Tolerance Book III

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine: A Welcome Distraction

Boatyard

To say Kelly had been surprised to receive the Detectives' call would have been an understatement  but he bad been pleased the younger man had reached out to him.  When he had arrived at the small boatyard an hour ago Jays' pale and bruised features had given the Firefighter  a shock but he had refrained from voicing same knowing inherently his friend was not there to be mollycoddled.  After a brief exchange of routine pleasantries, and mindful of the broken limb, the veteran Firefighter had put the green eyed man to work sanding down a shelf that would soon be fitted in the small yacht he was renovating.  Kelly had learnt manual labour was a great tool in siphoning off frustrations and angst and it was obvious the auburn haired man needed to do just that this time around again.  The comfortable silence between the pair was accompanied by soft rock ballads playing in the background from an old CD player.

On Jays' part the now familiar simple task of peeling away the outer  layer of wood to smooth out the surface again  reminded him there were simple solutions to some things in life.  It was just a pity the things he dealt with seemed to be without easy resolution.  He wiped away the sweat from his forehead distractedly. Wearing an old well worn green sweater and paint speckled light blue jeans he looked the part of a Manual Labourer.  So much so that when a man dressed in an expensive suit appeared in the warehouse he approached the Detective without preamble.

"I understand you do boat repairs," the tall, lean fifty-six year old man spoke as he stopped a few feet away from Jay.
"I ..," the green eyed man looked around for his friend but he had not yet returned from the washroom.
"I'll need a boat fitted out and ready to use within two months  ..,"
"Sir I'm not ....,"
"Oh don't try haggling I'm quite sure we can come to an amicable arrangement."
"Harry?" Kellys' voice was heard before he appeared, he had recognised his friends' car.
"Ah Kelly," the Visitor smiled broadly then chided, "your man here was considering entering into a negotiation over your fee ...,"
"I wasn't!" Jay quickly defended looking at the Firefighter awkwardly.
"Hey Jay don't mind Harry here," Kelly quickly stated sending the man a  brief stern look before grinning , "he automatically assumes everyone is out to take his money."
"You mean you weren't  ....," the tall Newcomer looked at the auburn haired man more closely, taking in his injuries for the first time.
"He's  just helping me out," Kelly put in hoping to avoid any uncomfortable questions.
"Well in that case my apologies,.  Harry Nelson," the tall man tactfully offered a left hand to shake the uninjured limb, "Severide regularly points out I'm cynical where money is concerned."
"Apology accepted," Jay exchanged a firm handshake sensing he was being judged but not knowing why.
"So you looking to send more work my way?" Kelly checked.
"I need a vessel fitted
out to the usual specifications."
"That all?" Kelly asked perceptively, he too sensed his friend had more than mere boat repairs on his mind.
"May we talk somewhere?"
"Anything you want to say you can say in front of Jay.  Unless it's illegal of course.  Him being a Detective would make that awkward!"
"A Detective? That could be helpful," Harry eyed the seated man assessingly.
"Harry he's not looking for work."
"Well let me tell you my problem and you can decide if you'll deal with it," the older man looked at the pair speculatively.
"Let's take this into the office," the Firefighter suggested ruefully, "Harry get yourself a coffee.  We'll be in shortly."

Once alone with the quiet Detective Kelly quickly gave him an out.

"Listen Harry is a good guy but he can be overwhelming at times when he has something on his mind.  You don't have to get involved."
"You sure he's legitimate?" Jay asked cautiously, he didn't want to insult Kelly.
"Yes. I've known him since High School. I trust him."
"So you've done jobs for him before?" the green eyed man was intrigued.
"Yeah, I help him out every now and then. He insists on paying me but I'd help for free."
"So do you need a hand?" Jay enquired, it might be a distraction to work on something.
"You're meant to be on a break."
"I will be.  I won't be officially on the clock.
"It's up to you. I'll probably be glad of the company," Kelly shrugged hoping he didn't regret the unexpected turn of events.