“Hey, where’d you go?” Ray teased, giving Ben’s hair a gentle yank. “Off inside that head of yours, leaving me behind.”

“Never that,” Ben said, this time firmly resisting the urge to look around for spectators before he bent to kiss Ray again.

Ray’s mouth: Hot, wet, tasting of curried chicken salad, sourdough, beer. Ray’s hands: Long slender fingers weaving through his hair, callouses rough against his scalp. Ray’s body: Whipcord muscle over bone, long, lithe, so full of energy that sometimes it seemed it must burst out through his skin.

Diefenbaker whined and they jumped apart, flushing guiltily, glancing around them. A squirrel retreated up a tree. Ray grinned ruefully.

“Home?” he suggested.

“Home,” Ben agreed with a certain amount of reluctance. Home meant telling Ray about his father. Home meant probably failing Ray once more as self-consciousness killed arousal.

They drove in silence; finally Ray spoke.

“You said you’d tell me about what was bothering you.”

Ben sighed.

“I will, Ray, but – “ He hesitated, searching frantically for some excuse, any excuse, for a reprieve, no matter how brief. He seized on one. “First let me call Maggie before it gets too late.”

Ray parked the GTO and glanced over at Ben, frowning.

“Now? You wanna call her today?”

“If we’re going to consider alternatives to Vancouver, I should get her input before I continue with the paperwork,” Ben reminded him.

“Okay.” Ray seemed to accept that; he was thoughtfully silent up to the loft, where he hesitated beside the phone. “You need me around for this? ‘Cause we’re almost out of dog food, pet store won’t be open tomorrow and it’s closing in about five minutes. Don’t think Dief will like the grocery store stuff any more’n he did last time we tried it.”

Ben nodded gratefully.

“That will be fine, Ray,” he said.

As soon as Ray was gone, Ben carefully dialed Maggie’s number. The phone rang four times before a familiar voice answered.

“McKenzie residence.”

“Maggie?” Ben said, suddenly awkward now that he actually heard her voice.

“Benton!” Maggie’s voice was warm and welcoming. “It’s good to hear from you. How do you like your new loft?”

“Very much, thank you,” Ben said. “It’s quite spacious and the neighbors are pleasant.” He winced. God, he didn’t mean to sound so stiff, so formal. “I hear congratulations are in order on that fur smuggling case you concluded last month.”

“No congratulations necessary,” Maggie chuckled. “That case was more than half pure luck.” Then a pause. “Benton, you didn’t call about the case, did you? Your voice sounds – is there something wrong?”

“Not – “ Ben took a deep breath. “Maggie, there’s something that as your half-brother I feel I should tell you. Ray and I are – ah – “

“What, Benton?” Maggie sounded worried now. “What’s the matter?”

“Ray and I are – “ Ben braced himself. “We’re, er, together. In the, ah, romantic sense of the word.”

Another pause; then Maggie chuckled.

“What, right now, while you’re on the phone?”

Ben’s face flamed.

“No!”

“All right,” Maggie said a little confusedly. “And?”

“Er, ‘and’?” Ben repeated.

“You mean that was it? That was the news?” Maggie said, and the laughter was back in her voice. “Benton, it wasn’t really much of a secret.”

“It wasn’t?” Ben said numbly.

“The two of you were like an old married couple the first time I met you,” Maggie said. “That’s why Ray and I kissed, to tease you, didn’t you realize that?”

Actually Ben had tried very hard not to remember those kisses.

“I suppose,” he said weakly.

“So you call me out of the blue now to tell me that you and Ray are together?” Maggie laughed. “I’m curious, what put it into your head today?”

“Actually,” Ben admitted, “I had thought to call you for an entirely different purpose, and it occurred to me that I’d never actually told you.” He gave Maggie a brief outline of their plan – his transfer, Ray’s flight lessons, Ray’s concern that Ben would be trapped behind a desk at his next posting.

“Well, Ray’s right,” Maggie said firmly. “With your talents, you’re wasted in a clerical position. I’ll run over to the station tonight, look through the available postings, and call you back tomorrow morning. There should be something that’s a better fit for you than a city desk job.”

