Case File #412

By the next night, Remy was back to being his stoic self and focused on the task at hand. He had made call after call to various agents in the places that he knew Ramsie frequented in hopes of finding out plans of when he would return. So far, 7 of 10 were dead ends. Hanging up on the last place, he glanced over at Logan as he sat down on the sofa and watched the news channel. "Dere's t'ree people dat all say de same thing." He had become adapted to wearing acid-washed jeans and cool polyester, untucked dress shirts. Since he didn't have to go to the office, he felt comfortable in civies and bare feet. The purple in the shirt was dark and rich and accented his red eyes and shaggy auburn hair. Brushing a lock behind his left ear, Remy cleared his throat and finished the last of his beer, leaving the empty bottle on the table.

"Which is?"

Remy stood up from sitting at the table, and came to stand at the back of the sofa, looking down at Logan. "Two say Keith is comin' back to find you, an' kill me. De other say he's been lookin' for me out of fear dat you might hurt Remy. De other 7 haven't a clue when he's comin back."

Sighing inwardly, Logan looked from the television to Remy with a questionable thought, "Which do you think is more believable?" He sat with his legs outstretched on the cushion and crossed at the ankles, in just his jeans. The muscles in his chest flexed as he turned his head to face the Cajun.

Taking a breath, Remy recalled Ramsie's business etiquette. "Keith's smart but, dere's room for doubt in his mind. We'd better let him make de first play, den we can work out a countre play." Eyeing the cell phone in his hand, Remy thought about his choices and just how much he hoped Ramsie had bought from the other day in the hangar.

Quizzically, Logan changed positions and sat forward on the sofa. "And, you know this how?"

Remy shrugged and turned to go upstairs. "By de time you started chasin me around de hangar, de car was out of de buildin. Dere weren't any cops around dat side, yet, so who's to say sat it wasn't a different set-up? I didn't say anyt'ing about cops, I just said it was a trap. Since your friend was on more dan a coffee high, mebbe Keith t'ought it was another gang musclin in. Keith's jumpy but I don't t'ink he'd snap to cops automatically. He's too seasoned."

"That happened before?"

"Twice dat I saw. Had to save his butt once."

"What about the dogs? I'd say that was a first play, wouldn't you?"

Shaking his head, Remy stopped on the first stair and turned around. "De dogs are just dere for protecting Ramsie. Dey don't care about what scenario's what. As long as he's alive, dat's deir job." His cellphone rang as he started to speak again. "Oui, Alisa." Turning back to the stairs and heading up to his room, he spoke in french as she returned with the same language.

They talked for a good ten minutes in French as she explained to him what Ramsie was doing. She told him about Ramsie's day and who he was with, flirting and laughing as they lounged on beachchairs. Alisa was smart enough to move around them and focus on something else, or seem like she was, as she kept a close eye on the target. She laughed and pretended to be on the phone with her boyfriend as she past them to walk along the surf, letting her feet get wet in the waves of white water.

