR at Chicago Hope at the moment, I suggest you get down there stat"

FRASER: "Thank you kindly sir"

THATCHER: "Yes, well he is your best friend, now get moving Constable" Thatcher said, trying to hide the concern from her voice.

FRASER: "Thank you kindly sir" Thatcher walked out of his office and closed the door behind her. Fraser looked at Dief with a worried expression on his face he wanted to know just how Ray had got shot. He left the Consulate with Dief and hailed a cab.

FRASER: "To Chicago Hope please"

The cab driver looked at Dief, then at Fraser and said

DRIVER: "No dogs" Fraser looked at Dief and said

FRASER: "Stay here and guard the Consulate until I get back". Dief whined and trotted back up the steps of the consulate. The cab driver turned the car and made off in the direction of the hospital.

FRASER: "I got here as fast as I could, how is he?"

FRANNIE: "The doctors say he's touch and go at the moment" Francesca said with worry etched across her face. "I read one of the doctors reports...."

FRASER: "And?"

FRANNIE: "It's not good"

FRASER: "Oh"

FRANNIE: "What do YOU think Fraser? Do you think he's gonna make it?"

FRASER: "He'll make it"

FRANNIE: "How can you be so sure?"

FRASER: "There are no Rivera's in heaven so he'll have to return here if he ever wants to see his car again" Fraser let a wry smile cross his face after saying this, hoping this would lighten Franchesca's mood for a brief second. It didn't.......

After 2 months Ray had fully recovered and Frannie split her winnings with him. Frannie spent her winnings on, amongst other things, new clothes and shoes! Ray spent his winnings on accessories for the beloved Riv.

It's strange really, as last time Ray won something on the Lottery he had been very reluctant to share it with Francesca. Just goes to show that no matter how much they argue (and that's a lot!) blood is still thicker than water.

Copyright © Gemma Millar 2000, All rights reserved