**This is for 'Amsterdammer' who asked a very simple, very perceptive question. Thanks to OldProff1942, Summersurf, and farfromhome for their thoughts on the matter. Good friends all.**
S1E1 – How Come You Didn't Know Her?
Part 1 of 3
"Eh?" Dwayne coughs, "What's that, Fidel?"
Fidel leans on a tipsy elbow, cheek smushed into his palm, his fourth beer in hand, and he repeats his question, "I only jus' ast how come y' din rec'nize Camille durin' th' Charlie Hulme case? You wuz onna island alla time she wuz growin' up so's y' MUSTA seen her. An y' prolly spent all yer spare time at La Kaz same as now… s' how come y' din know her?"
Dwayne dekes a quick glance around La Kaz's front parlor. It's a slow night, not many tourists in sight, and no sign of the Chief OR his wife. He takes a meditative sip of brew and studies Fidel. The guy is almost wasted on four beers! What a novice drinker he is! And all because baby Rosie isn't sleeping well so Gramma LaVallee has come to stay for a while… just to help Juliet with the baby… and all the reason Fidel needs to stay out of the house!
Dwayne nods once, puts down his beer, and leans forward. Fidel almost falls onto the tabletop by trying to do the same thing and Dwayne has to catch his shoulder to keep him from doing a nasty face-plant, "Hey! Hold up there, Fidel! Don't go hurtin' yourself. I was just gonna tell you why I didn't know her, that's all." He props Fidel back up and thinks maybe it's time to order some strong coffee. He waves to Catherine and she comes over from behind the bar.
"Yes, Dwayne, what would you like?" she glissades elegantly, eyeing Fidel a bit askance.
"I'd like two cups of your strongest coffee, Catherine. Maybe somethin' that's been brewin' since this mornin'? Fidel here needs to sober up a mite if he's gonna make it home in one piece."
Fidel jerks erect and begins wagging a finger back and forth at Dwayne, "Oh! Oh, no, no, no! No, y' don! I'm not goin' home 'til I got absolutely nowhere else t' go t'night. Mother LaVallee's bin givin' me all kindsa advice on how t' improve m'self an' make somethin' uv m'self an' none uv it is ver nice, lemme tell you." Fidel thumps his hand down onto the table and almost spills the coffees that Catherine has deposited there. He fixes anxious eyes onto Dwayne, "Can I come stay with you t'night, huh? I won' be any trouble an' I'm awful quiet."
Dwayne sits back, "Well, I don't think that's such a good idea. Your wife and little girl expect you to come home and you're already late, ain't you?"
Fidel nods sorrowfully, "Yeah, I am, but… but…" his head snaps up and he grins, "You wuz gonna tell me how come y' din know it wuz Camille durin' th' Chief's first case! Thas wha' you said! So tell me."
Dwayne looks up at Catherine and sighs, "Yeah, alright, I will. Catherine, will you sit with us for a minute or two and help me tell it? He might not believe just only me."
Catherine wafts down into a vacant chair, "Oui, mon Amie." She looks to Fidel, "It is a short story but a sad one, quick to tell."
Now Fidel props himself up with both palms, like a child ready for a good bedtime story, "Oh, I like sad. Sad stories are th' best. They always cheer me up. G'wan, Dwayne, tell it."
Dwayne huffs a breath, "OK, well, as you know, I been a cop for almost 25 years now. It sounds like a long time when you say it all at once like that… but it isn't, not really. It was just one day after another, kinda like now, 'cept I didn't have all the excitement the Chief causes. DI's came and went, some of 'em stayed a few years, some didn't last a'tall, so the only thing to show the passage of time was the children." He looks at Catherine, "I remember when you came to the island and I remember when Marlon run off. I kinda fancied you but you was older than me and…"
Catherine snorts daintily, "You 'kind of' fancied anything in a skirt in those days, Dwayne Myers, and you haven't changed one little bit! I had my hands full trying to keep a roof over my head and feed my child. I had no time for pretty party-boys like you."
Dwayne's cheeks flare slightly and he grins sheepishly, "Yeah, yeah, I remember. It wasn't much of a fancy, really, you was way outta my league and I knew it. But I remember wee Camille Bordey, what a terror she was! Always askin' questions and expectin' answers, gettin' into everythin' and havin' to be rescued every other day. Oh, she was a goin' concern, all right. Kept me on my toes."
Catherine smiles, "Yes, she did. So full of life and energy and determined to be brave. But, at night, I could hear her crying in her bed. She blamed herself for Marlon leaving. I tried to tell her it wasn't her fault but children always take everything to heart, don't they?"
"Yeah," Fidel mutters, "they do. Rosie sometimes looks guilty 'bout things that have nuthin' t' do with her. She looks from me t' her gramma a lot. I can see th' thought in her eyes. She wants t' make peace between us but she can't talk s' good yet. I hate t' think she blames herself."
Dwayne slaps the table, "Alla more reason for you to be goin' home, man! Your baby girl needs you and you're wastin' time listenin' to me and my old gossip."
Fidel nods, picks up a coffee with determination, "Yer ri'. When yer ri', yer ri'. I'll just drink up an' y' tell yer story an' I'll be off."
Dwayne pushes the second coffee towards him, "This one too, my friend. I don't wanna hafta arrest you for drunk walkin'." Fidel gulps the first coffee, chokes a bit, and looks to Catherine in question.
She nods, "Yes, I reheated it but it is definitely from this morning. Just what you need." Fidel sighs and picks up the second coffee, his eyes maybe a bit steadier, and gestures to Dwayne to continue.
"Right, well, so there I was, a young officer, findin' my feet on the right side of the law…" Catherine gives another dainty snort that earns her a snarky look as Dwayne grumps, "And you can kindly keep your private opinions to yourself, please."
"Oh, I would," she counters, "except I remember the shock on the street at the time. 'Main Dwayne' Myers, a police officer?! Now the world will come to an end and Sainte-Marie fall into the ocean! Incroyable! No one could believe it." She puts a hand on Dwayne's wrist, "It was Elodie, wasn't it?"
END – part 1