Alisa stopped a good distance away and kicked the water at her feet, her back to Ramsie but her feelings maintaining guard on him. Before they hung up, she asked him what he wanted her to do now, and was told to just sit tight until Jean-Luc changed orders.

~~~~~~~~

Snapping the phone closed as they finished talking, she stood at the bar and turned around to watch the gentleman lounging on a beach chair with another handsome young man, beside him. It was a dark night with only the light of the barhut to lighten the beach. She placed her elbows on the bar and leaned against it, eyeing the men every few seconds. A mint green strapless bikini top with a triangle fold skirt to cover the bottom and a purple flower in her hair, had given her the perfect cover.

Ramsie sat up and kissed the young man, who sat on the sand beside him, and whispered something before getting to his feet, teetering a bit, and walking towards the bar. He came to stand a stool away from Alisa, who still faced the direction he had come from, and ordered two more drinks. Dressed only in a black speedo, the sand glistened in spots where his suntan lotioned skin touched the sand, amidst the sprinkle of brown chest hair. Since he and Alisa were the only two at the bar, he glanced over his shoulder at her, tilting his head as he examined her features. "Remy?" he asked through his daze of 6 mai tais.

Turning her head and lifting a brow, she spoke softly, coyly. "Scuse moi?" She pretended to be offended by the name. Her auburn hair fell over her shoulders and blew across her face, in the light breeze. Her voice was throaty and calm as he stepped closer. The red in her eyes were framed by her auburn hair that refused to stay behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, you look like someone I know." Ramsie stared into her eyes and smiled. "Do you have any kin in America? A brother or cousin, perhaps?"

"Oui. I have family dere. Do you always use family questions as pick-up lines?"

Ramsie chuckled. "Forgive me, my dear. My name is Keith. It wasn't meant to be a pick-up line. You look so much like a friend of mine who's name is 'Remy'. I just thought you were him for a moment."

Smiling at the apology, she turned and introduced herself, "Alisa." Placing a hand on her chest, she purred as she said her name. "Is dis Remy a good friend of yours, or do you wish him wit' you, cher?" Her eyes sparkled in the light of the small but bright lamps on the bar.

Leaning in and touching her hair as it blew away from her, he smiled back. "He was supposed to be here but, I'm afraid somethin more important came up. I'm hoping he's alright. We parted in a hurry."

She nodded and blinked as she stepped closer to him. "You fear for his life, no?"

Ramsie looked away and couldn't answer as there was no need to voice what his eyes told.

"I'm sorry but, mebbe he is all right-?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

As Keith looked back at her and was about to say something, the bartender placed both drinks on the bar and interrupted them. Shaking his head as if he were in a daze, he cleared his throat and paid the bill before telling her goodbye as he went back to his male companion.

"Adieu." Tilting her head as she watched him walk away from her, she turned and finished the last of her margarita. Leaving a 10$ bill on the countre for him, she smiled and said goodnight before making her way back to her bungalow. Waiting until she got back inside, she turned on the small television and then the shower in the bathroom, for noise, and dialed Remy's number again. Undoing her bikini straps and turning on a soft bedside lamp in the shape of a curly seashell. "C'mon Remy.... where'd ya go so quick?" she whispered.

~~~~~~~

Passing by Remy's room to go to his own for the night, Logan stopped and listened to the ring of Remy's cell phone. He walked up to the bed and checked the ID before flipping it open to answer it. "Hello."

"Who's dis?"

Logan breathed before answering. Her voice was like Remy's, only more soft and velvety. "Name's Logan. I'm workin with your brother on this case. Somethin' up?"

"Logan, huh?" She purred and repeated his name. "Just callin him to tell him dat his boy Ramsie, t'inks dat somet'in bad happened to him. Don't rightly know what but, from de look in his eyes, it was bad."

"You heard him say that?"

Alisa was silent for a moment. She was moving about her room and doing something before answering. "He came up to de bar where I was hangin out, an' spotted me. He started talking 'bout Remy." She paused and lay back on her bed. "Ain't you de cop dat bust him, last week?"

"Uh,... yea. I am."

"How come you answerin his phone? You got him 'tied up'?"

Logan shifted and cleared his throat. "Remy's in the shower, I was passin by his room and heard the ringin so, I answered it. Would you rather talk to him?"

"Err, non. Just tell him dat I called, eh?" She smiled and rolled over onto her stomach as an image of her big brother, tied up to his bed, popped into her mind.

"Alright." Logan hung up and thought about waiting for Remy to get out of the shower before telling him the news. Hearing the water stop and the curtain being pulled back, he sat down on the edge of the bed and waited.

Remy strolled in a few minutes later and raised an eyebrow at Logan sitting on his bed, staring at him. "You like seein me naked, detective?" Running a finger coyly along the fold of the towel as a playful flirt to Logan, he smiled and twitched his nose teasingly.

"Hnh. Don't flatter yourself. Your sister called again, she said Ramsie came up to her, at the bar, and started yappin about you. Maybe he thinks you look alike or somethin." He stood up and turned to see Remy toss the towel onto his bed and reach for his boxers and T-shirt.

The smile of the joke faded as the words registered about his sister and being spotted by Ramsie. "Merde, Alisa! I told her to stay away from him." Remy huffed as he pulled his grey boxers on. They rest on his hips but slid down a bit as he wasn't meaty enough to hold them up by his waist.

Logan breathed. "She at least confirmed that he thinks somethin' else happened that day. Maybe that can work to our advantage?" Voicing his thought as he caught Remys expression.

Remy opened his shirt. "Like how?"

