You Know Who - Robin L. Deeter (books for new readers .TXT) 📗

was one thing she and Ray had in common; a love of older cars. Firing up the sleek, silver car always gave her a charge. She had a mechanic who was a genius with vintage cars and kept the motor purring like a big satisfied tiger. Before she got out of the car, Jessie had to look in the mirror again to make sure she looked presentable. A glance at her watch told her she had no more time to waste and she hurried inside.
Getting off the elevator when it arrived at her floor, she almost ran smack into Sid Carmichael, a detective with the 27th. “Hey, watch it, Jessie!”
“Sorry, Sid! I’m running late.”
“Be more careful!” he shouted at her as she rushed down the hall. “Hey, you look nice today!”
Jessie smiled to herself. “Thanks!” Elation coursed through her veins. Maybe there was something to this girly stuff after all.
No sooner did she punch in and get situated at her desk in the records room than a coffee was plunked down in front of her. Smiling, Jessie looked up expecting to see Fraser but met Ray’s gray-green eyes instead.
“H-hi, Ray.” Her stomach tightened.
“Hi, Jessie. Fraser asked me to give this to you. The dragon lady called so he had to hightail it over to the consulate. Said you probably needed it after your night out with Frannie.” His smile was causing her brain to run in low gear.
“Dragon lady?”
“Yeah, you know, his boss?”
Jessie giggled nervously. “Oh, yeah, Thatcher. Sorry. I guess I’m caffeine deprived this morning. I had to rush around for work and didn’t get in my usual dose of coffee. I won’t turn this down. Thanks for bringing it over.”
“You’re welcome. So you survived, huh?”
“Crap!” Jessie scalded her tongue on the coffee. She’d been paying too much attention to Ray to mind the temperature of the drink. “Of course I survived. Frannie is actually very fun to be around.”
Ray shook his head. “You poor thing. She’s brainwashed you.”
“Be nice; she’s your sister,” Jessie scolded him.
“I’m well aware of that,” he said with resignation. “Fraser says that silver Corvette in the lot is yours. Is that true?”
“Yeah.”
“Sweet ride.”
“Thanks.”
To Jessie’s disappointment, the detective began to turn away. Not able to come up with anything else to say, she just watched him walk out the door. It was just as well, she told herself. Before long there would be a steady stream of police officers yammering for files or bringing them back. Better get my mind back where it needs to be. She didn’t need to get in hot water with Welsh. Sighing, Jessie began her morning paperwork.