“Thank you,” Ben said. “I appreciate the assistance.” He didn’t actually hold out much hope for anything better than Vancouver, but he was too relieved at Maggie’s easy acceptance of his relationship with Ray to care much.

“Well, don’t sound so enthusiastic,” Maggie chuckled. Then, more seriously, “Benton, are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you? Because you sound . . . odd.”

Ben sighed.

“Father doesn’t approve,” he said quietly. “Of Ray, that is.”

Maggie snorted.

“Dad’s hardly one to hold himself up as an example of domestic arrangements,” she said. “Is he still showing up at the station? Or is he popping in at the consulate now, too?”

“The loft,” Ben admitted.

“At your loft?” Maggie sounded astonished. “Well, that’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Indeed.” Ben rubbed his forehead tiredly.

“He didn’t show up – ah – during -- ?” Maggie said delicately.

“According to him, apparently so,” Ben said awkwardly.

“Oh, dear.” Maggie sighed. “Have you told Ray?”

“Not . . . yet,” Ben stalled.

“Benton, you’ve got to tell him.”

“Maggie, he will think I’ve lost my mind.”

“Maybe,” Maggie chuckled. “But he’s got a right to know, Benton.”

Ben heard the front door close.

“You’re right, of course. I’ll tell him everything.”

“When?” Maggie pressed suspiciously.

Ben looked up at Ray, who was standing in front of him mouthing ‘Tell me what?’ with a rather suspicious look on his face.

“Now, of course,” Ben said with a sigh. “Goodbye, Maggie. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”

“Good night, Benton.”

“Tell me what?” Ray repeated when Ben had hung up the phone.

“Perhaps you’d best sit down, Ray,” Ben said tiredly. “The fact of the matter is that I had a visit this morning – “

“I knew it!” Ray said triumphantly, flopping down beside Ben on the couch. “So who was that old guy anyway? He looked kinda familiar, not that I got much of a look at him before he took off.”

“Ray, I’m trying to tell you that – “ Ben stopped.

Blinked.

“’Old guy’?” Ben said, very softly. “You saw him?”

“Yeah, the Mountie,” Ray said. He frowned. “What, did he give you some kind of bad news? They’re not gonna let you transfer? Not let me do the domestic partner thing? What? C’mon, Ben, just spit it out, okay? ‘Cause you’re scaring me here.”

“Ray – “ Ben swallowed. He got up, retrieved the battered photograph from its place on the mantel. He silently handed it to Ray. “Is this the man you saw?”

“Yeah! That’s – “ Ray paused. “Um. Ben, isn’t that – ah, shit. Um, tell me that isn’t – “

“My father, yes. Robert Fraser, RCMP.”

“Yeah, but.” Ray blinked. “Um, Ben, didn’t he – uh. Isn’t he – “

“Deceased, yes,” Ben said quietly.

“Jesus, I knew I’d lose my marbles with you someday,” Ray said, shaking his head. “First you got me talking to Dief, and now I’m hallucinating dead guys in my kitchen.”

“Ray.”

“Ben, tell me you put some funky Inuit herb in that tea. Please. ‘Cause I’d rather believe I was stoned out of my mind than – “

“Ray.”

“ – pulling some Sixth Sense weirdness in my apartment, or just plain losing my – “

“RAY!”

Ray stopped.

“Ray, you weren’t hallucinating.”

Warily, “I wasn’t?”

“To the best of my knowledge, my father was in fact here in the kitchen.”

Ray blinked.

“Uh, Ben? Do you often get visits from dead relatives?”

“Just my father, Ray,” Ben said quietly. “And I wouldn’t characterize it as often, exactly . . . “

Silence.

“Uh . . . how often?”

“Well, actually I hadn’t seen him since the Muldoon case was closed,” Ben admitted. “Before that . . . well, I suppose it depends on what you consider to be ‘often’.”

“So let me see if I’m getting this straight,” Ray said slowly. “Your dad’s definitely dead.”

“Yes, Ray.”

“And you’ve seen him since he’s been dead.”

Ben took a deep breath.

“Yes, Ray.”

“And now I’m seeing him too.”

“Apparently so, Ray.”

“In our kitchen.”

“Yes, Ray.”

“Okay. Just so we’re on the same page here.” Ray shook his head. “And just when I thought life with you couldn’t get any weirder, Ben. Okay. So. What’d the old gent want?”

