Rated G
The yellow file folder sat open on my desk between a half empty CPD coffee mug on the right and a sandwich, salami on rye, on the left. My lunch was forgotten, however, as I stared at the contents of the battered folder.
I've seen a lot of unbelievable things during my...many years as a cop. Two-week old corpses don't even turn my stomach anymore. Shooting sprees, robberies, and serial killers have a hard time shocking me. I'm not desensitized to it all, and the horror and the urge for justice never fades.
But this - this is incredible. Unbelievable. Ray Vecchio's solve rate is the highest in the violent crimes unit. Hell, it's the highest in the entire precinct.
Don't get me wrong, Ray's always been a good cop. He was here when I was promoted to lieutenant, and he's a hard worker. But he could never have been a poster boy for the Chicago Police Department.
Then last year, the Mountie showed up. Constable Benton Fraser, complete with stetson and wolf, barged into my precinct and made my life a living hell. Still is, actually. If it's not horsemeat being passed as beef, it's a suicidal wheelman who's double-crossing his partners.
I think, however, if I were to examine the issue closely enough, I would find Fraser is partially, if not entirely, responsible for Vecchio's solve rate.
From my desk, I could see the two of them in the bullpen. I closed the folder and stared at them, finding it hard to believe they work so well together.
I've seen them in the heat of a dangerous moment. It's like one mind working in two bodies, they're that in sync with each other. One glance will reveal a gunman; a raised eyebrow can question a plan.
I watched Ray throwing wadded pieces of typing paper into the trashcan by Elaine's desk. Fraser sat in the wooden chair in front of the desk, talking quickly. He gestured with his hands, but like his character, the movements were subdued and controlled.
He was trying to convince Ray to do something entirely idiotic, dangerous, or downright crazy. If Ray agreed, he'll probably ruin a suit or two before they solve the case.
Maybe I should request that more Mounties be transferred to Chicago. If every one of my cops was partnered with someone like Fraser, the precinct's solve rate would...my God, I could probably make Chief of Police!