15/03/2013
0 recensioni
The red and the blue
Pt.1
“Are you charging her? Are you just charging her right now?” shouts the man. His trench coat is still covered in dried mud, skinny and tired, unshaven.
She lays pale on the chair, rolling her eyes, taking a big sigh.
“It doesn’t matter now, let him do what he wants to do... It’s just...” and like that she falls suddenly asleep.
His hands are busy holding up right an unconscious man lingering into another white plastic chair.
“I have to, Ray” replies the Mountie, emotionless.
“No you don’t! Just bring her back! Her house is in Chicago now, she lives there, she’s doing fine” he explains nervously, shaking aimlessly the arms attached to that body.
“She’s carrying a loaded weapon that has being fired less than 24hrs ago, Ray”
“No she doesn’t! I never said that to you! And you weren’t there! Leave it! That gun is legal! She’s hurt! You’re hurt too!”.
Ray waves to the woman and gets that gun loose somehow as she wakes up and tries to toss it away. With no luck, Fraser just grabs it and holds it as evidence.
“We crossed the border. Now, that gun is not legal anymore and has being fired!” answers him mechanically.
“Jeez Benny!” he shouts.
“Alexandra I’m so sorry!” Ray gives her a merciful glance, while the Mountie is pulling her away.
“Don’t be. He’s right. It won’t be that long though. Goodbye. I’ll be back... I’ll meet you in the city, Ray” she says, staring in his eyes, turning back from that long white corridor.
“Meet me in the city, then” waves him as she disappears.
“Meet me in the city, Ray...” she replies, getting pulled away.
***
His boots are finely polished.
The jacket is ironed, golden buttons are all clean. He just checked them himself: one by one.
Dief is not with him at this time, the wolf might not be appropriate in this instance.
He does not want to contradict her in any way, you never know.
He woke up at dawn and he spent most of the morning preparing for this, his chin still burns of aftershave, but almost certainly smells like cologne: technically impeccable.
He brushes something again by the shoulders of the jacket, just to be sure.
Inspector Thatcher, before being a mountie, is a woman.
Not just any woman, she is his boss.
Although, he does not believe in these kind of frivolities. He saw Ray sometimes try to get away with it, by doing what he just told him told to do, and this is, perhaps, a good time to try that move: languid, big eyes; a firm and gentle speech, a neat and attractive apparel.
No, he would never claim any kind of courtship with her, but Ray does so with certain women.
It’s not like it works, not like it always works, not all the times, at least, but maybe for once, this time, he could pose, act, as if he could try... He may try to take from her what he wants: forgiveness, help, maybe using a glamorous look, bending the head a little and saying something very persuasive.
No... No, maybe it's better not to.
Honesty is the best policy.
He should take responsibility for what he just have done, not forgiveness, responsibility.
It is better to be himself: stay calm and move on.
Never lose composure.
In the end, all what they have done is to stop two vicious criminals by delivering a drug dealer and a killer to justice.
He even arrested an agent of the OPP and now is ready to testify and take responsibility for his actions..
He did not do anything wrong, him, no he didn’t.
A shudder takes him when he hears the voice of the woman getting louder, whilst is talking to someone on the phone. He can hear clear words that he quickly assume to refer to Nilsen, the criminal whose arrest has now brought him before the Consular office to discuss his own inaccuracies.
Words such as extradition and murder, but also words such as persona non grata, suspension, reprimand, exemplary punishment ...
He will make a nice compliment to her, a smile: "I find you really pretty this morning, ma'am" whispered moving his thin lips slightly.
"Pretty... Beautiful... Very charming... " he weighs his words in an attempt to find the most appropriate. One that could decide his removal or not, that could put at least the beginnings of a smile on her lips and flatter her so much to defend him, for example, in court of appeal.
Those lips that probably are now close tight in a nervous grin, by the end of that phone call.
Some padded steps are approaching in the opposite direction from the office.
Alexandra is again dressed in her blue suit. Newly washed and ironed, but she did not give it all the attention she could, not like him, at least.
It is not an official uniform, she’s still suspended, but for her it’s like it was.
She is there for the same reason. Or maybe one more.
Her face is now rested. Not like before, when she slept just what it takes to take away the tiredness of four days travel by car and two nights in the woods, in a cold autumn season.
"Benton. How's the leg? " She whispers softly, sitting right next to him.
She might not be as tidy as he is, but she also quite composed.
Fraser runs a hand over his recent bandage, it is still pretty bad and quite painful.
He doesn’t answer to don’t lie.
“How is your arm?” he asks.
