Northern Lights: A Due South Novel

Chapter 18: Shooting on an Empty Net

The sight of a Mountie in her office was not enough to contain Lieutenant Elaine Besbriss' anger. Three squad cars had been called to Drake's Bar while Jon and Elizabeth unsuccessfully chased their suspects. The officers found a broken pool table riddled with bullets, a dozen cowering thugs, and a man who claimed he was bitten by a wolf. She had just spent twenty minutes on the phone with the enraged owner, who was threatening to sue the City of Chicago, the RCMP, and the Government of Canada for all that Drake's was worth. Which likely wasn't much, given that the officers on the scene had found more rats than bullets.

Elizabeth stood with her hands behind her back, feet planted and eyes straight ahead as though she were being inspected at Depot. Jon, leaning forward and gesturing with his left hand, looked like he was haggling with a street vendor.

"Look, in my defence, I didn't start the fight, and I didn't fire a shot. We just used that pool table for cover," Jon said.

"So how did the fight start, then?" Elaine asked.

"Well, Constable Fraser here decided to ignore my orders and come in the back door, which aggravated the locals. Apparently, they don't like Mounties down at Drake's. And I can tell, from your expression, that you're also wondering what a Mountie and a wolf are doing running around Chicago. It's a very funny story–" Jon stopped when Ray opened the door carrying a takeout cup of breakroom coffee and a vending machine sandwich. As Montgomery followed him in, Jon stepped as far away from the wolf as he could manage, while still keeping the animal in sight.

"You don't need to tell her. She was expecting a Mountie to turn up." Ray sat on Elaine's couch. Montgomery placed her nose on his lap and stared up into Ray's eyes, begging for a neck scratch. He obliged. Jon looked disgusted.

Lieutenant Besbriss crossed her arms and leaned towards Ray. "And why would I expect a Mountie?"

"You know how it is, Elaine. You take a case from Canada, a pathologically honourable Mountie will turn up and take over your life for a few years. Those are the rules in Chicago."

That was not one of Benton Fraser's Chicago rules. Elizabeth supposed Ray had his own rules.

"You two know each other?" Jon pointed to his boss and his father. "Does everyone in this city know my father?"

"We appear to have the same problem, Jon." Elizabeth said.

Ray, who had just taken a big bite out of his chicken sandwich, swallowed. "Elaine was a civilian aide at the 27th before she became a cop. She used to make googly eyes at Elizabeth's dad back in the day."

"Do you need to be here?" Jon asked Ray.

"No. But I want to be." Ray took a long sip of his breakroom coffee. "This is revenge. On both of you. For all the times you said 'Why'd you do that Dad, that's so stupid,' and 'Why'd you climb in the trunk when you knew criminals were going to steal the car?' And for all the times she threw food at me."

Lieutenant Besbriss raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth, who shifted on her feet.

"I believe I was a toddler," Elizabeth said.

"So, it sounds like you're saying, Detective Vecchio, that Constable Fraser started the fight?" Elaine laughed. "A Mountie, starting a fight?"

"Her father did that more than you might think." Ray yanked his hand away when Montgomery started licking his sandwich. "Bad dog."

"Well, I didn't intend to start a fight. I simply told them I had no interest in their illegal firearms or health code violations, and that we were there to arrest our two suspects and go on our way. Unfortunately, it appears that basic respect for the law is somewhat lacking in Chicago these days, because that's when the man at the bar attacked Detective Vecchio. And then the gun shop clerk, well, pulled out his gun and started shooting."