Title: Z Is For Zoo
Series: The Due South Alphabet Series
Author: Grey/Grey853
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Rating: Explicit
Tags: male slash, Alternate Universe-Canon Divergent, explicit language, implied sexual content, Christmas fic, casefic
Word Count: 50,274
Summary: Ray has to help Fraser solve a case of exotic animal smuggling. It's Christmas in Whitehorse.
LinK
https://archiveofourown.org/works/69171186

Snippet:

"That’s what I need from you, Ray. If I’m not allowed to do this officially and Inspector Paris won’t let me assign any of my men, you’re my last hope.″

Ray formulated a quick plan. ″Okay, I’ll do the checks, get as much info as I can on Bailey and anyone who’s working with him, but to get what we really need, I should go inside the camp.″

″But that’s dangerous.″

″I’ve never met Bailey. You said he breeds and sells sled dogs, right?″

Ben got there before he said it. ″You want to go undercover as a buyer.″

″I could pretend to want a dog, maybe even a whole team, but I could feel him out for other possibilities. I might be able to sneak back in later and get pictures.″

″It’s too risky.″

″Breathing is risky some days.″

″I know, but you sneaking in as you call it isn’t legal.″

″Neither is killing or stealing valuable animals. I mean, I might not get what we can use to arrest him, but it could give us a chance to know exactly what he’s up to. It’s a starting point, not an end game.″

″I can’t let you go in without back up.″

Ray shook his head. He couldn’t have that. ″You can’t go in with me, Ben. You’d lose your job if you got caught.″

″What about you? You could get arrested for trespass or worse.″

″Well, then it’s a damn good thing that I’ve got a great lawyer on standby.″

″Do you think we should tell Gus the plan?″

″Nope. He’d advise against it.″

″Which is probably wise.″

″We’ll just have to play it by ear, Ben. I won’t do anything illegal unless I have to. But first things first. Tomorrow I’ll do a complete background check using all our resources. I’ll track down every known associate I can. He has to be getting the animals from other people in the ring. I’ll also want to talk to some of the people who’ve made complaints or reported him. They might know more than they’re saying. The more information I have, the better we are before I try to actually meet the guy or infiltrate. You’ve just become my number one client.″

Ben reached out and took Ray’s hand. ″Thank you.″

Ray grinned. ″You want to know the terms for my retainer?″

Ben closed the folder and stood up, drawing Ray to his feet. As he led him to the bedroom, he teased. ″I believe I can guess.″

″Smart Mountie.″