Part 3 of 4

He comes back to himself, takes her by the upper arms and steps briskly back, "Right. Now. Let's get back to work. What's this triple homicide you mentioned?"

She laughs, turns away, goes to her desk, "Oh, that. That'll be me murdering her three times if she so much as bats an eye at you again."

He follows her, looking worried, "Um, I see. Will I see her again, do you think?"

"Yes, if she came all this way to seduce you, she won't give up easily."

Now he looks alarmed, "Seduce me? Golly, do you really think so?"

She whirls and pins him with a gimlet eye, jealousy once more boiling in her eyes.

He leans down and brushes a kiss across her hot cheek, "Oh, relax! Please! I'll just tell her what I told you, she's come all this way for nothing. I'll be firm but polite. Surely she'll see the error of her ways and go back home. Pity she wasted so much time and money."

"Yes. Pity. Um… and as for the 'firm but polite'…"

"Yes?"

She flips his tie flirtily, "Can I get some of that too? Only without any 'polite'?"

He smooths his tie down and sighs hollowly, "I am simply doomed to satisfy your wanton lusts forever, aren't I? Poor me, my life is a tragedy."

She smiles, "I forget, which mask is that one?"

He smiles back, "In this case, it's the one with the big grin."

Later that day

Camille has to admire Talbot's resolve. It isn't until hours later that Richard gets the expected phone call. She only hears his end of the conversation, of course, but what little she did hear makes her blood boil. Talbot must be pouring out her heart to him over the phone judging by the colour washing his cheeks. All he keeps saying is 'I see' and 'Mmm-hmm' and 'I'm afraid that's not possible'.

Unable to stand another second of jealous torture, Camille tries to snatch the phone out of his hand. She has several very specific anatomical suggestions to make to the woman on the other end of the line but Richard fends her off sufficiently to end the call and hang up the phone before he bundles Camille up into a tight embrace that may have more to do with self defense than romance.

"Camille! Control yourself!" he admonishes as he pets her back into civility.

"What did she say? What are you going to do? When can I kill her?" she grits through clenched teeth as Richard settles her back into her chair.

"Here," he urges, "finish your coffee and calm yourself. She said a lot of nonsense about second chances and learning the error of her ways and all manner of similar drivel. I'm going to meet her at the Resort for tea where I shall tell her unequivocally that there's absolutely zero chance of entering into a relationship with me. I will be polite, firm, and unmoveable."

Camille lifts burning eyes, "All that better mean you're turning her down flat!"

He smiles, pats her hand, "It means I'm turning her down flat." He glances at his watch, "And I have to go. Do you promise to stay here and not follow me? Can't you trust me just a little?"

She takes a steadying breath, "It's not you I don't trust but… all right, I promise. And if you're not back here by closing then all bets are off. I will hunt you down and…"

"Yes, yes, yes, shoot me for a dog, I know. What a quaint expression, so trusting, so loving."

She gives him a long sullen look then throws her arms around his neck, "Just come back to me."

He disentangles himself gently, murmurs onto her bowed head, "I will, never fear." He looks down at her lovingly, "When I return, I'm taking you to the Bay Cove for dinner." At her sudden look up, he nods, "Yes, definitely the Bay Cove. Then, perhaps, dancing at the Blue Lounge?"

As he walks out the door, he leaves a very pleased and slightly flustered Sergeant behind. As he walks into town and hails a taxi, he dwells on the sweet delight of having Camille in his life. As he disembarks at the Resort and walks to the beach dining area, he wishes Megan Talbot had never entered his life. She had appeared during one of his lowest points, before he'd awoken to the joys of Sainte-Marie, before he realized this is where he is happy, before he had Camille.

He sighs, scanning the area, looking for the woman who had exerted an almost insurmountable pull on his loneliness, abandonment, and low self-esteem. If not for Camille, he would have sunk into Megan Talbot without a trace. He knows now that he would have drowned. Megan's duplicitousness had been complete and would have destroyed him. Yet another reason to thank his lucky stars for Camille. Without her constant razzing about Megan he would not have been able to resist the woman's siren call to fall from grace.

He sees a waving hand and heads for the siren's table. As he slides into the vacant chair, he notes that Megan must have spent hours in the Resort's beauty salon. No one looks that good without a lot of work. This makes him think of Camille again (almost everything does these days) and how beautiful she looks all the time with no effort at all. He is just dropping into quiet reverie about Camille in the early morning light when he is rudely interrupted.

A cool hand falls onto his. He deftly slips his hand back into his lap. He sees Megan frown at this but it doesn't break her flow of words, "Richard, I'm so glad you're here, I feel so safe with you. I don't know what happened up there in the station. That woman is so rude! She actually laid hands on me, hurt me! I'm thinking of laying charges."

Richard says stiffly, "That isn't going to happen, Mrs. Talbot. As for my presence here, I only wish to clarify the situation between us." Megan smiles and leans forward but Richard is pretty sure she won't like what he has to say. He is correct. As he tells her the plain unvarnished truth about Camille, Megan falls back by slow degrees into her chair and just stares at him.

When he finishes, she lisps, "So, you and the harridan, you're a couple?" He nods. She shakes her head as if dispelling a bad dream and leans forward, "Why? Oh, Richard, why her? She's awful! She doesn't deserve you. You're special, you're wonderful, and you're a kind caring gentle man who deserves so much better!"

END – part 3