“It’s just a scratch, no problem at all, Ben” she says.
"I thought they would have judged your case in Ontario..." he continued in a lowered voice.
“Yes, Ben, they did. I’ve got my trial, extended my suspension. My PAL is now burned to ashes and I can no longer carry any kind of weapon. Thanks to you, Ben, thank you very much” she says.
“I’m sorry Al. But you crossed the Country with a loaded weapon” he admits.
She looks at him quite nervously.
“So, what brings you here again then?” he asks.
"I was living in Chicago for some time before the charges. I still have some papers to sign, stuff to do... A job to attend, maybe?!" she replies vaguely.
“...and thus, by arresting me, you brought me down with you...” she adds sadly.
"I'm immensely sorry, Al" he says, a bit worried about what will happen in a few minutes.
“It was just a rabbit Ben, that gun shoot only a damn rabbit! In US territories I mean, with a US gun! Ray told you...” she said, quite distressed by that.
He stood silent. She was his childhood friend. But he had to do his job.
"By the way, have you seen Ray?" She asks, as if to try to loose the tension that was breathing heavy in the air.
"Yes, we’ve met at Johan’s Place not too long ago. We have already talked a lot about this. Luckily, he was rewarded for his job well done. He intends to pursue the investigation of Boe, there seems to be other links to the fled of Nilsen and Boe in Canada" he sighs, yet reassured by the news.
"Very well" she replies.
Alexandra looks at him quickly, and with one hand, dusts away something invisible from the shoulder of his dazzling scarlet uniform, by instinct.
It is a gesture that she used to do often before, with Steve, but she never did to him. Probably she would have, if they were still friends after join the Police.
She sees somewhat Steve in him, taller than she is, freshly cut brown hair, blue eyes of a color similar to her own and a carefree smile. She recalls her brother so.
In no other way, no other features or situations, not dead in the coffin, the blood washed away and recomposed for the funeral. She remembers her brother young, younger than him, in his uniform, in the morning before going to work.
She used to quickly brush the shoulder of his jacket, as goodbye greeting and, if they wouldn’t have seen eachother for some time, a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
Ben was very similar to him, in features, but she remembered him different in character.
She remembers Fraser to be more silent, more reserved. Steve was always smiling and joking.
Now many years have passed by, however, she doesn’t know who this mountie guy in front of her was, anymore.
He just arrested her and, by doing so, he also extended her suspension from the Police.
That can be a stop to her career.
It’s probably over.
She observes her own hand moving fast, without being interrupted in any way by the man, but as soon as she crosses the blue eyes of his colleague Constable and childhood friend, she immediately withdraws it. As if she had just realized that she was doing that gesture so habitual, to the wrong person.
They both stiffens with embarrassment, sitting in the chairs of the waiting room, her eyes turned to the wall straight in front of her and she says fast:
"In all this turmoil, I haven’t had time to get the necessary condolences on the death of Bob".
Ben bows his head, as a gesture of thanks.
Something else is wrong.
"The same goes for me, to Steve" he adds, looking at the same point in the wall.
A small yellow banner seems to catch their view.
"You have not yet explained how come you lived in Chicago for more than a year without contacting me" reminds Ben bitterly.
“Well, as things went as when we met, not too long ago, I realized I really don’t like to be arrested by a fellow Canadian...” she sighs.
"And, if you referred to our childhood friendship, I'm not the one who stopped writing" she adds coldly.
"I tried ..." he whispers, interrupted by the noises from the office.
“I thought about you, once. I met a girl, just about your age when we last wrote. So young and full of energy. So willing to take risks and put herself into dangers. I thought about you and I thought about writing you that...” he says sadly.
Ben looks at the door. The silhouette of inspector Thatcher is approaching to call him in.
“...I’ll do my best to make up to you...” he says turning towards her.
“Off course you will. You’re too late. Twice now.” replies her bitterly.
Inspector Thatcher opens the door and look at the two officers waiting to see her.
Her glance shifts from Turner to Fraser, handsome in his perfect outfit, and then Turner again: she’s cute, but not all that pretty, almost without makeup.
They’ve been together on a case though, they’ve been found by the RMCP on an almost open field with a felony on their custody. She’s in leave, yet she made the arrest and be arrested herself because of it, with an unlicensed weapon. Who does she think she is?
Something must be up.
Suspects the woman in seconds.
“Constable Fraser, would you mind come in first? Special Constable Turner, you could wait here some more.” she says.
Ben rises, nods to officer Turner and greets Thatcher with a salute, then follows her into her office.