Chapter 2

Selwyn Patterson sat on his veranda quietly mulling over all he had just heard. A slow but bubbling rage in the pit of his stomach started to slowly fill the rest of him. He could not believe the quality of human (and he used that word in its loosest possible sense) that the Metropolitan Police were allowing into its ranks. Only once Poole's Superintendent had stopped giggling to himself like a naughty schoolboy delighting in his wonderful and well orchestrated prank was Selwyn forced to indure the moron prattle on and on. Hurling senseless abuse and twisted innuendo at the Islands current DCI. Now, Patterson was the first to admit that Richard Poole was irritating, pernickety and at times out right arrogant. But boy did he have the talent to back it up! And for all the things he was he wasn't a self aggrandizer and he always gave credit and heavy praise to his team. His interpersonal skills were somewhat lacking, but at heart he was a good man. To good in the eyes of his last team, 'Goody two shoes' was the term used against him over and over again. And for Selwyn to have to sit and listen as a good officer, his officer,was torn apart went against the grain. And why attack DCI Poole? As far as Selwyn could see the mans only crimes were being good at his job, following the rules and having the 'audacity' to raise his young daughter. Alone. By choice. Ohhhhh yes, Selwyn was now privy to the ins and outs of one Richard Pooles personal life. He'd had no interest in hearing it but Superintend Boyce was very keen to share, no doubt believing that on St Marie they would view it in the same bizarre negative light that Croydon had chosen too. If what he was told was true, and in fairness he felt inclined to accept it as such, Richard had had a brief dalliance with a local nurse. This short lived romance had come to an abrupt end when she had unexpectedly fallen pregnant. This part of the story then digressed into more offensive comments from Superintendent Boyce about Pooles ability and suggestion that the child wasn't even the man in questions anyway as surely she would have been seeing other men 'How else could have any women have been satisfied?' the man had crudely put to Patterson. Now, the women had no interest in raising a child, but she didn't feel like she wanted to get rid of the baby either. At this she decided to go to Richard and give him options. Either the child was to be given up at birth, handing it over to social services to find an adoptive family, or Poole could take the child himself but with the understanding that he was doing it alone. He had, obviously, chosen the latter and had raised the now 5 year old girl alone ever since. The station in Croydon had been ruthless to the man for it. Why was completely beyond Selwyns comprehension. Having lost his own dear wife early on in their marriage he had never been blessed himself with the joy of children. One of the few regrets he had in life, Selwyn adored children and made the most of all the time he got to spend with his niece. As means of explanation for their behavior Boyce throw terms like 'a women's job' and 'no real man would...' rather more than Selwyn could stomach. It was with great relief that he finally ended the call.

All this left Selwyn torn over what to do next. He had been horrified when Catherine had called him late the night before with all guns blazing. Frankly he'd only called London for confirmation that this was just some stupid prank. Alas no. Croydon really had, fully intentionally, sent a single father half way across the world. And with equal intention kept the existence of his child from all paperwork that was sent to the Caribbean. And all for 'a bit of a laugh'. The creature on the other end of the phone had been just as dismissive of little Caitlyn Poole as he'd been of her father. The child had been described by the English policeman as ' a mouse of a girl always clinging to her fathers hand'. The follow up comment that the team had tried to 'toughen her up a bit' sent shivers down Selwyns spine. He didn't know what it meant, and frankly he was to afraid to ask. But from what Catherine told him of the childs behavior on the ferry. Whatever they did it had left a small 5 year old with a deep distrust of all those who work with her dad. And Richard feeling much the same.

Is that why he never brought his daughter to the commissioner's attention? Had he, quite understandably, assumed that the St Marie Police Force knew and simply didn't care? Did he believe that they all knew and thought of him in the same way that the idiots in London did? It would certainly explain his blow up at Catherine the night before. And the girl. The poor little girl apparently aware of, if not all at least some of, it. Selwyns heart wept for her.

Of course had he known about the child he would never in a million years have fixed it so Poole would stay. But now he was here and the girl too. He absolutely wouldn't send them back to that. Not to such disgusting, backwards men. But what to do? How to fix this whole unfathomable mess.

With a sudden burst of resolve Selwyn Patterson got to his feet and headed resolutely out the door. He had to speak to the rest of the team. It was Sunday, they had no current big cases open so odds were it would be quiet. And as DCI Poole had requested the weekend off (now he understood why!)he knew they'd be able to have a full and frank discussion without interruption. They had to gain trust, Poole trusted his team to do their work they've proven themselves there, but personal trust. No, none at all. And Selywn wouldn't stand by and allow them to be tarnished with the same brush as those at his last station. He needed to prove how different they were. And that started with not sending the Pooles away no matter how much Richard complained. He'd make it work, they'd gain his trust through action and teach his little girl that her father isn't the only good hearted officer in the world. He had too. And not just for his own pride. Nor even for his own most basic sense of decency. But because he was haunted by her. A little girl. A little girl with her fathers green eyes. He may not have met her yet. But those eyes in his minds eye called to him, pleaded with him. He was going to fix this.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The station was hot. Hot and boring. Camille Borday sat back from her desk lazily fanning herself with the set of forms she'd just finished filling out. The only sounds that filled the room was the slow grind of the fan overhead barely offering any respite and the gentle scratching of Officer Fidel Bests pen as he finished up his meager amount of paperwork. Dwayne would surely be back soon she vaguely thought to herself. He had been gone for nearly an hour, just down to the market on a quick patrol. She took a second to reflect on her new chief. He'd taken the weekend off. No doubt hiding away in his shack, reading a tomb of a book. Almost certainly one based in his drizzly yet much beloved England. He was a strange little man. He kept everyone at arms length. His rudeness and arrogance in place as a shield. But a shield against what?. Camille prided herself on her ability to read people, to anticipate their next action. Its what made her so very good when she was undercover. But this one fastidious Englishman baffled her. She found it irritating right to her core.

"I was hoping to catch all three of you here today" The booming tenor shattered the quiet of the room like thin glass. Camille visibly jumped. Her superior took a moment to enjoy that fact before casting an inquiring eye at Dwayne's desk.

"He's just doing a patrol of the market. Pickpockets have been active again" Camille answered the silent question.

"Very well, I must speak to you all, so we will wait"

We? it was only then that Camille noticed her own mother hovering in the main doorway.

"Maman?"

"Wait" she answered gently.

And wait they did. Camille and Fidel knew it had to be something serious. Why else would he have come all the way down here? With Catherine in tow no less. And where was the chief? Had the man managed to argue his case to return to England? Was it something worse? Selwyns face gave nothing away. He just stood in his sullen stoic way.

Relief filled them all when Dwayne finally strolled into the station.

"There you are officer" The commissioner announced.

"sir?"

"Please everyone take a seat, I have something of great importance I need to discuss with you" He stood in front of Richards desk facing them all whilst wearing a solemn expression."A situation has been bought to my attention. And now I am brining it to yours. When everyone knows all there is to know we are all of us together going to work this out until we have a solid and doable solution. Do you all understand?" The team nodded mutely. "Good, then sit back and I will begin..."