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fandomweekly2022-12-01 07:03 pm
[#160] Three Words I Never Thought I'd Hear
Title: Three Words I Never Thought I'd Hear
Fandom: Due South (about 1/4 of the way through season 1)
Rating/Warnings: G rated
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 811
Summary: RayV and Fraser work on a new, potentially, sticky case. Note: VERY brief research into the subject. If I got something wrong, don't come for me.
“Oh, come on, Fraser! Really?” Ray said as they got in the car outside the consulate building. “A crime against Canada? Someone smuggle in a moose or something?”
“I don’t know, Ray, that’s why we’re going to check it out.” Fraser settled in the front seat and placed his hat on his lap.
“I understand why you should check it out but why do I have to?” Ray looked in the mirror and pulled away from the curb.
“Because if there is a crime being committed, I need you to arrest them.” Fraser thought that would be obvious.
“Sure. Of course.” Ray made a rude hand gesture at the car in front of him and then honked the horn. “Where’d you learn to drive?” he shouted although the other driver surely couldn’t hear him. “You are so naïve, Fraser. You let people take advantage of you.”
“I don’t know what you mean, Ray. A crime was reported. Should I not investigate?”
“Like a babe in the woods, you are. You think everyone is telling the truth and not just yanking your chain.” Ray shook his head and sighed. “What do you know?”
“Someone called the consulate and said a crime against Canada was being committed. They gave me an address and a time. Then they hung up.” Fraser got out his notepad and opened it up. “The voice was male and sounded American.”
“Great. And Dudley Do-Right had to run right out and help. I tell you, Fraser, one day that checklist to become a saint is going to get you killed.”
“I’ve never been a saint.” There were things he regretted. Things he shouldn’t have done. But he did try to do the right thing and he didn’t understand why Ray was so distressed by this.
They pulled up across the street from the address and parked. It was an upper-middle-class neighborhood with wide streets and two-story houses on generous-sized lots. Ray looked at his watch. “Ten minutes, Saint Fraser.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so irritated.”
“Aw, I don’t know. I guess I shouldn’t still be so surprised when your black-and-white world intrudes on my gray one.” Ray gestured to the glove box. “I think there's some binoculars in there. Get them, will you?”
Fraser did as requested and handed the binoculars to Ray who put them up to his eyes. “That van is suspicious, but I can’t tell if it’s a work truck or if anyone is inside.”
“Still a few minutes before the appointed time.”
“So, he’s definitely Canadian since he’s so punctual.” Ray handed the binoculars over to Fraser who raised them to his eyes just as two men got out of the van and went to the back. They opened the rear door and took out a magnetic sign and placed it on the side of the van. It said, ‘Real Canadian Maple Syrup’.
Fraser gasped and watched as they pulled a table out of the back of the van and then placed glass jars on the table. The two men then rolled a large white barrel to the back of the van and popped the lid. Then it was time and people started gathering.
“What the hell?” Ray said.
“They’re selling illegal maple syrup. Probably stolen from the syrup emergency reserve.”
“There are three words I never thought I’d hear.” Ray looked through the binoculars. The crowd was jovial and handing over cash for a glass jar of syrup. The two men selling it looked normal and seemed pleasant, chatting with their customers. “So what if someone is selling maple syrup to middle-aged housewives?”
“You don’t understand, Ray. Syrup is a national treasure and is strictly regulated. That barrel looks like the ones in the reserve. They are stealing, not only the syrup but also our reputation. What if the syrup has gone bad? What if just a little bit more is needed in the future and we can’t provide that crucial barrel?”
“That’s one wacky country you got there, Fraser. Okay, so what do we do? Report them to Chicago Department of Public Health's Food Protection Division?”
“Arrest them, Ray, arrest them. Clearly, they are members of some organized crime family or criminal enterprise. How else would they have gotten their hands on the syrup?”
“I’m not sure there is a statute covering selling stolen maple syrup in Chicago. The most I can do is go talk to them.” Ray moved to get out of the car.
Fraser put his hand across Ray’s chest. “There is a law about selling stolen goods. That syrup is stolen and they are selling it. I will go talk to them and I’m sure I can get a full confession once I explain that what they are doing is harmful.”
Ray shook his head and opened the car door. “Babe in the woods.”
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