Part Two
"Thank you kindly for your time, Ma'am," Fraser said. He drew his head back into the car and rolled up the window. "Three blocks down and turn right. She says we can't miss it, we can see his plants from the street."
"Why not?" Ray muttered, pulling back into traffic without signaling. "The place is probably a city landmark. I bet they even bring tours by on the weekends." He didn't really have a good reason to let the sarcastic words slip out; he did want to see Caine, and he was glad they would be able to find the priest's home. It just irked him that Fraser had turned out to be right yet again.
The mild-tempered Canadian took his friend's attitude in stride. "Ah, there it is," he said, pointing. Diefenbaker barked in agreement.
Ray found a parking spot for the Riv and the three of them approached the building. When they got to the Shaolin's door, Fraser rapped politely. It didn't appear to be locked, but the Mountie would probably rather stand outside till Canada melted than enter uninvited. Unless, of course, he believed someone inside needed his assistance, in which case he would no doubt kick down the door.
Such a drastic measure turned out to be unnecessary in this situation, however, since it opened within moments. An old Chinese man stood before them, shoulders hunched, spectacles shining like the round eyes of an owl. "You are here to see Caine?" he asked, his voice accented.
"As a matter of fact, we are," Fraser answered. "I am Constable Fraser. This is Ray Vecchio, my friend, and Diefenbaker, my wolf. Caine met us in Chicago, and he said that were we ever in town we should visit him."
"Ah, of course, he has told me--many things--about you." He opened the door to its fullest extent and motioned them inside. Dief brushed past him and trotted in. Fraser smiled an apology for his wolf's poor manners and followed as the old man escorted them with a shuffling gait to Caine's living area.
The priest crouched beside a table cluttered with pots and plants, giving Dief a vigorous, hands-on welcome. His son leaned against the doorframe that led to the balcony, a smile lighting his lips at the sight of friends, but sadness darkened his eyes and tension argued with his stance. Ray guessed that their arrival had interrupted a pretty serious conversation.
While Benny described how much his wolf had looked forward to this visit, Ray made his way across the room to Peter. "Did we come at a bad time? We can wander around town, come back later, if you'd rather be alone."
The other cop shook his head. "Nah, don't bother. It's just a case I'm working on. I'm having a bit of trouble with it."
"A case?" Ray knew how it could get sometimes, when you felt mired in a case. It sucked you away from your life, and the rest of the world wasn't all that big on throwing lifelines. Yet even while sinking you knew you had to get to the bottom of things because someone out there depended on you.
"Something's going down. Something big. And I can't find out what it is." His gaze dropped to the floor. "There have been two deaths already, both informants."
Ray winced. "And now no one's talking?"
"Exactly. And the one man I thought would help me out has vanished--I fear the worst." He sighed. Ray almost mirrored the action, in sympathy; he had been there. "I was hoping either my father or the Ancient could shed some light on the problem, but they haven't heard much."
"Any leads?"
"Just one. Someone's hiring. A red-haired woman, promising a big payoff. I don't know if she's the brains of the operation or just the flunky in charge of employee relations, and I don't even have a complete description." He shook his head again and looked up. "But you didn't come here to listen to my problems. You're on vacation, right?"
"Yeah, well..." How could he have let it slip his mind, even for a moment? "It must be the Mountie's bad influence." Next thing he knew, he'd probably wind up volunteering to go to a museum! "What can I say? After all, I gotta at least offer to help a guy who survived supper at the Vecchio house."
Peter chuckled at that, his gloom lifting. "I could use a hand with this one. But I don't want you to feel obligated."
Ray waved his concern aside. Elsewhere in the room, Fraser and Caine had lapsed into Chinese, while the Ancient amused himself by tossing a series of tidbits to Dief, who eagerly snapped them out of midair. "You can repay me by showing me the city's hot spots. If I stuck with Fraser, I'd spend the whole time listening to string quartet recitals."
"You've got a deal."