Conduit    

 Disclaimer: Characters are property of Alliance and Paul Haggis. No
copyright infringement intended. All errors are my own and are purely
unintended. 

 This is written especially for Audrey, who is the best 'conduit' a DIEF
fic-list-less individual could ask for, and probably the only person who
can stand the craziness I subject her to, and still rally around when I
need it most. Thanks a million, my friend! :-) 

 Conduit 

 by Hsu-Lyn Yap 

 "Hey, Benny! You okay?" Ray's voice floated in through the door. 

 "I'm fine, Ray." Fraser buckled his belt in what seemed to be
slow-motion. 

 "Geez, Benny! You look terrible! You shouldn't be going to work in your
condition." 

 "I'm fine, Ray." Fraser protested, even as Ray insisted on taking his
temperature. 

 "You don't look fine, Benny. Look, I gotta make sure you are ok, or
Frannie and Ma will kill me, all right? So, don't make it harder than it
already is for me, all right?" 

 "All right." Fraser mumbled around the thermometer. 

 "100 degrees?!" Ray exclaimed in horror. 

 "Um...Ray? you're holding it upside-down." Fraser pointed out carefully. 

 "Upside-down or not, you are still not going to work today. Frannie said
she will check in on you later. She's bringing some of Ma's chicken soup.
That's a for-sure cure! Now, do you want me to call in sick for you?" 

 "Well, Ray. I can go to work. I feel fine." Fraser protested, but spoiled
the effect by coughing and sneezing. 

 "You feel fine?" Ray mimicked with a grin. "Face it, Benny. You have the
most common ailment in winter- the flu." 

 "Actually, Ray. The flu or influenza is commonly confused with the common
cold. Influenza is transmitted by viruses, and though its symptoms are
similar to the common cold...." 

 "At least it hasn't affected your brain!" Ray muttered with a sigh. "So,
what d'ya want me to do? Call the Consulate for you?" 

 "Actually, Ray. I would appreciate it if you could hand in some documents
for me. I had been working on them overnight, and the Inspector needs them
this afternoon." Fraser handed him a bulky brown paper envelope. 

 "What's this, Benny? Top secret classified government information?" Ray
teased. 

 "Well, I can hardly tell you about it, Ray." Fraser carefully evaded the
questions. "Please make sure that the Inspector gets it, all right?" 

 "All right. I'll drop them in on my way to the Precinct." 

 "You have to give it to the Inspector, Ray!" Fraser called after him, as
he left. 

 "Yeah, yeah. And I bet you want Dief out of the way as well?" 

 "If you don't mind, Ray." 

 Ray simply shook his head. Was it in assent or in resignation? Calling
for Dief, he left the apartment. 

 ******************** 

 "I need to see Inspector Thatcher." Ray frowned at the young Mountie at
the desk, trying to cow him into submission. It would have succeeded with
any other person. But today, it was Constable Turnbull. 

 "The Inspector is on the telephone and does not wish to be disturbed."
The carefully rehearsed answer came back at him. 

 Ray ground his teeth. "This is a very important matter, concerning the
security of your country. Now, will you let me see her?" he said as
sweetly as he could. It was either that or strangle the man! 

 Turnbull looked back at him, indecision in his eyes. There was an obvious
conflict between duty to his country and the orders from the Inspector. It
was evident that whatever threats the Inspector had issued to him won out,
for he shook his head. 

 "I'm sorry, Detective Vecchio. I cannot let you see the Inspector now.
Maybe you would like to schedule an appointment?" 

 "And when is the earliest I can see the Inspector?" Ray was still trying
to keep a tight rein on his rising temper. 

 Turnbull flipped the pages of the appointment book thoughtfully. "I can
schedule you in for next Thursday at 2 pm." 

 "But I need to see her now!" Ray finally blew his top. 

 "I'm sorry. The Inspector is on the telephone and does not wish to be
disturbed." There was that rehearsed answer again. 

 Ray took a deep breath. He contemplated leaving the package with
Turnbull, but his common sense warned him against it. There was no telling
what would happen to it! And Benny had been very adamant that it got into
the Inspector's hands. He would have to come back. 

 "I'll be back later. And Fraser is off sick today." 

 "Constable Fraser is not coming to work?" Turnbull's eyes opened wide.
"But... that would .... I would have to.... oh dear!" he looked flustered
as he began rifling through the paper on his desk. He would have to face
the Inspector by himself today! He blanched at the thought. 

 Ray just grinned widely as he left the Consulate with the brown envelope.


 ******************** 

 "What d'ya mean she's out?!" Ray exploded. 

 "She's left for a meeting." Turnbull said meekly. He was not exactly 

 cowering under Ray's wrath, but it was a close call. 

 "And did you tell her that I was coming back?" Ray toned his voice down a
little. 

 "It slipped my mind. You see...." 

 "It slipped your mind?!" Ray yelled. Hell hath no fury like a furious Ray
Vecchio. 

 "You see, you did not make an appointment to see her..." 

 "That's because you wouldn't let me make one today! Look, Turnbull. I
don't even want to see the Inspector that badly, ok? We don't even get
along, all right? I just want to see her long enough to hand her these
documents from Fraser." 

 "If you leave them with me, I will hand them to her." 

 "You would?" Ray lifted a sardonic eyebrow. "And what if it 'slips your
mind'? Look. Just tell me where she has gone, ok? I'll go and deliver it
to her." 