Ben blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Well, I figure if he’s been gone that long, he’s gotta have a reason for showing up here,” Ray said. “So, what, got some other killer to catch or something?”

“Ah . . . no, Ray.”

“Well, you gonna make me play twenty questions here?” Ray said impatiently. “I mean, come on, Ben, you tell me I had your dead dad sitting in my kitchen this morning, I wanna know what he was here for, it’s a simple question, okay? I mean, it’s gotta be something bad, ‘cause if it got you so rattled that – “

He blinked.

“Oh.”

“Ray?” Ben said cautiously.

“It was us, wasn’t it.” Ray wasn’t asking a question. “He showed up ‘cause he’s pissed off about us, right?”

“Well . . . “ Ben sighed. “That was the general tenor of our conversation.”

Ray’s face had lost all expression. His eyes, gazing into Ben’s, were empty.

“So?”

“Er, so?” Ben repeated blankly.

“So? You gonna dump me?” Ray’s voice was flat, toneless.

Ben felt his jaw drop.

“Good God, Ray, of course not! What would ever make you think such a thing?”

Ray shrugged, but he looked provisionally relieved.

“Well, if his opinion bothers you enough that you’re getting soft-ons all the time . . . “

Ben sighed.

“It wasn’t that, Ray.”

Ray’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, what, then? Come on, spill it already! You can’t shock me now, it’s too late.”

Ben felt his cheeks heat.

“It wasn’t what he said,” he said. “It was that he implied that, er, this was not his first visit to the loft.”

“Well, what?” Ray demanded. “Did he show up in the bedroom while we were fucking, what?”

Ben said nothing. His cheeks were flaming now.

Silence.

Then Ray chuckled.

“Got an eyeful, huh?” He laughed outright now. “Serves him right, the ol’ pervert!”

“Ray!”

“What?” Ray said, grinning. “C’mon, Ben. You can’t tell me that dropping in unannounced in the middle of somebody’s bedroom could be considered polite by anybody’s rules. I mean, hell, even before we got together, you might’ve been choking the chicken.”

“RAY!”

“What?” Ray said innocently, his eyes twinkling. “You think your dad never milked the lizard? C’mon, showing up in somebody’s bedroom, you gotta expect to see something you oughtn’t, right?”

Ben groaned and buried his head in his hands.

“Jesus, this really bothers you, doesn’t it?” Ray said, his voice softening. He squeezed Ben’s shoulder. “That’s what got you all weirded out, wasn’t it? Not ‘cause Dad hates the idea of having a queer for a son, but ‘cause Dad might catch sight of us doing the humpty-bumpty?”

“Well, Ray, you must admit – “

“Admit shit, Ben,” Ray said, suddenly resolute. “Let’s just have this out here and now.” He glanced around the room. “Hey, you! Wherever you are! Get your pumpkin pants in here!”

Ben realized he was holding his breath and let it out. Nothing. He wasn’t surprised that his father had failed to answer so peremptory a summons.

“Ray, I really don’t think shouting at him is the best way to – “

“Oh, you ain’t even seen shouting yet,” Ray said grimly. “Okay, so how do we get him here?”

“Ray, I really don’t know any way to – “ Ben paused. The closet. Would the cabin be there? He had no idea. And if it was, would Ray see it? “Ray, would you – ah – “

“What?” Ray said. “Blow you, see if that’ll get the old guy to show up?”

“Ray!”

“What, then?”

“Ah . . . open the hall closet and look inside.”

Ray stared at him for a moment, then shrugged.

“The hall closet. Okay.” He stepped out of the room; Ben heard the closet door open.

Silence.

Then, shakily:

“Fuck me. Ben, you’re not gonna believe this.”

Ben got up, walked to Ray’s side.

The cabin was there, just as he’d always seen it, split log floor, smell of wood burning in the fireplace. It was dark at the windows – of course, this time of day it would be past sunset there.

“Ben, please tell me you’re seeing what I’m seeing,” Ray pleaded, staring.

“If you’re seeing my father’s cabin, Ray, then I believe we are both seeing the same thing,” Ben reassured him. He took Ray’s hand. “Come.”

GO TO PART 4