"Well, if he thinks somethin' happened to you, and if we have to get him on doin' somethin', maybe we can play it out to make him come back to the states? If he wants you dead, or does another deal, we can make it stick." Logan wasn't sure what he was thinking but, something had to snap as an idea to end the case.

Slipping his shirt on, Remy thought it out, weighing several scenarios. "You just wanna get de chance to beat Remy up wit'out a fight, non? Mebbe, indulge in your fantasies of poundin' a CIA's tail?" He smirked.

Logan actually hadn't thought of that option however, it sounded good now that Remy brought it up. "Well, yea, I guess I do. But, if you two were hittin the sheets that hard, he might come runnin' at hearing you might be alive, or in danger."

Remy "hmmed."

"We can't play cat and mouse forever, ya know."

"What if he don't want to come back, but have me- us- go out dere? Den what? Might not be able to get extradiction rights." Remy sat down on the bed, with his back to Logan.

Logan agreed. "Chance we'll have to take." He could tell Remy wasn't in the mood to decide right away so, he let it go for the night. "Get back to me in the mornin. Meantime, get some rest, kid."

He heard Logan go into his room and shut the door before he let a long sigh escape. Remy had wanted the case to end so he could move on but he wasn't sure how, as he refused to admit that he had fallen in love with the man they were after. Knowing that if he explained to his father, Jean-Luc would deem him unable to finish the case and sentence him to an unthinkable life at his desk, in records. Transferring out now was out of the question as well. Remy refused to give Logan the privelage of gloating that a CIA agent couldn't finish his task. Laying back on his bed, Remy stared at the blank ceiling and breathed quietly as he became more and more tired.

~~~~~~~

Logan was restless and couldn't stay asleep so, he got up and opened his door. Since Remy wasn't in the habit of closing his door, he couldn't help but peek in and see the young agent sleeping in an awkward position. Smiling in a silent chuckle, Logan stood in the doorway and watched for a mnute.

Still lying crossways on the bed, Remy's legs hung over the side while his arms lie straight out to either side of him. His head was turned away from the door and he cooed softly in his dream. His right arm moved to drape across his stomach and his left arm gracefully moved to drape over his forehead.

Thoughts quirked in Logan's head as he watched the graceful scene. The air conditioner kicked on and blew cold air straight out over Remy. It would only slow them down if Remy became sick so, Logan carefully walked in and pulled the covers back on the side Remy wasn't on, and then walked around to Remy's right side to move him. Sliding his left arm under Remy's shoulders, and his right arm under Remy's thighs, he carefully lifted the lithe body and gently eased him toward the opening in the covers. He stopped as Remy twitched, hoping he wouldn't wake up. Continuing and turning him around so that his head lay on the pillow, Logan managed to get him so that he could cover him up and Remy not wake up.

Easing back off the other side and coming around to cover Remy up, he paused as he heard a mumbled whisper.

"Too tired for sex, Keith. In de mornin, huh?"

Logan placed the covers gently over him, up to his neck, and straightened from bending over. "Keith, huh?" He sighed as he watched Remy roll onto his right side and curl an arm under his pillow as he slept. Biting his cheek, Logan thought for a moment and just as quietly left the room to go downstairs, grabbing his phone on the way.

Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, he sat down in the kitchen and opened the bottle. Taking a long drink, Logan placed the bottle on the table and dialed his chief's home number.

A groggy Chief Ontanol answered in a whisper, "Hello?"

"Chief, sorry to call so late but, I think we got a problem." Logan hated waking his chief up but, he just considered it payback for all of the times Ontanol did it to him.

Ontanol sat up in bed, and turned on the light to look at the clock beside the bed. "What do you mean? Something happen to LeBeau?" His voice was just above a whisper now, and woke his wife as she lay next to him.

"Nope. Nothing happened." Logan took another sip. "I think we've been compromised. He talked in his sleep, said the name 'Keith'. It may not be anythin' but,...."

"What do you think it means?"

Logan was silent a long moment. "I think the kid might have feelings for him. He claims it's just a job but, I think the true feelings came out in his sleep."

"Logan, we're talking about a young agent who has had to be the world to Ramsie. Three years is a long time to fall into a feeling. Talk to him and ask him about what he said.... but, do it in the morning. Two A.M. is kinda early for a heart to heart." Hanging up, Ontanol turned off the light and snuggled back down with his wife for the night.


TBC.....