Part 9 of10

Later, after an impromptu supper that surpasses all expectations, Richard and Camille walk back to his place where she will go through the motions of cleaning but… really… they've simply come to like spending time together. As they walk, he begins to think out loud, "This bride case, it bothers me for many reasons, but mostly because it is stepping all over the Hulme case. I'm only one man. How am I to solve two murders at once?"

She looks up to the sky, trying to frame her response like a civilian, "Well, I don't know. You're very smart and I'm sure you can do it but please don't burn yourself out. Why can't you put your officers onto all the background checks for the dead bride while you concentrate on the Hulme case? You have all the information you need there, don't you?"

He shakes his head, "No, I don't, I know I don't, otherwise things would make better sense. I'm missing a major clue, probably more than one but all I need is that one breakthrough that makes all the rest fall into place. I'm good at that, puzzles, I mean. It's about all I AM good at."

She hears the forlorn tone in his voice and instinctively takes his arm. He starts a bit but then gulps and rearranges himself to have a woman at his side, not something he's used to… but he doesn't want HER to know that. "Oh," she scoffs lightly, "I don't believe that for a second. I bet you're wonderful at all sorts of things but puzzles are good too. Puzzles need clues and clues need brains and brains need firm control to work properly. So, start at the beginning and tell me everything. Take it one step at a time."

He does, totally against protocol but, for once, it doesn't feel wrong. She listens and nods. When he is done she thinks then says, "We hear all kinds of rumors and stories in La Kaz where Maman… works… and do you know? James Lavender has a yacht that travels all over the world but mostly between the east coast of Africa, the west coast of South America, and here. Now, suspicious minds have wondered what he's carrying aboard that yacht that his wife never sails on. Also, there is some gossip about him having a tame cop on the payroll. What do you think?"

Richard muses, "Smuggling? Well, maybe, it shouldn't be too hard to search his yacht." He frowns, "But that idea of a corrupt cop, that's very worrisome. If true then I can't trust anyone in the station until they've all been vetted."

Camille bites her lip then offers, "Well, I know about Dwayne Myers and Fidel Best, both are honest cops. Neither of them has two cents to rub together but you could take a quiet look at their financial records just to check, right?"

"Right," he rumbles low, "but it feels so wrong. I like both of them." He clicks his fingers, "What about the Commissioner? He's perfectly placed to accept bribes."

Camille makes her curls bounce and he is hopelessly derailed, "No, no, not the Commissioner. That man would throw himself into a school of sharks to protect this island. He's above reproach… but I suppose you must check for yourself, mustn't you? Follow the rules?" She looks disappointed.

And he is disappointed to have to say, "Yes, I must. It's not that I don't trust you, Camille, it's just that…"

She nods, "It's just that I'm not an officer. I understand. If I WAS…" she leaves the sentence hanging.

And he picks it right up, "If you WERE, wouldn't we be a good team?" Now he sounds disappointed too.

She gives him a funny little smile before saying, "Now, other than adding that jezebel Lily Thomson to your list of cops to check out, let's recap. What's the oddest thing about the Hulme case?"

Richard muses for a bit then says, "There's more than one. Gunshot then alarm. If Charlie was shot dead then who closed the safe room door? The vase. My reconstruction reveals bullet holes, big ones, too big for a .22 calibre. The book. Why was it so important that Hulme died with it in his hand?"

"Fine," Camille chirps, "Why don't you do like they do on TV? Re-enact the crime and see if any new thoughts suggest themselves to you. Treat the whole thing like a great big puzzle."

They've reached his house. He unlocks the door for her, ushering her inside, "Right, I will, I'll question all the suspects again plus I'll put in a request for a search warrant for James Lavender's boat. I'm sure he'll hate that." As she starts to pretend to clean, he starts unpacking his briefcase and flashes a snarky smile at her, "What a blooming pity."

She quickly turns her back and shudders. She's never seen such a predatory look on his face before. For just a second the polite dependable Englishman is gone and in his place is someone who looks capable of anything... anything at all! She shudders and physically scrubs harder at the kitchen sink but no amount of mental scrubbing can erase her vision of that toothy grin beneath dangerous green eyes.

END – part 9