Chapter Three
The late September wind was unseasonably chill. Fraser could hear the leaves that had fallen from the trees swirl around on the breeze and scrape against the driveway outside Jessie’s house. She lived in a small, two-bedroom Cape Cod that she’d inherited from her father. The living room where they were playing chess was the kind of room that invited guests to make themselves comfortable. Jessie’s taste in décor was not organized. Few of her pieces of furniture matched, the living room suite being the only exception. Various shades of wood stood alongside each other, an interior designer’s worst nightmare and yet it worked somehow.
After winning the second round of chess, Ben was sure something was wrong. Normally Jessie was a formidable opponent and one of their games had been known to last for hours or even a couple of days. Not so this night. As Fraser sat his bishop down creating checkmate he watched Jessie stare out the window, eyes unfocused. Jessie caught Ben watching her. Seeing him glance down at the board, she did the same.
“Crap. I’m sorry, Ben. I’m not much competition tonight.”
“It’s alright. Care to talk about it?”
Jessie sat back in her chair and thought about it.
“Question,” she said.
“Answer.” Fraser was glad to see her smile.
“No, I want to ask you a question.
He nodded. “I know.”
Jessie laughed and pressed on. “If I tell you something and you promise not to tell anyone else, you won’t, right?”
“Yes, but you already knew that.”
“It’s nothing illegal, so nothing to worry about there,” she assured him quickly, well aware of his moral code. “Ok. So have you ever liked someone in a romantic way but were afraid to tell them?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever tell them?”
Fraser shook his head.
“Did you wish you had?”
“Yes. Am I correct in assuming that you have these types of feelings for someone but you haven’t shared them with this person?”
“Yes,” Jessie answered. “Do you want to know who it is?”
Fraser started resetting the chessboard. “Only if you care to share it.”
Now it was Jessie’s turn to shake her head. “Not yet, but maybe soon.”
Fraser stopped with his hand poised above the board. “Well, now I really am curious.”
“You are?”
“Absolutely. You’re my friend and friends like to know things about each other. So when you get that close to telling a friend something and then don’t, it just makes them extremely curious. It’s close to being cruel.”
Jessie recognized Ben’s method of manipulation and gave him a helpless look. “I can’t say it out loud. I can’t just blurt it out.”
“Why not?”
“Because of who it is.”
“Oh.” His eyes widened. “Oh! Me?”
“No, not you, so lose the fatted calf look.”
“I didn’t mean to imply-“
“You are so adorable and you don’t even know it,” Jessie laughed.
“I am not.” The Mountie almost blushed.
“A lot of other people may be in love with you, but I’m not.”
“You’re not?”
“No.”
Fraser moved a pawn forward and frowned. “No fair. We’re back to square one then.” He frowned then brightened. “Let’s make it a game.”
“Ok.”
“But if I guess correctly you have to confess. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Fraser thought for a few moments. “Is this person a criminal?”
“No. I just told you that.”
“Just checking. Is it someone you see on a regular basis?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a man?”
Jessie laughed. “Yes.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“Law enforcement.”
“Do you see him primarily at work?”
“Yep.”
Fraser rubbed his chin. “Well, it’s definitely not me then.”
“Told you. Give up?”
“How about a clue?”
Screwing up her courage Jessie said, “He’s your best friend.”
“Dief?” Fraser asked, feigning horror.
“No!” Jessie threw her queen at Fraser. If his reflexes hadn’t been so quick it would have conked him on the head. “Your human best friend.”
“Ray?”
Shyly Jessie bit her bottom lip and nodded.
“You’re attracted to Ray?”
“Uh huh.”
A grin spread across his chiseled face. “I know. I mean, I already knew it.”
“You knew it? And you made me go through all that?” Jessie grabbed up a bunch of chess pieces and started firing them at Fraser.
He raised his hands, pawns, bishops and rooks bouncing off his arms. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I thought it would be easier for you to tell me if-“
Jessie was out of ammunition so she picked up one of the mismatched throw pillows from the couch and swung it at Fraser. He was already laughing so hard that he had trouble blocking the blow.
“Think that was funny?”
“Yes!” he choked out.
“Then you’ll love this.” Jessie’s fingers found his ribs through the uniform shirt he wore.
“No, no!” he protested. He’d never been able to stand being tickled. It was one of his few weaknesses. His high pain threshold helped protect him from all manner of physical abuse but tickling was his kryptonite. It was a good thing few people had ever attempted to tickle him.
“Say you’re sorry! Say it!”
“Ok! Ok! I’m sorry!”
Jessie quit her assault. “Ok. You’re forgiven.” She pushed her hair away from her face.
Still laughing, Fraser started gathering the chess pieces from the carpet.
“So you knew, huh?” Jessie asked as she helped him.
“Yeah.”
She took the pieces he handed her and set up the board again. “Am I that transparent?”
“Oh no, not at all,” Ben rushed to assure her. “Ray has no clue.”
“Good.”
Puzzled by Jessie’s response Ben cocked his head in a question.
“I’m not ready for him to know. In fact, I don’t know if I ever want him to know.”
“I don’t follow.”
“We work in the same place. If Ray is made aware of my feelings and he doesn’t return them, it will not only be embarrassing but it will be very painful to see him all the time and …”
Ben replied, “I understand. What are you going to do?”
“Right now play a serious game of chess. About Ray, I have no idea.”


Chapter Three

“So how was chess night with Fraser?” Frannie asked and popped her gum.
“Fun,” Jessie answered with a smile.
Her friend pulled a face. “How is chess fun? I don’t understand that.”
Jessie chuckled. “It would be too hard to explain.”
Frannie nodded her agreement. “Yeah, I’d never understand how check and checkmate work or how they could be amusing. There’s games I’d like to play with Fraser but they don’t involve cards or game boards.”
“Frannie!” Jessie admonished her as she laughed. Frannie had followed Jessie to the copier. She watched her brother cross a hallway and enter an interrogation room. Turning back to Jessie she remarked, “I see you’re wearing that new pair of earrings we picked out and your makeup looks very nice.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Yeah. So when are you going to ask my big brother out?”
Jessie was evasive. “Sometime.”
Frannie didn’t let the subject drop. “Like when?”
“I don’t know. Don’t rush me and keep your voice down.”
Diefenbaker bounded down the hall and stopped when he reached them.
“Hey, Dief,” Frannie greeted the wolf. His presence usually indicated that Fraser was around somewhere. The wolf gave Frannie a bark and then pulled on Jessie’s pant leg. Dief backed off and whined.
Jessie chuckled. “He wants a treat. I’ll be back,” she told Frannie. “I’ll meet you in the lunch room.” Then she followed Dief down the hall and around the corner. Fraser stood waiting. He grabbed Jessie’s hand and guided her into the supply closet shutting the door after them.
“What’s up?” she inquired. Fraser wore a very intense expression. “Are you ok?”
“It’s been three days.”
“Since?”
“Since you told me about your feelings for Ray.”
“So?”
Fraser bent his head forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. The brim of his Stetson bumped Jessie on the top of her head. She was not a tall person, topping out at about five foot three. She snatched it off Fraser and plunked it down on her head. It was too big so she tipped it back a little so she could still see him.
The Mountie looked back up at her. “It’s driving me crazy, not telling him. Normally I don’t have any trouble with this type