 "She has a meeting with some officials at the World Trade Centre. And
then..." Turnbull looked up, but Ray was gone. 

 ******************** 

 "I need to see Inspector Thatcher of the Canadian Consulate. I understand
she is having a meeting....." Ray explained to the receptionist at the
lobby of the building. 

 "Ah yes! The Canadians." The young woman smiled. "They left for lunch 15
minutes ago." 

 "Lunch?" Ray stared stupidly at her. "They left for lunch?! Where did
they go?" 

 "I'm sorry, but that information is not available to me." She gave her
plastic smile. Ray leaned his hands on the marble topped desk, took a deep
breath and counted to ten slowly. "Thank you." He said finally, with as
much civility as he could muster. 

 ******************** 

 "Look, Turnbull. Just tell me where she's gone for lunch, will you?!" Ray
practically screamed into his cell phone. 

 Dief whimpered in the back seat. 

 "And you, shut up!" Ray shot back at him, in pure irritation. The wolf
gave him a contrite but wounded look. Ray sighed. "Sorry, Dief. I didn't
mean to yell at you. But have you ever met a more obtuse person than
Turnbull?" Dief whined in sympathetic agreement, and licked his hand to
let him know that he was forgiven. 

 "Right. Have you got your appointment book in front of you now? Good."
Ray tried to stay calm. Evidently, shouting just made the man more
terrified. And when he was terrified, he was totally useless. 

 "Now, where has the Inspector gone for lunch?" 

 "WHAAAT?!!" he yelled again. "She wasn't scheduled to have lunch with
anyone today?!" 

 "Look. Just give me the names of the restaurants she goes to most often,
all right? What do you mean there are 15?! This is ridiculous!" Ray
mumbled as he scribbled down the names of all 15. 

 "I don't believe this, Dief. I'm spending my lunch hour rushing around
Chicago, looking for someone I don't even like!" Ray shook his head as he
plunged back into the traffic. "Benny owes me big time for this one!" 

 ******************** 

 "Right. Dragon Lady's haunt No.15." Ray got out of the car. "You stay in
the car, Dief, and don't touch that steering wheel!" 

 "I don't believe I'm talking to a wolf!" he shook his head as he entered
the restaurant. "And a deaf wolf at that!" 

 "Hi. I don't have a reservation. I'm looking for an Inspector Margaret
Thatcher of the Canadian Consulate ." Ray had said it so many times, it
came automatically when he saw the maitre'd. 

 "We had a group of Canadian officials for lunch." The maitre'd told him. 

 "Look. I just have to see her, all right? I just want to pass her this
envelope. It's important, and......" 

 "They left half an hour ago." 

 "What?!" Ray's face fell. He was too tired even to be angry. "Half an
hour ago? And I don't expect you know where they have gone?" 

 "I'm sorry. I'm not privy to......." 

 "Yeah, yeah. You're not privy to that information. Thanks anyway." Ray
sighed and went back to the car. 

 "Guess what, Dief? We found them after all! They were here half an hour
ago!" Ray eased back into the traffic. "I don't believe this!" 

 ******************** 

 "Look, Turnbull. I don't really care anymore." Ray stopped by Turnbull's
desk for the third time that day. Constable Turnbull's face had paled upon
seeing the Detective striding into his office. How could Fraser handle
this veritable volcano? 

 "If the Inspector is not in, I'll just......" 

 "You were looking for me, Detective Vecchio?" the crisp voice of the
Inspector interrupted him. 

 "Boy! Have I been looking for you! I have been looking for you all over
Chicago!" Ray actually looked relieved upon seeing the woman he privately
called 'The Dragon Lady'. 

 "Come into my office, Detective." She re-entered her office, leaving Ray
no choice but to follow her. 

 "And why have you been looking for me?" she asked, seating herself behind
her desk. Ray had a sudden urge to stand at attention. Inspector Thatcher
had a tendency to have that effect on people. 

 "Fraser couldn't come to work today, and....." 

 "I noticed he was not in his office." She frowned. 

 "He has the flu." Ray explained. "He asked me to hand these documents to 

 you. He said you needed them this afternoon." 

 Inspector Thatcher took the envelope from him and opened it with a little
frown. "I never asked.......oh yes! The invitation list for the Consulate
Ball. I had asked him to draw it up." 

 "An invitation list?" Ray looked incredulous. 

 "That's correct, Detective. I had told him that I would have liked it by
today, but there was no hurry." 

 "I rushed all over Chicago looking for you so I could give you an
invitation list?" Ray's voice had gotten louder. 

 "I said there was no hurry, Detective Vecchio. But as you have brought
it, I thank you. Is there anything else?" she was ready to dismiss him. 

 "Just one question." Ray's eyes glinted dangerously. "Just how important
is Fraser around here, anyway?" 

 "Fraser? Well, he's the Deputy Liaison Officer. I would say that he's
important, but not indispensable. No one is." 

 Ray gave a cold smile. "Thank you, Inspector. That was what I wanted to
hear. I would suggest you start looking for another Deputy Liaison
Officer. The current one will be out of commission once I get my hands on
him!" and with that cryptic remark, he left the Consulate. 

 THE END 

 Hsu-Lyn Yap (copyright 1997 

 27 January 1997 

 tuktoyaktuk@hotmail.com 

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