Part 4 of 10
They spend a very enjoyable 5 minutes hammering out their agreement… then she startles him by asking shyly, "And… can I work at the station too? I really need the money. I know you have professional privacy issues there but I'll just do the routine stuff; empty the bins, sweep the floor, scrub the bathroom, clean the kitchen, that sort of thing. Um, do you have windows there?"
He pauses, thinks, "Do you know? I'm not at all sure. But if we do, you don't have to do those ones either. And I'm sure you'll be very discrete. Nothing you see or hear in the station can be revealed to anyone. Not your parents…" she nods "… not your siblings…" she is still nodding. He licks his lips and dares greatly, "… not your husband…"
She stops nodding. "I'm not married," she murmurs, avoiding his eyes, "Not even a boyfriend."
His heart swells three times its usual size, squeezing the breath out of his lungs as he tries to keep the excitement out of his voice and off his face, "Oh, um, well, good." Her eyes dart up and he instantly tries to take it back, "Oh, er, I didn't mean good that you're not involved with someone… I mean… being alone isn't always a bad thing, is it? I myself am single and it's… well… it's easier, don't you think?"
Camille drops her eyes again, astonished at the feelings his words stir up in her. He's SINGLE! But… she looks at him sideways, "Um, do you LIKE being alone? I don't."
His heart lurches. There was that word again! That awful word! But somehow it sounds different coming from her, less barbed, more commiserating, almost… almost… companionable. He deep-sixes that last thought out of habit and manages to answer, "Um, no, but… but… it simplifies things, especially for a law enforcement officer."
"Tell me about it," she mumbles, rolling her eyes in perfect agreement.
He naturally makes the wrong assumption, "Er, right, you're right; a policeman never makes a good hus…" He snaps his mouth shut and blushes… and she is enchanted for the first time. He doesn't read her fascinated gaze correctly however and finishes lamely, "What I MEANT to say is there are very few happily married police officers, in my opinion. Well, the officer maybe, but the spouse? Not so much."
She leans forward, suddenly intense, "And what about policewomen? Can they marry? Can they be happy?" Somehow his answer is strangely tantamount; she HAS to know his thoughts on the subject.
He looks out to sea, "Well, I suppose, the only successful couple I ever met worked in different departments and could compartmentalize their lives. They didn't have to live in each other's pockets day and night. The non-fraternization rules exist for a reason. It keeps everything running smoothly." He frowns, this practiced recitation suddenly sounds a little off to his ears. Why is that?
Just as Camille is opening her mouth to ask the next soul-baring question, she hears footsteps. They both turn questioningly towards the sound and watch Lily slip round the corner in a slinky dress, a sultry smile on her lips…
… which vanishes the instant she sees Camille.
There is a fraught moment of shocked silence then Richard rockets to his feet, "Oh, um, Sergeant Thomson, what are you doing here so late? I don't remember asking you to…" He looks down at Camille in dread. Is she thinking he invited Lily to an assignation? Oh, surely not! Please, no!
"No, sir, a'course, sir," is the frosty reply, Lily's eyes never leaving Camille, "I just happened to be in the neighbourhood an' thought I'd drop in to see how your evenin' was goin'… but I can see…" she gives Camille a hostile once-over, "… I can see you have a date. I'll say goodnight to you then." She turns and marches away stiff and stilted, not at all her usual graceful self.
Richard and Camille watch her leave and it is several seconds before he can unbend enough to turn to her and husk, "Um, that's another thing. I know I have no right to ask but… could you… could you maybe clean here in the evenings? My Sergeant has begun to unsettle me, I don't know why but…"
Camille's voice issues in a deadly hiss as she slowly stands, "Oh, I know why! That woman expected to find you alone! She has secret plans for you, sir! I wouldn't trust her if I were you." She hushes suddenly, digs a toe into the floorboards, "Um… not… not unless you want to?" She shivers, willing him to say what he says next and simply can NOT believe she's doing it.
Richard's eyebrows shoot up, "What? No, of course not. Besides, it isn't allowed. And you wouldn't? Trust her, I mean? I'm glad you agree, maybe not as to her intent but that I'm right to be unnerved."
Camille's heart starts up again as she nods, "Oh, I can read body-English plain as day and you're right, all right." She turns to him, "And I will gladly work here in the evenings. After all, if I'm at the station all day, off and on, when the other officers aren't there, then I'll have to work here after dark, won't I? And if I'm protecting you in both places then she can't trap you into something you don't want to be trapped into. I'll be everywhere so she can't do whatever nasty thing she's planning."
She stops suddenly, takes a breath, sees his wide eyes, and adds apologetically in a small voice, "I mean… should she be planning anything at all. I might be wrong, hey?" She ducks her head and murmurs, "Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a jealous girlfriend," while thinking to herself, You idiot! You almost blew your cover! You NEVER lose your temper! What's gotten into you?
END – part 4
